Review: Her

The first time I heard about this film was midway through 2013 where it won a lot early awards in Hollywood and was seen as one of the early front-runners to be nominated for Best Picture.

It is directed by Spike Jonze who I do not know a lot of. I have only ever seen one of his three previous feature films, Adaptation which starred Nicholas Cage. I thought some of the ideas were ambitious, but overall I just thought it was o.k. and not all of the ideas worked for me. The other feature films he has done are Where The Wild Things Are, which did intrigue me when it was released but I have never got round to it. His most famous creation is the 1999 hit Being John Malkovich. Sadly I have not managed to see it, but I do plan to. Even more so after seeing this little beauty.

When I saw the trailer and heard about the ideas involved in Her, I was instantly psyched up for this potential winner at the major awards.

The first 30 minutes really sucked me in and I instantly got what the director is trying to achieve with this feature. I was loving the ideas in this world the director has created and it really opened up my eyes as this is how finding love could turn into and even how video games could be played in the next decade or so.

As the film went on, I was loving this beautifully shot modern love story. Even during one extremely strange moment that is quite awkward to witness, it does not move away from its motives. Then by the time it ended, I was just impressed with everything the cast and crew have achieved.

By far the best thing about it, is the screenplay. The writing really makes this film come alive and you just want it to keep going. It will make you happy, laugh, smile, become sad and even be in tears. A lot of the conversations in the film will really get you thinking about life, living and the what the future is on course to be doing to us.

Another great positive, is the cinematography. If you liked how films like Drive, Lost In Translation and Skyfall were shot then you will love what Her has to offer. As our main character goes about his daily life, the colors and atmosphere throughout the film is great to watch and it really amplifies everything else within the film.

The only actors that are worth commenting on are our two leads, Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson. From the moment they first meet, their on-screen chemistry instantly works and you just do not want them to stop. Some award nominations could well be in order, including Johansson, who make history. Once you have seen them, you will understand why her performance, if nominated, could be history in the making.

First and foremost, it is a terrific modern love story and gives us a great indication of how romance could evolve to in the near future. Jonze has given us an odd look at his vision of the future, and when I mean future I'm guessing in the next 10 years or so. It may not win a lot of awards, but one that it is likely to get is Best Original Screenplay. The creativity and the way they presented it on screen is surely worth talking about and giving awards to.

One film that it instantly reminded me of, is Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. That is also what I think to be the best romance film of all-time, so you could probably tell how much I liked Her. Definitely a contender for my top 10 of 2013.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Films Of 2012

2012 was quite a a interesting year. There was quite a variety in some of the supposed films of the year. From low budge fantasies, to multi million epics, to an all out musical.

Before I talk about the films that I have seen in 2012. I must first mention that some of the successful that I have not seen and will not feature in my top are: The Master, Flight and The Sessions.

I managed to avoid some of the real stinkers of 2012. But here are some of the not so good or disappointing films that I have managed to encounter so far. One of the first films I saw in this year was Wrath Of The Titans. Not quite as enjoyable as Clash Of The Titans but still like the content as I am a sucker for Greek mythology. I cannot see them do another Titans film. This next film did get  lot of love. I felt it be good, but not as good as I was expecting, and that film is Magic Mike. One great bit was Matthew McConaughey's performance. One big summer film was The Bourne Legacy. Without Direcotr Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon, this was never going to be as good. But there still enough content in there to be good. But sadly, it always going to be disappointing. 2012 had a bit of a Snow White reboot battle between Mirror Mirror and Snow White And The Huntsman. I felt Mirror Mirror to be quite cheesy but in a bad way. The comedy was quite poor, the story was not exciting and the actress who played Snow White was not even that attractive in my opinion. Sadly, I have not seen Snow White And The Huntsman. But I was interestd by its trailer and heards its pretty decent and far superior to Mirror Mirror.
There was one film this year that really annoyed me. It was not the film itself. I thought it was a solid film that did what it was supposed to do. But the idea of it being made frustrated me, and that film is The Amazing Spider-Man. With the last of the Tobey Maguire versions released in 2007, this is far too soon for a reboot. Especially when the films shows no signs of needing one. I do agree the third one was not that great, but it was not crying out for new take on the franchise. I heard that they were planing on doing a fourth but it got rejected. So I have no idea why they accepted a reboot. Better yet, why not go for a different superhero? The only bad thing I would say about the film is Andrew Garfield. The attitude of his character put me off and instantly had me wanting Tobey Maguire back in the suit.

One film that on the whole was not that great, but was important viewing to me was Crooked Arrows. I play a lot of Lacrosse and to see a Lacrosse film was a big deal to me personally. It starred Brandon Routh from Superman Returns and despite the slow story and substandard acting, they had actual Lacrosse players with was a huge plus. The Lacrosse action alone definitely made it compelling viewing, because I can see they respected the game and wanted to show the best of it on the big screen.

The biggest hyped film ended up being the most talked about after viewing it. This was also my first film to see at a midnight screening. I of course am talking about Prometheus. This loose prequel to the Alien films directed by Ridley Scott seemed to confuse a lot of the general movie goers. To some of the Alien fans it made sense to them due to the content seemed quite exclusive to only the hardcore fans. Whether you were a fan or not, the common negative was the poor acting and horrible plot holes. My view was, that it was good but it should have been great. Alien was great for its minor characters and in Prometheus we had people you did not like and did not believe them. However, there was a great performance by Michael Fassbender and solid ones by Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba. I also liked its ideas and the visual effects and set designs were fantastic. I hope the two sequels completes the Alien saga and makes good films out of them.

