Mini Reviews: She's Funny That Way (2014), The Overnight (2015) & Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015)

She’s Funny That Way (2014) is a crazy little comedy made from the same DNA as Love Actually and similar movies, where multiple stories all come together. Owen Wilson is a director who enjoys giving large amounts of cash to call girls, including Imogen Poots, who just so happens to be auditioning for the lead in his latest play. Every other main character in the movie is connected to one another, but I won’t spoil it for you because to be honest, that was one of the only things that kept me entertained. A decent movie nonetheless, but it just feels forgettable. I wasn’t sure whether the audience is meant to be on side with Owen Wilson or not, but he was a bit of a douchebag in my opinion.

What even is this movie?! I can’t tell if it’s a really low brow comedy or an indie dramedy! It’s a movie about a married couple (Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling) who are having intimate issues, and have just moved to a new city. They meet another couple at the park one day (Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche) who invite them over for a pizza night. Things get very awkward very fast, when we learn that this couple paint buttholes and make breast pump videos. I’m not even kidding!

I felt awkward from start to finish, but it was still strangely enjoyable and funny. Not one to see in front of your family, friends, or anyone really. Watch this alone, or drunk!

Why did I put myself through this? I wasn’t overly fond of the first movie, but Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015) was pretty terrible. For the record, I love the idea, and there were a few jokes that were funny. Basically, Lou (Rob Corddry) gets shot and so the group have to go back in time to find his killer. Only they end up in the future instead. There’s a big debate about the theory of time travel, and many gross sex jokes that are just plain awkward. Not even Adam Scott in a skirt(?!) could save this for me.  (Is anyone starting to see a trend in Allie's recent reviews?! Like they all happen to have one particular person in them?! Shuuuush don't draw attention to it!) The nerd song made me laugh though, and the credits scenes are actually the best parts.

Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

I saw the trailer for this a million times and my Dad told me it was brilliant but I just wasn't interested.  However, I was limited on choice on a flight so I thought I would give it a go and I am so glad I did.

I remember seeing the trailer at the cinema ages ago and my reaction being 'I HAVE to see this when it comes out!'. Then, as always, I just didn't have the time, and since then I've kept putting it off. I'm glad I finally gave it a chance!

This is the brillaint story of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) a concierge at the famous Grand Budapest Hotel and his trusted friend and colleague Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy (Tony Revolori) through the dramas of theft (and recovery) of a priceless painting and the fight for a huge family fortune.

This is like no other film I have ever watched, although I don't think I have been a fan of Wes Anderson's work before so maybe that's why this was so unique and new to me.  The story was truly insane and crazy but it was made brilliant by Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori unique chemistry on screen, they we're really hilarious together.  In fairness, I think everything that was supposed to be serious in this film actually made me laugh, it was so deadpan!

This is the first thing I've seen of Wes Anderson's so I didn't really know what to expect, but I really loved it. The humour is brilliant in my eyes, although I can understand that others just wouldn't enjoy it at all. I may be making a silly comparison here but the film was almost a little Monty Python-esque, or at least I thought it was! 

It wasn't just Fiennes and Revolori that made this film, the ensemble cast from Jude Law to the yet again unrecognizable Tilda Swinton and too many cameos to count were all brilliant and the change of point of view kept the pace of the film up (although wouldn't be required).  The settings and set design were amazing, I found myself looking at the background in every scene to see what they had done, it looked like cartoon come to life.

I loved every member of the cast, and the cameos made me light up too. Perhaps it's a good job I didn't go to the cinema, I don't think anyone would appreciate me jumping out of my seat to shout 'BILL MURRAY' at the screen...

In all honesty, a really difficult film to review but brilliant nonetheless.  You have to see it for yourself to believe it.

The Grand Budapest Hotel was clever, colourful, and so funny, but it's not for everyone!