tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69308910324184704732024-03-05T02:09:13.735-08:00(Tom) Motski (Blog)Moans, Finds and Reviews
(and some of my work)Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-13871277429790664882021-01-17T06:55:00.028-08:002021-01-17T10:24:46.068-08:00Films of the Year 2020<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-N7F6nBnoQYMD3zFNG92P2yrarYyYnBY1gDqd-eALsbzclWzTploW-ToLTt3XwWb5Jt91L-S78H5CdqhI1sulbkk09TLe6fDPc5M21mr3iNb6mJrcCItLGv1WCQRZRGTEB3IqJr09Gk/s400/montage2020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-N7F6nBnoQYMD3zFNG92P2yrarYyYnBY1gDqd-eALsbzclWzTploW-ToLTt3XwWb5Jt91L-S78H5CdqhI1sulbkk09TLe6fDPc5M21mr3iNb6mJrcCItLGv1WCQRZRGTEB3IqJr09Gk/s16000/montage2020.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72IHebDOsH0o3lbGZIlCFEfzQnivTg18eHMqrBZRHYIVGInqy1V3dihlbPX1y9dvNKUbkqUbt3TErHfnq9zymvbxCUmKu-zdBaM_kakyEzeGisVkDriq5teBboOM64YzTFI2n1b0MaGA/s1600/montage2019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">2020...what a terrible year. A year which brought cinemas to their knees, closing so many beloved venues (hopefully only temporarily) and stunting production worldwide. Given the widespread disruption and my lack of cinema visits, I'd decided not to write a list this year. Instead, I focused on catching up on classic movies, filling blind spots. However, as more and more end of year lists were published, it dawned on me just how many great movies had come out this year and to my surprise, how many I'd seen.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">So, at very last minute (and very late), I've rushed to watch all the films I've neglected last year and </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">compiled this list.</span> </span><br /></span></span>
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As usual this is a personal look back at this year's releases, so this
is not necessarily a list of the greatest movies of the past twelve
months, but a collection of my recommendations. As usual any feedback
and discussion is welcome.</span><br /><br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span>Disclaimer!
- Many other films of the year lists will contain films yet to be
released in the UK. I don't include these in mine, even if I've seen
them at preview screenings. We usually get these films in January and
February, so there's lots to look forward to early in the year. This
year those films include <b>The Sound of Metal </b>(29th January) and<b> Nomadland</b> (19th February). This is way less than usual due to the pandemic! </span></span></span><br /><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b>10. </b></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Mank</b></span></span></span> </span></span><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlK8uor9CUhOaHGKeUqzuODBLsXo0Fi3XYMZdewwuCifquIQCNEvv7U9q2CFR9ZF77yieihLhGEIKM4Ji7L9MOb9VWRUF4AgPWleZTeoBmD01_2J9dLLr78W4yMJ75qvZq5mcMk9fQ30/s450/10_Mank.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlK8uor9CUhOaHGKeUqzuODBLsXo0Fi3XYMZdewwuCifquIQCNEvv7U9q2CFR9ZF77yieihLhGEIKM4Ji7L9MOb9VWRUF4AgPWleZTeoBmD01_2J9dLLr78W4yMJ75qvZq5mcMk9fQ30/s16000/10_Mank.jpg" /></a></span></span></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">David Fincher's "Mank" definitely isn't to everyone's tastes, but I found it a rewarding watch. Its long and talky, with a disjointed structure, but once you click into its mirroring of Citizen Kane's structure and start to connect its themes, it becomes engrossing. As an avid listener Karina Longworth's excellent Hollywood history podcast "You Must Remember This", it was a joy to see the titans of that age bought to life, which I think this is a key factor in whether you'll enjoy this movie. Some knowledge of the studio system of the age and its major players definitely makes a difference, but even if you don't it's an interesting project.<br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Available to stream on Netflix. </span></span></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span>9.</span> </b></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b> </b></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b>Borat Subsequent Moviefilm</b></span></span></span><br />
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<br />A brilliant return to form from Sasha Baron Cohen after some mediocre starring roles (although he's also excellent in Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7"). In a world that knows his Borat character, he imaginatively finds new ways to dig into the nature of American culture and politics. This new direction puts huge pressure on Maria Bakalova, brought on board to play Borat's daughter Tutar, but she excells. She brings a different perspective and brilliant comedic moments of her own, putting herself in potentially dangerous or compromising situations to provide funny, poignant and memorable scenes. <br />
<br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. </span></span><br />
<b><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">8. </span></span></span></b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b>Never Rarely Sometimes Always</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKkGUuVDFlu5AbN-3GPmNsLRDBxdQDFexoJ14zGNb8GFZ55CoMl_3DgGuhwDX6_GOzOUopjyTYKPG56_DqKu80XyzKrIDkNC2X7QCdDlD7wGVTOX-bdoDKM8lNr4YgPSqFXH0QrqYI1c/s450/neverrarelysometimes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKkGUuVDFlu5AbN-3GPmNsLRDBxdQDFexoJ14zGNb8GFZ55CoMl_3DgGuhwDX6_GOzOUopjyTYKPG56_DqKu80XyzKrIDkNC2X7QCdDlD7wGVTOX-bdoDKM8lNr4YgPSqFXH0QrqYI1c/s16000/neverrarelysometimes.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<br />Thoughtful and compassionate, Eliza Hittman's "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is an understated movie that packs a lot of emotional punch. Examining a young woman's lack of options in her hometown once she discovers her unplanned pregnancy, the story shines a light on American state abortion laws, but purely from a relatable human perspective. The performances of Sidney Flanigan as the emotionally distant pregnant woman and Talia Ryder as her empathetic and supportive cousin are superb and completely believable. The bond of friendship and support between the characters also stops the film becoming too dark or depressing, finding hope within difficult times. <br />
<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Currently available on NowTV and for streaming rental.</span></span></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span><b>7. Rocks</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QM-LXUoobH5lbmdop8OJLdppGguiw5kE5MbYIChXQJJJ2CKcY8bIITXSydO4ybiocDpYKwoviB903M1nBv4v_VWnq3km44ntjG2_tuuLZ9t0QozmQ5nkMaXuWfPRtY_3jncHttSn11Q/s450/7_Rocks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QM-LXUoobH5lbmdop8OJLdppGguiw5kE5MbYIChXQJJJ2CKcY8bIITXSydO4ybiocDpYKwoviB903M1nBv4v_VWnq3km44ntjG2_tuuLZ9t0QozmQ5nkMaXuWfPRtY_3jncHttSn11Q/s16000/7_Rocks.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
"Rocks" is a brilliant look at modern London, with its mix of cultures and how they intertwine. Using school students as non-professional actors, director Sarah Gavron has collaborated with these young women to create a highly authentic and touching movie. It's incredibly watchable cast are funny, entertaining and heart-breaking. The story focuses on a teenage girl left to care for her brother on her own, struggling to keep bills paid and food on the table. However this isn't some grim misery porn, but an uplifting tale of friendship and support.<br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Available to stream on Netflix. </span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>6. </b></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b>Lovers Rock</b></span></span></span></span></span> </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnekVjg5EHkZTH8Dq2K7QffdxAqZKDRAPzR1GNKT0rNqbnvYqXamwRn0V9JVNet52BWZVXIch02p57r3bVM-viyJUKLlTyUYLGE4kMk1AzqbaxEpYHt3ULVfHULlDqLPlxFgHuOK0mtPk/s450/6_Lovers+Rock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnekVjg5EHkZTH8Dq2K7QffdxAqZKDRAPzR1GNKT0rNqbnvYqXamwRn0V9JVNet52BWZVXIch02p57r3bVM-viyJUKLlTyUYLGE4kMk1AzqbaxEpYHt3ULVfHULlDqLPlxFgHuOK0mtPk/s16000/6_Lovers+Rock.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<br />Like "Rocks", Steve McQueen's "Lovers Rock" is also an intimate look at London life, but from a very different era. Part of his "Small Axe" series for the BBC and at only an hour and eight minutes long, there may be some debate over whether this counts as a movie or episode of TV, but McQueen's beautiful style makes each episode feel like a cinematic gem of their own. <span>The film follows a house party in west London, from setting up the sound systems to the drunken journey home. The film envelops you in the music and passions of the night, giving you a glimpse into the lives and times of multiple characters with a subtle elegance.</span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Available to stream on BBC iPlayer. </span></span></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span>5. </span></span></b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span>Soul </span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE3vjKd4eUlNezOxHC-OYcmu1UOCycCWBiQh6_wrbumgg6raB9iD99t50JBHxcFUBXmyxErw8H0Fri946n-ooEI0hjxBMBvCaO9e_ACI6fS5l-sCfP5o2yo7Amt-n2aEdedl9sgpC0bk/s450/5_Soul.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE3vjKd4eUlNezOxHC-OYcmu1UOCycCWBiQh6_wrbumgg6raB9iD99t50JBHxcFUBXmyxErw8H0Fri946n-ooEI0hjxBMBvCaO9e_ACI6fS5l-sCfP5o2yo7Amt-n2aEdedl9sgpC0bk/s16000/5_Soul.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />My favourite Pixar movie for quite a while, "Soul" has a look and feel all its own, despite feeling at home within the esteemed studio's stable of heart tugging delights. I loved the imaginative view of the afterlife, specifically the stark monotone scenes that represent the spaces between between life and death. The story also has a lovely view on what makes life worth living, taking on multiple perspectives to find what is important.<br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Available to stream on Disney+. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span><b>4. </b></span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>The Lighthouse </b></span></span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2IY5FA6omIQENEeGvXgErAEC74ug08D-2Mdqd1OV082zDeErimFxSUjrpR_CPamFGmaVZoJhSwAxUIA7AWGfzjxXLNefD_IUo_7_TcKXodRVRhu-jB_rvHqpY-E5HTq46qOgW-bM16Q/s450/4_The+Lighthouse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2IY5FA6omIQENEeGvXgErAEC74ug08D-2Mdqd1OV082zDeErimFxSUjrpR_CPamFGmaVZoJhSwAxUIA7AWGfzjxXLNefD_IUo_7_TcKXodRVRhu-jB_rvHqpY-E5HTq46qOgW-bM16Q/s16000/4_The+Lighthouse.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />A dark and quirky oddball of a movie, full of strange and disturbing of imagery, but offset with dark humour and great performances. Filmed in an old school 4:3 format to increase the feel of claustrophobia, the black and white cinematography adds to this unease as two men feel the pressures of isolation within the lighthouse they man. Robert Pattison brings bug eyed intensity to his role, but the craggy and irascible Willem Defoe steals every scene. <br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <span>Available for streaming rental. </span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /><span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3. </b></span></span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b>Portrait of a Lady on Fire </b></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1txAOZXreF9VFbWFOUi1-1zjZ08BjYpHEWqGAt-KlWaQBAnPZUtfna5696KgIC1Hn5H3o8pVoryqDLQEeo58uL_0hc9nEhfl0KpXERuegIcpdZ8rDRchhCQ9l-CIs2cqV8f67gsifFA8/s450/3_Portrait+of+a+Lady.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1txAOZXreF9VFbWFOUi1-1zjZ08BjYpHEWqGAt-KlWaQBAnPZUtfna5696KgIC1Hn5H3o8pVoryqDLQEeo58uL_0hc9nEhfl0KpXERuegIcpdZ8rDRchhCQ9l-CIs2cqV8f67gsifFA8/s16000/3_Portrait+of+a+Lady.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>A stunning movie, brimming with beautiful moments. Written and directed by Céline Sciamma, she crafts an elegant slow-burn romance, a movie that exudes a feeling of longing. The tensions between love and duty are present throughout, as Noémie Merlant's ambitious painter realises that completing her work will end her time with the woman she loves, played with bruised emotion by Adèle Haenel.<br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <span>Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. </span></span></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>2. </b></span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b>Uncut Gems</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A film of intoxicating intensity, it's a movie that screams at you. Its fast pace and high tension, might be too much for many, but I loved it. Somewhere between a thriller and existential horror, this film assaults you with fast based dialogue and terrible life choices that will make you want to scream at the characters to stop. This feels like a progression from the Safdie brothers "Good Time", more focused and engaging. Part of this may be due to Adam Sandler's brilliant lead performance, which lets you feel all the stresses and exultation of Howard Ratner, a man living on a knife edge as he fails to balance debts, debts and personal indiscretions. It's a shame Sandler spends so much time making terrible comedies and only takes on these kind of roles once a decade. <br /></span></span>
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</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span>Available to stream on Netflix. </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>1. Parasite</b></span></span></span><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQazrHyiHc-PdJ_T_Qe7vyF5etse7l7yBsbcijklYRMoTj7zeEpGD8sYq_nmhCtTkR36uRTC0ptmu0dc0hb3Tv6n0N0RFull6BS9Zwk2giXiG-K1oQHfGz5ORKcToYzKOqfb-RZT50OGc/s450/1_Parasite.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQazrHyiHc-PdJ_T_Qe7vyF5etse7l7yBsbcijklYRMoTj7zeEpGD8sYq_nmhCtTkR36uRTC0ptmu0dc0hb3Tv6n0N0RFull6BS9Zwk2giXiG-K1oQHfGz5ORKcToYzKOqfb-RZT50OGc/s16000/1_Parasite.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A film that seems like it came out a lifetime ago, coming out pre-pandemic in early 2020. For once the Oscars nailed it by making this the best Picture winner, with its fantastic balance of tone and pacing creating a movie that reflects all aspects of 21st century life (excluding global pandemics). It's a film that's best to watch without spoilers, so I won't go into plot, but the film is hugely entertaining piece of social commentary that's not too heavy handed, but doesn't let anyone off the hook. By straddling genres to be a thriller, comedy, horror (and more), Bong Joon-Ho has created a movie that feels like a culmination of everything he's strived for in his previous movies.</span></span><br /></span></span>
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</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"> <span>Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span>Worthy Mentions</span> </b><br /><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Not quite on the main list...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b><b><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>The Last Black Man in San Francisco - </span></span></span></b></b><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>This is a late 2019 movie, so I
couln't put it in my top 10, but it's a beautiful film that I caught up
with early in the year. A stunning movie I adored.</span></span></span><b><b><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><br />Waves - </span></span></span></b></b><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Very close to making my list, but I've not seen it since Cinecity in 2019, so it's faded from my memory a little. A hard hitting social drama about modern American society.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><b>Tenet</b> - As bold and striking as any Christopher Nolan production,
at times it was breath taking. However it felt like it bit off more
than he could chew in just one movie. I think it could have made a more fulfilling trilogy. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><b>Dick Johnson is Dead</b> - A fascinating documentary about how we deal with death. Treating the subject with respect but also large amounts of whimsy and levity. <br /><b>Jo Jo Rabbit</b> - Fun and vibrant, but with plenty of pathos and respect for the time period.<br /><b>The Trial of the Chicago 7 </b>- I'm a sucker for an Aaron Sorkin law drama.<b> </b><br /><b>His House - </b>Creepy British horror that makes us look at the terrifying journeys refugees make to reach the UK and the heavy burden the places upon them. <br /><b>The Assistant </b>- A drama that shines a light on the sexist practices of the movie industry, with very thinly veiled references to Harvey Weinstein's crimes.<br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Vast of Night</b> - Low budget retro sci-fi drama with oodles of style. It just doesn't stick the landing.<br /><b>Da 5 Bloods</b> - Great moments and performances, but if felt too uneven to me.<br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Bad Education</b> - Brilliant performances from Hugh Jackman and Alison Janney enrich this retelling to a real life story of everday greed.<br /><b>Extra Ordinary</b> - Hilarious low-budget Irish horror-comedy starring a villainous Will Forte.<br /><b>The Personal History of David Copperfield</b> - Armando Iannucci breathes life and vitality into this familiar tale.<br /><b>Sonic the Hedgehog</b> - Loads of fun, a great family movie (and Sonic was re-rendered so he's cute, not creeepy).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Films worth a watch </b>- Birds of Prey, Hamilton, Holidate, Happiest Season, Color Out of Space, The Platform, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, The Old Guard, The Invisible Man, Onward, Blow the Man Down, Babyteeth<br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Disappointments</b><br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I'm Thinking of Ending Things</b> - Charlie Kaufman is one of my favourite filmmakers, but I just didn't connect with this one.<br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tenet</b> - There's so much to admire, but overall it didn't quite meet me expectations, somehow managing to feel both too long and too rushed.<br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The ones that got away...<br /><br />The big misses of this year, I regret I didn't get to see... (mainly because I wouldn't go to the cinema during the pandemic, or pay twenty quid to watch it at home)</b><br /> First Cow, Wolfwalkers, Saint Maud, Relic, Clemency, St Frances, Martin Eden, The Climb, The Nest, Shirley, Bacurau, Kajillionaire, Possessor, She Dies Tomorrow, Another Round, Collective, David Byrne's American Utopia, The Painter and the Thief, Feels Good Man, Time, Wonder Woman 1984, Ma Raineys Blackbottom <br /><br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>In an ideal world, I would have seen these too... </b><br /> Mulan, Zappa, Emma, Host<br /></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><br /><b><br /> <span style="color: #999999;">2019 Update<br />The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...<br /><br />I liked... </span></b><span style="color: #999999;"> </span></span></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Us</span></span></span></span></span></span>, </span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Burning</span></span>, </span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> In Fabric</span></span></span></span>, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Zombieland: Double Tap, Hustlers </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Doctor Sleep, Terminator: Dark fate, The Dead Don't Die, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Pokemon: Detective
Pikachu, Jumanji: The Next Level</span></span></span></span></span></span>. The Black Man in San Francisco</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span><b><br />I wasn't so keen on... </b></span></span></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Glass, Hellboy</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><br /><b>The ones I didn't catch up on... </b> </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Bait, Under the Silver Lake</span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>, The Mule, </span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Pain and Glory</span></span></span></span>,
I Lost my Body, Ash is
Purest White, Transit, The
Nightingale, Climax, </span></span></span></span>Boy Erased, On the Basis of Sex, Everybody Knows, Benjamin, At
Eternity’s Gate, Missing Link, Late Night. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><br /><b>Last Years Top Ten </b><br />10. Border<br />09. Eighth Grade<br />08. The Farewell<br />07. Avengers Endgame<br />06. Ad Astra<br />05. Marriage Story <br />04. Booksmart<br />03. Little Women<br />02. The Favourite<br />01. Knives Out<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-88719441384591255812020-01-05T13:44:00.001-08:002020-01-05T15:12:25.133-08:00Films of the Year 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's another late list so I could use the Christmas break to fit in the big movies I missed, but despite this, some big names will still be missing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A failure to fit in Jordan Peele's latest, <b>Us</b>, is the biggest anomaly, so apologies to all fans of that movie. I'm still really looking forward to it.</span><br />
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As usual this is a personal look back at this year's releases, so this
is not necessarily a list of the greatest movies of the past twelve
months, but a collection of my recommendations. As usual any feedback
and discussion is welcome. <br /><br /> <span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer! - Many other films of the year lists will contain films yet to be released in the UK. I don't include these in mine, even if I've seen them at preview screenings. We usually get these films in January and February, so there's lots to look forward to early in the year. This year those films include <b>Jo Jo Rabbit</b> (3rd January), <b>Waves</b> (17th January), <b>Uncut Gems</b> (10th January), <b>Parasite</b> (7th February) and <b>Portrait of a Lady on Fire </b>(28th February). <b>Jo Jo Rabbit</b>, <b>Portrait of a Lady on Fire</b> and <b>Waves</b> were at Brighton's <b>Cinecity</b> Film Festival, so I've already seen them and highly recommend them all. It's highly likely they'll make it into next year's list. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>10. Border</b></span><br /> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A dark modern fairytale rooted in grim reality, <b>Border</b> explores the life of Tina, a customs officer whose chance encounter with a suspicious stranger leads to a very strange romance and an awakening of her true nature. A highly inventive film with a very dark centre, it's well worth a watch if you can handle bucket loads of weird.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">9.</span> </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Eighth Grade </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A troubling, but ultimately touching, look at the life of a thirteen year old girl as she gets ready to leave eighth grade and move to high school. The highs and lows of school life are further warped by the pressures of social media and the difficulty of not just figuring out who you are, but who you want to present yourself as outwardly to the world. If you're over thirty like I am, it'll make you glad you didn't grow up worrying about the likes on your Youtube channel.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">8. </span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Farewell </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A stylish but warm-hearted film that sheds light on the cultural
differences (and similarities) between West and East. For a film about
loss, it’s surprisingly light and funny</span></span>. <b>Awkwafina</b> heads a brilliant cast</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> that admirably balance these contrasting elements as you are drawn into the intense family dilemma at the heart of the film.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Currently in cinemas in London (just about)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. </b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Avengers Endgame</span></span></span></b></b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzYKH1HUMAlptfgm0VkObnw_7Jiwg0GaCnZ9OToJQ7KTjU40m5fIR96frgWhlrNnFyrQLt_zsohFPwvo2nCzIj1zXXy7nTu6C-lKC2s5Jx_i5lRyynEPIiVqpTMWjTVFKtHQyMwUS2VI/s1600/7+Avengers+Endgame.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzYKH1HUMAlptfgm0VkObnw_7Jiwg0GaCnZ9OToJQ7KTjU40m5fIR96frgWhlrNnFyrQLt_zsohFPwvo2nCzIj1zXXy7nTu6C-lKC2s5Jx_i5lRyynEPIiVqpTMWjTVFKtHQyMwUS2VI/s1600/7+Avengers+Endgame.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As <b>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</b> has shown, it's very hard to forge a satisfying end to a long running film series. To round out the current era of Marvel movies, <b>Avengers Endgame</b> offers up a fan pleasing (but not pandering) finale, that is surprisingly warm, funny and unlike <b>Rise of Skywalker</b>, takes the time for smaller character moments. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Currently available to stream on NowTV.</span></span></span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. Ad Astra </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you’re into slow, beautiful, thoughtful sci-fi of the more spiritual
kind, then this is a gem. <b>Brad Pitt's</b> astronaut ventures into space on a covert operation to find and neutralise his long lost rogue father, <b>Tommy Lee Jones</b>. Imagine <b>Terence Malick </b>remaking <b>Apocalypse Now</b>
in space and you won’t be far off. It won’t appeal to everyone, but I
loved it.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">5. Marriage Story </span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An intense reflection on a failed marriage that constantly shifts your sympathies. <b>Adam Driver</b> and <b>Scarlett Johansson</b> are great portraying the heart wrenching difficulties of separating their intertwined lives. Just as you feel more invested in one parent's woes, the film re-frames the situation from the other side and re-balances your allegiances.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Netflix. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Booksmart </b></span></span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Olivia Wilde's </b>high school comedy is </span></span>a joy of a film </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that
delivers belly laughs throughout</span></span>. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The leads <b>Beanie Feldstein</b>
and </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Kaitlyn Dever </b>create a truly genuine friendship, acting like real teens in a school that defies the usual tropes. <b>Wilde</b> eschews the usual cliques and cliches to mark a refreshing change. It's sort of like a more female centric “<b>Superbad</b>” with
perhaps more emotional heft. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>3. Little Women </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">turns out I didn’t really know the story of <b>Little Women</b>... I was taken by surprise and ended up getting quite tearful! </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Greta Gerwig </b></span></span>has crafted a faithful but exuberant adaptation that manages to feel true to the era whilst adding something fresh. Her use of fractured time and her excellent casting create a compelling family drama with lots of heart.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Currently in cinemas.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. </b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Favourite</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I first saw</span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Favourite</b></span></span> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">at Brighton's</span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <b>Cinecity</b>
</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">film festival back in November 2018 and loved it</span></span>, but it wasn't released until the first day of 2019, so wasn't eligible for last year's list. Despite this, it's stayed vivid enough in my memory to take second place. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's a delightful black
comedy, with excellent performances throughout. Unlike director<b> Lanthimos’</b> previous movies, like the stilted conversations of <b>The Lobster</b>,
the dialogue is darting and witty, with the actors relishing the
obscurity of the royal household. It's a refreshing take on the period
drama, blowing away any stuffiness with incongruous modern
idiosyncrasies like modern dance moves. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Knives Out</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With so many great movies, choosing a number one wasn't easy, so I decided to choose the film I most enjoyed watching and have already seen multiple times.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Rian Johnson's Knives Out </b>is a cinematic delight, a brilliant ensemble murder mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie, but modern and thought provoking. Even more impressive is that underneath the highly entertaining and imaginative mystery is an excellent commentary on modern America, its contradictions, and its hypocrisies. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Currently in cinemas.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Worthy Mentions</span> </b><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not quite on the main list...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Can you Ever Forgive Me</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- The closest to making the list, it had a compelling story and a couple of very fun performances from <b>Melissa McCarthy </b>and <b>Richard E. Grant</b>.</span></span><u><b> </b></u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>If Beale Street Could Talk</b></u> - A beautiful tragic film from Barry Jenkins.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Spider-Man: Far from Home</u> </b>- Another great adventure for Marvel's Spider-Man, this time with a great turn by Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio and a great end credits cameo.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Toy Story 4</b></u> - Another film in the series seemed like a bad idea, but once again Toy Story continues to defy expectations and continue its tale in a thoughtful and fulfilling way.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Vice</b></u> - Preachy it may be, this film still chronicles an incredibly important but oft forgotten figure in Christian Bale's Dick Cheney. Bale is excellent in the role, disappearing into the Cheney's mumbles and tight lipped smiles.<br /><b><u>The Irishman</u> </b>- A bit long for my taste and I don't quite buy the de-aging (see disappointments), but Scorcese still brings the magic. I especially love Joe Pesci's subdued performance.<br /><u><b>The Souvenir</b></u> - A sombre actorly piece on addiction from Joanna Hogg.<br /><b><u>Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood</u> </b>- A film I mostly enjoyed, but I felt uncomfortable with Tarantino's use of real people (see disappointments).<br /><b><u>Midsommar</u> </b>- Another tense gruesome horror film from Ari Aster, but doesn't quite nail the landing. <br /><u><b>The Sisters Brothers</b></u> - A beautiful adaptation of a book I love with a great cast, especially Joaquin Phoenix and John C Reilly as the titular brotherly duo.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b> </b></u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Rocketman</b></u> - A big surprise. I had no interest in this film, refused to see it at the cinema, but then really enjoyed this biopic musical at home. Far better than last year's <b>Bohemian Rhapsody</b>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Films worth a watch -</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Always be My Maybe, Fighting with my Family, Stan and Ollie, Apollo 11, Captain Marvel, Wild Rose, Shazam!, Hobbs and Shaw, John Wick 3, Support the Girls, Lego Movie 2, Joker, High Life, The Day Shall Come, The Hustle (just about)<br /><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Disappointments</b><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</b></u> - In revising all the progress of <b>The Last Jedi</b>, we end the Skywalker saga on a muddled, silly and disappointing note. It felt more like fan-fiction than a true continuation of the story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Joker</b></u> - I liked a lot of elements, but it couldn't hit the heights of the films its style aped, coming across as a muddled combination of <b>The King of Comedy </b>and <b>Taxi Driver</b>. <b>Joaquin Phoenix</b> is phenomenal in the lead role however.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood</u> </b>- </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another frustrating experience with <b>Quentin Tarantino</b>, once again a
victim of his own bravado. Every scene is expertly crafted and, despite
its length, doesn’t feel like a chore. The dialogue zips and tension is
built and then dissipated in classic <b>Tarantino</b> fashion. However, his
treatment of the extremely tragic events and the real people involved,
wasn’t for me. In the end I think your enjoyment of the film lies with
your perception of the finale. I found it morally objectionable, denting
an otherwise enjoyable experience, but I’m sure I’m in the minority</span></span>. </span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>The Irishman</u> </b>- There's so much to enjoy, but once you get to this length of film, it becomes hard to focus, especially when you can only watch it at home on Netflix. I felt like the story may have been better served as four one hour episodes rather than one huge movie.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>High Life</u> </b>- As I've shown with my love of <b>Ad Astra</b>, I love a philosophical space drama, but there didn't feel like there was enough substance to this tale. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>The Day Shall Come </b></u>- </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not a bad film per se, but a disappointment considering the talent
involved. Not funny enough to be a black comedy, not dramatic enough to
be truly compelling, <b>Chris Morris</b> hasn’t bought his usual bite to this
one. </span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Awful...</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Beautiful boy, Lucy in the Sky, Vox Lux</span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ones that got away...<br /><br />The big misses of this year, I regret I didn't get to see... </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Us, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Monos, </span></span></span></span>Burning, Bait, Under the Silver Lake</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">, The Mule, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pain and Glory</span></span></span></span>, I Lost my Body (I've seen part of it, ironically), In Fabric, Ash is Purest White, Transit, Zombieland: Double Tap, Hustlers, The Nightingale, Doctor Sleep, Terminator: Dark fate, The Dead Don't Die, Climax</span></span><br /> <b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>In an ideal world, I would have seen these too... </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Glass, Boy Erased, On the Basis of Sex, Everybody Knows, Benjamin, At Eternity’s Gate, Missing Link, Hellboy, Late Night, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, Jumanji: The Next Level </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b><br /><br /><b><br /> <span style="color: #999999;">2018 Update<br />The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...<br /><br />I liked... </span></b><span style="color: #999999;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Old Man and the Gun</span></span>, </span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bad Times at the El Royale</span></span>, </span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blindspotting, Green Book, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Overlord,
Pacific Rim: Uprising, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tully, Aquaman, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ralph
Breaks the Internet, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Incredibles 2</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><b><br />I wasn't so keen on... </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bohemian Rhapsody</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>The ones I didn't catch up on... </b> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
Fantastic Woman, 120bpm, Faces
Places, The Rider, Burning, Darkest Hour, Free Solo, Wildlife, They Shall Not Grow Old</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">, "Love, Simon", Halloween, Peterloo, Bumblebee</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>Last Years Top Ten </b><br />10. Spider-Man- Into the Spiderverse<br />09. First Reformed<br />08. Shoplifters<br />07. First Man<br />06. Isle of Dogs<br />05. Phantom Thread<br />04. BlacKKKlansman<br />03. Lady Bird<br />02. Sorry to Bother You<br />01. Mandy</span></span></span>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-28702044433884900072019-01-01T14:15:00.002-08:002019-01-01T14:55:12.332-08:00Films of the Year 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A super late list this year (I didn't even finalise my top 10 while still in 2018) but that was so I could use the Christmas break to cram in as many extra films as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Due to spending more time watching the films, I've had far less time to write it all up and as a consequence I've had to be much more concise. Let me know if you prefer the brevity!</span><br />
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As usual this is a personal look back at this year's releases, so this
is not necessarily a list of the greatest movies of the past twelve
months, but a collection of my recommendations. As usual any feedback
and discussion is welcome. <br /><br /> <span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer!
