The 2010 Film List

To mis-quote Denzel Washington as ‘Bleak’ in ‘Mo’ Better Blues’, “What the world needs now...is not another film review.” So I’m going to keep this trimmed down. A brief line about each will suffice because, let’s face it, imdb.com has got it covered. 46 films in total; 3 or 4 films a month. Not bad for a busy boy! There's quite a mix here; something of most genres can probably be found here. I've also managed to tick off a few of those legendary films that I'd never got round to watching. What a treat they have been too! 'Platoon', 'Full Metal Jacket', 'Fight Club', I've had some screen treats. Let's hope 2011 is as good.

Film highlight of 2010: A tough one to call, but I think I've got to share the crown between 'Fight Club' and the film version of Rupert Goold's 'Macbeth' 

Film flop of 2010: 'Stardust' was a bit poor and some of those Bond films were a bit on the weak side, but that spoof Bond, 'Casino Royale' with David Niven as 007 was the only film so bad I couldn't sit through it. A total shocker. 

The Gruffalo – a beautifully animated adaptation. The voice acting is superb. René Aubry’s soundtrack is beautiful. We have watched this film so many times thanks to Elana; yet I’m not bored of it yet!

V for Vendetta – of the graphic novel adaptations I have watched, this is definitely one of the best. The acting is largely good, and the choice of John Hurt as the evil dictator-style character is inspired. Not only is he a first-rate actor; but he did of course play the polar opposite role as Winston in ‘Nineteen Eight-Four’.

The Fellowship of the Ring – a pretty impressive adaptation of the first in Tolkien’s epic trilogy. Visually glorious and well-acted with the major exception of Orlando Bloom as Legolas; he really looks the part but his acting is shockingly bad.

The Black Book – a challenging and brave story of a Jewish woman and how she survives the 2^nd World War as a member of the Resistance in Holland. Unlike more superficial portrayals of WWII’s events, few if any of the characters are truly innocent. A much more starkly realistic spectrum of morality is portrayed here, making for truly thought-provoking, illuminating and at times uncomfortable film.

In the Loop – the big screen version of Armando Ianucci’s acclaimed ‘The Thick of It’. The script and plot flies at a break-neck speed and you would be forgiven for needing to watch the film a second time just to make sure you didn’t miss anything. This is ‘Yes Minister’ with a potty mouth and no brakes.

Stardust – a fantasy which tries to be as funny as Terry Pratchett and fails, and as well-filmed as Gilliam...and fails. At least it doesn't take itself too seriously.

There Will be Blood – Daniel Day Lewis stars as the tragic hero in a superb film exploring the early history of America’s oil wells. Morality questions keep raising their head during this deep story-line and I felt at times like I was watching a superior adaptation of a Steinbeck novel crossed with an original twist on a Shakespeare play – though I’m not sure which one! Day Lewis’ final denouement is certainly on the scale of the likes of Lear or Macbeth.

Zulu – I only recently became aware (thanks to Melvyn Bragg’s ‘In Our Time’) of the historical background of this film. I assume liberties were taken in some respects to isolate the Rourke’s Drift story and turn it into a tight ball of a plot. I do feel this is a shame though as the historical context might have brought home even more the significance of the successful defence of Rourke’s.

Broken Flowers Bill Murray plays his usual role, but under Jarmusch’s direction you get an amusing and entertaining flick.

Zatoichi I was a little disappointed by this film. There are clever, exciting plot-twists and impressive set-pieces, but the film feels heavy-handed and the graphic violence is mars the film with its cartoonesque depiction.

Platoon One of those films that I had to get round to watching, and I’m glad I did. As intense and visceral as the reviews and legends promised.

The Sting Hadn’t watched this since I was a kid. A great con movie. Stylish, superb soundtrack, brilliantly acted. What’s to fault?

The Devil Wears Prada  Stop sniggering, this was actually nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be! It is just a chick flick, but it wasn’t a trial to watch the whole thing.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I really enjoyed the books. The film’s fun, the acting’s generally fine, it’s visually impressive, yada yada.

Moulin Rouge A very tasteful film adaptation of the famous musical. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor are a very impressive lead-pair and the whole production is visually stunning.

Lord of War Nicholas Cage is excellent as the immoral arms-trader and the whole plot is intelligent and there are some very memorable moments; such as the opening sequence showing the life of a bullet – from the bullet’s perspective.

Unforgiven A discussion with my wife’s uncle about our favourite western films led to his very kindly sending me this on DVD. One of the best westerns I’ve seen with ideas and themes that extend beyond the genre.

Shanghai Knights Daft, funny light-entertainment.

Never Say Never Again The one where Sean Connery returned, which could only ever be an improvement on Roger my-eyebrow-does-all-my-acting Moore. An entertaining blast which Connery manages to pull off despite being a bit old for the part.

