I'm baaaaaaaaaccckkkk in the sadddle.....

After a long hiatus I've decided to start doing this again. Why? Cause I feel like it.

Best.Bond.Ever.

Yep, I'm just gonna come out and say it - Skyfall is the best Bond move so far. It's a big claim, one which I back myself in making 100%. I will now attempt to convince you that this statement is correct. In dot point form.

• Bond's Character - More time is spent on actually developing the character of James Bond in Skyfall than in all the rest of the Bond movies combined. He's given a back story, an emotional backbone and even looks vulnerable at times. All the while remaining bad ass and ultimately unstoppable.
• The Villain - It's a given that Javier Bardem would play an excellent Bond villain, but this is something else. Bardem's Raoul Silva is clever, smooth, despicable AND actually has personal motivation for his... villainy. The character is so cunning there were I actually thought he might get the better of Bond, something which I can't say any of the previous Bond villains have achieved.
• The Action/Story - Skyfall opens of course with a completely over the top action scene to get everyone pumped, but from there the story and action build with such preciseness and without a moment of lost  momentum  that it builds to a beautifully worked action crescendo at the end and an emotional payoff the likes of which 007 has not offered before.
• The (lack thereof) Gags and Gadgets - Some people lament the old Roger Moore days with the unending lame puns and insane gadgets. I think the new more serious approach to Bond is a breath of fresh air, but here we have just enough gags and gadgets to hopefully apease that crowd without being over the top. Perfect balance.
• Sam Mendes - Anyone who has seen any of Sam Mendes's previous movies (American Beauty and Road to Perdition to name a couple) would know that him being in the director's chair was always going to bring a new level of artistry to Bond. And he does just that. Nuff said.

So there you have it. I'm pretty sure you know I'm on the money. Great stuff.

****1/2 out of *****

They should have taken more time writing the script

The original Taken was a hit, and why shouldn't it be. Take a likable actor in Liam Neeson, have him play a likable character who stops at nothing to achieve his goal and takes crap from no one, kicking all manner of ass on the way, throw in a fairly straightforward but satisfying storyline and plenty of action and thrills and you have yourself a winning formula.

Taken 2, on the other hand, is garbage. The thrills from the first movie are instead replaced with sappy melodrama and a lame revenge story, the action is tame and by the numbers, and the villain feels like he's be more at home reading Dostoevsky with a tall glass of milk rather than killing people. Liam Neeson feels like he's simply going through the motions this time, and the whole  damn thing just feels kinda phoned in. But that's a cash cow sequel for  you huh?

Oh, and then there's the script. It's painful. The dialogue was so horrendous I could have written it. And that's a bad thing, because I have no idea how to write a movie script. Avoid this travesty.

*1/2 out of *****

Is seeing Helen Hunt in the buff appealing?

If you answered "yes" to the above question, you'll probably enjoy The Sessions, but I imagine you probably don't enjoy life much. Or keeping your dignity. If you answered no you should still enjoy this tale of a poet in his late 30's who is paralysed due to suffering from polio as a child. Due to his immobility he is still a virgin, and is desperately seeking to lose said virginity despite suffering from Catholic guilt over the issue, which he discusses at length with the his priest played by William H Macy. Helen Hunt plays his sex surrogate, which is apparently different from a prostitute because they only offer you a maximum of six sessions. Whatevs.

The Sessions is funny, smart, charming (believe it or not) and, if there's any justice, John Hawkes should be nominated for an Oscar for his sympathetic portrayal of the lead character here. Well worth seeing despite the abomination mentioned in the head.

**** out of *****

The Amazing Spiderman & More

The Amazing Spider-Man

I'm not a straight up hater of remakes and reboots, but when the original film series is less than ten years old (the most recent film being made in 2007) a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise seems not only bizarre but kinda pointless. That shouldn't, however, stop the new movie standing on it's own merits and being judged accordingly. What seemed like an second feature for director Mark Webb, who's only other film to date is the off beat romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer, only intrigued me more and left me cautiously optimistic for the new take on the story.

But really, as long as you stick to a predictable formula, how badly can you stuff up a Spider-Man origin story. Introduce dorky kid who gets picked on at school the audience can sympathise with and root for once he develops new powers, see him learn to use to those powers and develop more confidence in a series of confrontations with baddies, develop the relationship between said kid and hot blond girl (this time the character of Gwen Stacey rather than Mary Jane) and finish things up in a satisfyingly over the top action sequence where Spidey battles a weird giant mutant thing. If all of the above elements are there, the audience goes home happy.

The question, then, is whether the new movie offers anything above and beyond the standard formula, and the answer is, well, no not really. The story was more interesting early on with our hero using his new powers to search for his uncle's killer after Spidey's angry response to a couple of situations indirectly leads to his death. This character development is played out well, but the transition from vengeful vigilante to public servant taking on greater responsibility just sort of happens with no rhyme or reason. The final battle with The Lizard (the film's main villain, who is a little lame) then sort of just happens arbitrarily and doesn't build on what has already been established.

Andrew Garfield is fine as Spider-Man, probably just as good as Tobey Maguire in all honesty. Emma Stone is great to watch as always, and there's a decent amount of chemistry between the two. I actually saw this twice, once at the drive in and again in 3D, as I'd heard the visuals were quite stunning, however it was really only the last 25 minutes that gained any benefit from the 3D (it did look pretty darn good though.)

As the movie doesn't stray from the formula, offers some laughs, some thrills and a different take on the story, it's a success. It's just not one of the better superhero films to come along recently, that's all.

***1/2 out of *****

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

So, this a Turkish art film showing in only one cinema in Brisbane that I doubt anyone I know would have any interest in. But I'm going to talk about how awesome it is anyway. The setting is a barren landscape near a rural Turkish town late at night. The police, accompanied by a group of other men with various professions, are searching for a dead body buried somewhere in the vicinity, however it turns out to be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. The sombre mood that presides over the affairs is compounded by the sparse light available to the search party and the thunder roaring in the distance. This all serves as a framing device for the conversations of the men as they reflect on their own mortality, past regrets and the trivialities in contrast with life's deeper meaning.

What follows is multi layered film poetry at it's finest. The attention to detail is exquisite, the camera lingering on the character's faces not a second too long to gauge the full range of emotions being experienced, and long takes of simple things such as an apple falling from a tree and rolling down to a creek are handled with such grace that it almost feels like watching each brush stroke of an artist creating his latest masterpiece on an enormous canvas. One needn't worry too much about what is supposed to be symbolised by such things, just let the spontaneity and beauty of the image carry you away (do I sound like enough of a pretentious fop yet?)

Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2011 (the second highest award following the Palme D'or) I'll acknowledge this movie isn't going to be for everyone. Believe me when I say it's slow. I've seen some slow movies before but this one is SLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW. I don't know what else to say, it's one of those pieces of art you really need to just jump in and experience rather than analyse, and if you have the patience for it you'll be duly rewarded.

****1/2 out of *****

Not Suitable for Children

Ryan Kwanten must really enjoy working in his home country, as he could surely land numerous jobs in Hollywood after his success in True Blood, yet he keeps returning to Australia to make movies. Good on him I say. Here we follow him as a care free 20 something male living the dream and running a party planning business when he discovers he has testicular cancer. The doctor's have caught it in time and can operate, however this will leave him infertile. With only a short amount of time available to him, he sets out in an attempt to father a child before his opportunity runs out.

There are a few elements that set this Australian rom com apart from the multitude of others out there and make it a movie guys can enjoy as well. Firstly, the characters and situations are more firmly grounded in reality, and there's no ridiculous gimmicks or contrived scenarios that bring our couple together. Rather, the blossoming romance forms as a natural extension of the already established story and characters that we've come to care about. The dialogue is also more organic and less forced than you would usually expect in the genre. Secondly, the movie is actually funny, which is, you know, a plus for a comedy. Thirdly, the performances of the two leads are believable and there is plenty of chemistry between them.

