Juno (2007) - Reitman's massively sweet indie favorite

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Two overwhelmed teenage stars are placed on the freshly colored poster for Jason Reitman's Juno

16 year-old Juno finds herself pregnant and faces some big decisions. SPOILER Her choice of adoption in turn gives a new situation for an immature adopting couple. 

 

Juno is written by Diablo Cody (Paradise (2013)) and directed by great Quebecois filmmaker Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking (2005)).

A sweet 'hyper indie' film, Juno is sweetly written, sweetly acted, warm and has several laugh-induing moments. Ellen Page (Into the Forest (2015)) is sweet. But the amount of 'sweet' is also the film's weak point. This is the honey-glazed teenage pregnancy movie.

 

Related posts:

 

Jason Reitman: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) - Bust out some popcorn 

2018 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2018 in films - according to Film Excess 

Tully (2018) - Theron delivers in Reitman/Cody's candid motherhood dramedy  

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 7.5 mil. $

Box office: 232.3 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 30.97 times its cost)

[Juno premiered 1 September (Telluride Film Festival) and runs 96 minutes. Rainn Wilson was reportedly paid 750$ for his performance in the film; while Jennifer Garner accepted a reduced salary in exchange for an undisclosed backend %, which may have been a very lucrative deal for her in the end. Shooting took place from February - March 2007 in British Columbia. The film opened #17 to a 413k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #2, behind National Treasure: Book of Secrets, spending 4 weekends in the top 5, grossing 143.4 mil. $ (61.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 19.2 mil. $ (8.3 %) and Australia with 10.9 mil. $ (4.7 %). The film was nominated for 4 Oscars, winning for Best Original Screenplay. It lost Best Picture to No Country for Old Men, Actress (Page) to Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose; and Director to Ethan and Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men. It also won 1/2 BAFTA nominations, was nominated for 3 Golden Globes, won a Grammy, 3/4 Independent Spirit award nominations, an AFI award and 3 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Reitman returned with Saturday Night Live (2008, TV-series), The Office (2007-08) and theatrically with Up in the Air (2009). Page returned in The Stone Angel (2007); Michael Cera (Barbie (2023)) in Drunk History (2007, TV-series), Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis (2008, TV-series) and theatrically in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008). Juno is certified fresh at 98 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Juno? 

Isle of Dogs (2018) - Anderson goes to the dogs in overrated folly

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Probably the largest ever canine cast assembled on a single poster, here for Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs

The nephew of the Japanese dictatorial mayor Kobayashi loses his beloved dog Spots, when all canines are placed in exile with their dog flu virus on a garbage island, and so the boy ventures out to find him.

 

Isle of Dogs is written, co-produced and directed by Texan master filmmaker Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket (1996)), whose 9th feature it is. Roman Coppola (Asteroid City (2023)), Kunichi Nomura (Lost in Translation (2003, actor)) and Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited (2007)) contributed story elements.

With incredible-looking animation, mostly stop-motion and doll-based, Isle of Dogs is nevertheless still even less engaging and even more vexing than Anderson's first animated venture, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). It is weird and without sweeping characters, as they are cerebrally oriented, alienated dogs or strange humans with few expressions, respectively. 

Accompanied by a droning, "witty" score (by Alexandre Desplat (Lee (2023))), which makes Isle of Dogs even more tooth-pulling. Without laughter, and with a starry voice ensemble that don't elevate matters but only increases the bewilderment at this doggone picture.