Full Metal Jacket The other great Nam movie I’ve meant to watch for so long and finally got round to. A vicious, slightly reportage-feeling portrayal of the war with some stunning acting.

Mothman Prophecies A slightly spooky, entertaining story, which is ultimately let down by trying to be a bit too mysterious. I’ve no problem with a film being open-ended, but this just doesn’t fully convince. Still, the film was absorbing and gripping enough to merit a viewing

Fight Club A brilliant, brilliant film. I am already prepared to watch it again despite its being quite fresh in my memory. Superb acting, superb direction, extraordinary ideas. Loved it.

Three Kings A great, dry black comedy. How much of a true reflection of the Americans in Iraq this film provides, I’ll leave to others to judge; but it’s a cracking story, well acted and funny too.

Taking Lives Angelina Jolie isn’t as poor in this as some other films I’ve seen. It’s a bit of a lame one though. Typical psycho-thriller territory really, but there’s a good twist at the end that almost works.

Final Fantasy the Spirits Within Astonishing CGI-animation set this film apart from so many other pretenders. This film was a pioneer. OK, the plot is naff – superficially ripping off James Lovelock’s Gaia principle – but it’s a visual delight.

North by North West There have been a lot of Hitchcock films on this year. I haven’t seen most of them. Finally, I’ve ticked this one off. It was worth it.

Notorious Another Hitchcock, this one with the class acts of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman (and James Mason too if I remember correctly). A flawed film, but enjoyable nonetheless. Some great moments of tension and intrigue too.

Conan the Barbarian Yep, it’s kitsch pap. One of those films I’ve always wanted to watch through for the curiosity, and to see how bad it really is. It’s bad but I can see why it has become a cult thing.

Transformers When I heard this film was coming out I thought “This’ll be rubbish”. Then the reviews said “Actually, it’s not as bad as you might expect.” It was visually exciting, but the plot was typical action fodder. Worth watching once, that’s it.

The Drowning Pool Paul Newman plays the private dick from Ross MacDonald’s novel. It’s tight and tense, but not a major classic. Still really worth watching. There’s some good acting, a well-woven plot, and excitement.

First Men in the Moon An early 60’s sci-fi screening of H.G. Wells’ 1901 novel. It’s great fun watching such an old sci-fi film. There’s plenty to laugh at, but there are some bigger ideas in this too. If you’ve seen Wallis and Gromit: A Grand Day Out, you should have the added pleasure of spotting the influences. Part of the denouement is actually refreshed by Wells as the finale of his more famous ‘War of the Worlds’.

Old Boy A dark, grim, impressive film. Really enjoyed this...well...I’m not sure ‘enjoy’ is the word, but it was excellent. It’s an original concept, very well acted and directed, and thoroughly engrossing.

Hondo John Wayne does a decent job in this one, and the storyline isn’t 2-dimensional Indian-bashing either.

Apaloosa This is complex, fascinating western genre at its best. I put this up with the likes of Once Upon a Time in the West. Superb.

Mr and Mrs Smith We stuck this on one night just because it was on and we could chill out with it. We were pleasantly surprised by it. Good fun, funny in various places, not terribly acted. Definitely worth a TV dinner.

The Insider A superb film. Based on real events, this is an attempt at a behind-the-scenes of the corruption and power of the tobacco industry. Gripping and thought-provoking in equal measure, with excellent direction and acting (Russell Crowe and Al Pacino amongst others); this film is one to watch.

The Spy Who Loved Me It’s Roger Moore. Bad acting and the era of preposterous plotting, loosely based on the great Fleming novels. This isn’t the worst, but it certainly isn’t great either.

Thunderball Sean Connery looking very young and doing a great job as 007. It is of course much sillier than the book, but it’s a blast to watch.

In Bruges An unusual sort of small-time gangster movie with a big, big heart. Superlative acting and a clever plot make this a thrilling, tough film.

Spiderman III Blockbuster, action rubbish. It was so silly I spent a lot of time just laughing at it.

Ghostbusters II Utterly ridiculous, but great fun. Nothing more to be said really.

Casino Royale The original Casino Royale, not Daniel Craig. I didn’t actually watch all of it, because the original is a spoof of the ‘Carry On’ kind, but much, much worse. It was so bad we couldn’t justify wasting our lives on it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Fun entertainment. Not as good as the book of course, but some good acting. Missed Richard Harris as Dumbledore though.  

Macbeth This Christmas we were treated to a BBC-hosted film-adaption of the Scottish play. Patrick Stewart plays the lead role brilliantly and the approach and direction is fresh, original and thought-provoking. A great measure of a high-calibre Shakespeare performance is whether the acting and directing actually make the script and plot easier to understand and open up the concepts to new interpretations. This version does so to the full. I have seen a couple of stage performances and one other old film version, but this exceeds all of them for me.