So yeah, thumbs way up!

**** out of *****

Other movies I've seen lately but can't be bothered talking about are Prometheus (four stars), Ted, Brave and Men in Black III (all three and a half stars). So as you can see there are some good movies out there at the moment. I must say, though, that what promised to be the biggest season of blockbusters in years has been a bit disapointing so far. The only movie that really lived up to the hype was The Avengers, and even that was mildly disapointing. The Dark Knight Rises had better deliver.

First update in a while

So, now I've finished The Wire (best TV show of all time) I can refoucs again. I saw these movies a while ago, so write ups will be brief.

The Avengers

I don't think there's ever been a bigger build up to a movie than The Avengers. I mean, sure, there's been longer movie series with endless sequels that just keep going and going, but I can't think of any other instance where there have been five different movies (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger), looking at different characters each time, with a deliberate build toward one ultimate pay off. So, with that in mind, was it a success? The simple answer is yes, although not a resounding yes.

The basic plot of The Avengers brings together Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye under the direction of Nick Fury to stop Thor's evil step brother Loki from destroying the earth. The also fortunately don't ignore the already established characters and plots from the previous movies, and there are several sub-plots inter weaved as well.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon it was a given that we would be treated to good dialogue and humour. The spectacular action scenes and already fleshed out characters also set this apart from other similar movies. It does, however get a little bogged down in the middle, and while there is sufficient attention paid to the individual character sub plots, I would have liked to have seen more. So while The Avengers doesn't quite hit the ball out of the park in the convincing and confident manner expected of it, it does hit the ball out of the park nonetheless.

**** out of *****

Wish You Were Here

This Australian film starring Joel Edgerton tells the story of two couples from Sydney holidaying in Cambodia. We pick up on their journey as they arrive home and it's immediately obvious that something horrible has happened on their vacation, however we soon find out that there has been more than one incident in Cambodia that will impact the lives of these characters. There's a lot to like about this film, the story is very carefully and skillfully told through a narrative that flashes back and forward through from the present day to the groups time overseas. It's made clear from the start that there is some information about what happened there that is being withheld from us, and this is successfully used to keep us engaged. The locations were well chosen with the scenery all looking quite pretty, and the performances are fine. Unfortunately the character development is a little lacking and the film suffers from not knowing exactly what it wants to say, or at least not being clear about it. But, with the aforementioned qualities standing out above the flaws, Wish You Were Here is a little gem of a film that it's a shame not many people saw (my cinema was empty, besides me.)

**** out of *****

Dark Shadows

Based on some weird supernatural themed soap opera from the 60's and 70's, Tim Burton's latest outing is a mixed bag. The storyline is all over the place and not really worth talking about, but in short Johnny Depp plays a vampire who, after being buried alive for hundreds of years, returns to bond with his family's ancestors, falls in love with a human and seeks revenge on the witch who made him this way.....

On a more positive note, the soundtrack is outstanding, and there is even a cameo from Alice Cooper performing a couple of his old songs. Johnny Depp is really good, along with the rest of the cast including Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green and Chloe Grace Mortez. The story is even somewhat interesting to begin with, however it slowly degenerates into complete nonsense and the ending is all kinds of stupid. Clearly Tim Burton isn't interested exploring any deep themes or even putting together a carefully constructed narrative. He just wants to entertain, and you either embrace the over the top silliness of it all or you don't. I can't say I really did.

**1/2 out of *****

The Dictator

Following the over the top vulgarity, Sacha Baron Cohen tones it down a notch with this tale of a dictator of a fictional country having his identity stolen during a trip to America as part of a plot to usurp his position. You wont Baron Cohen duping any innocent bystanders into looking foolish this time, as The Dictator is a completely scripted movie consisting entirely of actors. Which is probably a good thing. While some of the vulgarity of his previous movies remains, The Dictator focuses more on satire, and it's quite funny and at times pretty clever. Worth a watch.

***1/2 out of *****

The Hunger Games

It only took me about a month longer than everyone else to see the new teeny bopper flavour of the moment, but I finally got there. Comparisons between The Hunger Games and the Japanese film Battle Royale are inevitable considering they have the same basic premise. Of course, Suzanne Collins, author of the novel, claims she had never even heard of Battle Royale when writing it.... let's give her the benefit of the doubt. There are more than enough point of differences between the two, however, to hopefully not have people bang on about it too much. Firstly, Hunger Games spends about the first half of the movie looking at the lead up to the tournament of death, whereas Battle Royale thrusts us almost immediately into the action. Secondly, the thematic elements are pretty different. Whereas Battle Royale was effectively a study of the issues surrounding teenagers and the way they were treated by people in authority, Hunger Games is more of a satire of political dictatorships and oppression of the lower class etc. So enough on that.

So yeah, I think everyone is familiar with the story, teenagers battling to the death for a televised reality show, which was set up as punishment due for a failed coup against the government by the different "districts". Jennifer Lawrence's character volunteers in place of her younger sister. There's a love triangle thrown in for good measure.

The set up to the actual tournament feels like it goes for about half the movie, and it's all fairly mundane stuff. There are some attempts made at character development but it all falls a bit flat and didn't really make this viewer care about what was to come. Then the tournament starts and things do kick up a notch, but not all that much. There are a couple of nice action scenes, a descent side story involving our heroine and her relationship with a young girl she tries to work with, but the love triangle that is apparently supposed to be a big part of the story goes nowhere, and one third of the triangle hardly even appears in the movie. If it was, as I suspect, being set up for something bigger in the next movie then they didn't do a very good job.

 Jennifer Lawrence is a really fine actress and almost carries the movie on her own back, but at the end of the day it kinda feels like one of those fantasy/adventure kids shows they put on Saturday mornings or after school, just with a bit more violence. Verdict - Ok, but wait for DVD.

*** out of *****

So anyway,

Yeah. Been slack. Too busy watching The Wire (it IS the greatest TV show of all time. If you disagree you're just plain wrong.) I think I'll just look at three films, even though I've seen more. Can't be stuffed with the other ones 'eh.

A Separation

As I already said in my last post on my top 10 from 2011, this film is amazing. Beginning with an Iranian couple (cause, you know, this is an Iranian film) explaining their reasons for separating to a judge (which immediately draws the viewer in as they speak directly to the camera) the focus soon shifts as the male in the relationship is involved in an incident with his new housekeeper which has far reaching consequences for his family and his housekeepers family as the matter goes through court. From here the journey is best experienced spoiler free, so I wont mention any other plot elements.

What I will mention however is the incredible depth in which A Separation explores the nature of truth as viewed by the different characters, how their circumstances mould their perspective of it and how far they are willing to bend the truth, especially given their religious and family values. The film offers a study of your average family and how they are affected by illness, separation and tragedy, and does so with both subtlety and poignancy.

A Separation is a film so thematically rich yet at the same time instantly accessible that it would undoubtedly be studied in English classes for years to come, if only it were in English. I'm not sure that this is still actually showing at the cinema but be sure to pick it up the first week it come out as a new release. Or illegally download it if you have no conscience. Just make sure you see it.

***** out of *****

The Raid

Unlike the above movie, The Raid has no philosophical musings on the nature of truth and will never be studied in any depth whatsoever, but it completely kicks arse. This Indonesian action film is about a group of cops trying to take down a major crime boss who's created a fortress for himself in a high rise building, so full of henchman that no one has had the balls to try and topple his empire. Until now.