The surprises of the year are the real secret in making a successful in film. On that was released on Boxing Day was the TV movie 'The Girl' which shows the life of Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren during the making of 'The Birds'. Toby Jones who played Hitchcock was quite a presence and made the whole film really creepy to watch.
Other surprising successes was the comically dark Sightseers, the thrilling End Of Watch and the very interesting film documentary, Indie Game: The Movie.

Not many films that heavily featured in the awards missed out on my top 10. Two Best Picture nomination that did not make it was Lincoln. Steven Spielberg's epic drama on Abraham Lincoln's path to abolishing slavery was really good. Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln deserves every award coming to him. However, it is not as engaging as Spielberg's other immortal classics. The other was Beasts Of The Southern Wild. The small budget fantasy drama was quite interesting, but not as captivating everyone made out. Despite that, I still thought it was very good. Best Animated film nominee The Pirates! In An Adventures With Scientists was the family film of 2012 as Aardman animation returned with another romping action adventure with a great blend of smart comedy. A couple of foreign language films that did not make it was the very good Rust And Bone and interesting period drama A Royal Affair. Finally, the winner of Best Picture Argo missed out on what was a competitive list. I thought it was very well made and a gripping film that director and actor Ben Affleck deserved everything he got. But sadly, there were at least 10 films I felt were better. I have recently seen The Impossible which I felt to be very generic, but still gripping viewing.

There were more very good films that missed out, but these ones did not feature in the major awards. We'll start with 21 Jump Street which I did not intend to watch straight away but heard a lot of great reviews. I found time to watch it and thought it was one of the funniest high budget comedies in the last 10 years. Really excited for the sequel in 2014. Others were the incredible gripping The Hunger Games, the thrilling Mud which features another recent Matthew McConaughey renaissance performance, the funny and yet moving Robot & Frank, the deeply emotional The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and the thrilling Looper. One film that deserves a big mention is The Cabin In The Woods that I myself am surprised it didn't make my top 10. I was completely surprised by this. It is not afraid to be different and really goes to town on re-imaging the horror genre. Definitely this generations Scream.
I have to mention Life Of Pi. This is a visual masterpiece by director Ang Lee. It had the feeling of a modern biblical tale, this terrific story really makes the use of 3D and still brings terrific performances. It has some of the best visual effects I'v ever seen and should be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Also missing out is Silver Linings Playbook. It is highly engaging and is one of those few romance dramas that I would buy and watch again and again.
The performances of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are incredible and the story is wonderfully charming and has a nice subtle amount of comedy.

If this was a top 11, then Skyfall would have made it. In terms of awards wins, this is the most successful Bond film of all-time. Daniel Craig is back on top form as the famous British spy. Everything about it is highly enjoyable. It contains great fast-paced action with terrific performances by Judi Dench and Javier Bardem. Director Sam Mendes has created a smart and mature Bond film that can easily been as something separate from the franchise.


With those missing out, you may wonder what could be the 10 films that are better than them. Well, here is my top 10:

10) Wolf Children - An incredibly touching family drama from the director that gave us other memorable Japanese anime such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars.

It sees a reclusive girl meet a man with a strange secret. That chance meeting gives us such a wonderful story that went down places that I was not expecting.

On paper it sounds strange, but my goodness does it work with your emotions.

9) Avengers Assemble - The highest grossing film of 2012 and the film that has firmly stamped the superhero genre back into the mainstream culture and taken it to another level.

I wasn't sure if it would work with many main characters. But director Joss Whedon and his team perfectly mixed everybody to make pure popcorn cinema.

8) Wreck-It Ralph - Saw this quite recently and was completely over-whelmed by it.

It sees a video arcade villain wanting to become a hero and sets to fulfill his dream.

The clever use of the material provided makes this thrilling viewing. Another Disney timeless classic is in the books.

7) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - First of the three prequels to the Lord Of The Rings.

Director Peter Jackson returns to the world where he just adores the source material. With The Hobbit book being a short one Jackson makes the most of the appendices written by author J.R.R Tolkien and has started another terrific franchise.
It's great to be back in Middle Earth.

6) What Maisie Knew - Had to re-edit this post near the end of 2015 as I only discovered it now.
It tells the tale of a young New York City girl get caught up in the middle of a custody battle.

It is such a wonderfully told story that has a fairy tale tone to it, with great performances and had me totally invested.
Child actress Onata Aprile is directed wonderfully to make her performance so natural and innocent as our central character. Julian Moore and Steve Coogan as the parents do what they do best also.
Definitely the hidden gem of 2012.

5) Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino returns with another modern spaghetti western. But this time, it's actually set in the wild west.
With terrific performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson, everything is vintage Tarantino.
Is there really anything more that is needed to be said?

4) The Dark Knight Rises - The third and final part of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
A lot of people were expecting something better than The Dark Knight.
It was going to surpass its predecessor. But it is still a great addition to the franchise that beautifully completes the story.
There are also great performances by new characters played by Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway.

3) Les Miserables - The 32 year old musical hit originating from a 19th century novel has finally made a successful version for the big screen.
Director Tom Hooper carries on from his success with The King's Speech with this latest blockbuster.
With constant singing throughout, it is great to a proper musical being shown after what has been quite a long drought of these.
With many top performances from a stellar cast, this is great viewing that can never get tired of watching.
This was also the only film I have seen at the cinema that ended with a round of applause.

