Turning what could easily have been the most incomprehensible and boring two hours of my life into a thoroughly enthralling and downright entertaining cinematic event is Adam Mackay's both crowning achievement as a director, and symbolic of his seamless transition from goofball comedy to witty drama. Steve Carell gives a magnetic performance, lighting up scenes and making great use of a delightfully witty screenplay. Strong, Gosling and Bale also attract attention with flashy energy and noticeable commitment to their respective characters. But Adam McKay's distinct visual and narrative style is the most impressive about The Big Short, intelligently utilising elements of pop culture and everyday life to explain complex financial concepts in an intriguing and digestible manner. This leaves Adam McKay's dramatic directorial debut at nothing short of a slam dunk —- and its fair to say that he's got a seat at "the big boy's table" now.
Iroh's grade: B+
Anchored by a titanic Benedict Cumberbatch performance, the exquisitely written, perfectly paced and refreshingly witty The Imitation Game is fully realised oscar-bait. Morten Tyldum shows great compassion for both the character and the human, Alan Turing, delicately capturing the life of not only an unsung war hero, but also one who suffered at the hands of their own biological predispositions. At its core, a truly masterful motion picture only needs few, well-selected emotionally powerful moments to touch you, shatter you, repulse you and rouse you to a cataclysmic climax of cinematically orgasmic proportions.
"Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine." ---- iconic.
Iroh's grade: A-
Edge-of-your-seat riveting and exponentially shocking. Fight Club not only works as an eye-opening exploration of the wandering human psyche, but also as a startlingly realistic portrayal of terrorism ---- and the many, often unassuming, forms it can take.
Iroh's grade: B+
Life of Brian is a masterfully classical work of satire, ringing a resounding truth across the grainy-resoluted landscape, and all those that set eyes upon it. It is a non-stop laughing affair that isn't afraid to reflect the utter silliness that is present at the centre of some of society's most treasured schools of thought. They really are masters of their craft ---- and superior to the greater majority of cinema's most biting satirists and social commentators.
Iroh's grade: A-
The Hangover succeeds in all its raunchy glory thanks to the vibrant chemistry bouncing between a razor sharp Bradley "Phil" Cooper, hilariously dialed-up Ed "Stu" Helms and now-iconic Zach "Alan" Galifanakis. The laughs outweigh the flaws —- the trademark of a classic comedy.
Iroh's grade: B
