American Hustle

Last night, American Hustle won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay and that got me thinking: “How the hell did American Hustle win the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay?” I’ve also been contemplating “Why is American Hustle nominated for Best Director at so many awards shows, including yesterday’s BAFTAs and the upcoming Oscars?” They’re questions I can’t really fathom an answer to because, as far as I can recall, it wasn’t a very good film, and the main aspects that let it down were the direction and the script. Continue reading

Hideous Kinky

Julia (Kate Winslet) has upped sticks from her one-bedroom London flat and moved to Marrakech after her partner cheated on her and left. Accompanying Julia are her two daughters, seven year old Bea (Bella Riza) and five year old Lucy (Carrie Mullan). Whilst in Morocco, Julia runs into financial difficulties and seeks romance, eventually finding it with street acrobat/quarry labourer Bilal (La Haine‘s Said Taghmaoui), before continuing to travel around the foreign lands with her children.
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La Haine

The morning after a destructive rioting on a French housing estate, three youths involved – Jewish Vince, Arab Said and black Hubert – freefall through the aftermath as the community struggles to pick itself up. A gun was lost by a policeman, the gym the reformed Hubert built was trashed and Said is in bad need of a haircut. The 3 leads perform ably, particularly Vincent Cassel as the livewire yet inexperienced Vince, who does a pretty good De Niro impression when needed. There’re some nice comic touches – the three struggle to hot wire a car before realising no-one can drive – and the ending is abrupt, shocking yet completely fits.

Choose film 8/10