TOP THREE FILMS OF THE FIRST 1/2 OF 2013.

Since June is coming to a close, and that we're halfway through the year, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my top three films from the first half of this year. I've been to the cinema countless times this year, probably seeing the majority of features released into UK theatres, therefore I am choosing from an extremely wide selection of films. Possibly expect a list of the top films I'm anticipating for the second half of the year in the next few days.

Seeing as I'm from the UK, some of these films could have possibly have been released late 2012 in your country of residence, but not on my small island!
In no particular order:

Stoker, dir. Park Chan-Wook.

I have already done a post on Stoker, which can be found here. I loved this film. The performances by Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode are outstanding, however as with all Park Chan-Wook films, the cinematography is outstanding and is responsible for a lot of the enjoyment I got out of this film. It feels that Chan-Wook is blessed with the ability to make shots so interesting without diverging from the plot and entering experimental cinema. There is a fine line between directors who aim for this and directors who achieve this, and Chan-Wook most definitely falls into the latter category.

Cloud Atlas, dir. Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski & Andy Wachowski.

Again, I've made a post on this film also which can be found here. I cannot express my love for this film. It's a long film, there's no questioning that, however when taken into consideration the amount of stories within the film, the length is broken up and made thoroughly enjoyable (provided that your cinema doesn't have ridiculously uncomfortable seats like mine). With elements of comedy, drama, romance and suspense, the film boasts possible the most diverse range of themes of any film from the year.
The film's highlight for me was definitely not a cinematic feature however, as the film was an adaptation of a novel, it features direct quotes from the book. These quotes are beautifully fitted with the amazing cinematography and outstanding costumes from both past eras and the futuristic ones.
Perhaps save this film for a rainy day as it's one you will get invested into and lose three hours of your day, however don't go on for the rest of the year pushing this film aside, as I know I sometimes do with longer films that I haven't got a direct interest in seeing, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the adventure, or numerous adventures, that this film will take you on.

The Place Beyond the Pines, dir. Derek Cianfrance.

Possibly my favourite film of the year, Derek Cianfrance did amazingly in portraying the lives and connections of a number of different characters. This film presents itself in three sections, with interestingly, everybody I have spoken to about it enjoying a different section the most. I personally enjoyed the first and last segments the most, feeling that Ryan Gosling's performance reigned supreme and Dane DeHaan's running a close second. Without a doubt the films main attraction was Ryan Gosling playing the 'main' role, which would make me a small bit upset seeing as Cianfrance's past work has been outstanding and his films are intriguing, however Gosling earned every audience members ticket money in this performance.
A clever advertising trick was played with the promotion of this movie, with a characters death not being hinted at at all throughout the advertisements, teasing the audience with constant plot twists and turns. A strong favourite of the year, this film is a brilliant crime drama and another outstanding film from Cianfrance.

ANIMATION FOR EVERYBODY

After recently purchasing, watching and thoroughly enjoying Wes Anderson's stop-motion feature, Fantastic Mister Fox, it came to my attention that when I picked it up in the shop to buy it that it was in the Kids section. Whilst usually not being one to be irked by labels attached to films and their targeted audience, I feel different when it comes to animated films. The pairing of animation and children is something that I feel is unfair and a discredit to the amount of a work and talent involved with making a full-length animated film.

If there needs to be one single example of an animated film that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, perhaps even more-so by those old enough to appreciate the hard work put into it, it would be Fantastic Mr Fox. The film takes the audience on a complete adventure, playing with tropes of animation films in a typically quirky Wes Anderson way. Just one of the ways in which the film shows that it shares my opinion and can connect with an adult audience just as much as it could with a younger one is shown in the picture to the right, with an obvious allusion to Kubrick's outrageously violent 'A Clockwork Orange'.

 As you can see from Google's definition of animation, it is the act of being alive, or in film terms, bringing life to something, that is the main attraction. Bringing these animals alive with believable personalities and human characteristics is what makes the film such a success in my eyes. When a director can make an audience able to predict the decisions and future actions of a group of foxes, badgers and rats, it is worth commending the effort and dedication required.

