#amanda lawrence

[yonderghostshistories]

Graham Chapman in a (tv and/or film and/or stage and/or radio and/or etc) version of the Oscar Wilde play “The Importance of Being Earnest” would have been ✨ICONIC✨ actually

Look, my boy Gray played Ozzie Wilde-o in MPFC and SLAYED in the role (and in lipstick 💄 🫦) fr 💅💅

(link to the sketch in question)

SO COULD THE UNIVERSE PLEASE LET MY BOY GRAY BAE PLAY A CHARACTER IN THAT PLAY FOR REAL 😤✊ (in an AU at least)

like

(some picture propaganda for why I think Gray would’ve been absolutely great as either Jack Worthing or Algernon Moncrieff in TIoBE. Like come ooooonnnn, bro’s already got the Late Victorian Era Swag™️ like AAAAHHH-)

PLEASE??!?!?

Also link to the (imo very nice) trailer for the NT Live version of “The Importance of Being Earnest”, which will come out on 20th February in the UK!

[moviemosaics]

Club Zero

directed by Jessica Hausner, 2023

[fordreviews]

📽️ Matilda: The Musical (2022)

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, so I’m fully ready to be blasted like I was for my first Dunkirk review. I did not like this at all. I thought the songs were all annoying, and it went on long enough that it got boring. I’ve read the book; and, while this adaptation did stick with the story line, there were a lot of unnecessary additions. I’m a fan of musical theater, but I was not a fan of this musical. I know the musical version has existed for almost 15 years now, but I just don’t feel that the Matilda story lends itself to being a musical, especially with the songs written the way they are. Plus, a huge part of the story is how horrible her parents are, and I feel that was glossed over a bit, something that really ruins one of the main story lines. Oh, and Miss Trunchbull was not nearly mean or scary enough. Anyway, I was not a fan of this and will definitely not be watching it again.

Sex/nudity: 0/10

Language: 1/10 (“hell”)

Violence: 2/10 (a lot of violence mentioned and some shown but nothing super horrific)

Overall rating: 3/10

[letterboxd-loggd]

Club Zero (2023) Jessica Hausner

January 24th 2024

[randomrichards]

2025 ACADEMY AWARDS: BEST ANIMATED SHORT

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

BEAUTIFUL MEN

In 2021, brother Steven (Tom Diwispelaere) Koen (Peter De Graef) and Bart (Peter Van den Begin) travel to Istanbul to get hair transplants. Unfortunately, a mishap results in only one appointment being booked. Now the neurotic Steven, nerdy Koen and distant Bart have confront their issues with each other as they choose which one will take the appointment.

Kaufman-esque is the perfect word to describe Beautiful Men. The stop motion animation bears resemblance to Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa both style and tone. This short film also shares Kaufman’s trademark melancholy humour and exploration of human psychology. In this case, writer/director Nicolas Keppens explores male insecurity.

To be honest, the short doesn’t say much about the subject. Bart is the only one who gets a clear arc. He spends most of the short trying to call his wife Lindsay (Laure Van Medegael). His issues come to a head when he overhears Steven say what he really thinks of him. It doesn’t help that the short ends with a deux ex machina that solves their problems.

There are some very funny scenes in this short. One sees Steven checking Bart’s balls for a lump in a public restroom. Another sees Bart accidentally going through an emergency exit naked. As with Kaufman, the humour of this short is an acquired taste.

Beautiful Men is the weakest of the animated shorts. While it does deliver some laughs and has great stop motion animation, the story needed to be reworked to establish arcs for the other brothers.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS

From Iran comes In the Shadow of the Cypress, a devastating tale of a troubled father, his daughter and a beached whale.

A shipwreck leaves a father and daughter stranded on a beach, forced to take shelter in an abandoned house. The Father’s PTSD causes him to have violent outbursts, which terrifies the daughter. When the daughter finds a beached whale, the father is forced to confront the traumatic moment that damaged him as they try to save the whale.

Of all the animated shorts nominated this year, In the Shadow of the Cypress was the hardest to watch. Writers/directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani make it very challenging to empathize with the father as we witness his violent outbursts. The film begins with him smashing his own head into a mirror. You can’t help but side with the daughter when she packs her bags. His inability to get the whale back in the ocean only aggravates his symptoms further, leading to an unsettling scene where his attempt to hammer a nail becomes more violent. It’s very uncomfortable.

In between these outbursts shows the guilt-ridden man paralyzed by his trauma. Being stranded on an island leaves him with no means of coping with his trauma in a healthy manner, creating a Jekyll/Hyde situation. Molayemi and Sohani gives the audience visual clues across the short before revealing the traumatic event through devastating flashbacks and flashes resembling woodcut drawings.

The short is hard to watch but it’s also the most beautifully animated among the short films. Molayemi and Sohani presents a simple animation style that makes an eye catching sun lit beach side. They also visual symbols for emotional moods. The father’s skin turns blue when his PTSD takes over. When his daughter leaves, the father turns into petals that hugs daughter. His daughter melts like ice cream when she gives her father the cold shoulder. It works thanks to the short’s simple animation style and the directors intricate visual storytelling.