 

Related posts: 

Wes Anderson: 2023 in films - according to Film Excess 

Asteroid City (2023) - Enjoy Anderson's crisp star parade desert adventure from the comfort of a theater seat 

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V] 

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV] 

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Top 10: The best adventure films reviewed by Film Excess to date
2014 in films - according to Film Excess
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - A very very good dream 
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - A 1960s island youth romance present 

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) - Anderson's technically, visually admirable but a bit tiring animation 
The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - Anderson beautifies but still wins with India-journey favorite  

 

  

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Reportedly 35 mil. $

Box office: 64.6 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.84 times its cost)

[Isle of Dogs premiered 15 February (Berlin International Film Festival) and runs 101 minutes. The film opened #15 to a 1.6 mil. $ first weekend in 27 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #7 and in 1,947 theaters (different weeks), grossing 32 mil. $ (49.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 8.3 mil. $ (12.8 %) and China with 6.8 mil. $ (10.5 %). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars, losing both: It lost Best Score to Ludwig Göransson for Black Panther and Animation to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTAs and 2 Golden Globes, among other honors. The film additionally grossed an estimated 4.7 mil. $ on the domestic home video market alone, according to The-Numbers.com. Anderson returned with The French Dispatch (2021). Bryan Cranston (Better Call Saul (2022, TV-series)) returned in 3 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in El Camino (2019). Isle of Dogs is certified fresh at 90 % with an 8.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Isle of Dogs? 

Hitchcock (2012) or, When Hitchcock Made Psycho

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A formidable cast assemble on this scarlet red poster full of slanted angles and promises of fine entertainment, - for Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock, arguably the world's best filmmaker, feels a metal fatigue after his successful thriller North by Northwest (1959), and in an attempt to recapture the experimental freedom of youth again, he throws himself into making a film about the world's most gruesome serial killer, Wisconsinite Ed Gein. 

Hitchcock is written by John J. McLaughlin (Death Collector (1988)), adapting the non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho (1990) by Stephen Rebello (Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! (2020)), and directed by great English filmmaker, debuting Sacha Gervasi (Anvil (2008, documentary)).

Somehow I still feel that good old Hitch deserves a more epic treatment for a biopic than this, - but I may be wrong... In any case Hitchcock is darned well-made, and it specifically concerns an inarguably important period in the master's life.

Helen Mirren (The Clearing (2004)) is excellent as Alma Reville, whom this film credits as the capable, rock-solid support at her husband's side through thick and thin, and Anthony Hopkins (A Chorus of Disapproval (1989)) has a late star turn in his remarkable career here. He is expectedly perfect, - in formidable makeup and prosthetics, - as Alfred Hitchcock. Scarlett Johansson (The Spirit (2008)) is delightful as Janet Leigh, and so is Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name (2017)) as Lew Wasserman. Danny Huston (Hotel (2001)) is ideal as a friendly scribe. Danny Elfman (Dumbo (2019)) has spun an appropriately cinematic score.

Hitchcock is a luxurious gift from Hollywood: Funny, sharp, moving (the portrayal of Reville and Hitchcock's marriage) and a captivating, great story. The premiere scene in the end is especially satisfying. In hindsight it feels like Hitch erected a Freudian Gobelin for the unprepared masses with Psycho (1960). Both to him and the good people behind Hitchcock; bravo!

 

Related post:

 

Top 10: Best Hollywood-set movies

Watch a short trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 15 mil. $

Box office: 27 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.8 times its cost)

[Hitchcock premiered 1 November (AFI Fest, US) and runs 98 minutes. Mirren had met Hitchcock and been offered a murder victim part in his penultimate film Frenzy (1972) but had turned it down (and later regretted it.) Development began in 2005, first as a miniseries. Shooting took place from April - June 2012 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #22 to a 287k $ first weekend in 17 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #13 in 561 theaters and grossed 6 mil. $ (22.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Colombia with 4.9 mil. $ (18.1 %), - but this seems like it must be a mistake, since Colombia is not normally a sizable market, - and Australia with 3.7 mil. $ (13.7 %). The film was nominated for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, lost to Les Misérables. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTAs and a Golden Globe, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Gervasi returned with November Criminals (2017). Hopkins returned in RED 2 (2013); Mirren in Phil Spector (2013, TV movie), with a voice performance in Monsters University (2013) and in the flesh in The Audience (2013); Johansson in Don Jon (2013). Hitchcock is fresh at 60 % with a 6.20/10 average rating at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hitchcock?