This post isn't really going anywhere. I was going to delete and wait 'til tomorrow to write a full length post on something different and cohesive, but I think the basis of my point has been made here. The full appreciation of animation is one that only adults can achieve, with children seeing the outline of the plot and the cute little talking animals, it takes a grown up to be able to look at the wider themes and watch the film as exactly what it is.. a piece of art.

MARTIN SCORSESE & NEW YORK CITY: A PERFECT PAIRING

Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese & Harvey Keitel on the set
of Mean Streets (1973).

Martin Scorsese and the city of New York have a connection that is unrivalled by any other director
and location. The combination of some of Scorsese's most gritty and dark films from the 1970's (I'm talking Taxi Driver & Mean Streets) and the industrial streets of Manhattan just seem to click, and with the announcement of his latest feature, The Wolf of Wall Street (trailer), once again set in the Concrete Jungle, sees Scorsese filming in once again in New York.

Although this latest film is worlds away from his masterpieces in the '70s, shown both the switch to digital shooting and the diversion from his then dark and violent scripts, the film looks good. I wouldn't have guessed from the trailer that it was directed by Scorsese, perhaps Baz Luhrmann (it's very Gatsby-esque) or Wes Anderson. Perhaps he is trying to tell us that he is not a one-trick pony and that he has advanced alongside the technology and can use it just as good as these young'uns who seem to dominating mainstream cinema currently.

Perhaps the style of his '70s crime dramas is hard to achieve on the new digital cameras, after all, it was in fact the darkness, the lack of colours and the dingy, back alleys that propelled his films to the excellence in which they are viewed at, and now an audience expects crisp footage and perfect lighting. We have seen digitally shot crime dramas such as Gangster Squad gain a lot of criticism in being style of substance, being accused of trying too hard to get the feeling of the past in the film.
Scorsese is not willing to be held to these scrutinies, and therefore with the dying of the old technology and the birth of the new, Scorsese in a way has to let his old style die and birth a new style.

Now that I've said what I needed to say regarding the criticism that the films trailer has been getting (to be honest, I've not seen a lot, but what I have seen has been ridiculous), I can express my excitement and anticipation for this film. The trailer features a lot of comedy, something that Scorsese is relatively new to. This is exciting, and with the star cast of Leonardo Dicaprio and Matthew Mcconaughey along with comedy-god Jonah Hill, I think Scorsese will pull the film off and possibly get a Best Picture nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards.

This film oozes potential and the masses of praise I have seen online regarding the trailer completely outweigh the people criticising it. This film is definitely one to watch, and I cannot wait to see the pairing of Scorsese and New York City once again.

RECOMMENDATION: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

There has to be something in Ethan & Joel Coen's DNA that allows them to consistently write and direct brilliant films. Over the years, the brothers have shown time and time again that they are Gods of the film world, and No Country for Old Men, released in 2007, could possibly be the film they are remembered by in time to come.

This film is the very definition of a suspense thriller, the word 'suspense' should be in bold, italics and underlined. With nail-biting chase scenes that are more exhilarating than most horror films could wish for, at parts the film uses smart cinematography in order to project a sense of the unknown into the audience.
Following both the chaser and the chased throughout the film, when the camera seems to stop following the chaser, and focus on the chased at one particular point, we are propelled into the world of the character of Llewelyn Moss. In a dark motel room, the lights go out and footsteps are heard. Is it Anton Chigurh? Is it the motel desk clerk? Just another guest going for a late night smoke? It is almost as if the film makers have decided that if Llewelyn doesn't know, neither should we.

It is this classic example of the brilliance of the Coen Brother's work that sets them apart from many who have tried so hard to create something as wonderful as this film. The absolutely terrifying character of Anton Chigurh, played so brilliantly by Javier Bardem, haunts the audience for a lot longer than the two hours the film runs for. Showing sociopathic traits and a complete lack of remorse, the character seems to be a monster in a man's body. If Chigurh can look so normal, but act so monstrous, what's saying that the people we associate ourselves with in real life are as we see them. It is these small hints and doubts that the Coen Brothers put into this film that really make it something special.