- Many other films of the year lists will contain films yet to be
released in the UK. I don't include these in mine, even if I've seen
them at preview screenings. We usually get these films in January and
February, so there's lots to look forward to early in the year. This
year those films include <b>"</b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If Beale Street Could Talk</span>"</b> (18th January), "<b>Vice</b>" (25th January) and "<b>Eighth Grade</b>" (TBA).</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>11. "Cheat film" - The Favourite</b></span><br /> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've added in a cheat film, as every year a film (or sometimes multiple films) are released so close to the turn of the year that there is some ambiguity about which yearly list it should be included in. <br /><br /> <b>The Favourite</b>, released on the first day of 2019, is one such film. I first saw the movie at Brighton's <b>Cinecity</b> film festival back in November and loved it. It's a delightful black comedy, with excellent performances throughout. Unlike director<b> Lanthimos’</b> previous movies, like the stilted conversations of <b>The Lobster</b>, the dialogue is darting and witty, with the actors relishing the obscurity of the royal household. It's a refreshing take on the period drama, blowing away any stuffiness with incongruous modern idiosyncrasies like modern dance moves. It would have been in my top three if I wasn't counting it as a cheat, so it stands a good chance of making 2019's list.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In cinemas 1st January 2019</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>10. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</b></span><br /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A whole lot of fun, with more geeky <b>Spider-Man</b> references than you can shake a web covered stick at, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more entertaining film from 2018. It skillfully manages the many different realities and characters, whilst always finding the heart of the <b>Spider-Man</b> character, no matter who may be under the mask. Also, the last post credit scene is my all time favourite. On top of that, it uses a phenomenal animation style that challenges animated films to move on from copying <b>Pixar</b> and be far more creative from now on.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Currently in cinemas</span> <br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">9.</span> </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>First Reformed</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ethan Hawke</b> puts in a memorable and nuanced performance as a conflicted priest struggling with the morality of the modern church. Veteran film-maker <b>Paul Shrader</b> has created a slow, quiet movie that takes a rare look at how religion relates to environmentalism. It might not be to everyone's tastes, especially the finale, but it's thought provoking, tense and combative cinema. </span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">8. Shoplifters</span></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Shoplifters</b> challenges our concept of family with a story that continuously shifts perceptions. As the film progresses and we learn more about the family unit, we find our assumptions defied and the narrative re-framed. It's a funny, touching and at times dark movie that looks at a side of Japanese life not often depicted on the big screen. <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Currently in cinemas</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>7. First Man</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Focusing on the sacrifice involved in such an undertaking, <b>Damien Chazelle</b> creates a nuanced and thoughtful movie that questions the motives of space travel whilst also conveying the wonder (and terror). It really brings home how dangerous space travel was (and probably still is), especially in how flimsy and seemingly basic the equipment they used was.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> Not available for online rental at the time of writing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. Isle of Dogs</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With <b>Isle of Dogs</b> you get all the usual elements you’d expect in a <b>Wes Anderson</b> production, but with added (and unexpected) political commentary.<br />Beautifully designed and animated, it both pulled at my heartstrings and made me smile. Especially potent for dog lovers.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">5. Phantom Thread</span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Paul Thomas Anderson</b> creates an incredibly classy movie about control that is joyously dark and twisted beneath it's beautiful veneer. With a swelling soundtrack and sumptuous costumes, it's a film to luxuriate in. <b>Daniel Day-Lewis</b> is of course excellent in the role he claims will be his last, but <b>Lesley Manville</b> and <b>Vicky Krieps</b> are equally worthy of praise for their stand out performances.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on NowTV and for rental on other streaming services. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>BlacKKKlansman</b></span></span> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An engaging storytelling masterclass, which strikes the perfect tone to deliver its message. Not many movies are both consistently funny and harrowing in equal measure, or as timely. A true return to form from<b> Spike Lee </b>in a film that tells a true but unbelievable story.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>3. Lady Bird</b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A simple story, told with great warmth and humour, all done in just 95 minutes. It's one of those films that immediately feels perfectly formed, with scene after scene that rings true. The casting is spot on, especially the way <b>Saoirse Ronan</b> and <b>Laurie Metcalf </b>portray the relationship between teenage daughter and mother. <b>Greta Gerwig</b> is a director to be very excited about.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Sorry to Bother You</b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An oddball debut film from <b>Boots Riley</b> that consistently defies expectation. The film's furious heart rages against modern commercialism, but it's all enclosed in a curious comedy that is both visually and conceptually inventive. It's best to go into this movie knowing as little as possible, so I won't say too much more, but I do have to say that <b>Lakeith Standfield</b> is one of the most fascinating and watchable leading actors around today. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />Limited screenings still possible, but </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">not yet available for streaming rental at the time of writing. </span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Mandy</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This movie made me so, so happy. As a huge <b>Nicolas Cage</b> fan, this ticked all the boxes. If you want to see him crying in anguish in his underpants whilst downing a bottle of booze, it's there. If you want to see him facing down a tiger in a drug addled fever dream, it's there. If you want to see him fighting a gang of twisted gimp bikers, it's there. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />It won't be to everyone's tastes, but <b>Panos Cosmatos</b> movie is packed with stunning vivid imagery and insane set pieces. However it also has a playful sense of humour that stops it from becoming too artistically pretentious. This is a mental, psychedelic, LSD fueled horror movie that gives<b> Cage</b> the opportunity </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">to be both the subtle and heartfelt Oscar winner and the batshit crazy meme-generator.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Worthy Mentions</span> </b><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not quite on the main list...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Lean on Pete </b>- A heartbreaking story, beautifully told. <br /><b>Mary Poppins Returns</b> - An enchanting follow up to the original featuring the wonderful Emily Blunt. Near to making the list, but I wasn't so sure about the last act. <br /><b>You Were Never Really Here </b>- A dark, brutal and intense film from Lynne Ramsay. Joaquin Phoenix is at his emotive best as he struggles with his violent past and present, to the backdrop of another excellent enveloping score from Jonny Greenwood. A quick hit of nerve jangling cinema.<br /><b>Hereditary</b> - Chilling cinema, with the most shocking moment of any film this year, but it didn’t quite stick the landing for me. <br /><b>The Square</b> - Another excellent film whose ending left me a little cold. Not quite as good as the director's previous film "Force Majeure" but still a fascinating moral study.<br /><b>American Animals </b>- An intense docu-drama that makes for engaging but uncomfortable viewing. <br /><b>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</b> - A film I really enjoyed at the time that hasn't stayed with me as much as I thought it would.<br /><b>Deadpool 2</b> - A hugely entertaining follow up that introduces some great new characters. Zazie Beetzs "Domino" steals all the scenes she's in. <br /><b>Mom and Dad</b> - My second favourite insane Nic Cage movie of the year, directed by one half of the team behind the “Crank’ series. <br /><b>Roma</b> - A stunningly beautiful film I would have loved to have seen at the cinema, rather than just on Netflix. I think I would have appreciated it more in that setting.<br /><b>The Breadwinner </b>- A beautiful animation that explores the disturbing conditions that the women of Afghanistan lived in under Taliban rule. <br /><b>Avengers: Infinity War </b>- Packed with EVERYTHING, this is pretty much as good as a film with this many intertwined franchises can be. Long but entertaining, it’s straining at the edges but it definitely has a whole lot of WHOA factor.<br /><b>Leave No Trace </b>- An excellent film exploring a unique father and daughter relationship from Debra Granik, the director of "Winter's Bone".</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Films worth a watch -</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The Shape of Water, Antman and the Wasp, Black Panther, Cold War, Widows, Coco, You Were Never Really Here, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, A Quiet Place, Annihilation, "I, Tonya", A Star is Born, Suspiria, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Paddington 2, Creed 2, Ready Player One, Assassination Nation, Molly’s Game, The Post, Downsizing, Game Night, Leave No Trace</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b>Disappointments</b><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Widows</b> - Visually beautiful, but paced too slowly and plotted too loosely to create a gripping heist movie.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Quiet Place</b> - I’d heard (pun intended) great things, but I couldn’t understand the praise. Frustratingly stupid characters.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Suspiria</b> - A stunning opening, but it was over-long and tonally messy. I'd love to see a version that was edited down by 45 minutes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Creed II </b>- More conventional than its predecessor and poorer for it.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Meg</b> - The trailer made it look like an entertaining B-movie, but there was a frustrating lack of craziness. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Rampage</b> - A bit like “The Meg”, the family friendly lack of insanity holds it back.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Solo: A Star Wars Story</b> - Everything I feared a Han Solo prequel movie would be. Contrived and unimaginative, it’s only reason for existence is to explain throw away lines that never needed explaining (much like Rogue One). The actors are game, but they’re given exposition laden clunkers to work with. Some of the content of this movie is as cringe-worthy as it gets... numerous eyes were rolled. It’s not technically a “bad” movie, it’s entertaining in places, it’s just a long pointless one. Why oh why did they sack Lord and Miller!? </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Post </b>- Stoic to the point of blandness, despite its class. A stately film, with all that entails. It’s classy, well acted and has a worthy message...but it’s also slow and self-important. It’s no “Spotlight”.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ready Player One </b>- As a fan of the book, I was excited to see what Spielberg would do with the adaptation, but it fell flat for me.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Disobedience </b>- Oddly boring, which is a shame as it has a great cast.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lucky</b> - Harry Dean Stanton is as captivating as ever in his last screen role, but a mostly poor cast surrounds him. While Harry Dean Stanton gives a great central performance in one of his last roles, overall I found the movie plodding and tedious. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Awful... <br />Cloverfield Paradox</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mute</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ones that got away...<br /><br />The big misses of this year, I regret I didn't get to see... </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Fantastic Woman, The Old Man and the Gun, 120bpm, Incredibles 2, Faces Places, The Rider, Bad Times at the El Royale, Burning, Blindspotting, Darkest Hour, Green Book, Free Solo, Wildlife, They Shall Not Grow Old<br /><br /> <b>In an ideal world, I would have seen these too... </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Overlord, Pacific Rim: Uprising, "Love, Simon", Tully, Aquaman, Halloween, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Bohemian Rhapsody, Peterloo, Bumblebee<b></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b><br /><br /><b><br /> <span style="color: #999999;">2017 Update<br />The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...<br /><br />I liked... </span></b><span style="color: #999999;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Call Me by Your Name, Mother!, War for the Planet of the Apes, Kong Skull Island, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Paddington 2<br /><b><br />I wasn't so keen on... </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Good Time, The Disaster Artist, Alien Covenant, Baywatch<br /><br /><b>The ones I didn't catch up on... </b> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lion, Christine, The Space Between Us, A Cure for Wellness, Beauty and the Beast, Berlin Syndrome, Patticake$, Loving Vincent, Gods Own Country, Mudbound, Casting JonBenet, Battle of the Sexes<br /><br /> <br /><b>Last Years Top Ten </b><br />10. I am Not Your Negro<br />09. Death of Stalin<br />08. Elle<br />07. The Florida Project <br />06. Toni Erdmann<br />05. Star Wars: The Last Jedi<br />04. Thor Ragnarok<br />03. The Handmaiden<br />02. La La Land <br />01. The Big Sick</span></span></span>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-8985195131931307682017-12-30T17:50:00.003-08:002017-12-31T02:34:38.160-08:00Films of the Year 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As usual, my Films of the Year list is pretty late to the party. As the clocks ready themselves to tick over into 2018 and most "best-of" lists were done and dusted before Santa came a calling, I've still been cramming in some extra movies to make my list as thorough as possible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looking back at 2017, it seems a year of rare blockbuster quality and independent variety. The films of this year have shown true conviction and individuality in a year where those qualities have been lacking in the real world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> As usual this is a personal look back at this year's releases, so this is not necessarily a list of the greatest movies of the past twelve months, but a collection of my recommendations. As usual any feedback and discussion is welcome. <br /><br /> <span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer! - Many other films of the year lists will contain films yet to be released in the UK. I don't include these in mine, even if I've seen them at preview screenings. We usually get these films in January and February, so there's lots to look forward to early in the year. This year those films include "<b>Phantom Thread</b>" (2nd February), "<b>The Shape of Water</b>" (14th February), "<b>Lady Bird</b>" (16th February), "<b>You Were Never Really There</b>" (9th March), "<b>120 BPM</b>" (6th April)</span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">This year's trends - Bittersweet modern romances, weird feel-good action movies, women in charge, veganism, empathetic film-making that attempts to understand, if not heal, the cracks in our society.</span><br /><br /> <b>10. I am Not Your Negro</b><br /> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A very late entry,
having watched it just the day before finalising my list. I don't feel
it's the most polished documentary I've seen, but the subject matter and
insight of author <b>James Baldwin</b> (who I'm ashamed to admit I had
no awareness of before this viewing) are undeniably powerful. His
unique place in history as a contemporary to civil rights leaders Martin
Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers, combine with his
intelligence and experience to create a thoughtful and insightful
documentary on race, nationalism and the dangers of the American dream. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Director <b>Raoul Peck</b> juxtaposes Baldwin's words from decades ago
with images of modern America, which evocatively frame the endemic
problems that run through society in the USA and beyond. The dangers of
nostalgia exposed in this documentary are particularly prescient in
Brexit Britain.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video</span> <br /><br /><b>9. Death of Stalin</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A bleak farce from <b>Armando Iannucci</b> that hugely entertains as easily as it leads you to despair in humanity. Few filmmakers can achieve such a feat, but it's become Iannucci's calling card. Moving on from the the British and US politics of "The Thick of It", "In the Loop" and "Veep" to Stalin's communist Russia, significantly ups the stakes for his characters. I'm sure any of the figures in this film would take a punishing quip from Malcolm Tucker over a stint in a gulag, or worse, a bullet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not that this film is missing the put-downs of Iannucci's previous work, they still flow with the same reliable excellence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A phenomenal cast carry off the various plots and machinations with aplomb, with my personal favourite <b>Steve Buscemi's</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">perfomance as Nikita Khrushchev.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Not available for streaming rental at the time of writing. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8. Elle</b></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Incredibly messed up but....somehow fun? This is a very <b>Paul Verhoeven</b> film; provocative, unpredictable and bloody, with a strong line in jet black comedy. Probably not a film everyone will be willing to watch as it prominently features the scenes of sexual violence, but these distressing moments are central to the narrative and inform us about the characters involved and their motivations. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Isabelle Huppert</b> is magnificent (as always) as the titular central character whose idiosyncratic reaction to these harrowing events create this swirling thought provoking narrative. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite the tough nature of the film, it's a surprisingly entertaining watch, which rewards you for making it through it's more grueling moments. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Netflix.</span><br /><br /> <b>7. The Florida Project</b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An absorbing film with rich characters that luxuriates in the grey areas, "<b>The Florida Project"</b> is a superb follow up to director Sean Baker's breakout film <b>"Tangerine"</b>. This time Baker empathetic lense focuses on those living on the edge of homelessness in the shadow of opulence of Florida's "Walt Disney World". Fantastic children's performances full of joy are juxtaposed with a warm, world-weary Willem Dafoe, as we are guided through the tough lives of the residents of the "Magic Castle" motel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Baker's directorial style never casts any judgement on the actions of these characters, leaving us to make our own judgements about characters like Halley (played ferociously by new comer <b>Bria Vinaite</b>) and her daughter Moonee (the precocious <b>Brooklynn Prince</b>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not
a film for those that like big plot developments, but if you like a
character study, then this is well worth a look. You'll be hard pressed
to find a better child's-eye-view of the world in modern cinema.<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> Not available for online rental at the time of writing. </span><br /><br /><b>6. Toni Erdmann</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another late entry to my list, as I'd been putting off watching it all year, but you should watch it first chance you can. An almost three hour German comedy is not the most enticing prospect, but <b>Toni Erdmann</b> is a weird and wonderful dramedy, well worth the investment of time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The magic of this film is how it blends the mundane and the extraordinary. It takes the time to create a rounded world of rich characters so that we can see them experience absurd moments within their lives without them coming across as cheap stunts played for laughs. I don't want to detail them here and ruin the surprise, but there's so many genuinely funny moments that caught me completely unawares. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As
a father creates the persona of "Toni Erdmann" to reconnect with his
workaholic daughter, this character study deftly covers all elements of
modern life, including the pressures of work, growing distance between
generations, capitalism, happiness, pain and love. It's an unwieldy film
to describe, but with a little patience early on, it's a joy to watch
unfold.<br /><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video </span><br /><b><br /> 5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> Director <b>Rian Johnson</b> launches <b>Star Wars</b> into exciting new territories with this surprising entry into the space saga. As Luke Skywalker grumbles in the trailer, "this is not going to go the way you think", and he's right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While the enjoyable "<b>Force Awakens</b>" mined the past to bring <b>Star Wars</b> back to life for a new generation, "<b>The Last Jedi</b>" looks to push the narrative on. Bridging the stylistic gap between the prequels and the original trilogy, Johnson takes us to fantastical new worlds, introduces us to bizarre creatures and generally makes the whole universe seem alive again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">His story has many unexpected twists that freshen up a narrative that could have grown stale. You may not agree with all of Johnson's decisions, but it's hard to deny that he's created the most interesting and thought provoking entry to the series since "<b>The Empire Strikes Back</b>".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To my delight, the movie also carries a lot of positive messages for future generations. This story looks to create a more democratic universe, where</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">anyone could be the hero, not just the chosen few. Women play a far more central role and it also highlights both wealth inequality and animal welfare. However it still finds plenty of time to create jaw dropping blockbuster visual moments (that I won't spoil for those of you yet to see it) to create a very memorable addition to the Star Wars cannon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Still in cinemas at the time of writing. </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"> </a> <br /><br /> <b>4. Thor: Ragnarok </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was the year where the super hero film lightened up, with even DC comics "<b>Justice League</b>" re-shot to increase the quips. I loved the way "<b>Spider-man: Homecoming</b>" returned the wise cracking Peter Parker to an updated high school setting and how "<b>The Lego Batman Movie</b>" merged all of the diverse versions of the caped crusader into one zany hilarious caper, but no super hero movie bought me as much joy as "<b>Thor Ragnarok</b>".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Taika Waititi has a rare talent for creating pure-unabashed cinematic joy and he lost none of his film making charm </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">when entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Embracing the cosmic nature of the Asgardians, Waititi sends us into a "<b>Flash Gordon</b>" and Jack Kirby inspired universe of weirdos and warriors. What could have been a dark and broody tale of apocalypse, becomes a planet hopping buddy film with the Hulk and Valkyrie in tow.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tapping into the comic chops of star <b>Chris Hemsworth</b> and throwing in a scenery chewing <b>Cate Blanchett</b> as the sultry villain and a glorious sprinkle of <b>Jeff Goldblum</b> awkwardness, he creates the most unabashedly fun film of the year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Not available for streaming rental at the time of writing. </span><br /><br /><b>3. The Handmaiden</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> A dark, twisted, erotic movie from <b>Park Chan-wook</b>, the director of "<b>Oldboy</b>". Or in summary, it's a sexed-up Hitchcockian dream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In practically any other director's hands, this film would have been titillating fluff, but Park Chan-wook masters the tones needed to create a layered thriller of rare pedigree. He artfully guides us through the narrative, regularly pulling the rug out from beneath our feet so that we can fall deeper into this dark tale of lust, love and manipulation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The films beauty matches it's plotting, with every shot exquisitely capturing the beauty and/or brutality of the scene. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's
best to go on into this one not knowing too much, as the twists are a
big part of the fun, but it's best to know ahead of watching that the
sex scenes are long and plentiful, so this might not be the best film to
watch with the family...<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. </span><br /><br /><b>2. La La Land</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Director
<b>Damien Chazelle</b> follows up "<b>Whiplash</b>" with another full-blooded punch
of jazz that shows once again his unique talent for cinematically capturing
musical performance. </span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whilst "<b>Whiplash</b>" was all raw emotion and pounding physicality, "<b>La La land</b>" is lighter on it's feet. Taking the old-school musical framework and updating it whilst maintaining a feeling of giddy nostalgia, it's a joy to watch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ryan Gosling</b> and <b>Emma Stone </b>are actors of rare charm, reveling in the opportunity to poke fun at each other as they sing and dance their dance their way through the movie. However the film's musicality ebbs and flow with their character's love, so as tensions rise, the music falls away to reveal a more dramatic turn. This bothered some, with a final third that was far less theatrical and far more dramatic, but I felt it made for compelling cinema, making the dream-like heartbreak of the musical finale all the more potent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A
film that is both technicolor escapism and a more grounded bitter-sweet
romance, it's both a warm nostalgic throwback and a cold jolt of
millennial romance. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I
was a relative late-comer to the musical, proclaiming to hate all it's
ilk until about five years ago, when "<b>Singin' in the Rain</b>" won me over and
opened my eyes to their joyful potential. Now as a fan, I hope "<b>La La Land</b>" opens the door for more original musicals on the big screen.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> Available to stream on Netflix. </span><br /><br /><b>1. The Big Sick</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />To borrow from the film itself, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it "overwhelms" me.</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Perfectly balancing laughs with drama, it made me shed tears of joy throughout. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><b>Kumail Nanjiani</b> and his wife <b>Emily V. Gordon</b>, in retelling the true story of how they first met, have created a beautiful film, full of charm, humour and heartbreak. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">As well as co-writing the film, <b>Nanjiani</b> proves a revelation as the dramatic lead, with his tear soaked speech during an ill-timed stand up routine a real highlight. </span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">On the surface "<b>The Big Sick</b>" is a simple boy meets girl story, but the way it subverts expectations makes it a perfect film for 2017. Through the trials and tribulations of their fledgling relationship we get a great portrait of modern dating, ideas of nationality and cultural heritage.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">It's a perfectly formed little film, with no fat to be trimmed, everything serves a purpose in creating this very funny but emotionally rich dramedy.</span><span class="st"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">Director </span></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">Michael Showalter </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">also deserves plaudits for this assured handling of tone, never letting it slide too far towards saccharine<b>.</b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Plus it almost made me forgive Ray Romano for "Everybody Loves Raymond". <b>Almost.</b><br /><br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Available for streaming rental. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> <b>Worthy Mentions </b><br />Not quite on the main list...<br /><br /><b>Spider-Man: Homecoming</b> - Spider-man is back to being a wisecracking kid in this very entertaining relaunch of the franchise. Back in school, but with an updated and more diverse range of characters to play off, Marvel have smartly bought Peter Parker into the modern day.<br /><b>The Lego Batman Movie - </b>As a huge Batman fan, this was a hilarious treasure trove of references that spoke directly to me. unfortunately, I smacked my head on a car boot just before running to the cinema just in time to make the screening, so my memories of it are a little hazy, but I do remember absolutely loving it. The head injury aspect made it difficult for me to include in my top ten however... <br /><b>It Comes at Night - </b>Very close to making my top ten, it's a film that really chimes with our fearful times. Full of paranoia and dread, it all builds to a truly tense finale.<br /><b>Moonlight</b> - A deft, beautifully crafted film, with handsome cinematography and fantastic performances. It has a look and feel all it's own, giving us a glimpse of the lead's life at three pivotal moments as he comes to terms with his sexuality. However, the opening segment seemed the strongest, with, for me, slightly diminishing returns as we follow the characters through to the conclusion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Get Out</b> - My views on this film are somewhat muddled by the chatty popcorn girls and the chair kicking lads in my screening. It's a dark, funny and daring film with a lot to commend it and I think if I'd seen it with less distractions, it would have rated a lot higher.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Baby Driver - </b>It starts with a bang and then moves up through the gears to create one of the most entertaining films of the year. However, I didn't love this semi-musical quite as much as I thought I would.<br /><b>Detroit</b> - The middle third of this movie is disturbing, tense and shocking, but it's sandwiched awkwardly between clunky opening and closing acts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>20th Century Women</b> - An interesting look at the generational differences of three women in 1970s and how those experiences relate to the eldest's son and his upbringing.<br /><b>Free fire</b> - If not for some extended sub-Tarantino dialogue in the opening of the movie, it may have made my top ten. As usual from director Ben Wheatley, a taut, tense, violent movie, with the blackest of comedy.<br /><b>The Meyerowitz Stories</b> - Another entertaining family drama from Noah Baumbach, with a particularly great performance form Elizabeth Marvel. His film's usually end up in my top tens, but it was only released on Netflix and my focus at home is rarely as good as in the cinema. <br /><b>The Killing of a Sacred Deer </b>- Director Lanthimos follows up "The Lobster" with another dark tale. Unfortunately he also brings the stunted speech patterns of his previous film to this one, which make less sense in this universe and detract from the dramatic tension. With that slight adjustment, I would have loved it.<br /><b>Bladerunner 2049</b> - Visually stunning, loyal in tone to it's predecessor and well acted, I should have loved this latest film from Denis Villeneuve. However it's ambition is it's downfall, over reaching and losing the simplicity of Ridley Scott's original.<br /><b>A Ghost Story</b> - A slow, somewhat ponderous film that nonetheless creates a feeling of loneliness and longing all it's own. Not for the impatient or those hoping for a plot driven film.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Dunkirk </b>- It took me a long time to process my feelings on this film.<br /> The first half of the film is superb, building an incredible feeling of suspense through the combination of stark but beautiful cinematography and an incessant Zimmer score. However the the final act of the film didn't stick the landing for me. (see "<b>Disappointments</b>" for more info)<br /><br /><b>Films worth a watch -</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Personal Shopper, A Monster Calls, Silence, Jackie, Split, Certain women, Hidden Figures, Logan, Wonder Woman, Okja, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, The Red Turtle, Lost in London, Atomic Blonde, My life as a Courgette, Justice League, T2, The Fits, Prevenge, The Beguiled, The Founder, Loving , The Lost City of Z, John Wick Chapter 2, Lady Macbeth, Raw</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Merely okay... </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Life<br /><b><br />Disappointments</b><br /><br /><b>Manchester by the Sea</b> - While I was impressed by the film's craft, brilliant acting and the fantastically naturalistic dialogue, I felt slightly at a distance from it. The musical choice used in it's most dramatic scenes also felt very odd to me, as it will to anyone who's ever listened to it's use in Simon Mayo's "Confessions" section on BBC Radio 2. <br /><b>Fences-</b> Makes 2 hours and 20 minutes seem like 2 days, 20 hours...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Long, stagey and boring. Denzel over indulges himself, chewing scenery like there's no tomorrow, but Viola Davis is exceptional, the movie's only saving grace. <br /><b>The Love Witch -</b> Stylish, but too long and far too pleased with itself...<br /><b>Dunkirk</b> - T</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he
final act of the film didn't stick the landing for me. Nolan isn't at
his best when trying to be warm and fluffy, and the proud, patriotic
finale seemed ham-fisted in comparison to the mastery of the opening acts<b>.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>It</b> - A tense opening and great chemistry from the young cast are let down by the films over use of very obvious CG effects. If you want real scares this year, watch the harrowing second act of "Detroit".<br /><b>Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2</b> - An entertaining film, only disappointing as it comes frustratingly close to matching it's superior predecessor. It's looser and messier than volume 1, a trim before release could have worked wonders. It's also incredibly violent for a film shown to millions of children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ghost in the Shell</b> - A visually stunning film utterly lacking in any interesting content. Dated themes are exacerbated by huge amounts of unnecessary exposition, which slow the pace and highlight the fairly uninspired fight choreography. <br /><b>Mindhorn -</b> A thin Alan Partridge-esque plot is stretched even at 89 minutes and the jokes are more chuckle worthy than full belly laughs. There are a few genuinely strange and brilliant moments, but these serve only to highlight the general lack of consistent laughs. <br /><b>Kingsman the Golden Circle</b> - Super-hyped up nonsense that should be way more fun than it is. Over-long fluff that easily out-juveniles it's predecessor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It also has given me a new phrase to describe "jumping the shark"... but I can't say what it is without spoiling the ludicrous celebrity cameo.<br /><b>xXx: Return of Xander Cage </b>- Stupid fun, but not fun enough to justify this creepy Vin Diesel vanity project.<b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Logan Lucky</b> - Not the fun romp I was hoping for, it sits awkwardly between genres. It may improve with further viewings however.<b><br />Atomic Blonde </b>- A film that needed to be twice as clever to succeed, or twice as fast. Brutal fights and stylish shots entertain, but it's paced far too slowly for such a flimsy plot.<br /><b>Justice League</b> - Despite enjoying the film, it is a mess. The gap in style between Snyder and Whedon's directing is too disparate, creating a film of jumbled style and tone. Mainly disappointing because a very watchable, charismatic cast are under-served.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>The Bad Batch</b> - </span></span></span><span class="st"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ana Lily Amirpour disappoints with this undeiably beautiful, but shallow follow up to her excellent debut "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night".</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Fast and Furious 8</b> - The franchise, like xXx, is becoming little more than a Vin Diesel vanity project, which detracts from the regular Fast and Furious mayhem. Perhaps worth watching to see Jason Statham fighting an enemy horde on a plane whilst carrying a baby (but you can just watch that bit on Youtube)<b>.<br />Song to Song</b> - Malick continues his trend of overly long, vacuous films on the relationships of the super wealthy. In many ways his films are the same as Michael Bay's, a collection of cool scenes that struggle to carry a narrative.<br /><b>The Party -</b> A stereotypical farce, parodying academics and the intelligencia. It felt long even at a trim 1hr 11 minutes and was incredibly pleased with itself, perhaps the smuggest film of the year. Despite a great cast, there's very little I can recommend, but the rest of the cinema laughed riotously throughout, so what do I know. I'm never a fan of "stagey" films, so perhaps I should have steered clear. <br /><b><br />The ones that got away...</b><br /><b><br />The big misses of this year, I regret I didn't get to see... </b><br /><br />Call Me by My Name, Mother!, Good Time, The Disaster Artist, War for the Planet of the Apes<br /><b><br />In an ideal world, I would have seen these too -</b><br /><br />Lion, Christine, The Space Between Us, A Cure for Wellness, Kong Skull Island, Beauty and the Beast, Baywatch, Berlin Syndrome, Alien Covenant, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Patticake$, Loving Vincent, Gods Own Country, Paddington 2, Mudbound, Casting JonBenet, Battle of the Sexes<br /><b><br />Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>2016 Update</b></u><br /><b>The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...</b><br /><br />I liked... <b>American Honey, Everybody wants Some!!, Moana, The Witch, Finding Dory, Neighbours 2, The Shallows</b><br /><br />I wasn't so keen on... <b>Sausage Party</b><br /><br /><b>The ones I didn't catch up on...</b><br /><br />The BFG, A Bigger Splash, Dheepan, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Light Between Oceans, Love and Friendship, Maggie's Plan, Miles Ahead, Son of Saul, Julieta, Sully, Bone Tomahawk, Secret Life of Pets, Girl on the Train<br /><br /><b>Last Years Top Ten </b><br />10. Captain America:Civil War/Deadpool<br />09. Captain Fantastic<br />08. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople<br />07. Nocturnal Animals <br />06. Room <br />05. Arrival<br />04. Swiss Army Man <br />03. Spotlight<br />02. Green Room <br />01. Anomalisa</span></span></span>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-23562705759342181212017-01-01T19:01:00.000-08:002017-01-03T02:31:43.495-08:00Films of the Year 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRv7B6NRCMQ0IbuhL66QVLbbqiihxux8py1dryAaqpuJJS-VcppgtXyIEn0b9DKHrH7W-FMZyCEM77lYyLwX00aAXrp8g1ZUVW2C-Pybb7qfTKLqEObpxOdTIa6MLBEWVm1Ulzqj2Ofg/s1600/montage2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRv7B6NRCMQ0IbuhL66QVLbbqiihxux8py1dryAaqpuJJS-VcppgtXyIEn0b9DKHrH7W-FMZyCEM77lYyLwX00aAXrp8g1ZUVW2C-Pybb7qfTKLqEObpxOdTIa6MLBEWVm1Ulzqj2Ofg/s1600/montage2016.jpg" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The films I most responded to in 2016 mainly featured one of t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wo</span> themes: isolation (whether voluntary or not) or ideological conflict. These run <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hroughout th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e year's releases and nicely <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">refle<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ct the political struggles and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">upheaval<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s of the year.</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As usual<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> this is a personal look <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">back at this <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">year<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s rel<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">eases, so </span></span></span></span></span></span>th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">is is</span> not necessarily a list of the greatest movies of the