2) The Hunt - A devastatingly emotional Danish drama about how a little white lie can lead to ruining someone else's life. The performances are fantastic, especially from Mads Mikkelsen and youngster Annika Wedderkopp.

It is a brutal watch. But it covers an important topic that we should also remind ourselves with. This broke me both mentally and physically, and not many films can do that to me.

1) Cloud Atlas - Probably the most ambitious film I have ever seen. It would even compete with the epics of the 50's and 60's.
From a supposedly unfilmable book, directors Tom Tykwer and The Wachowski's have created something quite ground-breaking and unique.

It's complex story-telling and film presentation got extremely mixed reviews. But I can see this gradually becoming the biggest cult classic of our time.

My Top 10: Films Of 2011

2011 was quite a surprising year as a lot of the most successful films had such a varying degree of film presentation. From a 3D extravaganza to a near silent black and white film, 2011 was certainly a year to talk about.

I will start with the film I felt to be disappointing, not that great and just awful. I'll start with a seasonal film that I did not think would be done. There are many Christmas films, a few New Year's films but rarely is there one about Easter. This one is called Hop. Despite it starring the entertaining James Marsden, it's light hearted feel to it would only entertain toddlers. To be fair some of the jokes were fine, but overall it just did not work. Other mentions are, The Smurfs which was ok but was never going to be great, Your Highness that despite having the gorgeous Natalie Portman it was just silly, Green Lantern the source material just seemed like it would never mix well on the big screen, Immortals that was just boring, Sucker Punch that was just nonsense despite the amazing special effects, I Am Number Four an unoriginal yet usually successful plot which managed to bore me, Johnny English Reborn which was pretty uneventful but still had some glimpses of classic Rowan Atkinson comedy, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon which is the first Transformers film that I saw to be the beginning of the Michael Bay meltdown, Cars 2 which despite being pretty solid could well be Pixar's weakest feature, Paul which I did enjoy but for it having Simon Pegg and Nick Frost at the helm, it did not feel anywhere near as clever as there other material and finally Kung Fu Panda 2 which is as entertaining and beautifully presented as the first one but just did not feel that same exhilaration as its predecessor.

Some films that mainly got negative reviews that I did not feel were not as bad as originally thought were: Battle Los Angeles which I thought was fairly enjoyable but I can see why people hate it, Scream 4 which I felt to be better than 3 and parts of 2, it felt like a decent reboot but definitely could not touch the amazing original, The Hangover Part II which I enjoyed as much as the first despite it virtually being the same which was its downfall with most of its viewers and Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which I thought was great. I do not get why people had it tough to keep up with the several sub-plots.It made sense to me from the first viewing and made the franchise even great in my opinion.

Every year spring out a few nice surprises which come out of left field. Some of the films that I felt were a surprising were: Attack The Block which is a charming British comedy with a great screenplay, Killer Joe that more or less confirmed the rejuvenation of Matthew McConaughey's career, A Monster In Paris which was a delightful animated film that was not Pixar or Dreamworks, Bol, which is a terrific and powerful drama from Pakistan which could grow for years to come, Captain America: The First Avenger which everyone thought would be mindless filler before The Avengers, but there was actually something that made it stand out and be as good as the rest, Goon which I thought was a surprisingly funny tribute to enforcers in the ice hockey world, Bridesmaids that despite it feeling not as good as it was billed to be I still felt it to be one of the better recent rom-coms, Horrible Bosses which had an enjoyable plot and good solid comedy, Thor which like Captain America managed to be more then just filler, it has its own beating-heart, The Adjustment Bureau which was basically light Inception but still very enjoyable to watch, Fast & Furious 5 that even with the loss of the actual street racing element still managed to entertain, Limitless which was a lot of fun to watch with an interesting idea behind it and finally 50/50 which was a touching drama with some unexpectedly top performances.

The major awards nominated some pretty impressive films. But here are some which missed out on the top 10: War Horse where we Steven Spielberg continuing to create terrific family films and with this one, it can easily become watchable every Christmas, The Iron Lady which I felt to be totally over-rated with a surprisingly odd story-line, The Tree Of Life which I felt to be ambitious, beautiful, but generally weird, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 which was an action-packed ending to the franchise which has only recently left my top 10 of this year, Rango which was a lot better than expected and would happily watch again, Drive which I enjoyed a lot including Ryan Gosling's top performance, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which almost made my top 10 and I felt it to be a very good re-make with great performances, My Week With Marilyn which I really enjoyed especially by the performances by Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh and A Separation which I felt was very good, but not as good as others make it, but one of the better foreign language films.

Successes that almost made my top 10 were: The Inbetweeners Movie which I felt was just a long episode of the series which was a relief as some others loses its touch it had with its TV series. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which I really enjoyed but I do not think had that same magic that the third one had. The Muppets that I enjoyed and felt was a terrific reboot of the franchise which I did not think would happen. Shame which was a very interesting project by director Steve McQueen with great performances by Michael Fassbender and the always brilliant Carey Mulligan. Project Nim which was a touching film documentary that was very fascinating and highly emotional. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes which was surprisingly good reboot of the franchise that was in desperate of re-make. The Raid which is a brilliant Indonesian martial arts action epic that its levels of action were quite unbeatable in 2011. Undefeated, this is a fascinating sports film documentary that really gets you knowing some fascinating characters that go on an epic journey. From Up On Poppy Hill, which is another feature from Studio Ghibli that I felt was quite charming and emotional despite it not being a fantasy based film. The Kid With A Bike, a powerful and raw coming-of-age French drama that this is very similar to something Ken Loach would usually make. Midnight In Paris, the Woody Allen film that I have found love for and want to watch again and again. It has an interesting idea and it made for an enjoyable viewing experience and has many top performances.