In all honesty, a summary of the film's plot would not do it justice. This truly needs to be seen, the cinematography, script, acting and editing all combined make a phenomenal piece of cinema, one that's wider themes can be discussed for hours on end, the inevitability of time, getting older and death. This film will change your life.

WILL KILL BILL VOLUME 3 EVER HAPPEN?

In my opinion, the two Kill Bill films that Quentin Tarantino has made are his true masterpieces. Both Tarantino manner, the acting is amazing and most of all, the cinematography is beautifully inspired by old-school Japanese films. When it was announced that there is a possible Kill Bill: Vol 3, I freaked out. I am always preaching the brilliance of the pair of films to friends, family & anyone that will listen, really, and the chance for Tarantino to create a new addition to the pair over 9 years after the release of the last film in the series, I thought that it had the possibility to be the best of the three.
of them display an absolutely flawless plot executed in an extremely

Regarding an exchange between The Bride and Vernita Green's character in the first of the films, the sequel was set to show the child, grown up and carrying out her revenge on The Bride for the (spoiler alert) murder of her mother. The film has a lot of potential, I have always been interested by the exchange that takes place between the two characters, and think it has potential to be a kick-ass revenge film.

It has been said by Tarantino that he presumes the film won't happen, and as there is always lots and lots of films that a director wants to make, but cannot, it remains a mystery to the public whether or not the film will happen. I think the lack of clarification is interesting in itself, it allows fans of Tarantino's work to go back through the films and look more closely, picking out possible plots for a third film and using their own minds creatively. I certainly have a number of ideas that I think could be cool for a third film, one being "what actually happened to Elle Driver?", clearly a cunning and smart character, shown by her antics in the second film.

I'm going to keep praying that the movie Gods allow this film to happen, and you should too!

GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE WORKS OF STANLEY KUBRICK

It is impossible to look at masterpieces of modern cinema without bringing up the works of Stanley Kubrick. Being the director of 16 films, his work was progressively more and more groundbreaking as time went on, and in this post, I will be talking about the three essential Kubrick film that you should watch as an introduction to his work.

The first film I will be recommending is 2001: A Space Odyssey. I cannot count the amount of times I have watched television programmes and interviews with directors and film critics and this film has been mentioned as the defining moment where the person in question knew they had to pursue a career in film. The film was released in 1968 and does require a lot of patience and interest from the audience, with over 20 minutes of the film passing before the first word is spoken. The film questions everything we know about existence, about space and about mans want to be in control. Questions that cannot be answered are raised through the most breathtaking images and sequences of film, and once the film is over, the audience are left one of a few ways (A) confused (B) in awe & (C) with their life being changed. I, myself, was left relating to all three. 

The film is utterly inspiring if the audience is willing to disregard all the differences in this sci-fi film and modern (as in- after the film was released, the beginning of CGI etc) sci-fi films, which, granted, can be hard to do, however the end result of having watched this film is one that will stay with you for a long, long time.

The next film is the deviously amazing A Clockwork Orange. This is one of Kubrick's most shocking films, leading Kubrick to ban the showing and selling of the film in the UK for his entire lifetime after reports that people were committing crimes similar to those in the film. The film tells the story of Alex Delarge, a teenager in a dystopian futuristic Great Britain. With some of the most memorable sequences of Kubrick's career (Singin' in the Rain, anyone?) and an impeccable performance by Malcolm McDowell, the film is a must watch for film students (believe me..) and cinema-lovers in general. 

The amount of justice this film deserves is unable to be explained with words, the images, characters and story speak for themselves entirely.

The final film in this list is my favourite of the three, The Shining. The Shining boasts some of the most groundbreaking work of Kubrick's time and is a how-to guide on character development, plot development and all-round how to make a movie. My favourite horror movie of all time, the combination of the beautifully haunting location, psychopathic characters and supernatural activity make for an extremely thrilling watch. The opening titles is one of my favourite moments of the film, a beautiful helicopter shot showing both the isolation of the setting and the beauty of the natural world. The screams in the music played over the shot are haunting, appearing to come from the trees and the ground, following the car and the characters inside, almost setting the film up in one long shot. As soon as I first saw the opening titles, I was gobsmacked and genuinely scared. 

