Moved to Letterboxd!

If somehow you've stumbled upon this, how?! I've moved to Letterboxd to blog about movies, as it's all a bit slicker over there, and people can find your reviews etc much more easily. Bye bye Blogger...

My favourite films of 2011

So it's the first day of 2012 - and this is the first post on my movies blog for almost a year. In fact, other than my 'best of 2010' list from last January, I haven't contributed anything here for the best part of 18 months. You've got to be pretty committed to keep a blog going, and entertaining too, and it appears I have failed abysmally on both counts. BUT... a new year is a new start, and I can only try again while I have some shiny enthusiasm inside me. Plus it's a horrible day here in Leeds, and the football's been rubbish on the box.

(I've actually been thinking about starting a tumblr as it looks easier - can anyone recommend?)

The criteria used last time out was 'my 10 favourite films of 2010 that I've seen to date and are contenders for the current awards season... in no particular order'. It's a bit clunky, but I'm sticking with it (for movies of 2011, natch). The 10 films I chose were: Animal Kingdom; Another Year; Inception; Kick-Ass; The Kids Are All Right; The King's Speech; Never Let Me Go; The Secret In Their Eyes; The Social Network; and Toy Story 3.

I don't have any regrets over those choices, but I hadn't seen True Grit at that point - and it would definitely have made my list. Maybe Black Swan and The Fighter too. And I've only just got 127 Hours on Blu-Ray as a Christmas gift; haven't watched it yet, but hey, it's a contender.

Now for my top 10 films for 2011, plus what I tweeted or wrote on Facebook at the time (in italics), and any thoughts I may have now.

ARRIETTY - "Arrietty really is exquisite. Studio Ghibli adaptation of The Borrowers. For all ages! (trailer is dubbed, I saw it in original Japanese which is obviously better...)"



THE ARTIST - "Everything I hoped it would be. Witty, romantic, expertly paced. Deserves all the awards it gets. And if Uggie - who plays 'The Dog' - doesn't win Best Supporting Actor, there is no justice in Hollywood."



DRIVE - "For a movie with a script that could have been written on 2 sides of A4, it's actually pretty engrossing. Loved the retro feel to LA, titles, some of the cars, the hoods. Felt Mulligan prob miscast but Gosling & Albert Brooks so watchable. And that 'Real Human Being' song could have come across as cheesy but fact it didn't shows ending had some weight. Ergo, I recommend."



THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - "Fincher's Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is actually a few minutes longer than the 2009 Swedish version but feels much tighter, more thrilling. Hard to choose between Rooney Mara and Noomi Rapace (both excellent Lisbeths) but Daniel Craig makes a far better Blomkvist in my opinion." Of all the adapatations from page to screen I saw this year, think this was the one I enjoyed most (apart from THAT scene).




HUGO - "Hugo might just be my favourite movie of 2011, but then I think I'm probably the ideal audience - cinephile, Scorsese nut, big softie, etc. I'm can't imagine many kids today falling in love with this film (maybe just too 'educational' in parts) but it is beautifully made, the set design & score are perfect, and the 3D actually enhances the experience. So just remember it's Marty magic, not Harry Potter magic."

MONEYBALL - Methodical, structured, analytical - what you would expect from a drama about sports statistics but lifted by a sharp screenplay and a powerhouse Pitt performance.



SOURCE CODE - "Absolutely loved Source Code. Thanks Duncan Jones and The Hyde Park Picture House. And IMDb trivia for informing me about the nods to Chesney Hawkes and Scott Bakula..." Several friends of mine said they didn't care for this much - maybe it just caught me in a good mood! Having loved Jones' Moon, I was well disposed to it in advance.




SUBMARINE - "Having been bowled over by Submarine at the Hyde Park Picture House tonight, I'm listening again to the Piledriver Waltz by Alex Turner." Script, style and soundtrack combined to make one of the best British movies of recent times.