Now, this is where it got difficult for me. I had ten films to fit into seven spots. It started as one order, then a different one, and so on. So regrettably missing out are the following three:

The Help, a tough viewing drama on a time period that was really important in America.
It is overflowing with amazing performances from Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain to name a few.
Most of the story is highly emotional but there are some surprising amount of laughs involved in this terrific story.

Super 8, directed by J.J Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, this sci-fi adventure really takes you back to the 80's and 90's when films like this were being released every year.
Abrams is becoming one of my favorite directors at the moment, and this homage to Spielbergs sci-fi classics is a great modern blockbuster that made me have hope that films like this are still being made.

Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy. I remember the hype around it and could see why.
It's direction, script and having the best British actors of our time made for a chilling, slow-burning spy thriller.
Some people may lose patience for its slow tempo, but it really gives you time to understand the characters and the emotions involved in this gripping story.

I have slightly changed this every so often since 2011. So for now, here are the 10:

10) Warrior - A terrifically enjoyable sports based on the world of MMA (mixed martial arts).

It sees two estranged brothers began a collision path when they compete in a tournament.

The action is brutal and this is a sports film that makes you really want to achieve something after watching this.

9) We Need To Talk About Kevin - After the birth of her child, a mother is struggling to love him, due to increasingly horrible things he is doing to the mother.

An absolutely gripping drama with a disturbing final act. It also has an incredible performance by Tilda Swinton.



8) Source Code - After the success of 'Moon', director Duncan Jones gets to do another smart ideas driven sci-fi. But this time, it is more of an action thriller, compared to a slow-paced space movie.
It stars Jake Gyllenhaal who plays a man living out the last eight minutes of his life over and over again, to help prevent a crime.
But all is not what it seems.

7) Untouchable - The moving French drama based on true events that is taking the world by storm. It sees an unlikely friendship between an unemployed young man and a quadriplegic aristocrat.

The film's simplicity is wonderfully misleading. With a terrific script and perfect character development, we have a wonderfully moving drama that really makes you think.

6) Moneyball - A wonderfully told story that is based on true events.
It sees an owner of baseball team Oakland Athletics totally change the way of forming a winning team in a sport that is over a century old.

It has that brilliant mix of dazzling visuals, top performances and an interesting story that will easily please non-fans of Baseball.

5) X-Men: First Class - One of the few summer blockbusters to be brilliant and very successful.
After a few poor or substandard sequels, the X-Men franchise has been given the perfect kick up the backside and is now back on track.

Great fast-paced action with memorable performances by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence.
Can now feel excited about its next installment.

4) Margin Call - An edge of your seat thriller that follows the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis.

It is an unreal directorial debut by J.C Chandor. With a stellar cast, it has a chilling tone and the confined sets would make this a great stage play. It gives us a fascinating portrayal of the early stages of our recent financial crisis.

3) Tyrannosaur - Director Paddy Considine's first feature film as a director is one that really hit me hard.
The tough-viewing story and strong performances of Olivia Coleman and Peter Mullan just blew me away and left me speechless.
Even though it's only 92 mins, the content is non-stop and would easily give Shane Meadows a run for his money in terms of powerful scenes.

2) The Artist - Making a late surge, this Best Picture winner had the critics stunned, especially at the Cannes festival.
Some people may be put off by it being near silent and in black and white. But if you love film, then you need to see this.
It's a great story set during one of the most important times in film history

1) Hugo - Like, the Artist, this is a movie about movies. But this is presented in a modern way and made great use of 3D on the big screen.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, this fun family adventure was the perfect present for Scorsese's daughter.

It is charming, wonderful and great for anyone who wants to go on an epic journey. This films really shows where dreams are made.

Review: Dallas Buyers Club

To be honest, I was only intrigued by this due to its awards success.

I knew very little about the director Jean-Marc Vallee, except that he did The Young Victoria which I found it to be a solid period drama.

The main reason for this film to be mixing with the other best film nominees is mainly thanks to the help of the performances of Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto.

I would be more than happy if they win Best Lead Actor and Supporting Actor at the Oscars on March 2nd, because their transformation really makes you feel that these are real people rather than people acting.
It is an absolute joy to see Matthew McConaughey completely turn his career around. After a promising start, to year after year of mindless rom-coms. Now we have the amazing performances in Magic Mike, Killer Joe, Mud and now Dallas Buyers Club.
We also see a new side of Jared Leto, where like McConaughey he had to make a lot of changes to his body to make this character come to life.

I think the rewards will pay off with a few Oscar wins as that is what this film will be best known for.

The only minor role that shines is Jennifer Garner who does what you would expect. It keeps the right feel of the film and does not lose touch with the environment and emotions around her character.

As for the story, it is one that easy to like and easy to relate to. I felt it to be gritty, raw, quite heavy viewing at times but it is worth it to present this incredible true story.

