Lincoln

  Steven Spielberg has redeemed himself with his new film Lincoln, after the awful War Horse. Lincoln has been nominated for a bunch of Oscars and other awards and it very much deserves to win the majority of them. Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln is faultless. I actually forgot that it was Daniel Day Lewis, he was that good. The supporting cast were also superb, Sally Field, David Strathairn and Tommy Lee Jones were all excellent.
   Although the film was a serious historical drama set in 1865 during the American Civil War, humour was interwoven perfectly into the story. Lincoln wanted to pass the 13th Amendment by the end of January 1865, so his Secretary of State (Strathairn) hired three men to help procure the votes needed to create a majority in the Senate. These three men added an extra comedic value to the film, which helped break up the tension of the storyline.
   I really did love this film and if Lewis doesn't get the Oscar for Best Actor I will be nothing short of astonished.

For fans of history, true stories and Oscar winning performances.

Stars ****

Gangster Squad

   Set in 1949 Los Angeles, Gangster Squad is a true story about a selection of cops handpicked by Sergeant John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) on the orders of Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) to take down the ruthless mob leader Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).

   O'Mara is a tough honest police officer who is struggling to put the war behind him, and the opportunity to take down Mickey Cohen by any means possible fits well into his repartee. There's plenty of blood and bullets to satisfy the viewers who love their violence and action in films. Everyone excels in their roles, especially Sean Penn who appears to slip seamlessly into the role of the brutal mob boss. 

   Although on first thought there appears to be little wrong with Gangster Squad, there is also nothing particularly special about it either. The story is slightly predictable and the unnecessarily corny ending meant I didn't feel fully satisfied once the credits started rolling. At least the American flag didn't make an appearance near the end...

For fans of gangster movies, cool fighting scenes and true stories.

Stars ***

The Impossible

   After the first five minutes of The Impossible I was concerned that it was going to be a total flop. The film begins with the family on a plane to Thailand. The script was corny and the acting even more so. It didn't help that Naomi Watts' voice seemed to be out of sink, but this could have been the cinema's fault. However, after this rickety start the film got going the moment the tsunami hit. The tsunami was incredibly well shot and the special effects were bang on.
   The story follows Maria (Naomi Watts) and the oldest son Lucas, as they manage to survive the tsunami and try to find their way to safety. Maria's husband, Henry, played by Ewan McGregor becomes more prominent in the second half of the film as he searches for the rest of his family.
   There are a lot of edge of the seat moments, as well as upsetting scenes as you feel their pain and anxieties as they try and reunite and battle through the worst natural disaster of modern times. I feel the director, Juan Antonio Bayona did a great job of capturing the right mood of what would have been an incredibly confusing, upsetting and traumatic situation for hundreds of thousands of people.
   The Impossible is a very good film, though I found it quite upsetting, so this may not be one for the overly sensitive.

For fans of true stories, emotional films and great special effects.

Stars ****

Jack Reacher

   Jack Reacher has got 2013 off with a good start, although it was actually released on Boxing Day, so technically it's last year's film...Nevertheless, it is a very good film, though it doesn't challenge my top 10 films of 2012 and I don't believe it will challenge the best of this year either.
   Tom Cruise is as enjoyable as ever to watch and he has good chemistry with Rosamund Pike, who plays Helen, the lawyer who takes on the seemingly impossible task of helping Barr (Joseph Sikora) avoid the death penalty.
   Jack Reacher is based on a series of books by Lee Child, and though Tom Cruise does a great job, Jack Reacher is supposed to be about six foot five and Cruise scrapes in at a modest five foot seven. However, I think only the hardiest of Jack Reacher fans will have a problem with this.
   The car chases are exciting and the fight scenes have a comical edge to them as Reacher has little trouble beating his enemies senseless. The film begins to trail off during the second half and although the final fight sequence is well shot, humorous, exciting, tense and intriguing, I can't help but feel annoyed that Reacher decides to put his gun down and fight his main enemy with bare hands. He could at least have his gun knocked out of his grasp instead of voluntarily laying down his weapon to endure a punch up.

For fans of Tom Cruise, Lee Child and humorous action scenes.

Stars ***

The Best and Worst of 2012

Top 10 films

1. Seven Psychopaths
       I was surprised this was my best film of the year. I thought it was going to be good, but never expected to be blown away by the great story, top acting performances, writing and humour.

2. Skyfall
       One of the best Bonds of all time and easily Daniel Craig's best Bond film. I enjoyed this so much I had to see it twice. It was also a great goodbye to the legendary Judi Dench as M.

