Film Review: Ted

Director: Seth MacFarlane

With Seth MacFarlane renowned for writing the TV series Family Guy that keeps being cancelled and then re-commissioned due to massive DVD sales. It was probably inevitable that he would get the chance to move to the big screen with a bigger budget and some big Hollywood actors.

John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted

John Bennett (slightly awkward Mark Wahlberg) who as a child wishes that his Teddy bear will come to life and then is shocked to find that it has. Fast forward 25 years and his life of getting stoned with his Teddy watching movies and Flash Gordon. The close relationship they have is getting in the way of John's relationship with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) who he neglects but also believes that his life with his Teddy is stopping him from progressing at his job. All this comes to a head during the movie.

My initial reaction to the movie is that it wasn't as funny as I was expecting and even more surprisingly is that it doesn't even try half as many jokes as I expected. In many cases the film moves along for 3-4 minutes at a time with no real jokes attempted. Naturally there are some funnier moments especially when MacFarlane strays into Family Guy style jokes and cutaways but there isn't the comedic acting talent in the cast for it to work convincingly.

Angry Ted

Some actors live up to their roles well with Giovanni Ribisi in his usual creepy form as the guy who wants to buy Ted for his kid and Matt Walsh who plays John's boss is as funny as anyone in the movie despite being in about 4 scenes. Ryan Reynolds has a funny cameo as well to look out for but for the most part it's just Wahlberg struggling as a comedic actor whilst Kunis whines at him and Ted does outrageous things that aren't necessarily that funny. Considering the hype and potential of this movie it is certainly a letdown for me.

1/4 predictable and lacking enough quality jokes is only two of the problems this movie faces

Film Review: The Breakfast Club

Director: John Hughes

Written and directed by John Hughes, The Breakfast Club is synonymous with the 1980's and being a portrayal of those awkward teenage years as you work your way through high school. It is often cited as one of the greatest high school movies of all time and in lists for the greatest films of all time including the Empire top 500 which I reviewed recently (I hadn't seen this movie at the time of writing that review).

The film follows a group of school kids who are forced into Saturday detention for various misdemeanours during the week. The five very different kids which are given nicknames based on what people see them as are the athlete/Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the criminal/John (Judd Nelson), the princess/Claire (Molly Ringwald), the brain/Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and the basket-case/Allison (Ally Sheedy). They initially bicker once the teacher is gone about their differences but slowly begin to realise that they are all very similar.

The Breakfast Club

Unfortunately certain films don't age that well (Twelve Monkeys being my prime example) and this falls into that category. Many of the characters are very cliché but obviously this wouldn't have been the case at the time. The idea of setting the whole film within the school and mainly the detention room is bold but the characters antagonising each other over their differences lasted too long without any real substance behind it. Judd Nelson as John is quite a transparent character which makes his story very predictable from the outset whilst Allison is pretty much a redundant character to the film.

The music is classic 80's and that isn't a bad thing as "Don't you (forget about me)" by Simple Minds is played at the beginning and end of the movie which seemed a very apt song given what is discussed during the film. The finale nicely ties the film together as the kids realise that this wasn't just another detention but it's just a long time coming.

2/4 emotional and warm finale but the characters are irritating and clichéd for too long

Film Preview: Lawless

An impressive cast has been pulled together for this Western crime drama about three bootleggers who find their business under threat during the Prohibition era. The cast includes Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce and unfortunately Shia LeBeouf. It was released at the Cannes Film Festival in the competition for the Palme d'Or but didnt win. A film with potential that will certainly attract interest from fans of Boardwalk Empire which is set around a similar era.

The trailer is embedded below and the movie is released on 7th September 2012 in the UK.

Film Review: Pulp Fiction

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino's second film after the superb Reservoir Dogs was a more ambitious affair with a bigger cast and a non-linear storyline. Although much of the cast from his first film return in various roles including Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi and Tim Roth. Much like the reference to its title at the beginning the film is slightly shapeless with many questions unanswered.

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson)

The film revolves around three different plot lines that are told in 7 scenes which are not shown in chronological order. The scenes which bookend the film look at Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Hunny Bunny (Amanda Plummer) starting a robbery of a restaurant. We then see Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L.Jackson) retrieve a suitcase for their boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) whilst Vega must entertain Marsellus wife Mia (Uma Thurman) without being seduced by her. The final story is about Butch (Bruce Willis) who agrees to throw a fight for Marsellus for one last big payoff. The stories slowly become connected as the film develops into a tense finale.