THE TREE OF LIFE - "The early cosmic dreamscape sequences aside, give it time and The Tree of Life does manage to gradually realise its mad ambitions. I don't think any filmmaker moves the viewer quite like Malick..."



X-MEN: FIRST CLASS - "X-Men: First Class is just that. Focus is firmly on the story and characters, so not just one set piece after another, and it weaves in Cold War history expertly." Best of the big comic-book blockbusters for me.

Here's some other contenders that didn't quite make the list but that I enjoyed to varying degrees (!):

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Attack The Block, Bridesmaids, Captain America, Gainsbourg, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Ides of March, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Super 8, Take Shelter, Thor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomboy, Troll Hunter, We Need To Talk About Kevin.

And here's some 2011 films that I haven't yet seen, but may well have come into my reckoning:

50/50, Beginners, Blue Valentine, Crazy Stupid Love, Fast Five, The Guard, Hanna, The Help, The Inbetweeners Movie, Incendies, Kill List, Margaret, Melancholia, Midnight In Paris (which I'm seeing tonight!), My Week With Marilyn, Neds, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Senna, A Separation, Shame, The Skin I Live In, Snowtown, Tyrannosaur, Warrior.

Finally, here's the movies I'm most looking forward to seeing in 2012:

JANUARY: Coriolanus, The Darkest Hour, The Descendants, Haywire, J.Edgar, Red Tails, War Horse.

FEBRUARY: A Dangerous Method, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Muppets, Safe House, The Woman In Black.

MARCH: Casa de mi Padre, The Hunger Games, John Carter, The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists, The Raven.

APRIL: The Cabin in the Woods, Headhunters.

MAY: The Avengers, Dark Shadows, Men In Black III (although I have fears about it).

JUNE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (if only for the concept), Brave, Jack the Giant Killer, Prometheus.

JULY: The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises.

AUGUST: The Bourne Legacy, Neighborhood Watch.

SEPTEMBER: Argo, Dredd, Gambit, Looper, Savages, Welcome to the Punch.

OCTOBER: Cloud Atlas, Frankenweenie.
NOVEMBER: Gangster Squad, Skyfall.

DECEMBER: Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, World War Z.

No date yet set: Cogan's Trade, Cosmopolis, The Master.


So plenty to look forward to there... now can I make this blog more than just an annual event?!

Awards Seasoning

A return to the blog for 2011 - and it's my favourite time of year for film.

The January/February run of awards junkets always result in a flurry of 'worthy' movies hitting UK cinemas early in the calendar, and although it's a tall order for even film buffs like myself to see all the contenders on the big screen (don't download kids!), I like to think I do pretty well.

One thing I'm not so keen on in televised coverage of these ceremonies: the Red Carpet. Why anyone would want to watch an hour's worth of Angela Griffin or Fearne Cotton or similar non-entity desperately jockeying for banal interviews in which orange celebrities name-check dress designers and back-slap their mates, all peppered with annoying shouty adverts every five minutes, is beyond me.

Anyway, awards season is really all about making lists. I love lists, although I know that for many people they cause furious outpourings of indignation. Woe betide the list-maker who omits something that one reader loves ("HOW CAN YOU LEAVE OUT VANILLA SKY?" etc) or has included a personal choice that another reader takes exception to ("I THINK YOU'LL FIND VANILLA SKY IS SHIT." etc).
In my opinion, lists are great for making new discoveries, being reminded of how great a forgotten favourite is, and getting a little insight into people via their choices. And if there's an inclusion or omission I disagree with, I politely offer it up or leave it be. Share and suggest, but don't snipe. I'm going to try to list more on this blog this year, starting with a year-by-year idea given to my mate Martin of Corner Tees fame.

Here are my 10 favourite films of 2010 that I've seen to date and are contenders for the current awards season (best to be clear on these parameters; might prevent a furious outpouring or two). I'm not ranking these in any order, other than alphabetical. Follow the links to see what I tweeted or blogged about the movie at the time.

