Book v Film: All The Bright Places

“The thing I realize is, that it’s not what you take, it’s what you leave.”

Based on the book of the same name by Jennifer Niven and directed by Brett Haley, All The Bright Places follows two high school students – Theodore Finch (Justice Smith) and Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) – who meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school. At first, it’s unclear who saves whom, but when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

New ‘Inherent Vice’ Interactive Character Poster

(Written for Filmoria)

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new and beautifully designed interactive character poster promoting the brilliant Paul Thomas Anderson‘s highly anticipated Inherent Vice.

The seventh feature from PTA, and the first ever adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel, the new poster allows us learn more about the film’s characters, which features an excellent cast including Oscar nominees Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin and Owen Wilson and Oscar winners Reese Witherspoon and Benicio Del Toro.

The Short That Became: Bottle Rocket

(Written for Virgin Media Shorts)

Whether you like his unique style or not, you can’t deny Wes Anderson knows how to tell a story. He’s a filmmaker both equally loved and hated for his quirky, colourful, and comical family dramas. And with his eighth feature film The Grand Budapest Hotel coming next year, we can expect much of the same.

But there was a time when he was simply enjoyed, when he filmed in black and white, when he made the audience laugh, and his style of film-making was only just being recognised as something quite ingenious. Albeit his least successful films, his short Bottle Rocket and debut feature of the same name undeniably launched an impressive career.

Saoirse Rona To Lead Wes Anderson’s Latest

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

With an ensemble cast already checked in to Wes Anderson’s upcoming The Grand Budapest Hotel, news this week confirms that Oscar-nominee Saoirse Ronan is set to play the female lead in the period picture.

Already starring Anderson regulars Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman, as well as a number of brilliant new additions including Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp, The Grand Budapest Hotel is shaping up to look pretty fantastic.

Jude Law Sure To Be Delightfully Twee In Wes Anderson’s Next

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

Wes Anderson has always been known for a having a brilliant yet sometimes surprising cast ensemble in his films, and with Johnny Depp, one of the biggest names yet, signing up for his next film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, it looks as if nothing is about to change.

Following this year’s brilliant Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel already stars Anderson regular Owen Wilson, but the latest name to be confirmed on board is British actor Jude Law, who told MTV that he was given a role earlier this month.

Film Review: Midnight In Paris

(Read this in my publication In Retrospect – Issue 3 and in my student newspaper, Flex.)

Rating:

Midnight In Paris premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and has since been a global box office success. Written and directed by Woody Allen, the romantic comedy-fantasy explores the theme of nostalgia, reflecting back on the Golden era of the 1920s which leads one man to question whether these illusions of the past are better than the present one he is facing.

Gil (Owen Wilson), a writer struggling to finish his first novel, travels to Paris for a break away from his Hollywood life with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents, John (Kurt Fuller) and Helen (Mimi Kennedy). After arguing with his fiancée one night, Gil begins to roam the streets of Paris when an old-fashioned car pulls up and the passengers inside ask him to join them. Gil finds himself at what seems to be a 1920’s themed party, but he soon begins to recognise that the company around him consists of his literary and artistic idols, including that of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Zelda Fitzgerald (Alison Pill), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates). Gil has been transported to the 1920s, an era which he admires and decides to return to at midnight every night in order to find inspiration for his novel, and maybe something a little more from the stunning Adriana (Marion Cotillard).

Film Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Directed by Wes Anderson and based on Roald Dahl‘s children’s novel, an urban fox (voiced by George Clooney) and his wife (Meryl Streep) who live in an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristopherson (Eric Anderson). But Mr. Fox can’t resist returning to his farm-raiding ways and must help his animal community survive when the farmers – Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Bunce (Hugo Guinness) and Bean (Michael Gambon) – are forced to retaliate.

Film Review: The Life Aquatic

Directed by Wes Anderson, The Life Aquatic follows the internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his crew – Team Zissou – set sail on an expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive, possibly non-existent Jaguar Shark that killed Zissou’s partner during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. A young airline co-pilot who may or may not be Zissou’s son (Owen Wilson), a beautiful journalist (Cate Blanchett) assigned to write a profile of Zissou, and Zissou’s estranged wife and co-producer, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston), join them on their voyage as they face overwhelming complications including pirates, kidnapping, and bankruptcy.

Film Review: The Royal Tenenbaums

Directed by Wes Anderson, The Royal Tenenbaums follows an estranged family of former child prodigies – Chas (Ben Stiller), Richie (Luke Wilson), and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) – who reunite with their parents (Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston) when one of their members announces that he has a terminal illness.