Colombiana- Why haven’t you seen
this movie? Great female lead (played by both Zoe Saldana and Amandla Stenberg),
brilliant character development, vengeance galore, dogs, sharks, orchids. One
of my faves, shame it’s largely unknown ergo underappreciated.
Hanna- mini Kill Bill-esque Scandinavian
assassin. Incredible cinematography and acting. Cate Blanchett makes a
wonderfully devishly evil villain and Lady Mary Crawley even has a small role showcasing
her best southern belle accent.
Despicable Me- Hilarious kid’s
comedy, theme tune forever ingrained in my memory. Most memorable animation
film I’ve seen since Up.
Rio- Very sweet movie with a
very cute macaw called Blu, voiced by the equally adorable Jesse Eisenberg. Was
good to see a movie set in South America and the characters being two-legged
winged creatures.
The King's Speech- Wow. Colin
Firth & Helena Bonham Carter. Oscars well deserved. Touching.
Black Swan- Dark
psycho-thriller. I can appreciate it as a work of art but it’s not something I
would watch again, far too messed up, and the whole picking her nails and scabs
makes for unpleasant viewing. Think of the germs! Perfect ending though.
Friends with Benefits- Much better
than the other friends/lovers movie ‘No Strings Attached’ that was released at
a similar time. The backdrop of New York looks impressive as always and Justin
Timberlake and Mila Kunis are easy to like. I almost believe in their love, unlike the connection (or lack thereof) between the No Strings Attached leads. It’s very hard to believe that Ashton and
Natalie would date in real life but Mila and Justin definitely could. Coincidentally enough, Ashton and Mila are in fact dating in real life. Small world.
Hall Pass- One of those movies
where all the good bits are in the trailer. Said bits are hilarious though. Other
parts make for awkward viewing with 50-something relatives however. Would give
it a disappointing 6/10.
The Dictator- Sacha Baron Cohen
can do no wrong in my eyes but this genuinely was a funny movie- I was in
stitches during some scenes and thought my spleen might spontaneously combust
as a result. Arguably more ‘tame’ in some respects to his previous work, as
close to ‘family friendly’ as his movies allow. Anna Faris also proved a worthy
opposing lead as hippy, hairy, earth loving Zoey.
21 Jump Street- Great twist at
the end! I love an unexpected A-List cameo. Very impressed with this movie, it
was fresh, shocking, funny, plus it stars the delectable Channing Tatum so I
have no complaints. Another thing, is it me or is Jonah Hill becoming more
likeable with each film he releases?
The Descendents- Dragged along
to see this, wasn’t originally enthused but the movie was well turned out. The
acting was very good and I did find myself getting sucked into the storyline.
Highlight however involved a really funny porch scene between George Clooney and
the guy who played Shaggy in the Scooby Doo movie (Matthew Lillard).
Rain Man- Lived up to my
expectations, Dustin Hoffman did a fantastic job, loved the film, the story,
shed a tear…wonderful. Tad long.
The Hunger Games- Read the books
first and the movie didn’t disappoint. Casting was brilliant, and the script
stuck to the book which is always a contentious issue with book adaptations.
Jennifer Lawrence and Amandla Stenberg were my stand out actresses (yes, the
same girl from Colombiana, I hope she has a prosperous future).
Hope Springs- Better than I expected,
but definitely should not have been certified a 12A. There were little kids in
the cinema having to watch awkward touchy feely scenes that I could barely
watch myself. Scarred for life. Never again.
The Dark Knight Rises- The last
half hour of this movie was spectacular. The beginning two hours were gripping
and fantastically directed too but I won’t forget the feeling of shock from
those final twists for a while still. Well done Christopher Nolan, well done.
The Amazing Spiderman- Not as
good as the original sadly. Charming protagonists though (Emma Stone &
Andrew Garfield) they were great, the movie and script just didn’t do them
justice. Deflated movie and deflated viewer.
Avengers Assemble- One of the
best superhero movies I’ve seen and so it should be considering it features a whole
host of the Marvel characters. Obvious highlight is the extraordinary Iron Man.
Not a fan of ScarJo as the Black Widow but I hear she looks just like the
comic-book character so I’ll let her off.
Thor- Dribble. Drool. Something about
saving his father, evil non-brother, nine realms in a tree shape etcetera, couldn't tell you what happened in its entirety, was blinded by the demi-God that is
Chris Hemsworth. I think it’s for the best he’s beautiful as deep down it wasn't an outstanding superhero movie.
