CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

For most of her career, Melissa McCarthy has become known for her comedic roles in films such as Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy, Identity Thief and the 2016 all-female Ghostbusters remake. In her latest role, she makes the transition from comedy to drama and proves that she's capable of handling dramatic and serious roles. 

Lee Israel (McCarthy) made her living in the 1970's and 80's profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee is no longer able to get published because she has fallen out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant). An adaptation of the memoir, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, relays the true story of the best-selling celebrity biographer (and friend to cats).

I think that a lot of people will be surprised by McCarthy's performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? as they're so used to seeing her in comedies and giving over-the-top performances. As Israel, she [plays the role mostly straight and it doesn't take us too long to forget that we're watching McCarthy. Grant gives a solid supporting role as her friend, Hock, and, because he's only mentioned briefly in Israel's memoir, it proved to be a challenge, nevertheless, Grant succeeds and makes Hock a charming character who brings humour. Both actors are currently nominated at the Academy Award and they are, without a doubt, the strongest aspect of Can You Ever Forgive Me?.

In the beginning of Can You Ever Forgive Me?, we see Israel struggling with paying rent and treatment for her sick cat. Her biographies aren't selling well so she takes desperate measures and sells a personal letter she received from Hepburn. While conducting research for a novel about Fanny Brice, Israel finds a letter from Brice in a book and she sells it to a book dealer who says that she would've given Israel more if it had interesting content in. This leads to Israel forging and selling letters by deceased writers, playwrights, and actors, lacing them with intimate details to command a higher price. She succeeds and begins making the most money she's made in a while but things take a sour turn when the book dealers become suspicious. Despite committing a crime, Can You Ever Forgive Me? doesn't portray Israel in a negative light as she was desperate to make money. We understand why Israel did 

Because Can You Ever Forgive Me? is set in the early 1990s, I wasn't aware of who Israel was, however, I found her story to be very interesting. Prior to watching it, I didn't know what to expect, fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and found Can You Ever Forgive Me? to be a compelling and unpredictable watch. McCarthy's on-screen chemistry with Grant is a big highlight as it's essentially a two-character piece, with 50% of the dialogue being between their characters. Unfortunately, their friendship meets a bitter end when Hock stays in her apartment to look after her cat whilst she travels to a library to steal authentic letters and replace them with fake ones. When Israel returns home, she is shocked to discover that Hock has failed to look after her cat and ends their friendship. The scene where Israel discovers her dead cat is a heartbreaking scene as we know how much she cared for it. It also changed how we perceived Hock as he went from charming and funny to breaking Israel's trust. Although Israel is furious at Hock, she continues their partnership out of necessity. 

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is directed by Marielle Heller, whose previous feature was The Diary of a Teenage Girl, an indie drama starring Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgård. She makes New York City into an intimate place and manages the challenging task of exploring the subject of writing, which isn't an inherently cinematic thing, without boring her audience. With a runtime of 107 minutes, the film moves at a brisk pace and doesn't drag, which is a problem with a lot of biopics that run at over two hours. Israel's story is one that can be told effectively in under two hours. 

Can You Ever Forgive Me? succeeds mainly because of Melissa McCarthy, who, after a career of starring in comedies, gives her most impressive performance yet. The entire film is worth watching just for her portrayal of Lee Israel and her on-screen chemistry with Richard E. Grant is a highlight of the film.

8/10

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The moment director Paul Feig announced he was making a reboot of the 1984 comedy, Ghostbusters, there was a big uproar. People were convinced he would 'ruin the franchise' and that the film wouldn't 'work with women'. 

So far, the film has just been released in the UK, has an average rating of 3.7 on IMDb and 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. In my opinion, even though I use IMDb frequently, I think it's worth paying attention to the Rotten Tomatoes score as it's deemed by critics. The majority of them have given this film good reviews with 52 rating is as 'Fresh'. 

Being 18 years old, I, obviously, wasn't around when the original Ghostbusters was released and have only just recently watched it. I thought it was really good and had plenty of funny moments. I also watched the sequel which, even though it wasn't as good as its predecessor, still had plenty of laughs. To be honest, I don't think that the original Ghostbusters is anything special. Yes, it's funny and is entertaining but it's not the best film in the world. This is why I can't understand why people are getting so angry over this reboot. I think that people should give this film a chance, it's actually not that bad. 