This is the film that is generally seen as the reason behind John Travolta's acting comeback and it only came about because Michael Madsen (who played Vic Vega in Reservoir Dogs) was unavailable as he was shooting Wyatt Earp. This is a decision he still regrets many years later. Travolta puts in a good performance but is slightly over-shadowed by Samuel L. Jackson who is superb as his foul-mouthed religious partner in crime.

Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace

Bruce Willis is very convincing as the over the hill boxer in a role he seemed more comfortable in. The overall piece is similar to The Big Lebowski in terms of the plot itself being only half the film with much of the quick witted dialogue between characters providing more of the entertainment. Some parts the film grinds to a halt but overall its completely intriguing all the way.

3.5/4 genre defining film with memorable dialogue throughout

Film Review: The Big Lebowski

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

The Coen brothers have a certain magic when it comes to make memorable films like Fargo and No Country for Old Men but none are memorable than the cult classic The Big Lebowski. A film that was so popular amongst some fans that a Lebowski fest runs every year in Louisville, Kentucky for fans of the film to gather as well as an online religion called Dudeism which spreads the idea and philosophy of the main character The Dude who is played by Jeff Bridges.

Jeff Bridges as The Dude

The Dude becomes embroiled in a kidnapping of a rich man's wife, Bunny played by Tara Reid, who happens to share the same surname as the Dude (Lebowski). This involves him being beaten up on different occasions and having his favourite rug urinated on and then his replacement stolen (''it really tied the room together''). The Dude has to deliver £1 million dollars to some thugs who have kidnapped Bunny and is helped by his friend Walter (John Goodman) when everything starts to go wrong.

Jeff Bridges and John Goodman are both excellent in their roles, Goodman as the Vietnam vet who just wont let go and Bridges as the laid back Dude who is incredibly likeable. The dialogue between the two creates a lot of the humour within the film as two completely contrasting characters in temperament. In The Dude the Coens have created a persona that thousands of people would love to be.

Superb cameo by John Turturro as Jesus Quintana

The plot itself becomes increasingly complex as the movie shifts towards its conclusion but what actually happens to the characters in the movie is only half of what this film is all about. It's the comic flair that the actors spit out quotable lines that elevates this above so many other movies of this type. Some of the plotlines don't always work but it doesn't really detract from what is a darkly funny film.

3.5/4 cult surreal brilliance by the Coens

Film Review: Friends with Benefits

Director: Will Gluck

Friends with Benefits was a film that I was told to watch because Mila Kunis spends a lot of time not wearing much, not a bad idea for a movie I guess. On actually watching this I was disappointed to find that many people had exaggerated this, although there is still ample opportunity for oggling, but was pleasantly surprised that it was funnier than expected. The main characters of Kunis and Timberlake talk openly about sex and sexual politics in the modern world whilst poking fun at the bog standard romcoms, all to good effect.

The plot revolves around Jamie (Kunis) headhunting Dylan (Timberlake) for a job which requires him to move from Los Angeles to New York where he knows no-one. They become friends and then decide having both been recently dumped that they should have no strings attached sex. Naturally you can guess what happens as the film progresses but that doesn't stop it from being a funny film along the way.

Jamie Relis (Mila Kunis) and Dylan Harper (Justin Timberlake)

The chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake is certainly evident during the sex scenes whilst the dialogue between the pair is quick witted and funny. This is the key in rom-coms such as this but is so often overlooked in the script writing and casting stage of making the movie. Woody Harrelson is an excellent addition as the no nonsense gay Sports editor who works with Dylan at his new job, he adds a different comedy dynamic to the movie at the right moments whilst the story surrounding Dylan's Dad does pull at the heart strings.

2.5/4 surprisingly funny and likeable take on the rom-com.

Film Preview: Man of Steel (Superman)

Christopher Nolan could be forgiven for having some time off to bask in the success of the Batman franchise he successfully re-created after The Dark Knight Rises opened to critical acclaim last week. Instead he has gone straight back to re-booting another superhero franchise that struggled at the end before finally being shelved. The early Superman movies were a great success but as more sequels came along the quality became diluted but if anybody has the previous form to show that he can make this a success than Nolan is certainly the man.