Some people have compared it to Philadelphia which is clear to see, but director Vallee gives it his own touch to make it a stand-out.

In the end, I really enjoyed it. It is definitely one of those films you would see feature in the major awards. But its best chance of winning awards will be with McConaughey and Leto as they just produce terrific roles that shows McConaughey continuing to show what he was born to do and Leto shows us a new side to his acting arsenal.
I can see possibly sneaking into my top 10 films of 2013.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Films Of 2010

Probably one of my favorites years of film, 2010 saw quite a lot of incredible films.
Sadly like with each year, we have some stinkers. From Piranha to Saw: The Final Chapter there were films pointlessly shown in 3D. Some disappointing showings from Shrek Forever After, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, Predators, Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief, The Wolfman, and the re-makes of The A-Team and The Karate Kid starring the very annoying Jaden Smith.
However, there were some enjoyable summer blockbusters. Despite a lot of flack by the critics I really enjoyed the Clash Of The Titans re-make. The big box-office hit was Alice In Wonderland. People were thinking that this was perfect territory for director Tim Burton. I thought it was o.k but it was overshadowed by the amazing special effects and costumes. One of the earlier films in the summer was Ridley Scott's re-make of Robin Hood, which was a decent attempt but nothing spectacular. Back in the spring, the first sequel of the Avengers franchise Iron Man 2 is now seen as probably the weakest of the Marvel films, but it is still enjoyable which shows how strong superhero movies are now.

Towards the end of the year, we had the 3D spectacle that was Tron: Legacy. It was confirmed that this 80's classic was perfect to be released now, but sadly the plot is still nothing extraordinary to distract you from the visuals and the brilliant soundtrack by Daft Punk.

It was a very successful year for animation. We had successes such as Megamind, Despicable Me, Arrietty and three others that are in my top 10 of the year.

As with all top 10 lists, there were some great films that had to miss out. There was The First Grader, film documentary Benda Bilili, cult classic Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the brilliant Danish-film Troll Hunter, the surprising Remember Me featuring Robert Pattinson, charming British indie film Submarine, the incredibly funny Four Lions, the brilliant 13 Assassins, the thrilling documentary Camerman: The Life And Work Of Jack Cardiff, the smart and funny Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, the emotional Japanese hit Poetry, the surprising Kick-Ass, Japanese psychological thriller Confessions and the excellent Formula 1 documentary Senna which would have made my list if it was a top 12. The best film not to make my top 10 was a low-budgeted sci-fi called Monsters. Directed by Gareth Edwards, who is now moving on to re-make Godzilla, this film amazed as to what can be done with so little. It is a terrific presentation that everyone should watch.

Out the of the films that made the major awards that missed out on my top 10, we have 127 Hours, The Fighter which I found to be over-rated but still very good, The Kids Are All Right, True Grit, Winter's Bone,  the brilliant Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, winner of the Best Foreign Language Film, In A Better World and and the very interesting Beginners.

If this was a top 13, then making the list would have been Buried, The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya and I Saw The Devil. 

Buried, sees a man in a box for 90 mins surely does not sound like a successful film. You thought wrong!
The amazing direction of Rodrigo Cortes has made this feel like a modern Hitchcock thriller.
Ryan Reynolds stars as a man who wakes up and finds himself buried alive. Be prepared for a brilliant thrill ride at six feet under.

The Disappearance Of Huruhi Suzumiya is quite the captivating anime. Despite it being a continuation of a TV series, newbies like me can still be highly engaged by this drama that have seen nothing beforehand. It's a gripping mystery adventure that keeps taking you down a path before adding a further twist to dramatically shake things up. Wonderful animation and strong re-watchability.
As for I Saw The Devil, it is a brutal horror thriller from South Korea that sees a secret agent exact revenge on a serial killer.
While the violence is tough to watch and gross at times, the frenetic pace, high-octane tension and wonderful cinematography kept me hooked throughout.
This is highly exciting and thrilling viewing. But like I said, the style of violence is not for the faint hearted.

2010 was a memorable year for film and I'm sure my top 10 will reflect that. Here it is:

10) How To Train Your Dragon - With Pixar still at its peak, and Disney slowing coming back, Dreamworks have come up with something quite spectacular.

With surprisingly good story-telling, this family feast will work with everyone.

The makers have given us a story that takes us back to what animated films used to be. Long may this continue.

9) Catfish - An incredibly odd documentary with a twist that freaked me out to the very end.
When two young filmmakers document their friends online relationship with a young lady, leads to something quite disturbing.

The message is simple but powerful and really shows the power of the online world.

8) Tangled - After a few hints of Disney returning to a high point, Tangled confirmed to all of us that Disney are back.

Full of the right mix of charm, cleverness and wit, this modern twist on the classic Rapunzel tale will please everyone of all ages. Also, like with of the great Disney classics, there are memorable songs.

7) Black Swan - An amazing presentation of where you go when obsession gets the better of you.
Natalie Portman produces the Oscar winning performance as a ballet dancer who wins the lead role in 'Swan Lake' but is struggling to become the Black Swan.

Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller surprised me, especially as to how scary it truly is. Well deserving of its Best Picture Oscar nomination.

6) Incendies - Denis Villeneuve's brutal mystery drama that sees twins journey back to their mother's home country to uncover a piece of hidden family history.