past twelve months, but a collection of m<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y </span>recommendations.</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> As usual any feedback and discussion is
welcome.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer! - Many other f<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a4dad97-d286-42b3-ab0c-de7a59f294c4" id="9fcb1f12-6740-406d-b48a-312ee2751d2b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="015c6b96-aafc-451f-8f84-31aef0e2d908" id="ce5c91df-f31a-40ee-890b-ce5976becb65"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="59e6f741-a74a-40bf-8f9a-c406202fec67" id="df823849-323a-4332-8a31-9cd729bfebf7"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8252bb49-e294-4053-b1e4-2c3a4a0f683a" id="a6f4e99f-2dd9-4033-baa1-b80d6e3b83c1"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a4830093-7d9f-479d-90db-c899822bbcea" id="4d9f77e9-206f-435c-a7fc-7efd448b66cd">ilms</span></span></span></span></span> of
the year lists will contain films yet to be released in the UK. I don't
include these in mine, even if I've seen them at preview screenings. We
usually get these films in January and February, so there's lots to
look forward to early in the year. This year those films include </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sile<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nce</span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1s<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t</span></span> January)<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">"<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>La La Land</b></span>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">13</span>th </span>January), </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Manchester by<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sea</span></span></span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3</span></span>th January)</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">, </span> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hacksaw Ridge</span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7th</span></span> January)</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">,</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;"> </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Moonlight</span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7</span>th <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">February</span></span>), </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Certain Women</span></span></b>" <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3rd</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">March</span></span>),</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> "<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Elle</b></span>"(</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">0th March</span></span>)</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">, </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.8px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Handmaiden</span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">TBA</span>)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>This year's <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t</span>rends -</b> isolation, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ideological differences, wilderness</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, escaping society</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>10. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Deadpool</span></b></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">/Captain America: Civil War</span></b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij94trb00rEn5VYl_yMZmRbBY2TTvitfRC1y-iykRkJaOmralWqP9eaI0ftzKes8FxrV19pIaW3uk4AI7rA-4hmKje2Y6QuV6BQ2KKyourZRrjUzPSpRBFy9Gs4k8XcP1bZNOZYrxM2lI/s1600/10_deadpoolcivilwar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij94trb00rEn5VYl_yMZmRbBY2TTvitfRC1y-iykRkJaOmralWqP9eaI0ftzKes8FxrV19pIaW3uk4AI7rA-4hmKje2Y6QuV6BQ2KKyourZRrjUzPSpRBFy9Gs4k8XcP1bZNOZYrxM2lI/s1600/10_deadpoolcivilwar.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As my yearly cheat, I've included both <b>Deadpool</b> and <b>Captain America: Civil War</b> at number 10. For me, they represent this year's best examples of the superhero format, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">which</span> get right what most of the current glut get wrong. <b>Deadpool</b> is as violent and wise-cracking as its titular anti-hero, which is exactly how it should be. The story isn't groundbreaking, but it's refreshing to watch a film that doesn't spend its time setting up a sequel or building to a global threat. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Civil War</b> meanwhile succeeds with an incredibly difficult balancing act, packing Marvel's current stable of heroes into a crowd-pleasing but thought provoking blockbuster. The ideological differences that come to the fore mirror DC's <b>Batman v Superman</b>, but Marvel's fleshed out characters and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">greater</span> nuance better convey the conflict. The end, whilst action packed, is not a giant battle pitting our heroes against numerous generic enemies, but a smaller more personal one. On top of all this, they seamlessly introduce to the main Marvel Universe the best on-screen depiction of Spider-man yet, revitalising a long stagnant franchise. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Both available to stream on NowTV (at the time of writing) </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">and Deadpool is available to rent.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">9. </span></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Captain Fantastic</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </b></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSan8JZGvDEXyw9qGun1KC4uLMS6-ERBU0qZh1w2Zj_BayQRkfibxMrgHxD01YBFuTjaI9Iu_WQfZzqVicUgfIuNVSxUKNrg5Jfw6RIVylQAlSNdYCQgn7tYcm-V29peqSChFnSXIKSH4/s1600/captain+fantastic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSan8JZGvDEXyw9qGun1KC4uLMS6-ERBU0qZh1w2Zj_BayQRkfibxMrgHxD01YBFuTjaI9Iu_WQfZzqVicUgfIuNVSxUKNrg5Jfw6RIVylQAlSNdYCQgn7tYcm-V29peqSChFnSXIKSH4/s1600/captain+fantastic.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Captain Fantastic </b>features the always compelling Viggo Mortensen as the patriarch of an oddball family living outside society, deep in the woods. When a tragic event forces the family to rejoin the wider world, the characters are forced to reevaluate their place within <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">society</span>. The film asks many questions of its characters and audience, on parenting, education, philosophy and societal structure, but its great strength is how it frames the answers. These conclusions constantly shift, allowing for a layered thoughtful approach missing from most films. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Not available for streaming rental</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> at the time of writing.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hunt for the Wilder<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">people</span></span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></b></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEJPKVtW7egmRkiI6NNLbW1pNEmqwLSiAD-yE9dMBRZd2DdUgO2Ul1Duwik5QGEeW3o5znoG8AKdxqY6JQGCgE4Jc4vxxfl8o9W8YVfaT31j7jjmfpWoFwc3zyBAYuHYnch6sHui9Q6E/s1600/8_huntforthewilderpeople.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEJPKVtW7egmRkiI6NNLbW1pNEmqwLSiAD-yE9dMBRZd2DdUgO2Ul1Duwik5QGEeW3o5znoG8AKdxqY6JQGCgE4Jc4vxxfl8o9W8YVfaT31j7jjmfpWoFwc3zyBAYuHYnch6sHui9Q6E/s1600/8_huntforthewilderpeople.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another gem from Taika Waititi, who follo<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ws up</span> his hilarious vampire mockumentary <b>What We Do in the Shadows</b> with this Roald Dahl-esque ta<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">le</span> of adventure. The story begins when an inner city trouble-maker Ricky (Julian Dennison in a breakout role) is relocated to live with a foster family in the New Zealand wilderness, but many twists and turns lead to a mayhem<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>filled finale far from the intended quiet life. Great characters (including a delightfully grumpy Sam Neil) and Waititi's spot on comic timing, create a laugh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>out<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>loud, fun romp. Despite this, the thing that truly elevates the film are its quieter elements, the sombre moments that pull at the heart strings and ground the more outlandish plot developments and characters.<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Available to rent from Youtube and Google Play</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span><b>7. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nocturnal Animals</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIymt4lpUQtZShivLarNxybd0hoX-pXCjmfQG_OxsVNpXmXiLGVKd1ZfUFchZbqTnEeP9kYQzNqnVE8tUwMWDyeNM35CeDrzj8TGm_HcdU_rxVQSFBlConRdPHhscHenN_G4L4bJe1PWI/s1600/7_noc_an.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIymt4lpUQtZShivLarNxybd0hoX-pXCjmfQG_OxsVNpXmXiLGVKd1ZfUFchZbqTnEeP9kYQzNqnVE8tUwMWDyeNM35CeDrzj8TGm_HcdU_rxVQSFBlConRdPHhscHenN_G4L4bJe1PWI/s1600/7_noc_an.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a long seven year wait, Tom Ford returns with his first film since the pretty great <b>A Single Man</b>.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>Ford's <b>Nocturnal Animals</b> is just as stylish as its predecessor, bringing a lavish beauty to the screen that few modern directors achieve. A Bernard Herrmann-esque score gives it a Hitchcockian feel, and a bold opening sequence invokes the strange darkness of David Lynch. Shifts in time and location disorient and build tension, with parallel stories shedding more light on the central narrative. It's another interesting look at the politics of love and how our actions can impact upon other's lives for years to come. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Not available to online rental</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> at the time of writing.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>6.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Room</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJfTLdsQEGR_D2ogKGYiPsWbf3XZ0Sbu7gxOXhe7gaVxPTuRx-mBbBCw6vDtitRRGRbEkyijYeur8B_xS3ZGk9ZWvTiO7QqzfDaMHRMryZbtEqJRIpCNiCJxzawZrCs2n2hvPJzT7nvU/s1600/6_room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJfTLdsQEGR_D2ogKGYiPsWbf3XZ0Sbu7gxOXhe7gaVxPTuRx-mBbBCw6vDtitRRGRbEkyijYeur8B_xS3ZGk9ZWvTiO7QqzfDaMHRMryZbtEqJRIpCNiCJxzawZrCs2n2hvPJzT7nvU/s1600/6_room.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A dark drama with strong emotional punch,<b> Room</b> works so well thanks to the brilliant performances of its two central performers.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><b>Brie Larsson</b> rightly won an Oscar for her kidnapped and entrapped mother, but <b>Jacob Tremblay</b> may overshadow her with his brilliant portrayal of a child bought up in captivity. H<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">is acting is</span> naturally child-like<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">,</span> full of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">w<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">onder and i</span></span>nnocence <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">unlike </span>the type of precocious child actor<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> who often seem older th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a</span>n their yea<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rs.</span></span> Director <b>Lenny Abrahamson</b> must also be given credit for his deft handling of the subject matter and making the most of the cramped environment, much like his characters.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime (at the time of writing)</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> and available for streaming rental.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Arrival</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZojXElqhSlCbqXNqTcqdNCf91czLdFgHmJHgbU7doSwnzk0eNqUeC7sSYPHvHtHLvkXQ4lNy7Fk3yXcvUfnD-_P-TnjajGXIBVfrZSVP45c5XA4sK0StDUq_PxTBFpBGcy_6wby2vz0/s1600/5_arrival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZojXElqhSlCbqXNqTcqdNCf91czLdFgHmJHgbU7doSwnzk0eNqUeC7sSYPHvHtHLvkXQ4lNy7Fk3yXcvUfnD-_P-TnjajGXIBVfrZSVP45c5XA4sK0StDUq_PxTBFpBGcy_6wby2vz0/s1600/5_arrival.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the few works of proper science-fiction <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to come out this year, </span></span></span></span><b>Denis Villeneuve</b> has created a thoughtful, inspirational and beautiful movie. Amy Adam's expert linguist is tasked with finding a way to communicate with strange octopus-like aliens whose spacecraft hover majestically above seemingly random locations across the Earth. Tensions rise around the world as the unknown intentions of the aliens cause unrest, with the fear of the "other" neatly reflecting the darker moments of 2016. The exploration of th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e</span>se central themes <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of inter-cultural communication</span> take precedence over explosions and bombast, using science-fiction to explore humanity, as all the best sci-fi does. This film offers great hope for Villeneuve's next project, the sequel to Ridley Scott's classic <b>Bladerunner</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Still (just about) in cinemas at the time of writing</span></span></span></span></span></span>. </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"> </a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> S<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wiss Army Man</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrk7AwBsEhoQMkWzUI8Me8wTyX1uZA6OFAAbY-pO-8aKsEXeTh6YO0-Hr1u-3n8fKzZJV706NkiFLq-ya07nPjMJsvRHQB1mnAM1matGNeCQt65a0ZSZbxGBUuGBf2eRqs8WkEHNw6VnY/s1600/4_swiss_arm_man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrk7AwBsEhoQMkWzUI8Me8wTyX1uZA6OFAAbY-pO-8aKsEXeTh6YO0-Hr1u-3n8fKzZJV706NkiFLq-ya07nPjMJsvRHQB1mnAM1matGNeCQt65a0ZSZbxGBUuGBf2eRqs8WkEHNw6VnY/s1600/4_swiss_arm_man.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Joyfully absurd, creepy yet heart-warming, <b>Swiss Army Man</b> is a true one off. Famously featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a re-animated corpse, the film takes its dark premise and runs with it at full speed. The storytelling is inventive throughout as Paul Dano's suicidal loner finds his soul mate in Radcliffe's multi-<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">p<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">urpose</span></span> corpse. While some of the more juvenile humour may act as a deterrent to some, it's worth persevering with as there's much more to it th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a</span>n flatulence. The fact that the tone works is some<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">thing</span> of a marvel, somehow managing to keep you on board despite walking a very thin tightrope with its dark, sometimes unpleasant themes meshing with high concept, outlandish humour. Against all the odds, this might be one of the must uplifting films of the year.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Not available for streaming rental</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> at the time of writing.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3</span>.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Spot<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">light</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pl_tbXFPilJal7Yvm9jVXjfQZNCqOlipWFaWhx0nlTXT7AnSbUSgr4XZaM51bZhFpCL4JVmVnNh35alMcH-ZN9vPz3_s4qDYLx2esuDQ-h3TqoIKksZS9sR73Gp5GKcSRHeiUT8MUgs/s1600/3_spotlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pl_tbXFPilJal7Yvm9jVXjfQZNCqOlipWFaWhx0nlTXT7AnSbUSgr4XZaM51bZhFpCL4JVmVnNh35alMcH-ZN9vPz3_s4qDYLx2esuDQ-h3TqoIKksZS9sR73Gp5GKcSRHeiUT8MUgs/s1600/3_spotlight.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The best way I can describe <b>Spotlight</b> is that it's a "proper film". It's meticulous, well acted and gripping in a riveting yet completely un-flashy way. It hearkens back to the conspiracy thriller movies of the </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">seventies and is all the better for it</span></span>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dealing with the Boston Globe's investigation into child abuse within the Catholic church, th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e</span> journalistic style of film<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>making is truly befitting of the subject matter. The way the brilliant ensemble cast lead us through the investigation is utterly compelling and emotionally resonant. Amongst the top notch performances a particular highlight is Lieb Shreiber's editor<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>in<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>chief, who conveys a wonderful world worn weariness. It's a worthy Oscar winner which has only impressed me more on repeat viewings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Amazon Prime (at the time of writing) </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">and available for streaming rental.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2</span>.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Green Room</span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUwEtIzVF7qxmRwWxSn2eaDRDtzdmCXgTO-3oTy3OMy4a3R6g0t6ufn-zLo3V2AMA_fxigUUqEn4aJtyK57ESniLICpZJUsp7zHCiuc-_nrpxpIKZFRf4D-y3u7KQiocbCmWat2pgGa4/s1600/2_green_room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUwEtIzVF7qxmRwWxSn2eaDRDtzdmCXgTO-3oTy3OMy4a3R6g0t6ufn-zLo3V2AMA_fxigUUqEn4aJtyK57ESniLICpZJUsp7zHCiuc-_nrpxpIKZFRf4D-y3u7KQiocbCmWat2pgGa4/s1600/2_green_room.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wonderfully tense, this film will grip you like few others. A young touring punk band find themselves trapped in the green room of a neo-Nazi run bar in Jeremy Saulnier's vicious follow up to <b>Blue Ruin</b>. Saulnier uses his experiences as young man in the Washington DC hardcore punk scene to create a lived<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>in world, full of detail and well-rounded characters. One of his greatest strengths is creating films where characters act believably, ensuring his films are character rather than plot<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>driven. This gives the cast a chance to fully explore their roles, with the members of the band conveying a real bond throughout. This connects us to their struggle and makes the menace <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">they face</span> seem ever present. Their Nazi attackers are lead by Patrick Stewart's Darcy, who is all the more threatening thanks to Stewart's low<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>key un-theatrical performance.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The tragic death of the Anton Yelchin also adds a touch of melancholy to this film, it's a huge shame to lose such a talented performer at such a young age.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Netflix (at the time of writing) </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">and available for streaming rental.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="_Xbe kno-fv"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Anomalisa</span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDeHsFFf-kdblbCSuYqFmAYb4lE5b7xgWtzlXv8dntmV_Y2Kju4ldgbsaNYL1Zutli7jD6GsXOg_nWiXydGL7lBBLUnbtM7EAoSOm4208_D8nSwHgcO28CcAfmUYDO1YTkzxSQqrH-LU/s1600/1_anomalisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDeHsFFf-kdblbCSuYqFmAYb4lE5b7xgWtzlXv8dntmV_Y2Kju4ldgbsaNYL1Zutli7jD6GsXOg_nWiXydGL7lBBLUnbtM7EAoSOm4208_D8nSwHgcO28CcAfmUYDO1YTkzxSQqrH-LU/s1600/1_anomalisa.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's amazing that a film utilising animated pu<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">pp<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ets can achieve a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> reflection of humanity greater than any other film this year<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. The film centres on an emotionally withdrawn customer service specialist, perfectly voiced by David Thewlis, as he attends a convention to promote his latest book. His distance from others is such that he views them all with identical faces and voices. This unnerving representation makes his discovery of a person he can view as a true individual, Lisa, softly voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh, have all the more impact. The development of their relationship is so touching that it's easy to forget we're watching an animated creation. Their awkward, fumbling sex scene is a wonderfully true, human scene (although it is difficult to avoid comparisons to the sex scene in <b>Team America: World Police</b>, despite this film's greater subtlety). <b>Charlie Kaufman</b> is such a gifted and unique storyteller that it's always a pleasure to enter his world, despite it often leaving you filled with morose melancholy. This is no exception, with the story proving as heartbreaking as you might expect. While it didn't leave me as emotionally shattered as his previous film, <b>Synedoche, New York</b>, it still made a profound impact on me in a way few other directors can. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Duke Johnson</b>, Kaufman's co-director, must also be praised as this is a visually stunning movie, with its use of lighting and expressive animation a real treat for the eyes. The nightmare sequence makes full use of the animated medium and the film is almost worth watching for that alone. A film not to be missed.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Available to stream on Netflix (at the time of writing) </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">and available for streaming rental.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Worthy Mentions </b><br />Not quite on the main list...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Creed </b>- A brilliant re-invention of the Rocky series, it was incredibly close to making my main list. Great performances all round, only slightly let down by <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">occasional</span> video-gamesque fight sequences. <br /><b>Zootopia</b> - A very funny top-notch family-oriented animation with a deftly conveyed strong central message. Lots of lovely details, with the sloths a particular highlight. Also close to making the main list. <br /><b>10 Cloverfield Lane </b>- A taut thriller with plenty of surprises anchored by the brilliantly creepy John Goodman.<br /><b>Victoria </b>- Filmed all in one shot, this is a gripping technical marvel. However, the lack of editing can make some parts of the story drag.<br /><b>Kubo and the Two Strings</b> - An incredibly beautiful film let down by a slightly weaker narrative. <br /><b>Rams</b> - A touching tale of two brothers in conflict.<br /><b>Hell or High Water</b> - A modern western in the style of No Country for Old Men, it has a compelling tale of modern rural America.<br /><b>Paterson </b>- A slow but delightful slice<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>of<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>life drama from Jim Jarmusch with an excellent central performance from the always watchable Adam Driver.<br /> <b>Sing Street </b>- Another heart warmer from the director of Once. As you'd expect from John Carney, it has great music, with original songs bringing the sounds of the 1980s to life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Worth a Watch</b><br />Films worth a look -<br /><br />The Assassin (incredibly beautiful, but obtuse), Hail Caesar!, The Hateful Eight, High Rise, Neon Demon, The Nice Guys, The Revenant, Tale of Tales, Wiener dog, Doctor Strange, Ghostbusters (for Kate McKinnon), Tickled, Midnight Special, Sisters (the second half, the first forty minutes are awful), The Big Short, The Girl <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">w</span>ith<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> A</span>ll the Gifts, Star Trek: Beyond, Joy, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, The Jungle Book (far better than I exp<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ected, a lot of fun)</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I, Daniel Blake (for content)</span><br /><br /> <b>Merely Okay</b><br />Magnificent Seven </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Disappointments</span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Rogue One </b>- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Going s</span>omewhat against public opinion, I'm not a fan. It may be a very handsome movie indeed, but <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don't feel</span> it adds eno<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ugh</span> to the Star Wars mythos to <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">warrant a whole movie</span>. One two minute scene is utterly awesome<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> however (you'll kno<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">w when you see see it).</span></span><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I, Daniel Blake</b> - While I'm fully behind its message, it felt quite heavy<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>handed and clunky, more like a feature length episode of mid-afternoon soap "Doctors" than a Palme d'Or winner<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, which is a real shame.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Gimme Danger</b> - Lacking the anarchic energy of The Stooges.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Midnight Special </b>- A wonderful premise, with a great opening sequence, but the world<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>building is muddled and the ending doesn't quite work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sisters (1st half)</b> - A train wreck that's hard to watch, with a horribly miscast Tina Fey the main culprit. The second half, however, improves dramatically.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Doctor Strange</b> - Disappointingly formulaic (albeit with some astonishing visuals) after Marvel claimed they were finished with generic origin stories.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>X-Men Apocalypse</b> - A messy, forgettable waste of a promising villain. Time for the X-men to reboot.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Batman v Superman</b>- Beautiful and stylised in a way that only Zack Snyder can produce, nasty and ideologically muddled in a way that only Zack Snyder can produce. Wonder Woman was awesome though.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Suicide Squad</b> - A complete mess, best avoided. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Jason Bourne</b> - Surprisingly boring and behind the times. None of the old urgency or movie magic remains.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Zoolander 2</b> - The promising start fizzles out into a flaccid, unfunny sequel to the much loved original.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>My Scientology Movie</b> - A missed opportunity from the usually excellent Louis Theroux. More a movie about not being able to make a movie.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Hail Caesar!</b> - While I enjoyed the film, I had hopes that it would be a Coen<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> b<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rothers</span></span> classic and it felt like one of their more minor works.The Channing Tatum dance sequence is fantastic though.</span></span></div>
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<div class="post-body entry-content" style="background-color: white; color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The ones that got away...</b><br /><span style="color: black;">In an ideal world, I would have seen <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="61451cdf-a2de-4682-a810-8852d72b7419" id="bb4451ed-ac3a-418f-b359-b97068153a68"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fbe5c6d9-e6e6-42b4-975d-7544dcb7e03d" id="19116084-9dd9-41f1-9b04-6d7fdc8798bf"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2a74eced-12a2-483f-90a0-33b534c0479d" id="f9fa4fc1-d92a-474d-8497-2a0b9be529bd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="8860b6bd-1394-40ae-a764-4ab82a6c605c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a21ffe45-9dc8-4983-9913-1cb37b59a1e5"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="25846479-9b86-4600-854a-052f72f8384d"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="6783a06c-744e-47dd-8bf9-6420e5957c12"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="0d96cf65-384e-4b2a-b656-1997b0bb21e9">these</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> too<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="85eb4f26-8362-431f-9dad-41fb75f52afc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a8d508b1-89cf-4a3e-8de2-72d3820fcd67"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="0252ff1e-5395-4197-bb9b-936fc3bc3d93"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="300dc28d-ae70-46cd-8289-206a8fe345bc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="af79964e-c059-4512-9723-53c4589de702"> (main regre<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ts in bold)</span> -</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">American honey, The BFG, A Bigger Splash, Dheepan, Everybody wants Some!!, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Light Between Oceans, <b>Love and Friendship</b>, Maggie's Plan, Miles Ahead, <b>Son of Saul</b>, <b>Moana</b>, <b>The Witch</b>, Toni Erdmann, <b>Julieta</b>, Finding Dory, Sully, </span>Bone Tomahawk, Sausage Party, Neighbours 2, The Shallows, Secret Life of Pets,<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Girl on the Trai<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">n</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="post-body entry-content" style="background-color: white; color: #371006; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><b>Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;">
<div style="line-height: 1.6em;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>201<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5</span> Update</b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;">The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I liked...</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>Love <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">&</span>
Mercy, Furious 7, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">, </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, </span>The Diary of a Teenage Girl, The Wolfpack, Trainwreck,
Kingsman: The Secret Service,</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Spy, </span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dear White People</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;">I wasn't so keen on<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">...</span> </span>The Walk<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (perhaps because <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">love the documentar<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Man on Wire</b>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The ones I didn't.<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c35fd7fc-cf11-4bb0-bff3-8ec5c19254ab" id="cc6dc72b-ce24-48a0-9a17-40941c91373f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c1b871df-232f-448c-902a-695683e98df2" id="27fd2219-fdd5-4e5d-927a-fb054d5458df">..</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #999999;">Clouds of Sils Maria, Welcome to Me, A Pigeon Sat on a
Branch Reflecting on Existence, Song of the Sea, The Wonders, Hard to
be a God, 45 Years, Amy,
Sicario,<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>Wild Tales, The End of the Tour, Beasts of
No Nation, Wild, The Theory of Everythin<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">g</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Last Years Top Ten</b> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">10. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Duke of Burgundy</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">09. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Martian</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">08. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ant<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Man</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">07. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Inher<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ent Vice</span></span> </span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">06<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. While we're<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Young/</span>Mistress America</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">05. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Force Majeure</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">04.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">side Out</span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">03. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ex<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>Machina</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">02. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Lobster</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">01. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whiplash</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br />Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-85494386573827507952015-12-31T10:19:00.002-08:002015-12-31T10:25:24.852-08:00Films of the Year 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2015 was a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> pretty</span> eclectic <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">year</span> for <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">film</span>. Whilst the retu<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rn of t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wo long dormant massive franchises, in the f<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">orm of Jurassic Park and Star Wars, broke box office records, there was still plenty of room for small <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">idiosyncratic</span> movie<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to delve into the many facets <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of the human condition<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. 2015's best films <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">exp<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lored the nature of </span>ambition, expectation, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">time,</span> love<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, sadness, fatherhood and<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> technology<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, but in fresh unex<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">pected ways. Once again<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> this was a year when unheralded films<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> tur<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ned out much better than <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the hyped-up</span> award<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>hunter<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This year I'<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ve</span> aim<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ed</span> to write a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> shorter, punchier review of this year's films, so hopefully <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it'll act as <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a</span> nice brief overview for you all.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As usual<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> this is a personal look <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">back at this <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">year<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s rel<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">eases, so </span></span></span></span></span></span>th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">is is</span> not necessarily a list of the greatest movies of the
past twelve months, but a collection of m<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y </span>recommendations.</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> As usual any feedback and discussion is
welcome.</span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer! - Many other f<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a4dad97-d286-42b3-ab0c-de7a59f294c4" id="9fcb1f12-6740-406d-b48a-312ee2751d2b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="015c6b96-aafc-451f-8f84-31aef0e2d908" id="ce5c91df-f31a-40ee-890b-ce5976becb65"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="59e6f741-a74a-40bf-8f9a-c406202fec67" id="df823849-323a-4332-8a31-9cd729bfebf7"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8252bb49-e294-4053-b1e4-2c3a4a0f683a" id="a6f4e99f-2dd9-4033-baa1-b80d6e3b83c1"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a4830093-7d9f-479d-90db-c899822bbcea" id="4d9f77e9-206f-435c-a7fc-7efd448b66cd">ilms</span></span></span></span></span> of
the year lists will contain films yet to be released in the UK. I don't
include these in mine, even if I've seen them at preview screenings. We
usually get these films in January and February, so there's lots to
