Got some old stuff to catch up on. Most of these will be pretty brief cause I saw them a while ago, but, you know, I'm trying catch up so I gotta cut some corners.
Argo f*ck yourself
No that's not a diss on Ben Affleck's latest directorial effort, but a line that's used several times in the movie for superb comedic effect. Funny stuff. Based on a true story Argo follows the efforts of Ben Affleck's CIA character to rescue six American Embassy employees in Iran who take refuge in the Canadian Embassy after a group of protesters take the rest of the American staff hostage. Argo is the name of the fake Sci-Fi film that he pretends to be producing as a cover to get into the country. But that's enough about the story.
After years of being at least mildly disrespected as an actor Ben Affleck is really staring to make a name for himself as a major filmmaker, with Gone Baby Gone, The Town and now Argo all being successes. The direction and scripting are hella tight, the performances all fine and the last 45 minutes are some of the most tense, thrilling moments I've seen at the cinema. I almost thought I choke myself to death on my fingernails at one point. The problem with Argo is that it spends virtually no time at all developing the characters, and in a movie like this that's almost unforgivable. Which is a shame, because if they had this would have been a near masterpiece, instead it just turns out to be a very very good political thriller. Still, watch out for future films with Ben Affleck at the helm, his masterpiece isn't too far away
**** out of *****
Liked Lock Stock and Snatch?
Then you'll love Seven Psychopaths. Or you should, because it's the best multi-storyline gangster comedy since Guy Ritchie and Madonna got divorced. This is one of those movies where the main character is trying to write a story, or in this case a screenplay, that mirrors the actual movie we're watching. You know, like they did in Adaption. Not saying Seven Psychopaths is unoriginal, far from it. It's full of interesting characters, unexpected plot developments and self referential humor, this was probably the funniest movie I saw in 2012. It also has a great cast featuring Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson and even Tom Waits (!). So, basically, you know you're gonna have a good time.
**** out of *****
And The Prize For Most Teen Cliches In One Film Goes To...
Yeah, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is full of them and attempts to tackle just about every issue facing teenagers in under 2 hours. Bullying, social acceptance, mental illness, depression, family relationships, love relationships, drugs, partying, they're all here. But, the thing is, the movie actually works and does a good job at exploring all of the above. The script is great, the story engaging, the cast brilliant and performances fantastic, the soundtrack top notch, the characters interesting and memorable, and it's damn funny. There's really not a lot to dislike about this film, excepting the aforementioned cliches. Should obtain something similar to cult status in a few years I boldly predict.
**** out of *****
East Meets West Meets Garbage
The Man with the Iron Fists is an attempt to do what I can only imagine is a sort of Tarantino inspired Western movie with Eastern influences, complete with over the top action scenes and excessive amounts of gore. However, instead of stylish action scenes, slick dialogue and interesting characters what this movie offers is a schizophrenic mess that not even the director's mum would say was worth the price of admission. It's pointless, makes no sense, and has Russell Crowe in it for some reason. Nuff said about this epic waste of time.
* out of *****
Love
Or Amour, as it's known by it's original title pretty much everywhere, is the best movie released in 2012. Not that I've seen every movie that was released in 2012, but I find it so unlikely that anything would top this masterpiece that I'm willing to claim it. The story is simple enough, and old ordinary couple, neither especially dull or especially interesting, are just living their lives together after years of marriage when the wife's health starts to deteriorate. After undergoing surgery and suffering multiple strokes we watch as she slowly starts to slip away, and while her husband cares for her without fail despite the protests of their children that she should be put in a home.
The story may be simple, but it's told with such heartbreaking subtlety, grace and poignancy that even the most avid action film junkie would be hard pressed not to shed a tear. Forget about your Hugh Grant's and Colin Firth's, this old French dude is the most romantic male lead you're likely to see in a movie, and Amour captures the most raw, honest portrayal of true love I think I've seen on film.
There are a good movies, there are great movies, then there are those rare transcendent film experiences that speak to the core of our humanity and just leave all other cinematic experiences for dead. Amour, like Tree of Life from 2011, falls in that rare latter category. Winner of the Cannes Film festival, it's almost unfair that other movies had to compete against it. It should win the major prize come Oscars time, but we all know that will go to some historical drama or biopic piece of nonsense we've seen 1000 times before. But hey, that's Hollywood. I saw this as the last film of the Brisbane Film Festival, but it's not officially out in Australia until later this year. Go out of your way to see it times a million. I can't stress it enough.
