Closed Circuit

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Nice 70's style paranoid thriller for the modern age. It's a bit of a slow burn but once it gets going it's okay. Unfortunately I think most of the audience is going to be slightly ahead of most of the twists and turns of the film but it's still intriguing enough and the cast equip themselves well.

Delivery Man

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Ken Scott has remade his own film, Starbuck, from 2011. I haven't seen the original but by all accounts this one is the same but in english. And with a more expensive cast.

And it's okay I guess. An interesting premise but not exactly mined for dramatic potential. It's a stock standard template and I didn't find it particularly funny, and it probably raises more questions than it can answer in the runtime but it's only concerned with making a pleasant experience and there's nothing particularly offensive in the film so I guess they succeeded. 

The Spectacular Now

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

What a beautiful film. Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley step up and deliver some of the most naturalistic performances of teenagers I've ever seen. And it helps that the writing of these character are give them so much to play with. The entire film is just subtly heartbreaking, I guess at times more overt than others, but it never tips over into melodramatic or feels anything other than honest. Get out there and see this now.

The Railway Man

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Cicely

It always amazes me just how many more new stories people find to tell from the wars. This time a true story and perhaps more interesting, the aftermath of a survivor from a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The structure mirrors the story of Nicole Kidman's character trying to fill in the gaps of the past. We're often shown the beginning of a sequence and the end only to have the middle revealed later on where it will have more of a dramatic impact.

Not knowing the book or story it was based on, the revelations throughout the film worked quite well for me even if the manipulation was quite transparent. The cast are all great and it was a treat to have the director at the screening for a Q and A after.

The tragedy of war and the brutality of torture has been seen many times on screen before and it didn't make much of an impact here but probably more important and far more successful emotionally was the climax and message of reconciliation. In large part due to the performances of Colin Firth and Hiroyuki Sanada.

I could have done without the wall-to-wall score but otherwise a satisfying film.

The Wicker Man

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

They had a special screening of the new Studio Canal print at an outdoor cinema here and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to check it out on the big screen. There's a massive dip in quality and colour for some scenes but it's a vast improvement on the only other available option, which was from the workprint on VHS. Pretty cool that they managed to dig it up and dust it off for the 40th anniversary.

Violet & Daisy

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Hitgirls! James Gandolfini! Fun times and some nice drama to boot. I enjoyed this little number, smart writing for a small cast and locations and the actors are all great.

Clear History

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Larry David's HBO telemovie directed by Greg Mottola. I never really watched Curb Your Enthusiasm  but if this film is anything to go by I'm not sure how well I'd handle it. It's that awkward cringe humor where horrible people dig themselves deeper and deeper into trouble. It is funny but sometimes I find it a little hard to take and this one tipped it just over the edge for me. But fans will love it and it has a really great cast. The gags are dutifully set up and escalate nicely.

Ender's Game

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Kate

Did you guys know that Digital Domain was a production company? Their logo appears before this film for producing, not just vfx. I thought they went bankrupt? Anyway they finally got controversial novellest Orson Scott Card's classic sci-fi story to the big screen after decades in development, and it does look mighty pretty.

I've never really been that enamoured with Asa Butterfield. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas did not work for me at all and just turned me off him in general. Even in the wonderful Hugo. He's not terrible or annoying but he doesn't have much presence to me, which could have been a problem for a character like this, but it kind of works in his favour for the character arc.

I didn't know the story going in and while it's a straight up war games film set in space there's an interesting morality play going on and enough emotional depth to the character to make the action investable.

Did I mention it's mighty pretty? Oscar VFX nominations have been shortlisted and this was left off, which seems like a real oversight. There's some amazing work here. I guess we're over saturated with VFX now though. Still I really enjoyed this one. I obviously didn't take part in the LGBT boycott, the studio maintains that the author is a producer in name only and so many wonderful artists did amazing work in a film that is all about promoting equality and understanding of others. I'll file this next to Wagner's operas, the work has merit even if the author is a dick.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Write Up.

In 3D this time. Pretty swanky.

Almost Christmas aka All Is Bright

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A fun little christmas film with a good cast. An odd couple riff with two ex-cons try to go straight selling christmas trees. Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd both play endearing assholes well. Sally Hawkins is always a treat too. The story is pretty standard but well performed and an enjoyable watch.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

I don't know too much about the short story the film is based on but I do know it's completely different to the original adaptation. I also know this one's been in development for a very long time.

So we have Walter Mitty, a daydreamer who has to learn to to start living his dreams to enjoy his life. That's a very simple and basic narrative thread and we've all seen it before. Unfortunately for this film, whatever uniqueness it had going for it was completely spoiled in the omnipresent trailers that have been blaring out at us for the past few months. There's really not much more to the film that what we see there.

If you have managed to avoid the trailers, and don't mind on-the-nose sentiment, you might get something out of this. Ben Stiller has made a visually captivating film but I found no real drive or emotional response from it.

Mr. Nobody

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Well well, somebody wants to make BIG cinema.

We have a protagonist who can remember the future and past of his life in multiple tangental universes. And the scenes all play out jumbled together. Now I believe I saw the directors cut, clocking in at 157 minutes. Really though after the first half hour you get what the film is about and what it's doing, watching multiple iterations of a lifetime play out dramatically gets tiresome when it doesn't really add to the experience or theme. It's a a grand experiment and a big jumble of a film with some really beautiful moments and really slick directing and production but so much of it is not needed.

The film goes some trippy places. Reminded me a little of Cloud Atlas except this film is pretty much just about the butterfly effect and doesn't have any of the emotional resonance or storytelling skill.

The To Do List

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Shane

Write Up.

It is rather fun. It only really occurred to me this time around that the heavy handed period setting is needed for the plot to take place, this story would be very different with the internet available...

The Book Thief

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

I don't know the book this is based on. But I found the film to be saccharine and self important. Way too long and just not that interesting. Technically it's fine, although you have to question the use of subtitled German/writing freely interspersed english words/ English in german accents. It's not a terrible waste of time, you might get more out of it than I did but I found it pretty forgettable.

Monsters University

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Looks great on blu. I'll have to hear to commentary next.