Catch Up!

Having missed quite a few months of film reviews I thought I'd do a small recap of some of the best, worst and most interesting films I've seen since I reviewed Drive last year (how time flies!).

The Good

Bicycle Thieves - The definition of Italien neo realism. Dark, slow and depressing but also a moving insight into the hardships of finding work in Italy after the war.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Not one of Finchers finest but a solid, well stylised adaptation with a great performance from Rooney Mara. The murder story is rather sedate and secondary to the film but acts as a good back drop to the interesting character developments.

The Great Escape - One that's been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. I finally managed to get round to watching this classic and it really does deserve its status. A compelling engaging story and a cast that's brimming with stars. Each character brings something worthwhile to the narrative.   

Tyrannosaur - Powerful, moving British film on domestic abuse. The acting is phenomenal. One of the most underrated and unwatched films of 2011.

Boogie Nights - Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia and There Will Be Blood) continues to impress me with his fantastic balancing and variety in charcaters. He really is a master in creating and organising a cast of quirky and unique characters. It's also pretty hilarious at times, and amusing seeing a young Mark Wahlberg!

Modern Times - Charlie Chaplin really is one of the greatest and most talented entertainers of the 20th century. Unfortunately I saw The Artist soon after watching this and it paled in comparison to Chaplin's silent masterful comedy in which he acts, writes, directs and composes. Why not watch this than an average homage to the silent era? (and Singin' in the Rain)

We Need to Talk About Kevin -  Having not much knowledge of the book, to me it was a refreshing character study on the old time argument - are we born a killer? In this case we are, and Ezra Miller portrays the frustrated murderer with chilling accuracy.

The Bad

Twilight - I was hardly surprised at how atrocious the acting, storytelling and character interactions were. I was more surprised however at how bad the messages on love were that it was throwing at young impressionable teenage girls. At its best it was interesting to watch from a 'how not to make a film perspective'.  

Another Earth -Dull, slow and boring. An interesting premise but falls short due to the lack of actual substance regarding the messages it was trying to convey. It didn't really go anywhere and lacked any interesting performances. Outright dull.

Jeepers Creepers -Painfully standard horror film. Unfortunately its also trying to be good. I could of done as good job (if not better) on The Movies (Sorry Heather!).

The Interesting

Napoleon Dynamite - Quirky little comedy that's underrated cult comedy genius. Definitely not to everyones liking.

The Skin I Live In - A bizarre, slightly unfocused experience, but wonderfully well designed with a chilling atmospheric soundtrack, creative story and structure. Its a little thin on character development and unfortunately doesn't reach into the depths of the topics it touches on but its unique, intriguing and the direction from Almodovar is almost hypnotic.

Melancholia - Beautiful to behold. A refreshing, contemporary look at the end of the world scenario following a cast of unusual characters who, all play an interesting part, but felt a little too unexplored. However the cinematography and contemporary world is infectious and makes it one to definitely check out.

A Short Film About Killing - Profound film on murder and the death sentence. Dark and unsettling at its raw realism. A great argument for anyone still barbaric enough to be in favour of the death sentence.


Missed a few other ones definitely worth watching: The Muppets, War Horse, Brokeback Mountain, Jacob's Ladder, Singin' in the Rain. I could go on!