3. Moonrise Kingdom
       An all star cast in this unusually brilliant film. There was great acting from the children and the film was hilarious from the off. A film that had the imagination, originality and great writing to be up there with the best of the year.

4. The Dark Knight Rises
       A great end to a fantastic Batman trilogy. Probably not as good as The Dark Knight, but still a brilliant film, with great music and an ending to die for.

5. Looper
       Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt perform at their very best in an action packed futuristic thriller filled with twist, turns and some of the best action scenes of 2012.

6. The Descendant
       A well written and solid film with nothing really wrong with it. Funny, emotional and enjoyable.

7. The Artist
       A favourite for the critics and it raked in the Oscars. An original and well made film for the 21st century.

8. Lawless
       A great film based on a true story, filled with action, gore and well placed comedy.

9. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
       A wonderfully written film with a lot of humour and great acting from some of British acting's ageing elite.

10. Killing Them Softly
       Superb acting from Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins in a cool and dark thriller.


Best Performances

Judi Dench - Skyfall/The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Javier Bardem - Skyfall
Matthew McConaughey - Killer Joe
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Brad Pitt - Killing Them Softly
Bruce Willis - Looper/Moonrise Kingdom



Worst films

1. War Horse
      A ridiculous farce, where a young man loves a horse more than his friends and family.

2. Dark Shadows
      Bitterly disappointing and curiously boring. Even Johnny Depp struggled through this one.

3. Here Comes The Boom
     Generic with not one original idea to be found in this unimaginative attempt at a story.

4. Expendables 2
     Unsurprisingly one of the poorest films of 2012, with laughably poor acting and an obvious storyline.

5. Life Of Pi
     Magnificent special effects, but corny, critically overrated and lacking characters to connect to.

Worst Performances


Sylvester Stallone - Expendables 2
Rebecca Hall - Lay The Favourite
Maggie Grace - Taken 2

God Bless America

  God Bless America is a great concoction of truth and exaggeration. Frank (Joel Murray) is divorced, terminally ill and loses his job. After seeing endless rubbish on TV he finally has enough and goes on a killing spree with the unlikely accomplice of 16 year old Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr).
   Frank is finally pushed over the edge by all the reality shows and adverts on TV. Sadly many of these reality shows do exist in real life, such as 'My Super Sweet Sixteen' where you see horrid rich and spoilt teenagers plan a ridiculously huge party. Then there is the barrage of X Factor type shows, The Kardashians, Cribs...the list is endless. A spoilt teenager is Frank's first victim and it is Roxy who makes him realise that he should keep on killing people who "deserve to die" rather than killing himself.
   This is predominantly a comedy, but it also shows one of the issues in western society as a whole. Talentless people are worshipped and the wrong ideals are being set for the next generation. Why go to university to get a well paid job when you can just leak a sex tape and become rich overnight?
   Obviously I am not saying that I agree with murdering these people just because they're annoying and have no talent or self respect...maybe just a punch to the face would suffice. God Bless America is a well made humorous look at the ever growing problem of reality TV and fame.

For fans of annoying people getting killed, films that make a good point and comical killings.

Stars ****

Photo from www.guardian.co.uk

Seven Psychopaths

   Seven Psychopaths looked awesome from the trailer and the film was even better! The first five minutes are excellent with Michael Pitt and Michael Stuhlbarg (both from Boardwalk Empire) in a hilarious and well acted scene as two mobsters waiting to do a hit.
   Sometimes too many well known actors in one film can overwhelm the story, however, this isn't the case here. Christopher Walken is at his comical best, along with Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell and the excellent Woody Harrelson. There are also some great cameos and smaller roles from Tom Waits, Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace).
   Marty (Colin Farrell) a struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes involved in the criminal underworld after his best friend and professional dog snatcher Billy (Sam Rockwell)  kidnaps a mob boss' much loved dog.   
   The story has a feeling of originality to it and follows an interesting concept, that being a psycho doesn't necessarily mean you have to be some sort of murdering maniac, though it does help.
   There's plenty of drama and emotion that mixes in perfectly with the laugh out loud humour. The psychopath stories told throughout by different characters add an extra layer to the story that puts Seven Psychopaths up there as one of the best films of the year.

For fans of huge laughs, great storytelling and psychopaths.

