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!
The Black Book – a challenging and brave story of a Jewish woman and how she survives the 2nd 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.
