Harry Potter (film series) (2001-2011)

Daniel Radcliffe is a poor orphan who goes to magical magic school that you can only get to from an imaginary train station on the London subway. There he meets jailbait Emma Watson but stupidly doesn't do her 'cause he's all upset about his dead parents and instead she shacks up with his best friend. In retribution Harry bones his best friend's little sister. There's also an old good magician that runs the school and evil Ralph Finnes with a missing nose that's the evil magician that killed Harry's parents. For basically movies 2-7 harry runs around looking for "magic trinkets" with Latin sounding names, doing magic stuff like riding brooms and learning potions and spells (also with Latin sounding names) and interacting with an ensemble cast of every known british actor ever (John Hurt, Alan Rickman, Helena 'crazy bitch' Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Gary Oldman, Bill Nighy, John Cleese). at the end he finds out that 'a bit of evil' flew off Finnes when he killed Harry's parents and that evil is now in Harry, so in order to defeat him he needs to die himself. so he does, then comes back from the dead to avenge his parents (and himself?) and to find that Finnes destroyed the school and killed a bunch of the cast. Harry defeats him and everyone's happy. The end.

Monsters (2010)

Here is something that was filmed for $500k, a budget that’s under even that for an episode of a show on HBO, but that nevertheless manages to create images that one would find in many other big Hollywood productions. That alone, however, is not enough to make a film compelling to watch, which is why I was very pleased to discover a film that goes well beyond conventional sci-fi. It’s part-post-apocalyptic, near-future fare, part-political commentary (those Aliens and the fence keeping them away from the united states are a pretty obvious comment) and part-relationship-drama. Oh, and I didn’t even mention that it works best as a suspense thriller, since the uncertainty of it all (most often not due to the aliens) serves only to make this even more compelling to watch. There really isn’t much out there to compare this to and the closest relatives I can think of are District 9 and Children of Man (and no, this has nothing to do with Blair Witch or Quarantine/REC, despite the obvious parallels, and in fact comparing it to them would be an insult to this movie). It is at once subdued and burning with immediacy, revealing yet obscure, fast paced yet slow-rhythmed, in short, most definitely a must.

The Ides of March (2011)

Another great political drama that aims to ‘expose’ the delicate balance between ideology and the struggle for power, that old Machiavellian idea that has been at the center of politics since forever, but merely admitting its existence might throw a politician into disadvantage brought forth by pulling back the curtain on the political show revealing that ideology is meaningless without power. This is nothing new, but with the great performances from Gosling, Clooney, Hoffman and Giamatti we develop a new-found interest in the matter. Add a little intrigue, controversy and backstabbing and you got yourself a compelling piece of cinema that doesn’t make you feel too guilty for enjoying. definitely worth it.

Drive (2011)

Absolutely brilliant! With its quietly calculated and mysterious Ryan Gosling (who is taking a break from being the heartthrob du jour, but perhaps only perpetuating his status with his strong, silent-type unnamed hero) the film is everything I wanted it to be and more. From the Dirty-Dancing-style hot-pink titles and electro 80’s sountrack, you immediately realize that this is not yet another Fast and the Furious or Transporter rehash. It is a driving movie but it is not a movie that’s all about driving. In fact, the driving sequences are but a small portion of the film, and I rather interpret the title as the drive that pushes someone to achieve their goal, whatever that may be in the driver’s case. While very little is said about Gosling’s character, he is surrounded by an array of well defined characters (the fragile Mulligan, the ruthless Perlman and Brooks, the flawed, father-like Cranston) through which we learn much more about the driver than we do from his own actions. If there is any downside to this, is that Christina Hendricks is severely underused, with but a brief role that doesn’t do her justice, but considering the the rest, can easily be forgiven. It’s been compared to everything from Tarantino, to Lynch to classic noir, as well as the more obvious references to 60’s/70’s driving films (Bullitt, The Driver) but despite the comparisons, Drive stands on its own, with Refn providing his personal brand of art/action/drama that is at once original and a tribute to its predecessors, making this one a definite must. 

The Tree of Life (2011)

Here is what is an essentially coming-of-age/loss-of-innocence formula, that Malick attempts to turn into something bigger than it really is. Evoking (through imagery, narration and soundtrack) both spiritual and metaphysical aspects of the world and of life. Unfortunately, wrapping the central story in experimental imagery and CG dinosaurs with a sprinkle of a depressed Sean Penn isn’t enough to turn this slower, poorer version of Stand by Me into the next Space Odyssey (to which reviews often draw parallels for some reason). Don’t get me wrong, I love Malick’s work, mostly from Days of Heaven onwards, but unfortunately this one is uneven and overly long considering the subject matter. It has all the Malick signature moves like the rustling grass and insect sounds and wind, but unfortunately it doesn’t manage to captivate the viewer as much as his previous work. Some reason for this might be that not many can relate to growing up in 1950’s Texas like Malick, or perhaps it is due to the religious undertones that by now seem outdated and preachy. There are many great feelings that this film evokes, particularly the ones triggered by Malick’s skillful portrayal of nature and landscapes, but ultimately, the so called plot falls flat, with the only redeeming factor (other than Malick’s direction) is Pitt’s performance, with the rest (including, unfortunately Hunter McCracken, the main child protagonist) being largely typecast. While not a perfect film, I am still anxious to see the next project to come from Malick, which will hopefully balance his repertoire of great work.