Captain America- Better than
Thor definitely. A very good offering, I really liked the story and the
compassion of Steve Rogers (Captain America). Plus I'm a sucker for character transformation
so the scene where Steve becomes Captain America and goes from skinny bird to
hulking eagle received many a rewound. Excited for the sequel.
Taken 2- Never have I been more excited
to see a movie and never have I been more disappointed. Awful. I don’t want to
talk about it anymore.
The Change Up- Surprisingly
good. Funny unexpected moments (including the classic nappy changing scene),
good contrast between the two leads (Ryan Gosling and Jason Bateman) and a
genuine sense that the ending won’t go the way you think. Really enjoyed it. Might
even buy on DVD one day! (When HMV reduces it to £3 naturally).
The Hangover Part II- Yet to see
the first instalment, but this did not disappoint. Highlights were the monkey, Mr.
Chow, Mike Tyson and Teddy in the lift. It’s funny ‘cos you are so glad this
never happened to you.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(Original Swedish version) - So much admiration for this movie and Noomi
Rapace. She is perfect for the role. Never has someone being born at the right
time, living in the right place, and following the right career path been so
crucial to fulfilling an acting role. Absolutely brilliant, in fact the whole
cast and crew and story is amazing.
The Girl who Played with Fire-
Gripping second instalment of the trilogy as Salander and Blomkvist become embroiled
in an investigation for a 20 year old sex trafficking and security police
scandal. The final scene where we see Salander buried alive and shot, unaware
of whether she is alive or dead acts as a perfect cliff-hanger.
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s
Nest- Although Salander hardly speaks in this movie, the haunting acting of
Noomi Rapace speaks volumes on her behalf. My personal underdog of the movie
however is Annika Giannini, Blomkvist's heavily pregnant sister working as defence
lawyer for Lisbeth. Sad the trilogy ends with this movie but even sadder that
author Steig Larsson never got to see his work succeed. All 3 movies were true
to the (addictive) books which makes them all the more impressive.
127 Hours- Danny Boyle did a
good job of making a decent movie out of a very limited set and storyline. The
fact that this is based on the true story of Aron Ralston means throughout the
film you are reminded that this isn’t a work of fiction, which makes the
emotional connection to the movie all the more greater.
One Day- Like the book, I
couldn’t get further than 20 minutes in. Distracted by Anne Hathaway’s variable
accent which was largely criticised on release. Never connected with the plot
or the characters. Boooooooooooring. Yet it’s a well acclaimed novel so well
done to the author. Just not my thing.
Just Go With It- Very funny Adam
Sandler movie. His best offering for years. Surprise cameo by Nicole Kidman was
a delight leading to a very funny coconut scene. Best moment though is Dolph
doing the Heimlich manoeuvre on a sheep.
Crazy Stupid Love- I express my
love for this movie in another post all to itself. Watched it a second
time and it impressed me equally as much as the first.
The Hobbit- Brilliantly funny.
Preferred it to the LOTR trilogy (though this may be because it was easier to
understand and was originally written by J.R.R Tolkien as a children’s book).Pleasantly
surprised. Standout star, Sebastian the Hedgehog.
Mission Impossible: Ghost
Protocol- Much better than I thought it would be. Was glued to the screen and
the story. The scene with Tom Cruise climbing the world’s tallest building, the
Burj Khalifa, was brilliant with a capital B, but my favourite character was
Paula Patton as Jane Carter- what a woman!
Hugo- Hmm. Somewhat of a mixed
bag for Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning movie about an orphan boy seeking to
fix his late father’s automatron. I enjoyed the majority of the film- the two
young protagonists (Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz) were outstanding, I think
we’ll definitely be seeing a lot more from them in the future. I also liked the
colour palette of the whole film, all the costumes, and the attention and care
put into the tiniest of props. However the ending was a bit too dragged out, a
tad weird, and a few people I know who watched it weren’t impressed or bothered
by it at all.
Trio of Pedro Almodovar movies- All About My Mother (todo sobre mi madre),Talk to Her (hable con ella), & Bad
Education (la mala educacion)
Can’t really describe them, but
they are all cinematically brilliant in their own right. He’s a very clever
man, Pedro. Personal favourite was Talk to Her, which centres around Alicia, a
young woman who is in a coma following an accident four year prior. All is
peaceful until one day she is found to be pregnant….dun dun dunnnn.
All About Steve- Random Bradley
Cooper and Sandra Bullock comedy that went straight to DVD, but made for pretty
good watching on a chick flick pizza night. It wasn't that bad, some genuinely
funny moments and it is a unique story!