Molayemi and Sohani holds nothing back in their portrayal of PTSD and its effects on loved ones.

MAGIC CANDIES

Toei Animation, the studio behind One Piece, Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball adapts stories by Heena Baek to create a coming of age story about boy who gains the ability to hear new voices thanks to a bag of colourful candies.

Dong-Dong (Haruto Shima) doesn’t have an easy life. None of the boys play with him. His dog Gusuri doesn’t want to walk with him. His Father (Ikkei Watanabe) is very critical and demanding. The only joy in his life is his solo games of marbles.  When he heads to the store to buy new marbles, he instead buys a bag of colourful marble-shaped candies. He tries the plaid-coloured candy, and suddenly the couch starts talking. It turns out the candies give him the ability to hear voices from whatever shares the candy’s colour. The result is 20 unforgettable minutes of side splitting and emotional shenanigans.

Screenwriter Ichiro Takano makes the most of the 6 candies provided, each one with their own creative abilities. It leads to some funny moments including one where the couch (Hiroshi Iwasaki) asking Dong-Dong to tell his father to stop farting on him. For the most part, these candies result in heartfelt moments that teach Dong-Dong a lesson in perspective and communication. The most powerful is when Dong-Dong tires one that lets him hear his emotionally distant father say I Love You. You may cry watching Dong-Dong hug his father.[1]

Toei Animation have long proved exceptional at bringing a manga’s animation style to life for decades. Director Daisuke Nishio himself has been directing since the original Dragon Ball, .But Baek’s carving models that make up her illustrations forces them to go a different direction than their usual hand drawn animation. Nishio brings Baek’s style to life using a CGI animation style designed to look like stop motion animation. They create many beautiful background, especially a park in autumn when Dong-Dong watches the leaves fall. They also get some cartoony images like having Dong-Dong shoot steam out his ears and nose when he tries the first candy. There are also moments when Dong Dong sees letters fly in the sky. It’s especially moving when Dong Dong see the words “I love you” float from the father’s back while he’s doing dishes.

Magic Candies is a delightful fantasy that delivers eye catching animation and a valuable lesson for children and adults.

WANDER TO WONDER

Those who love pitch black British comedy will get a real kick out of Wander to Wonder.

the titular 80s British children’s show centred on the kind-hearted Uncle Gilly (Neil Savage) and 3 miniature Wookie like creatures[2] named Mary (Amanda Lawrence), Fumbleton (Toby Jones) and Billybud (Terence Dunn). Cut to the present day where Uncle Gilly’s corpse lies in a decaying studio. It turns out the creatures are actually tiny people wearing costumes, and they are have been stranded in the studio for a while. As they struggle to survive, each cope in their own way. The pompous Shakespearean Fumbleton deludes himself into playing a warrior. Manchild Billybud practices juggling anything he can get his hands on. Mary tries to maintain the illusion of a domestic life while rewatching taped episodes of the show.

Wander to Wonder bears some resemblance to Raymond Brigg’s anti-war black comedy When the Wind Blows. Both have droll British comedy stemming from the main characters trying to maintain a routine life in the face of catastrophe. Mary in particular tries her best to maintain the façade of a normal life by having the three of them eat at the dinner table (even if their meals are either pickles or dead flies). Both present unflinching portrayals of decay. The trio are surrounded by rusted equipment, a dead body and flies galore. At one point, they have to break a glass of pickles to get anything to eat.

There are differences between them, Wander To Wonder uses stop motion animation style in contrast to When the Wind Blows combines live action and hand drawn animation. The former’s animation style is a blend of the Road and the Borrowers. The animators find creative ways for the trio to use regular objects, including stacking video tapes so they can look through the door window. In contrast the unapologetically bleak When the Wind Blows, Wander to Wonder ends on a hopeful note. An ambiguous note but one that offers hope for the trio

 Director Nina Gantz offers a few hilarious moments. Fumbleton appears on a recording with no pants, letting out his little shortcomings. The trio records an episode warning kids not to eat flies after they tried them for dinner. Billybud’s attempts to juggle matches results in the set being lit.

Wander for Wonder is an acquired taste for those who love dark British humour and are willing to sit through bleak moments of decay.

YUCK!

Writer/director Loic Espuche takes us back to a time in childhood when we were grossed out by kisses in the nostalgia comedy Yuck!

Espuche takes us into a world where people’s lips glow pink and glittery when they fall for someone. Such a sight grosses out the little kids at a campground. It doesn’t stop them from eavesdropping on couples kissing. Among them is Leo (Noe Chabbat) who is vacationing with his family. Suddenly his own lips start glowing, especially at sight of little red haired girl Lucie (Katel Varat).

Leo delivers an accurate depiction of a child experiencing infatuation for the first time. He finds romance gross because that’s what the other kids think. So, when his lips starts glowing, he is confused by his emotions. Like most kids, he neither recognizes nor understands his emotions. In fear of being picked on by the other kids, he tries to hide the glow from them. It leads to him lashing out in private by kicking flowers. Then one night, he comes to understand that these feelings are normal when he sees the tents glow pink.