As far as story goes, that's all you really need to know. Then settle yourself in for some of the most over the top, beautifully choreographed action set pieces you're likely to see. The real beauty of the whole thing though is that even though the action is relentless and non-stop it never feels chaotic, there is an order to it and you can always tell what's going on. There's also an incredible amount of thought put into actually making the action scenes mean something. For example, toward the end of the movie the big baddie's number one henchman has a lengthy fight scene with one of the top cops. Due to the length of the fight you may think it's a climatic battle, however, nope, it instead demonstrated how much of a complete bad arse this guy is and made the final fight mean all that much more.

Despite the majority of the focus being on the action, there was also enough effort put in to make you actually care about what is going on. The opening scene shows our protagonist training hard, leaving his pregnant wife reluctantly to go to the job, establishing him as a hard working, caring man wanting to provide for his family. We want him to succeed. A subsequent shot shows the main antagonist brutally slaughtering three men he has tied up for no apparent reason. We hate him. These two simple scenes achieve more in the way of actually getting us to give a damn in five minutes than most action movies do in the entire film ***cough*** Expendables ***cough*** Actually, no need for the coughing, The Expendables was terrible.

The storyline was basic, but surprisingly not terrible, and there are actually a couple of nice twists thrown in for good measure. If you haven't  already got the picture, this is a completely bad arse action movie (no I can't think of a better expression), again proving that for some reason Asia just completely blows Hollywood out of the water when it comes to the genre.

**** out of *****

21 Jump Street

Based on  an old American cop drama that I've never seen, so no nostalgia for me. The TV show was apparently quite serious. The film is co-written by Jonah Hill (who also stars), so you know it's not. Hill and Channing Tatum (in the first role he's played where he's not completely wooden) play a pair of idiotic beat cops who get re-assigned to a project requiring them to go undercover at a high school to expose a drug dealing operation. While Hill was the nerdy outcast and Tatum was the jock when they were at school together, things have changed since their days as students, and the cool kids are now the environmentally minded hippie types who Hill finds it easier to bond with.

While 21 Jump Street probably doesn't break any new ground when it comes to the buddy cop/comedy genre, it does provide plenty of laughs including some clever self referential humour, and actually delivers some decent action toward the end. The characters a likable and make you care, the relationship between the two leads is developed adequately. Pretty good.

***1/2 out of *****

And that'll do for now. Other new movies I've seen lately but can't be bothered writing about are th US remake of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (four stars), Another Earth (three and a half), and John Carter (lets call it three). Wont be so slack with future new film.... for real.

Best & Worst of 2011

So yeah, this has been a long time coming, but I've finally gotten around to it. This is going by the official release dates of the below movies, as I think ranking them according to Australian year of release is kinda pointless. Anyway....

Top Films 10 of 2011

1. The Tree of Life

A rare film that only comes around every so often that not only lives up to it's ambitious nature but exceeds it. Completely moving, surreal and other worldly experience, this could well end up being the film of the decade.

2. Burning Man

Australian brilliance. Not only an artistic triumph but succeeds in telling an extremely engaging and, apparently, very personal story for director Jonathan Teplitzky about dealing with personal tragedy, all the while resisting the urge to add even a hint of sentimentality. Kudos.

3. A Separation

I haven't written about this one yet (although will soon), this Iranian film offers up a fascinating multi layered exploration of family, truth, lies and religion while not becoming preachy, and sympathising with every character and presenting all different points of view on display fairly and equally. With such a rich variety of character and themes this one would be studied in English classes for the rest of eternity, if only the film were in English.

4. Hugo

Martin Scorsese's passionate and wholly original work about childhood and the beauty of film making is a visual stunner that has the storyline to back it up. Shame that you'll need a 3D TV to recapture that magic from cinema.

5. Shame

Unsettling, yet powerful and honest portrayal of a man who has become a complete slave to his sex and pornography addiction. This exploration of what happens when men lose their way is difficult to watch and recommend due to it's graphic content, but is undoubtedly a near masterpiece.

6. The Descendants

Dubbed as the sentimental favourite of 2011, probably due to it's heart warming story that just about anyone can enjoy about family bonding together during crisis. Excellent characterisations, funny script and a plot that starts strong and loses no momentum along the way.

7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Complex yet masterfully crafted spy film that will, if there's any justice, be recognised as a classic of the crime genre somewhere down the track. Will probably require a couple of viewings due to the complex narrative, but it's worth it.

8. Melancholia

Lars Von Trier's flawed masterpiece about the end of the world is like no other Armageddon film you're likely to see. No pointless love stories or sappy farewell speech's, but rather a look at how two sisters deal with their impending doom differently based on their mental state. The use of Wagner's prelude to Triston and Isolde is used to great effect, especially when blasting through the speakers to signify that the end is nigh.

9. Moneyball

The combination of Brad Pitt in a lead role and an Aaron Sorkin script had all the markings of being a winner, and didn't disappoint with Sorkin providing his usual witty and intelligent dialogue and Pitt providing the acting goods to bring this intimate character study to life.

10. The Guard

Rounding out the top 10, this Irish film works well as a comedy, a crime/action film and a serious character study. On top of that, Brendan Gleeson gives a brilliant performance, so what's not to like?

Five Worst Films of 2011

This part is by no means an exhaustive list. For obvious reasons, I usually avoid films that receive bad reviews from critics and the public, and therefore I'm sure there are a lot of duds I haven't seen. However, every now and then I have the misfortune of coming across some stinkers for whatever reason, and these are the five worst from last year.

1. (Being the absolute worst) Jack and Jill

Adam Sandler has clearly come to the point in his carer where he has realised he can sell a film base solely on his name and nothing else, so putting any actual effort into the movie would be a waste of his time. And no, putting on a wig and playing his own twin sister doesn't qualify as effort, it qualifies as completely moronic. No laughs to speak of, no plot or characters to care about, loads (and I mean LOADS) of product placement, and Al Pacino playing an insane version of himself confirming the sad reality that his star has fallen, this is one huge steaming garbage pile.

2. Your Highness

The aim of the game in this fantasy comedy is to use the F word as much as possible in each sentence, and apparently that automatically equals laughs. The special effects are lame, the story is utterly pointless and none of the jokes work. Pathetic.

3. Battle: Los Angeles

To save you the pain of sitting through Battle: Los Angeles I'll sum up this snooze fest in a few words; Army guys are introduced briefly - aliens invade - BANG BANG BANG - generic war speech 1 - BANG BANG BANG - generic war speech 2 - BANG BANG BANG - the end. Next.

4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The worst entry in this insipid trilogy (ok, the first one was actually not bad) obviously has no substance to it, but I've heard many appeals made to the fact that the final battle was worth sitting though the other mindless two or so hours for. But I can't understand why. The battle goes on forever, it's all over the place and has no flow to it whatsoever, and with nothing invested in the story or characters I couldn't give a stuff who ends up winning.

5. Sleeping Beauty


It's a shame that this was the film to effectively represent Australia at Cannes last year. Slow, boring and pretentious, the director seems confused between subtle character development and not giving enough information for the audience to care.


Most Underrated Film of 2011

The Ides of March

The critics didn't seem to think all that much of George Clooney's latest directorial effort, however I was compelled by this political story of shifting loyalties and loss of innocence from beginning to end. A tad contrived perhaps, but no more so than any other film of it's type.

Most Overrated Film of 2011

Warrior

Cliched, heavy handed and unrealistic, this MMA film's only saving grace is it's performances, which although prevent it from becoming a disaster, certainly don't propel it to a level worth of the critical praise it's received.

It's been a white part 2

So here's the conclusion to the previous entry, containing the rest of what I meant to include.

Warrior

Warrior is a mixed martial arts film about two estranged brothers with an alcoholic father who both enter the same multi million dollar tournament. I've written a bit about my thoughts on this one elsewhere, so allow me to take a moment and make use of ctrl+c followed by ctrl+v....