It's brilliantly told, with amazing camerawork, a performance by Lubna Azabal of award-winning standards and contains one of the most devastating endings you could possibly imagine.

You won't ever forget the time you saw this for the first time.

5) Shutter Island - Master director Martin Scorsese goes slightly off-piste with this mystery thriller.

Two U.S Marshals investigates a hospital island for the criminally insane after one of the patients has escaped.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, this is an amazing thriller with a B-movie feel to it. What made it so successful is the big twist and the epic final line.

4) The King's Speech - Winner of the Best Picture in the Oscars for this year, Colin Firth plays King George VI as he becomes King and Great Britain is on the brink of war with Germany.

Known for his stuttering speeches, the King hires a vocal coach to find confidence in himself and of the country, to show that they are in good hands.

3) The Social Network - A film about Facebook was surely destined to only succeed with its users. Many including myself were sadly mistaken.

Director David Fincher has created a modern masterpiece. It is surprisingly intelligent has brilliant dialogue and is becoming one of the best modern films that gets better with each viewing.

2) Toy Story 3 - Eleven years after its sequel, there were initial worries that it has been too long for any chance of a third installment.
But it seemed it was the perfect decision as Pixar have created another gem that almost emulates the ground-breaking original.
It managed to surpass all expectations by a country mile and it is probably the greatest trilogy of all-time.

1) Inception - Too smart for the summer audience? Wrong answer! Director Christopher Nolan is now at the peak of his powers and has created something that just has everything you want from Nolan.
Set in a world where we have extractors (people that can steal peoples secrets via their dreams), the best skilled extractor is given a task by a major business investor to blackmail his rival by creating the ultimate heist, inception.
It is amazingly complex, but it works as a summer blockbuster. It's perfect.

Review: The LEGO Movie

When you think of a movie being called 'The LEGO Movie', it just does not seem that appealing, except for kids.
But when I saw the trailer, it did amuse me and excite me that this could be good.

What really hooked me was that the directors were Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Their directorial roles in Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street both surprised me because I did not feel I would enjoy as much as I did in the end. Their style of comedy and pace of the story seems to work for me, and from what I can see many others.

It should have been awful. It should have been a huge product placement. But the instant humor, amazing visuals and heart of the film shows that there is none of that. It is great for fans and non-fans of LEGO. There is great 80's nostalgia and huge amounts of references to different generations of Lego throughout which can be a great observation game.
It shows how the toy has brought families together and how your imagination and the joyous feeling of play-time.

The big positives are the comedy. It's is vintage Lord and Miller. The jokes are smart and witty and a lot of the gags are for the kids to laugh along with that the adults can also relate to. But also, there a few hidden ones for just for the older generation.
The presentation of the film has really stumped people. I think it's a perfect blend of stop-motion and CGI. It's beautifully mixed together and never ruins the feel of the movie. The style of comedy and animation is very Wallace & Gromit and that never fails.

There are not any negatives that are worth mentioning, so I will just mention more positives. There is so much for the hardcore LEGO fans. It pays homage to its vintage collections, its latest and even takes a dig and its not so successful ones. Finally, it also has a very catchy song that will constantly remind you of how good this film is for a long time after seeing it at the cinema.

Once again, Lord and Miller have surprised me and a lot of others for a third time. On paper it sounds a bit silly, but when you see it you actually find its charm, its heart and you just love it. It is completely bonkers, but it works within the physics of the universe. Then the clever and genius ending gives everything else more of a purpose and it is the perfect homage to the toy that will never leave us. Everything is awesome!

Rating: 8/10

Review: The 'Before' trilogy

Billed as the lowest grossing trilogy of all-time, this beautiful modern romance has created quite a cult following.
After the surprise success Before Sunrise in 1995, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have given us characters that we just do not want to stop walking and talking.
The whole trilogy is just pure script and it never gets tired. It is a love story we can all relate to in terms of the topics these two unexpected lovers manage to talk about.

With the much deserved awards success for Before Midnight in 2013, who knows, we might a fourth installment in 2024 due to each installment being released every nine years?

Before Sunrise - An incredibly brave and surprisingly honest way how to look at relationships. Everything about this surprised people. The right amount of emotion and charm made this chance meeting story a really heart-warming one that is perfect for Valentine's Day or even any day with your loved one.

Rating: 8/10

Before Sunset - Nine years after the release of Sunrise, we now have Sunset. After their incredible night in Vienna, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's characters reunite in France.

The long talking that looks like one single take is still enjoyable to watch, the script writing continues to hook you in and the development of their relationship remains to be intriguing and easily relatable.

Rating: 8/10

Before Midnight - Another nine years has past and our two lovers are now in Greece.
The magic in their relationship and the script is highly creative and very interesting.

If pushed, it is probably my least favorite. But believe me I still highly recommend this as it really completes the story of their love story.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Romance Films

Romance is a genre which I do not usually urge myself to watch as a lot of them these days are not that great. Most of them are bog-standard rom-coms with not a lot of heart to it. Thankfully, it is not a total loss. There have been some nice surprises in recent years, but most of the great romance films in my opinion are now of yesteryear.

My top 10 has quite a wide range of eras. From the 30's to as recent as 2013. It also contains two parts of one of the unlikeliest trilogies. If you have not seen any of these, then I strongly recommend you snuggle with your loved one and enjoy these. Here are my top 10:

10) Casablanca - Many peoples favorite film of all-time, this never ageing 40's classic stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Set in Africa during WWII, a man meets a former lover with unforeseen complications.

