I enjoyed this. I guess I felt the final act didn’t quite match up to the rest, but on the whole I thought this was a very fresh, well-constructed take on a familiar genre. I mean, if you ask me if I want to watch a superhero movie it probably won’t be my first choice, but if I was putting together a marathon it’d definitely have a place. It’s a nice little breath of fresh air.
Grade: ****
As a Marvel guy and a Joss Whedon nerd, I was obviously pretty excited about this. And though it maybe wasn’t everything I dreamed of, I’d definitely say it was all I could have reasonably hoped for: an impressive action epic with lots of fun moments for fanboys and casuals alike. Iron Man is awesome, Hulk is by far the best he has ever been and it never really suffers the “too many cooks” syndrome I thought it might.
Probably my third favourite Marvel movie after Iron Man and X-Men: First Class.
Grade: ****
A lot of hype around this one, but I thought it was good. The way it’s pieced together almost exclusively from old footage is impressive and the tale itself is super compelling, from the rivalry with Prost to the build-up to his eventual death. It was gripping. And the fact that it made F1 seem even vaguely exciting to me is a victory in itself. Who knew such drama existed in such an infernally dull sport to watch?
Very good.
Grade: ****
Wow. All the marketing said “you think you know what it’s going to be, but then it turns into something else” and I arrogantly thought, “yeah, I think I can imagine how it’ll shake out”. Nope. Not at all. Not even close. And being surprised like that makes for a fun movie experience.
To talk about it too much beyond that would only spoil it, I think. Suffice to say, it’s Joss Whedon and Drew God, I watched with all my Buffy… writer fanboy enthusiasm and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Funny, scary, fresh, inventive, violent: I can’t say it’s perfect or anything, but it’s got almost everything I like to see in a fun horror movie.
Grade: ****
This was very good. I’d heard a lot about it obviously, but the actual depths of the craziness still managed to surprise me. I mean, that bit with the plane? My mouth was agape. And that there’s so much archive footage of this guy’s life coupled with all those audio recordings, I guess it’s no surprise it makes for a compelling documentary.
Grade: ****
Y’know, this movie has been sitting on my computer unwatched for ages because the idea of watching it, liking it and having to admit as much on here made me feel a bit creepy. But the truth is I did like it. Sure, there’s a small element of arty porn to it, but for the most part I just found it oddly compelling. Everything about it is still and quiet, yet it somehow avoids feeling slow. It’s not perfect, but it’s a unique story, beautifully directed and kind of mesmerising.
Grade: ****
I wish I could have left more time before watching this after the original, but I think Fincher did an unsurprisingly good job. For a start, I thought a lot of the changes in the screenplay worked really well. I mean, I have no idea which is more faithful to the book - I’m going to guess the original - but I liked Daniel Craig’s Blomkvist more and the way the mystery was handled felt slightly more organic and believable. And in terms of style… well, Fincher’s pretty immense in that context.
The only real negative comparisons are that Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth isn’t quite as awesome as Noomi Rapace’s and that, without wanting to sound terribly unsavoury, the violence in the original is notably more effective. Apart from that, it’s all pretty close.
Very good again.
Grade: ****
There was a fairly big part of me that feared disappointment with this one, but nah… it’s really everything most of the reviews have said. It maybe sags a little toward the end, but on the whole it’s super fun, super joyful and everything you could hope for from The Muppets. A lot of the music reeks of Flight of the Conchords, too, so that can only be a good thing.
Delightful.
Grade: ****
I thought this was pretty great. For all I’ve learned from reading about it, watching Inside Job and listening to loads of This American Life episodes devoted to the matter, this was the first time I’ve seen the financial crisis presented with such spark and drama.
The screenplay is just fantastic. It’s tight, it’s tense, it’s full of character and dynamism, it’s subtle enough to allow a stellar cast to shine: not only can I see why it was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, I’m actually surprised it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture too. And, sure, such a statement probably adds a level of hype that won’t help anyone reading this, but hey, all I can say is I really enjoyed it. Easily in my top five films of the year.
Grade: ****