In response to Mr. Ben Hobson's positive review of the film I said

"..... It started out well introducing the characters but got progressively worse as it went on. What I didn't like about it;

- The relationship between the brothers wasn't developed in any great depth, certainly not enough for me to care about the end. I think there was one brief confrontation between them before the ending.
- The dialogue was pretty weak.
- I disagree with you regarding the cheese. The whole last hour or so which comprised of the tournament was rife with cheesiness and cliche. From the completely unsubtle way the commentators narrated the story and gave us vital information, to the annoying music stirring up cheap sentimentality, to the crowds reactions to the fights, slowly warming to the protagonists.
- For that matter, the entire way they developed the characters was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
- SPOILERS - The way the tournament was set up and played out was extremely unbelieveable. As if a washed up UFC fighter and a no name would gain entry to a major tournament worth $5,000,000. The fact that the washed up fighter then beat the Russian fighter who was unbeaten and at the top of his game without us (the viewer) seeing his journey through intense training was pretty unsatisfying."

However, on a more positive note what I did like about the film were the performances, particularly Tom Hardy. His relationship with his alcoholic father, played by Nick Nolte is quite nice, and there's a brilliant scene between them that almost single handily redeems the film. But it doesn't. This isn't any better than average.

**1/2 out of *****

Shame

The second film from British director Steve McQueen (so no, not the Steve McQueen you're thinking of) paints the portrait of a man named Brandon, played by Michael Fassbender. On the outside Brandon appears to be a confident, successful guy having it all together with a respectable job, nice apartment and living a comfortable life. This is the image he presents to those around him and no one suspects any different. On the inside, however, he's a man who's completely lost his way, living hollow existence as a slave to his sex and pornography addiction.

When his sister, played by Carey Mulligan shows up at his apartment to stay carrying the same amount of baggage as Brandon, and possibly more, it throws more than a simple spanner in the works. Through a number of confrontations between the two we begin to learn that their childhood was not a Rosy one, and it has inevitably damaged them both, but is the damage irreparable?

As far as I'm aware this is the first film to take a serious look a sex and pornography addiction and the destructive effect it can have on a person's humanity, and it's powerful one at that. From the goose bump inducing score, to the brilliant performance of Michael Fassbender to the subtle, somewhat ambiguous journey into the depths of Brandon's soul that is none the less extremely deep and, I'll admit, a little tear jerking. I have to be honest and say I was extremely moved by this very raw, very honest, yet extremely stylish look at what happens to men when they lose their way.

It's s tough film to recommend due to it's graphic nature, so some research into the content is suggested by yours truly before choosing to watch it. It's a touch uneven, with the last 20 minutes or so packing the most punch, where as earlier the film feels like it looses momentum occasionally. But that's nit picking, this was an otherwise amazing, powerful experience.

****1/2 out of *****

My Week With Marilyn

I don't really feel like talking about this one much, so I wont. In short, good movie, not great. If you have any interest in Marilyn Monroe you'll probably like it, but even if you don't the story about her brief fling with a guy working on her first British film, who wasn't anyone particularly noteworthy for that matter, is fairly engaging. Michelle Williams is fantastic as Marilyn and could have carried a script written by a fourth grader anyway.

***1/2 out of *****

Carnage

Roman Polanski's latest (yes he's still making movies) is set pretty much entirely in one apartment and the adjoining corridor. Jodie Foster and John C Reilly play the residents of said apartment, and are playing host to Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz, who's son has hit their hosts son in the head with a stick. The two couples meet to discuss the matter, and although the meeting at first appears as if it will be brief a number of incidents keep stopping Kate and Christoph from leaving. What ensues are numerous conflicts, resolutions, shifting loyalties and clashes of over differing values as the two couples learn more about each other than the wanted or needed to.

The concept of Carnage was probably more interesting than the execution, and it may have worked better as a play. I am a fan of all four actors, however, and what is interesting to watch is how their characters a developed over such a short period of time (79 minutes) in a confined space. Watching four adults begin proceedings in a civil meeting and slowly degenerate into a childish, chaotic mess is also somewhat amusing, while at the same having perhaps a few too many doses of reality to instead be rather alarming. Again, a good, but not great film that you can probably skip at the cinema but well worth checking out on DVD.

***1/2 out of *****

It's been a while....

so lets get into it.

The Grey

Or Liam Neeson vs the wolves. After sitting through a opening scene introducing Liam Neeson's character as a sad loner who's given up on life followed by a intense and well, frankly awes me plane crash, that's essentially what the movie is. Neeson and some fellow co-workers find themselves stuck somewhere in Alaska as a pack of wolves pick them off one by one. Sound boring? You'd be wrong.  There are plenty of nicely staged scenes of nail biting action/suspense for fans of the genre, plus just enough philosophical musing to justifiably say this is deeper than you're average popcorn movie fare. The end result is a horror survival story that (almost) smoothly blends with an exploration of man's struggle with his inevitable journey toward death and questions of where God fits into the whole mess. I just can't help but feel that this is a good movie that could have been a great one had a little bit more time been spent fleshing out the secondary characters rather than them just being wolf fodder and a vessel to convey the central themes.

***1/2 out of *****

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

British spy movie that plays out a bit like a realistic James Bond, Tinker Tailor follows agent George Smiley as he comes out of retirement to try to unmask a mole working in the inner sanctum of British Intelligence known as The Circus, supposedly supplying British secrets to the soviets during the cold war.. Painting a vivid picture of the 70s and cold war paranoia, the film makes excellent use of flashbacks throughout in what is a masterfully told story.

The character development is subtle yet offers deeper insight through a brief exchange than pages of dialogue do in many other movies. The mini characters arcs and sub plots all intertwine seamlessly with the major plot to bring about one of the best movies of 2011. A complex narrative will mean that those unfamiliar with the source material may have to check it out twice to fully appreciate it (I enjoyed it more the second time around) but it's worth it. Don't expect loads of action, just brilliant film making.

**** 1/2 out of *****

This Means War

A romantic comedy that, for some reason, I saw with two other guys. Not really sure how that happened, although I guess because it had action elements as well that makes it acceptable. Reece Witherspoon, for some reason, decides it's good idea to two time two guys. The fact that those two guys are fellow CIA agents and best friends means, of course, they quickly find out about it and decide to outdo each other.

So, being an romantic, action comedy obviously the success of the film will rest on how those three elements hold up. As a romance? Fail - there is bugger all chemistry between Witherspoon and the two male leads (Tom Hardy & Chris Pine), and I couldn't have cared less who she ended up with. Action? The action scenes are pretty tame and run of the mill, and certainly wouldn't satisfy anyone who watched the movie for that aspect alone. Comedy? Well, yeah, it is funny. Not belly aching funny but funny enough. This Means War is not a great movie but it is, dare I say, a bit of popcorn fun. As long you're not expecting a masterpiece then there's no reason not to enjoy this slightly guilty pleasure.

*** out of *****

The Hunter

Another Australian film with an international star at the helm, this time it's Willem Dafoe. Not sure what's up with that, but anyway. Dafoe's character has been sent on a mission by his employer to hunt for the long thought to be extinct Tasmanian Tiger (no guesses for where the film is set) for reasons that are first unclear but unravel as the film goes on. What at first seems like interesting idea soon turns into a fairly tired environment vs industry story (and as usual environmentalists = good, big corporations = evil) and even some really nice cinematography showcasing the Tasmanian wilderness can't hide the fact there's zero character development to be found anywhere. Still, the film has a fresh and natural feel to it, and I like the concept, so I'll score it generously.