Henry Cavill takes up the lead role as Clark Kent/Superman whilst Amy Adams couldn't look more different to her role in The Muppets playing Lois Lane. Whilst other cast members include Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne and even Kevin Costner who plays Jonathan Kent. Whatever happens this will be an interesting movie to watch as we learn the background of the Superman story and his development into the superhero.


Movie Poster

The movie is set to be released 14th June 2013 and a teaser trailer is embedded below. Let the hype commence!

Empire 500 Greatest Movies of all time review

Naturally, lots of critics and magazines come up with these lists to create debate among movie enthusiasts and most importantly increase readers. The Empire list has been around for a while now (2008?) so we have had plenty of opportunity to discuss the list and even watch some of the movies we missed. My current total of movies from the list stands at 193 films with around another 30 on my list of films I want to see. It would be very difficult to see all 500 given the diverse number of films, it's safe to say there is at least 100 films on the list I have no interest in ever seeing but that is not to say they are not deserving of a place on the list.

The first problem with the list I found is that there was quite a bit of populist sentiment with recent examples being Transformers, Spiderman 2 and Zodiac being included among the list. The first two were very average movies at best whilst Zodiac was a decent film but certainly not amongst the 500 greatest ever. If Empire re-do this list again in 5 years then I'd be shocked if these films would still be included. These are just a few examples whilst classics like Guns of Navarone and Doctor Zhivago are missing.

A deserving candidate?

This is without dissecting the actual order of the list as well which is even more shocking and seems almost random outside the top 100, Casino Royale at 56 anyone and Aliens above Alien? It's hard to argue with the films within the top 5 as they are true classics even if I'm not an Indian Jones fan.

The front-page offers up some clues as to the shortfall of the method for choosing the films as 10,000 Empire readers were asked their opinions. I dread to think what some of the films people voted for that didn't make the list.

This is the link to the list: Empire 500 Greatest Movies of All-Time List. It would be good to hear people's thoughts on the list and if you sad enough to count how many movies you have seen from the list.

Film Review: Senna

Director: Asif Kapadia

Sometimes in sport somebody comes along that changes the face of that sport forever and in Formula One that man was Ayrton Senna who was tragically taken from us at Imola in 1994 during the San Marino Grand Prix. Asif Kapadia wanted to put a movie together to discuss his life and find out a lot more about the man behind the wheel. He was successful in gaining support from his family who were more than happy for his life to be shared with the millions of fans he gained over the years and they also added a huge amount in interviews that were used during the movie.

The legend Ayrton Senna

The great work by the whole production team in covering his life means we find out a lot about how much he loved Brazil and the work he did to improve the lives of people there. It also showed how this was reciprocated as the nation lived through him and celebrated with parties when he finally won the World Championship. The telling of the stories of these championships were won and lost is intriguing to watch even if you already know the exact outcome, it's moments like this that separate this documentary from many similar to it.

I would agree that this is a film that you can enjoy even if you aren't a Formula One fan and I was when I was growing up having lost interest since. Alain Prost was critical of the movie due to the portrayal of his relationship which he felt was how the media viewed them rather than how they actually felt about each other as drivers and people. This aside it's a fascinating journey to watch despite knowing what we have lost.

3.5/4 a great piece of work to the memory of one of the greatest ever drivers

Film Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Director: Christopher Nolan

This review should be spoiler free in terms of the plot.

The much awaited final part of the trilogy that has been easily the most impressive of the Batman series so far. The interest and scramble for tickets on the first day of release has been huge and as intense as any other film released in recent years. When I walked out of the cinema at the end of the movie I felt it was all entirely justified, it met my very high expectations with a superbly satisfying conclusion.

Movie Poster

Tom Hardy plays Bane who is a terrifying hulk of a man although is slightly let down by being inaudible at some points wearing the mask. If Batman's battle with The Joker was a battle of wits then this is a battle of brawn. Tom Hardy literally looks massive in terms of muscular size and unrecognisable with the mask and shaved head. The comparisons with The Dark Knight are an easy criticism with it being such a superb movie but the sequel goes in a completely different direction. Joseph Gordon Levitt is a great addition as John Blake, a cop who bends the rules and work with Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) whilst Anne Hathaway is fascinating and intriguing as a version of Catwoman. You are never quite sure of her motives as she seems to just be out for herself. 