Stars *****

Here Comes The Boom

   Scott Voss (Kevin James) is a school teacher who has let go of his principles, due to his loss of faith in the school system. That is until the music teacher Marty (Henry Winkler) is on the verge of losing his job because of school cuts. Voss accidentally talks himself into being the guy who'll raise the funds to keep the music programme going. When he watches a UFC bout and finds out that there's money to be made from losing as well as winning, Voss sees an opportunity.
   James specialises in the slapstick and self deprecating humour. The inevitable happens and he improves, with the help of a Dutch ex fighter Niko (Bas Rutten) who is trying to get his American citizenship, which Voss helps him to achieve.
   *Spoiler Alert!* Voss makes it into the UFC and fights the tough and scary Ken Dietrich, played by the MMA fighter Krzysztof Soszynski. There would be no way in hell that Voss would win and in the first two rounds Voss gets a thrashing of the highest level. Marty makes a good speech to Voss making him realise that he doesn't have to win the match. However, his speech was unnecessary as Voss pulls off an impossible victory.
   The last scene of the film was embarrassingly funny, as Niko and many others receive their American citizenship. Everyone floods out into the land of the US of A, there's cheering and happiness, an American flag stands proudly aloft and a Latino voice shouts 'Viva America!'. The unnecessary patriotism made me want to discreetly vomit behind my seat.
   Kevin James hasn't done anything Oscar worthy, or even that funny, except for Hitch. This is no exception. It's a half decent comedy until the ridiculous ending.

For fans of slapstick, simple comedy and the US of A.

Stars *

Argo

   Argo is based on the true story of the 1980 CIA-Canadian secret operation to remove six fugitive American diplomats from Iran. It is directed by Ben Affleck, who once again shows his directing prowess with a brilliant film. I am a fan of his other films The Town and Gone Baby Gone.
   There are countless recognisable faces, such as the well known John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Affleck himself. There are also the actors that you recognise straight away but take a few minutes for you to remember where you have seen them before, such as Tate Donovan, who plays Joshua, a love interest of Rachel in Friends and Clea Duvall from The Faculty. I found myself constantly saying to myself 'bloody hell! Look who that is!'
   The film was tense, moving and full of suspense. I felt entrenched in the six fugitives dilemma all the way through, as the worry, fear and anxieties of the trapped Americans were transferred through the screen with the great script, directing and acting.
   The film was certainly not devoid of humour. Arkin and Goodman's scenes had a lot of comedic value, but there was humour dotted all around, which helped break up the suspense and give you a few moments to laugh and take a breath before returning to the edge of your seat.
   I have seen too many average films at the cinema of late, interspersed with the odd great one. Maybe that can be blamed on half term which brings out the kids films, and Halloween which sees its yearly dose of painfully average horror films. However, now that storm has blown over, the cinema is seemingly back on track with the awesome Skyfall and now the dramatically brilliant Argo.

For fans of suspense, true stories and more suspense.

Stars ****

Photo from www.guardian.co.uk 

Skyfall

   I was very much looking forward to the new Bond film, Skyfall and it did not disappoint! Though Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace were both very good films, they weren't like proper Bonds. I grew up with Pierce Brosnan and he has always been my favourite. However, with Skyfall there is a definite shift back towards the classic Bond style.
   The film is long, but it didn't feel too long, nor slow. The opening sequence was exciting, well shot and edge of the seat action. I was so involved in the action that I totally forgot about the classic Bond credits and although it's not Adele best song, I still think its a well made Bond song and Adele was a good choice.
   Daniel Craig played his best role so far and Judi Dench excelled as usual in her seventh film as M. It was good to see Q return, this time as the much younger Ben Whishaw, while Javier Bardem was an awesome villain bringing a lot of humour, tension and great acting to his scenes. The acting overall is top notch, the action scenes are exciting and varied and the main actors were supported immensely well by Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Albert Finney.
   Skyfall is a great Bond story and there's enough twists, turns and excitement to keep you entertained for the whole 2 and a half hours. Though I do love the exotic Bond locations, it was a nice change that much of the action took place in London and Scotland. Skyfall is a big step up from the last two Bond films and a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond. I was also very pleased with the film being released in Britain before the US, which is how it should be with James Bond . I am now very much looking forward to the future installments.

For fans of James Bond and bloody good films.