*** out of *****

Terri

Terri is an overweight high school student. He has no friends, is cared for by his crazy and sick uncle who actually needs Terri to care for him, and wear pyjamas to school because they are "comfortable." During the course of the film he is taken under the wing of the high school principal, played by John C Reilly, who realises Terri needs help, and also ends up befriending the used-to-be-the-most-popular-girl-in-school until she fell from grace and the school's resident juvenile delinquent. The incredible amount of sympathy that is generated for Terri makes this one hard not to like, and and as a character study the movie works. However, at the same time the story feels unfinished, and once we arrive at the end Terri's journey only seems about half of the way there. Had they added an extra 20 minutes or so to tie things up in a more satisfying way this would have been better, but as it is Terri is still well worth a watch.

***1/2 out of *****

Well I had planned to write more but I might save that for tomorrow. I'm tired and going to bed.

Oscars Oscars Oscars

Oscars tomorrow. We all know what's going to take out best picture, but we'll talk about that in a moment. First of all, I've seen the last two best picture nominations that I'd up til now neglected,so lets have a look see.

The Help

Set in deep south of the USA during the early 60's, The Help tells the story of African American maids working for white snotty rich folk, well before the current times when Americans lost every racist bone in their body and became tolerant of everyone....... (cough.) Um, yeah, well, at least half the appeal of the film for the high and mighty "tolerant" folk to get on their high horses and look down their noses at this time in history, proudly talking about "how far we've come"and such. Rant over. Emma Stone's character is a budding writer and decides she wants to write a book about the experiences of these women, although the civil rights moment has only just begun so she has to be very careful how she goes about sympathetically portraying African Americans.

Anyway, this movie is  actually really good. The trailer would trick you into thinking Emma Stone's character is main focus, but she isn't really. She actually almost serves as a narrator through which the story of the maids are told. And wisely so, as in turn it becomes their story, and not a story about a brave pretty white lady helping out these poor simple Negros (just to be ABSOLUTELY clear - that last part was meant as sarcasm at the expense of people who think in such a manner. Just covering my arse from the PC Nazis.)

The performances of the two maids at the centre of the piece are fantastic, playing strong, sympathetic and courageous women. Emma Stone just keeps getting better, the story is very masterfully told in what is a pretty classical approach to film making. All of the other characters are also very strong, from the town racist that you love to hate to the naive but caring lady played by Jessica Chastain. I don't know what more to say except I liked it alot. See it.

**** out of *****

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

So, this one was kinda a bummer. A boy who is clearly suffering from Aspergers (although according to the film the tests to confirm it were "inconclusive") loses his father in September 11.Through a series of flashbacks we see glimpses of their relationship, and how the boy's father liked making riddles for him to solve. When the boy comes across a key with the name "Black" on it he decides that his father set this up as a puzzle for him to solve before he died, and sets out to find what the key opens.

And that's the story. Sound kinda dumb and pointless? Probably because it is. With Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock staring, this was obviously intended as the wholesome, tug at the heart strings of a nation Oscar bait that everyone would raving about and taking their families to see. Instead what's on offer is a whole lotta over the top sappiness and sentimentality without offering any genuine emotion, a storyline that goes nowhere and has an unsatisfying pay off, and a un-spythametic and, I'm sorry to say, annoying protagonist.

On the other hand, the film is very classily made, the story is told in an engaging manner, and the relationship between the boy and the old man that lives with his grandma is kinda nice. But the movie as whole is just kinda, bleh. Skip it.

**1/2 out of *****

So with that out of the way, lets talk about Oscar best picture. I'll start by making two lists;

Best picture nominees, best to worst

1. The Tree of Life
2. Hugo
3. The Descendants
4. Moneyball
5. The Artist
6. Midnight in Paris
7. The Help
8. War Horse
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best picture nominees, most likely to win to least likely

1. The Artist
2. The Descendants
3. Hugo
4. The Help
5. Moneyball
6. The Tree of Life
7. Midnight in Paris
8. War Horse
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

In the past it often seems to have come down to a two horse race for the cup. Last year was The Social Network vs The Kings Speech. The year before was Avatar vs The Hurt Locker. This year is The Artist vs Nothing. The Artist will win, end of story. You can put your house on it and it will be the easiest money you'll make all year. I've ranked the other films likelihood of winning merely as formality. It's such a foregone conclusion that The Artist will win I may not even bother watching the ceremony (I probably will.)

I would love to see Hugo or The Descendants win. I'd love love LOVE to see The Tree of Life win. But I'll settle with The Artist winning, as in honesty it's not a bad choice for the prize. And seeing a silent French film take out the glory is kinda cool. The only film that really doesn't deserve it's spot amongst the nominees is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, although I'm a little disappointed that War Horse got nominated as well.

I was planning to a top 10 of 2011 list to coincide with the Oscars, however I'm putting it off for a week or two so I can watch more movies I've missed. But that's coming soon.... probably. Enjoy watching people walk down a red carpet and talk rubbish about who designed what and how much they enjoyed making some film they've already forgotten they were in. I'll skip that part thanks.

The Muppets & Others

The Muppets

The Muppets according to Jason Segel (he wrote the script and stars) is apparently the first film in the franchise for 12 years. I can't exactly say The Muppets were a massive part of a my childhood, so the appeal to nostalgia wasn't a great one for me, however I've seen the likes of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan numerous times, and enjoyed them, so I'm well familiar with Kermit and co and what goes toward making a good Muppet tale.

Our journey begin with a look back at Jason Segel's character growing up with his brother Walter, who for some reason is a Muppet. They are both massive fans of The Muppet Show, and Walter dreams of one day meeting The Muppets and visiting Muppet studios. When he gets the change, he finds out that an evil rich dude is planning to tear the studios down to drill for oil, and when Walter convinces Kermit to get the gang back together for fund raiser to save the studios we've got ourselves a run o' the mill Muppets story (which is a great thing).

But never mind all that, actually. What it enjoyable about The Muppets, of course, is all the over the top fun and silliness, musical numbers and self referential humour (even if they do go a bit overboard with it.) The secondary romance storyline about Jason Segel being torn between his friendship with his brother and his love for Amy Adam's character is also a very nice addition, and doesn't feel at all tacked on. A movie that pretty much everybody can enjoy, which is something that doesn't come along all that often.

**** out *****


The Iron Lady

Another year, another biopic contending for Oscar glory. However, while last years film The King's Speech took out the glory, The Iron Lady will probably have to contend with a best actress nod for Meryl Strep (in fact, The Iron Lady hasn't even been nominated for best picture.) This account of the life of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is told as series of flashbacks, cutting back and forth constantly between the past and Thatcher's current state of dementia. While this format is at first interesting it soon becomes annoying, and while the approach to classical film making is very capably handled and the story well told, it feels as though we're merely being presented with Thatcher's life in dot point form, with nothing really being fleshed out. Streep's performance alone, however, is worth the price of admission alone, as she approaches the role with this almost reckless abandon that she does all her roles, fully embracing every aspect of her character. Some people don't see to like her much, for what reason I have no idea, as she is without a doubt one of the best of her generation.

***1/2 out of *****


Young Adult

The second collaborative project between director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, who previously worked together on Juno, Young Adult tells the story of a thirty something woman, played by Charlize Theron, who is the author of a once popular series of books aimed at, well, take a guess (I''ll give you a hint, the answer's in the title.) She lives like a sloth in a apartment with her dog, and her life is going nowhere. When she finds out her ex-boyfriend and his wife have had a baby she decides she wants him back for some reason and sets out on a road trip to see him in her old home town.

What ensues is a fairly tragic and sometimes hard to watch character study about a woman who was popular and the centre of attention during high school and is subsequently still a self indulgent brat well into her 30's, with nothing to show for it but a ghost writing credit on books headed for the bargain bin. Young Adult was a bit hit and miss for me, it was funny, but not THAT funny, it was a solid character study but a bit like watching a car crash, and Theron is very good but can't produce much sympathy for her character. This is probably Reitman's weakest effort so far, but with his other credits being Thank You For Smoking, Juno and Up in the Air that's not really a knock. Good, but not great.