Animal Kingdom - violent Aussie crime thriller with stand-out Jackie Weaver performance.



Another Year - Mike Leigh melodrama full of emotional contrasts; Lesley Manville marvellous.



Inception (review) - superior action movie with added brain training lifts this above the norm.



Kick-Ass (review) - the superhero genre given (apologies) a much-needed kick up the ass.



The Kids Are All Right - sensitive comedy which just happens to be by, for and about liberals.



The King's Speech - expertly-acted royal drama where glottal stop issues add to sense of period.



Never Let Me Go - Garfield's best performance of the year in heartbreaking Ishiguro adaptation.



The Secret In Their Eyes (2010 Oscar winner, but eligible for 2011 Baftas) - thought-provoking Argentinian thriller, containing several stunning scenes which resonate long after closing credits.



The Social Network - minimal Fincher flash but it's a modern tale for modern times, and it's expertly told.



Toy Story 3 - witty, wise, Woody, Buzz and one of cinema's great villains - Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear. Impossible to fault.



I should point out that I'm yet to see * the following movies - many of which are awards contenders - but will hopefully be doing so soon:

127 Hours, The American, Black Swan, Blue Valentine, Carlos, Chico and Rita, The Ghost, House of the Devil, I Am Love, I Love You Phillip Morris, The Illusionist, Iron Man 2, The Killer Inside Me, Let Me In, Made In Dagenham, Of Gods And Men, Ponyo, Somewhere, The Town, True Grit, Whip It, Winter's Bone. Any I've missed?


* Have since seen The Fighter and Black Swan... both excellent...

And here's the other films I saw in 2010, many of which won awards last year so I haven't considered those particular movies for my main list. Follow the links for my tweets or reviews of each, where available.

A Prophet, A Single Man, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, The Blind Side (review), Clash of the Titans, Crazy Heart, Date Night, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Four Lions, Gainsbourg, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Green Zone, The Headless Woman, Invictus, The Karate Kid, Monsters, Mugabe and the White African,  Mr Nice, Precious, Scott Pilgrim versus The World, Rare Exports, Shutter Island, Up in the Air, The White Ribbon, The Wolfman (review).

Finally, here's some of the films I'm looking forward to most in 2011...

January: Black Swan, Barney's Version, Biutiful
February: The Fighter, Brighton Rock, Rabbit Hole, True Grit, Paul
March: The Lincoln Lawyer, Submarine, Country Strong, The Adjustment Bureau, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, The Company Men, Fair Game
April: Sucker Punch, Thor, Hanna, Source Code
May: The Hangover Part II, The Tree Of Life
June: The Green Lantern, X Men: First Class
July: Captain America
August: Cowboys and Aliens, Super 8
September: We Need To Talk About Kevin, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, One Day, War Horse, A Dangerous Method
October: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, The Woman In Black
November: Moneyball
December: Hugo Cabret, Sherlock Holmes 2, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (remake)

Review: Inception

A story arc like a Möbius strip, twisting in on itself but always keeping the narrative line intact. Visual effects like optical illusions, demanding a second and third look as your brain considers their construction. Continuity of characters and events in imperfect symmetry like the Penrose Stairs - the inspiration for M.C. Escher's enigmatic Ascending and Descending print - fascinating the audience but never befuddling them. Inception is brain training for moviegoers, and writer/director Christopher Nolan will stretch all your synapses before you walk away from the cinema spaced out on serotonin.

Such an intricate picture puzzle should not be spoilt by a lazy review, so the following plot points are entry level only (and if you really want to start at the very beginning, check out 'The Cobol Job' - an online graphic novel prequel that's an excellent scene-setter).