Melancholia (2011)

With perhaps one of Von Trier's largest cast of feature actors including Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård (Eric Northman on True Blood), John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård and Udo Kier (as the comic relief), Melancholia is a 2 part end-of-the-world story that slowly unravels with a constant feeling of dread and anxiety, albeit not one motivated by the coming apocalypse. Starting with gorgeously composed tableaus that sum up the whole film and satisfy our need for aesthetic excellence, the film quickly switches to the shaky-out-of-focus mess that is Dogme95 style. As the ‘plot’ develops, we are introduced to the star-studded cast, nicely used throughout the spellbinding first half of the film, where the elaborate wedding party slowly disintegrates into a colossal mess, though not an unexpected one. Kirsten Dunst nicely fulfills the role of the anxiety-ridden depressed bride, and she carries the first half of the film with great success until her eventual collapse at its end. Changing pace and greatly reducing cast, the 2nd half becomes more familiar Von Trier territory, with Dunst becoming less central and Gainsbourg taking the lead. Presented as the strong, stable half of the two sisters in the first half, Gainsbourg slowly switches roles with Dunst, becoming more and more agitated as the impending apocalypse nears. It is as if Justine came to terms with humanity’s fate whereas Claire is just now beginning to see reality and refuses to accept it. The film isn’t perfect, at times it drags on and risks boredom (though considering Von Trier’s past work, this shouldn’t be a valid complaint) but overall it fits nicely within the director’s repertoire. Visually, the first part is bathed in tungsten and gives the whole wedding a very warm, emotionally driven look, whereas the 2nd part features colder colors, with a lot more outdoor shots on cloudy days, providing the backdrop for Gainsbourg’s character’s half of the story. Overall more subdued than Von Trier’s other work, but as Justine exclaims to her new ex-husband at the end of the first half, “What did you expect?”

X-Men: First Class (2011)

The X-Men get the swingin’ 60’s treatment, complete with miniskirts and Cuban missile crisis. Like those old bond movies (from which it borrows a little, much like the Austin Powers films), the gang battles an over-the-top villain, portrayed by no other than Kevin Bacon. By now, movies almost have to be a little tongue-in-cheek for us to consider Bacon as anything else than hilarious, and as a super-bond-like-villain, he fulfils the role nicely. The young actors nicely fill in the shoes of their older counterparts (with even some funny references to their ‘older’ versions from the previous movies) and overall make for an entertaining, not bad but not great, film. The inclusion of the Russians was a nice touch, and the ever-lovely January Jones makes for a great bond villainess, complete with diamonds. The Russians and the CIA are caricatures at best, with mostly character actors hired to play each part. Thankfully there was no bad Kennedy impersonator, and instead they opted for real footage. Overall not great, but definitely watchable and definitely fun. A must if you’re an X-Men fan.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Not sure what the target audience for this film is. The English lit name dropping would probably confuse the average rom-com goer, and the reductionist simplification of art history -turned plot device -turned character growth -turned emotional life lesson would be dismissed by the very people that would actually be familiar with all the literature lore. I can only assume Allen was trying to hit as many targets as possible, with at least *most* of the audience at least recognizing *some* of the figures. Personally I enjoyed the Buñuel bit where he is presented with the premise of a plot about dinner party guests that can’t leave the dinner party (the plot to Buñuel’s El ángel exterminador, which I adore). Adrien Brody is also excellent as a young Dalí, and in fact the whole surrealist scene was a gem as well. Plot-wise it’s tightly wrapped together, with the usual Allen signatures of relationship issues and hilarious overwritten dialogues, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, the downside is Owen Wilson, which I had a hard time buying as the intellectual struggling writer that he attempts to be, but is quickly dismissed with a scene where he is talking to himself admitting he failed high-school English. Overall fun light comedy that straddles the line between intellectual literary masturbation, inside humour and dumbed down Hollywood fare. It barely makes it but it’s overall watchable. Certainly better than most of the dumb rom-com fare out there right now.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