Stars ****

Ruby Sparks

Original stories are becoming a rarity these days. When something different does come along it's usually a spin on an existing idea rather than something original. I think that Ruby Sparks does it's best at finding that story that Hollywood has yet to think up.
Paul Deno appears in his second film of the month, also starring in Looper. He doesn't suffer such a horrid fate in Ruby as he did in Looper though, where he was gruesomely butchered, but that's not surprising as Ruby Sparks is a very different film. It is basically a love story, a 'Rom Com' though I hasten to use that term as I see it as insulting, or something involving Jennifer Aniston.
Paul Deno fits into his role as quirky and lonely Calvin with ease. As a young genius, publishing a bestselling novel at only the age of 19 he retreats into the shadows for the next decade, struggling to socialise or write that difficult second novel, until he dreams of Ruby and that's all he can think and write about. He begins to write a new novel about Ruby and she becomes real, in that whatever he writes about Ruby becomes true, much to the joy of him and his brother Harry. Chris Messina, as Harry adds a nice touch to Calvin's character, helping with the humour and reality of the situation. However, Deno and Messina look so different I'd have to question their mother to see if they both actually shared the same dad...
It is a good mix of humour and emotion, as although Ruby may have been created by Calvin, she is very much a real person with her own feelings, even if Calvin can make her do or be anything he wants just by typing it on his typewriter.
Inevitably their relationship begins to fall apart once the aches and pains of life wear them down. Calvin's attempts to salvage their relationship leads to comical scenes in which Ruby's personality goes through a variety of changes from painfully clingy to ridiculously joyful.
Ruby Sparks is a film of solid acting, good humour and the realities of love and relationships. There are also some enjoyable appearances from Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan and Elliot Gould.

For fans of love stories and films with a different spin on things.

Stars ***

The Campaign

I feel that I am faced with the same dilemma every time I watch a film with Will Ferrell in- is what I'm watching really funny or just plain stupid? Blades of Glory and Anchorman - funny. Elf and Old School - stupid. Yet Ferrell has done some different films from his usual genre in Stranger Than Fiction and Melinda and Melinda, that have probably been his best work. Zach Galifianakis is another actor that is hit and miss in his choice of films. So, this film was going to go one way or the other.
The Campaign stumbles along the line of good comedy and ridiculous humour. Though this is a film of constant laughs and failed attempts at humour, the storyline is an exaggerated version of modern day politics in the United States. It's not who is the best candidate, or who has the best policies, but the candidate with the most money pumped into their campaign who will come out the winner, despite their failings as a politician.
I did enjoy the film at a basic level of comedy and to get me in the mood for the up and coming US elections less than a month away, but I wouldn't say this is one to remember.


For fans of the classic Will Ferrell comedy and ridiculous humour.

Stars **

Taken 2

As I only mildly enjoyed the first outing I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the sequel...and I wasn't...Liam Neeson's latest action films from the Taken's to Unknown have been so similar I can't actually remember which is which.
The storyline created for this sequel is a realistic notion that there are actually consequences to killing a lot of bad guys! They all have family and friends who won't be best pleased about their loved ones being killed, even if they did kidnap someones daughter. The premise of the story means there could be another half a dozen in this series, as brothers, cousins- 2nd, 3rd and 4th removed seek revenge.
Neeson plays his usual hard and calculated role as hero, which I found difficult not to enjoy and join in with his cool fighting moves. However, Maggie Grace, who takes up the role of his daughter, Kim, is annoying from the off. Her irritating characteristics which I despised from the first film were back with a vengeance  while her weak acting only aggravated me more.
The film was mildly enjoyable, very much like the first. But the plot was all too obvious, there was nothing original to the script and the only reason the film stayed afloat was because Neeson carried it.


For fans of Liam Neeson and mindless action films this is only worthwhile if you have nothing better to see.

Stars **

Dredd 3D

Dredd had been released for nearly a month before I eventually managed to get round to see it. I hadn't seen the original outing starring Stallone back in the 90's, but I'm sure this remake was a much better installment.
Judge Dredd is a hardened futuristic cop that dispenses judgement by brutally shooting all bad guys that cross his path.

It deserves the 18 certificate, which is a hard prize to claim in the present day film industry, with audiences being harder to shock. However, Dredd 3D manages this with the ultimate slow motion action scenes, as we get to see bad guys gruesomely taking bullets to all parts of the anatomy.
The story is basic, but effective; bad guy (or in this case, bad girl Ma-Ma) does one bad deed too many, which brings Judge Dredd and new recruit Anderson into the vicinity.  A lot of bad guys get killed and Ma-Ma looks to have the upper hand, until Dredd starts to kick ass!

Usually I'm not a fan of 3D, as it's never really improved my viewing experience, but rather hindered it. I found films such as Alice in Wonderland were blurry with the 3D glasses on as well as off. However, after the initial failure with the first action scene where the 3D failed to work at all, which was clearly the fault with the cinema rather than the film's 3D capability, I almost enjoyed the 3D aspects, the ultimate slow motion mimicking Ma-Ma's new altering reality slo-mo drug.

For Fans of action, violence and a bad ass hero, this is a must see.

Stars  ***