Yuck! Is the most adorable of the animated shorts nominated this year. It’s amusing to see kids being grossed out by the sight of kissing, saying it should be a crime for old people to be kissing. It works thanks to the performances of the child actors who make their characters feel like real children. The simple animation style adds to the adorability with a simple style.

Espuche draws from common childhood memories of summer vacations. Some moviegoers may recognize eavesdropping on adults, racing to the water slide and driving your parents crazy by teasing your siblings instead of sleeping. Composer Alienor Doublet add to the nostalgia with a synthetic score that feels like a trip down memory lane.

Yuck! Is a lighthearted nostalgia trip centred on discovering affection for the first time.

Who Will Win?

The clear winner is Magic Candies.

With no Disney/Pixar short nominated, the winner is often adaptations of children’s books. Examples include The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Hair Love and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Magic Candies also has the advantage made by a well established studio like Toei Animation. This studio has been making anime movies and shows since the 50s and it has made some of the iconic franchises in Japanese entertainment.

There’s also the added challenge of Toei Animation stepping outside of its comfort zone, which they pull off beautifully. Toei Animation proved themselves just as effective with CGI as they are with hand drawn animation.

Like the best children stories, Magic Candies delivers an entertaining story that balances creative ideas, with memorable characters and valuable life lessons.

[1] It would have been great if his father learned not to be so demanding of his son and open up more.

[2] Those costumes look so creepy with their styles.

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

The Oscars "Animated Short Film" Nominees, 2025.

One Mann's Movies Review of the Animated Short Films from the 2025 Oscars, being announced on March 2nd.

A One Mann’s Movies review of the nominations for the Oscars in the “Animated Short Film” Category. I’ve not done separate reviews for these Oscar “Animated Short” nominees but am including brief reviews for them in this one post. Beautiful Men (2023). Bob the Movie Man Rating: Plot Summary: The insecurities of three bald brothers intensify during their stay in an Istanbul hotel for hair…

[blessicablimpson]

nationaltheatre: Could you sum up the plot of The Importance of Being Earnest in 30 seconds? ⏳

See how Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Eliza Scanlen, Amanda Lawrence and Sharon D Clarke got on...

The Importance of Being Earnest is coming to cinemas worldwide with National Theatre Live from 20 February. Head to the link in our bio to find your local screenings ☝️

[strongerpotions]

"kill them with kindness" wrong. SAW TRAP 🪚⛓️🩸⚙️⛓️꩜🔪🩸🪚⛓️🩸꩜⚙️🔪🩸🩸🪚꩜🪚⛓️⚙️⛓️🩸🔪꩜🩸⛓️⚙️🩸⚙️🪚⛓️🩸꩜🔪꩜🪚🪚⚙️🩸🩸🪚⛓️🩸⚙️⛓️꩜🔪🩸🪚⛓️🩸꩜⚙️🔪🩸🩸🪚꩜🪚⛓️⚙️⛓️🩸🔪꩜🩸⛓️⚙️🩸⚙️🪚⛓️🩸꩜🔪꩜🪚🪚⚙️🩸🩸🪚⛓️🩸⚙️⛓️꩜🔪🩸🪚⛓️🩸꩜⚙️🔪🩸🩸🪚꩜🪚⛓️⚙️⛓️🩸🔪꩜🩸⛓️⚙️🩸⚙️🪚⛓️🩸꩜🔪꩜🪚

[movienized-com]

Club Zero

Club Zero (2023) #JessicaHausner #MiaWasikowska #SidseBabettKnudsen #AmirElMasry #AmandaLawrence #CamillaRutherford Mehr auf:

Jahr: 2023 Genre: Drama / Thriller Regie: Jessica Hausner Hauptrollen: Mia Wasikowska, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Amir El-Masry, Amanda Lawrence, Camilla Rutherford, Sam Hoare, Elsa Zylberstein, Mathieu Demy, Keeley Forsyth, Szandra Asztalos, Emily Stride, Ty Hurley, Ksenia Devriendt … Filmbeschreibung: Eine Lehrerin wird an einer Elite-Schule eingestellt und entwickelt eine starke Bindung zu fünf…

[tinymintywolf]

apprentices

[texaschainsawmascara]

[gomi--neko]

Lawrence being a jigsaw apprentice makes Saw 3 extremely funny

[lycowarrior]

SAW I-IV

No worries I’ll make these all the way to Saw X

[reddie-as-ill-ever-be]

I love that everyone in Cobra Kai is in a different genre.

Daniel and Johnny are in a homoerotic buddy-cop comedy, Tory is in a Saw trap, Miguel is in a coming-of-age movie, Kenny is in a coming-of-rage movie, Hawk and Demetri are in a BL sports anime, Sam is in a teen drama, Robby's in a reboot of a hit movie from the 80's, Chozen is literally just there, Kreese and Silver are in a psychosexual thriller, Amanda is in a sitcom, Kyler-

[payasobabas69]

Saw shitpost

Adam and Lawrence as Sanrio characters and my fursona thinking about the only video that has been in my head every day for weeks pleasesomebodyhelpme

[randomrichards]

WANDER TO WONDER:

3 children’s show starts

Trapped in an old studio

When creator dies