The ending wraps up the trilogy brilliantly with many twists before the actual ending, the movie does get a bit bogged down in the middle which adds to the long running time but then builds up to a tense climax. Christopher Nolan has done the near impossible in delivering a finale that lives up to the immense amount of hype, it will be intriguing to see what his next project will be like (Man of Steel).

4/4 superb thrill ride with an incredibly satisfying conclusion.

This week's releases

Dark Knight Rises: Unsurprisingly any other releases this week will be over-shadowed by probably the biggest film of 2012 being released. The final part of the trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan which sees Batman's fall from grace after being blamed for the events in 'The Dark Knight' whilst Gotham City's latest villain is Bain (Tom Hardy).

Dr Seuss' The Lorax: Featuring the voices of Zac Efron and Taylor Swift (you're not interested already are you?), The Lorax who is a cuddley forest creature tries to help a 12 boy and the girl of his dreams whilst trying to protect his own world.

Lola Versus: A 'sideways' look at relationships from the female point of view as we follow Lola (Greta Gerwig) is dumped just days before her wedding. As she tries to put her life back together she embarks on a number of relationships before she reaches the age of 30 (which really isn't that old anymore).

Film Review: Countdown to Zero

Director: Lucy Walker

A documentary film that was released in early 2011 in the UK which features interviews with numerous former world leaders such as Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev and Jimmy Carter to name just a few. They discuss the huge increase in the threat of nuclear weapons due to the number of countries that have developed nuclear weapons. It also looks at previous incidents where nuclear material has fallen into the wrong hands due to illegal trading and poorly secured sites in places like Russia. The ending of the film included a text number you could message to join the protest against the huge arsenal of nuclear weapons held in certain countries and the lax security surrounding them.

The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010 but was screened out of the competition before also being accepted to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival again out of competition.

Movie Poster

As a film it is still incredibly relevant in this world of global terrorism, Al-Qaeda have made it no secret that they would like to harness the power of nuclear weapons for mass terrorism. The illegal trade of nuclear material is extremely prevalent but has been slowed by more stings operated by organisations like the FBI and CIA.

There is absolutely no doubting the quality of research that has gone into making this movie and the recruiting of some of the most powerful men in World politics to be interviewed. This really helps reinforce the anti-nuclear message that the film is promoting.

3/4 extremely informative yet worrying documentary

Film Review: Electrick Children

Director: Rebecca Thomas

The debut movie of young director Rebecca Thomas is an enchanting feature which moves from the breath-taking natural beauty of Utah to the dark underside of Las Vegas behind the bright lights. We follow Rachel (the impressive Julia Garner) as she finds a mysterious tape which plays the song 'Hanging on the telephone' and she is captivated with the song having never heard anything similar. She becomes pregnant claiming that God made her pregnant through the tape despite never having had intercourse before so she sets off to find the singer on the tape which leads her away from Mormon life in Utah.


The young Mormons finally see the real world



The song on the tape is a popular one and is the original version by a band called The Nerves rather than the more popular cover by Blondie. Julia Garner is great to watch as the extremely naive Rachel who ends up spending time with a drug fuelled metal band in Vegas which prompts some funny moments. You always feel Rachel's longing to be accepted and loved by those around her which adds a vulnerability to the charm of the film. Billy Zane is also well cast as the slightly slimy but subtle pastor who works as the protagonist to Rachel's dreams.

After Rachel sneaks away from her family in Utah and ends up in Las Vegas the film stalls. It seems unsure about which direction it wants to take for the middle third of the film before building towards a slightly predictable conclusion. It just felt like 25mins of ideas thrown into the movie to make it a full length feature rather than a hour long TV drama rather than a tense build-up to the finale.

2/4 good lead and nicely shot in places but suffers from a lack of ideas before the end.

Film Preview: Swandown

Despite looking like a drunken pedalo ride from the seaside at Hastings to Hackney and the site of the London Olympics but is actually more of a thoughtful piece which also blends in archived footage and composed sequences to the footage of the journey. Iain Sinclair, who is on the journey to promote the negative impact the Olympics is having on his beloved Hackney, and film director Andrew Kotting are joined by various people during the trip including comedian Stewart Lee who can be counted on to add some interesting moments.

