I've Watched This In 2012 So Far...
Change to 'Date Added' to see the most recently-watched... this defaults to alphabetical I think. The Blue Stars are my ratings. Some of these films may not be to everybody's tastes ... some of them definitely weren't to mine. Some on this list I watched under protest ... some I watched in blissful peace. Some of them - eg PERFUME, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES - remind me why I go to the movies, whether in the cinema, or at home.
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- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsKevin KlineMary Elizabeth MastrantonioKevin SpaceyDuring a joint dinner at the restaurant, the neighbors offer to exchange wives for one night. It was a joke, but only at first.DVD at home
I'd remembered this as an entertaining thriller, first seen almost twenty years ago on video. I was wrong. Bonkers melodrama, full of cliches, illogical behaviour, and a pre-fame Kevin Spacey hamming it up ridiculously. - DirectorJonathan LiebesmanStarsSam WorthingtonLiam NeesonRosamund PikePerseus braves the treacherous underworld to rescue his father, Zeus, captured by his son, Ares, and brother Hades who unleash the ancient Titans upon the world.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
Why they keep employing Sam Worthington is beyond me, there's more personality in the bag of Maltesers I scoffed during the film. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes must have pissed themselves laughing after every take. - DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsTim RobbinsSamantha MortonOm PuriA futuristic Brief Encounter (1945), this is a love story in which the romance is doomed by genetic incompatibility.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home
Worked its way into me after seeing the first 30 mins months ago. A compelling beginning, culminating in a brief, intimate nightclub scene which depicts the perfect encounter, along with a beautiful soundtrack, made this one of my most-anticipated films. When I finally managed to sit down to watch all of it, my initial sense afterwards was one of disappointment. Did I really care enough about what I'd just seen? But CODE 46 mellows and grows in your mind afterwards. Long-term nourishment, not fast food. A very personal two-hander, Morton brilliant, Robbins (who I normally like) less so. In retrospect, I loved it, and want to see it again so I can savour more of the gently sci-fi details. - DirectorMichael BayStarsShia LaBeoufRosie Huntington-WhiteleyTyrese GibsonThe Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Blu Ray at home
I thought that - just this once - I'd see a Transformers film (hey we have a 12 year old, give me a break) where you can follow the action, understand where everything is, who's doing what to whom etc. Basic A-B-C film language. I was being as stupid as this film. Incomprehensible plot, incomprehensible action, this is the filmgoing equivalent of five consecutive days eating giant takeaway meals and not getting washed, dressed or shaved. Sounds ideal, but in fact it's an utterly useless way to spend your time. Having said all of that, this is as BIG as special effects get, at the moment. What would Orson Welles have thought eh. - DirectorJulian GilbeyStarsAlec NewmanEd SpeleersMelissa GeorgeA group of mountaineers in the Scottish Highlands discover a kidnapped girl and are pursued by her captors.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Blu Ray at home.
Fantastic first half, and Melissa George always looks good in leggings, but watch out for a ridiculous, idiotic, giant let down of a second half. Great setup, great idea, great locations early on, but man did they ever blow a good start. Such a shame they didn't have a clue how to end it. - DirectorPeter BergStarsAlexander SkarsgårdBrooklyn DeckerLiam NeesonA fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
Why why why do they make films this dumb? Such potential to be spectacular AND smart ... they settled for merely spectacular. Perhaps it's impossible to make alien invasion movies that make absolutely no sense - don't know, never tried. Neither did these film makers. - DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDan O'BannonDre PahichBrian NarelleIn the far reaches of space, a small crew, 20 years into their solitary mission, find things beginning to go hilariously wrong.Blu Ray at home
Got the new Blu Ray as a Christmas present (thanks Mark). The BR is fantastic, with a giant documentary. The film's never quite as good as you remembered when you were a kid, though. It had me and Mark in stitches when we were 14. - DirectorPeter HyamsStarsSean ConneryFrances SternhagenPeter BoyleA federal marshal stationed at a mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy. He gets no help from the workers or authorities when he finds himself marked for murder.DVD at home.
