Usual disclaimers apply – these are films I saw at the cinema in 2011. So who knows what year they are from! It was a good year in the dark but no out-and-out winner.
In alphabetical order, my top ten of 2011 are:
127 Hours - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/02/127-hours.html
Beginners - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/12/beginners.html
Hanna - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/09/hanna.html
The King’s Speech - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/01/kings-speech.html
Midnight in Paris - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/10/midnight-in-paris.html
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/12/mission-impossible-ghost-protocol.html
Super 8 - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/06/super-8.html
The Trip - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/08/trip.html
True Grit - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/02/true-grit.html
X Men: First Class - http://theflicks.blogspot.com/2011/06/x-men-first-class.html
And the highly commended:
Drive, The Fighter, Gantz: Perfect Answer, The Guard, Paul
P.S. Sorry for cheating by just linking to my own reviews ... I'm on a looooong holiday :)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist
Dir. Brad Bird
Scr. Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec
I think the person we have to thank for the fourth instalment of this series not being tired, humourless or boring is director Brad Bird. He brings to his first live action feature a freshness that is pleasing and entirely welcome. And a relentlessness that is exhausting, but tremendously fun. Sure, the premise is pretty clichéd and, at times, laughable. But just laugh along – I don’t think this IMF team are taking themselves too seriously.
Ghost Protocol starts as it means to go on – with a ridiculous and wonderful action sequence. Ethan Hunt (Cruise), currently rotting in a Russian prison, is broken out by fellow IMF agents (Pegg and Patton). And before you can say “why the long hair Tom?” they are infiltrating the Kremlin in order to prevent nuclear war. Yup, this is old school – it’s all launch codes and satellites and warheads and madmen. And the Russians and the Yanks disliking each other immensely. When it all goes pear-shaped, the IMF is shut down and Hunt and his team are ghosts. They also happen to be the only people who can prevent global disaster. Of course.
You may think I’m mocking. And I am. But that doesn’t mean that Ghost Protocol isn’t the most entertaining of all the Mission: Impossible films. Because it is. It’s slick, with new and improved gadgets. It’s packed with humour that was sadly missing from most of the previous three outings. It’s about teamwork, which was the very strength of the original tv show. And, visually, it’s stunning. Much credit to Bird who, as we know from his previous animated outings, can certainly tell a story. The ending is incredibly naff, but I easily forgave the sentimentality. They’d earned it.
The performances are a little mixed. Cruise is Hunt, no question. He’s still looking very good and obviously performing a lot of his own stunts. Pegg is wonderful as technical genius and now qualified field agent Benji. Much of the humour comes from him and I enjoyed his wide-eyed enthusiasm. Renner is a welcome addition to the team – is there any film he isn’t in?! Badass and surprising, his performance is very good indeed. Less welcome is Patton, who is a terrible actress. Wooden and overplayed, try your best to just block her out. The characters that fill in the gaps are mostly clichéd and two-dimensional but, in such an outlandish story, they fit perfectly.
I’m not proclaiming this to be the action movie of the year, but it comes darn close. Utterly entertaining, I gasped and winced and whooped. Ghost Protocol has breathed life into a waning franchise and, of course, leaves the door open for more of Hunt and his team. Brad Bird, please come back and give us another cracking good ride!
-----------------------
Benji: Now remember: "Blue is glue!"
Ethan: And red?
Benji: Dead.
Dir. Brad Bird
Scr. Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec
I think the person we have to thank for the fourth instalment of this series not being tired, humourless or boring is director Brad Bird. He brings to his first live action feature a freshness that is pleasing and entirely welcome. And a relentlessness that is exhausting, but tremendously fun. Sure, the premise is pretty clichéd and, at times, laughable. But just laugh along – I don’t think this IMF team are taking themselves too seriously.
Ghost Protocol starts as it means to go on – with a ridiculous and wonderful action sequence. Ethan Hunt (Cruise), currently rotting in a Russian prison, is broken out by fellow IMF agents (Pegg and Patton). And before you can say “why the long hair Tom?” they are infiltrating the Kremlin in order to prevent nuclear war. Yup, this is old school – it’s all launch codes and satellites and warheads and madmen. And the Russians and the Yanks disliking each other immensely. When it all goes pear-shaped, the IMF is shut down and Hunt and his team are ghosts. They also happen to be the only people who can prevent global disaster. Of course.
You may think I’m mocking. And I am. But that doesn’t mean that Ghost Protocol isn’t the most entertaining of all the Mission: Impossible films. Because it is. It’s slick, with new and improved gadgets. It’s packed with humour that was sadly missing from most of the previous three outings. It’s about teamwork, which was the very strength of the original tv show. And, visually, it’s stunning. Much credit to Bird who, as we know from his previous animated outings, can certainly tell a story. The ending is incredibly naff, but I easily forgave the sentimentality. They’d earned it.
The performances are a little mixed. Cruise is Hunt, no question. He’s still looking very good and obviously performing a lot of his own stunts. Pegg is wonderful as technical genius and now qualified field agent Benji. Much of the humour comes from him and I enjoyed his wide-eyed enthusiasm. Renner is a welcome addition to the team – is there any film he isn’t in?! Badass and surprising, his performance is very good indeed. Less welcome is Patton, who is a terrible actress. Wooden and overplayed, try your best to just block her out. The characters that fill in the gaps are mostly clichéd and two-dimensional but, in such an outlandish story, they fit perfectly.