An honourable thief, Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is at the cutting edge of corporate espionage. Ably assisted by his partner in crime Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the duo extract private information during their marks' dreams to sell to wealthy clients - a sort of brain burglary, somehow made possible by wires poking out of a suitcase. But Cobb has a hidden secret of his own; his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) has become a ghost in the machine, making awkward appearances at critical junctures in his work. In an attempt to bring balance back to his own life, Cobb accepts a job that requires a dangerous change of tactic - from extraction to inception. In the style of Neo crossed with Danny Ocean, he assembles a team to fill the roles of Architect, Forger and Chemist - a dreamweaving student called Ariadne (Ellen Page); Eames (Tom Hardy), an Englishman adept at blending in effortlessly; and a sedation specialist called Yusuf (Dileep Rao). In addition, Cobb's client Saito (Ken Watanabe) chooses to come along for the ride as a Tourist to ensure he gets what he's paying for. He wants to place the germ of an idea in the mind of a business rival (Cillian Murphy). If Cobb succeeds, the idea will grow into a decision that brings down an empire. If he fails, he risks waking up in a real-life nightmare...

It's hard to believe anyone will fall asleep during Inception. Not because the movie is noisy (in fact, Hans Zimmer's synth score makes use of subtlety as much as the sub-woofer), but because viewers will want to think deeply about what they see on screen. This is not a headache inducer like Primer or Stay that you happily go along with at first, only to find the film suddenly races away and leaves you lost. In all his films, Christopher Nolan has gently probed the mind - playing with time in Memento and playing tricks in The Prestige, studying sleep and sin in Insomnia and studying psychosis in The Dark Knight. This latest effort is a true original amid another summer season full of remakes, eight years in the imagination for two-and-a-half hours of entertainment. None of that time is wasted.

All the elements interlock in Inception. There's energy in the cast and the script; DiCaprio's determination drives the story forward, Matrix-style moments allow coolheaded Gordon-Levitt to levitate, and the supporting players offer more than just the defined duties of their characters. The movie poster depicts a Dark City but cinematographer Wally Pfister shoots bright cityscapes, beaches and snowy peaks as well as underground labyrinths. The special effects and post-production work - spinning corridors, skewed streets, gravity-defying drops etc - never even jut out as stand-alone set pieces, so expertly are they blended into the action.

The phrase 'it was only a dream' has long represented the ultimate cop-out in storytelling but in the case of Inception, it's the way in to a rabbit hole of staggering imagination that rivals anything invented by Kubrick, Lynch, Kelly or Gondry. Nolan elicits a revelatory sensation like the first time you ever focused in properly on a Magic Eye picture. However, this film is no fad; you'll be excited at the prospect of repeat viewings. In fact, you may even develop a recurring dream based on the adventures of Cobb and co, as Inception's message is too powerful and compelling to be forgotten quickly.

Memorable Line: Eames (producing grenade gun that dwarfs Arthur's AK47): You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling. (fires round, huge explosion)

I Know That Face: Nash, the original Architect, is played by Lukas Haas who, 25 years ago, got his big break playing Amish boy Samuel Happ in Witness.

Location, Location, Location: The final snowbound scenes were filmed in Kananaskis Country near Calgary, Canada.

Empire's 100 Best Films of World Cinema

Here's Empire Magazine's list of the 100 "greatest films not in the English language" - a suitable topic to be discussing in the middle of a World Cup. I've only seen 27 of these movies, so I definitely need to find time to watch a few more and brush up on my knowledge of world cinema...