The Namesake (2006) - Nair succeeds with poignant immigrant tale

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Warm colors adorn this pleasant poster for Mira Nair's The Namesake

Gogol grows up with Indian parents in the US, where he becomes Nick. But following his father's death, he reassumes his birth identity as Gogol, while his cultural division is not without its hurdles.

The Namesake is written by Sooni Taraporevala (Mississippi Masala (1991)), adapting the same-titled 2003 novel by Jumpa Lahiri (The Lowland (2013)), and directed by Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay! (1988)).

The Namesake is a colorful account of fate, beautiful in a way, and it is a terrific contemporary portrayal of a problematic life as a second-generation immigrant in the West.

The acting is fair, and the great challenge of filming this 30-year spanning story succeeds commendably. The Namesake is in a way perhaps almost too well-meaning to really take new ground.

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 9.5 mil. $

Box office: 20.3 mil. $

= Flop (returned 2.13 times its cost)

[The Namesake premiered 2 September (Telluride Film Festival) and runs 121 minutes. Shooting took place from March - June 2005 in India, including in Calcutta, Sydney, Australia, New York, Denver, Colorado and in Boston, Massachusetts. The film opened #26 to a 248k $ first weekend in 6 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #12 and in 335 theaters (different weeks), grossing 13.5 mil. $ (66.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were India with 1.8 mil. $ (8.9 %) and the UK with 1 mil. $ (4.9 %). The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit award and won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Nair returned with 3 shorts prior to her theatrical return with Amelia (2009). Kal Penn (We Are Men (2013, TV-series)) returned in Deck the Halls (2006); Irrfan Khan (Haider (2014)) in Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante (2006); and Tabu (Khanjar (2003)) in Sarhad Paar (2006). The Namesake is certified fresh at 85 % with a 7.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Namesake?

Boys Don't Cry (1999) - Swank and co-stars stand out in Peirce's gritty, empathetic true-crime debut

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+ Best Rainbow Movie of the Year + Best Shooting Star Actress of the Year: Hilary Swank + Best True-Crime Movie of the Year  

 

A graphically manipulated figure of the protagonist Brandon Teena against a rust-colored road makes up this deliberately rough and unpolished-looking poster for Kimberly Peirce's Boys Don't Cry

Brandon Teena is a female-to-male transgender, who passes off as a handsome young guy, but does so in just about the worst kind of white trash environment imaginable.

 

Boys Don't Cry is written by Andy Bienen (Yellow Rose (2019)) and debuting co-writer/director Kimberly Peirce (Carrie (2013)). It is based on the real life and death of Brandon Teena of Falls City, Nebraska.

Hilary Swank (Insomnia (2002)) is fearless, and Chloë Sevigny (Hit & Miss (2012, miniseries)) falls head over heels - credibly - in love with Swank's Brandon. Peter Sarsgaard (Empire (2002)) is frighteningly believable as the blunted douche heavy of the story. The film doesn't find aesthetic or other devices to elevate it from its primitive environment, which makes it somewhat strenuous to sit through, as it builds up to its harshly realistic and fairly sickening third act.

Boys Don't Cry is like a heartbreaking scream heard in the night. It is definitely a film with its heart in the right place. 

 

Related post:

 

 Top 10: Best gay-themed titles

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 2 mil. $

Box office: 20.7 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 10.35 times its cost)

[Boys Don't Cry premiered 2 September (Venice Film Festival) and runs 118 minutes. Swank lied herself one year younger to get the part and immersed herself fully into the part despite getting only 3k $ for the performance in total. Shooting took place from October - November 1998 in Texas, including Austin and Dallas. The film was cut in North America to avoid an NC-17 rating and obtain the R rating it was released with. It opened #43 to a 73k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #16 and in 365 theaters, grossing 11.5 mil. $ (55.6 % of the total gross). The real-life Lana Tisdel (Sevigny's character) met with Swank to inform her work prior to filming but attacked the film upon release and sued the filmmakers, a matter that was solved out of court for an undisclosed sum. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars, winning Best Actress for Swank, and losing Supporting Actress (Sevigny) to Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted. It was also nominated for a BAFTA, won 2/5 Independent Spirit award nominations, 1/2 Golden Globe nominations, 3 National Board of Review awards and several other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Peirce returned with The L Word (2006, TV-series) and theatrically with Stop-Loss (2008). Swank returned in The Audition (2000, short) and theatrically in The Gift (2000); Sevigny in Julien Donkey-Boy (1999); and Sarsgaard in The Cell (2000). Boys Don't Cry is certified fresh at 89 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Boys Don't Cry?