I’m not proclaiming this to be the action movie of the year, but it comes darn close. Utterly entertaining, I gasped and winced and whooped. Ghost Protocol has breathed life into a waning franchise and, of course, leaves the door open for more of Hunt and his team. Brad Bird, please come back and give us another cracking good ride!
-----------------------
Benji: Now remember: "Blue is glue!"
Ethan: And red?
Benji: Dead.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Beginners
Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Mary Page Keller
Dir & Scr. Mike Mills
I absolutely adored this film. I absolutely fell in love with all the main characters. I absolutely and utterly wished I had written the beautiful dialogue. This film is a slow ache. It’s slightly twee, kind of all over the place, and often hilarious. And it completely lays it heart out for all to see. Some will scoff and carelessly trample that heart. I just wanted to hug it and take it home, to keep the feeling with me forever.
It’s 2003 and Oliver (McGregor) - a graphic artist who feels too much, too deeply - has just lost his father to cancer. After his mother’s death, five years earlier, Oliver’s distant and emotionless father Hal (Plummer) came out and embraced his new life, starting a relationship with a much younger man (Visnjic). Mere months after his father’s death, Oliver meets Anna (Laurent), a mysterious and beguiling French actress. This new relationship evokes memories of his father, his upbringing, his unsuccessful past relationships. Beginners examines the truly insidious way that your parents’ relationship affects the way you love and allow yourself to be loved.
Beginners is understated and surprising. Jumping all over the place, time-wise, is no obstacle to following Oliver’s journey. Though this may annoy some, it was refreshing not to be spoon-fed by a writer/director – just keep up and you will be rewarded. The dialogue and interaction between characters is a joy. Sometimes you will laugh out loud. You may cry (I did). And more than once I audibly sighed, heartbroken or delighted. I have not been as in love with a script in a long time.
The acting on offer here is unquestionably brilliant. McGregor is sullen without being mean, resigned without being hopeless, loving without being melodramatic. His Oliver is easy to adore and relate to. Plummer is a delight, finding joy in his new lifestyle, like a kid at Christmas. His concern for his son – for his choices and his future – is beautifully played. Visnjic is a lovely oddball, as Hal’s partner Andy. Keller is absolutely haunted as Oliver’s mother, Georgia. And Laurent, well, what can I say? What is it about French woman that make me question my sexuality?! First Binoche, then Tautou, then Cotillard, now Laurent. She is simply wonderful.
Beginners is a love story. Actually, it’s several love stories. It’s quirky and moving. Undoubtedly, it will bore some. But if you’re a hopeless and helpless romantic like me, definitely see this film. If for no other reason than an adorable Jack Russell called Arthur.
---------------------------------
Hal: Well, let's say that since you were little, you always dreamed of getting a lion. And you wait, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait but the lion doesn't come. And along comes a giraffe. You can be alone, or you can be with the giraffe.
Oliver: I'd wait for the lion.
Hal: That's why I worry about you.
Dir & Scr. Mike Mills
I absolutely adored this film. I absolutely fell in love with all the main characters. I absolutely and utterly wished I had written the beautiful dialogue. This film is a slow ache. It’s slightly twee, kind of all over the place, and often hilarious. And it completely lays it heart out for all to see. Some will scoff and carelessly trample that heart. I just wanted to hug it and take it home, to keep the feeling with me forever.
It’s 2003 and Oliver (McGregor) - a graphic artist who feels too much, too deeply - has just lost his father to cancer. After his mother’s death, five years earlier, Oliver’s distant and emotionless father Hal (Plummer) came out and embraced his new life, starting a relationship with a much younger man (Visnjic). Mere months after his father’s death, Oliver meets Anna (Laurent), a mysterious and beguiling French actress. This new relationship evokes memories of his father, his upbringing, his unsuccessful past relationships. Beginners examines the truly insidious way that your parents’ relationship affects the way you love and allow yourself to be loved.
Beginners is understated and surprising. Jumping all over the place, time-wise, is no obstacle to following Oliver’s journey. Though this may annoy some, it was refreshing not to be spoon-fed by a writer/director – just keep up and you will be rewarded. The dialogue and interaction between characters is a joy. Sometimes you will laugh out loud. You may cry (I did). And more than once I audibly sighed, heartbroken or delighted. I have not been as in love with a script in a long time.
The acting on offer here is unquestionably brilliant. McGregor is sullen without being mean, resigned without being hopeless, loving without being melodramatic. His Oliver is easy to adore and relate to. Plummer is a delight, finding joy in his new lifestyle, like a kid at Christmas. His concern for his son – for his choices and his future – is beautifully played. Visnjic is a lovely oddball, as Hal’s partner Andy. Keller is absolutely haunted as Oliver’s mother, Georgia. And Laurent, well, what can I say? What is it about French woman that make me question my sexuality?! First Binoche, then Tautou, then Cotillard, now Laurent. She is simply wonderful.
Beginners is a love story. Actually, it’s several love stories. It’s quirky and moving. Undoubtedly, it will bore some. But if you’re a hopeless and helpless romantic like me, definitely see this film. If for no other reason than an adorable Jack Russell called Arthur.
---------------------------------
Hal: Well, let's say that since you were little, you always dreamed of getting a lion. And you wait, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait but the lion doesn't come. And along comes a giraffe. You can be alone, or you can be with the giraffe.
Oliver: I'd wait for the lion.
Hal: That's why I worry about you.
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