Certainly showing its age, but my God will you look at Sean Connery. The Man at his finest. High Noon in space etc, and chock full of cliches. None the worse for it. Overshadowed rightly in the sci fi pantheon by ALIEN, but a similar vintage and an old favourite of mine. - DirectorDavid SladeStarsJosh HartnettMelissa GeorgeDanny HustonAfter an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.DVD at home
As always in the movies, the unforgiving baddies seem a bit off their game whenever attempting to finish off our hero and heroine - but I guess if they were all as efficient as the Sam Jackson-chomping shark in DEEP BLUE SEA, then no star would ever finish a horror film. Given that, this is pretty damn good genre fare, although a wee bit bloody for the kids. - DirectorKelly ReichardtStarsMichelle WilliamsBruce GreenwoodPaul DanoSettlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home.
I gave this every chance. I knew it was slow, arty, a thinker's film. I watched it alone, unhurried, with all the potential to be totally absorbed. If I'd seen it in the cinema, I guarantee I would have slept through half of it - and this is from someone who got through all of DOGVILLE without a problem. No, not even the ** SLIGHT SPOILER ** ambiguous ending ** SPOILER END ** could rescue this. I kept hoping - please give me something of significance as your parting shot ... but no. This really didn't say anything to me at all. Beautifully filmed and constructed, but only gets points as a technical exercise. - DirectorRawson Marshall ThurberStarsBen StillerChristine TaylorVince VaughnA group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.DVD at home
One of my favourite comedies. White Goodman: one of the funniest creations in film history. - DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsJohn CandyLeonDoug E. DougWhen a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.DVD at home
Annoyingly likely to tempt your 12 yr old into attempting a Jamaican accent. If he's from Barnsley, as ours is, the results are quite special. Old fashioned crowd pleasing family film, hard to fault. - DirectorDavid KoeppStarsRicky GervaisGreg KinnearTéa LeoniBertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.DVD at home.
Another of our favourite comedies and, after THE OFFICE, the best thing that FIGJAM (Google it) character Ricky Gervais has done by far. - DirectorSean PennStarsJack NicholsonBenicio Del ToroPatricia ClarksonA retiring police detective pledges to catch the killer of a young child.DVD at home.
For a while this was riding high in my Flickchart, but like CONSENTING ADULTS (though nowhere near as badly), my memory has tricked me again. Watched it for maybe the third time, and decided that I've been over-rating THE PLEDGE for years. Not terrible by any means, but not the delicious Altman-like ensemble piece I'd remembered it as. - DirectorJoe CarnahanStarsLiam NeesonDermot MulroneyFrank GrilloAfter their plane crashes in Alaska, six oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
Caught this late at the charming The Cottage cinema in Leeds, after regretting missing it first time around. Thoroughly good man-fun, though ** SPOILER ALERT ** on this occasion - and though I like a downbeat ending as much as the next man - I really wanted to see Liam punch out the big wolf, and take a short walk to the nearest Travelodge for a hot shower and a burger in the Hungry Horse next door. - DirectorTony GoldwynStarsHilary SwankSam RockwellMelissa LeoA working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.FIRST SAW IN 2012. Sky Movies at home.
A rather rushed biopic, apparently a true story but I get the feeling the word 'true' in this case is loosely applied, being charitable. Never quite warmed to Hilary Swank, but Sam Rockwell is always worth a watch. A bit of a ham sandwich - okay, but nothing to make you punch the air with joy. - DirectorJosh TrankStarsDane DeHaanAlex RussellMichael B. JordanThree high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery underground. Soon they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
Original and punchy, it wasn't hard to see where it was all going to end up, and ** MILD SPOILER ** the use of CGI unfortunately goes from clever+subtle to mindless+quasi-blockbuster by the end, ** SPOILER END ** ... but pretty refreshing and lived up to the rather excellent trailer. - DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.DVD at home
An ideal documentary if you have ever slowed down as you pass a car crash on the motorway. Something about being alive and human draws you to seeing people at the very end of their own life - perhaps it makes you count your own blessings. THE BRIDGE scores maximum points on that score. As a documentary, what could have been catastrophically ghoulish and worthless, turns out to be sensitive, constructive (for the most part), and certainly haunting and memorable. One of a kind. - DirectorJudd ApatowStarsSteve CarellCatherine KeenerPaul RuddGoaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who's never "done the deed" only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother.DVD at home.