look forward to early in the year. This year those films include </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hateful Eight</span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8th </span>January), </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Revenant</span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1</span>5</span>th January)</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Room</span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1</span>5</span>th January)<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">,</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Assassin</span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">22<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nd</span></span> January)</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he Bi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">g Short</span></span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">22<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nd</span></span> January),</span></span></span> </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spotlight</span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">29th January</span>), </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anom<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">alisa</span></span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">11th M<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a</span>rch</span>), </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Son of Saul</span></b>"(</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1st April</span>)</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Arabian Nights</span></b>" (<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">TBA</span>)</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>This year's <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t</span>rends -</b> father figures<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a love of </span>science</span>, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">modern love and relationsh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ips</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>10. The Du<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ke of Burgund<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y</span></span> </b></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAqGA2P4oFN82sX0_Q2KNZTYiWpF6FvpKHZ_dAQZ7HRqJws9Y9BtN8IL-2_a0CPsMS59pxe8yEn6PNGmGzvEYNBOk_7rPe1hP2aSbsSK_0Jz8bes0JyyrW9dsxYjj694B6Hi6Ct14-qo/s1600/duke+of+burgundy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAqGA2P4oFN82sX0_Q2KNZTYiWpF6FvpKHZ_dAQZ7HRqJws9Y9BtN8IL-2_a0CPsMS59pxe8yEn6PNGmGzvEYNBOk_7rPe1hP2aSbsSK_0Jz8bes0JyyrW9dsxYjj694B6Hi6Ct14-qo/s1600/duke+of+burgundy.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A strange but beguiling film from Adam Strickland<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, director of 2012's <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">also rather idiosyncratic </span><b>Berb</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>erian Sound Studio</b>. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shifting between genres as it details the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">routines and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sex lives </span>of t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wo <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">women</span> living in a secluded woody man<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sion</span></span></span></span>,<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> its stylistic blend<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> can often be confus<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ing and dis<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">orienting, but is al<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ways</span> thought<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>provoking. </span></span></span></span></span></span>I think it<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s at its </span>best when<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> it leans towards <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">black comedy<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">more fully r<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ounding</span> out the characters and their motivations th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">an the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">dream<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ier</span></span> sections,</span></span> </span></span>but </span>the surreal<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, visually<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>arresting </span>moth<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>based imagery <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">also leaves a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">big</span></span> impression<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">9. </span></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Martian</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PlSxWpyMkyN_1yRexxmJ9Xj-4ZCPihxSNuSK5qZUi6UU2qwmcckNdbOQPxpa7O3mn8TEHg4cVMJhDwR93Wi1-7qasbMDHLEGyx3EX48K85uOIG2EjaTMJB4_K6LGXMFiwdyp_2GOCgM/s1600/the+martian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PlSxWpyMkyN_1yRexxmJ9Xj-4ZCPihxSNuSK5qZUi6UU2qwmcckNdbOQPxpa7O3mn8TEHg4cVMJhDwR93Wi1-7qasbMDHLEGyx3EX48K85uOIG2EjaTMJB4_K6LGXMFiwdyp_2GOCgM/s1600/the+martian.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After making his name <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">with dark visions of the future, </span>Ridley Scott <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">directs a more</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">optimistic take on the science fiction<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> g<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">enre</span></span>, finding the joy in sci<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">en<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tific exploration</span> to go along<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">si</span>de the fear in </span><b>The Martian</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Matt Damon's </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ultra-capable </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>ast<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ronaut </span>Mark Watney<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> becomes stranded on Mars <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">when his team are forced to leave the planet without him, but he uses his ingenuity and scientific knowledge to eek out <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">life <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">on the martian surface whilst awaiting rescue</span>. </span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Watney</span></span>'s in<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sane le<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">vels of optimis<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">m can lessen the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">emotional<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">w<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">eight and dramatic tens<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ion </span>of the film, as you never really feel he's fully pushed to the edge<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> However as this film</span></span> focus<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">es</span> more on the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">thrill of exploration<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and the power of a focused, intelligen<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t mind</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, this is a pretty forg<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">iva<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ble flaw.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite Watney's isolation, th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e fi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lm's focus i<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s broad,</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">with </span>a <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">brilliant ensemble cast supporting him from afar <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">as</span> both his <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">guilt ridden fellow astronauts and an expansive team<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> back on Earth work<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> to bring <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">him home</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span> </span> </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a15bd3c-8066-4b12-acb1-8abeadf3bc6a" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ant<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Man</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I never thought An<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t-Man would feature on my list ahead of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the latest A<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">vengers <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">effort</span>, but after the disappoin<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tment of <b>Age of Ultron</b>, thi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s made for a very pleasan<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t surp<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rise. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>It may<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> not be the film it could have been under <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Edgar Wright, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">although</span><u></u> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">his</span> finger<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>prints <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">remain</span> obvious throughout, </span></span>b<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ut his replacement, director, Peyton Reed,<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>steer<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s</span> this film away from <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">near</span> pre-production disaster <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to create a charming, comed<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ic</span> action fi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lm. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While man<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y of the tired superhero tr<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">opes are still in place<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, they are augmented with inventive use o<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">f Ant-Man's size<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>changing powers and a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">n excellent ensemble cast<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> of scene stealers. Chief among them is Michael </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Peña<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, who brings an <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">optimistic exuberance <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to every sce<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ne.</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span> </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To be honest, i</span>t's worth watching just for the <b>Thomas the Tank </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>En</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>gine</b> cameo alone, whi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ch isn't something you get to say <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">every day.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>7. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Inherent Vice</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After my initial indifference, <b>Inherent Vice</b> benefited massively from a second viewi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ng. As a huge fan of Paul Thomas And<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">erson, I <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">was a little underwhel<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">med after the fantastic <b>The Master</b> blew me away a f<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ew years ag<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">o</span></span>, but subsequent viewings<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">have shown </span>me the<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> err<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">or of my ways. Packed full of interesting characters<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> played by <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a spot on cas<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t </span></span>(my favourite <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">being the coked<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>u<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">p dentist portrayed by Martin Short)<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and odd<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ball set pieces, it works much better second time round, once you'<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">v</span>e removed any narrative expectations<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. If you're a fan of Thomas <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pynchon<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s novel, on which the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">fi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lm is based, this may seem obvious, but <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">coming to the film without having read it, I hadn't realised how meandering the story o<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">f</span> Joaquin Phoeni<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">x's drug<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> addled P<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.I</span></span> would be as he hap<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">hazardly <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">goes about solving the mysteries of the film<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. As usual<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> for a Paul Thomas An<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">derson film, it<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s beaut<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ifully<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> shot, has a great soundtra<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">c<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">k and gro<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ws better with age<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>6.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While We're Young/Mistress America</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">his year's cheat <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">entry, I've gone for both of Noah Baumbach's 2015 <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">r<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">eleases as the<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ir</span> themes <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">dovetail</span> so well together. Following on from <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2013<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s <b>Frances Ha</b>, Baumbach has work<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ed</span> his way through from <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">people in the<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ir</span></span> mid-twenties to early forties <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">over</span> th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e course of these three films. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">T</span>he films deal with the weight of expectation <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">o</span>n each generation <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and the fear of failure that haunts <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">them</span> thro<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ughout<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, yet the films re<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">main light, funny and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">entertaining</span></span>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In <b>Mistress America</b> we find <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a confused young college student played b<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y</span> <b>Lola Kirke</b> findin<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">g <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">solace in an (almost) half-sister<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (<b>Greta Gerwig</b>) </span>who seems just as unsettled <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">at</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">reaching her early thi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rties with her grand plans <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">unfulfilled as the callow student does about her new surroundings. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In <b>While We're Young</b>, Ben Stiller and Naomi Watt<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s face their fo<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rties <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">realising th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">at the care<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ers and family life they<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> expected ne<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ver materialised. In both films the older characters gain<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">fresh, </span>new per<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">spectives from the younger <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">protagonists</span>, but end up betrayed by <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">m,</span></span> as the you<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">thful figures wor<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">k from a different moral playbook. This is espec<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ially the case with Adam Driver's entertaining </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">über<i>-</i></span>hipster who<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>becomes the bane<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> of Ben Stiller<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s tortured documenta<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rian'<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s</span></span> existence<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in <b>While We're Young</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Force Majeure</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> fascinating drama that examines the dynamics of the modern <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">famil<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y</span></span> and the expectations <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">fatherhood. When <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a</span> family is faced with a life<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>threateni<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ng situation<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> whilst on a skiing holiday in the French alps<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, the instinctive reaction of the family's father causes ripples of distrust <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that run through the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">entire</span> film, touching everyone they meet<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This unease forces the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">protagonists to <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">reevaluate</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">all their relations<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">h<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ip<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s and how they <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ar<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">perceived</span> by others</span></span></span>. </span></span></span></span></span></span>This may all sound quite inten<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">se, but</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> t</span>he film</span> isn't <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">heavy</span> or preachy, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it's<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">subtle<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, </span>underplayed<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and</span> often </span>very funny.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It has</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">uniformly</span></span> deft </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">performances from <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it's mostly Scandinavian cast, although the presence of </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="itemprop" itemprop="name">Kristofer Hivju, better known as the ginger b<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ear<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ded Wilding from <b>Game of Thrones</b>, thre<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">w me a little<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> at first<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in a <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">contemporary</span> se<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tting.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4.Inside Out</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A return to form from Pixar, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Inside Out</b> finds them back <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">cre<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ating an original tale with a lot of heart. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looking into the inner workin<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">gs <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of a child's mind as represente<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d by a <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">group of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">anthropomorphized</span> emo<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tions, it takes us on a journey through the growing pains of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a girl's</span> tee<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nage years<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The way it <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">explains</span> emotional development and the importance of sadness<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> is masterf<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ul, wonderfully exposing a truth we all<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> have to embrace as <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">we grow older. This <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">assured stor<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ytelling is reinforced by <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it's</span> casting, with Amy Poehler's Joy and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phyliss Smith's Sadness <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">perfectly juxtaposed</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">in their roles.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Managing to find th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e</span> right balance between laughs and tear<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s has been Pixar's calling<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-</span>card right from it<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s early days<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and this one<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> tho<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">roughly </span>pulls at the heart st<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rings to make it the<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ir best since <b>Up</b>.</span></span> </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3</span>.Ex-Machi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">na</span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22HQzwbep5svNAJzXezLCsNwptJllg5yU9olu8Rc_RmaihN_T2sdD-lnxNCZDI_GKz9xApCGPRBbP70gldv1Bcb90Nx-tSAxZrtUhria8Ks67qUzdWPEXA4AEZuxFyuRIXKRIPpnfxMk/s1600/exmachina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22HQzwbep5svNAJzXezLCsNwptJllg5yU9olu8Rc_RmaihN_T2sdD-lnxNCZDI_GKz9xApCGPRBbP70gldv1Bcb90Nx-tSAxZrtUhria8Ks67qUzdWPEXA4AEZuxFyuRIXKRIPpnfxMk/s1600/exmachina.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a basic premise, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e film's plot can seem rather gene<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ric and hackne<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">yed<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. "<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reclusive<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>scientist <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">creates artifi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">cial </span>life" is a trope we've seen many times, but Alex Gar<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">land crafts a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> stylish and engaging picture that expand<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s on th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ese building blocks <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to make something rather more unnerving. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alicia Vikander is outstanding as the robotic women created by Oscar Isaac's tech billionaire to be tested by nervous employee Domhnall G<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">leeson.</span> The film expertly builds <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tension <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">as it </span>plays with our expectations to create distrust and unease, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">as the strange interplay between the protagonists <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">unravels what it is to be h<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">uman</span></span>. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The motivations of the characters become murkier as the film progresses, especially in terms of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">gender politics<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">forming <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wkward </span>scenarios that </span></span></span>lead us to const<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">antly </span>qu<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">estion <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">their actions</span>.</span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is all told <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">with great visual flair and</span></span></span> features perhaps my favourite scene <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of the year, a bizarre <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">synchronized</span> disco dance from Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2</span>.The Lobster</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A wonderful film <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">that exudes </span>a truly unique tone and atmosphere, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="_Xbe kno-fv">director Yorgos Lanthimos has a style that finds an underplayed normality in fantastical situations</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. I<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> first discovered his wor<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">k in the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">strange and brilliant <b>Dogtooth</b>, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a film which shares <b>The Lobster's</b> dark humour and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">flair for the uncom<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">fortable.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The film follows a group of singletons who must f<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ind love within 45 days or face being turned into an animal of their own choice, in C<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">olin Farrell's case, the titula<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">r <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lobster. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In creating this scen<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ario, Lanthimos uses subtle world build<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ing to posit a whole society running along <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">bizar<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">re<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> yet</span> believable lines, whilst sh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">edding light on our real world <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">attitude</span> towar<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ds modern relationships<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and the need to conform.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's a touching, funny and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">brutal mix that leaves a deep impress<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ion.</span></span> </span></span> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1.Wh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">iplash</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whiplash takes first pl<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ac<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e this year based on the streng<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">th of repeat viewings. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I first saw</span> the film at a Pictureh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ouse preview </span>back in 2014<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">then twice </span>ag<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ain on general rel<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ease in 2015<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t</span>here's just something incredibly compelling about <b>Whiplash</b> that keeps bringing me bac<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">k for more. J.K Simmons is of course superb in his Oscar winning performance as the imperious and int<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">imidating band leader Flet<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">cher, but the film<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> has more to it than just h<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">is dynami<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">c charisma. Miles Te<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ller<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> oozes desperate<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> ambition as his stu<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">dent and Melissa Benoist manages to <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">create a relatable character as Te<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ller's girlfriend despite very little screen time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">theme<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s of obsession and sacrifice<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in p<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ursu<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">excellence ar<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e also incredibly compelling as <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it drives the story forward.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However I think the real star of the film is the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">propulsive jazz music at<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> it's </span>core a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">n</span>d the way Damien Cha<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">zelle's direction <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">creates energy <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">whilst maintain<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ing narrative cohesion. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e</span> visual flair<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">used in </span>represent<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ing</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">h<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e </span></span>music allows <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">us to bet<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ter under<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">stand the striv<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e</span> for perfection that drives the characters<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and the decisions they make. It may have some <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">slightly unbelievable plot twist<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s toward the end, but a bravura finale smooths <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">these over to<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> leave you satisfi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ed <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">by the end, even if you may<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> still feel unease at the ethics that went towards creating musical perfection.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Worthy Mentions</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Not quite on the main list...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Listen Up Phillip</span></b></u> -<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I loved most of this film, but felt it fizzled out a little towards t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he end, mainly due to the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">brilliance</span> of Elizabeth Moss. Despite the presence of Jason Schwartzman and<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Jonathan Pryce, the film never feels as alive as when she's on screen and suffers when she's gone too long.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Funny but unsentimental, this is the closest film to making my top ten and I still highly recommend it (it may also make you laugh every time you have to staple something).</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brooklyn</span></span></u></b> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A lovely film <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">fueled</span> by </span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Saoirse Rona<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">n's star power<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A</span> simple premise<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">at <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">you'd e<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">xpect to be laden with </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="_Tgc">cliché avoids those pitfalls to create a charming movie with real emotional investment.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mad Max: Fury Road</span></span></b></u><span style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #222222;">- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A great action film<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, but I viewed it in a sub-par Odeon which lessened the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">movie's f<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">renetic</span> energy. I sh<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">oul<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d have gone to see it a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">t a better, louder cinema, then it may have made my top ten.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222;"><u><b>Carol</b></u><b> </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">beautiful film, with great performances from <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rooney Mara and the always excel<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">lent Kate Blanchett. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately I saw this film on a Sunday evening when I was extremely <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">tired, which <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">wasn't th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e best match <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">for this film<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'s classy, but slow, pacing.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Star Wars<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: The Force Awakens</span></span></b></u><span style="color: #222222; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;">- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Almost made it onto my <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">top<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> ten</span></span> list for not screwing up one of the most eagerly a<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">waited</span> films of all time. I <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">absolutely</span> loved the first half of the film, but the second half was <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">somewhat</span> formulaic <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and lost me a bit <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">towards the end</span>.</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I still thoroughly enjoyed it<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> though<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Selma</span></b></u><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pacing seemed <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a tad</span> off to me and the clacke<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ty-clack of the typewriter over each scene<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> was a little distracting, but it's a powerful movie that ma<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">de me cry more than once<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still Alice</span></b></u><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">-</span><span style="color: #222222;"> A<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nother tearjerker<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, it features an incredibly moving performance by Julian Mo<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ore who deserved the Oscar<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> win for<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> best <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a</span>ctress.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u><b>White God</b></u></span><span style="color: black;"> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's pr<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">obably best to go into this one not knowing too much, but beware that <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">this tale of a girl and her dog gets pretty dark and twisted by the end<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tangerine</span></b></u> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Impressi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">vely shot on an iPhone, it offers a lively al<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ternative Christmas narrative.