My Top Ten Films of 2012

2012 saw John Landis’ son, Max, put his hand to writing a screenplay with co-writer and Director Josh Trank in the extremely impressive Chronicle. Dolly Parton danced in the dark with the ghost of Kris Kristofferson and threw bread-rolls at Queen Latifah in Joyful Noise. The Muppets made a victorious return to the big screen.  We were rewarded with the uplifting Damsels in Distress in Whit Stillman’s long awaited return to filmmaking and Joss Whedon achieved the admirable feat of making not only the best superhero film out this year, in Avengers Assemble, but also a love letter to horror fans in The Cabin in the Woods. They all nearly made it into my top ten (apart from Joyful Noise) but not quite.

Read my top ten at Cinetalk here.

Prometheus

Ridley Scott has created an immersive, incredible looking film full of great ideas about creation, destruction, faith and mankind. Starting off with some impressive landscape shots, it moves to a dark, vast and intricate world set to astonish.  Holographic recordings, atmospheric devastation and some visually original images grace the screen. When Scott, as inevitably expected, starts to pick off the crew, the energy is ramped up and some sick shit kicks off; there are a few excellently grotesque moments.

Noomi Rapace plays a strong and focused scientist yet her performance is tinged with tenderness making her an endearing presence. Idris Elba is on fine form as the self-assured captain and Charlize Theron plays her cold role with class but the character is slightly underdeveloped.  Michael Fassbender’s David does not disappoint, in fact, every scene he appears in is pure joy. He is menacing, comical and spot on as a synthetic soulless son of a bitch.

On the surface Prometheus was a blast and Fassbender was fantastic but it definitely had some engine problems.  Unfortunately some of the ideas Scott touches on do not get fully explored.
There are some tacked on scenes that feel out of place and unnecessary but for the most part the sinister mood and sets are engrossing.

Prometheus was never going to live up to the hype surrounding it, or reach the same heights of Alien, but this is a grand, ambitious sci-fi blockbuster.

I am going back for more on Friday…

Muppets, Ghosts, and Dangerous Methods

The Muppets finally came out in the UK yesterday and I officially LOVED it!

You can read my review here.

The Woman in Black is also out in the UK now. I went to a press screening and had to cover my face with a scarf to stifle my reactions to it and stop from totally embarrassing myself. 

A great, jumpy ghost story.

You can read my review over on Cinetalk here.

The CEO of Hammer, Simon Oakes,  also took the time to have a chat with me about the film. 

You can read the interview here.

I saw A Dangerous Method at LFF last year and was underwhelmed by it. I am a fan of Director David Cronenberg but it just didn't have the usual punch of his films. It was more slap and tickle...

It is out in London now and the rest of the UK on 17th February.

You can read my review here.

Hi! I'm Bill Paxton and I'm in HAYWIRE

Gina Carano is awesome in Haywire, the latest film from Steven Soderbergh.

She plays Mallory Kane, a covert ops specialist who goes rogue when she discovers the very people she trusted have betrayed her. You can read my review here.

Hi! I'm Bill Paxton.

Bill Paxton plays Mallory's father.

You may recognise him from Twister, the most awesome force on the planet,or if you have ever been to Universal Studios...

Cinema, Shame, the financial crisis and horses

An homage to old school cinema set in a cinema about a cinema programmer.. I suggest you go to the cinema to see it. You can read my review of A Useful Life (La Vida Util) here.

Shame is finally out in the UK today.You can read my review here.

Margin Call is not only an excellent debut feature from J C Chandor, it is a relevant and entertaining film about the financial crisis.The Mentalist is also in it. You can read my review here.

 War Horse is not a film made for me, but there is no denying that Spielberg doing war was always going to look magnificent. The First World War trench scenes are spectacular and cinematic. 

Special mention to Toby Kebbell who plays the "Geordie Soldier" in my favourite scene of the film. Once again Kebbell stands out in a small role, he is one to watch.

I haven't written a review but  I would like to introduce you to The Horse Button which will help you equestrianise any web page you like by changing every photo to that of a horse. It also nays at you.

My Top Ten of 2011

My top ten includes my favourite theatrical releases of 2011, but due to film festival goodness this year at TIFF and LFF not the best films I have actually seen and you can look forward to in 2012. At LFF I was blown away by Steve McQueen’s second feature, Shame, a film that delves into the world of sex addict Brandon (Michael Fassbender). Chicken with Plums comes from the creators of Persepolis and is an adaptation of another of Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning graphic novels. It is a beautiful melodramatic story about how art sometimes comes from a painful place.

Comedy was strong at TIFF this year, the Duplass brothers returned with Jeff, Who Lives at Home which has one of the funniest opening scenes I have ever seen. Jason Segel, Ed Helms and Susan Sarandon star. The Oranges is dark comedy from Julian Farino in his debut feature, whose name may sound familiar from the TV show Entourage. I was worried too, but it is a total change of pace as he explores the family dynamics of suburbia. It boasts a fine cast including Hugh Laurie, Allison Janney, Catherine Keneer, Oliver Platt and Alia Shawkat (Maeby from Arrested Development).

You can read my top ten over on Cinetalk here.