Funny as hell, but spent the whole film regretting allowing our then-11 year old to watch it. WAY too rude for small boys, and therefore one of Devon's favourite-ever movies. - DirectorJames B. HarrisStarsRichard WidmarkSidney PoitierJames MacArthurAn American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.DVD at home
A sub-FAIL-SAFE nuclear thriller. On rewatching, rather a disappointment. Widmark channels his Bogart as Capt Queeg (see the far, far better CAINE MUTINY), while Poitier plays a juvenile reporter who would be quickly kicked off any real naval vessel which ever set sail. Much less one which is aiming nuclear missiles at the Russians. One good thing - the ending's not a cop out. But see FAIL-SAFE, which is Sidney Lumet genius all the way through, and skip this one. - DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsOwen KlineJeff DanielsLaura LinneyFollows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home
In its own way as gruesome as any horror film. As if we need reminding that most families aren't a neat Hollywood style unit. This family certainly isn't. It's clever, but messed up - similar to Todd Solonz' HAPPINESS, but neither as funny nor as extreme. Wry and intellectual, rather than shocking. Likeable film? No. Likeable characters? God no. Memorable? Mildly. Don't watch it with someone who hates movies which leave you dangling. I honestly had no idea where it was taking me - and then it took me nowhere. - DirectorJames MarshStarsNim ChimpskyStephanie LaFargeHerbert TerraceTells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home.
I stayed with it, hoping to find some emotional reward at the end, and it delivered. It's a shocking story, we human beings are horrible to animals, and there's simply no excuses. But what can you do. Like THE BRIDGE, you watch this, and you feel slightly ashamed, albeit for different reasons. Stay to the end though, and get the Kleenex ready. - DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema.
A grower. Intelligent and methodical, but a lot more fun than that sounds. One or two truly great moments, and will probably reveal more qualities on a second viewing. - DirectorTom TykwerStarsBen WhishawDustin HoffmanAlan RickmanJean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with a superior olfactory sense, creates the world's finest perfume. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home.
Absolutely sublime, a total surprise, and you will have absolutely no idea where this is taking you. It delivers on its potential brilliantly, ALL the way through. Just keeps getting better and better till the end. Grand, spectacular and beautiful, Tom Tykwer's direction is astonishing and bodes well for CLOUD ATLAS. I hope he's given enough control on that one. Based on PERFUME, Tykwer is a near genius. One of the biggest surprises I have ever had ... I'd heard it was good, didn't expect it to be flat-out brilliant. - DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRalph FiennesJohn TurturroRob MorrowA young lawyer, Richard Goodwin, investigates a potentially fixed game show. Charles Van Doren, a big time show winner, is under Goodwin's investigation.DVD at home
A little-seen piece of brilliance; thoroughly satisfying and highly intellectual thriller. Quality throughout, hardly a bum moment. Engage brain and enjoy. - DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJessica ChastainShea WhighamPlagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home
Definitely a keeper, and it went where I wanted it to ... right to the end. I'm in the non-ambiguous camp - what you see, is what happens. - DirectorGary RossStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
Good solid blockbuster with one outstanding element - Jennifer Lawrence is totally magnetic. The rest is a bit hmmmm, and it's all rather limp - if only it had been an 18 - and slightly claustrophobic. Huge budget, limited vistas and not as spectacular as it could have been. But it gets a pass, just. - DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsAntonio BanderasElena AnayaJan CornetA brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.Blu Ray at home
Sublime, meticulous, classy and twice as creepy on a second viewing, for reasons I won't reveal. Up-market body horror and easily one of 2011's top five films. - DirectorLynne RamsayStarsTilda SwintonJohn C. ReillyEzra MillerKevin's mother struggles to love her strange child despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Blu Ray at home.
Rather overrated breast-beating anger-fest, didn't expect it to be a bunch of laughs (it isn't) but I expected to care more. A disappointment. - DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerCarl WeathersKevin Peter HallA team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.DVD at home.
Stick Around. I'll Bleed You Real Quiet, And Leave You Here. You Are One Ugly *beep* The CIA Got You Pushing Too Many Pencils? Make It Easy On Yourself. I Ain't Got Time To Bleed. Knock Knock. What's Got Into Dillon. One More Minute, Two More Barrels. What The Hell Happened To These Guys. Get To The Chopper. This entire film is quotable, and I have seen it almost thirty times. Next. - DirectorJames FoleyStarsAl PacinoJack LemmonAlec BaldwinAn examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office.DVD at home.