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paddington</span></b></u></span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span>- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The trailer made it look absolutely terrible<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> so it took me a whi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">le to get roun<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d to seeing it, but it turned out to be a lovely <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">family film with a positive <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">message about immigration, which is all too rare in the media today.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Tale of Princess Kaguya</span></b></u><b> </b>- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> stunningly beaut<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">iful animated fil<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">m from <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Studio <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ghibli.</span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>A Gi</u></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>r</u></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u>l Walks Home Alone at Night</u> </b>- A<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">n <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">o<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d</span>d but </span></span>touching vampi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">re romance<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> that is wonderfully atmospheric.</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Worth a Watch</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Films worth a look<b><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67e8c297-b2b6-4c23-aebb-62f500efe623" id="366a15c4-d497-412e-8e86-fc72632b9bb9"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f90ce121-0d4c-4490-b150-8054f468097c" id="e9923fa3-9b8c-4a27-a241-eed34943d03f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="dab9dbb6-1c5b-4b3c-b8bf-b6e6edc118fd" id="bd029746-9ac4-4070-b900-9637132edf78"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="de4b6926-1324-4313-bdf6-071dd506da14" id="ac30e5ba-9273-4dc2-b9a0-7abaa3e6087b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1d78f9c8-4aa3-42ba-b02f-17e43a293d39" id="d6b969a0-b109-421f-a2b2-97d1c22098b0"> -</span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Foxcatcher", "Timbuktu", "Straight Outta Compton", "A Most Vi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">olent Year", "Dope", "Slow W<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">est", "Me, Earl and the Dying girl", "Birdman", <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"A Bridge of Spies"</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Disappointments</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Follows</span></span></b></u> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A promising premise, but <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the film<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> breaks it<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">s own rules too many times to fully sati<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sfy. Once the monster star<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ts becoming more erratic, it loses some of its menace.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Me, Earl<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and the Dying Girl</span></span></b></u></span> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A vi<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">cti<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">m o<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">f hype<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it's an<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> enjoyable enough film, b<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ut nothing remarkable.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Birdman</span></b></u></span> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Technically great and with some <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">fun</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">performances</span>, but the preachy tone and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">stereotypical</span> cha<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">racter<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> types didn't <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">endear the film to me.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Macbeth</span></b></u></span> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A bold <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">exciting</span> start gives way to a <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">surprisingly tame and muted rendition of th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">e Scottish play.</span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spectre</span></b></u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></span>- </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An overlong soulless greatest hits. Once again it's a Bond film reaching for the soul-searching reboot button when a fun spy romp would have sufficed. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Map t<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">o the Stars</span></span></b></u> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A bit over theatrical for my ta<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">stes, it d<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">idn't really en<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">gage with me<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">vengers<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: Age of <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ultron</span></span></span></span></u></b> - <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After loving its predecessor I had great expectations, but this film was an uneven mess with a nonsensical plot. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It g</span>ets kudos for bein<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">g the ant<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">i-"<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Man of Stee<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">l" with a focus on preservation of life, however.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Sisters</b></u> -<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It starts appallingly<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, but it does fin<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d its feet halfway th<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rough. Start forty min<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">utes in if you give it a watch.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Forbidden Room</span></b></u><b> </b>- <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A visually interesting experiment<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> that tries your patience once strung out to feature length. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jurassic</span> World</u> </b>-<b> </b>A fair<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ly good return from the franchise, but weirdly lacking in tension.</span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Probably <u>Not</u> Worth a Watch</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Possibl<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">y <b>The Forbidden Room</b>, it is a very frustrating watch<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The ones that got away...</b><br />In an ideal world, I would have seen <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="61451cdf-a2de-4682-a810-8852d72b7419" id="bb4451ed-ac3a-418f-b359-b97068153a68"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fbe5c6d9-e6e6-42b4-975d-7544dcb7e03d" id="19116084-9dd9-41f1-9b04-6d7fdc8798bf"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2a74eced-12a2-483f-90a0-33b534c0479d" id="f9fa4fc1-d92a-474d-8497-2a0b9be529bd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="8860b6bd-1394-40ae-a764-4ab82a6c605c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a21ffe45-9dc8-4983-9913-1cb37b59a1e5"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="25846479-9b86-4600-854a-052f72f8384d"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="6783a06c-744e-47dd-8bf9-6420e5957c12"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="0d96cf65-384e-4b2a-b656-1997b0bb21e9">these</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> too<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="85eb4f26-8362-431f-9dad-41fb75f52afc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a8d508b1-89cf-4a3e-8de2-72d3820fcd67"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="0252ff1e-5395-4197-bb9b-936fc3bc3d93"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="300dc28d-ae70-46cd-8289-206a8fe345bc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="af79964e-c059-4512-9723-53c4589de702"> -</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Love <u>&</u> Mercy, Furious 7, Clouds of Sils Maria, Welcome to Me, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Song of the Sea, The Wonders, Hard to be a God, 45 Years, The Walk, Amy, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Sicario, Spy, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, The Wolfpack, Trainwreck, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Wild Tales, The End of the Tour, Beasts of No Nation, Wild, The Theory of Everything, Dear White People </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><b>Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>201<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4</span> Update</b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;">The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Lucy"<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> and</span> "The Muppets: Most Wanted"<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"What We do in the Shadows"</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The ones I didn't.<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c35fd7fc-cf11-4bb0-bff3-8ec5c19254ab" id="cc6dc72b-ce24-48a0-9a17-40941c91373f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c1b871df-232f-448c-902a-695683e98df2" id="27fd2219-fdd5-4e5d-927a-fb054d5458df">..</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Night
Moves", "The Rover", "John Wick", "The Skeleton Twins", "Get on Up",<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>"The Wind Rises", "Cold in July",
"The Raid 2: Berandal", "A Most Wanted Man", "Leviathan", "Two Days, One
Night"</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Last Years Top Ten</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">10. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nymphomaniac Volumes 1 and 2</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">09. U<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nder the Skin</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">08. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Calvary</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">07. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Guardian o<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">f the G<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">alaxy/Captain America: The Winter Soldier</span></span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">06. Her</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">05. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Frank</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">04.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> '71</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">03. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Inside <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Llewyn Davis</span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">02. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The LEGO Movie</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">01. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ida</span></span></span></div>
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<br />Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-61896887768867816522014-12-30T13:32:00.000-08:002014-12-30T17:59:26.219-08:00Films of the Year 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPFwEEIrRU8auduZvfJODeoKL4dA5efYZ6vgHC2HY5IVlMcxAdeafzMzOpcbVm16rxOz6KhtlqHD78UHd9tW2pP-q3ASTNV_2cI-1BlmEKWmsC4yNM23PBMkd1s_RORBCufyj02Yzhz4/s1600/montage2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPFwEEIrRU8auduZvfJODeoKL4dA5efYZ6vgHC2HY5IVlMcxAdeafzMzOpcbVm16rxOz6KhtlqHD78UHd9tW2pP-q3ASTNV_2cI-1BlmEKWmsC4yNM23PBMkd1s_RORBCufyj02Yzhz4/s1600/montage2014.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Every year I forget what a struggle writing this list is, but I've finally finished it. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">As I don't write regular reviews on this blog, I have very little to go on other than my rather flawed memory, which causes a fair amount of problems when looking back to the earlier months of the year. This can lead to my list weighing heavily in favour of films released in the second half of the year, but I think that I've managed to keep it fairly balanced this year. Hopefully 2015 will be the year that I get back to writing regular posts. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">These are the films that have had the greatest impact on me personally over the past year, so they're not necessarily the greatest movies of the past twelve months, but a collection of recommendations. </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Over the years my review of the year has become unintentionally</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> verbose, so I've aimed for brevity this time, which I hope should make this a more concise and helpful read. As usual any feedback and discussion is welcome. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer! - Many other f<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a4dad97-d286-42b3-ab0c-de7a59f294c4" id="9fcb1f12-6740-406d-b48a-312ee2751d2b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="015c6b96-aafc-451f-8f84-31aef0e2d908" id="ce5c91df-f31a-40ee-890b-ce5976becb65"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="59e6f741-a74a-40bf-8f9a-c406202fec67" id="df823849-323a-4332-8a31-9cd729bfebf7"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8252bb49-e294-4053-b1e4-2c3a4a0f683a" id="a6f4e99f-2dd9-4033-baa1-b80d6e3b83c1"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a4830093-7d9f-479d-90db-c899822bbcea" id="4d9f77e9-206f-435c-a7fc-7efd448b66cd">ilms</span></span></span></span></span> of the year lists will contain films yet to be released in the UK. I don't include these in mine, even if I've seen them at preview screenings. We usually get these films in January and February, so there's lots to look forward to early in the year. This year those films include </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b>Enemy</b>" (2nd January), </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b>Foxcatcher</b>" (9th January), </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<b>Whiplash</b>" (16th January, which I saw at a preview and loved), </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b>A Most Violent Year</b>" (23rd January),</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> PT Anderson's latest "<b>Inherent Vice</b>"(</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">30th January)</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b>Big Hero 6</b>" (30th January) and a little bit later in the year "<b>Force Majeure</b>" (10th April). A number of notable films are still awaiting a UK release date; </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"<b>Snowpiercer</b>", "<b>Listen Up Phillip</b>", "<b>Dear White People</b>" and "<b>The Tale of Princess Kaguya</b>".</span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>This years Trends -</b> subtle sci-fi, great soundtracks, sexual encounters</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>10. </b></span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nymphomaniac Volumes 1 and 2</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(I saw the two films in one showing so I'm counting them as one)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>Lars Von Trier's latest offering goes from the sublime to the ridiculous to the just plain awful. Over two hundred and forty minutes it's not surprising that the quality control is often a bit all over the place, but overall the film has enough style and gusto in it's best scenes to drag you through the terrible ones. The sex obviously caused a lot of controversy and grabbed all the headlines, but I didn't find it too gratuitous, always serving the story. At it's best it is well acted, memorable and thought provoking in a way films are. However o</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">n the downside, this film features Shia LeBeouf using the worst accent I've ever heard. Even now I'm not sure what country he was meant to be from. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. </span></b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Under the Skin</b><br />
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<b><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a15bd3c-8066-4b12-acb1-8abeadf3bc6a" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Early buzz had raised my expectations to unreasonable levels when I first saw "Under the Skin", </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">so it is included only after a second viewing</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. I now appreciate this slow and subtle sci-fi film a lot more, especially the visual links between the themes in the first and second acts of the story. Filmed in a unique way in and around Glasgow, making full use of hidden cameras in the early parts of the film, and with many disturbing but beautiful scenes (especially the beachside incident), director Jonathan Glazer explores humanity from the view point of the aliens, creating a distant unflinching tone. I think it's best to go into this film knowing as little as possible, so I won't say too much except to say that Scarlett Johansson is excellent in the main role as we see her character develop through her experiences on Earth. The film also features my favourite opening sequence of the year, with it's abstract sounds and shapes setting the tone to follow.</span><br />
<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a15bd3c-8066-4b12-acb1-8abeadf3bc6a" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>8. Calvary</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A fascinating look at morality and religion, carried off in emotional yet darkly comedic fashion. A harder watch than McDonagh's previous film "The Guard", which also starred the fantastic Brendan Gleeson, the movie winds its way through a rogues' gallery of potential murderers (all played by wonderful character actors, such as Dylan Moran), one of whom has threatened to kill a good priest in revenge for the actions of a bad one. This priest must look to his past and to his future to decide what his life has meant and what his (and all priests') purpose in modern society is, as the clock counts down on his life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7. Guardians of the Galaxy/</b></span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Captain America: The Winter Soldier</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>Choosing two films here is, of course, a complete cheat. However I'm a big fan of both movies and find it interesting how they complement each other in Marvel's ever expanding universe. Whilst "The Winter Soldier" is Marvel's best attempt at combining long-form multi-movie storytelling with a satisfying singular film, "Guardian's of the Galaxy" finds them expanding their stories into interstellar sci-fi. Both films hope to widen their appeal past the norms of the superhero genre, as Marvel must do to survive as people tire of their tried and tested formula. "The Winter Soldier" is superhero film as paranoid spy thriller with the interplay between </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Captain America, Black Widow and Falcon creating the feel</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of a</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> buddy cop movie. The film also</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> really moves the overall</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> story arc on by destroying the status quo of previous Marvel universe films. "Guardians of the Galaxy" meanwhile is a fun space romp littered with oddities that make it a joy to watch. Chris Pratt leads a fresh comedic cast who flesh out a diverse team of misfits that includes an angry talking Raccoon and anthropomorphic tree. This is all aided by an excellent retro soundtrack that tonally binds the disparate elements together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. Her</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Handled perfectly by Spike Jonze, who takes a somewhat goofy subject and creates a subtle and heartfelt film. As Joaquin Phoenix falls for his operating system (voiced by Scarlet Johansson) it feels more like a genuine love story than a gimmick and offers a thoughtful reflection on our contemporary relationship with technology and how this might progress in the future. The story also does well to avoid saccharine cliches and builds to a believable and satisfying finale. I was also impressed with the holistic approach that Jonze takes in building his futuristic world, with gradual and believable progress not only shown in the use of technology, but extended into possible architecture and fashion (this future features high waisted trousers and ubiquitous moustaches).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. Frank</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Loosely based on Jon Ronson's time in a band with Frank Sidebottom</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, director Lenny Abrahamson creates a powerful look at mental illness yet</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> retains a light comedic touch</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> throughout. This tonal balance is an impressive feat, which is aided greatly by top performances from it's cast. Michael Fassbender is, of course, brilliant as the titular Frank, despite having his face covered behind a mask for pretty much the entirety of the film, but my favourite performance comes from Scoot McNairy who enhances any film he graces. Like many other films this year, it also has a great soundtrack with the finale song cutting to the emotional core of the movie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. '71</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most consistently intense film of the year, "'71" harnesses the burgeoning star power of Jack O'Connel in a frightening look back at the violent conflict in Northern Ireland. O'Connel's soldier must survive in an inhospitable area of Belfast after his unit leaves him behind during a riot, unsure of where to run or who to trust. This distrust between the two sides leads to horrific acts that haunt both O'Connel's lost soldier and, more deeply, the community that lives in this area of Dublin. This compelling film on a recent dark time in the nation's history is enlightening to those who know little about these times and serves to remind us all of the past mistakes that lead to such violence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Inside Llewyn Davis</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A kind of comedic, slow-burn, existential horror movie, this is the Coens in "Barton Fink" mode with the added bonus of a beautiful soundtrack. The film follows the hapless Llewyn Davis as his poor decisions lead him to deeper and deeper failure. Whilst funny (especially the "Please Mr Kennedy" song) it has the creeping fear of failure woven throughout. The Coens are great at exploring artistic failure and the fine line between that and success and this film painfully follows Llewyn's attempts to thrive artistically and not just exist. It's also a film that really rewards repeat viewings as its ambiguity allows for multiple readings of its meaning (it's worth googling some fan theories). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. The LEGO Movie</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />A film so full of exuberant fun and energy that it's like pure, bottled childhood enthusiasm. Creating such a great movie when the base concept called for just one long advert is another great achievement for directors Lord and Miller, who excel at turning improbable concepts into winning films. This visually inventive film manages to capture the battle between structure and freedom that is key to LEGO's popularity and place it at the centre of its fun filled story. Astounding animation brings this all to life and whilst I'm not so crazy about the live action sections (as they break the momentum that has thrilled throughout), they do bring an emotional heft to the movie that perhaps it need to avoid being too light and frothy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. Ida</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the opposite end of the movie scale to the exuberant "LEGO Movie" is "Ida", a small, quiet, black and white film about Wanda, a trainee nun exploring her past in nineteen-sixties Poland. Director Pawel Pawlikowski uses Wanda's journey to explore the broken communities left behind by Nazi occupation, exposing dark secrets and fractured families. Agata Kulesza's contemplative Wanda is perfectly juxtaposed with her expressive and explosive aunt Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) and the interplay between the two forms the backbone of the film. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beautifully shot, heartbreaking scenes intermingle with touching scenes of love and humour.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> A personal story brimming with wider issues, this is brilliant movie storytelling.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Worthy Mentions</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Not quite on the main list...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222;"><b>Nightcrawler</b></u><span style="color: #222222;"> - Incredibly close to making the main list, this is a gripping movie that exposes the dark heart of capitalism. Jake Gyllenhlall is fantastic in the lead role.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222; line-height: normal;"><b>Only Lovers Left Alive</b></u><span style="color: #222222;"><b style="color: black; line-height: normal;"> </b><span style="color: black;">- Another </span>outstanding<span style="color: black;"> soundtrack</span></span>. Jim Jarmusch's cooler than cool modern vampire tale is brimming with interesting takes on Nosferatu cliches. Very close to being in my top ten, you'll never cast better vampires than Tom Hiddleston and the imperious Tilda Swinton.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222;"><b>Grand Budapest Hotel</b> </u><span style="color: #222222;">- Another lovely Wes Anderson film, with added historical heft. This would make my top ten most years, but my love of his previous movie, "Moonrise Kingdom", probably diminished this film's achievements for me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222;"><b>22 Jump Street</b></u><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">-</span><span style="color: #222222;"> A triumphant follow up to an improbable hit, this very funny self aware sequel only lost out on being in my top ten due to the presence of another Miller and Lord film, "The LEGO Movie".</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Jodorowsky's Dune</b></u> - A great documentary about one of my favourite film makers, but it was on my <a href="http://tommotski.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/my-films-of-year-2013.html" target="_blank">2013 list.</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: black;"><b>Whiplash</b></u><span style="color: black;"> - I loved this film and it would have featured near the top of my 2014 list, but as I saw it at a preview and it </span>doesn't<span style="color: black;"> go on general release in the UK until 2014, it'll have to wait until next year.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>The Double</b></u> - Another impressive film from Richard Ayoade, but its visuals skewed a little too much towards copying "Brazil" when it would have been more interesting if it had its own unique look.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222;"><u><b>B</b></u></span><span style="color: #222222;"><u><b>lue Ruin</b></u> </span>- Jeremy Saulnier's revenge drama does a great job of examining the ramifications of revenge. When perpetrated by an average joe, violent retribution doesn't work out like it does in your average action movie. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>American Hustle </b></u>- A really fun long-con film with a fantastic cast.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Boyhood</b> </u>- A fantastic achievement and brilliantly acted. However, I found the teenage years dragged on a bit and I was a little distracted as the lead actor grew into someone who looked exactly like one of my old school friends.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>Starred Up</u> </b>- Another showcase for Jack O'Connel's macho acting talents. An intense prison drama with great support from the menacing Ben Mendelsohn.</span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><b>Gone Girl</b></u><span style="color: black;"> - A </span>surprisingly<span style="color: black;"> funny thriller (albeit in dark fashion) from David Fincher. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Pride</b> </u>- Full of cliches, but great performances from a fantastic cast lift this heartwarming tale to another level.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u style="color: #222222;"><b>The Guest</b></u><span style="color: #222222;"><b> </b>- Retro horror with a stand out performance from Dan Stevens, shaking off his "Downton" baggage as a psychotic young man bringing trouble to a small town.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: normal;"><b><u>We Are the Best!</u> </b>- </span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: normal;">Lukas Moodyson's</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"> warm storytelling finds a great </span>subject<span style="color: black;"> in this coming-of-age tale about a group of </span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: normal;">young punks growing up in 80's Stockholm. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Neighbors </b></u>- One of the best comedies of the year. Zach Efron's muscle bound jock battles young parents Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>Dallas Buyers Club</u></b> - A touching and brilliantly acted film.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>Wolf of Wall Street </u></b>- Very entertaining, but it fell a little flat for me in the final half hour.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Worth a Watch</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Films worth a look<b><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67e8c297-b2b6-4c23-aebb-62f500efe623" id="366a15c4-d497-412e-8e86-fc72632b9bb9"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f90ce121-0d4c-4490-b150-8054f468097c" id="e9923fa3-9b8c-4a27-a241-eed34943d03f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="dab9dbb6-1c5b-4b3c-b8bf-b6e6edc118fd" id="bd029746-9ac4-4070-b900-9637132edf78"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="de4b6926-1324-4313-bdf6-071dd506da14" id="ac30e5ba-9273-4dc2-b9a0-7abaa3e6087b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1d78f9c8-4aa3-42ba-b02f-17e43a293d39" id="d6b969a0-b109-421f-a2b2-97d1c22098b0"> -</span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222;">"</span><span style="color: #222222;">12 Years a Slave", "The Babadook", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">20,000 Days on Earth", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld", </span><span style="color: #222222;">"X-Men: Days of Future Past", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Turner", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">Life Itself", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">How to Train Your Dragon 2", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">Chef", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">Noah", </span><span style="color: #222222;">"</span><span style="color: #222222;">A Field in England", "</span><span style="color: #222222;">The Trip To Italy", "T</span><span style="color: #222222;">he Imitation Game"</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disappointments</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Interstellar</b></u> - It seems your enjoyment of this film is dependent on the size of the screen and sound system. I saw the film on a modest screen where the deficiencies in script could not be overcome by bombast. As a massive fan of all Nolan's films up until the messy "The Dark Knight Rises", I'm still hoping for a return to form.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b>Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)</b></u></span> - While I generally enjoyed the film and it was technically brilliant, the story was cliched and talked down to it's audience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b>Godzilla</b></u></span> - Like "Interstellar", my enjoyment seems to have been hampered by a quiet screening where the audio couldn't sweep me off my feet. While beautifully filmed, the convoluted plot line and bland characters didn't appeal to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b>Locke</b></u></span> - This film opened to almost universally positive reviews, but I didn't find it engaging at all. I'd rather re-watch Rob Brydon's similar, yet brilliant, "Marion and Geoff".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><u><b>X-Men: Days of Future Past</b></u></span> - Entertaining, but for a film designed to free the franchise of its numerous missteps, it seemed to leave plenty of its own problems behind. The Quicksilver scene was one of the best of the year however.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><b>The Babadook</b></u> - I really enjoyed the film, but the central monster looked so much like the Hitcher from "The Mighty Boosh" that it was hard to be scared of it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>12 Years a Slave</u></b> - Whilst I admired the film greatly, I felt it lacked the feeling of time passing, which diminished the effect of his long years of trauma. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>The Amazing Spider-Man 2</u></b> - This franchise is such a mess, not even Emma Stone could save it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Probably <u>Not</u> Worth a Watch</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Dom Hemingway"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The ones that got away...</b><br />In an ideal world, I would have seen <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="61451cdf-a2de-4682-a810-8852d72b7419" id="bb4451ed-ac3a-418f-b359-b97068153a68"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fbe5c6d9-e6e6-42b4-975d-7544dcb7e03d" id="19116084-9dd9-41f1-9b04-6d7fdc8798bf"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2a74eced-12a2-483f-90a0-33b534c0479d" id="f9fa4fc1-d92a-474d-8497-2a0b9be529bd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="8860b6bd-1394-40ae-a764-4ab82a6c605c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a21ffe45-9dc8-4983-9913-1cb37b59a1e5"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="25846479-9b86-4600-854a-052f72f8384d"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="6783a06c-744e-47dd-8bf9-6420e5957c12"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="0d96cf65-384e-4b2a-b656-1997b0bb21e9">these</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> too<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="85eb4f26-8362-431f-9dad-41fb75f52afc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a8d508b1-89cf-4a3e-8de2-72d3820fcd67"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="0252ff1e-5395-4197-bb9b-936fc3bc3d93"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="300dc28d-ae70-46cd-8289-206a8fe345bc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="af79964e-c059-4512-9723-53c4589de702"> -</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Night Moves", "The Rover", "John Wick", "The Skeleton Twins", "Get on Up", "Lucy", "The Wind Rises", "Cold in July", "The Muppets: Most Wanted", "The Raid 2: Berandal", "A Most Wanted Man", "Leviathan", "Two Days, One Night"</span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><b>Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2013 Update</b><br /><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...</span></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"Monsters University", "</span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="93b19a06-32f7-4886-b22f-ea5eb3b2d2ec" id="8ef10ecc-5dbb-42a5-bfae-d01c3a58681c" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="428d75c5-d7e0-4858-ab80-2e5c176c2c39" id="be5d6a20-ab4c-46f3-b777-c642614e261e"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5caa6485-7ea2-40ce-a52f-6774b63e3893" id="8796cbbb-4bfb-418f-afb9-93b3a9871b9a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="3384efb7-191a-4333-b66d-652d5c069fa6" id="26de3e48-0d76-45eb-a5dd-bd42bcf5c7aa"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="afeee778-7128-4719-9661-12ef6ffa7e1c" id="e9f32737-09f1-4579-b816-a944fae82e22"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8b0895ce-5727-44f7-9247-9a2f69bf45fb" id="328a119c-f35d-4698-afa4-ae07a31cd206"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1004a529-deea-4161-a328-e3b1073c64b4" id="7836cefe-d43e-4115-97d9-92828147dafc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="53163cea-4009-4901-a2e5-7e49f4bdf636" id="e5a4748b-9b3c-44e3-b553-9e897d0e4cc8"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d37ab92e-ceee-46e6-82ff-e24a9465074e" id="d4da53cc-9e1a-4d66-919d-1de82d82b58b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="529f6808-8236-4879-ad8a-dda2f5341630" id="c7d2abdc-1cba-4576-91c0-4fa726ec0bae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8c1b6ffa-8141-405f-af9d-8ee3fbe8dcc7" id="c5e2c367-29e0-483d-8248-616f3f3f2291">G.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I Joe Retaliation", "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Mud", "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Bling Ring", "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", "</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Great Gatsby"</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ones I didn't.<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c35fd7fc-cf11-4bb0-bff3-8ec5c19254ab" id="cc6dc72b-ce24-48a0-9a17-40941c91373f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c1b871df-232f-448c-902a-695683e98df2" id="27fd2219-fdd5-4e5d-927a-fb054d5458df">..</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.6em;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"Evil Dead", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Fast and Furious 6", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Purge", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Europa Report", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Pain and Gain"</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">, "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">No", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Beyond the Hills", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Good Vibrations", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Spring Breakers", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">A Touch of Sin", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Selfish Giant", "</span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122">Norte</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">,</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"></span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> The End of History", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Stranger by the Lake", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The Hunt", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Rush, </span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Filth", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">What Richard Did", "</span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks", "</span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">The Impossible", "</span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Caesar Must </span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">Die", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Wrong", "</span><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">All is Lost"</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Last Years Top Ten</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">10. Cloud Atlas</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">09. Upstream Color</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">08. Jodorowsky's Dune</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">07. Zero Dark Thirty</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">06. Frances Ha</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">05. Short Term 12</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">04. The Act of Killing</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">03. Much Ado About Nothing</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">02. In a World...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">01. Gravity</span></div>
