Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Film Review: Tig (2015)


Until a couple of years ago, Tig Notaro was a moderately successful comedienne surviving on a regime of stand-up shows, TV spots, Film cameos and her touring podcast Professor Blastoff.  And then during March of 2012, everything completely changed.

Whilst filming In a World… she started to feel ill and eventually got diagnosed with a rare bacterial infection illness known as C DIFF; then as she was recovering from that she found out her mother had fallen and unexpectedly died; and then to top it all off, she was suddenly diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer… so after so much bad news she made the only sensible decision:  She would fight fire, with funny.  On the night of 4th August 2012 she decided to tell her story on stage, for laughs, and instantly make comedy history… 

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Film Review: Twinsters (2015)


If you got a Facebook message from someone that looked like you saying that they wanted to meet, what would you do?

Samantha Futerman is an aspiring actress living in Los Angeles enjoying some success in her career having just starred in 21 & Over, Law & Order and Memoirs of a Geisha.  She knew that she was adopted over from South Korea at birth, but was happily living with her two brothers and parents and trying to break into Hollywood.  Then one day she got a message from her doppelganger asking her where she was born…

Anaïs Bordier lives in London studying textiles at Central Saint Martins, having grown up in France.  One day a friend shows her a comedy skit YouTube video of an American girl that looks a lot like her, so she decides to send her a message…

Although this sounds like the set up for a very twee Parent Trap-style rip off, it is actually a very sweet documentary directed by the American half of Korean twins separated at birth.  After finding out about each other, they spend the first couple of weeks Skyping and texting each other (with a barrage of emojis) and then decide to take a DNA test.  Sam then catches a flight to London for an emotional meeting, during which they find out that they are indeed long-lost, identical sisters…