recently seen

Kill Me Three Times (2014): One of the showings from the BFI's London Film Festival, my sis and I went off to Hackney Picturehouse to see this Aussie film about a hitman (played by Simon Pegg). It's a black comedy with a fragmented timeline, perfect for getting to grips with the small cast of interconnecting characters and their motives to commit murder. Succinct and funny.

Barefoot in the Park (1967): Jane Fonda and Robert Redford play young newly weds who move into their first rented, rather problematic, appartment in NYC. This film is all kinds of perfect mostly thanks to the cracking script and the fact that Jane Fonda is amazing. This may now be one of my favorite films.

A Star is Born (1954): Judy garland plays a singer who is spotted by drunken rich actor, James Mason. He takes a shine to her and promises that she could be a 'star'. And she does thanks to his connections and her talent. They fall in love and get married. But as her own fame gathers momentum, his drinking takes him on a downward spiral. I'd never seen this classic before and during the first half an hour or so I was wondering what the fuss is about but yes, it's brilliant. Judy Garland is amazing in this, particularly when she performs a reenactment of the film she's making. It's very tragic but also uplifting in a way.

The Descendants (2011): George Clooney's wife is left in a fatal comatose state having been involved in a boat accident. Along with dealing with his two daughters and the sale of some very lucrative family land on a neighbouring Hawaiian island, he finds out that his wife was having an affair. Although the subject matter is tough and v.sad I really enjoyed this film. It looks at the complexities of family, skewed perceptions and the different ways in which people cope and deal with grief, all played out with beautiful Hawaii as the backdrop. It's by the same director who did Sideways (which I also really liked) so it's worth a watch if that was also your cup if tea.

The Heat (2013): Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as mismatched law enforcers kicking ass. Fast paced and hilarious, I loved it. The director, Paul Feig, is tipped to be bringing us a female Ghostbusters movie which sounds cool but I'm a little trepidatious. There's an interesting article about it here.

In A World (2013):  A movie about the competitive world of voiceover work, particularly movie trailer voiceovers. A prominent voiceover guy dies, thus leaving the next big movie trailer contract up for grabs and Lake Bell ,daughter of a well-known voiceover artist (who's also a bit of an arsehole) and voiceover artist in her own right, is going for it. This film is awesome (definitely one of my favorites of the year) mostly thanks to Lake Bell who, is v.funny and endearing (who also wrote and directed it), and the rest of the cast. It's also great to get a little insight into a job that I've never really thought that much about. Cant't recommend this enough.