I've enjoyed Feig's previous films, The Heat and Spy, so I knew this couldn't be as bad as people were making it out to be. Before watching this, I heard from a lot of people that they enjoyed it. One thing that I felt that the 1984 Ghostbusters lacked was a scary atmosphere. Sure, when it was released, the special effects were first rate and probably scared a few people. Now, they look silly and, instead, adds to the comedy. In this Ghostbusters, there are a few jump scares which I liked because I feel like most comedy/horror films focus too much on getting people to laugh instead of scaring them. Don't worry, though, the jump scares are minor and they're mainly there to generate a reaction out of the audience.

The premise of the film is simple. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) join up together to stop a legion of ghosts that have suddenly risen. Unfortunately, no one believes them and think that they're lying and even get called 'sad, lonely women'. This doesn't stop them and their determination to save the world only gets stronger. 

Both McCarthy and Wiig have worked with Feig before and give very funny and likable performances as Abby and Erin. Newcomers McKinnon and Jones, who are best known for appearing in Saturday Night Live, are also just as funny in their roles. Jones gained the most laughs from her one liners. The four work really well and their chemistry is clearly shown in the film. 

Chris Hemsworth also brings comic relief as Kevin, the group's receptionist who, despite being really good looking, isn't at all that bright. However, we see an whole other side to him in the big battle sequence in the final half hour of the film.

If there's one thing I was disappointed with, it's that, although some of the cast members from the original Ghostbusters feature, they don't return as their characters. Feig didn't want the reboot to be set in a universe that's already used to ghosts which is understandable. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts all make appearances. This is why I can't understand the hate. I doubt the original cast members would've featured in this film if they didn't think it was going to be any good. 

I honestly think that this is a really enjoyable film and definitely one of the funniest films I've watched. Please don't pay attention to the hate, it's worth giving a watch if you enjoyed the original film. 

7/10

SPY REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

If you're looking for a great comedy film with the best comic actors, this is it. 

This stars Melissa McCarthy as Susan Cooper, who is a desk-bound CIA analyst and spends most of her time helping out agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) by giving him directions through an earpiece. Unfortunately, one of their missions goes terribly wrong and Susan is forced to go out into the field for the first time. 

First off, Paul Feig is one of my favourite comedic directors. He directed one of my favourite comedy films, The Heat, which also stars McCarthy in one of her best roles. Before watching this, I was worried if he would be able to top this and Bridesmaids, another great comedy film. After watching this, I realised I shouldn't have worried because he managed to create a hilarious film. McCarthy is hilarious as Susan, I couldn't picture her being played by anyone else. I also enjoyed watching Miranda Hart in her first feature film role as Nancy, Susan's best friend. Nancy panics a lot which makes her great to watch. Jason Statham was surprisingly funny as Rick Ford. I honestly never imagined he would want to do a role like this as he is best known for his action movies like The Transporter and The Expendables. However, in this film, he is really funny and has great comic timing. Yes, his character is annoying but that's what makes him so funny. 

With the best comedy actors playing some of the most hilarious characters, brilliant directing from Paul Feig, this is definitely one of the best comedy films I've ever seen.

7/10

THE HEAT REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Starring Sandra Bullock as an uptight FBI agent and Melissa McCarthy as a foul-mouthed cop, The Heat is one of the funniest comedies I've ever watched.

In the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Bullock's character, Sarah Ashburn, an ambitious FBI agent who has an eye on a promotion. Unfortunately, she is sent to Boston to uncover a drug lord known as Larkin. This is where we meet McCarthy's character, Shannon Mullins who, despite being a skilled cop, is foul mouthed and rebellious. However, like Ashburn, she is disliked by her colleagues due to her personality and how she behaves. When the two meet, they don't get along. Mullins believes that because Larkin is located near her area, she has every right to be part of the case whereas Ashburn disagrees and says that it is an FBI case. Despite this, the two are forced to work together and form an unlikely friendship. 

In my opinion, Bullock and McCarthy has to be the best partnership in crime since Simon Pegg and Nick Frost partnered up as police officers in Hot Fuzz in 2007. The two have great chemistry and they also have perfect comedic timing, especially McCarthy. She is hilarious as Mullins and has plenty of one liners. Bullock also shows off her best comedic performance since her role as Grace Hart in Miss Congeniality. 

The supporting cast includes Marlon Wayans who plays Levy, a potential love interest for Ashburn. However, Ashburn misinterprets his signals and the two don't even share a kiss. That's not a bad thing though as their scenes together, while limited, are very funny. There's also a hilarious scene featuring Mullins kissing her ex-boyfriend in a bar that's played by her real life husband, Ben Falcone. Definitely a scene to watch out for.

I'd say that The Heat is America's take on Hot Fuzz but with female protagonists instead of male, so if you're a fan of the latter film, you'll love this film.  

8/10