This film will only appear for a short time at the cinemas in the run up to the Olympics so if you are as negative and critical of the games as I am then this might be the movie for you.

Iain Sinclair and Andrew Kotting on their water based odyssey

Swandown is having a limited UK release from this Friday 20th July and will be showing at the Cornerhouse cinema in Manchester amongst other more independant cinemas in the UK. The short trailer is embedded below:

Film Preview: Why Stop Now

Jesse Eisenberg who is now synonymous with playing Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network stars in this Comedy about a piano playing prodigy who is in college that is taken hostage by a drug dealer whilst trying to check his mother into rehab. Melissa Leo plays the mother whilst Tracy Morgan is the hostage taking drug dealer. The movie has the potential to be funny and clever but I'm unsure after watching the trailer.

Unfortunately there is no set release date that I can find in the UK but it comes out in the US in August so should be here by the end of the year. The trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: The Amazing Spiderman

Director: Marc Webb

In many ways, the people involved with making this movie didn't have a tough act to follow given the colossal failure that the previous franchise was as it rumbled on to Spiderman 3. The reboot of the franchise was kick-started by the cancellation of Spiderman 4 which ended Sam Raimi's series. I entered with reasonably low expectations which meant I wasn't too disappointed with the outcome but when comparing it to the latest Batman franchise (which is inevitable) then it fails to live up to it.

Andrew Garfield as Spiderman

The film revolves around the ''back story'' of Peter Parker becoming Spiderman and tries to find out who he is by finding out about his father and who he was after he left when Peter was very young. He slowly develops his skills after being bitten by the Spiderman with good and bad results but then has to use them to combat an enemy that is threatening the entire city.

Andrew Garfield is definitely an upgrade on Tobey MacGuire as the leading man which improves the film from the outset but that is not to say he is great in this movie as some of the acting on the ''funnier'' moments really fell flat. The other concern especially with a sequel looming, don't leave as soon as the credits start rolling if you haven't seen it like 90% of the people did next to me, is whether Garfield can continue to play someone in high school since he is now 28. Emma Stone is under-utilized within the film until the end which is a shame.

Spiderman with Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone)

As you would expect there are a lot of thrilling scenes of Spiderman swinging through New York City and CGI to make this happen. There are also a lot of similar plot lines to the original in 2002 but it is always hard to separate yourself in these circumstances. The backstory just seemed like a similar but slightly altered version of previous ideas; the bigger criticism is that many of the ideas seem to be overly stretched out. The film runs for 136mins but feels more like a full three hours as there isn't enough really happening to keep you glued to the screen the whole time.

2/4 slightly long and rehashed version but still an improvement on previous attempts.

Film Review: The Shining

Director: Stanley Kubrick

*possible spoilers ahead*

The problem with writing my top ten movies of all time is that I'm prone to forgetting a film that I absolutely love because I haven't watched it that recently. The Shining falls into this category as I was reminded that Stephen King plans to write a sequel so decide the original adaptation by Stanley Kubrick needed to be revisited. The making of the film was a long arduous process due to Kubrick's meticulous directing style which lead to Shelley Duvall having a nervous breakdown (which actually added to her tired and scared look in the film).

The eerie Overlook Hotel

The hotel is incredibly eerie and unsettling in style as it has many large grand rooms that are now dark and defunct during the winter months. The snow that is piled up outside which virtually barricades them producing a foggy atmosphere outside adds to the claustrophobic nature of the movie. It gives the feel of no escape from Jack as he slowly descends into madness whilst working on his writing.

The Shining is a movie that has many scenes that are now renowned in cinema like Jack smashing his way through the bathroom door and saying "Heeeeeere's Johnny!"as well as the fact that all his writing on the typewriter later in the movie just says "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". This still doesn't detract from the fact that they are great scenes that continue to scare people today.

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson)

The film does get a bit bogged down early on in the movie with a slowly progressing plot but you can see why Kubrick did this to build the tension surrounding going to the hotel knowing they would be snowed in and that the previous caretaker got cabin fever and killed his family. You sense things will start to go wrong but are held in suspense for longer than you would like. Whilst the open ending to the movie makes you question exactly what happened before your eyes. Was Jack really there? Did the events actually happen that winter or back in 1921 when the photo was taken?