The Savages (2007) - Three great actors shine in T. Jenkins' terrific drama

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+ Best Big Flop Movie of the Year + Best Drama of the Year

The star leads look dead-on at us from a wintry landscape in this carefully drawn and designed poster for Tamara Jenkins' The Savages

When their old father offends his home care worker and turns out to be beginning to suffer from dementia, sister and brother Savage are forced to see their father and try to create a dignified final period for him.

The Savages is written and directed by great Pennsylvanian filmmaker Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)).
It is socially critical and poignant, led by a rich script that seems pitch black over a long stretch but which actually contains humanity and warmth, - and the will to broach difficult topics in a meaningful way. The Savages is in fact almost too well-written.
Laura Linney (Frasier (2003-04)) has the abilities that make us want to follow her very imperfect character, and the same goes for Philip Seymour Hoffman (Mission: Impossible III (2006)), - they are both formidable here. Philip Bosco (Wonder Boys (2000)) is additionally very credible and moving as their father.
The Savages is directed with great command and extremely well edited. It is a true gem of a picture.

Related post:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

Hoffman talks about his work with the character in the film in a video here

Cost: 9 mil. $
Box office: 10.6 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.17 times its cost)
[The Savages premiered 19 January (Sundance Film Festival, Utah) and runs 113 minutes. Shooting took place in New York and Arizona, including Phoenix. It opened #30 to a 151k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #18 and in 201 theaters (different weeks), grossing 6.6 mil. $ (62.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 0.9 mil. $ (8.5 %) and Australia with 0.6 mil. $ (5.7 %). The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Actress (Linney), lost to Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose, and Original Screenplay, lost to Diablo Cody for Juno. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, won an AFI award, 2/4 Independent Spirit awards, a National Board of Review award and many other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Jenkins returned with Private Life (2018). Linney returned in Breach (2007); Hoffman in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007). The Savages is certified fresh at 89 % with a 7.46/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Savages?

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - You'll wanna visit Preston, Idaho!

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+ Best Dance Movie of the Year + Best Dollar Return of the Year: 115.25 Times the Cost + Best Idahoan Movie of the Year + Best High School Movie of the Year + Best Independent Movie of the Year + Best Low-Budget Movie of the Year + Best Youth Movie of the Year

Jon Heder looks, well, ridiculous in moonboots and a brown suit on this funny poster for Jared Hess' Napoleon Dynamite

In small Idaho town Preston, Napoleon lives with his grandmother and uncle. His best friend is Pedro, who is running for student president at their high school. And a dance there is fast approaching.

Napoleon Dynamite is written by Jerusha Hess and her husband, debuting great Arizonan co-writer/director Jared Hess (Don Verdean (2015)). This cursing and sex-free teenage romcom lights up with originality and humanity in all of its groovy parts.
We are invited to get to know all the weirdos, all the imperfect people of Preston, and if the script is a bit lean, the film makes up for it with wonderful music and precise, memorable photography full of good, static compositions, (by Munn Powell (Gentlemen Broncos (2009))). And, of course, Jon Heder (Wildlife (2014, short)) is a dancing sensation as the title character, and Efren Ramirez (Mad Families (2017)) is hilarious as his buddy Pedro.