There is not too much I can say regarding this film apart from watch it. It is absolutely amazing, and that is from someone who doesn't usually find horror films to be that appealing. 

As is evident from this post, I am a huge admirer of Kubrick's work, perhaps once you have watched all three films you'll move on to some of his classic films such as Lolita or Paths of Glory. Perhaps you'll even find yourself watching the terrifyingly long and dull period drama, Barry Lyndon and appreciating the highly stylised mise en scene. I hope this post provokes interest in people who perhaps have never had the final kick up the backside to get familiar with Kubrick's work, and I hope you enjoy the films.

RECOMMENDATION: MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

My Own Private Idaho is Gus Van Sant's masterpiece. Loosely based on Shakespeare's plays Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2 & Henry V, the film tells the story of two hustlers/friends on a journey of self discovery. However don't let the intimidating Shakespearean play titles put you off watching the film, with only a few lines of original Shakespeare quotes in the film, it is truly its own piece of art, digressing from the original plays and becoming absolutely stunning in its own right.

River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves are perfect as their characters. The chemistry is evidently there when needed and in scenes where the two best friends are not feeling so close, the acting of both is superb in creating a hostile and tense environment.
The cinematography is beautiful also and combined with a breathtaking landscape (just watch the first 10 minutes to get an idea of what i'm talking about), the audience is left feeling the isolation and emotions of the characters as if it were themselves experiencing them.

With the content of the film being extremely dependent on the character's emotional states, the film is one that is likely to make you upset. We become attached to these two main characters and when their friendship is tested we feel uncomfortable and protective over them. I believe that this film is truly a groundbreaking piece of art for the early nineties. It has stood the test of time in my eyes, with numerous re-watches having taken place and the meaning and beauty of the film has never withered.

CINEWORLD UNLIMITED SECRET SCREENING REVEALED

On Monday 17th June, Cineworld treated their Unlimited Card holders to a screening of a film that isn't out in the UK yet. There was no information given as to what the film was, people just had to go to a cinema, collect their ticket and turn up on the night.

Being the curious cinema-goer that I am, obviously I went along to this event and was excited to find out what the film to be shown was going to be. There were numerous possibilities running through my mind, including everything from Only God Forgives to Despicable Me 2, however when the lights went down and the projector started rolling, we found out that it was Louis Leterrier's new film, Now You See Me.

The film was really good, much better than I had expected it to be, with standout performances from Melanie Laurent and Dave Franco, it was a pleasure to watch and I couldn't be happier with the picture they choose to preview. Although the film is already out in the US, it doesn't premiere in the UK until early July, so the advanced screening was pretty cool in giving people who love cinema enough to pay for an annual pass a little treat to say thank you.

The film's plot was extremely interesting and well carried out. Characters looking directly at the camera whilst performing tricks made the audience feel almost as though they were at the magic show in the diegesis and it added to the excitement of the audience. For a film revolving around a group of normal magicians trying to gain entry into the elite circle of magicians, the action is constant and the tension in some scenes was almost too much, propelling the audience into a world of deceit and illusion.

This film exceeded my hopes, and I am glad for the secrecy of the Secret Screening, allowing people who perhaps wouldn't go out of their way to watch this film view it and perhaps open their mind to genres that they previously haven't payed much attention to.

REVIEW: THE PURGE

I was really excited on my way to watch 'The Purge' last week. As I am not usually the biggest fan of horror or thriller films, I felt the concept of the film was interesting, a futuristic USA where one day a year all crime is legal. However, coming out of the film I was filled with bitter disappointment, and left feeling massively underwhelmed.

The cinema was quite busy, and due to the clever advertising of the film (there was nothing given away, really, apart from the one-line concept), everyone was exciting to be surprised and hopefully scared from the film. I think it sums it up pretty well to say at several points throughout the film, the whole audience bursted out laughing, leaving the film to take itself seriously while the audience digressed and found the situations comical.