The prequel series reboot by novice director Rupert Wyatt meets expectations. it has all the winks to the original series that the fans might expect, complete with statue of liberty, the ‘damn dirty apes’ and ‘madhouse’ quotes and even a cameo of sorts by Heston (try to spot it). Ultimately though, this is just a CG monster flick, with most of the plot progression nicely anticipated. If anything, it plays it safe with the evolution crowd - the apes no longer evolve naturally into a smarter society, but rather gain their intelligence from a miracle drug. In this sense, the miracle drug reduces the plot to the use of an Unobtainium, but more broadly reduces the philosophical implications (of evolution, intelligence, man-animal interaction) to a mere plot device and has more in common with a zombie flick than with the original. It is not a bad movie overall, and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, sure it was better than the 2001 Burton remake, despite how much I would have liked that one to have worked. Franco is solid and Pinto is as lovely as ever, although they are both underused. Lithgow and Cox were strong as well, although I can’t help but think that they were just fulfilling a role and nothing else. Definitely to see if you’re a planet of the apes fan, and also if you’re not, as it’s surely better than a lot of the other commercial stuff that’s in the cineplexes these days.

The Rite (2011)

Hollywood’s latest Exorcist clone, featuring Anthony Hopkins in the elderly priest role, supposedly replacing Max von Sydow’s role from the original, albeit poorly. Unfortunately not even Hopkins can save this one. It starts off promising but quickly descends into cliché and a blatantly pathetic attempt to capitalize on whatever relevance Christianity still thinks it has. The rite is one of those films that I knew I wanted to see based on the subject matter and actor alone, but everything else around it, including plot and acting seems sub-par (even Hopkins seems like he’s just delivering his lines with the enthusiasm of someone who’s only doing it for the money – which he is, he pretty much stopped giving a shit around the time he starred alongside Chris Rock in that buddy cop movie ‘Bad Company’). The only “good” part in it is Ciarán Hinds, but that’s only because he was so great in Rome. If I really wanted some Exorcist clones I’d go with something like The Exorcism of Emily Rose and anything with Gabriel Byrne or Paul Bettany in it. And for god’s sake you make a vatican movie with no conspiracy? Have you learnt nothing?

Super 8 (2011)

The latest J.J Abrams lense-flare simulator is finally here and it has the added benefit of raping our childhood with pseudo-Spielberg nostalgia. From the start, with that Amblin E.T. logo and the title announcing Spielberg as producer, this is all about evoking those fond memories of times gone by, when kids rode bicycles at night and got into adventurous trouble. To his credit, it is well executed for the most part, and the kids’ performances shine in an otherwise adult film (I presume most kids their age would not benefit from the 80’s nostalgia factor, at least not in the way they would from something like Transformers, but that’s a whole other angle). It riffs off of things like E.T., Gremlins, Goonies and the like, with a diverse bunch of (white) kids in smalltown (white) america. The effects and mystery however are just a canvas for the developing relationships between the kids against he backdrop of their respective parents. The ending is, as expected, flawed, perhaps because the mystery is all too predictable or perhaps because we stop caring towards the part where the air-force turns the little town into their own private battlefield for the kids to dodge bullets through. The signature Abrams flares are just as distracting, appearing seemingly out of nowhere (like in a dark underground cave, or due to moonlight) but not nearly as distracting as they were in Star Trek. Anachronisms are abound, but overall necessary for the nostalgia factor. So what if the walkman was only introduced to the Japanese market a whole month after the movie happens and only made it to the U.S. a year later, it’s still funny to see them talk about it like it’s the latest and greatest thing. Overall the film is better than average and actually quite enjoyable, especially if you can related to the nostalgia, but ultimately it is nevertheless flawed.

Thor (2011)

Serving as a sort of filler between last year’s Iron Man 2 (2010) and July’s Captain America (and 2012’s The Avengers), Thor isn't really much to write home about. Despite boasting a cast that includes Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins and a (mostly) apt director with a Shakespearean background, it is mostly a series of effects linked loosely by a sorry excuse for a plot and almost no character development. It’s not completely unwatchable, especially if you’re into marvel superheroes or 3D, but it is overall flawed when compared with other, better superhero films, that is to say, Iron Man. Not sure whose bright idea it was to get Branagh to direct this, I can only assume Branagh accepted it as a quick and easy way to make money. I might be the only one to have enjoyed the Asgard scenes, but perhaps only because they vaguely reminded me of those scenes in the 1978 Superman on Krypton, with Brando as Superman’s dad. Everything was shiny and gem-like. Other than that, the few attempts at comedy and Portman’s presence didn’t save this, and unless you can see it for free like I did or if you’re an avid marvel fan, this is to be avoided.