***1/2 out of *****


Crazy Stupid Love

For a lot of people, Crazy Stupid Love seems to be THE romantic comedy of 2011. So lets have a look at why. Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (who is THE actor of the moment.) So we've good a great cast there. It's very funny. The story is a long way off following the normal romantic comedy formula, is actually quite fresh and original. So with all that considered this one is a sure winner, right? Well, yes, but it's not without it's flaws. The storyline may be original and somewhat unpredictable, however it has a of plot contrivances and massive coincidences which are a bit hard to swallow. Also, the romance between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's characters feels a bit tacked on. Still, the mix of good characterisations and legitimate humour should mean this is one of those few rom coms that guys can feel ok about liking. I know I did.

***1/2 out of *****


Win Win

Paul Giamatti is a lawyer/high school wrestling coach struggling to make ends meet for his wife and two daughters, who after kinda screwing over an elderly client of his to make a bit of extra money for his family meets the old man's grandson. The boy is a bit troubled and detached as result of having a drug addicted mother, however Giamatti takes the boy under his wing and as he bonds with him learns is he is an excellent wrestler. He then uses the boy's talents to boost his under performing wrestling team. Win Win is essentially a study of human behaviour and relationships, and while the plot is a bit formulaic and some elements are far fetched, the characters a good, there a few laughs thrown in for good measure and the overall result is a success.

***1/2 out of *****

A whole bunch o' stuff

Ok, so here's everything else I've been watching lately. Some of these will be pretty short as in some cases it's been about a month since I saw the movie.

Of Gods and Men

French movie that won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2010 (Grand Prix being the second highest prize after the Palme d'Or) Of Gods and Men documents a true story about a group of Christian monks living in peace with Muslim majority in Algeria until they start to face threats for Islamic extremists. Beautifully shot and paced, the film explores with passion yet without sentiment the test of faith and character these men go through in their decision whether or not stay and honor the commitment they have made. Perhaps lacking slightly in character development, although an exploration of each individual character isn't really the name of the game here, rather a reflection on how the men bond together to make their decision and an exploration of the inner most part of the human psyche. Haunting, inspirational and highly recommended.

****1/2 out of *****

Hesher

Hesher, the title character of the movie, is a crazy, violent heavy metal fan who one day decides to forcibly move in with a young kid and his family, who are grieving the loss of  a family member, by threatening the kid he will  hurt him if he tells his dad he doesn't really know him. Yep, bizarre movie which at times feels to be lacking any serious point and the concept alone makes no sense, however the exploration coming to terms with grief and character relationship dynamics is oddly compelling and original. Certainly worth a look.

***1/2 out of *****

Friends with Benefits

The second film of 2011 about a relationship between male and female which they agree will be just sex between friends and no romance (the other being No Strings Attached, which I haven't seen) Friends with Benefits starts out as a comedic send up of the romantic comedy genre, and is actually quite funny. By the end, though, it has of course turned into a pretty standard rom com. The chemistry between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis however lifts it above your average rom com fare, so this little film is not bad at all. I kinda hope JT keeps making movies as he's really not a bad actor.

***1/2 out *****

Rango

Oh, man, this is probably the film I've left the longest to write about. So er, what do I remember? It's an animated film about a lizard who gets appointed the sheriff of a town running low on water. It's very cleverly written, and has pays homage to a lot of old Western movies. And it's very good. How's that? Good enough I think. Rent it.

**** out of *****

The Troll Hunter

Norwegian film shot in the style of The Blair Witch Project, being that it's presented as being real footage that was discovered after the filmmakers disappeared. Hunting trolls. Hence the, er, title. The trolls look pretty cool and there's plenty of action, so it should be pretty accessible to anyone deeply rooted in Norwegian folklore and subtitled. Apparently there's an American remake planned. Seems pretty pointless, just watch this one.

***1/2 out of *****

Rare Exports: A Christmas Story

A Finnish Christmas movie in which Santa Claus is actually an evil monster thing and his elves are a bunch of crazy old naked dudes.... Still reading? Original idea, yes. Entertaining and well executed? Only kinda. It was really a strange, silly movie, and only mildly recommended.

*** out of *****

The Beaver

Directed by and staring Jodie Foster, The Beaver features Mel Gibson playing her husband who, dealing with depression and separation from his wife, comes across a beaver puppet and takes on it's personality to help deal with his pain. Silly concept as in the above film, however it's dealt with in such a serious manner that you can (almost) entirely accept it. Quite a nice story about dealing with damaged family relationships, The Beaver really does come close to overcoming premise to be a genuine character study, if perhaps just not quite getting there.

***1/2 out of *****

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Probably the less known about this one before seeing it the better, so all I will say is that it explores a mother's (Tilda Swinton) experiences dealing with a son who is not only extremely difficult to handle but displays violent and manipulative tendencies. Played out like any mother's worst nightmare, this incredibly disturbing account of human behaviour is presented in a very stylish yet frenetic manner, constantly flashing back and forward between past and present. The acting is brilliant, both from Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller, who plays Kevin, and Swinton especially should have gotten more recognition during award season. I found some elements of Kevin's behaviour quite difficult to believe, however despite this We Need To Talk About Kevin is a very engaging and almost realistic horror story. Prepare yourself for one crazy roller coaster ride of emotion if you do check it out.

**** out of *****

Arrietty

I missed the first few minutes of the newest Studio Ghibli film to hit Australia due to a long line at the cinema and, apparently, barely ads before the film, the one time I actually wished there was an abundance of them. Bit annoying, buy oh well. Arrietty is a tiny person, belonging to a race known as the borrowers, who live under the floorboards of house and "borrow" things from inside the house for their own use. She soon forms a relationship with a terminally ill boy living at the house, who has heard about Borrowers from his auntie, and he wants nothing more than to protect Arrietty and make sure she is safe from the other crazy old hag who lives in the house with them. As with most Ghibli film Arrietty is original, creative and heartfelt. Do I need to say more, it's a Ghibli film. Of course it's good.

**** out of *****

The Artist

It's been a while since a film has looked so certain to win the Best Picture Oscar. In fact, The Artist may be the surest lock to take the gong since Titanic almost 15 years ago. When you consider that The Artist is a French film that is in black and white and, for the most part, silent, it's almost perplexing. But here we are. So, is it really worth all that hype? Well, no, but it is still very good. The Artist does struggle to rise above it's gimmick (I don't see how anyone could say it's not a gimmick) with a fairly formulaic story about a silent movie star's fall from the spotlight with the birth of the talkie (sounds similar to the storyline of a certain musical about singing during a certain weather pattern, doesn't it?) and a tired morality story about not letting success get to your head. This isn't to say that the storyline isn't engaging, because it is, very much so, and where The Artist DOES rise above it's gimmick is in it's gorgeous black and white cinematography and a number of impressive sequences, in particular a dream scene where all of a sudden sound effects exist. To conclude, The Artist probably doesn't deserve to win the Best Picture Oscar, but it will, and it won't be a travesty in any way, shape or form.

**** out of *****

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sequel. Not as good as the first. Still some good action and comedy. Still stylish. Overall ok. Meh.

*** out of *****

Now that's all off my chest... Seeing how long this catch up took it should motivate me to post more regular updates (we'll see). Also, I've decided to stop writing about older movies I watch for the first time and just stick to newer ones, from the past 2 - 3 years or so. But I have seen a bunch of older movies lately, with the highlights being Persona and Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Bergman, Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa and Taste of Cherry by Abbas Kiarostami.

The Descendants & Hugo

Oh man I've been slack, again. I'll start my catch up by writing about the two best movies I've seen which are currently out at the cinema.