 

Related post:

 

Jared Hess: 2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here 

Cost: 400k $
Box office: 46.1 mil. $
= Mega-hit (returned 115.25 times its cost)
[Napoleon Dynamite premiered 17 January (Sundance Film Festival, Utah) and runs 95 minutes. The film is inspired by Hess' short film Peluca (2003). Shooting took place in Idaho, including the real Preston, and in Utah in 23 days from July - August 2003. A reportedly substantial part of the tiny budget was spent on music rights licensing. Heder was paid only 1,000 $ for his performance but later renegotiated and received an undisclosed cut of the film's profits. The film opened #29 to a 116k $ first weekend in 6 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #8 and in 1,024 theaters, grossing 44.5 mil. $ (96.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 1 mil. $ (2.2 %) and Australia with 0.38 mil. $ (0.8 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5/4 star review, translating to 4 notches worse than this one. It was nominated for 3 Independent Spirit awards and a Grammy, among other honors. The cast and filmmakers returned with a same-titled TV-series in 2012, which was canceled after 6 episodes. Hess returned with The Postal Service: We Will Become Silhouettes (2005, short) and theatrically with Nacho Libre (2006). Heder returned in 2 shorts and a TV-series, before he returned to the big screen in Just Like Heaven (2005). Napoleon Dynamite is fresh at 71 % with a 6.31/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Napoleon Dynamite?

The Favourite (2018) - Colman stands out in Lanthimos' dark, female-centric royal biopic

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An oppressive, greyish beige color background instills a sense of gloom on this heavily costumed poster for Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite

Early in the 18th century, Queen Anne of England begins to change favorites in her court, as the assertive, manipulative Sarah Churchill loses her grip on the queen's decisions - involving war with France and other matters of state - to an equally manipulative maid by the name of Abigail.

The Favourite is written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (Love My Way (2004-07)), based on the actual Queen Anne (1665-1714) and her strange and difficult life, and directed by Greek master filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth/Kynodontas (2009)).
The film is not a comedic scream such as Lanthimos' best film in my opinion, the fiercely original and grotesque masterpiece The Lobster (2015), - but there is fun to be had for sure, and The Favourite effectively relocates us to a very different time, age and milieu, which is fascinating and highly ponderous. The costumes, hair and makeup are superb.
Rachel Weisz (Death Machine (1994)) and Emma Stone (La La Land (2016)) are both good as the scheming women; one inevitably outshines the other in unsympathetic imperialism. But Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur (2011)) is outstanding as the poor center of the film; powerful as few but mired in painful ailments and grief. Her husband is non-existing in the film, and so she appears very much alone, SPOILER caught between a dominating acquaintance and a subservient one, - both insincere. The film has a couple of closeups of Colman's face, which become iconic for this wretch of a woman character, and which are among the film's best and most piercing moments.
The film is unusual because it is a plot triangle between three decisive women, a film without any male characters of note; the men in The Favourite strike one as impotent, inconsequential and ridiculous. SPOILER They are occupied by duck-racing, orange-throwing, makeup and whigs, while the women have overtaken hunting, policy-dictating - and lovemaking, although the film holds an alienated, physically-oriented view of sex. The familiar alienation that Lanthimos establishes makes the oppressive story somewhat thought-provoking; SPOILER its implications of human relationships' unbecoming similarities as roles of instructing and serving the other to the simple lives of rabbits are what it leaves us with.

Related posts:

Yorgos Lanthimos: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) - Lanthimos' psycho-thriller turns out a twisted Greek tragedy
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
The Lobster (2015) - Lantimos' absurd, hilarious, out of this world relationship fantasy 
Dogtooth/Κυνόδοντας (Kynodontas) (2009) - Lanthimos establishes himself internationally with an unsettling family portrait

