"It's like that thing Jon Bon Jovi said: 'No man is an island.'"

About A Boy

2002; UK; 101 min.

Director: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

Screenplay: Nick Hornby, Peter Hedges, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

Music: Damon Gough

Cast:

Will - Hugh Grant

Marcus - Nicholas Hoult

Christine - Sharon Small

Imogen - Madison Cook

Imogen - Jordan Cook

John - Nicholas Hutchinson

Barney - Ryan Speechley

Barney - Joseph Speechley

Fiona - Toni Collette

I'm sort of on a mission to watch every film that Hugh Grant has been in. He definitely has to be my favorite actor... ever. I was excited to see what Hugh Grant had to offer in this film. The plot begins with Will (Hugh Grant), a bachelor who sits around and really does nothing. Will is able to remain unemployed and live comfortably because his father wrote a song, "Santa's Super Sleigh," and every time the song plays, he collects royalties for it. Parallel to Will's story, we meet Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a young outcast at school whose mother (SPOILER ALERT) attempts suicide. When Will and Marcus cross paths, they end up forming a fun, interesting relationship. The eventual friendship between the two is absolutely adorable and quite heartwarming.

While this film may have not had the most sophisticated cinematography or plot line, I thought it was great and really enjoyed it. I would recommend this to anyone as a pretty light and quite fun film.

iRate: 4.5/5 CDs

Trailer: Check out the official website by clicking here!

"Is that your dead kid? Give us a look!"

Six Shooter

2004; Ireland; 27 min.

Director: Martin McDonagh

Screenplay: Martin McDonagh

Cast:
Brendan Gleeson - Donnelly

Rúaidhrí Conroy - Kid

David Wilmot - Man

Aisling O'Sullivan - Woman

"Six Shooter" was our first Art of Film black/dark comedy experience. What this type of comedy does, is it takes a topic that is taboo and not humorous at all, and turns it into satirical comedy. Dark comedy solicits many laughs of discomfort and unease. Nervous giggles erupt from viewers who aren't exactly sure how to respond. There were many of these moments as our class watched the film. The topics that the film dealt with included cot death (the equivalent of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)), suicide, and murder. The plot begins with the death of Donnelly's (Brendan Gleeson) wife. We see her lying in her bed in the hospital room. One of my favorite moments in the film occurs right after. Donnelly is talking to his late wife and says, "I brought you the photo of David." The camera then zooms in to a close-up shot of the photo of David, a rabbit. While this may not sound funny in writing, the scene was very amusing. Donnelly later boards a train in which he encounters a couple (David Wilmot and Aisling O'Sullivan) dealing with the loss of their child due to cot death, and another strange man. The man on the train is, in my opinion, the funniest character in the film. There's one hilarious scene that involves him telling a story about his experiences with a cow. Another funny line that I like that this man says is, "I would have shot Marvin Gaye if I was Marvin Gaye's dad." The last scene of the short film is both shocking and so very comical at the same time.

Another thing I found interesting about this film is the fact that none of the characters have names except for Donnelly. Maybe it's to emphasize the fact that these people could be average people you could encounter. They come with their own background and stories. It shows how people have so many problems. Maybe Donnelly being the only one named is to demonstrate that he's in his own world after having to face his wife's death. Overall, I would recommend this short film - it was quite entertaining!

iRate: 3/5 cows

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63HZq85qe1Q