Here's a rave. Solidly in my top ten films of all time. If you have a brain, or you have ever tried to SELL anything in your life, you have to watch this. Probably - almost certainly - the best ensemble cast in history, all playing their absolute A-game. Pacino can be rubbish at times, but once or twice in GGR, he throws out a look, or a phrase, which is simply magic. ** SPOILER ALERT ** His climactic dressing-down of Kevin Spacey is cut-glass perfect, every time you see it ** SPOILER END **. Just magnificent. - DirectorDrew GoddardStarsKristen ConnollyChris HemsworthAnna HutchisonFive college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
Marie hated it, I loved it - although I wish the final shot had lingered for thirty seconds longer, just to complete the total carnage. But **SPOILER ALERT** why zombie hillbillies for pity's sake? I know they were being ironic / post modern / giving copious nods to genre etc but if the cabin part had been true horror, the film would have been better. - DirectorMatthew VaughnStarsJames McAvoyMichael FassbenderJennifer LawrenceIn the 1960s, superpowered humans Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr work together to find others like them, but Erik's vengeful pursuit of an ambitious mutant who ruined his life causes a schism to divide them.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Blu Ray at home.
My favourite X-Film but that's not saying much. Fassbender and McAvoy are watchable actors, and it's an entertaining script with some great special effects. Not memorable, but a satisfying 2nd division blockbuster. - DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.FIRST SAW IN 2012. Blu Ray at home.
I'd been looking forward to this a great deal. Watched it under ideal conditions - alone, home cinema full volume, perfect Blu Ray quality. It NEARLY got me, but not quite. Far far better than average, and Nicholas Winding Refn is a reliably precise, meticulous, tasteful film maker (seen VALHALLA RISING?). Gosling isn't quite magnetic enough though. Some good, shocking bits and a weirdly great score. Almost a masterpiece, but not quite. - DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsGabriel ByrneAlbert FinneyJohn TurturroTom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Blu Ray at home.
Like MEEK'S CUTOFF, I knew I needed to steel myself to watch this. I'm not a natural Coen fan, nor am I into gangsters, period films or film noir, so a noirish period gangster film was always going to be a challenge. But this was a big gap in my movie CV, and I gave it every chance. A chin-stroker ... what set me against it were the over-theatrical exaggerated performances. The central love story is so stylised, it lost me from the start. Not a fan of Byrne, Finney or Turturro, so the cast was against me too. One blindingly good scene though - everything they say about Albert Finney machine-gunning his way through 'Danny Boy' is true. That one scene is a cast-iron masterpiece. - DirectorJuan José CampanellaStarsRicardo DarínSoledad VillamilPablo RagoA retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home.
Majestic, surprising, very moving, unguessable plot, fantastic conclusion, two lead actors who will have you transfixed throughout, and a wonderful supporting cast. I'd waited a long time for the right time to see this, and it delivered everything I wanted. Just superb, this is why I love watching films. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.Blu Ray at home
The king of all films. - DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAyrton SennaReginaldo LemeJohn BisignanoA documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home.
One of the best docs I have ever seen. Yes I love F1, but in fact I was wary of this because of all the praise it has had. Plus, I was never a big Senna fan. After seeing it, Senna's still slightly hard to like, but I can understand what drove the man to be who he was. Thrilling and fascinating from start to finish, and extremely moving. - DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansScarlett JohanssonEarth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
By some distance the best blockbuster I've seen to date in 2012 (as of May 4th). Clever, funny, and you can follow the action. - DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsElle FanningAJ MichalkaKyle ChandlerDuring the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.Sky Movies at home
Such a disappointment. Stuffed with references to other genre films, SUPER 8 is like the tribute band in which none of the musicians are as cool or charismatic as the bands whose music they are playing. And when they play one of their own songs, everybody boos. Super 8 contains nothing that future directors will be paying homage to in their own movies, in years to come - there just aren't any truly interesting bits. Dull drawn-out domestic dramas, only a single interesting actor (the toothy kid), a 21st century stock movie monster (see MONSTERS for an original and truly alien-behaving monster), and even the big train crash is ridiculous. There was some serious mass behind that old guy's truck... Still, it kept Holly enthralled until even she fell asleep, long before the monster revealed himself. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsNoomi RapaceLogan Marshall-GreenMichael FassbenderFollowing clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
(sigh) A total mess. Disappointment. It was never going to live up to ALIEN. Without the giant shadow cast by the stripped-down, claustrophobic, gritty and real-feeling original, I may have rated this higher. But the characters are cliches; the nods to the past feel begrudging; and the sense of spectacle - which initially impressses - quickly goes. Doesn't pull off claustrophobia: doesn't pull off vastness. I wanted more scientific logic, more seriousness, more plausibility, less throwaway Hollywood inane patter. People do stupid things, and the plot - so tight in ALIEN and ALIENS - is a total and utter mess, full of holes. It's nice to look at, needlessly stupid, and Ridley Scott ... you should be ashamed of yourself. - DirectorJustin KurzelStarsLucas PittawayDaniel HenshallLouise HarrisBased on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - BluRay at home
