Movie Suggestions: Comedy

Honestly, I'm quite picky when it comes down to comedy films. There are so many terrible comedy films out there. The few comedy actors that I adore are female (Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler a.o.). Here are five comedy films that I think everyone should watch.

1. Bridesmaids (2011) - Paul Feig

I can watch this film over and over again. The six leading ladies are so funny, especially Kristen Wiig. They make this film both surrealistic and ridiculous, but also very recognizable. There are a few scenes that are brilliant (the plane scene and the bridal shop scene). The film (and Wiig) was nominated for an Oscar for Best Script and Melissa McCarthy snatched up a nomination for Best Supporting Actress! 

If you liked this you should definitely watch: Mean Girls (2004) and Spy (2015)

2. Away We Go (2009) - Sam Mendes

This is such a sweet, little film from Oscar winning director Mendes. John Krasinski (from The Office (2005-2013)) and Maya Rudolph (from Saturday Night Live) make an adorable, pregnant couple. There are some delicious supporting characters (the standout is Maggie Gyllenhaal). It's not only very funny, but also quite emotional and the ending will probably make you cry.

If you liked this you should definitely watch: Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Garden State (2004)

3. Love & Friendship (2016) - Whit Stillman

Hi-la-ri-ous. Absolutely hilarious. Kate Beckinsale is absolute perfection in this Jane Austen film. The movie is based on a novella of Austen and it is viciously funny. Laughing out loud in the cinema is something I rarely do, but this time I was basically laughing for the full 90 minutes. The cast is outstanding and it is a very modern film (despite taking place around 1800).

If you liked this you should definitely watch: Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Austenland (2013)

4. Pride (2014) - Matthew Warchus

For some reason I prefer British comedy over American comedy and this is another example of a great British comedy. It is quite a serious subject (gay rights), but it's such a joy to watch. The impressive cast, led by Ben Schnetzer, is clearly having a blast. Especially Dominic West in a brilliant dancing sequence and Imelda Staunton as an older activist. Again, just like Away We Go (2009), it does have some emotional moments, but often those moments set a film apart from the hurdle of conventional comedy films.

If you liked this you should definitely watch: The Kids are All Right (2010) and Eddie the Eagle (2016)

5. The Lobster (2015) - Yorgos Lanthimos

I don't want to give too much away of this interesting film. It takes place in a alternative world where there are some very strict rules about relationships. It's funny, it's different, it's great. Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz play the two leading characters who fall madly in love. Unfortunately, the film weakens a bit when it goes along, but the beginning is so strong and funny that for that reason alone you should definitely watch it!

If you liked this you should definitely watch: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and Her (2014)

Movie Reviews: Finding Dory ★★★☆☆

Finding Dory (2016) 

Director: Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane

Genre: Animation, Comedy

Running Time: 97 minutes 

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill

Looking at the last six years of Pixar films, I have to say that they haven't impressed as much as they have in the 2000's. Back then, there were basically only great films with Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Wall-E (2008) and Up (2009). The only brilliant films of the last couple op years were Inside Out (2015) and Toy Story 3 (2010). There have been a few good films, but these aren't really that special, like Brave (2012) and The Good Dinosaur (2015). Finding Dory is also a good, but not a great film. It lacks, for me, the imagination of the standouts of Pixar. Because of the increasing quality of other animation films (Dreamworks), I think that Pixar really has to step of her game. Pixar has won 'just' two of the last five Oscars for Best Animated Feature. This is by no means bad, but it is disappointing, compared to winning every Oscar from 2007 to 2010.

But back to Finding Dory (2016). Although I'm being quite negative here, Pixar is still by far my favorite animated studio. I did enjoy Finding Dory a lot! Dory was the best character from Finding Nemo (2003) and Ellen DeGeneres' fish is still as funny as in the first one. It is, as we can expect from Pixar by now, beautifully animated and the supporting voice-cast is great! With standouts from Dominic West and Idris Elba as sea lions Rudder and Fluke and Kaitlin Olson as whale shark Destiny. The story is very similar to other Pixar films, with an emotional (on the verge of depressing) beginning and a road to a happy end with some bumps along the way.

So, what didn't I like? First of all, for some reason I thought Finding Dory was more aimed at children than a lot of other Pixar films. I get that the main audience of animation films is (usually) children, but the humor, storyline and characters all felt much more childlike than, let's say, Inside Out (2015) or Wall-E (2008). As a result, this film lacks some emotional depth. Normally, I weep during every Pixar film, but I wasn't remotely near to crying during Finding Dory. I'm not saying that I feel like I need to cry, but I do think it's a result from a relatively superficial story. Because it is of course a sequel there isn't as much originality as in original story (obviously), but where the Toy Story sequels managed to be creative, Finding Dory has some troubles with that. For example the chase by a giant squid is almost exactly the same as the chase by the deep sea monster in Finding Nemo. I think that renovations are crucial for a sequel and, because it's an animation film, there are very few limitations to the visuals of new ideas. I'm afraid Pixar won't be extremely inventive with the third sequel to the widely hated (except for six-year-old boys) Cars (2006), but I would love to see an incredible Incredibles 2 (2019) and a smashing Toy Story 4 (2018). Most of all, however, I would love to see new original story, because that what Pixar does best!

 ★★★☆☆