Whistle and I’ll Come to You 2010’s Christmas M.R. James ghost story with John Hurt in the lead role. Spooky and well acted with some fabulous incidental music keeping even the most innocent of moments tense and haunting. I found the conclusion of the story a little open-ended, but this may have been the way M.R. James wrote it.

The Warlords Peter Chan directs a stunning epic of historic legend from some time in the Qing dynasty. This is everything Hollywood rubbish like ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ never could be. The acting is superb, the plot is complex, and the stories of the characters reveal them to be flawed, human protagonists. A fabulous last film for 2010! 
  

The 2010 Reading List

22 books in all; just shows how much more time and energy I have these days! There's a distinctly sci-fi tilt to this year's reading. That's largely due to background reading for a game development project in the offing...sometime...I don't know when....A lot of gifts and recommendations too: more than a third of the books here have been recommended, loaned and/or given to me. What generous people I have around me! The skew is also very much toward fiction. I've never been much of a non-fiction reader; I tend to see non-fiction books as reference material. However, not all of these are pure fiction, and I've finally got back into the habit of reading poetry: one of last new year's resolutions fulfilled!

The Complete Alan Moore Future Shocks – utterly brilliant and illuminating collection shining a light on Moore’s extraordinary talent. This is much more frivolous and witty than the likes of The Watchmen and has the feel of a graphic novel version of J.G.Ballard or Kurt Vonnegut. There are also ideas lifted straight from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: not a criticism; more an observation. The varied art-work and consistently inspired writing are a joy to explore, not least for the way in which these little gems comment on humanity and our flaws and foibles.

Game Audio by Aaron Marks – superbly written and comprehensive in its remit. This is the book that got me started with auraLAB Studios and focused my work for the first year. Having read it from front to back, I am confident that it will be a stalwart reference work of mine for many years to come.

The Eternal Golden Braid: Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter – A profound book, but not an easy read. I won’t claim to have understood all the formulae and mathematical stuff, but the way Hofstadter approaches questions of information and what it means for our existence allows you to follow his arguments without a degree in pure mathematics. Probably one of the most important books I will read in my life.

Doctor Who and the Green Death by Malcolm Hulke – I’ve enjoyed a lot of the Doctor Who episodes since David Tennant. I had this book knocking about and read it out of curiosity. It’s a few decades old, which shows, and it’s clearly written for the young reader. Curiosity satisfied; wouldn’t bother reading another one.

Fantastic Mr Fox – The first Dahl I read when I was quite young. When I saw that the film was being made I realised I could remember little of the story beyond having really enjoyed it. Reading it again as an adult, and parent, it was a delight. Can’t wait till Ellie’s a bit older so that I can read it to her.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Vol I-V by Douglas Adams – One of those significant gaps in my personal lexicon. Unless you detest sci-fi of all kinds and have no sense of humour these books have to be read. Very funny, moving, profound, and replete in its observation of humans and the way we are, there is little to disappoint.

Ariel by Sylvia Plath – 2010 has marked my return, after too many years, to reading poetry regularly. Plath’s poetry leaps off the page and sears itself into your mind. This was Plath’s last collection and therefore reflects some uncomfortable questions of self-harm and presages of suicide, but the writing is poetry as it should be: distilling the language to its most efficient and intense form.

Logicomix by Papadimitriou – A graphic novel about the life of Bertrand Russell. Yea, I know, sounds a bit weird doesn’t it. It’s actually brilliant. Those not familiar with the graphic novel genre would be surprised by how deeply the book goes and I am left with a much clearer idea of the man behind ‘Principia Matematica’ and ‘A History of Western Philosophy’.

The Flanders Panel by Perez-Reverte – Sal picked this up for me from Borders when they were closing down: it has a chess theme and I like chess. It’s a murder mystery of a high calibre, not unlike Wilkie Collins in style; particularly when one considers the murderer as a protagonist. You don’t have to be a chess player to enjoy this novel, but it does add to the enjoyment as you try to solve the riddle of the chess position. This was an extremely clever and exciting novel with multiple threads, multiple mysteries, and spanning hundreds of years.

Tiger Tiger by Alfred Bester – This novel only went under the title ‘Tiger Tiger’ for a shortish time (my copy just happens to be from that period), but I think it is a much better title than the established ‘The Stars My Destination’. Claimed by some to be the most influential sci-fi novel of all time it is an extremely impressive work. I can certainly think of a whole raft of films that take ideas from this novel. Profound, disturbing, prescient, enormously clever: all adjectives appropriate to describing this novel. Also, like all great sci-fi, it goes beyond the genre to tackle greater, more universal and human questions. The central protagonist is a sort of Heathcliff anti-hero; but I would be much more afraid of Bester’s creation! This is possibly the best science-fiction novel I have read.