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Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-25093276249161776462013-12-31T05:51:00.002-08:002013-12-31T05:51:11.788-08:00My Films of the Year 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bbv0Bh9K7aWDTMg_Sp6xjvjgTcNLXz4Cm5-pfkaBP62-oS9-XTwkqsqYopn-seVdf0f2_uF1kG1fJlfDyMQGFqOBQGQjnqaF9vPS9nb2ZT5GYoY4DPtTylrGem2qJZYeofBa7ZS2uoU/s1600/montage2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bbv0Bh9K7aWDTMg_Sp6xjvjgTcNLXz4Cm5-pfkaBP62-oS9-XTwkqsqYopn-seVdf0f2_uF1kG1fJlfDyMQGFqOBQGQjnqaF9vPS9nb2ZT5GYoY4DPtTylrGem2qJZYeofBa7ZS2uoU/s1600/montage2013.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Looking back <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4d21cd1b-f412-4dda-81b7-a79c2ddefbc9" id="8407c92d-5cdc-417c-a3cb-0b583e9387ea"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="aae6ed05-d8c5-4091-8b2b-51baa4784b78" id="5913e1ab-33b7-4134-ae66-801a3fff3927">on</span></span> 2013, it was a year of underwhelming blockbusters, ambitious follies, strong female led dramas, a return to black and white, great smaller independent films and fascinating documentaries. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Below I've selected my ten <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f12af0a9-6a6f-4f92-90d9-0953bf33ddd6" id="b687b24a-c437-4386-b64b-bc669b80dbc4"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="89b40727-be0a-46ad-94d6-e0e3f39d5931" id="2f26681b-6ec8-42fb-8a71-ca363d4c6ced"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c200f691-2eeb-4a42-aa38-12d96e33d620" id="1d3a101a-2210-48a2-920d-7c6e747b4892">favourite</span></span></span> films of the year, not necessarily what might be considered the "best" films of the year. I've tried to make </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">my selections based</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 25.600000381469727px;"> purely on my own personal enjoyment or the emotional impact they had on me, but I hope you'll enjoy watching them too</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">.</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">As always, a</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">ny feedback is, of course, welcome! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;" /><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Disclaimer! - U.S. <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a4dad97-d286-42b3-ab0c-de7a59f294c4" id="9fcb1f12-6740-406d-b48a-312ee2751d2b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="015c6b96-aafc-451f-8f84-31aef0e2d908" id="ce5c91df-f31a-40ee-890b-ce5976becb65"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="59e6f741-a74a-40bf-8f9a-c406202fec67" id="df823849-323a-4332-8a31-9cd729bfebf7"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8252bb49-e294-4053-b1e4-2c3a4a0f683a" id="a6f4e99f-2dd9-4033-baa1-b80d6e3b83c1"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a4830093-7d9f-479d-90db-c899822bbcea" id="4d9f77e9-206f-435c-a7fc-7efd448b66cd">films</span></span></span></span></span> of the year lists may include "American Hustle", "12 Years a Slave"</span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">, "Her"</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;"> and "Inside LLewyn Davis". However none of these were released in the UK in 2013, so aren't featured on this list. Also with so many films coming out towards the end of the year, there's a few I missed over the festive period that I preferably would have seen before writing my list. These films included "All is Lost" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" amongst others)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>10. Cloud Atlas</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXebSQ2HmBdHxr3A7QMC3vIlbH2GFWpP7GDxT2KT_iC7NzAiXvzD5tAxDjbV5xAZ_C_Tuz6lH3XwSlPbTuVsBFlEYY1MAmEQlHJQ20OvZK7x_Rlg6PX_yCjKAI0Xtdo_oI5oX1miqgThI/s1600/10_Cloud_Atlas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXebSQ2HmBdHxr3A7QMC3vIlbH2GFWpP7GDxT2KT_iC7NzAiXvzD5tAxDjbV5xAZ_C_Tuz6lH3XwSlPbTuVsBFlEYY1MAmEQlHJQ20OvZK7x_Rlg6PX_yCjKAI0Xtdo_oI5oX1miqgThI/s1600/10_Cloud_Atlas.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finding a film to finish off my list proved difficult, with many options on a fairly level pegging, but I've gone for "Cloud Atlas" for </span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="351b3bf2-6e36-4a64-b964-a61052054fa4" id="468261bc-9e33-4a7e-8511-c68b81897b08" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ac05f35d-c0ef-4ec5-97de-078139e75ce9" id="1c2de4d7-ec0d-4842-b0c6-1ffe6f4f68f3"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a0a540c-75cc-4643-b7be-b910f9d3bfeb" id="5e5b1989-7a5e-4d8e-b921-945e0f506f03"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="eb1c173c-fff9-4565-89ae-b220dca51d6c" id="49fbd319-71fc-4508-ad9b-5a83cb1d464a">its</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> incredible ambition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer's adaptation of David Mitchell's sprawling novel (which I'm afraid I've yet to read) works incredibly well considering it has to weave back and forth between multiple storylines and characters spanning over hundreds of years. It's visually striking throughout, which you'd expect from this directorial team-up, but I wasn't expecting it to provoke such a strong emotional response from me (I may have shed a tear or two at times). A lot of credit it for this must go to the actors, but I feel the real star is the score, which pulls at the heart strings and binds the often disparate narratives together (as it should, being central to many of the individual storylines within the film).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But let's deal with the elephant in the room. The makeup is pretty ridiculous and your enjoyment of the movie hinges purely on being able to get over this. I struggled for quite some time with the myriad makeovers involved in allowing the central actors to portray so many different characters throughout time. However, I eventually I came to accept this and really enjoyed the film so my advice is to give it a chance.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Upstream </span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a15bd3c-8066-4b12-acb1-8abeadf3bc6a" id="795a3b3e-756c-49c2-9b49-611006144662" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c3a50841-023b-4272-938b-dbb5b4c7fcbd" id="80dd4d36-96fb-4715-bde3-3d98b9e81379"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f1413bdd-3bc3-4bf0-ab71-bb1de248a56b" id="986cf7c4-7938-4454-b4ad-198df7ffe4e0"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2d364e4a-8dc1-4edc-8129-0ea4fae09af8" id="c511be1f-26a1-43e1-82a1-db6eb0563327"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a2407c44-dd4d-40fd-aa94-bbc441cca50a" id="2a838dcc-336f-4f51-b807-bd8724965d0c"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a15bd3c-8066-4b12-acb1-8abeadf3bc6a" id="795a3b3e-756c-49c2-9b49-611006144662" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c3a50841-023b-4272-938b-dbb5b4c7fcbd" id="80dd4d36-96fb-4715-bde3-3d98b9e81379"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f1413bdd-3bc3-4bf0-ab71-bb1de248a56b" id="986cf7c4-7938-4454-b4ad-198df7ffe4e0"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2d364e4a-8dc1-4edc-8129-0ea4fae09af8" id="c511be1f-26a1-43e1-82a1-db6eb0563327"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a2407c44-dd4d-40fd-aa94-bbc441cca50a" id="2a838dcc-336f-4f51-b807-bd8724965d0c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8abb0e8d-3eb8-459a-9287-cb94e665f7c2" id="3e536ae6-4a2a-42c6-aea5-741e764df917">Color</span></span></span></span></span></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpembTcffZCfwy8of9N947LA2ggm-npcZ7kWaFC4PSm2spPf8p7UtCR5Q-1r9eXnFzpsGVv768-QL1ELi4IBk2pZormYeAr_Af1cz_90rg3yIDLpe9D7wl2y-an1csGrPb3hRrM4C6aLg/s1600/09_Upstream_Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpembTcffZCfwy8of9N947LA2ggm-npcZ7kWaFC4PSm2spPf8p7UtCR5Q-1r9eXnFzpsGVv768-QL1ELi4IBk2pZormYeAr_Af1cz_90rg3yIDLpe9D7wl2y-an1csGrPb3hRrM4C6aLg/s1600/09_Upstream_Color.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a15bd3c-8066-4b12-acb1-8abeadf3bc6a" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c3a50841-023b-4272-938b-dbb5b4c7fcbd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f1413bdd-3bc3-4bf0-ab71-bb1de248a56b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2d364e4a-8dc1-4edc-8129-0ea4fae09af8"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a2407c44-dd4d-40fd-aa94-bbc441cca50a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8abb0e8d-3eb8-459a-9287-cb94e665f7c2"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Upstream Color" represents the triumphant return of director Shane Carruth, nine years after the release of his critically acclaimed time travel procedural, "Primer". Rather surprisingly, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Upstream Color" eschews the scientific pragmatism of "Primer" and finds itself somewhere more spiritual, like a Terence Malick directed sci-fi romance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The opening of the film is extremely unsettling, scary in a "Synedoche New York" kind of way, as a series of mysterious experiments ruin the life of a young woman. This opening section is one of the best of the year, beautifully shot and brilliantly engaging as we're drawn into the mystery. We then witness the woman attempting to piece her life back together, developing an unorthodox romance with a fellow victim whilst striving to find some reason for their ordeal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I loved the first half of "Upstream Color" and it seemed to be hurtling up my <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ef9c3c38-46bc-4faf-8a02-c54ed9f3d5d7" id="112603f8-8360-4860-a394-544f42445f33"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="297c0d61-3fe1-439f-8ef6-ddd2f22d688a" id="74891447-7c8a-4245-aa7e-756de9cffa60"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="7d25ad52-25c3-48c6-bd55-986265885d61" id="afb7b4be-fe40-485e-a51a-e0814d6ac6bf"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="47e63868-dbef-41e2-b82a-3e35b58ccafc" id="dbbe3a51-d361-4531-8637-a17f42684aa5"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="af93f416-4d8a-4c3a-9ed6-9c44306bee27" id="261a6726-fcc9-41d7-84b6-a8a21b520a51">favourite</span></span></span></span></span> films list, however I found the last third of the film a little unsatisfying. <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b1d4a46c-39c1-476f-8d2a-041a90711227" id="3116da8b-17bc-4cd0-a06d-be800a727749"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67b6991c-c0b0-44f2-8199-0cf3b4b997bc" id="38e983cf-0682-42f6-a836-e97c9caeb99c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="85406055-cdc9-4fd7-ab95-eb3583aa2cad" id="10028b74-885f-4051-a7a6-481f8b05f30a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4e9711df-3877-43a4-b27e-75387e1ca11f" id="2c07010b-e74f-41f3-a5a3-658ae8de9e63"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a872df80-7153-417b-a404-67d5d152e756" id="ffcbf817-07f8-4fd7-be65-46e148f0b7ac">Caruth's</span></span></span></span></span> "Primer" prided itself on <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b1d4a46c-39c1-476f-8d2a-041a90711227" id="fcb20a72-18c4-4ebd-aa50-9c020c71af39"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67b6991c-c0b0-44f2-8199-0cf3b4b997bc" id="819cf623-91e0-4063-acab-19869b0018a0"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="85406055-cdc9-4fd7-ab95-eb3583aa2cad" id="38ba6d94-e05c-4cd5-9b62-d3e79273a530"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4e9711df-3877-43a4-b27e-75387e1ca11f" id="b138a58f-335e-485c-b3c8-038c19ccde3c">its</span></span></span></span> detailed look at time travel, but "Upstream Color", with <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b1d4a46c-39c1-476f-8d2a-041a90711227" id="8b3dbcfd-4b21-49a6-bbc1-0ca7b2807fe8"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67b6991c-c0b0-44f2-8199-0cf3b4b997bc" id="b882e173-9991-4e97-ab18-028084384213"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="85406055-cdc9-4fd7-ab95-eb3583aa2cad" id="2790d9ed-83ff-44e7-97c1-1f8d664bfebb"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4e9711df-3877-43a4-b27e-75387e1ca11f" id="ae84a2c1-9a1e-402a-9c65-56cb70fe7853">its</span></span></span></span> more elusive Malick-like approach, leaves the exact details hanging in the air. This would usually appeal to me, but I don't think it quite works here. Despite this, I actually prefer Caruth's sophomore effort to "Primer" finding it far more emotive and aesthetically developed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a final note, my other main criticism, I imagine, is quite personal. A large amount of the second half of the film requires you to be very emotionally attached to a group of pigs, which while mostly effective, can also come across as unintentionally amusing... </span><br />
<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8a15bd3c-8066-4b12-acb1-8abeadf3bc6a" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c3a50841-023b-4272-938b-dbb5b4c7fcbd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f1413bdd-3bc3-4bf0-ab71-bb1de248a56b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2d364e4a-8dc1-4edc-8129-0ea4fae09af8"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a2407c44-dd4d-40fd-aa94-bbc441cca50a"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>8. <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="68328ed6-d848-4ca2-a1d7-b9ae142bd5a8" id="e03ee256-d4b6-4ee3-932d-edf8206de05b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1f72ad2e-2ffe-4498-9b65-b6ec26c8537a" id="4e4992d5-b354-41d3-8dd2-5fdb0e743ab6"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b9e75899-c7ec-482d-b7f7-d943ca409315" id="4cb52422-9df9-431b-903e-ded427b8f8c9"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="52b2ff10-c341-4cad-9d80-fc9a761b51cc" id="567c2440-b768-4db3-a23d-d066e6c7b5fe"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c9e4e619-3fb1-410b-95dd-c8b1db364896" id="290771a0-51a8-44b6-8d35-d660ebf59d1b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="42501d7d-80ad-41e8-a75c-62bab3ad0c5e" id="284484dd-86cd-4cdd-94a7-a76dad1763fb"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="e4e1b719-af16-4d3a-8d53-43376034bc7d" id="ff0a6a1f-c97b-46d5-9a68-bdd78c91768f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="3110fd08-dd32-45c1-8502-83819f69a880" id="b92c7bc0-bc6f-4cca-ac0d-d59fd07f33f7"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ec0023a5-57cc-4e70-8f8c-000de76124bb" id="98326585-4529-4737-962a-54ee15cee580">Jodorowsky's</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Dune</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVodRbHQhYL2glOIyfFEOeYvwpwgb9p6AovCRw__8ayM-kwtvvvtXsxQVzxS-VYfYkrCBZEx8kbuNDdFIu8dt29hgOnIYqg79sxOvp439LodzwOa9rYuhyphenhyphen9V2OItVMkchA_Ll-LGlac0/s1600/08_Jodo_Dune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVodRbHQhYL2glOIyfFEOeYvwpwgb9p6AovCRw__8ayM-kwtvvvtXsxQVzxS-VYfYkrCBZEx8kbuNDdFIu8dt29hgOnIYqg79sxOvp439LodzwOa9rYuhyphenhyphen9V2OItVMkchA_Ll-LGlac0/s1600/08_Jodo_Dune.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A documentary detailing Alejandro Jodorowsky's ultimately doomed cinematic version of "Dune", this film is an inspiring look at an ambitious and highly creative project, even if the risk averse attitude of the film industry can leave you slightly depressed by the end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jodorowsky, the excitable psychedelic director, is a magnetic presence throughout the movie as he details his vision of a film that he claims would have transcended any previous cinematic experience. His narrative is enriched with enlightening interviews and breathtaking artwork, but I'd happily watch the visionary director speak passionately about his work for hours without any further embellishment. His energy seemingly undiminished at 84, it's heartbreaking to see the pain caused by the project's collapse. His hand-picked team of collaborators all individually went on to receive great acclaim, with many central to the success of the original "Alien", so it's easy to see why he felt so let down by <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8e72baac-2461-4991-b9ab-37e04e142e64" id="926eb46e-e6f0-4a17-87e1-e41221202165"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6971a04a-d45e-4ba5-a0b6-793d54e01502" id="2d31d0b7-9363-45d7-ae70-bf649c568561"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5d85fef0-9e8e-4da9-8cbc-9cfed850753d" id="cc08f365-1765-469a-a5a2-db83ee0e5e3e"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="87679be1-d64c-4bae-83e1-e87727d2b461" id="ddb5bdeb-8f3e-4d52-abca-7cf6de3e1a9b">its</span></span></span></span> failure to go into full production. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a fascinating look at a lost film of magnificent ambition and bravery, a collaboration of creative minds that intended to show us a completely new universe. We'll sadly never know if it would have reached these heights, or whether the sight of Mick Jagger acting alongside Salvador Dali in a <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b099aa02-e0c2-4c79-8bd0-f0f98231c19a" id="a37cdd18-e5b0-46bf-a66a-15a383d6efc8"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="481edb7a-0fda-4db1-ad33-832581fbdc8f" id="f9ab6549-35f7-4a7b-ba03-e3270b0e8db3"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1765e842-94ad-42ce-89a9-944e79520a10" id="af568dfa-9d7e-46bb-b8b4-22ff1ef12f95"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ef806e41-e436-46b5-84fe-a4a46b1cbebb" id="b4cce9d8-c7c3-4d74-96cd-eeb22bd702f4"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="83761bd2-199f-4faf-a041-f59b565a979c" id="ece099d7-ce5a-4a58-a574-9d8bff912b10">psychadelic</span></span></span></span></span> sci-fi epic would have been inspired or insane (or, <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b099aa02-e0c2-4c79-8bd0-f0f98231c19a" id="db02f42d-7973-4aa7-8e7d-49e366dd5c2a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="481edb7a-0fda-4db1-ad33-832581fbdc8f" id="2816a262-322e-40e8-a830-58ad4bf99d9f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1765e842-94ad-42ce-89a9-944e79520a10" id="f139d348-c02f-4064-9de2-8109d1d7fd99">most likely,</span></span></span> both).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a massive fan of Jodorowsky's masterpieces "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain" this was bound to appeal to me, but I feel anyone with an interest in the film making process or science fiction will enjoy this documentary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7. Zero Dark Thirty</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaZ-IBpGXC28JJCLXph1eckuTy1IhusVzyef67MHfw74ogWk2e76eRQrcmZOnaYch7Nk_zaP8tUNt0VlnbWeojhHqXplnO_gaxUboldt69tyNTNKYLLCW7YqX2dPLfBeBGU4YhLBuPWE/s1600/07_ZeroDarkThirty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaZ-IBpGXC28JJCLXph1eckuTy1IhusVzyef67MHfw74ogWk2e76eRQrcmZOnaYch7Nk_zaP8tUNt0VlnbWeojhHqXplnO_gaxUboldt69tyNTNKYLLCW7YqX2dPLfBeBGU4YhLBuPWE/s1600/07_ZeroDarkThirty.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f8feb2f6-3ed3-473d-ac0d-0fac3876a514" id="434100fa-7311-4d5f-bceb-7b5d5393297a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6a9192f9-5b95-4c24-81b5-23eff7f7f2c3" id="c4c93136-7e3d-499a-bdbc-41f3ebde61c3">curse</span></span> of the early release date has hit "Zero Dark Thirty" I'm afraid, as back in January I would have placed this far higher. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really should have found time for a second viewing in the last few months, as my memories of this procedural thriller that details the hunt for Osama Bin Laden have slipped from my mind as the year has progressed. However, I recall being highly impressed by Kathryn Bigelow's film's balanced storytelling and lack of sentimentality. I never found it promoted or justified torture as the media furore around the time of <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d1a544a4-5601-4b32-8865-8a0f5125bd76" id="82f37e9d-9af6-4866-8ec5-ab6a008e1bb7"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a88de534-496b-4905-b460-446a4df9cfde" id="54044ecd-21e2-4a9e-b8e9-20c75e83f785"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fb87b2ea-0bb9-4e0c-98fd-3d9aafeb398b" id="688cd98b-85c6-4dd9-87bf-4a74e46e1653"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="73164e84-8aa2-409c-a528-b4308260103b" id="7d498c68-664b-45e1-b1ae-8ca3eff30175">its</span></span></span></span> release claimed, it purely aimed to detail how their objective was achieved as <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d1a544a4-5601-4b32-8865-8a0f5125bd76" id="338771ed-1c5c-46ce-a941-bce11925979c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a88de534-496b-4905-b460-446a4df9cfde" id="194e7d1a-6131-4446-8105-852381bd612f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fb87b2ea-0bb9-4e0c-98fd-3d9aafeb398b" id="b36b7178-668f-4892-b707-004b5b4b87ed"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="73164e84-8aa2-409c-a528-b4308260103b" id="ffadb219-e9d0-4e83-b5c3-a2c78b27003c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="45bedeac-f4ee-431d-bc3c-97071322f95f" id="17a7b3ff-6a77-4ee0-abac-9cafcb883147">closely</span></span></span></span></span> to the truth as possible (whilst allowing freedom for creative license). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Zero Dark Thirty" is essentially the opposite of a Michael Bay action film; smart, detailed and restrained. Rousing, jingoistic patriotism is for the most part absent and in </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c967a385-f663-4e9d-8658-dcd24355c347" id="c6dcf077-cda3-4ee2-9464-74c1ec07665a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="21f42941-c9d3-47c1-82bc-04aea40a5ebb" id="304ec7e6-9317-412d-97ae-f702a352e276"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="574818de-204f-43e0-9148-87847d112576" id="2fd3624b-34aa-4e4e-95bb-ea12f995b903"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67c99da4-6140-40a2-9389-36260c26decd" id="67c33fe7-f0ea-430d-b2a2-be906c54c18f">its</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> place we are shown patriotism through the dedication of the many intelligence agents striving to bring Bin Laden to some kind of justice. To Director Bigelow's credit, the film maintains a tense tone throughout the investigation, culminating in an action-packed final siege that is both exciting yet easy to follow (a rarity in post Bourne-action films).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bigelow's storytelling is matched by a great cast and an inspired choice of leading lady. Jessica Chastain </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is superb in the central role, utterly believable throughout, offering a determined yet <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8e1274be-f5ec-4c85-ac8e-1720f63c1495" id="f972f18b-905d-466d-a319-c81d436a069f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="019a0947-9ea7-4067-be64-ffe1b6599472" id="37828fc2-3884-42e1-8740-6fc2cfd98d9d"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d768aa86-dfa2-4520-bfa1-10cfec1c42a8" id="bfb3e5da-f188-40bb-ac19-05f7854a2b46"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ab9ab8fa-d9f7-46d6-84e9-f69b54c227d1" id="c025bcc7-cd8b-42e6-acc4-3c7e710a803c">relatable</span></span></span></span> performance (without the need for fluffy back story). The rest of the cast <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="06ab5cd5-5866-4339-8b29-6a790b4982c7" id="c92b9973-54d0-4156-8304-ead510f04692"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b69b4022-39e5-4ece-a264-2804a28ffabd" id="d819df15-9c5c-4fa2-8759-170f3bc6a47f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a7bdfe73-d857-46a7-9f91-18150397c4dc" id="3ad31f56-52aa-439f-8759-edf55211d71a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="579b214c-e86b-42e5-8e09-7a492106769f" id="e543351f-6385-41fa-a223-6b22e73e0689"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="515dd0ed-ca1c-4cf4-9af8-e397e81d3ec9" id="7a573383-3e37-407a-9c9f-dceba1c7cc47">are</span></span></span></span></span> also excellent, with Jason Clarke in particular providing a nuanced performance in some challenging scenes.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6. Frances Ha</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1e9b_iRDRFc3G3GnLLAmN9jQTODr3z4GCS-xwnVHBhalj7TOR-u96tV6TsU4q9TihJwbuml9lgA6FFa12sLyMC3-EW0B3nJGu8RoQOrbh9nCq4n9om19_DIa1SKccIzHL3d1-QsZEWI/s1600/06_FrancesHa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1e9b_iRDRFc3G3GnLLAmN9jQTODr3z4GCS-xwnVHBhalj7TOR-u96tV6TsU4q9TihJwbuml9lgA6FFa12sLyMC3-EW0B3nJGu8RoQOrbh9nCq4n9om19_DIa1SKccIzHL3d1-QsZEWI/s1600/06_FrancesHa.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noah Baumbach co-writes and directs this black and white "<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="defcc101-1b8b-4037-94a6-78390438e832" id="e02d6c68-c501-44df-a8c8-ef4fbf5fcf79"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="21e66f9e-4cbc-4023-a92a-bd7df6ead7bc" id="4a3c95d4-7c5f-4295-8be2-cdae4dd300bf"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="467ffede-2831-4d41-b062-970d059bd7f3" id="fd81f883-d272-4dba-97cb-8ebd903b1911">dramedy</span>"</span></span>, which along with its New York setting, inevitably has a touch of classic Woody Allen about it. This film is no throwback, however, and brings verve and life to the perennial problems of balancing career ambitions, friendships and relationships. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ridiculously lovable Greta Gerwig is key to the film and dominates the movie with her clumsy charm. She co-writes with the director and plays the titular Frances, a</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> failing dancer facing multiple crossroads in both her personal and professional lives. We watch her as she <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ce3222f3-3141-4cc4-b718-a92118f3fc46" id="9443a056-878a-4410-989c-7baa11a6935e"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f888f2dd-8427-4b6f-86ae-34bb72febfc2" id="e96ad959-955b-4893-8a6c-5165f07dcf59">endeavours</span></span> to find her place in the adult world through a series of funny, often embarrassing, set pieces that capture small, yet defining moments in her life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Frances Ha" will strike a nerve with anyone who finds themselves in their late 20's with their lives not quite going to plan. It encapsulates perfectly that feeling of being left behind as friends and colleagues mature and move</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> onwards and upwards. In Frances' case, this is predominantly illustrated through her relationship with her flatmate Sophie, whose flourishing publishing career and increasingly serious relationship with her boyfriend, sets her at odds with Frances' laid back, student-like lifestyle. How this shift in status quo affects their friendship and other relationships </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is key to what makes this such a fun but engrossing watch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. Short Term 12</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSgVik46Vu3d1m9pbbkExCuLDXwo3nj9KglMRIqZIrTh-5BTeS7HBNRcKpw58jtsaJJjhLQ3ztIZsvBGktuj0sCp4Vq2cnY18AQfMtRDW5xiApSmkznAzDGOLv567PYc9vgMlL8UDi5g/s1600/05_Short_Term12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSgVik46Vu3d1m9pbbkExCuLDXwo3nj9KglMRIqZIrTh-5BTeS7HBNRcKpw58jtsaJJjhLQ3ztIZsvBGktuj0sCp4Vq2cnY18AQfMtRDW5xiApSmkznAzDGOLv567PYc9vgMlL8UDi5g/s1600/05_Short_Term12.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Director Destin Cretton has crafted a great all rounder in "Short Term 12". Funny, dramatic and emotional, his assured direction and great cast create an <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="dab1695c-6205-4dc3-8f4d-15053210fe18" id="94220bda-6928-4db4-9385-24f4cc240171"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="41aedd74-c1c5-46d0-b75d-f9f113ead9aa" id="160c54c9-40b8-4142-a8d5-d452554408c7"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="be88765b-630b-4fe0-a63c-bcb30099b3fa" id="b84d671f-d59a-4665-8dd0-9936dca38fea">immersive</span></span></span> story that makes you feel part of their world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Drawing on his past experience working in a foster care home, Cretton builds a narrative that explores the problems of both the young people and the staff to which their care is entrusted. He handles his young cast incredibly well, with all the young actors giving honest and touching performances, particularly Keith Stanfield and Kaitlyn Dever as two of the most troubled youths.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite the strength of the youngsters' stories, the main narrative thrust comes through the character exploration of the troubled supervising <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="315069a2-c7da-4c9c-b3e4-596c99c35904" id="e83490b0-5ced-4533-b19c-b642217348bd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="32859608-33eb-4701-8c31-7d5b1826adec" id="7db43438-726d-4969-a11d-324e14e02421"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c2c2a34c-8f73-4d2c-b0fc-c28075de693c" id="0a76f395-8477-4278-922d-954159baf76b">carer</span>,</span></span> Grace, played with great subtlety and talent by Brie Larsson. Her performance slips easily from assured charm to wild fury, remaining completely captivating throughout. To be honest, I find it baffling that she's not already a much bigger star. This surely must be the film to lead her to stardom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Much the same can be said of </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the actor who delivers my </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="52c0c4b7-2a71-473a-8a89-2a5d84f9e91d" id="fbe8539b-3c51-4447-a92e-93242ae68c0f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="37a5fc59-9512-49b2-8829-e7f3250ab3c6" id="a36ccd11-6f47-48b3-a381-3be1766e2a24"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="90b885b7-6402-44a2-afdf-2f951d34cc35" id="7b7189f8-2621-4d60-804f-fc1676a01a74">favourite</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> performance of the film. Playing Grace's co-worker and boyfriend, John Gallagher Jr. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1d722a94-8010-4b15-99fa-72c57302c094" id="d5106938-20b3-4e46-ac81-52935843ee7e"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b0615e98-faab-4ad5-88e7-978109ff8b05" id="a11fc42c-fdac-407b-b12e-69b4485b647e"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="268b27be-84af-4755-a4fe-8779f4ba5cd0" id="f4f8aab0-4915-4047-954e-e84bfb2cf1fc">is</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> funny and effortlessly likeable, in a way that reminds me of a young Paul Rudd. The chemistry between these two </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">actors</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is the key ingredient in making this touching film so effective. It's a cliché, but this is truly the kind of film that will make you laugh and cry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. The Act of Killing</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gpce5VZMZV73QRWkZdpU2xClhWOpUNFOBHxs8q-8eeUpgXuHlwdZMQqnxiBOq_O02u1io1DPKMc6uHC7qun9fMFW46BX4PkjuBDxZvTmyng1vh-HuCpCewSq1ExGbFwFU3nq5hkjTSo/s1600/04_Act_of_Killing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gpce5VZMZV73QRWkZdpU2xClhWOpUNFOBHxs8q-8eeUpgXuHlwdZMQqnxiBOq_O02u1io1DPKMc6uHC7qun9fMFW46BX4PkjuBDxZvTmyng1vh-HuCpCewSq1ExGbFwFU3nq5hkjTSo/s1600/04_Act_of_Killing.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A film oddity that packs an emotional punch, "The Act of Killing" is one of the strangest and most unsettling cinematic experiences of the year. Director Joshua Oppenheimer has found a truly unique way of bringing attention to the horrific acts of death squads operating on the behalf of the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indonesian</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">military after a military coup back in 1965.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is thought that they killed more than a million alleged communists, ethnic Chinese and intellectuals in under a year, yet they are treated like heroes. They have been allowed to write their own history, justifying the need for their atrocities, with no need for regret. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oppenheimer plays on the vanity of these former death squad leaders, or "gangsters" as they call themselves, to cleverly force them into confronting the horror of their actions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Using their love of American cinema against them, he convinces former death squad leaders to recreate their 1965 killings for prosperity. Buoyed by the possibility of forever capturing their achievements through the medium they love, they enthusiastically throw themselves into creating cinematic versions of their past deeds, including "comedy" drag queen scenes and musical numbers to lighten the tone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At first, they seem completely unaware of how atrocious their actions were, giddily dancing and singing on the site of a mass <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5221b8f2-e003-4c81-825a-30d73284ac30" id="c065c761-cd44-4b37-84e3-06b909ae3483"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5cb0fdd1-d1f3-4269-b010-e360e6e8f43a" id="12b2fad0-eb82-4181-b103-b76f5c81a061">killing</span></span>, but slowly, as they reenact more and more of the blood shed, now crucially also having to play the role of victims to create the scenes, doubts start to creep in. This progression is incredibly powerful, bringing some catharsis to the viewer for sitting through the long uncomfortable minutes that precede it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Full of bizarre visuals, twisted morality and enlightening interviews, this is a true one off that has to be seen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. Much Ado About Nothing</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU_Mf2K89NLSoWP3P_6sF-Hvrg2wdqgb8dUeEL36ZihhoHx5olv2DeXT7ItWbMeXJGJdVvp3KdEdVLwR9POvkVkd7ZYsxJObvDQqxFyOabsOPAGDL36XLeSdbo89Nuyf6bM5EWfoojso/s1600/03_Much_Ado_About_Nothing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU_Mf2K89NLSoWP3P_6sF-Hvrg2wdqgb8dUeEL36ZihhoHx5olv2DeXT7ItWbMeXJGJdVvp3KdEdVLwR9POvkVkd7ZYsxJObvDQqxFyOabsOPAGDL36XLeSdbo89Nuyf6bM5EWfoojso/s1600/03_Much_Ado_About_Nothing.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For many years I argued that Shakespeare is nearly always best left to live theatrical productions. Although there are rare successes (and admittedly some stories like "Romeo and Juliet" sit very easily in the film world), few translate well to the big screen, especially when updated to a more modern era. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coriolanus tried gainfully a few years ago, but failed, in my opinion, despite director Ralph Fiennes' brilliant performance. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So it takes a special film to make Shakespeare work on the big screen for me and Joss Whedon has managed just that here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His "Much Ado About Nothing" has an effortless quality that makes it a delight to watch. Filmed in just 12 days in black and white at his home in Santa Monica, L.A, he brings us the classic love story through a group of partying 1950's socialites without any tonal jarring. The narrative moves briskly and is always easy to follow, mainly due to a fantastic cast whose excellence elevates the film.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They manage to make light of the bard's antiquated language, speaking the lines as if it came as naturally as breathing. This is the key for me, as one of the major problems for me when watching Shakespeare is often that the <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="07f43431-0e63-4520-a693-d2f8d5ccda36" id="4a4c241d-6cd8-4433-8090-86c9f8a2b495">too</span> obvious enthusiasm of the actors involved <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="07f43431-0e63-4520-a693-d2f8d5ccda36" id="80648959-7e15-4075-906a-89c37cd51f17">detracts</span> from the narrative. There seems an extra glint in their eyes, a roll <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="60c599a0-b408-468b-b472-3e9039baecc6" id="fac7f4db-c74f-4109-9e74-1224fa7fd401"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f9c5c322-0826-49df-90dc-00c6714bd6cb" id="e577b714-13ed-44a7-a630-4953ed612613">of</span></span> the tongue when delivering lines and the <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="60c599a0-b408-468b-b472-3e9039baecc6" id="9f11e9fc-77dc-44dc-b1a2-c54b48e1a14c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f9c5c322-0826-49df-90dc-00c6714bd6cb" id="b6053869-758e-4c7b-bdd3-ec794fdf7d0c">constant hint</span></span> of a smile that comes from performing Shakespeare, almost like they're enjoying it too much. This is not to be found here, with the actors using a light natural delivery that carries the story forward with ease, with characters in natural conversation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The whole cast is excellent, with special mention going to the charming Alexis Denisof, hilarious Nathan Fillion, stoic <strike>Agent Coulson</strike> Clark Gregg and newcomer Jillian Morgese, who Whedon discovered as an extra whilst filming "The Avengers". </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amy Acker as Beatrice is the stand-out star for me though, whose sharp delivery and quick wit entertain throughout.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From TV action adventure, to superhero blockbusters, to black and white low budget Shakespeare </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">adaptations</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, Whedon has proved he is the king of the ensemble cast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. In a World...</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaYbR-56jOY-Yxcahc9Hv_VvPge3IyAGmp8v76eT0A8zhWe62Z6_J-fX_Gk97WuzPqBw3ZXFukaPXE-vaBpExW7Vo-auS1nzlYBO031ocFUM4yPOzgS5_HDtIv851bqaiMJGcGrrSHpE/s1600/02_In_a_World.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaYbR-56jOY-Yxcahc9Hv_VvPge3IyAGmp8v76eT0A8zhWe62Z6_J-fX_Gk97WuzPqBw3ZXFukaPXE-vaBpExW7Vo-auS1nzlYBO031ocFUM4yPOzgS5_HDtIv851bqaiMJGcGrrSHpE/s1600/02_In_a_World.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At number two we find a small, but perfectly formed movie. Lake Bell's directorial debut left me with a smile on my face throughout, with her oddball cast of characters bringing consistent laughs in a film overflowing with charm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It might seem odd to have an offbeat comedy in such </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a lofty </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">position </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">when</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I've placed heavy-hitters like "The Act of Killing" lower on the list, but it's so enjoyable I had to give it </span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6c9411e2-7e66-4505-9176-3c70cd4f73a9" id="268db425-044f-4930-a646-5c5914c66d9b" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="98a9e399-f880-452c-8b87-1f49efb16450" id="2b902773-ae80-43d9-aeba-4c4756ec1b88">its</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> due. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In a World..." opens with an ode to the titular line, as it heralds the beginning of countless movie trailers. However, we soon learn that the voice behind these lines has passed away and a brand new voice will be needed... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bell writes, directs and stars in a "<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="e9837947-d495-4d08-acee-ace15bf3a776" id="39b51775-4d52-4572-847a-6ec90560c22a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="760b8965-3875-4cbb-a508-a1b5fb9e26c8" id="2b149522-8754-430d-94f7-39ef7c4d9d6e">dramedy"</span></span> that shines a light on this little explored aspect of the film making process. Bell plays a struggling voice-over artist striving to make a big <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5be74039-cf79-4a59-af7d-6b979072a6da" id="d96e2741-ff0c-47cb-98ab-40107e7d5ef3"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="08d67606-f1e7-4894-b464-4bb95326c10d" id="d622f4f2-9b91-40b7-bc0d-af6fc307d086"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="901dde9a-e0cd-42cd-ae5d-255c43d399ad" id="03e237b0-ffd6-4eab-9e63-1f69c1cbe2de"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5b54babf-a5f5-483c-98a7-32a94f9ebcbb" id="207693bc-d39d-415e-b510-2d08270e9480">breakthrough</span></span></span></span> in a male dominated industry. Her father, himself a legendary voice-over artist, is dismissive of her ambitions and instead throws his considerable weight behind his protege, played with a smug arrogance that only Ken Marino can bring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This relatively straightforward premise is enriched with family drama, heartbreak, gender politics and some genuinely touching moments. Bell directs her script with great pacing and comedy timing, making the most of her fantastic cast who are <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="83bb8430-a7ea-47b9-a902-4192777448da" id="b5d02c4b-7305-4562-b79b-446343f7800c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d92872a4-3347-41a5-8d7c-e141eb845d64" id="6fd4e59d-e98e-4203-8281-fe8de15be033"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="15470b45-c448-4e27-9940-035722e19669" id="23071383-3b48-4d8f-8f2a-0ca80be41f9f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="926bc231-5e8e-45ff-8d38-96b55b600dc5" id="eda5f34d-3253-4524-8bc1-569ac5536352">note</span></span></span></span> perfect throughout. In the central role, Bell leads the charge with a performance of awkward charm that eschews vanity to make the most of her brilliant physical comedy. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With this great cast chemistry, the laugh count is higher you might expect and I doubt you'll find a more rounded comedy this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In a World..."</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is an excellent <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1fd390c7-f5e7-406f-8ce8-a7d398b417c4" id="ade01a37-38d7-442b-985d-5ee112bd7e17"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="16bab258-060f-44ad-b716-fe4d9303d31e" id="a39eb40f-70c0-4449-b6f6-0c9c9911a5d9"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fbbcba1b-f10b-42e9-892a-82dbeca1a429" id="af18b154-92d4-4188-83bd-69d80e6663e5">showreel</span></span></span> for Lake Bell's talents as a writer, director and performer and I eagerly await her future work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(It also has some great little cameos, so look out for them.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. Gravity</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj7FqcJ5Sq3eihjZt6dAs4P7uPPOK5Dsfq_n86bYdaCq1td9SatsCR-Nb4j0QGfbEr06fIsDPBLQ3UBTR_YkCFYkmqrWL9mVsEsM7G2t21bXOHIb7K4goptrFaSB8Zitk3qivMlc4pZg/s1600/01_Gravity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj7FqcJ5Sq3eihjZt6dAs4P7uPPOK5Dsfq_n86bYdaCq1td9SatsCR-Nb4j0QGfbEr06fIsDPBLQ3UBTR_YkCFYkmqrWL9mVsEsM7G2t21bXOHIb7K4goptrFaSB8Zitk3qivMlc4pZg/s1600/01_Gravity.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6bf2ca0e-3761-40fe-b65a-89f94bd348c3" id="7136a953-47f4-4b61-ae30-40a49da6f34a">In</span> the opening of the film we are told "Life in space is impossible" and we soon find out why in this cinematic force of nature conjured by director Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men"). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had to go for Gravity as my number one, as no other film this year, or any recent year, has kept me so immersed and on the edge of my seat. I remained tense and engaged throughout, overwhelmed by the intense visuals and score. This is a film made to be seen on the big screen, even justifying the use of 3D as part of the immersion. This is the closest most of us will come <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6a14fbe7-0f14-41bc-821f-a0eb5b4de727" id="d1e5367e-e799-4a86-8826-5be4b9861170"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ff37d967-ad72-44c7-8514-592474fcce8c" id="47493aec-5bd5-41c8-bd37-f384494a7dbd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fe078a05-1e43-4480-b979-4a004a1a02d3" id="296bf1ab-eefe-4894-bb92-a6cd4633dbcb">to</span></span></span> being in outer space, and after seeing this, probably the closest we'd want to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gravity </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">encapsulates the intense and harsh cruelty</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of space, using it like a horror movie uses an unstoppable serial killer. Although the beleaguered astronauts find moments of solace and calm, you know it's only a matter of time before gravity draws back the barrage of lethal space debris to torture them again. The score echoes this horror-film-like quality, with </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">long sections of quiet, building menacingly as it slowly</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> ratchets up the tension until it reaches full blown audio mayhem for the action set pieces. Subtle it's not, but it's certainly effective in spreading dread amongst the audience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The film is also incredibly beautiful from beginning to end, with memorable images strewn throughout <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="97c36376-3184-47c8-bdce-d9868f6dfab2" id="ffbffba0-0255-475e-8652-be4d6b49c52a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="42f6900a-0dc4-4b6f-a508-fd1354ef5b39" id="12c0deab-5987-474c-baa9-6d44ecb6a5ba">its</span></span> running time, notably the air lock womb scene (you'll know it when you see it, it lingers a little too long just to make sure you've got the idea).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like most films though, it does have <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8ffb337f-e12f-4438-bd06-3993550fa740" id="1087ae01-fa4d-4a44-bf45-3f0efd9a99ff"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1fb820ee-bffe-4403-a437-b933bd8c7d9e" id="bc927135-3519-4481-b50f-697e7c65e7f4">its</span></span> faults. As I hinted above, it sometimes lays the symbolic imagery on a bit thick and I'm not a fan of the fake-out scene, which jarred terribly with me. Many also point to <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="30e88d47-1d53-470e-8607-65aa5c49cf2a" id="ba97c1bd-9884-4cef-ac41-a33b28360e87"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f425c001-18d1-4b8a-b9a2-2740aa2def43" id="b99437f1-c167-4f80-a8b2-41cbad5a309d">its</span></span> scientific inaccuracies, which if the film gave you time to think about them (which I don't feel it does), are pretty glaring. However, the main criticism has to be aimed at the dialogue, which it has to be said, can be pretty terrible. Clunky back stories are developed over the characters' radios, that in all honesty <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b1f99169-6331-4b82-b818-c45a20b31ff8" id="87fe6a34-8f97-4ae1-a216-1d747af0b83c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="21b4b8c3-228a-4877-8c9c-eed86665ce8f" id="36368185-4c2e-4673-86af-85fd940abe4b">weren't</span></span> really necessary and could have derailed many films.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thankfully Cuaron has selected the perfect antidote through his casting of George Clooney and, more surprisingly, Sandra Bullock. Clooney's warm soothing voice could sell nearly any script and Bullock's tough portrayal of Doctor Ryan Stone makes you believe in her slightly contrived back story. With a cast this small you have to get the right actors and Bullock's selection as a grieving, emotionally detached mother is pretty perfect. She seems the perfect age to play this character too, all of the actresses linked with the role before she claimed it (Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, even Angelina Jolie) would not have conveyed the required experience to play an astronaut as well as her. There's also an unexpected muscular</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> physicality that she brings to the role.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alfonso Cuaron has created something unique with "Gravity". It's simultaneously a small personal story, a tense thriller, a monster-less horror movie, an inspirational survival story and a big action packed Hollywood blockbuster. It's a film that's been seven years in the making, with Cuaron <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ae4b63e1-abf0-4df7-a67c-48a6ad0664c8" id="b56bff22-6744-40d6-aa9e-0c4ef8074b57">having</span> to wait for technology to catch up with his vision so he could fully implement his project. Looking at the results, it was worth the wait. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd like to add one caveat. I imagine the power of "Gravity" will be much diminished when screened at home, as the film is almost like a ride or experience. It'll be interesting to see how effective it is without the bombast of the cinema, but I would hope it will still hold up. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Worthy Mentions</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Not quite on the main list...</span></div>
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<div style="color: black; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Alpha Papa</u> - This is how to translate a TV sitcom to film; don't stray too far from what made the original show so great. It felt like a long episode of "I'm Alan Partridge" and was all the better for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Stories We Tell</u> - Sarah Polley investigates hidden family secrets </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b9844aff-0968-4db8-a699-aab03e46c717" id="0d9efd23-552f-4f3a-ab5e-99fffefd0724"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5b414580-c8da-4c19-a0f7-ca00d1511726" id="e105cb09-48a7-4cab-bc3c-319a9952f406"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="96af43c7-3719-414c-b32e-4723d8a64d11" id="2131194a-9f03-4147-beb1-ce4344424e50"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c26f5921-bcd6-48ab-978e-2949b22ba611" id="fdfb8f96-ecff-4b44-8858-b024a6d57dd3"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="bb138ee0-366e-43b5-8158-0c59bd690619" id="c913ae18-243e-453a-9d0a-6bc538298cfa"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8aae708e-8306-4611-b66e-b884d04ccfbb" id="afbe66a1-a3fa-449c-bef2-3a427afdc3c2"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2f91462e-ebc2-44d4-920c-a586a465ad38" id="fa71aa65-ffd7-45d9-b552-edd39a710c77"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c57dea7f-d5ac-41f4-9fc7-30523396f70b" id="6df6f600-d5a3-490f-9ad8-eb9a0b092fd6"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="33ecccd1-fa3b-48f5-804d-2712f0533d3d" id="d3d1b64b-3975-4747-9d4d-30a1fc38c499"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67e0c373-3896-4b65-912a-be834d528480" id="3bf417f0-ebb8-4420-8b3a-5b71a480b2fb"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="27989f44-f03a-476c-b57f-b6de1667340c" id="f996ac8e-744d-4032-a231-564a1865ea47">Django</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Unchained </u>- I love westerns and this an ambitious and entertaining entry, but I'm still struggling with the jarring tonal glitches Tarantino has insisted on since the Kill Bills. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Star Trek Into Darkness</u> - It may not have made a lot of sense, but its great cast and brisk pace made this one of the most enjoyable films of the year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Despicable Me 2</u> - Consistently funny whilst maintaining a lot of heart, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Captain Phillips</u> - Incredibly high on tension, my only complaint is a lack of character development to really make me feel for those involved. Still pretty great though.</span><br />
<u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Robot and Frank</u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> - It was on last </span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="69f6fb52-bf78-4cde-aa1b-cf162881fc1d" id="d77a4536-2c8f-4c4c-9c6e-6a56338e3ad6" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9e485d1d-ce0c-4b17-8ffa-2b9c612bb8ae" id="38dc69ff-9332-47ef-b1b5-04e73347589d">year's</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> list, but maybe should have been counted as a 2013 film as I saw it at a preview.</span><br />
<u style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Double</u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> - I was impressed by Richard Ayoade's follow up to "Submarine" when I saw a preview screening at Brighton's CINECITY film festival, however, it's official release date isn't until well into next year, so I've excluded it from this year's list.</span><br />
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<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Worth a Watch</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Films worth a look<b><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="67e8c297-b2b6-4c23-aebb-62f500efe623" id="366a15c4-d497-412e-8e86-fc72632b9bb9"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f90ce121-0d4c-4490-b150-8054f468097c" id="e9923fa3-9b8c-4a27-a241-eed34943d03f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="dab9dbb6-1c5b-4b3c-b8bf-b6e6edc118fd" id="bd029746-9ac4-4070-b900-9637132edf78"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="de4b6926-1324-4313-bdf6-071dd506da14" id="ac30e5ba-9273-4dc2-b9a0-7abaa3e6087b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1d78f9c8-4aa3-42ba-b02f-17e43a293d39" id="d6b969a0-b109-421f-a2b2-97d1c22098b0"> -</span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div>
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<div style="color: black; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pacific Rim, This is the End, Behind the Candelabra, Before Midnight, Stoker, Les Miserables, Thor: The Dark World, The Great Beauty, Philomena, Blue Jasmine, A Field in England, Nebraska, About Time</span></div>
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<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disappointments</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Man of Steel</u> - Not my vision of Superman, too brutal and <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cdf09ef-67d3-4dcb-87ac-ddf219b681f6" id="2ad93849-42d5-4416-96c2-d17ef5752c56"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="55bf0e20-a996-4297-b6ad-8cce40fb4e62" id="4a1a46ea-7770-4ec6-b359-32781796917f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d5a6f932-a012-43ae-a840-b0e4f1be4e52" id="7b8ca2ae-2a5f-46fa-8002-08bf98164a42"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="916a6f96-1044-4495-b7b7-7a5d6511e087" id="c17ac192-4574-4378-b103-8912ccda95e3"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="e76b8062-3877-4436-8aff-13813bb659ba" id="4510d276-2ff7-410e-a77b-df1b5d7ad0bb"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="e630f90d-f07d-40ab-894f-617c70aeb3b5" id="6ee23e8d-a9c5-4e62-9170-9e965e18a961"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="08b06d70-0d7d-45bb-98d3-1894441ccc27" id="70041c86-2c29-43e9-a7c2-e4c0ec906fdf"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a8967336-2bbf-426f-9a08-ce0890ac21f1" id="2272d03f-f3cb-4076-a8ec-31bef23fbaa7">angsty</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>. The collateral damage and murdering did not sit well with me. On the plus side, great casting and I liked the updated costume.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Only God Forgives</u> - Nicolas Winding Refn teams up with Ryan Gosling again, but unlike Drive, the style completely overwhelms the substance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>World War Z</u> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">- A disappointing adaptation. It jettisons everything that makes the book so great.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>The World's End</u> - It get's going about half way through, but doesn't reach the heights of the previous Cornetto films.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Iron Man 3</u> - Entertaining, but my problem with the film was.... IT MADE NO SENSE.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Like Someone in Love</u> - For such an acclaimed director as Kiarostami, this felt quite minor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Trance</u> - Probably the best opening twenty minutes of the year, but the pace is soon lost in the messy plot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>The Place Beyond the Pines</u><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="dd45ae6d-1610-437b-9b30-f1894c9c2d74" id="f47ed306-5103-4605-b788-2f221053288f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c3f28890-e38a-4025-aa3f-a91ff758d6f0" id="9c69cddc-5c1b-402f-b333-0646053959cf"> -</span></span> I really enjoyed the initial section involving Gosling's stunt motorcyclist, but its ambition to span through generations of the family involved caused the film to become over-long and lose its early momentum.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>To The Wonder</u> - A </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> tiresome</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> self-parody by Malick. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>Lincoln</u> - Too long for <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d1f28146-e66f-4291-8ce9-f93ec6266e1d" id="d6a5d58b-653f-44ab-9614-005cdec9908c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="0285dbed-51de-468e-bbaf-dff6303d2a65" id="88bb8655-7caa-43f9-aada-314d5ff4a904">its</span></span> own good, I also felt part of the film was missing. The soldiers introduced in the opening scenes would have been a fantastic way of showing how Lincoln's stubbornness, whilst justified, lead to more deaths through the extension of the war.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Probably <u>Not</u> Worth a Watch</b></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">World War Z</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Gangster Squad</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The ones that got away...</b><br />In an ideal world, I would have seen <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="61451cdf-a2de-4682-a810-8852d72b7419" id="bb4451ed-ac3a-418f-b359-b97068153a68"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fbe5c6d9-e6e6-42b4-975d-7544dcb7e03d" id="19116084-9dd9-41f1-9b04-6d7fdc8798bf"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2a74eced-12a2-483f-90a0-33b534c0479d" id="f9fa4fc1-d92a-474d-8497-2a0b9be529bd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="8860b6bd-1394-40ae-a764-4ab82a6c605c"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a21ffe45-9dc8-4983-9913-1cb37b59a1e5"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="25846479-9b86-4600-854a-052f72f8384d"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="6783a06c-744e-47dd-8bf9-6420e5957c12"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="0d96cf65-384e-4b2a-b656-1997b0bb21e9">these</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> too<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="88cb6cb7-cead-4084-b49f-708ccae4e462" id="85eb4f26-8362-431f-9dad-41fb75f52afc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9cfcfa0d-8100-4246-83b0-c607c125f651" id="a8d508b1-89cf-4a3e-8de2-72d3820fcd67"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4cecab52-38ac-4bd5-aa9f-c38a6986a546" id="0252ff1e-5395-4197-bb9b-936fc3bc3d93"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="12ab0916-f402-460d-9eb7-ea33a4031c1f" id="300dc28d-ae70-46cd-8289-206a8fe345bc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b3fd067e-9b4a-4e66-baa6-e245f4cd22a8" id="af79964e-c059-4512-9723-53c4589de702"> -</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Monsters University, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Evil Dead, </span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="93b19a06-32f7-4886-b22f-ea5eb3b2d2ec" id="8ef10ecc-5dbb-42a5-bfae-d01c3a58681c" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="428d75c5-d7e0-4858-ab80-2e5c176c2c39" id="be5d6a20-ab4c-46f3-b777-c642614e261e"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5caa6485-7ea2-40ce-a52f-6774b63e3893" id="8796cbbb-4bfb-418f-afb9-93b3a9871b9a"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="3384efb7-191a-4333-b66d-652d5c069fa6" id="26de3e48-0d76-45eb-a5dd-bd42bcf5c7aa"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="afeee778-7128-4719-9661-12ef6ffa7e1c" id="e9f32737-09f1-4579-b816-a944fae82e22"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8b0895ce-5727-44f7-9247-9a2f69bf45fb" id="328a119c-f35d-4698-afa4-ae07a31cd206"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1004a529-deea-4161-a328-e3b1073c64b4" id="7836cefe-d43e-4115-97d9-92828147dafc"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="53163cea-4009-4901-a2e5-7e49f4bdf636" id="e5a4748b-9b3c-44e3-b553-9e897d0e4cc8"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d37ab92e-ceee-46e6-82ff-e24a9465074e" id="d4da53cc-9e1a-4d66-919d-1de82d82b58b"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="529f6808-8236-4879-ad8a-dda2f5341630" id="c7d2abdc-1cba-4576-91c0-4fa726ec0bae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="8c1b6ffa-8141-405f-af9d-8ee3fbe8dcc7" id="c5e2c367-29e0-483d-8248-616f3f3f2291">G.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I Joe Retaliation, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fast and Furious 6, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Purge, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mud, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Europa Report, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pain and Gain, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Bling Ring, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">No, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Beyond the Hills, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Good Vibrations, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Spring Breakers, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Touch of Sin, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Selfish Giant, </span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122"></span></span></span><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="01cccc34-b927-48d1-87d1-0842b7077453" id="1f79a351-6e7d-499f-a686-5498b383ab23" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="b57c325f-13e8-4e80-b675-8047d1d0e226" id="af05acdb-e329-4cec-b50e-75cf535755ae"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="177f82e0-c75b-46f5-9f85-f3a1951459d5" id="499ccdd0-0ac9-4ca1-b44a-958acbfa2122">Norte</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> The End of History, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Stranger by the Lake, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Hunt, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rush, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Filth, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">What Richard Did, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.5px;">We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.5px;">The Impossible, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Caesar Must </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Die, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Great Gatsby, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Wrong, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">All is Lost</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><b>Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><b>2012 Update</b><br /><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Safety</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"> Not Guaranteed,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Lawless, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Compliance, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Berberian</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> Sound Studio,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"> Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Silver Linings Playbook, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Damsels in Distress, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ruby Sparks</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />The ones I didn't.<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c35fd7fc-cf11-4bb0-bff3-8ec5c19254ab" id="cc6dc72b-ce24-48a0-9a17-40941c91373f"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c1b871df-232f-448c-902a-695683e98df2" id="27fd2219-fdd5-4e5d-927a-fb054d5458df">..</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Sinister, Anna Karenina, The Campaign, Resident Evil: Retribution, Iron Sky, Frankenweenie, Ill Manors, "I, Anna", Wrong, This is Not a Film, The </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Imposter</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">, Bernie, The Kid with a Bike, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Margin Call, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Rise of the Guardians</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">The ones I didn't see despite owning the DVD or being able to to stream them (so I'll hopefully watch them soon)<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="7836c652-1ae2-4571-86f8-4c866aaa4954" id="432c7ce6-bed6-4fb0-81bd-6b18bcf63f01"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c3d4c3d6-80ea-4dfd-85a7-cb9ec4e1d855" id="794615c5-1896-4f50-8882-1bb9ebb942bd"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c57b3bda-50db-48be-9eae-e9602625ce67" id="134bb0cf-09dd-4ca7-b755-cbe4c4a19510">...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Sound of My Voice, Your Sister's Sister, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">A</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">lps, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Haywire, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">Monsieur Lazhar, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The Bourne Legacy and </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.799999237060547px;">The Hunt.</span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Last Years Top Eleven</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">12. Life of Pi</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">11. Amour</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">10. Room 237</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">09. The Raid</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">08. Seven Psychopaths</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">07. Killing Them Softly</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">06. Martha Marcy May Marlene</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">05. 21 Jump Street</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">04. Robot and Frank</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">03. Moonrise Kingdom</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">02. The Master</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">01. Avenger Assemble</span></div>
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Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-24960511246131341922013-02-25T03:34:00.000-08:002013-02-25T03:34:11.538-08:002013 Oscar Predictions: Was I Right?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 85th Academy Awards ceremony had enough surprises to throw off my predictions but mainly panned out as expected. I'll see how those predictions went below, but first I thought I'd run through some thoughts on the other awards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite enjoying the film, I was a little surprised to see "Brave" take the best animated feature. As one of Pixar's relatively weaker efforts, I thought it might open the door for "Wreck it Ralph" or "ParaNorman" but Pixar held strong. They also took the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">award for</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> animated short with "Paperman", which I feel was a very worthy winner for it's combination of traditional 2D and 3D techniques. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was great to see "Amour" take the best foreign language prize as it was one of my favourites from last year, although it's a shame this success was not followed with an award for its lead actress Emmanuele Riva.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Roger Deakins' lack of award recognition was also a shame. A great cinematographer responsible for "No Country for Old Men" and "The Shawshank Redemption" amongst many other beautiful looking movies, he has now been nominated ten times without winning. His work on "Skyfall" lost out to Claudio Miranda's "Life of Pi", which was </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">worthy</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> winner none the less. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">Now on to the results of my predictions for the major awards -</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; color: #371006; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win: </span><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #371006;">Argo </span><span style="color: #274e13;">(Correct)</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win:</span><strong style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Zero Dark Thirty</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">What Should Have Won:</span><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> The Master</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>As expected Argo took the prize. As I said in my predictions, I'm not sure time will be as kind to it as the Academy, but still a very good film. Congratulations Mr Affleck, and great beard.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Best Director</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win:</span><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) </strong></span><strong style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #990000;">(Wrong)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win:</span><strong style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Ang Lee (The Life of Pi) </strong><strong style="border: none; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;">(Correct, kind of)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Should Have Won:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Joss Whedon (The Avengers)</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Unexpectedly the Academy agreed with me and overlooked Steven Spielberg to go with Ang Lee as best director.</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> He's been rewarded to </span><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">successfully</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> adapting a challenging novel, so I feel he's a very worthy winner.</span></span></i></span><br />
<strong style="border: none; color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong><strong style="border: none; color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Best Actor in a Leading Role</strong><br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win: <b>Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln) </b></span></span></span></span><strong style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 25.59375px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;">(Correct)</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win: <b>Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Should Have Won:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)</b><br /><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Daniel Day Lewis took best actor for the third time and deserved the accolade for his complete immersion in the role of Abraham Lincoln. Still, I think Phoenix would have won in any year that he wasn't up against Daniel Day Lewis.</i></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Which Nominee Will Win: </span><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Emmanuele Riva (Amour) </b></span></span><strong style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #990000;">(Wrong, it was Jennifer Lawrence)</span></strong><br />
<span style="border: none; color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win:</span><b style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Emmanuele Riva </b><b style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">(Amour)</b></div>
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Should Have Won: </span><b style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Emmanuele Riva </b><b style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">(Amour)</b><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">I completely misjudged this one, over estimating Hollywood's interest in foreign language films. The ceremony even took place on her 86th birthday, but Emmanuele Riva lost out to the youngest challenger for best actress, Jennifer Lawrence, who is sixty four years younger at just twenty two. I have to admit "Silver Linings Playbook" was the only major Oscar challenger that I hadn't seen, so it's not surprising I didn't call this one.</span></i></span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Best Actor In a Supporting Role</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win:<b> Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) </b></span></span><strong style="border: none; color: black; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #990000;">(Wrong, it was Christoph Waltz)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win: <b>Phillip Seymour Hoffman </b></span><strong style="color: #3b373b; line-height: 18.203125px;">(The Master)</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Should Have Won:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Phillip Seymour Hoffman</span></b></span><strong style="color: #3b373b; line-height: 18.203125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (The Master)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #3b373b; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.203125px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I was way off again here, with the prize going to Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained". Waltz was excellent and a worthy winner, although I feel it was a less impressive performance than Seymour Hoffman's.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Best Actress</strong> <strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">in a Supporting Role</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win: <b>Anne Hathaway (</b></span></span><em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.545454025268555px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Les Misérables) </span></em><strong style="border: none; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #274e13;">(Correct)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win: <b>Anne Hathaway </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b>(</b></span></span><em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.545454025268555px;">Les Misérables)</em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span>Should Have Won: <b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Anne Hathaway </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b>(</b></span></span><em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.545454025268555px;">Les Misérables)</em></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><i>As expected Hathaway took the best supporting Oscar, which I feel she deserved.</i></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><b>Correct Prediction: 3 out of 6 </b>(Four, if I let myself count Ang Li)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;">Not too shabby, but room for improvement...</span></div>
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Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-33777810424338516932013-02-22T15:04:00.001-08:002013-02-22T15:04:36.812-08:002013 Oscar Predictions (and what should have won)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroipc-U_57eiog9Fu0yQx0TkM89cpOJ3RFJwTnkE8jZwe61ppQ7KNSpuwcdT6EaYpiR-1e8aQwX5H9WAB2wUnUrAxkWuvxrBJAPKNcMOrnG9rjez_WrZkbaEk_q93TUE7CwnS_Eh8RI4/s1600/oscarmontage2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroipc-U_57eiog9Fu0yQx0TkM89cpOJ3RFJwTnkE8jZwe61ppQ7KNSpuwcdT6EaYpiR-1e8aQwX5H9WAB2wUnUrAxkWuvxrBJAPKNcMOrnG9rjez_WrZkbaEk_q93TUE7CwnS_Eh8RI4/s400/oscarmontage2013.jpg" title="Montage of Oscar Contenders" width="460" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll try and keep this brief as my Films of 2012 ran a bit long, but here are my predictions for Sunday's upcoming 85th Academy Awards. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I've written which of the nominees I think <u>will</u> win, which I think <u>should</u> win and also what I feel should win regardless of whether they were nominated or not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've kept to the headline categories, skipping Best Foreign Langauge Film, Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature Film this year, as I haven't seen enough of the nominated movies. However for the record I would say "Amour" and "Holy Motors" were the best foreign language films I saw last year, whilst "ParaNorman" was my favourite animated feature. I was terrible when it came to watching documentaries this year, but I hear it was scandalous that "The Impostor" was not nominated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, here are my predictions...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win: </span><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Argo</strong></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win:</span><strong style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Zero Dark Thirty</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">What Should Have Won:</span><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> The Master</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>I was astonished to find "The Master" was not even nominated. It's a remarkable picture unlike anything else you'd see last year, but I think it paid for it's ambiguity with the Academy. "Argo" was an enjoyable, well-crafted thriller, but in ten years time, we'll be talking about "The Master" and the incredibly well balanced "Zero Dark Thirty" instead.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win:</span><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)</strong></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win:</span><strong style="border: none; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Ang Lee (The Life of Pi)</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Should Have Won:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Joss Whedon (The Avengers)</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Paul Thomas Anderson would be a very worthy winner for "The Master", but I've gone for Joss Whedon. Perhaps a surprising choice (unless you've read my Film's of 2012 blog post) but the skill required to create a film of this magnitude is staggering. Whedon managed to bring great performances out of his large ensemble cast, while creating an exciting action film with brilliant technical effects. Any director who can bring together so many different aspects has to be a master of his craft. For a </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">similar</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> reason, I went with Ang Lee from the nominated list as he balances so many different elements within an adaptation of a difficult novel. </span></span></i></span><br />
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<strong style="border: none; color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Best Actor in a Leading Role</strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win: <b>Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln)</b></span></span><br />
<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win: <b>Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Should Have Won:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)</b><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Daniel Day Lewis is utterly convincing as Lincoln, completely inhabiting the role as always, but Phoenix is the most magnetic screen presence of the year. His Freddie Quell is fascinating to watch and I couldn't imagine any other actor fulfilling this role in such a way.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Which Nominee Will Win: </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Emmanuele Riva (Amour)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win:</span><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Emmanuele Riva </b><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">(Amour)</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Should Have Won: </span><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">Emmanuele Riva </b><b style="line-height: 1.6em;">(Amour)</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><i>Emmanuele Riva is brilliant in her role as a woman dealing with the effects of a debilitating stroke, so I can't imagine anyone else will win. My next choice would be Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty" as she so artfully creates a fully formed performance as Maya</i></span><i style="font-size: small; line-height: 1.6em;">, despite the film offering very little back story to her character.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win:<b> Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Should Win: <b>Phillip Seymour Hoffman </b></span><strong style="color: #3b373b; line-height: 18.203125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(The Master)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Who </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Should Have Won:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Phillip Seymour Hoffman</span></b></span><strong style="color: #3b373b; line-height: 18.203125px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (The Master)</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #3b373b; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.203125px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Much like Joaquin Phoenix, Seymour Hoffman dominates his role in "The Master" with aplomb. He manages to create a fragile but domineering character with charm and magnetism.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Which Nominee Will Win: <b>Anne Hathaway (</b></span></span><em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.545454025268555px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Les Misérables)</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><i>I wrestled with this one a bit as Amy Adams is great in "The Master" and plays a more constant role throughout the film. However Hathaway's performance in "</i></span><em style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.545454025268555px;">Les Misérables</em><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.6em;"><i>" is so emotive that after her (spoiler) early exit from the film, it loses it's way and lacks the emotional resonance that it found in her short appearance. </i></span></div>