It's breath-taking scenes and memorable lines will please first-time viewers.

9) The Graduate - Quite a ground-breaking new-look on the romance genre.

It also featured the breakthrough performance of Dustin Hoffman as a recent college graduate who gets in an affair with the mother of a girl he is attracted to.

8) The Apartment - Only recently saw this and loved it.

It sees Jack Lemmon playing a New Yorker trying to rise up in his company by letting his executives use his apartment for trysts.

It has that perfect mix of romance, comedy and drama and well deserving of its Best Picture Oscar for 1960.

Lemmon and Shirley McClaine are brilliant together.

7) Roman Holiday - Made in 1953, Audrey Hepburn stars as a princess looking for a place to get away from all the duties of a monarch.
She meets up with this American journalist and have the time of their lives in Rome.

It's style of comedy still works and the pace of it all can still keep up with any of today's successes.

6) Before Sunset - Nine years after their chance meeting in Vienna.
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's characters meet-up again, but in Paris.

Like its predecessor, the acting is great, the script feels totally improvised and genuine and in some ways, these 'Before' films are more like reading a novel.

5) Before Sunrise - A real surprise that I and many others just loved instantly.
A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe and have one night they will never forget.

It's simplicity is fantastic and script is genius. No gimmicks, just great on-screen chemistry. It managed to end up being a trilogy and create quite a cult following.

4) The Philadelphia Story - More of a rom-com then pure romance, but it still fits into this category.

Only recently seen this 1940 classic. Starring the brilliant Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart, this is a story of a well known socialite about to be married for the second time. However her ex-husband hires a crack team to prevent that from happening, as he still loves the women he lost. Loads of great performances that made the film ahead of its time.

3) Brief Encounter - The original chance meeting that I just never get bored of watching.
Not only is a great story, the performance are tip-top and even some of editing is quite ground-breaking for its release in 1945.

The chemistry of Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson holds the film together and makes an absolute British gem.

2) Gone With The Wind - Made in 1939, the supposedly greatest of film. This almost 4-hour epic tells the story of an affair of characters played by the brash Clark Gable and gorgeous Vivien Leigh during the American Civil War.

Everything about it is way ahead of its time, although I think the duration might bore a few of today's young generation.

1) Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - The imagination of director Michel Gondry really redefines the romance genre and perfectly mixes it in with sci-fi.

A couple arrange to have their memories of their relationship erased, but it seems their loss shows how important their relationship is.

My Top 10: Films Of 2009

2009 for me was quite a varied year in terms of the films that feature in my top 10. But for most people, it was the year of the highest box-office of all-time was released. I will not mention the film just yet as it is in my top 10, but this film seemingly introduced the re-birth of 3D.
There was a big push for this film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, but it was ousted by a film that officially is a 2008 film, The Hurt Locker.

Other films featuring in the awards that are not in my top 10 are as follows. I remember this being quite a surprise to be nominated for Best Picture, it is the Coen brothers 'A Serious Man'. For me, I could see that it have a Coen's feel to it, but I felt a lot of the ideas just did not work for me and overall I thought it was o.k. There was British representation in the form of 'An Education' which I did enjoy especially the performance by Carey Mulligan who I love everything she does on screen in anything. But sadly it just missed out my top 10.
The Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges for his brilliant performance in Crazy Heart which I thoroughly enjoyed, but like An Education, it never quite made it. One film that I have only recently seen and had been intrigued by it for years was 'Up In The Air' featuring George Clooney. The story is fascinating and I felt the director made the most of it and made it a good watch.
A common them with some Award winning films is that you like it but will probably never watch it again. This year, I felt that title went to 'Precious'. It had a pretty hard subject, and was a tough watch. But it is story that pulls at the heart strings well, but the tough scenes will put people off to give it a second viewing.
Some of the more disappointing ones I felt were, 'Invictus' and 'A Single Man'. Even though I heavily praised the performances lead by Colin Firth, the story of A Single Man did not interest me that much. As for Invictus, it was good enough to just see Morgan Freeman play the late Nelson Mandela. Apart from that, I felt everything a bit ordinary, which was a shame.

However, on the opposite end of success. Some of the films I thought were disappointing or just plain bad were:
Lesbian Vampire Killers - Does what it's supposed to be, nothing more. At least it had o.k British humor.
G.I Joe: The Rise Of Cobra - Decent action with a nice cliffhanger. Overall ok, and a very moment involving Sienna Miller and some nice shoes.
2012 - Thought it would one of the better action movies. It had potential but did too many wrong things such as having John Cusack as the hero.
Bruno - Some good laughs, but overall weak compared to Sacha Baren Cohen's previous work, Borat.
Night At The Museum 2 - Not as good as the original, but enjoyable enough to be dis-liked.
Dorian Gray - Some bits surpassed my expectations, but the big picture was still as ordinary as I thought it would be.
Fast & Furious - Surprisingly boring, that's it.