A horror film needs to be seamless. That is how they are effective. The seams were most definitely showing in this film, the script had many plot holes and overall it was very monotonous to watch. The 'plot twists' were predictable right from the start of the film, and for a professional film, it seemed to be extremely amateur. It is not often I write a bad review, I like to see the positives in film, and perhaps Ethan Hawke's performance was something of credit, however I am not sure what Lena Headey was thinking when she accepted the role, providing a less than brilliant performance.

There's not much more I can say about this film, there was honestly not even enough substance to comment on anything in particular. Looking on the plus side, the few jump-scares were fun and the tense scene when the masked teens get into the house was exciting for a couple of minutes (i'm not even going to warn about spoiler alerts, you're not going to see this film are you?). Summed up in a sentence by my good friend:

"It was basically the strangers but with better masks"

REVIEW: POPULAIRE

Going to see Roinsard's latest feature, Populaire, I was fairly open minded. The trailer portrays the film to show the story of a secretary entering a speed-typing competition with hints toward a romance between her boss/coach. In reality, the film shows so much more than this and is filled with interesting content. One of the key plot points that interested me was the secretary, Rose's, relationship with her father. Through the means of the competition, we get a subplot of Rose's relationship with her disapproving father. This ignorance of the older generations disapproval of both the newly popularised profession of a secretary combined with his disregard for the fame and money that could come with winning the competition makes the audience sympathise with Rose, a woman who is trying to do the best for herself in a time where women perhaps weren't given the independence that they are in the modern day.

With the acting by both Romain Duris and Déborah François being exceptional (perhaps Oscar-worthy? Watch this space), the film is a light hearted comic love story between an unlikely couple that is easy to watch and highly enjoyable.

I have an undying love for French cinema, the passion and excitement that has been there for decades and decades never fails to impress me, from the likes of Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 masterpiece 'Breathless' to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's stunning 'Amelie', released in 2001, French director's seem to have a timeless perfection for the small details, and in Populaire's case, this comes through in the mise en scene.

Set in the '50s, Populaire is a highly stylised film, with everything from the outfits, to the props

(typewriter porn, if you ask me), and even simply the colours. The film feels like a dream in a lot of scenes due to the colours and outfits, fitting in with Rose's situation, she is living the dream of every young girl in France. Much of the joy of watching the film comes with the stylised miss en scene working in collaboration with a solid and fun script.

Opening night at the cinema in East London I saw it in was not very busy, perhaps because of the French language of the film, or perhaps of the pure lack of mass-media marketing of the film (I attend the cinema numerous times a week and have only seen the trailer a few times, and only ever seen three posters for the film at London Underground stations), however despite the films lack of audience in this one cinema, I believe that Populaire is an amazing addition to the already fantastic French films that have been circulating international cinemas in recent years.

THE TOP FIVE LESSER-KNOWN FILMS OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK:

I am a self-proclaimed Hitchcock fanatic. My early to mid teenage life was spent reading, watching and learning of Alfred Hitchcock and his works, and I think it is important, for film students such as myself especially, that people are comfortable with his works and can spot his outstanding films from his good films from his not-so-great films.

Sir Alfred Hitchcock made 52 films in his lifetime, an astonishing amount that can leave people lost when wondering which of his films to start with. A lot of people will start with Hitch's later works, taking the appeal of colour and a more advanced finished piece, however, this is not the correct way to go about looking at Hitchcock's work in terms of standard, with it often being the older films that feature the most interesting plots and experimental cinematography.

Here is a list of five Hitchcock films I think you should see in order to witness the man's brilliance in full (This is besides the obvious, most famous of his films such as Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo, which are all awesome and I highly recommend checking them out, too).

5. ROPE (1948).

Rope is a film regarding the overindulgence of the privileged. When a high member of society whom the two main characters of this film look up to suggests that murder should perhaps be legal, the two boys take the comment as an instruction, killing their classmate and deciding to host a party for the occasion. With the dead body in a trunk in the middle of the room.
The plot sets the audience up with tension from the beginning. With constant scenes of interest taking place with the trunk in shot, Hitchcock uses the mise-en-scene of this party atmosphere and gives the audience more information than the majority of characters in the film have. A Hitchcock classic that shows his title of 'Master of Suspense' to be true.