The Inbetweeners Movie- Oh my
god. Unbelievably funny and cringey and oh god do not watch with parents like I
did. The four lads did a very, very good job. Highlight was Neil and his
penchant for dancing with older, larger women. Would watch again.
Bad Teacher- I love Cameron Diaz
and I don’t like to see her in bad movies (let’s not mention Gambit) so I was
relieved to find this movie was actually pretty good. Part of its success was
due to the fact supporting actors Lucy Punch and Jason Segel had enough
material to showcase their comedy acting skills and act as a glue for the rest
of the cast.
This Means War- I love Reese Witherspoon. I love Tom Hardy. I didn’t love this movie. It’s harmless, it’s
watchable (just about) but it’s nothing special and it would bore me to watch
it again anytime soon. Sad.
Water for Elephants- What a
movie. Absolutely brilliant, this is more like it, Reese! I cannot praise this
movie enough. The only bad thing was there was too much hurting of the elephant-
I know it’s not real and was necessary to portray the evilness of the
ringmaster but I don’t like to see it even when it’s fake. Rob Pattinson proved
he isn’t one dimensional in his role as the circus vet, amazing performance.
So that’s my movie reviews over, do you agree/disagree? Did I
miss out on a corker of a movie?
Actually there is one movie that springs to mind that I’ve
yet to see (I keep meaning to, honest) and that is the highest grossing movie
of the year (in the UK), and the first ever Bond film to go past $1bn revenue,
the long awaited, Skyfall. I am slightly worried that the surrounding hype may
have raised expectations too high, but even so I know I’ll love it as Daniel
Craig can do no wrong in my eyes.
Two other movies I’m keen to see in 2013 are Life of Pi and
Les Miserables. With Ang Lee at the helm in Life of Pi, I have a sneaky
suspicion he will have created a visual masterpiece and made the most out of a
very limited film setting (at sea). As for Les Mis…until a couple of weeks ago
I really couldn’t care any less about this or what it’s about, until I saw the
trailer in the cinema and suddenly I became the biggest musical fan ever. The trailer
looks great, look at all those famous people singing! Hope it doesn’t
disappoint.
For your interest I’ve included Wikipedia’s table of the top
10 grossing movies worldwide in 2012. You can see that The Avengers (released as
Avengers Assemble over here) was by far the most popular movie of the year,
followed by the final instalment in the Batman trilogy, then Skyfall, and in
fourth place, big dark horse of the film industry, Ice Age: Continental Drift.
The UK figures report the same top 3 but with Skyfall in first place and
Avengers Assemble in third. The Dark Knight Rises remains in second place.
Rank
|
Title
|
Studio
|
Worldwide gross
|
1
|
$1,511,757,910
|
||
2
|
$1,081,041,287
|
||
3
|
$1,000,200,000
|
||
4
|
$875,115,339
|
||
5
|
$799,330,000
|
||
6
|
Columbia / Marvel Studios
|
$752,216,557
|
|
7
|
$742,110,251
|
||
8
|
Warner Bros. / New Line /
MGM
|
$686,703,000
|
|
9
|
Lionsgate
|
$686,533,290
|
|
10
|
Columbia
|
$624,026,776
|
|
I am impressed with people across the world still finding
the money to go to the pictures, despite the fact that the price of a cinema
ticket has risen drastically over the last two decades, in some UK cinemas now,
going at ‘peak time’ (which never existed before) can set you back around £13! It’s ridiculous.
The film industry wants piracy to stop but maybe if they lowered the price of
the tickets, people won’t be so desperate to seek other ways of watching a new
release. This super recent article shows how not
only is the film industry doing better than ever, but that two different research
studies completed this year have found
that the crime of piracy doesn’t actually affect box office revenues.
To end on, here is a reminder of that brilliant facebook
post Matt Pledger wrote on Odeon’s wall to complain about a recent trip to his
local cinema to see the movie, Ted.
It received 120k likes and 10k comments 4 days after
it was originally posted on the 24th August but it now has 297,000
likes. One of my favourite comments I saw was made by Scott Gardner who wrote [My local cinema was robbed last night of
£754. The thieves took a bag of maltesers, a pick n mix and a large drink...] Clearly
a lot of people are in agreement that it simply is too expensive to go to the
cinema these days. Has Odeon responded by reducing its prices? No, in fact last
time I went I could've sworn they’d gone up even more. You literally may as well
wait 5 months, buy it on DVD, and help save HMV in the process.
Goodbye 2012
x