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 76.7 mil. $ and counting
= Big hit (returned in 5.11 times its cost)
[The Favourite premiered 30 August (Venice Film Festival, Italy) and runs 120 minutes. The script was first written in 1998 by Davis, whose only produced screenplay it is. Facts on the life of Queen Anne can be read here. SPOILER: Concerning its accuracy: Queen Anne did lose 17 children; she did not replace them with rabbits; she was married to a Danish prince; and the sexual relationships depicted in the film between her and the two women is speculation. Shooting took place in England from March - May 2017. The wigs in the film reportedly had a trailer of their own. The film opened #19 to a 422k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, - the year's highest per-theater average, - and peaked at #11 and in 1,540 theaters (different weeks) having grossed 31.3 mil. $ there to date. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets have been the UK with 19.4 mil. $ (25.3 %) and Australia with 3.5 mil. $ (4.6 %). The film has yet to open in India, where it premieres 1 March. It is nominated for 10 Oscars: Best Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design, Picture, Directing, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress (both Weisz and Stone), Cinematography (Robbie Ryan (Catch Me Daddy (2014))) and Editing. It won 1/5 Golden Globe nominations, 7/12 BAFTAs, an AFI award, 10/13 British Independent Film awards, is nominated for an Independent Spirit award, won 2 awards at the Venice Film Festival, and many other honors. Lanthimos has not announced his next film yet. Colman returned with 5 TV and short credits prior to theatrically in Them That Follow (2019), Weisz has not announced her next role yet, and Stone returned in Maniac (2018, TV-series), Paul McCartney: Who Cares (2018, music video) and theatrically likely first in Zombieland: Double Tap (2019). The Favourite is certified fresh at 94 % with an 8.5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Favourite?

The Last King of Scotland (2006) - Macdonald's Idi Amin thriller debut is an electric accomplishment

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+ Best Thriller of the Year + Best Huge Hit Movie of the Year

Looming ominously above the white X and defining this poster for Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland is the interesting face of Forest Whitaker as the title character

Young Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan comes to Uganda on an idealistic mission in the early 1970s and befriends the country's new president Idi Amin, developing into a personal doctor and adviser for Amin, whose reign comes to evolve into a murderous regime.

The Last King of Scotland is written by Peter Morgan (The Queen (2006)) and Jeremy Brock (Mrs Brown (1997)), adapting the same-titled 1998 novel by Giles Foden (Ladysmith (1999)), and directed by great Scottish filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (Black Sea (2014)), whose fiction feature debut it is, and who mainly was a documentarian before it. The film serves as a very successful portrait of Uganda's late president Amin in 1970s Africa, which doesn't seem so much different from the way the continent often appears today.
The Last King of Scotland distinguishes itself with a beginning that's laced with welcome humor and high spirits, only to then change over into becoming a high-octane thriller.
James McAvoy (White Teeth (2002), miniseries) is cute as naive doctor Garrigan; Gillian Anderson (Crisis (2014), TV-series) dazzles in a supporting part, and Forest Whitaker (Ripple Effect (2007)) deserved his Oscar for his portrayal of the psychotic, unpredictable manipulator Amin.

Related post:

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 6 mil. $
Box office: 48.3 mil. $
= Huge hit (8.05 times the cost)
[The Last King of Scotland premiered 1 September (Telluride Film Festival, Colorado) and runs 123 minutes. Shooting took place in Uganda from June 2005 - ?. The Garrigan character is fictional, and the film changes some details in Ugandan history and Amin's reign but was reportedly well-received in the country. It opened #37 to a terrific 142k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #17 and in 517 theaters, playing a long 34 weekends, grossing 17.6 mil. $ (36.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 11.1 mil. $ (23 %) and France with 2.9 mil. $ (6 %). The film was nominated for 1 Oscar for Best Actor (Whitaker), which it won. It also won a Golden Globe, 3/5 BAFTA nominations, 2/6 British Independent Spirit awards, was nominated for 6 European Film awards, won a National Board of Review award and many other honors. Macdonald returned with My Enemy's Enemy (2007, documentary) and fictionally with State of Play (2009). Whitaker returned with a voice performance in Everyone's Hero (2006), ER (2006-07) and The Shield (2006-07) and theatrically in the flesh in The Air I Breathe (2007). McAvoy returned in Penelope (2006). The Last King of Scotland is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.3/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Last King of Scotland?