4/4 an absolute horror classic despite differing greatly from the original Stephen King book.

Film Review: Half Nelson

Director: Ryan Fleck

A delightfully subtle film which poses numerous questions about teaching methods and the possible destruction caused be drug use. Ryan Fleck also co-wrote the screenplay with Anna Boden for the film that was based on a 19 minute short film that the couple wrote called Gowanus, Brooklyn. It's a film that makes you pick up on the small details to ascertain what the characters are thinking as big bold gestures are few and far between.

Drey (Shareeka Epps) and Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling)

Ryan Gosling once again proves his superb talent for portraying people that you can see in everyday life and that many people can relate to. In this case, a disillusioned and depressed history teacher who forms a bond with a pupil called Drey after she catches him smoking crack in the locker room after a basketball game. Dunne is a great example of somebody who is a poor role model to a pupil but still wants to protect their best interests by guarding Drey against Frank (Anthony Mackie) who is slowly convincing her to move into the drugs industry with him. Gosling was later nominated for an Academy award for his role as Dan Dunne.

The narrative is at times slow moving but it's the slow descent of a teacher who is struggling more and more to stop his drug habit as he becomes more depressed with his life. Loneliness is a central theme throughout the movie for both the main characters and is one of the key reasons they are oddly drawn together, a theme that is never discussed but is certainly understood between the two. It's a story that occurs in many inner cities as teachers realise that they can't necessarily change the world from one classroom which breaks your heart.

3.5/4 beautifully acted and incredibly down to earth drama

This week's releases

Electrick Children: A mormon teenager finds a cassette with pop music and sets on a journey to find the original artist that has changed her out look on life.

Full Preview

Ice Age: Continental Drift: The fourth installment in the franchise sees the characters appear in pin sharp 3D as they bring the world to the edge of disaster (at least its not humans for once). They battle pirates and the continental drift as they struggle to reach the safety of home.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: One of the much asked questions in life, If the world was on the brink of destruction, how would you spend your final days? Steve Carell plays insurance salesman Dodge who has a very different idea of how to spend his last days than his neighbour Penny (Keira Knightley).

Film Preview: Electrick Children

This movie slipped under my radar a little after I heard it mentioned a while ago, it's actually released on Friday in the UK but will only have a limited release at smaller more indepedent cinemas. It's a movie that I am very excited about that has great potential which is actually quite a rarity for me at the moment. The trailer shows contrasting scenes of beauty from the Nevada desert against the bright neon lights of Las Vegas

The film follows a mormon girl called Rachel who on her 15th birthday finds a cassette tape with pop songs on it which sound like nothing she has ever heard before. She escapes to find the singer of the tape and to avoid the devout mormon lifestyle and arranged marriage that awaits her.

Electrick Children is out in the UK on Friday 13th July in the UK and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: The Dark Knight

Director: Christoper Nolan

With the release of The Dark Knight Rises fast approaching, I decided to re-watch the first two films in the trilogy with the review for Batman Begins here: Batman Begins Review. The film is renowned for the performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, a role which he pitched himself to play the Joker as a chaotic psychopath with no empathy for anyone. To prepare for the role Ledger lived in a hotel room on his own to formulate the character and wrote down the Joker's feeling and thoughts during this time.

Heath Ledger as the Joker

*possible spoilers*

The story revolves around the plot of new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) who plans to take down the mob bosses and recover their illegally gained funds. The Joker offers to rid them of the Batman for half of all their money because Batman is the only person who can bring back their Chinese accountant to interrogate. From there the Joker makes numerous plans to force the Batman out of hiding so he can reveal his identity.

As noted above, the performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker is what really takes this movie from being a great movie to classic status. The anarchical performance of Ledger is mesmerising at times and his unclear intentions at times making him a more interesting villain. Elsewhere, the backstory behind Harvey Dent becoming Two-face is also an intriguing one which works well as a side-story throughout the second half of the movie. Aaron Eckhart is impressive as the disillusioned DA who has half his face burnt off by the Joker and suddenly believes that pure chance is the only truth left.

The two men finally meet

The film also presents an interesting conundrum when two boats are given the chance to blow each other up to be saved, one full of convicts and one full of civilians. Who deserves to live and who has the nerve to actually pull the trigger? It's intriguing set-pieces like this rather than just Batman fighting his way through endless people that pulls this franchise head and shoulders above some of the previous efforts. The ideas of how the villains can terrorize the city of Gotham are much more imaginative than you would expect so you constantly feel like you're guessing at what will happen next, which is exactly what you want!