Grim, slow, fill-the-blanks true story puzzle. Hypnotically leads to a final wordless scene which is quite horrific in what it implies (and which reality even more horrifically delivered). You'll see far more gore in genre slasher films, and forget any chance of levity, but it's not as brutal as I had expected. SNOWTOWN is serious, artful, patient and often frustratingly obtuse. Watch the Bodies In Barrels documentary on YouTube and it'll all make much more sense. - DirectorSean ByrneStarsXavier SamuelRobin McLeavyJohn BrumptonWhen Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home
Critically heralded now it's been released in the USA, I finally got around to finishing this other example of new Australian horror. Grand, garish and rather self-conscious, which in attempting to reverse the stereotypes (the girl's the baddy, the boy's the victim) actually slightly bores with its predictabilty and cliches. ** SPOILERS ** the policeman dies, the early escape attempt is useless, the zombie cannibals are in the cellar, the stars are almost indesctructible and mortal wounds only mildly affect your mobility ** END SPOILERS **. Thought it would be better. Curious, for having an entirely unrelated sub-plot about Nerd getting off with Goth Queen - which never even gets close to being relevant to the main story thread. Too jokey to be scary, and it ran out of ideas far too quickly. - DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverA paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.BluRay at home
First two times I saw this in 3D at the cinema. To be honest, I either lost the thread of the plot because I was gawping at the visuals, or I snoozed a bit. At home, in three sessions (initially put on to keep a 2yr old happy, and then the grown-ups got into it), the 'Extended Collector's Edition' looks and sounds reference-quality on BluRay, but more impressively, for the first time I actually followed the plot. Finally, as a genre / sci fi fan, I understand Cameron's story, and I actually cared about it. Marie too. AVATAR's a film which slightly overpowers you at first - it reveals itself after multiple viewings. A very pleasant surprise. The flaws are still there, chiefly the charisma-bypass that is Sam Worthington, but man will you look at that hardware! Now, I can't wait for AVATARs 2 and 3. - DirectorJan de BontStarsHelen HuntBill PaxtonCary ElwesTwo storm chasers on the brink of divorce must work together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.DVD at home
Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly, Silly - but great fun and Holly (2), Devon (12) and Marie (over 21) all loved it again, as did I. Disengage brain, or have fun poking holes in it, but most of all turn the speakers up and listen to that DTS sound system rock. - DirectorJames CameronStarsSigourney WeaverMichael BiehnCarrie HennDecades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.Still the Daddy of action films for me. My 12 yr old stepson would disagree, he's never known anything other than screen-filling detail, computer graphics and instant action. ALIENS, with its slow burn first 50 minutes, action movie cliches, and some slightly creaky back-projection and model work, doesn't impress the modern kid as much as it does the much older kid inside me, but the sense of threat, and suspense, has never been bettered. That Alien queen introduction is still gobsmacking, and then there's Hudson... :-) Still one of my top ten films of all time, very few films other than its singular elder brother can top it. And can I say I love how the film ends on a calm and beautiful musical note. Forget all the sequels - including PROMETHEUS. For me, they are not canon. The story ended here, with Ripley, Hicks and Newt sailing through the stars, back to safety.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
- DVD at home
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
- DVD at home
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleTom HardyAnne HathawayEight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - IMAX cinema
We know, from THE PRESTIGE, INCEPTION and MEMENTO, that Chris Nolan can make superlative, original and intelligent films. The sooner he gets back to them, rather than making nonsense like THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, the better. Like TDK before it, I stopped trying to work out who was doing what, to whom, and most importantly of all, why I should care, around 45 minutes into the film. Individual set-pieces may be impressive, but overall this trilogy failed to make me care about the characters - with the honourable exception of BATMAN BEGINS, my clear favourite of the three. - DirectorLuis PiedrahitaRodrigo SopeñaStarsAlejo SaurasElena BallesterosLluís Homar4 mathematicians are invited to solve an enigma. Once there, they're locked in a mechanically shrinking room and given 1 minute to solve each puzzle via cellphone while also figuring out why they're there.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home
Nice high concept idea - if four trapped brainy people can't solve puzzles, giant hydraulic presses will crush them - but I couldn't get past the one enormous hole in the plot. ** SPOILER ** Why didn't they just climb up the walls? There was no celiling... ** END SPOILER ** OK, so forgive it that, but FERMAT'S ROOM still misses the mark badly. The characters are far too thinly-drawn, and there's relationship melodrama where there should simply be naked human terror. How do we get out of this? Because we're going to die horribly if we don't. Hey, I know, let's talk about old love affairs and tell stories instead. This was a blind buy - chalk it up to experience. - DirectorJason ReitmanStarsGeorge ClooneyVera FarmigaAnna KendrickRyan's job is to travel around the country firing off people. When his boss hires Natalie, who proposes firing people via video conference, he tries to convince her that her method is a mistake.