Here are some quick reviews of some films that I thought were not as bad as the majority thought:
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen - I agree Michael Bay is a bad story-teller, but I just love the action and the new ideas for the design of the new Transformers characters.
Knowing - A pretty interesting genre movie that actually does what it is supposed to do.
The Lovely Bones - Clearly not Peter Jackson's best work, but still very enjoyable with some great performances especially by Stanley Tucci.
Terminator Salvation - Felt it was on a par with Rise Of The Machines. I can see why people felt it was boring, but I enjoyed the action and was not too bothered about the un-originality of it all.
Angels & Demons - Agree that the script is shockingly dumb, but I enjoyed the pace of it and tense scenes.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Really enjoyed the action and the characters involved. Was obviously predictable as we know the main bits of Wolverine's origins story, but everything else is worth watching. Only disappointment was the portrayal of one character people we were begging to be involved the previous X-Men movies.
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus - Like with all Terry Gilliam movies, there is a lot of ideas I just always manage to admire. It is the last film of Heath Ledger and his performance is the perfect send-off to a career that should never have been this short.
The Time Traveller's Wife - Very mixed reviews with this one. I enjoyed its ideas and the performances I felt were good enough to make the overall viewing experience a pleasant one.

Films that I felt were a surprising success:
Drag Me To Hell - One of the better modern horrors with some really gross scenes.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs - Never expected to be really funny and the story is quite good for everyone to get into.
Julie & Julia - Not the type I would usually like, but found it touching enough to like
Away We Go - A very funny and touching indie rom-com.
Thirst - Another film to show that Japanese knows horror and it is one of the better vampire films.
The Princess And The Frog - Had a proper classic Disney feel to it. Great fairy-tale style story with some great songs and enough modern humor that appeals to everyone.
Looking For Eric - An odd but workable British film even if it does feature Eric Cantona.
This Is It - An enjoyable documentary on the Michael Jackson concert that never took place. It looks like it would have been an amazing show and I never knew how much of a perfectionist Jacko was.
My Sister's Keeper - A big hit with the girls. It is a decent story that really pulls at your emotions.
500 Days Of Summer - A rom-com with a good idea is rare these days. Good performances and decent heart-warming moments.

Here are some of the films that came close to featuring in my top 10:
Micmacs - Mainstream would find this odd, but if you just go with it then it is amazingly enjoyable with a lot of interesting characters.
Harry Brown - The British of Gran Torino in my opinion which is never a bad thing. Great performance by Michael Cain that tells an important story.
A Town Called Panic - One of the maddest films ever. This french stop-motion animated film manages to make sense out of something that on paper sounds completely bonkers. It's weirdly brilliant.
About Elly - Quite a tense and thrilling Iranian film that had me gripping whatever seat I was in at the time.
Mary And Max - A pretty cool stop-motion animation that has its heart in the place. There is also a nice amount of comedy.
The Damned United - A great portrayal of a famous football story with a surprising amount of depth and top performances all-time, round.
In The Loop - Beginning as TV series 'The Thick Of It' which I have never seen, this is a brilliant political satire. It has a modern Dr. Strangelove feel to it, lots of great performances and the writing is genius. It is a work of fictional farce and it is brilliantly entertaining.


With all those missing out, here is my top 10:

10) Up - Probably Pixar's most emotional film.

The story of an old man trying to achieve his childhood dream is now one of the greatest adventures in film history.

Be prepared to laugh, cry, be gripped and generally fall in love with this tremendous story.

9) Summer Wars - A wonderful Japanese animation with thrilling action, heartfelt drama and well executed political satire.

It has similarities to WarGames, The Matrix and has many of the typical anime tropes. However, it's strong content makes you forget it's unoriginal moments and has becomes a wonderful ride of both excitement and heart-breaking emotion.

8) Moon - A terrific low budget British sci-fi with an all star cast.

Sam Rockwell plays an astronaut whose duty is to send brand new natural resources from the Moon to Earth.

One incident changes this astronauts whole life. Films like this reminds us as to how science fiction should be about.

7) 3 Idiots - I don't often checkout Indian films. But this may be the best one I've seen from Bollywood.

While on a search for a long lost friend, memories of their college days start to come back.

It's highly profound, very funny and emotionally rewarding. It's a wonderful introduction for anyone that has ever set their eyes on a Bollywood feature.

6) District 9 - A ground-breaking sci-fi by director Neil Blomkamp that so deservedly got nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Remember being completely blown away and felt that this is the future of sci-fi films.

5) Coraline - From director Henry Selick who did The Nightmare Before Christmas, the level of scariness is cranked up much higher than 11.

When a young girl wants new parents, the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' could not be more perfect for this terrific fantasy tale.

Also, the stop-motion animation is top-notch.

4) Inglourious Basterds - Another absolute belter by director Quentin Tarantino.

A group of Jewish and U.S soldiers land in Nazi-occupied France to assassinate Hitler.

It features my favorite opening scene in film-history and everything else is vintage Tarantino action.

3) Avatar - Director James Cameron managed to make a film that overtook Titanic's record as the highest grossing film of all time.

This visual masterpiece amazed me and the whole world.

Cameron has created an amazing world that I am sure we all want to visit one day.

2) Watchmen - From the most successful graphic novel of all-time, director Zack Snyder for me has created the best possible movie depiction.
I do not understand why some hardcore fans say it is bad. It is near perfect to the comic and the ending makes much more sense then it did in the graphic novel.
For non-fans of the comic book it is a brilliant exploration of the super-hero genre.

1) Star Trek - People had fears this could ruin the Trek franchise. director J.J Abrams made sure he would remain faithful but also bring in a new audience.
He pulled it off spectacularly with a perfect story line and amazing cast choices that has made this the latest swashbuckling sci-fi bonanza.