The Descendants

The Descendants recently won the award for best Drama at the Golden Globes, although it would probably better fit into the category that is sometimes referred to as "dramaedy", or comedy drama. Anyone who has seen director Alexander Payne's other movies such as Election and Sideways would be familiar with his seem less blend of the two genres. We start the film with George Clooney's character presented with a decision about what to do with a section of Hawaiian land his family has inherited from their DESCENDANTS (hence the film's title, right?) all the while trying dealing with the fact that his wife is in a coma from a water skiing accident and his two daughters playing up like brats.

The story is then turned on it it's head with the revelation that Clooney's wife had been cheating on him, and what follows is his journey to locate the guy she'd been sleeping with whilst attempting to re-connect with his daughters (the later of which probably comes about a bit too easily given the original setup.)

Unlike other movies similar to The Descendants the story never loses any momentum, remaining engaging from beginning to end. The characterisations are all extremely strong, the script is intelligent and funny, and yes, George Clooney probably does give the performance of his lifetime, while the rest of the cast are also good. It does suffer slightly from some mild formulaic elements and unusually fast transformation of his daughters behaviour, although for the most part it actually rises above these issues with it's wholly unsentimental approach to a story about family being able to rise above the worst situations when they bond and work together.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Hugo

When I heard that Martin Scorsese's new picture was going to be adapted from a children's book and in 3D I really didn't know what to think. The trailer didn't really help things either, however I shouldn't have known not to doubt Scorsese, who has made one of his best films in a while. In fact, what the trailer makes look like a whimsical, kids fantasy could be better described as a love letter to cinema set amongst beautiful production design and cinematography, and the best use of 3D since Avatar.

We start by following Hugo, who lives at a railway station in France operating the clocks. He spends the rest of his time stealing food and other items to fix a broken automaton (or robot). We soon find out that through his back story that he has been abandoned at the train station by his uncle after his father dies, and Hugo keeps the clocks running under the belief it will help him evade the station inspector (played by Sacha Baron Cohen in his usual humorous manor). When Hugo meets Isabelle (played by Chloe Grace Mortez) they make a discovery that changes the course of the movie, and I wont say any more to avoid spoilers.

As mentioned above, Hugo is a visually stunning movie, and the opening sequence alone is almost worth the price of admission. On top of this the movie has a very strong emotional heart and good message about finding your purpose in life and never letting go of your dreams, which is presented in a completed organic and un-cliched fashion. There are loads of references to classic cinema scattered throughout which blend very nicely into the narrative, and while these and other elements may put Hugo a bit above the heads of the audience trailer would be have you believe the film is targeting, this is certainly one of the most original and best films of 2011.

***** out of *****

Coming next, all the other movies I've been watching lately.

Oscars - Best Picture Nomination Predictions

So, the Oscar nominations are being announced 5.38 am PST time. I have no idea what that equates to in Brisbane time, and I certainly can't be bothered figuring it out. Needless to say it will be sometime in the next 24 hours, and I thought I'd try my hand at predicting the best picture nominations. One of the reasons I'm doing this is that last year I correctly predicted all ten nominations, yet didn't record my predictions anywhere, and subsequently have no record or proof of said excellent prediction skills. This year will be even more difficult to pick, however, given that the Academy has changed the nomination format again after only two years. This year instead of ten films definitely being nominated, at least five films HAVE to be nominated but it COULD be as many as ten. In other words it will be somewhere between five and ten films. So I'll do this prediction a little differently.

If only five films are nominated they will be.....

The Artist

If someone had told me last year that the favourite to win best picture the following year would be a silent black and white French film I would have either assumed they were joking or crazy. But here we are. It appears that just about everyone thinks The Artist will take the main prize home, possibly because it's something different yet accessible, possibly because people appreciate the classical film making approach, or possibly because it's a great movie. I haven't seen it as it's not even out here yet, and while I don't usually fully embrace films that are overly gimmicky I'm pretty excited to see it when it comes out in February.

The Descendants

It won the award for best drama at the Golden Globes, which if recent history is anything to go by means it will be nominated for best picture at the Oscars but wont win. On top of that it's received loads of critical acclaim and IS one of the best movies of the year (I'll review it in my next entry), so it's a shoe in.

Hugo

As with The Descendants, it is one of the best reviewed films of the years and has loads of Oscar buzz, so it's lock in for a nomination. I've been slack and haven't gotten around to seeing it yet, but am muchly looking forward to doing so. You can bet your bottom dollar on this, The Descendants, and The Artist all being nominated.

Midnight in Paris

I'm slightly less confident about this one than the previous three, however the Oscars always needs the obligatory slightly off beat comedy in their best picture recognitions to show they're not a bunch of old stiffs who are all about the drama movies, and Woody Allen's new treasure will do nicely.

Moneyball

Probably the movie I feel least confident about putting in the top five, however the Academy loves rewarding intelligently written films that are based on true stories like this one, so I think it will be in there. Plus it has Brad Pitt in it.

.... but I think eight films will be nominated in total, with the next three being....

The Help

The Academy also loves recognising movies about people standing up against racism and injustice. It makes them feel like they're progressive, tolerant people and gives them a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside ( I assume.) Plus it's gotten pretty good reviews. I missed it at the cinema but will check it out when it comes to DVD in February.

Drive

Not alot of Oscar buzz for Drive however it has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. This would be a different sort to be nominated, however I've noticed a slight trend in recent years for more trendy or "cult"  movies to be recognised. I personally thought it was a tad overrated, but the majority disagree.

War Horse

My award for most obvious Oscar bait of the year, War Horse wasn't exactly a critical darling, however it IS exactly the kind of classical film making the Academy loves to award, and with the Spielberg director's credit attached I think the Academy will find it too hard to resist taking the bait.

...however if ten films happen to be nominated the next two will be...

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Another one I've yet to see, David Fincher's adaptation of the beloved novel has been gaining a tremendous amount of critical acclaim. The reason I think it will miss out is I'm sure there will be a contingent amongst Academy voters who loathe the whole Americans remaking foreign films thing, especially so soon after the original film came out, and will refuse to vote for it.

The Tree of Life

I hope with all of my being that the best film of the year (entirely objective statement of course) scrapes in for a nomination, but I can't see it happening. While I'm sure there will be a number of Academy voters that will vote the film quite highly, the new system means you have to get a certain number of votes to qualify for a nomination, and I think the love it or hate it nature of The Tree of Life will mean it wont quite get enough.

So there we go, and I'll be very curious to see how my predictions play out. I've got about 8 or 9 films to write ups for at the moment, so hopefully I'll get some spare time and do that soon.

Mission Impossible, War Horse & Others

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

I've enjoyed the Mission Impossible films up to this point, although the franchise has never really excited me that much. However, when I heard that the fourth film in the series was to be the live action debut of director Brad Bird (of Pixar fame) i was more than a little optimistic. My optimism, I discovered, was not unfounded, because what we have here is a likely contender for best action film of 2011.

In a way Ghost Protocol reminds me of the best of the older Bond films, as it is full cool gadgets, multiple exotic locations, beautiful women and a bad guy determined to destroy the world for some ridiculous reasons. The many set pieces throughout the film perfectly filmed, and each action scene is almost a work of art unto itself. The script is funny and intelligently written, making a few knowing jabs at tired action cliches, and they even give a couple of characters there own mini arches within the main storyline. What more could you want from an action film, right?

Well, unfortunately, a couple of things. For one, the villain is a bit lame, and if you were to compare him with Phillip Seymour Hoffman's loathsome baddie from Mission Impossible 3 he really seems to be lacking a lot of the qualities that make memorable movie villains (personality for one.) Secondly, I've found that the action films I tend to enjoy the most are ones where there is something on the line personally for the good guys. To use Mission Impossible 3 as an example again, there Ethan not only had to stop the bad guys from succeeding in their evil scheme, but also had to rescue his wife. Here he is simply trying to prevent all out nuclear war, and important job no doubt, but with nothing personally at stake for him it takes away from the drama a bit.