- DVD at home
- DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithThandiwe NewtonJaden SmithA struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
- DVD at home
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsTom CruiseJeremy RennerSimon PeggThe IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Blu-ray at home
High class nonsense with a satisfyingly constant stream of ace gadgets to ogle. Best one? The pop up light mirror thingy in the corridor. Intelligent, funny script. Renner and Pegg (who I normally hate) outshine their two po-faced co-stars, Cruise has lost any lovability he ever had (wasn't much to start with) and, despite a pretty admirable exercise regime, actually looks a bit dumpy. Is he shrinking still further as he gets older? Anyway, MIGP ... Pretty much loved it, great blockbuster fodder, better than Bond by a country mile. Looks great, too. - DirectorMatt ReevesStarsMike VogelJessica LucasLizzy CaplanA group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.
- DVD at home
- DirectorHenry Alex RubinDana Adam ShapiroStarsJoe SoaresKeith CavillMark ZupanQuadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.DVD at home
Given that it is so celebrated, I found MURDERBALL quite unmoving. For a doc which moves you, try DEAR ZACHARY, or SENNA, GRIZZLY MAN, SPELLBOUND, or the magnificent FOURTEEN DAYS IN MAY. MURDERBALL teaches that you do not *beep* with the USA wheelchair rugby team, and that the majority of them have hot girlfriends and fully functional wedding tackle. I'm amazed it was Oscar nominated though. Beaten by MARCH OF THE PENGUINS that year ... I'd have gone for ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM myself. MURDERBALL simply doesn't belong in the same league. - DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsJames HetfieldKirk HammettLars UlrichThe iconic metal band struggles for two years to create their album St. Anger, dealing with alcoholism, the loss of their bass player, and the challenge of working with a psychotherapist.
- DVD at home
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittBruce WillisEmily BluntIn 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
I'd been vaguely looking forward to it, although felt immune from the pre-release hype owing to a personal dislike of the director, Rian Johnson - an opinion formed by listening to him talk on a couple of movie podcasts, where he acted like a complete dick. How can a complete dick make a great film? I asked myself. It turns out that whether being a dick was a factor, or not, Mr Johnson certainly did NOT make a great film here. It's not half as weighty or profound as he wants it to be, and frankly I just didn't care enough about any of the protagonists. A super idea for a film, and a decent - if only passable - first third. Then it all slows down, you go to the farm, and you're expected to care about a whole new set of characters. Then * SPOILER * somebody develops super powers * /SPOILER *. Then I dozed off. - DirectorSeth GordonStarsJason BatemanCharlie DayJason SudeikisThree friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Blu-ray at home
Witty, intelligent fun which shows three grown up guys being exactly as childish as we men are when we get together without womenfolk around to make us behave properly. The joy here is in the quips, and the way they're delivered, rather than in the plot. The film could have been about three men doing anything at all - it really doesn't matter what the story is. The reason to see HORRIBLE BOSSES is the biting nature of the banter between the three - some of the best off-the-cuff sh** talking I've ever heard on film. See it for that, but don't let the kids watch it - far (FAR) too rude... - DirectorJoe WrightStarsSaoirse RonanCate BlanchettEric BanaA sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home.