1. Seven Samurai (1954, Japan)
2. Amelie (2000, France)
3. Battleship Potemkin (1925, Russia)
4. Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy)
5. Pan's Labyrinth (2006, Spain)
6. Battle of Algiers (1966, France)
7. City of God (2002, Brazil)
8. The Seventh Seal (1957, Sweden)
9. The Wages of Fear (1953, France)
10. Spirited Away (2001, Japan)
11. La Dolce Vita (1960, Italy)
12. Metropolis (1927, Germany) 
13. La Regle du Jeu (1939, France)
14. Three Colours Trilogy (1993-4, Poland)
15. Let The Right One In (2008, Sweden)
16. Tokyo Story (1953, Japan)
17. The Apu Trilogy (1955 / 56 / 59, India)
18. Oldboy (2003, Korea)
19. Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972, Germany)
20. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001, Mexico)
21. Nosferatu (1922, Germany)
22. Rashomon (1950, Japan)
23. Spirit of the Beehive (1973, Spain)
24. Come And See (1985, Russia)
25. Das Boot (1980, Germany)
26. La Belle et la Bete (1946, France)
27. Cinema Paradiso (1988, Italy)
28. Raise The Red Lantern (1991, China)
29. Les Quatres Cent Coups (1959, France)
30. Infernal Affairs (2002, Hong Kong)
31. Godzilla (1954, Japan)
32. La Haine (1995, France)
33. M (1931, Germany)
34. Waltz With Bashir (2008, Israel)
35. La Grande Illusion (1937, France)
36. Dekalog (1988, Poland)
37. Rome Open City (1945, Italy)
38. Ashes And Diamonds (1958, Poland)
39. Le Samourai (1967, France)
40. L’Avventura (1960, Italy)
41. My Neighbour Totoro (1988, Japan)
42. In The Mood For Love (2000, Hong Kong)
43. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990, France)
44. Ikiru (1952, Japan)
45. Suspiria (1977, Italy)
46. Jules et Jim (1962, France)
47. 10 (2002, Iran)
48. Downfall (2004, Germany)
49. M. Hulot’s Holiday (1953, France)
50. Closely Observed Trains (1966, Czechoslovakia)
51. Akira (1988, Japan)
52. Touki Bouki (1973, Senegal) 
53. All About My Mother (1999, Spain)
54. Festen (1998, Denmark)
55. Lagaan (2001, India)
56. Belle de Jour (1967, France)
57. Central Do Brasil (1998, Brazil)
58. Persepolis (2007, Iran)
59. Heimat (1985, Germany)
60. Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources (1986, France)
61. Knife in the Water (1962, Poland)
62. 8 1/2 (1963, Italy)
63. A Prophet (2009, France)
64. Wings of Desire (1987, Germany)
65. Un Chien Andalou (1929, Spain)
66. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, China)
67. The Vanishing (1988, Holland)
68. Solaris (1972, Russia)
69. Ringu (1998, Japan)
70. Hard Boiled (1992, Hong Kong)
71. Persona (1966, Sweden)
72. Ten Canoes (2006, Australia)
73. Hidden (2005, Austria)
74. Devdas (2002, India) 
75. A Bout de Souffle (1960, France)
76. The Idiots (1998, Denmark)
77. House of Flying Daggers (2004, China)
78. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988, Spain)
79. Bande A Part (1964, France)
80. Mother India (1957, India)
81. The Host (2006, Korea)
82. Battle Royale (2000, Japan)
83. Xala (1974, Senegal) 
84. Orphee (1950, France)
85. Il Conformista (1970, Italy)
86. Run Lola Run (1998, Germany)
87. Andrei Rublev (1966, Russia)
88. Leningrad Cowboys (1989, Finland)
89. Loves of a Blonde (1965, Czechoslovakia)
90. Rififi (1955, France)
91. Goodbye Lenin (2003, Germany)
92. Ghost in the Shell (1995, Japan)
93. The Fourth Man (1983, Holland)
94. Yeelen (1987, Mali)
95. Way of the Dragon (1972, Hong Kong)
96. Delicatessen (1991, France)
97. Farewell My Concubine (1993, China)
98. Ran (1985, Japan)
99. Iron Monkey (1993, China)
100. Night Watch (2004, Russia)

List of countries by number of films in list: 20, France; 12, Japan; 10, Germany; 8, Italy; 5, Russia, Spain, China; 4, Poland, India, Hong Kong; 3, Sweden; 2, Brazil, Korea, Iran, Czechoslovakia, Senegal, Denmark, Holland; 1, Mexico, Israel, Australia, Austria, Finland, Mali.