4/4 Heath Ledger is superb as the psychotic Joker and the ensuing chaos is thrilling entertainment

Top 5 Movies of the Year so far

In no way copying the idea of Kermode to announce a top 5 films of the year so far as we are now done with the first half of 2012. Here goes:

5. Carnage

A film that polarized critics upon release and when researching people's best and worst 5 movies of the year so far it seemed to be the film that featured most in both lists. I am big fan of this film which presents all the comedy, drama and intrigue from inside one suburban flat in New York (although filmed in Paris) as a fight between two children brings two dysfunctional couples together.

4. The Hunger Games

I was quite reserved going into this film feeling that it would pander too much to the younger audience and end up being Battle Royale Lite but it surprised me in a good way. Jennifer Lawrence is superb as Katniss Everdeen and Woody Harrelson naturally excels as an alcoholic. The deaths of the contestants were toned down significantly compared to the book to achieve the 12A rating to open the film to wider audience but the films does not suffer as a result.

3. Polisse

Another French product but in stark contrast to The Artist as follow the CPU (Child Protection Unit) in Paris who deal with all manner of people who abuse children in the city for all different reasons. We see a mother hooked on drugs drop her 6 month old baby in a bid to get free food, crime gangs who use children as pick-pockets and parents who love their children just too much. It's sickening and heart-breaking to watch.

2. Martha Marcy May Marlene

Elizabeth Olsen steps out of the shadow of her twin sisters starring in this deeply unsettling film about a woman who runs away from a cult. As she struggles to adjust to normal life and embarrasses herself in front of her sister and her husband, she also believes the cult has tracked her down to bring her back. This storyline is intercut with flashbacks to what happened whilst she was in the cult. The ending is a big favourite of mine and spine chilling.

1. Margin Call

Regular readers of the blog will be used to me harping on about why this is such a good film leaving two groups, the people who have seen it so now agree with me and the people who still haven't seen it. The film follows a junior risk analyst who finds a huge flaw in the risk model that the company uses and realises that a drop in the market would bring the entire company down and many others round it. We see crisis meetings go on through the night involving top level executives who are all just out to save themselves rather than looking at the big picture. A claustrophobic look at the greed and deviousness behind the banking crisis.

Unlike Kermode I will not be publishing a bottom 5 list as I have successfully avoided much of the utter crap that is released over the past 6 months. Films that would have been considered include A Dangerous Method for making BDSM boring, American Pie Reunion for making the same jokes as 15 years ago and The Iron Lady for solely existing to get Meryl Streep an Academy Award and nothing else.

Films you should be watching at the cinema

The Dark Knight Rises:

Just had to be top of the list as the latest Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan reaches it's dramatic conclusion. After the impressive Batman Begins and the amazing The Dark Knight there is huge anticipation for the final part of the trilogy which is released on 20th July.

The Amazing Spiderman:

Released very recently and has been impressing critics so far, it didn't have much of an act to follow though to be fair after the original Spiderman series. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone Take over from Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in the main roles.

Killer Joe:

Despite doing some of the worst romantic comedies of the past decade and nothing much else, Matthew McConaughey has been a serious actor all along even though he would do any film for the highest bidder. He takes a chance to redeem himself as a hitman in Killer Joe which is directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist and The French Connection)

Your Sister's Sister:

At a secluded cabin out in the woods, we see how complicated relationships can get when Jack (Mark Duplass) stays at his friend Iris (Emily Blunt) father's cabin to help get over the death of his brother but ends up sparking a romance with her sister Hannah (Rosemary DeWitt). Romantic comedy that has all the bases well covered.

Cosmopolis:

David Cronenberg returns after the snorefest that was A Dangerous Method, it stars Robert Pattinson but don't let that put you off. It is a surreal film that follows a billionaire investment banker who takes a trip across New York in his limo to get his haircut but it is a lot more exciting than just that.

Storage 24:

A young couple are in the midst of a breakup so meetup at a storage facility to sort out their belongings but become stranded when the power gets knocked out due to an unknown predator that is stalking London. Noel Clarke seems to have a knack for producing good films at the moment as even Fast Girls was surprisingly well received recently.