The Cyberiad by Stanislav Lem – Lem is the literary originator of ‘Solaris’, which is now so famous as a film; something of a ‘2001 Space Odyssey’ for the 21^st Century. Lem however is about as typical a sci-fi writer as Douglas Adams. There is something Arthurian and chivalrous about these short stories and they are a delight to read.

The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov – Another influential novel – on films such as ‘I Robot’ – this is a Chandleresque take on sci-fi, exploring some interesting questions of morality and what it means to be human

Mortal Engines by Stanislav Lem – Back to Lem with another collection of short stories. Some of the same characters are at the centre of this set of adventures, but the human-robot dialectic is more prevalent.

The Outward Urge by John Wyndham – I have been a Wyndham fan for many, many years. Those who just know him as the author of ‘The Day of the Triffids’ are missing out on the deeper resonances of Wyndham’s explorations. Wyndham consistently has something penetrating and original to say about the human condition, and this early, collaborative work is no exception.

The Good Soldier Svejk by Hasek – A birthday present from my great friend Konrad. This is, in many ways, a ‘Catch 22’ for World War I. Like Heller, Hasek builds a story of the minions of the WWI to highlight the futility and awful human waste of war. Brilliantly funny (sometimes reminiscent of Damon Runyan) and unabashedly scathing, Hasek sticks it to ‘the man’ like no-one else.

Night Passage by Robert B. Parker – If I ever need a breather from heavier reading or am laid up in bed poorly, there are two authors I typically turn to. One is Elmore Leonard; the other is Robert B. Parker. He is one of few writers worthy of mention in the same breath as Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett and seemingly more prolific than the two put together. I have read a stack of his Spencer novels, but this is the first I have read (and the first published) of the Jesse Stone books. Quite simply a great read.

Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse – One of those books I’ve meant to read for a long, long time. Hesse’s ‘The Glass Bead Game’ is one of the most important books I have read, in terms of its effect on my life; but Steppenwolf is probably the most famous. I read it a couple of months ago and it is still sinking into my consciousness now. Steppenwolf is an archetype of modern humanity; a profoundly flawed character, self-deluding, narcissistic, lost, tied up by the dichotomies of our existence, and therefore a harsh mirror of ourselves.

The Prophet by Khalil Ghibran – This book has been referred to in breathless superlatives, so it has sat on my shelf waiting to be read for many years. It is a short treatise (for lack of a better word) on how to live a Christian life. The teachings and ideas are not dissimilar from those of Jesus as I understand them to be. As such, if the ‘Godliness’ and ‘Christ-ness’ of the book is taken out, the message is an important one and is a very eloquent comment on how to live and love. Much of its message is no less relevant today than it was when written 100 yrs or so ago.

Cuentos de Posguerra by Antonio Ferrer – I like to try to read something in Spanish every year as it helps me to keep my second language more or less fluent. These are a strong set of Anti-Franco short stories exploring the post-war period in Spain at its most human level. The style is direct, tight and un-flowery, but the pathos, beauty, and tragedy are all the more powerful for it.

Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold – Found this in a charity shop and thought I’d give it a try. A mostly fictional account of a magician during the time of Houdini, Gold’s debut novel is riveting, fiendishly clever, constantly surprising mystery. The complexity of the novel and the depth of characters harks back to Wilkie Collins at his best, but the pace is often more like that of a Chandler novel. This book is as clever, and uses as much sleight of hand, as the extraordinary illusions it occasionally describes.

Crow by Ted Hughes – This is contemporary poetry with a mythic ancestry going back thousands of years. Crow, the key protagonist of the collection, is God-like creature that seems to have burst out of our shared unconscious. As such it is not uncommon to feel like you are re-visiting some macabre dream when reading these poems. This is a primal, super-moral, collection of terrible beauty.

The Sea by John Banville – My Dad recommended this for the poetry of the prose and it doesn’t take much reading to see why. Some of the imagery that peppers ‘Max’s’ (the first person narrator) reminiscences are more intense and vibrant than a lot of poetry gracing book shelves across the nation. The plot and characters are too subtle and complex to be loyally loved or despised, but the tragic culmination of the story still didn’t fully convince me. I was left with the final impression that the plot and characters were more at service to the poetic prose at times than vice versa. Nevertheless, this was a pleasure to read and narrated a story I am still chewing over weeks later.

Introduction to 'The New Year Post'

A couple of years back I read an article in one of the broad sheets. It was one of the journalist's retrospective on her reading for the past year. I thought it a good idea and an interesting read, so I'm doing the same from now on. Here, each year, I intend to post my year's reading and film watching. Those that know me would expect me to also do the same for music. Problem is, I listen to so much music I could never find the time to even list, without comment, all the music. However, maybe next year, I'll do a post on live gigs of the year. If you've happened across this blog by accident, you are most welcome; but I have written my blog for a small group of friends and relatives who might be interested. Anyway, here goes...