December 2010
11 posts
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#247: The Town
Is it so wrong that I actually like Ben Affleck? I’ve never minded him as an actor, he co-wrote ‘Good Will Hunting’, he always came across as a cool guy on commentaries/interviews etc. and now he’s proving himself to be a competent film director. What’s not to like, eh? Really. There’s no sense in allowing ‘Pearl Harbour’ to claim yet another...
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#246: Happy Gilmore
Along with ‘Billy Madison’, this movie is inextricably linked to my early teens. I’ve seen it countless times, I think it’s hilarious and I’m actually surprised to find out that others don’t hold it in the same esteem. Honestly I’d watch this over ‘Caddyshack’ any day of the week.
Grade: ****
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#245: Where the Wild Things Are
It probably didn’t have the same effect on me as the first time I saw it, but I still think this is a wonderful movie.
It’s different, it’s timeless, and everything is rooted in such pure, unadulterated emotion that you can’t help but be swept away in it. If you don’t like it, I’m afraid, you must be an unfeeling brute.
Really beautiful.
Grade: ****
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#244: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
I can’t be objective about it, so all I can say is that I really enjoyed this. Considering so much of the film is just Harry, Ron and Hermione walking around the countryside, you’d think it would drag. But when it finished I was genuinely gobsmacked at how fast the time had gone by. And, sure, I think it’s fair to assume that non-Potter nerds will probably feel very...
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#243: Machete
This was a disappointment. After enjoying the original ‘Grindhouse’ films so much, I thought this would be a simple return to the same formula. Sadly it’s not.
It’s all very much in the same vein, and still fun for the most part, but too often it gets tangled up in an overly complex and boring story. Any attempt at gravitas adding only unwanted gravity; weighing down...
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#242: How to Train Your Dragon
This was a lot of fun. It’s charming, exciting, and most of all hugely sweet. The characters are good, the world’s interesting and Jay Baruchel is perfect as the lead. Easily my favourite of all the Dreamworks Animation movies.
Grade: ****
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#241: Wild Strawberries
It’s already obvious that Bergman’s reputation is well-earned. Everything I’ve seen of his feels like true art. Not just movies with lofty ambitions, but true explorations of ideas that just happen to be documented with a lens. It’s masterful.
So yes, if you get your kicks pondering death, loneliness and coldness as much as I do, I can’t see how you...
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#240: Despicable Me
Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie in which so many actors I like deliver performances I don’t. Steve Carell’s accent is off-putting, Jason Segel sounds like he’s doing a Jon Lovitz impression the whole time and Russell Brand’s old man voice is just terrible. It’s strange.
Animated features like this one, lacking in any real quality,...
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#239: The Social Network
I wouldn’t say this lived up to some of the rave reviews I saw, but I thought this was pretty solid. Fincher rocks, Eisenberg’s always good and Timberlake played a nice heel. Essentially, it’s a dry story told with great panache. Not great, but probably as good as it could have been.
Grade: ****
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#238: Jesus Camp
I liked this. As a film it’s pretty uncomplicated, but that’s its strength: what you’re seeing is so naturally evocative it doesn’t need much added colour. In fact, the one way in which it tries to do that is probably the worst part of the movie.
For my part, though, more than my outrage and disgust at the whole Evangelical movement, the main thing I’m taking...