4. FAMILY PLOT (1976).

Family Plot is a comedy thriller filmed in the '70s that proves Hitchcock can break his well-known suspense thriller genre and make a suspense comedy. A con artist couple end up unsuspectingly tracking down a pair of serial kidnappers and in typical '70s style the film is hilarious throughout.
It seems that Hitchcock wanted to prove a point before he passed away. This was his last ever film and it comes across that he saw himself as more than just that guy who directed a few good suspense films throughout the 20th century. This film shows the true brilliance of Hitchcock, through storyline, casting and camera work, we get a true feeling of how much Hitchcock developed as a director throughout his career.

3. THE PLEASURE GARDEN (1927).

We are going from Hitchcock's last ever film, Family Plot, to Hitchcock's first ever film, The Pleasure Garden, which proves the point that time and technology is meaningless when looking for hidden gems in directors filmographies.
The Pleasure Garden tells the story of two young girls. Both are virtuous and sweet at the beginning, however a transformation occurs in both of the girls lives once one finds fame and fortune. A story with a similar theme to Rope, how excess can lead to peoples downfall.
The film shows numerous breathtaking works of cinematography and editing, with a superimposed ghost appearing towards the end. The film shows groundbreaking work in cinema and is truly a must watch when trying to appreciate Hitchcock's works. Try and compare this film to Family Plot in every way possible, the development of the director is as apparent as ever and these two films combined show the true brilliance of both the man and his films.

2. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951).

Telling the story of two strangers who meet on a train (really? who would have thought?). These two people from entirely different worlds make a deal to each commit a murder for the other person, that way there is no tie to the murderer and the crime they commit. Nothing could go wrong. Right?
This film is an extremely enjoyable watch, with performances by all actors being outstanding. Some of the scenes in this film genuinely still creep me out and the climax in the fun fair is one of my favourites of all Hitchcock films.
The amount of love I have for this film is hard to explain, and perhaps that is one of the reasons why it is so special, that it exceeds my words and has left me speechless at its brilliance.

1. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959).

I was not sure whether to put this film on here, as it is supposed to be a list of films that aren't well heard of by Hitchcock and I suppose you could say that a lot of people are aware of this piece of work, however in my opinion it is majorly underrated and deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
This is my all time favourite Hitchcock film, the story of a man who gets accused of being a spy and then gets chased cross-country after a group of people trying to kill him. The film is iconic in many different ways, think of the crop-duster near-death scene, the mesmerising ending taking place on Mt. Rushmore and the endless plot twists that keep the audience on the edge of their seat throughout the whole film.
Cary Grant is superb in this film, playing the role of Roger Thornhill amazingly, and Hitchcock shows his wide range of ability with numerous camera techniques (drunk driving, anyone?) and amazing choice of script. The comedy is just enough and all around this film tops not only my list of lesser-known Hitchcock films, it takes the title as my all-time favourite Hitchcock film.

RECOMMENDATION: PERSONA (1966)

Ingmar Bergman is almost the secret God of cinema. Really, only people with an intense interest in film are familiar with him and have seen many of his films, however the are aware of the works of Bergman are very aware of the incredible talent and passion shown in the Swedish filmmaker's works.

'Persona' tells the story of the relationship between a nurse and her patient. It is not extremely long, just over the 80 minutes mark, however the amount of depth and brilliance involved in this hour and twenty minutes is enough to have the audience thinking about it for much longer than their time in front of the screen.

I've heard numerous comments from people after their first viewing of the film, many suggest that "it doesn't make sense" or they "didn't know what was going on" which is fine. The film is purposefully confusing and self aware, knowing that the theme it is dealing with is extremely in-depth, and I think that Bergman would be upset if everyone understood the film and it's implications after a first viewing. The film follows the 'art cinema' movement, with a non-linear narrative, numerous cuts to seemingly abstract situations and also a repeated shot from a different perspective. Granted, the film can be a little mind-boggling, but stick with it and involve yourself completely with the plot and you're in for one of the most beautiful film experiences of your life. Believe me.