But forget about the negatives, this is a fantastic popcorn film with some amazing action scenes, and if the series continues in this manner then MAYBE (very big maybe) one day it will rival the Bond series.

**** out of *****

War Horse

And the award for most obvious Oscar bit of 2011 goes to..... C'mon, you know I'm right. When I first saw the trailer I immediately thought four things; 1. Oscar bait, 2. Sentimental and emotionally manipulative, 3. I will still end up seeing the movie and 4. It will nonetheless be a good movie. All four of those statements proved accurate, however further to point 4, while it was a good movie it was a fair way off being a great movie.

The pros? I really liked the storytelling device of showing World War 1 through the eyes of the horse as it went from person to person, which also means we get to meet a number of different characters. The movie is very beautifully shot, and the battle scenes all look pretty impressive. You also get the feeling of being taken on a big, epic journey, which always tends to suck me in The cons? Besides the sentimentality factor the characterisations are all fairly bland, and while enough time is spent showing the bond between main character Albert and his horse for you to care about that relationship, there's no real reason to care about Albert as a Character. While I enjoyed the storyline it suffers from being a tad predictable, and John Williams' score is pretty obnoxious.

So should War Horse be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year? No. Will it inevitably be nominated anyway? Probably. Will it be a blight on the Academy if it is nominated? Not at all.

***1/2 out of *****

Hobo with a Shotgun

I guess this review is kind of pointless as the title of the title gives away whether you're going to enjoy the movie or not. You're either the kind of person who would enjoy spending an hour and a half watching a movie called Hobo with a Shotgun or you're not. But, for what it's worth, here's my two cents.

Hobo with a Shotgun originally began as a fake trailer submitted to a competition run by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez for their Grindhouse project, and is the second fake trailer from the project to be turned into a feature length film after Machete. While Machete was more of a stylistic tribute to grindhouse cinema, Hobo with a Shotgun appears closer to being an actual grindhouse film, complete with bad acting, cheesy production values and tacky dialogue.

Despite this, it kinda works. The hobo character is portrayed quite sympathetically, and through his relationship with a prostitute he tries to help I actually cared about his predicament. The over the top violence wont leave gore fans wanting, and the movie even attempts to offer some political commentary on crime and homelessness, and actually doesn't do a terrible job. This is what it is.

*** out of *****

Cowboys & Aliens

Yes, the movie does feature both cowboys and aliens, but do you think they could have come up with a more subtle title? While I had a certain amount of fun with this decent but completely forgettable sci-fi/western crossover, on reflection the movie just made me mad. It's not THIS movie specifically, but it just got me thinking about how sick I am of these "not bad" summer blockbusters. They cost heaps to make, often go on to make heaps of profit, yet all they are is "not bad." People go out and see these movies in droves because they are marketed well and feature big name stars, yet the most common response you'll hear is "yeah, it wasn't bad." They could be watching a movie that a director is passionate about and has poured their heart and soul into, but instead settle for by the numbers movies like this which are just another notch in the director's belt. And all you'll hear them say is that it "wasn't bad."

On a more positive note, this film wasn't bad.

*** out of *****

Melancholia, Tin Tin & Arthur Christmas

Melancholia

Melancholia is the first film I've seen from controversial Danish director Lars Von Trier, which is a little embarrassing to admit, but nonetheless I had no idea what to expect. It starts with a series of images depicting the end of the earth as it collides with another planet (not a spoiler, happens right at the start of the movie!) which are rather beautifully presented and hauntingly paired with the prelude with Richard Wagner's Triston and Isolde opera. The film then shifts to events that occurred before the earth's doom, and is split into two parts named after two characters, sisters Justine and Claire.

In the first part, titled "Justine", the titular character, played brilliantly by Kirsten Dunst, has just gotten married and the scene is set at the wedding reception. It's a rather upper class affair and has been paid for by Justine's wealthy brother in law, played by Kiefer Sutherland. It soon becomes clear that Justine is suffering pretty badly from mental illness, and the wedding reception is played out like one of those disaster comedies where everything that could go wrong during an high brow event does go wrong, except here it's played out for dramatic effect rather than laughs. It's all quite awkward and painful to watch, all the while the planet known as Melancholia is getting closer to earth.

The second part is named after Claire, who is played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. In contrast to her sister Justine Claire appears to be quite mentally stable and is living on easy street with her wealthy husband. As the possibility that Melancholia will collide with earth becomes more real, however, we see Claire slowly start to lose the plot.

I think it's fair to say that Melancholia is a flawed masterpiece. I don't think I've ever seen a less accessible science fiction dealing with the end of the world, yet it handles the subject in with more poignancy and in a more relatable manner than the big Hollywood blockbuster. By focusing on just two people rather than the mass hysteria would come with such a situation it allows us to engage with the characters in a more organic way, and gives a realistic insight into the way people deal with the inevitability of death given their current circumstances.

On the other hand, Melancholia has some pacing issues and feels uneven, especially during the Wedding section of the film, which goes on a bit too long and could have done with some tighter editing. However, this is only a small issue, and the final sequence is one of the most brilliant I have ever seen on film, and really rammed home the importance to me of seeing some films at the cinema. I cannot imagine the intensity of this scene being replicated at home without Wagner's score crashing through the cinema speakings, followed by the eerie darkness and silence that prelude the end credits.

****1/2 out of *****

Arthur Christmas

Saw this one a couple of days before Christmas, partly because I had had read good reviews and partly just because I was in the festive spirit. Arthur Christmas is about a guy named Arthur, who is the son of Santa Claus. Santa is about to retire, and when he hangs up the boots the role is Santa Claus is meant to be going to Arthur's older brother. While Steve appears to be much more organised and suited to the job than Arthur, he doesn't have the same kind heart and love for Christmas as Arthur. When one child's toy is accidentally not delivered Arthur must come to the rescue before Christmas morning, as the rest of his family see as less than important.

While Arthur Christmas, in a way, is a fairly standard family Christmas fare with tired themes of the true meaning of Christmas and sacrifice and love trumping selfish ambition being in play, it actually manages to rise above the average Christmas movie with it's nice looking animation, interesting and likable characters and comedic elements. It also adds a little something extra by introducing the idea of the Santa Claus family being sort of like a monarchy and Santa using all sorts of modern gadgets. You may never see it pop up on any "Best Christmas Movie" lists that always come out around the holiday period, but you could do alot worse than adding this one to the play list come December 2012.

***1/2 out of ***** 


The Adventures of Tin Tin

I was a massive Tin Tin fan when I was growing up, and I read almost every comic and saw most of the cartoon series, however I hadn't given the franchise much thought in years when along comes Steven Spielberg with this animated (motion capture if you want to be technical) big screen adaption. The storyline for this outing is a combination of three or four of the comic books, but is a fairly standard Tin Tin adventure with our favourite reporter investigating a possible big story, stumbling onto something more sinister than he first thought, and then travelling all over the place and interacting with different people in an attempt to save the day.

It feels as though Spielberg was really inspired by his own Indiana Jones films here, as Tin Tin has the same sense of unapologetic adventure, and the action scenes all look really good in the 3D motion capture format. The script is quite funny in parts, and the characters all maintain the same charm as they did in the comics. The film suffers some from some pacing issues early on, as we barely given a second to absorb the setting the action has already started, and more could have been done to establish the character. Also, there's never really much of a feeling that there's anything at stake, meaning there's no real tension created at any point and no real reason to root for the good guys. However, this was an extremely fun ride and a good popcorn movie that I can imagine would have a wide ranging appeal, so any criticism of this film is pretty much redundant anyway.

***1/2 out of *****