***** out of *****
No that's not a diss on Ben Affleck's latest directorial effort, but a line that's used several times in the movie for superb comedic effect. Funny stuff. Based on a true story Argo follows the efforts of Ben Affleck's CIA character to rescue six American Embassy employees in Iran who take refuge in the Canadian Embassy after a group of protesters take the rest of the American staff hostage. Argo is the name of the fake Sci-Fi film that he pretends to be producing as a cover to get into the country. But that's enough about the story.
After years of being at least mildly disrespected as an actor Ben Affleck is really staring to make a name for himself as a major filmmaker, with Gone Baby Gone, The Town and now Argo all being successes. The direction and scripting are hella tight, the performances all fine and the last 45 minutes are some of the most tense, thrilling moments I've seen at the cinema. I almost thought I choke myself to death on my fingernails at one point. The problem with Argo is that it spends virtually no time at all developing the characters, and in a movie like this that's almost unforgivable. Which is a shame, because if they had this would have been a near masterpiece, instead it just turns out to be a very very good political thriller. Still, watch out for future films with Ben Affleck at the helm, his masterpiece isn't too far away
**** out of *****
Liked Lock Stock and Snatch?
Then you'll love Seven Psychopaths. Or you should, because it's the best multi-storyline gangster comedy since Guy Ritchie and Madonna got divorced. This is one of those movies where the main character is trying to write a story, or in this case a screenplay, that mirrors the actual movie we're watching. You know, like they did in Adaption. Not saying Seven Psychopaths is unoriginal, far from it. It's full of interesting characters, unexpected plot developments and self referential humor, this was probably the funniest movie I saw in 2012. It also has a great cast featuring Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson and even Tom Waits (!). So, basically, you know you're gonna have a good time.
**** out of *****
And The Prize For Most Teen Cliches In One Film Goes To...
Yeah, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is full of them and attempts to tackle just about every issue facing teenagers in under 2 hours. Bullying, social acceptance, mental illness, depression, family relationships, love relationships, drugs, partying, they're all here. But, the thing is, the movie actually works and does a good job at exploring all of the above. The script is great, the story engaging, the cast brilliant and performances fantastic, the soundtrack top notch, the characters interesting and memorable, and it's damn funny. There's really not a lot to dislike about this film, excepting the aforementioned cliches. Should obtain something similar to cult status in a few years I boldly predict.
**** out of *****
East Meets West Meets Garbage
The Man with the Iron Fists is an attempt to do what I can only imagine is a sort of Tarantino inspired Western movie with Eastern influences, complete with over the top action scenes and excessive amounts of gore. However, instead of stylish action scenes, slick dialogue and interesting characters what this movie offers is a schizophrenic mess that not even the director's mum would say was worth the price of admission. It's pointless, makes no sense, and has Russell Crowe in it for some reason. Nuff said about this epic waste of time.
* out of *****
Love
Or Amour, as it's known by it's original title pretty much everywhere, is the best movie released in 2012. Not that I've seen every movie that was released in 2012, but I find it so unlikely that anything would top this masterpiece that I'm willing to claim it. The story is simple enough, and old ordinary couple, neither especially dull or especially interesting, are just living their lives together after years of marriage when the wife's health starts to deteriorate. After undergoing surgery and suffering multiple strokes we watch as she slowly starts to slip away, and while her husband cares for her without fail despite the protests of their children that she should be put in a home.
The story may be simple, but it's told with such heartbreaking subtlety, grace and poignancy that even the most avid action film junkie would be hard pressed not to shed a tear. Forget about your Hugh Grant's and Colin Firth's, this old French dude is the most romantic male lead you're likely to see in a movie, and Amour captures the most raw, honest portrayal of true love I think I've seen on film.
There are a good movies, there are great movies, then there are those rare transcendent film experiences that speak to the core of our humanity and just leave all other cinematic experiences for dead. Amour, like Tree of Life from 2011, falls in that rare latter category. Winner of the Cannes Film festival, it's almost unfair that other movies had to compete against it. It should win the major prize come Oscars time, but we all know that will go to some historical drama or biopic piece of nonsense we've seen 1000 times before. But hey, that's Hollywood. I saw this as the last film of the Brisbane Film Festival, but it's not officially out in Australia until later this year. Go out of your way to see it times a million. I can't stress it enough.
***** out of *****
No les mis, you didn't even see twilight, no wreck it ralph, or hobbit? Is it because they ate boxing day releases?
ReplyDeleteWhy no mention of some of the bigger hits including, avengers, spiderman, dark knight rises, sky fall, hunger games, brave, TED, MIB3, snow white, taken 2 Bourne legacy, just saying for a best of 2012 you left out a lot of movies that even if it didn't win, should of had a reasoning why or contender