I'd heard it was bizarre, and it is. Strange music, strange settings, strange camerawork, strange sound effects. But if you look beyond the unconventional clothing, the jarring thing about HANNA is that the plot is pretty standard, and the high-kick, karate-chop fighting is nothing you haven't seen a thousand times before. * SPOILERS TILL THE END * Little girl takes down a dozen fully armed enemies without breaking sweat. Doesn't say much, ever. Escapes inescapable prison, treks a thousand miles more or less on foot, easy. Big reunion with Dad at the end reveals the twist. Payback time with chief baddy ... snappy final line. So, elaborately-packaged, admirably different, but not a great story. Had hoped for a little more. - DirectorPat HoldenStarsKate AshfieldSteven WaddingtonCraig ParkinsonPoltergeists attack a family in Yorkshire during the 1974 nationwide blackouts.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - cinema
A Yorkshire film: a ghost story which happened less than 15 miles from our front door. Hence we went to a late night show, expecting a few chills with additional local spookiness. Sadly, there were precisely zero good bits in the entire film, save for an incident right at the start when the deeply, deeply derogatory term "spacker" was used, which made us all laugh. Otherwise ... lame, predictable, cliched, illogical, amateurish, boring and not even many decent broad Yorkshire accents. Tried to be funny, as well as scary, and failed miserably at both. Made KILL LIST look rather brilliant, which is quite an achievement. - DirectorJonathan LevineStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittSeth RogenAnna KendrickInspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Netflix on iPad
Joe Gordon-Levitt may be uber-cool these days (see his HitRECord project), but it's Seth Rogen who makes 50/50. Settled in for a TERMS OF ENDEARMENT style mental torture session, what we actually got was a light comedy albeit one about a young guy with 'back cancer'. Other than one chilling moment in the doctor's office - when JGL's character realises that he's now firmly in the last-chance saloon - 50/50 wasn't anywhere near as gruelling as I thought it would be. I was sort of disappointed, weirdly. There's plenty of light comedies around. But, 50/50 is witty and well scripted, Seth Rogen's delivery is spot on every time - including what must have been a lot of ad libbing - and Anna Kendrick does her intense offbeat girl next door thing again, attractively. At the (appropriate) ending you have to say, this is a cracking little film, although not one to trouble the top 100. - DirectorAnthony BaxterStarsMichael ForbesDonald TrumpAnthony BaxterIn this David and Goliath story for the 21st century, a group of proud Scottish homeowners take on celebrity tycoon Donald Trump as he buys up one of Scotland's last wilderness areas to build a golf resort.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - TV at home
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsStephen DunhamKatie FeatherstonMatt ShivelyIt has been five years since the disappearance of Katie and Hunter, and a suburban family witness strange events in their neighborhood when a woman and a mysterious child move in.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
There's some films you get dragged to, and this was one of them. To my deep shame, I've now seen all four PA films at the cinema. Number One was decent and original, but since then they've been about as scary and entertaining as someone standing behind you and randomly shouting JUMP! very loudly at roughly fifteen minute intervals. There is exactly no point to this film. Even die hard fans, I hear, are up in arms because it literally, like, makes no sense, like, whatever. The thirteen year olds in the row behind us thought it was amazing though. Man, I feel old. - DirectorSam MendesStarsDaniel CraigJavier BardemNaomie HarrisJames Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsRobin HillRobert HillJulia DeakinA crime family looks to unmask the police informant in their midst who threatens to take down their business.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012. TV at home.
- DirectorGil KenanStarsMitchel MussoSam LernerSpencer LockeThree teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.
- TV at home
- DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsSharlto CopleyDavid JamesJason CopeViolence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.
