Events overtook me somewhat in the latter half of 2012, but I didn't entirely stop going to the movies. Here's a wee rundown of those flicks I saw but didn't review in full, as I look forward to a fruitful 2013 of moviegoing:
A parable on the decline and fall of empire disguised as a blockbuster. The complex story doesn’t bear a great deal of scrutiny but otherwise this is a hugely entertaining, well-played and smart action movie. Easily one of the best Bond movies, with fine performances from Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Judi Dench.
Cosmopolis –
2/10
A
practically unwatchable movie that even R-Patz’s proctology cannot save. Then
again, I though Don Delillo’s book was shite and much of the (stupid) dialogue
is lifted verbatim. Robert Pattinson’s mature, twitchy performance save this
limo-crash of a film from being a 1-star.
Prometheus –
3/10
A pretty
dreadful movie in many respects (most notably the boring, uneven story and stupid dialogue) that loses more points by
fecking over a once-great movie series. Minor plus points come from a great bit
of Fassbender, a stirring score and some pretty visuals.
Ted – 7/10
Original,
hilarious fun from Seth Macfarlane, though I doubt it has much re-watch
potential. Mark Wahlberg again proves that he makes a great straight-man.
Moonrise
Kingdom – 8/10
Wes Anderson
is one of the most distinctive stylists in cinema, and I can understand
how he could irritate. However, in
our ongoing post-ironic world it’s great to see a director so unapologetically indulging his visual whims. Moonrise
Kingdom is not my favourite of his films, but I enjoyed it hugely nonetheless.
Room 237 –
7/10
A
fascinating and occasionally disturbing documentary on out-there fan
interpretations of Kubrick’s The Shining.
Obviously has limited appeal, but has been put together quite charmingly and
should be sought out by cinephiles.
The House at
the End of the Street – 3/10
D-grade
schlocky horror trading off cheap scares and Jennifer Lawrence’s now-star
status. A half-decent ending makes you wonder what was going on for the first
hour of the film. D- for Mark Tonderai's sophomore effort.
Killer Joe –
6/10
Freidkin’s
notorious, sleazy is neither as good nor as bad as many critics claim. For all
of the violence, the film is largely forgettable – with the exception of the
now-infamous ‘fried chicken’ denouement. Matthew McCounaghey is appealingly
sinister in the title role, but this sort of thing was done much better by
Werner Herzog in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of
Call New Orleans
The Imposter
– 7/10
How could a
twenty-something half-Algerian Frenchman with poor English get away with
pretending to be a 16-year-old blond-haired, blue-eyed Texan boy? A question
posed and (ambiguously) answered in this artfully constructed documentary that,
while perhaps overstretching its source material, remains fascinating to the
finish.
Sightseers –
8/10
That rarest
of cinematic beasts – the British road movie – is played for dark, dark laughs
in this unusual serial-killer comedy. While the laughs are range from subtle to
broad, director Ben Wheatley manages to capture a certain essence of Englishness
that hasn’t been seen since Mike Leigh’s Nuts
in May. Quite possibly my favourite film of the year.
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