Biutiful (2010)

Iñárritu does Bardem. You’d figure the result would be good, but it’s not. It’s a messy, depressive and agonizing ride that never ends or goes anywhere. Gone are the interweaved plots that are Iñárritu’s signature, and instead we are left with a shaky disco mess of immigrants, petty crime and death, redeemable perhaps only by Bardem’s performance and the plastic boob-headed strippers. The chinless nose-monster that is supposed to be the female lead also gives it a train-wreck kind of quality that just makes you want to continue watching despite yourself. I do appreciate Iñárritu’s effort towards agony and desperation, but he has a long way to go before he can reach the apex of the genre that was perfected by the likes of Bergman and von Trier. Despite the cancer, dead immigrants, crime and crazy wife, I still feel like Bardem’s character hasn’t gone through enough, and his burden is somehow alleviated by living in Barcelona and the calm medditerranean waves (that in this case, carries floating chinese immigrant bodies, but is nevertheless calming). Not Iñárritu’s best work, but overall sufferable for all the foreign-film whores.

The Handmaid's Tale (1990)

Atwood’s award-winning novel by the same name is apparently a standard required reading in Canadian high schools. Having gone to french high school, I never got the chance to read it, so when I finally got around to doing so I also found out that there was a 1990 film adaptation starring Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall. After having finished the book I knew that I wanted to watch the adaptation. Since I recently watched Red Dawn (1984), I figured that maybe a dystopic future America that isn’t all about invading soviets might be something interesting. The book makes great source material for the movie, especially given its primary-colour coded social classes/castes and overall dystopic backdrop. Overall the script remains relatively close to the book, with minor modifications and a less open-ended finish, but overall it keeps with the book’s intentions. Stylistically however, the film is eerily mute and subdued, considering the subject matter. Characters appear lifeless and performances seem forced, of almost B-movie calibre. Despite this, however, I found it oddly fitting given the book’s sense of bondage and the totalitarian-style ‘don’t say anything wrong because who knows who can hear you or whom you can trust’. In that respect, the characters’ obligation to conform to the regime’s ideological and behavioural doctrine imposed on them against their will gives the performances seem particularly appropriate, if not necessarily intentional. Overall interesting, but a far cry from the book.

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

Jason Eisner's fake-grindhouse-trailer-turned-feature-length gore-a-palooza's main strength lies in the fact that unlike Machete, Planet Terror and Death Proof, it does not set out to emulate a 70's b-movie using today's technology. Rather, it is an actual B-movie with the added benefit of a neon-washed 80's Canadian tinge. Compared to grindhouse' $50 million and Machete's $10 million budgets, Hobo's meagre $3 million is definitely putting it in B-movie territory by comparison. Nevertheless, that figure is no small change, so Eisner/Davies find creative ways to spend it on nice little pointless details (like a classic 70's New Brunswick gull-wing door Bricklin SV-1 sports car, a pair of metal-clad armoured warriors or a tentacled monster). The style and themes definitely evoke early John Waters fare, and while the oversaturated colours do tend to dip into the teal and orange/orange-blue contrast curse that has been plaguing Hollywood lately, for the most part they evoke that old timey Technicolor feel. That combined with a heavily electronic 80's inspired soundtrack, give it that unique feel that neither Tarantino nor Rodriguez managed to accomplish with their own forays into the realm of vintage. The most delightful thing about it though, is its distinctively Canadian nature. From the CN rail on which the hobo rides into Halifax, to Robb Wells of Trailer Park Boys fame, to George Stroumboulopoulos's tv news anchor that gets murdered on-air with an ice-skate, to the mobs of plaid-clad nova-scotians sent to roam the streets in search for hobos, this is an unmistakeably and unapologetically Canadian movie. Canadian visual symbols aren't the only signs of a Canadian film in Hobo however. The distinct twisted morality, off-kilter psychology and the Cronenbergesque fidelity for mutilation invoke everything that's great and special about Canadian film. Well worth it if you're in for some campy gory fun. OH yeah, and there's also Rutger Hauer, a paedophilic santa-claus, naplaming a schoolbus and topless human piñata if you weren't convinced.

Sucker Punch (2011)

Girl Interrupted meets Moulin Rouge/Chicago/Burlesque meets Project A-ko, meets Dead Snow meets Lord of the Rings meets Casshern . I think this is the first time I see steam-powered mechanized zombie hybrid Nazis. Its like it was designed to be a geek's wet dream. If you came here for plot or an explanation thereof then you can look somewhere else (although to its credit, the ending ties most everything nicely together). Nothing really special here, but if you're just in it for the over-the-top gratuitous braindead (hehr: pun) effects/CG then you'll get your money's worth.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

Charming! I loved Helande-directed shorts that proceeded it (look for them on youtube), and I was delighted to learn that a 3rd, feature-length film was produced. It works very well on its own, without viewing the previous shorts and makes for a hilariously dark Santa origin story. Wonderfully Nordic and masterfully crafted, this is one that's definitely worth checking out.