- Blu-ray at home
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsAksel HennieSynnøve Macody LundNikolaj Coster-WaldauAn accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD at home
One I'd been waiting to see for a long time. I'd heard it was dark, unpredictable, gory, and very clever, with an anti-hero who you really shouldn't like - but you do. For once, what I'd heard was dead right. Do NOT read up on this film before you see it, and it will take you all over the place. The plot, and its resolution, aren't all that believable, but I didn't care. After a blindingly good first half, HEADHUNTERS begins to slip into grand guignol / splatter territory, and I thought uh-oh, here's another SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE type slump into ludicrous ultra-violence. But no, it checks itself, and without giving too much away, what you end up with is part OCEAN'S ELEVEN, part HUSTLE and, okay, part SWITCHBLADE-type ultra-violence. But despite yourself you'll end up rooting for the diminutive main man - think of a blond Richard Hammond off Top Gear and you'll not go far wrong. And I don't even like the real Hamster. I loved not knowing what the hell was going to happen - HEADHUNTERS is easily one of my top films of 2011. - DirectorDaniel NettheimStarsWillem DafoeSam NeillMorgan DaviesMartin, a mercenary, is sent from Europe by a mysterious biotech company to the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for the last Tasmanian tiger.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD AT HOME
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - Cinema
- DirectorMarc WebbStarsZooey DeschanelJoseph Gordon-LevittGeoffrey ArendAfter being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.
- DVD at home.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsEd HarrisJulianne MooreWoody HarrelsonGovernor Sarah Palin of Alaska becomes Senator John McCain's running mate in the 2008 Presidential election.
- TV AT HOME
- DirectorJosé PadilhaStarsWagner MouraAndré RamiroCaio JunqueiraIn 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his position while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope visits.SAW FIRST TIME IN 2012 - DVD AT HOME
Fantastic. I took the morning off, and gave myself a clear three hours to savour this (allowing for kettle time, letting the dogs out etc). As so often happens, when I leave watching an allegedly-good film until I have EXACTLY the right opportunity to watch it, paid off. ELITE SQUAD moves with a brutal urgency which keeps your pulse rate high throughout. I was right there, with it. Easy to compare with other high-energy Latino crime films like CITY OF GOD and AMORES PERROS - both also masterpieces. ELITE SQUAD is so much more than an action film - it has wit, intelligence, characters who matter, and it positively does not spare you. Big cojones throughout. - DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DVD AT HOME
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsMichael JacksonGlen BallardJohn BarnesA documentary on Michael Jackson and the legacy of his record "Bad".
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - TV AT HOME
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsBradley CooperJennifer LawrenceRobert De NiroAfter a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - CINEMA
- DirectorBrad PeytonStarsJosh HutchersonDwayne JohnsonMichael CaineSean Anderson partners with his mom's husband on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - TV AT HOME
- DirectorChristopher MorrisStarsWill AdamsdaleRiz AhmedAdeel AkhtarFour incompetent British terrorists set out to train for and commit an act of terror.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - DVD AT HOME
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsJake GyllenhaalMichael PeñaAnna KendrickShot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
- FIRST SAW IN 2012 - CINEMA
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsMartin FreemanIan McKellenRichard ArmitageA reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.
- FIRST TIME IN 2012 - CINEMA
- DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsGeorge ClooneyPaolo BonacelliViolante PlacidoAn assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.
- FIRST TIME IN 2012 - BLU RAY AT HOME
- DirectorAndré ØvredalStarsOtto JespersenRobert StoltenbergKnut NærumA group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.
- BLU RAY AT HOME
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsPaul GiamattiGeorge ClooneyPhilip Seymour HoffmanAn idealistic staffer for a new presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.
- FIRST TIME IN 2012 - BLU RAY AT HOME
- DirectorChristopher GuestStarsFred WillardEugene LevyCatherine O'HaraA behind-the-scenes look into the highly competitive and cut-throat world of dog shows through the eyes of a group of ruthless dog owners.-DVD AT HOME
By now this is as comfortable as slipping into an old pair of baggies. We know more or less every joke well before it arrives and yet they all work just like they did the first time. Even better if you have a couple of dogs at home, like we do. - DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.-BLU RAY AT HOME
....and on the second viewing (see above) I was right, THE DESCENDANTS gets even better. It's an intelligent and rather moving little gem. The confrontation on the porch with the adulterer ... What a scene. Keep them coming, George. - DirectorJ.C. ChandorStarsZachary QuintoStanley TucciKevin SpaceyFollows the key people at an investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis.
- FIRST TIME IN 2012 - DVD AT HOME
- DirectorRudolph MatéStarsRichard DerrBarbara RushPeter HansenAs a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.
- DVD AT HOME
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsMatthew McConaugheyEmile HirschJuno TempleWhen a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.
- DirectorSean DurkinStarsElizabeth OlsenSarah PaulsonJohn HawkesHaunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.