Film Preview: Flight

Robert Zemeckis, also directed Cast Away and What Lies Beneath, returns to the director's chair for this drama based around a plane crash. Denzel Washington stars as an airline pilot who saves the lives of most of his passengers after the plane malfunctions and he lands the plane upside down, he wakes up to be told that he is a hero for saving so many lives. Only later do we find out that he had alcohol in his system and that he could be in trouble with the law.

It is quite an original idea for a movie and I think it certainly has some excellent potential as Denzel is consistently one of the best actors around.

The film is released in the UK on November 2nd 2012 and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Little Miss Sunshine

Director: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

The film debut of husband and wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris was a hit at the Sundance Festival and eventually won two Academy Awards in 2006. It went on to be a big success after a limited release initially.

The family

The film follows a dysfunctional family all with their own problems end up on a road trip to Redondo Beach in California so Olive (Abigail Breslin) can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Frank (Steve Carell) is recovering after a suicide attempt, Dwayne (Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence until he gets into the US Air Force Academy, the Granddad Edwin (Alan Arkin) has been kicked out of his retirement home for using and dealing heroin.

*spoiler alerts*

Taking a swipe at the culture of pre-teen beauty pageants where children are caked in makeup and fake tan to win these competitions. Unfortunately it's hard to take the criticisms too seriously due to the farcical dancing scene at the end which made the film as shallow as the subject matter it was lampooning. Many of the characters were difficult to like especially the Dad, Richard (Greg Kinnear), but also Olive which is another important failing. I'm also sure the scene involving the stealing of the dead body was also supposed to be funny but I really didn't feel that it was.

Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin)

Steve Carell is excellent playing the depressed Frank and proves that he's better when not playing an over the top character which he seems to regularly take on at the moment. Alan Arkin as the heroin taking Granddad is also a good character but I wouldn't say he was worthy of the Academy Award he got for Best Supporting Actor. Many people will feel I'm cold hearted for my dislike of certain characters and storylines but believe me I tried to care!

1/4 A confused film that struggles make you laugh or even care

Film Preview: Beasts of the Southern Wilds

After winning the Grand Jury Prize on its premiere at the Sundance Festival, Beasts of the Southern Wilds went on to win the Camera d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. The early reviews look incredibly positive for this fantasy drama set in the deep South.

The film follows a six-year old girl called Hushpuppy who lives with her father 'Wink'. Her father treats her harshly to prepare her for the world after he is gone and can't protect her anymore but everything starts to go wrong very quickly for Hushpuppy.

The film is released in the UK on 19th October 2012 and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Batman Begins

Director: Christopher Nolan

A reboot of the Batman franchise saw Christoper Nolan take over the directing duties in trying to save the franchise after the failure of Batman & Robin in 1997. Nolan was following on from the critical success of Memento (film on my 'to watch list') and does a great job of resurrecting the famous comic book franchise. The tone of the movie is certainly darker and more mysterious than previous versions which adds to the tension and fear within the movie.

Batman (Christian Bale)

The film explores the beginnings of the Batman (Christian Bale) where he is trained as a ninja by the League of Shadows and develops a phobia about bats after falling into an abandoned well. After his training to be a ninja in Bhutan he intends to return to Gotham City to rid the population of the criminal underworld but finds himself tangling with the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy, more fearsome due to his lack of abnormal behaviour) and the people he thought he could trust.

The Batman films along with Inception are the films that have made Christopher Nolan's name as a big blockbuster director and rightly so. The first film in the trilogy really helps us to understand Batman's beginnings as well as what motivates him as a super hero. It is as much about Batman's beginning as it is about him stopping the latest villain threatening to destroy Gotham City.

A young Bruce Wayne with his dead parents

Despite all the positivity there are a few negative points mainly around the casting for me. Michael Caine isn't an actor, he just plays himself and certainly isn't the right person to play Alfred whilst Katie Holmes was a disappointment acting wise as well. There was just no chemistry between her and Christian Bale on screen so you don't feel yourself hoping that they will get together which is a big shame. Bale overall is impressive as the Batman whilst Cillian Murphy and surprisingly Liam Neeson (super moustache) are excellent throughout.

3.5/4 saved a flagging franchise with a dark look at Batman's past.