Stated in the picture above as 'one of the ten greatest films of all time', Ingmar Bergman's '66 triumph, 'Persona' is definitely a worthy film for kicking off the recommendation side to this site.

WEEKLY FILM ROUND-UP #1.

In order to kickstart this website with daily content, I thought a weekly round up of all the films watched by myself was a good way to begin the posts.

I’m starting on a bizarre Wednesday as this is where the inspiration has come from, however I might possibly change the day of these posts to a Sunday or a Monday, depending on my schedule.

As I was so busy with starting up university last year, I didn’t get a chance to check out all of the Oscar nominees for the Best Picture award, and now, as university is finished for summer, I thought it would be a perfect time to catch up on some of the films of 2012 that I have heard many times being both praised and criticised. Therefore this week’s round up will feature last years Oscar nominees, and I’ll save the newer/older films I have watched this past week for my next round up (this isn’t only confusing me.. right?).

 1. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. dir. David O. Russell.
(Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro)

 I was going into this film with a completely open mind. The only thing I had heard about it was that it featured some characters with mental illness’. I was perhaps thinking that the film would involve cliche performances and characters, following in the footsteps of many previous films dealing with the same issue (I do not rate Forman’s ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ at all).
I was excitedly surprised when watching this film, however. The stellar performances from both Cooper and Lawrence made the film extremely enjoyable to watch. These amazing performances combined with the interestingly dark, yet comedic script made for one of my favourite films of last year.

2. LIFE OF PI. dir. Ang Lee.
(Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan)

I think my appreciation for this film was slightly hindered by the masses of the public raving about its brilliance. Without prior praise, I would have said that the film was good, the CGI was incredible and groundbreaking and the acting was also good. However, after hearing all the positive reviews, I couldn’t help myself watching the film with my expectations higher than ever. And I really wish I could have changed this.
Starting off on the best part of the film, the CGI was absolutely breathtaking. Combined with amazing editing, this tiger who is not even a real creation has the audience sympathising through the emotion of his eyes. This film is, technologically, the most groundbreaking piece of cinema of our time and it would be ignorant to ignore that when reviewing the film. What was slightly under par was the story. I’m fully aware that this may not be the filmmaker’s fault as the film was an adaptation, but I felt that the plot lacked so much more depth that it could have held. I was losing interest, and I think that it was possibly due to the fact that we know Pi is going to survive from the outset. Perhaps featuring an older Pi at the start was a mistake, making all of his struggles out at sea not half as effective as they would have if the ending was not clarified.
Overall the film was beautiful and a pleasure to watch, fully deserving of the technological praise and awards it has received.

3. SKYFALL. dir. Sam Mendes.
(Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes)

My enjoyment of this film was the one that surprised me the most. This is one of those films that I would never choose out of a bunch, but boy, am I glad I chose to watch it.
I am not an avid James Bond fan, in fact I have seen probably less than a handful of films featuring 007 himself. This film featured absolutely stunning cinematography by Roger Deacons and was a joy to watch. The excitement levels of the film were maintained throughout and the plot twists and turns more than a day at Thorpe Park. With stunning performances from Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and of course, Daniel Craig, this film makes the audience gasp out loud both in awe of the brilliant action sequences and also with a sneaky cliffhanger at the end.

 4. ARGO. dir. Ben Affleck.
(Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston)

This film was a well deserved winner of the Oscars last year. The film gave me goosebumps several times and featured a closing half hour that is quite possibly the most tense of any movie I have ever seen. With absolutely amazing performances by all actors, a flawless plot and beautiful cinematography and scenery, this film ticks all the boxes and is a classic example of what a winner of the Best Picture award should feature.
This thriller is the best I have seen in a long time, with dramatic moments, comedic moments and breathtaking moments, there is no words that can do this cinematic masterpiece justice. Perhaps the film has so much effect as it is relevant in the terms of numerous uprising countries at the moment, giving the audience a lot of reason to empathise with the six escapees of the hostage situation, or perhaps the movie has mastered every technique of filmmaking and that is the reason behind the success. In any case, this film will definitely be one I will be putting on my favourites list and will be looking our for more of Ben Stiller’s work in the future.