Tag Archives: Melanie Lynskey

XX (2017)

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XX
Segment 1: The Box
Director: Jovanka Vuckovic
Writer: Jovanka Vuckovic
Based on: Jack Ketchum‘s short story
Cast: Natalie Brown, Jonathan Watton, Peter DaCunha, Peyton Kennedy
Segment 2: The Birthday Party
Director: St. Vincent aka Annie Clark
Writer: Roxanne Benjamin, St. Vincent aka Annie Clark
Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Seth Duhame, Sanai Victoria, Sheila Vand, Lindsay Burdge
Segment 3: Don’t Fall
Director: Roxanne Benjamin
Writer: Roxanne Benjamin
Cast: Casey Adams, Breeda Wool, Angela Trimbur, Morgan Krantz
Segment 4: Her Only Living Son
Director: Karyn Kusama
Writer: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Christina Kirk, Kyle Allen, Mike Doyle
Part of: /slash Filmfestival
Seen on: 4.5.2017
[Review by cornholio.]

XX is a strong and very entertaining anthology film that I enjoyed a lot. I particularly loved the animated transition sequences between the segments by Sofia Carrillo that turned into its own small story in the end.

But of course, there was also much to like about the actual segments of the film – I talk about each individually after the jump.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Writer: Stephen Chbosky
Based on: his novel
Cast: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, Dylan McDermott, Kate Walsh, Johnny Simmons, Nicholas Braun, Mae Whitman, Julia Garner, Paul Rudd, Melanie Lynskey, Joan Cusack

Plot:
Charlie (Logan Lerman) writes anonymous letters to somebody he doesn’t actually know. He writes about returning to high school after his best friend killed himself the year before. He writes about the books he reads and the special support he gets from his English teacher (Paul Rudd). He writes about his Aunt Helen (Melanie Lynskey) who died. He writes about his sister (Nina Dobrev) and her boyfriend (Nicholas Braun). And when he meets Sam (Emma Watson) and her step-brother Patrick (Ezra Miller) he writes about them, their relationships and how through their friendship he slowly starts living his own life.

After I fell in love with the book so surprisingly but oh so deeply, I have to admit that the movie is not quite as good as that. But it is an excellent piece of work that I did enjoy a whole lot.

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Leaves of Grass (2009)

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[Viennale started! Yay!]

Leaves of Grass is the newest film by Tim Blake Nelson, starring Edward Norton, Keri Russell, Melanie Lynskey, Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon.

Plot:
Bill Kincaid (Edward Norton) is a successful philosophy professor who’s completely turned his back on his family in Oklahoma; his mother (Susan Sarandon) and his twin brother Brady (Edward Norton), a drug dealer. Brady has got himself into some financial troubles and calls Bill for help and home by telling him that he died. But that’s only the beginning of the mess they’re in.

Leaves of Grass has some very funny moments but the film has two major flaws: One, it tries too hard to be deep and meaningful and two, the film keeps getting away from the director.

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Up in the Air (2009)

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Up in the Air is the newest movie by Jason Reitman, starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Melanie Lynskey, J. K. Simmons and Zach Galifianakis.

Plot:
Ryan (George Clooney) works for a company who fire people for other companies. He’s good at his job and he loves the life that comes with it – loads of travelling, no real responsibility for anybody, barely any contact. When his young colleague Natalie (Anna Kendrick) proposes a system to fire people via webcam, he takes her on the road to show her the reality of the job. Around the same time he meets the attractive business woman Alex (Vera Farmiga) and starts an affair with her. Slowly he begins to question his whole lifestyle.

Up in the Air is probably not the best movie you’ll ever see (like the various award nominations would have you believe). Nevertheless, it’s a very nice movie, full of vivid characters, wonderful performances and a good sense of humour.

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Away We Go (2009)

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Away We Go is the newest movie by Sam Mendes, written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O’Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey.

Plot:
Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are a happy couple, even if they have financial difficulties and rather crappy jobs. When they discover that Verona is pregnant and that Burt’s parents (Catherine O’Hara and Jeff Daniels) are moving away, they decide to start life anew and go on a (road) trip through the US, visiting friends and relatives to decide where that new life should happen.

Away We Go is another one of those movies where somebody somewhere decided that it is not fit for marketing. Oh, and what a bad choice again. It’s a wonderful, funny and heart-warming movie with a great soundtrack that I can only recommend. Over and over again.

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