Revisiting the incredible phone call scene in the 2008 film ‘In Bruges’
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Anna Kendrick names her five favourite movies of all time
The American actor Anna Kendrick has been in the film industry longer than you think, making her debut in the 2003 comedy Camp, directed by Todd Graff. Several years later, she is known as one of the most popular modern actors of Hollywood cinema, famed for her remarkable singing voice that has been utilised on more than one occasion, throughout the Pitch Perfect trilogy and beyond.
Best known for her role in the aforementioned musical drama trilogy as well as Edgar Wright’s comic-book adaptation of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Kendrick is a fearless young actor capable of taking on several types of roles. Whilst she is known for a handful of more popular movies, her Oscar-nominated supporting role in 2009s Up in the Air, starring alongside George Clooney, proves that she is capable of taking on a wide variety of characters.
With that being said, it’s the fanbase of Pitch Perfect that has helped Kendrick flourish in her modern career, with her role in the semi-musical helping her on to achieve bigger and better things. Upon the release of the third (and currently final) film in the series, Kendrick spoke to Rotten Tomatoes and revealed her top five favourite films of all time, naming the films that have inspired her the most throughout her career.
First on her list is the classic 1940 romantic comedy His Girl Friday, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, a film that follows a newspaper editor who tries to stop his ex-wife and star reporter from remarrying. Gushing over the quality of the movie, Kendrick says the film is, “beyond perfect. It is transcendently flawless for like the first 45 minutes, and then it kind of goes off into crazy town. But you still stay with it, and the tone completely changes and it gets really weird and dark, but I guess that’s what happens in some of those movies”.
Edgar Wright’s action comedy romp, Hot Fuzz, takes the second spot on the actor’s list, with the celebrated 2007 film being the second in the vibrant Cornetto trilogy that established the director as a contemporary great. Starring Simon Pegg as a London-based copper who joins the police force of a rural town, the movie defies genre by blending horror aspects, becoming a contemporary British gem in the process.
Clearly a lover of comedy, Kendrick’s third choice in her top five is the clever Martin McDonagh movie, In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. “It’s just flawless, like, it’s so tight. The ending is perfect,” Kendrick states about the movie, further stating that Fiennes’ menacing performance, “just crushes it and is doing something completely different. Oh, he’s just heaven”.
Taking the fourth spot is the somewhat surprising action comedy, JCVD, a peculiar film that follows Jean-Claude Van Damme playing himself in a frenetic bank robbery that prompts him to rethink his past life. “It was one of those movies that I saw, and it was just perfect, if that makes sense,” Kendrick states, adding, “It was just so lean and solid and this perfect blend of dark humor and some really genuinely touching moments”.
George Cukor’s 1939 classic The Women bookends Kendrick’s list of favourite films, with the final choice being her oldest pick for her personal list. “This has been my favorite film since I was twelve years old,” Kendrick stated, adding, “It has a wildly funny all female cast and a female writer. I revisit it almost every year and my appreciation for the performances and the writing grows”.
Anna Kendrick’s five favourite movies
- His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
- Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)
- In Bruges (Martin McDonagh, 2008)
- JCVD (Mabrouk El Mechri, 2008)
- The Women (George Cukor, 1939)
