Minions (2015)

Honestly it's difficult to choose which is the most deranged film I saw in this double bill, Being John Malkovich or Minions. Minions does feature a 'hypno-hat' which enables the wearer to hypnotise whoever is in front of them and take control of what they're doing. So there is a slight link between the two films there. I've only seen the first two Despicable Me films (2010/2013) and they're pretty decent; nothing groundbreaking but a nice idea played out well. Minions is arguably the most inevitable spin off movie in film history, and unsurprisingly there's a sequel due next year. The sensible route seemed to be using the film to tell a minion origin story, and the opening sequence that explains the minions route through the earth's timeline is good fun, telling us how they've always wanted to serve some terrible evil master. We know where the film will probably end, and sure enough, it does, but it's produced well enough to hold the attention span of children and adults alike, even pre-schoolers will preoccupied for ninety minutes (mine certainly was). It's also absolutely bonkers, and I think to make this work the producers had to double down on the madness (or double up if you will) which is exactly what they have done. A lot of it is set in London, and there's plenty of shots of people drinking tea, as well as an extended cameo from an animated Queen Elizabeth II. But I understand that this description might not sound anywhere near as insane as a Charlie Kauffman film. 6.8/10