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Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-34761008495038032422013-01-04T08:40:00.001-08:002013-02-25T02:23:47.797-08:00Films of the Year 2012<div class="post-body entry-content" style="background-color: white; color: #371006; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsb9Fm04KZ3JScqpr2Yt957xbIk6H2S4ttDvI2sWF1Hbieb-CduOGJaS5x782JN4TgNoQPBQbnWwtFd3fjMuIFyTFiqw7kaH3HhIonp-qnltNjWDPjG1-BB4mQNiHkwbGig9V7VjQJ8U/s1600/montage2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsb9Fm04KZ3JScqpr2Yt957xbIk6H2S4ttDvI2sWF1Hbieb-CduOGJaS5x782JN4TgNoQPBQbnWwtFd3fjMuIFyTFiqw7kaH3HhIonp-qnltNjWDPjG1-BB4mQNiHkwbGig9V7VjQJ8U/s1600/montage2012.jpg" /></a><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year saw the release of some great movies, just not the ones I was expecting. My highly anticipated films often let me down (mostly due to my own high expectations), but thankfully there was plenty of quality to fill the void. Quite a few of the titles on the list came as a complete surprise to me - at least three of the movie on my list I originally wasn't even going to <span style="line-height: 1.6em;">bother watching.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As usual, my decisions have not been <span style="line-height: 1.6em;">made particularly objectively, just judged in terms of my own personal enjoyment or the emotional impact they had on me.</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> A</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">ny feedback is of course welcome, even if you feel the need to ridicule my choices... </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.6em;">So, in a very loose order here's the list -</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Disclaimer! - U.S. films of the year lists may include Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, The Sessions, This is 40, Lincoln, Cloud Atlas, Wreck it Ralph and Les Miserables. However none of these were released in the UK in 2012, so aren't featured on this list. The need to delay these films for so long after their U.S release seems crazy to me, but ah well, what can you do)</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Top 12 for 2012</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">12. </b><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Life of Pi</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfmXrlixhkHeAHOiIZ9_2Et8C-5uKQJEg6-QE7Ai00cckLQOWmibRFIpS2ijvRfWnQzqCZoAQiWNvrO1gpBXpyxQAVej4thOGXP6usoIUdR0nfiGbr1L-gp-o1mV6ReN6FSePLqAhihw/s1600/12_lifeofpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfmXrlixhkHeAHOiIZ9_2Et8C-5uKQJEg6-QE7Ai00cckLQOWmibRFIpS2ijvRfWnQzqCZoAQiWNvrO1gpBXpyxQAVej4thOGXP6usoIUdR0nfiGbr1L-gp-o1mV6ReN6FSePLqAhihw/s1600/12_lifeofpi.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="color: #371006; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></b><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 15px;">"Life of Pi" was a film that I had little interest in when I first heard about it. I'd been told great things about the novel, but the concept seemed better left to the written word and the trailer failed to grab me. However, great reviews piqued my curiosity, so I gave it a try and I'm glad I did. While I don't think this is a great film throughout, it culminates brilliantly enhancing the preceding bulk of the movie. It offers a very interesting look at both religious faith and atheism that I feel both groups can read into in their own way and gain some appreciation. </span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 15px;">It's also stunning visually, with the best use of 3D I saw this year, which is all the more impressive considering that a large chunk of the film involves just one actor (the convincing Suraj Sharma) and a CG tiger on a boat.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; line-height: 15px;">However, as a note of caution, this is the film on the list I'd seen most recently and I think it's better to decide on your favourites once you've had time to mull them over for a bit. Maybe I'll think "Life of Pi" is just as good in six months time, but there's a chance I won't and I'll regret leaving out another of my favourites. I watched "Killer Joe" the week I wrote this list and was tempted to include that too, but excluded it for that very reason.</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">11. Amour</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpD1jfcjj3yMLqODkkiNyz4eGkulM1jF7s6FP0K3bO-SXEkcIgVzIvK9yufLAB7lkSeFh_7z0IKlVMNw654FHkFbn3jf7SQ1LGhLC0ylsr7pR5pGfR8-fUG8WK3RtKc2itSoIUeSnm1I/s1600/11_amour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpD1jfcjj3yMLqODkkiNyz4eGkulM1jF7s6FP0K3bO-SXEkcIgVzIvK9yufLAB7lkSeFh_7z0IKlVMNw654FHkFbn3jf7SQ1LGhLC0ylsr7pR5pGfR8-fUG8WK3RtKc2itSoIUeSnm1I/s1600/11_amour.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">The most emotionally involving film I saw all year, they'll be few people who don't shed a tear during it's running time. The film</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> has a quiet personal quality, with many raw emotionally difficult scenes. S</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">et only within the walls of an elderly married couple's home,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> i</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">t depicts the difficulties they encounter as they struggle with the effect of dementia on their relationship. Importantly, r</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">ather than tricking the audience into feeling for the characters by using techniques like an overly manipulative soundtrack, d</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">irector Michael Haneke uses a stripped back </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">approach</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> that relies on the brilliance of the actors. This creates a real, personal and intimate portrayal that is hugely effective. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9izsE0GB9aQTXq3x1868VI3v2h0XAJqKPosdsJ8_LKQzwtbv9wJt_DEW44yWXDOmolgI3_71zQZAbfulskAJk-oaXr1ZOXuwoqr0-8aKKolgyANmr3K9IhessFT7R_bjkmzHeJQNgdA/s1600/10_room237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9izsE0GB9aQTXq3x1868VI3v2h0XAJqKPosdsJ8_LKQzwtbv9wJt_DEW44yWXDOmolgI3_71zQZAbfulskAJk-oaXr1ZOXuwoqr0-8aKKolgyANmr3K9IhessFT7R_bjkmzHeJQNgdA/s1600/10_room237.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Room 237 is a fascinating look at the conspiracy theories that surround Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". Fans of the film describe in detail the hidden meanings they've found layered within the movie and offer a wealth of evidence to support their views. Varying from plausible to crazy, the documentary cuts back and forth between these different readings of the movie and manages to be highly convincing throughout. <span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Whether any or all of the theorists are right, which is highly doubtful, it highlights Kubrick's genius and immense attention to detail and breaths new life into re-watching "The Shining" again and again. </span></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. The Raid</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdzJWGqMd0oFxKeMNthtQbN37kdarcVTJ_OBabzZjhyb1mrrSdDnOeRH7qjobj32_v8oBl9Zql_uIs7LBzhVUNkaegn5pdXb5y4jUnOaXfXcYvHvCsja0UUqlBVZoOprDfrrQ2nTYdlk/s1600/9_the_raid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdzJWGqMd0oFxKeMNthtQbN37kdarcVTJ_OBabzZjhyb1mrrSdDnOeRH7qjobj32_v8oBl9Zql_uIs7LBzhVUNkaegn5pdXb5y4jUnOaXfXcYvHvCsja0UUqlBVZoOprDfrrQ2nTYdlk/s1600/9_the_raid.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Easily the action film of the year, with fight sequences that are the best I can remember in a long time. Director </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Gareth Evans manages to create a highly tense but </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">frenetic</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> tone that sets your heart pounding and doesn't let up until the very end. The film follows an Indonesian S.W.A.T. team who become trapped within a tower block controlled by the druglord they have been sent to bring down. </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Every punch and kick are felt, with brilliant set pieces punctuating the martial arts mayhem. The story may not be that original, but taken as a piece of breathtaking action spectacle it's hard to beat.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-loiTagjTH8icP_99GGxZioLgDWZeaXfzGKxezNX1-pJVJH5IMmk9toZ6oQwsTzboHHUk1HG_w6U0KGbcz9sJrgF3OJW89H4tfUsaWJQgPKhLIFIxh4e7wEIthcNhjU9c4WU3Zw_JFmU/s1600/8_sevenpschopaths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-loiTagjTH8icP_99GGxZioLgDWZeaXfzGKxezNX1-pJVJH5IMmk9toZ6oQwsTzboHHUk1HG_w6U0KGbcz9sJrgF3OJW89H4tfUsaWJQgPKhLIFIxh4e7wEIthcNhjU9c4WU3Zw_JFmU/s1600/8_sevenpschopaths.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Much like McDonagh's previous film "In Bruges", "Seven Psychopaths" is another example of his mastery of balancing conflicting tones to create memorable atypical crime films. The movie combines humour, violence and existential soul-searching to great effect, with brilliant performances from one of the best ensemble casts of the year. As usual Sam Rockwell steals the limelight, this time as an unstable dog-knapper, but Christopher Walken runs him extremely close. Going into too much detail about the plot would ruin the surprising twists and turns, so I'll leave it at that.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMM0szGTESBCZr6aGI6YxFYIiVRx8dMiQ8GY3St7m7laX1MVm282OG5hKVH600Q8g0_qivdPvkdbQzdFCkelh7lR8HCP5bFXsnxVM3bu8DTms0N3K_PmDbCelTLsQkRgo1XpLS3En4FmY/s1600/5_killingthemsoftly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMM0szGTESBCZr6aGI6YxFYIiVRx8dMiQ8GY3St7m7laX1MVm282OG5hKVH600Q8g0_qivdPvkdbQzdFCkelh7lR8HCP5bFXsnxVM3bu8DTms0N3K_PmDbCelTLsQkRgo1XpLS3En4FmY/s1600/5_killingthemsoftly.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Much like "Life </span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 1.6em;">of Pi", this film properly clicked with me in the final minutes and it has my favourite ending to any film this year (it's wonderfully blunt). Some might find the political overtones too overt and they are constant throughout the film, but I can't say it</span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 1.6em;"> bothered me </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">particularly and I felt it gave the story more weight. What you get alongside the </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">politicking</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> is great set pieces involving a range of very different criminals. The film introduces us to a pair of inept thieves played by Scoot McNairy (also impressive in Argo) and Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kin</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">gdom) who's amateur efforts bring them to the attention of Brad Pitt's professional killer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Pitt uses his weary assuredness to great affect in the film, especially in some very memorable scenes with James Gandolfini's drunken hitman. Many of the best scenes are </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">dialogue</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> heavy discussions, but the film also delivers some of the most brutal violence I've seen in a long time. It's not gory or excessive, just a crunching reality to it that makes you feel every strike and shot. It's hard to watch, but violence should be, and it steers away from </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">glamourising these acts of aggression. </span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-Fc8sYEJc0PWD_fN-0cq-PbrBNJxSKF9YZIdC_YuHSYltaCiVBV3sLdrj4FHBrS1x1PJMvA2fABFa8EIcf-Jib15rMoOvTJtX2m2qPzQA-eYexxMOKmdcFrQZWV0p9xRJgNRSsE5u64/s1600/6_marcymartha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-Fc8sYEJc0PWD_fN-0cq-PbrBNJxSKF9YZIdC_YuHSYltaCiVBV3sLdrj4FHBrS1x1PJMvA2fABFa8EIcf-Jib15rMoOvTJtX2m2qPzQA-eYexxMOKmdcFrQZWV0p9xRJgNRSsE5u64/s1600/6_marcymartha.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Unfortunately "Marcy Martha </span></span><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">May Marlene" has suffered the fate of many early release</span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;">s in that it's the least fresh in my mind, having seen it around a year ago. It perhaps should be higher, as I was </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.796875px;">incredibly i</span><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">mpressed by the movie, but recent films fresher in my mind are proving hard to dislodge. Despite this, the story and characters linger with you long after you leave the cinema, reflecting the effect of the film's fictional cult on Elizabeth Olsen's central character. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Olsen is highly impressive throughout, reflecting the many different sides of her character as we see her both within the cult and afterwards when she has rejoined her family. </span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;">It's astounding that she wasn't at least nominated for an Academy Award and the same can be said of John Hawkes cult leader. </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;">His mix of malice and kindness creates a sense of unease whenever he's present on screen, something I think few actors could pull off so </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 25.59375px;">subtly</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;"> Praise must also go to the director Sean Durkin who has made a </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 25.59375px;">beautiful,</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;"> dreamlike film, whilst also </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 25.59375px;">maintaining</span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> a feeling of edgy danger and paranoia throughout. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvKYQNWVs5mayoQms8H2M2YaxYmUbOGfrEtSf2z-n7McbxjUGUNkXvd3EQQQCtGDLp_jh0w_B2OC077MLvLkr17P7yaEz_d63-YSb1vBuE1CVRFId8M8LISSnzxFgE_lV4gcgpVesOj0/s1600/4_21jump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvKYQNWVs5mayoQms8H2M2YaxYmUbOGfrEtSf2z-n7McbxjUGUNkXvd3EQQQCtGDLp_jh0w_B2OC077MLvLkr17P7yaEz_d63-YSb1vBuE1CVRFId8M8LISSnzxFgE_lV4gcgpVesOj0/s1600/4_21jump.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;">I can't believe I've placed it so high, but even after multiple viewings, there are few films that I've enjoyed this year as much as "21 Jump Street". It perhaps shouldn't come as such a surprise, as it's from the same directorial team that created the highly underrated "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." They bring their brilliant pacing, vibrant visual flair and sense of fun throughout, with genuine chemistry between the two leads Jonah Hill and </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.796875px;">Channing</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;"> Tatum. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;">They form a brilliant double act, with a real bond that holds the film's central concept together. "21 Jump Street" also provides a modern take on high school life as it is today, avoiding the kind of John Hughes inspired cliches that often haunt teen high school comedies, and instead subverting the jock/nerd relationship to great effect. This subversion is also apparent in the way it plays with action film tropes and pokes fun at it's own status as a 80's TV show remake. Overall it's the funniest film I saw this year.</span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #371006; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Robot and Frank</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkr3v430FxqnYYUCGMx8mCIxLBXrK2bTgr6MXhibvKCpAvK0ciqTN4_ZkqUIKw3d8j94CsvUOzbwCHtDEAHECnYCLPlj9U4hZyP5JIAi-LAnUm7qqOyBZtPSsQQET-I0YV50Z16dEL-E/s1600/7_Robotandfrank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkr3v430FxqnYYUCGMx8mCIxLBXrK2bTgr6MXhibvKCpAvK0ciqTN4_ZkqUIKw3d8j94CsvUOzbwCHtDEAHECnYCLPlj9U4hZyP5JIAi-LAnUm7qqOyBZtPSsQQET-I0YV50Z16dEL-E/s1600/7_Robotandfrank.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; line-height: 1.6em;">"Robot and Frank" is a</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> touching film that blends family dramedy with sci-fi perfectly. The film finds a retired jewel thief struggling to come to terms with his </span></span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">ageing</span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> and the world's rapidly advancing technological changes, a problem that is </span></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 25.59375px;">exacerbated</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 1.6em;"> when his son brings in a robot carer to look after him. The </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 1.6em;">evolution of their relationship is handled brilliantly, bringing both laughs and touching moments of affection. </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; text-align: center;">A great performance by Frank Langella anchors the film, with all-star support from Peter Sarsgard, Suzanne Sarandon, Liv Tyler and James Marsden. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; text-align: center;">This all plays out in</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; text-align: center;"> a wonderfully subtle sci-fi future, with understandable and useful advances in technology, rather than hover cars and laser guns.</span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Moonrise Kingdom</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40U6M6M7fBrjkwtAuuK3h5nKL6WDZkSPwz3tud7tIuoqKo2OqoX_XBRYzYpExH9E83KtQzCPShkLgkVFi5EAZgdr3M1TbyTmlGeqqyaSNuctpgdT5Sx9E6IBWAXtsPfZQbcHrJOZmTIw/s1600/3_Moonrise_Kingdom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40U6M6M7fBrjkwtAuuK3h5nKL6WDZkSPwz3tud7tIuoqKo2OqoX_XBRYzYpExH9E83KtQzCPShkLgkVFi5EAZgdr3M1TbyTmlGeqqyaSNuctpgdT5Sx9E6IBWAXtsPfZQbcHrJOZmTIw/s1600/3_Moonrise_Kingdom.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Wes Anderson's foray into animation with "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" certainly seems to have rejuvenated him, as "Moonrise Kingdom" seems far more focused than his last few live-action movies. Bringing the economy of storytelling essential for time consuming animated productions into his live action work has produced a tighter film. Charming and amusing in Anderson's usual manner, "Kingdom" also has stakes and growing tension, as you fear for the future of a runaway young couple as a great storm looms. Not that this detracts from the fun, as it's still very funny and inventive throughout, with great turns from Ed Norton and Bruce Willis, proving fantastic additions to Anderson's regular troop. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Youngsters Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward are also very good, bringing to life the central romance that fuels the plot. These scenes involving only the children highlight Wes Andersons eye for recreating childhood memories, remembering that as kids we always think we're older and more capable than we are. This is something that was present throughout my favourite Anderson film "Rushmore" and is also crucial in the way this </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">story</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> unfolds.</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. The Master</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf_-1_6fZkU3MZHyzE4KuPNzVQ-s2lwdr9VPVhto05ZwJKFxwRFQTpVvanqKKvjKMD1k7E4TvIdvyEY5F4hVg9D0OmCTnym9HPjismYn5pNhhmIG1Kgcjh9gdJHjciQPQlmlAx1vxh78/s1600/2_The_Master.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf_-1_6fZkU3MZHyzE4KuPNzVQ-s2lwdr9VPVhto05ZwJKFxwRFQTpVvanqKKvjKMD1k7E4TvIdvyEY5F4hVg9D0OmCTnym9HPjismYn5pNhhmIG1Kgcjh9gdJHjciQPQlmlAx1vxh78/s1600/2_The_Master.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">The Master wasn't the harsh expose of Scientology that many had hoped for, but then again, Paul Thomas Anderson never said it would be. Instead it's a entrancing look at two flawed men and how they feed off each other's problems. Despite being very different characters they both crave the adulation of others, but the way they go about this forms their symbiotic relationship. Joaquin Phoenix's war veteran drifter Freddie Quell is an alcoholic outcast looking for a place to call home, and finds acceptance with Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Lancaster Dodd (The titular "Master") and his extended family of followers. Dodd is also looking for acceptance, but is more needy than the erratic Freddie. One man's adoration is not enough for "The Master", he needs the world to follow his lead. Hoffman is brilliant in this role, entertaining and berating his followers whilst shouting down and intimidating his enemies. </span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;">Joaquin Phoenix, </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 25.59375px;">in a startling return to form,</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> is perhaps even better as Freddie, the most watchable screen presence this year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;">Anderson acknowledges these great performances with copious close ups of the actors faces, trusting both actors to </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.796875px;">imbue</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;"> their roles with complete depth. </span><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">The differing characters portrayed offer a fascinating look at what impulses drive people to control others or be controlled and how faith can be built and destroyed. I could write a lot more and I should at least mention the strong role played by women in the men's lives (exemplified by Dodd's strong wife played by Amy Adams), but feel I should probably just move on to the number one spot and leave you to watch it for </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">yourselves</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Avengers Assemble</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Placing a huge Hollywood blockbuster at number one seems a little wrong, but director Joss Whedon really did achieve the impossible with "Avengers Assemble". He brought together various Marvel franchises of varying tone and quality and created what I think is the best super hero film ever made. Christopher Nolan set a high benchmark with the "Dark Knight", but I always felt that his film was at it's best as a thriller, more comfortable with "Heat" style heists than goofy bat-goggle gadgets. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">While Nolan's Batman seems </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">embarrassed</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> to be a superhero, "The Avengers" (it's title everywhere else other than the UK)</span></span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;"> </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.796875px;">embraces the genre's</span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 1.6em;"> brightly coloured costumes and theatrical villains allowing it to be light and fun whilst </span><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.796875px;">maintaining</span><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> high stakes with an epic scale. Like Spiderman 2, it realises taking time out for small </span><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">character</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> moments is well worth the effort. The fact that Agent Coulson's trading card collection not only adds depth to the </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">character</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> while being vitally important to the story is a great example if this. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">This is apparent throughout the film, with each character given their time to shine and prove their worth. Even if Downey Jnr's Tony Stark still dominates, he at least get's some worthy opposition, which comes chiefly in the unexpected form of Mark Ruffalo's </span><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">re-imagined</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> Hulk. Gone is the whiny self loathing of old and in it's place Ruffalo provides us with an agitated genius who may not have learnt to accept his fate, but is moving towards understanding it. The Hulk's big-screen improvement extends to his big, green CG monster side, with a more convincing look and some of the best scenes in the film ("Puny god" and the unexpected sucker punch in particular). </span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">The new Hulk's arrival is also an example of how "The Avengers" improves on any previous Marvel movie. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Strangely for a company that deals solely in superhero film's, Marvel Studio's output often delivers more on character than action, with many final acts failing to impress in the action stakes. Whedon manages to avoid this in "The Avengers" by bringing back Tom Hiddleston's charismatic Loki from "Thor" and surrounding him with a whole army of inter-dimensional alien invaders. This ups the stakes sufficiently to require this super-team-up and Whedon manages to convince us that each character has their role to play, despite their varying power levels. Captain America in particular works well in these scenes, where his relative lack of power allows</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;"> his experience and organisational skills to instead be employed. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 25.59375px;">This balance allows "The Avengers" to succeed where many blockbusters have fallen before, providing a blockbuster with laughs, tears, action and fun aplenty.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Worthy Mentions</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not quite on the main list...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Jack Reacher (to my </span><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">surprise</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">, very close to making the </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 25.59375px;">the top twelve. A fun old-school action/thriller)</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">, </span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Killer Joe (again, very close to being in </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 25.59375px;">main list)</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 25.59375px;">Magic Mike, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Chronicle</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Holy Motors, Cabin in the Woods, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Beasts of the Southern Wild, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Argo, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Ted, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Sightseers</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">, Young Adult, The Muppets, Headhunters, Looper, Skyfall (If the whole film had been like the mid section, it would have </span><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">definitely</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> made the list)</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Worth a watch</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Films worth a look<b> -</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">End of Watch, Brave, Wanderlust, Dredd 3D, Safe</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">ParaNorman</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">, Another Earth.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disappointments</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>The Dark Knight Rises</u> - It has it's moments (many of them brilliant) but overall I felt it was narratively messy. Why wasn't it split into two films to gives it's characters and ideas time to breath?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Looper</u> - I enjoyed Looper, but my expectations were probably a bit too high. I was expecting more time travel trickiness then the film delivered.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>The Amazing Spider-Man</u> - The first half got me involved and excited, but the second half crumbled into a series of absurd set pieces that barely made sense. The crane section left me aghast. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Prometheus</u> - Much like Looper my expectations were very high. I came out of the cinema having enjoyed Prometheus, but the more I thought about it the more it fell apart. Has there ever been a more inept group of scientists? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Cosmopolis</u> - It was always going to be wordy, but I didn't realise how dialogue heavy this movie would be. It never really escaped it's source material and I wish I'd read the book instead. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #371006; line-height: 20.796875px;"><u>Rust and Bone</u> - Not at the same level as director J</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">acques Audiard's previous effort "A Prophet" but still has powerful and very touching moments. The story didn't quite grab me though and seemed a little uneven.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><u>The Hobbit</u> - I'm not familiar with the book, but it seemed far sillier than the original trilogy and I had trouble buying into the central quest. The high frame rate was interesting, but I didn't feel it added much to the film once I'd got used to it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Shame</u> - Not as good as director Steve McQueen's debut "Hunger", but still has great sequences.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Carnage</u> - A bit uneven and stagey, but still entertaining with Christoper Waltz giving another great performance.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Coriolanus</u> - Worth watching just for Ralph Fiennes portrayal of the titular character in his directorial debut, but few of the other actors reach his level, which is why I think I found the Shakespearean dialogue jarring within the modern setting.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ones that got away...</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm still annoyed I missed these -</span></div>
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Safety Not Guaranteed,</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Lawless, Sinister, Anna Karenina, The Campaign, The Bourne Legacy, Ruby Sparks, Resident Evil: Retribution (I'm a sucker for these films - I don't know why), Iron Sky, Frankenweenie, Ill Manors, Compliance, "I, Anna", Haywire, Wrong (when will this get a UK release!!?), This is Not a Film, Monsieur Lazhar, The </span><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">Imposter</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">, Bernie, The Hunt, The Kid with a Bike, Berberian Sound Studio,</span></span></span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;"> Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Margin Call, Sound of My Voice, Your Sister's Sister, Damsels in Distress, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Silver Linings Playbook, A</span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">lps, </span><span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Rise of the Guardians</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #371006; line-height: 20.796875px;"><b>Trends of 2012</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px;">Dog-knapping, explorations of faith, existential criminals, superheroes, subtle sci-fi, crunching painful violence, ageing and dementia</span><br />
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<span style="color: #371006; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2011 Update</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">The Interrupters, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Weekend, Sleeping Beauty, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">The Guard, Rubber, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Troll Hunter, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">The Inbetweeners Movie</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ones I didn't..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">A Separation (but LoveFilm have finally deemed to send me it), </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">The Deep Blue Sea, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Margin Call, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">The Descendants, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">, Beginners, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Jane Eyre, Tangled, Biutiful, Meek's Cutoff, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">TT: Closer to the Edge, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Neds, Moneyball,</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;"> Crazy Stupid Love, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Incendies, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">50/50, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">My Week with Marilyn, </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 15px;">Senna</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last Years Top Eleven</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11. Hugo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. Tree of Life</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">09. Black Swan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">08. The Artist</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">07. Bridesmaids</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">06. Captain America</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">05. Drive</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">04. Blue Valentine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">03. Submarine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">02. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">01. Hanna</span></div>
Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-52224027698061774632012-12-30T15:04:00.001-08:002012-12-30T15:05:02.699-08:00I've eaten way too much this Christmas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k9bWTQWd6NezMkdz_TsN0DKdq6ZlFpxbT5O0VPF7uZ_1R5Z1eDbxBRMGkXicS8muMUrzQCAvV7KcMnRtzFZ-R791pzP44iNX-IUWS037i5VuX_T6pKTkf0GyyjM9F4bmDVYdMIaAeWQ/s1600/christmas_eating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k9bWTQWd6NezMkdz_TsN0DKdq6ZlFpxbT5O0VPF7uZ_1R5Z1eDbxBRMGkXicS8muMUrzQCAvV7KcMnRtzFZ-R791pzP44iNX-IUWS037i5VuX_T6pKTkf0GyyjM9F4bmDVYdMIaAeWQ/s400/christmas_eating.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Also, my top films of the year list coming very soon...</div>
Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-5916109103886075522012-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:002012-01-30T14:54:01.313-08:00Oscars 2012: Very Early PredictionsSo, the Oscars nominations have been announced and I've somehow managed to miss a rather large amount of the anointed movies (The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Moneyball and War Horse), although some of these are yet to be released in the UK.<br />
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Of the films I named in my top eleven of last year, only three make the short list (although admittedly Black Swan featured in last years awards) but none of this comes as much of a surprise. I think "Drive" perhaps should have featured in "Best Director" or "Best Cinematography", but that never seemed likely to happen. "Marcy Martha May Marlene" however, definitely should have been acknowledged, along with it's star Elizabeth Olsen.<br />
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As an animator I'm pleased to see Andy Serkis has not been nominated for his motion capture work in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." While Serkis is a fine actor and gives a great performance, a nomination would have denigrated all the hard work done by the animators who had to convert his movement into the physiology of an ape. Perhaps as this technology gains popularity there should be a separate category that acknowledges both actor and animators. For this reason I'm also relieved to see "The Adventures of Tintin" has not been nominated in best animation (although I found the film entertaining). If "Tintin" had been nominated "Best Animated Feature" then "Avatar" surely would have been eligible too.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></span></div>The main category that seems way off is the "Best Documentary" which has a ton of great films that didn't get included. The shortlist does not include "The Interrupters", "Project Nim", "Senna", "George Harrison: Living in the Material World", "Life in a Day", "Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey" or "Tabloid."<br />
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Anyway, here's my very early guesses at what and who will win the major awards (predicted winners in bold, films I've seen in black, films I've not seen in blue). As there's many films I've yet to see, I've made my decisions based on general awards buzz and critical reaction.<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Picture</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Artist</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Descendants</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Help</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Hugo</b></span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Midnight in Paris</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Moneyball</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Tree of Life</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">War Horse</span></em></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Director</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Michel Hazanavicius, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em></b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Alexdander Payne, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Descendants</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Martin Scorsese, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Woody Allen, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Midnight in Paris</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Terrence Malick, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Tree of Life</em></span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Actor In a Supporting Role</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kenneth Branagh, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">My Week With Marilyn</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jonah Hill, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Moneyball</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nick Nolte, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Warrior</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Christopher Plummer, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Beginners</em></b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Max von Sydow, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close</em></span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Best Actress</strong> <strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">in a Supporting Role</strong></span></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Bérénice Bejo, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em></b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jessica Chastain, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Help</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mellisa McCarthy, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bridesmaids</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Janet McTeer, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Albert Nobbs</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Octavia Spencer, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Help</em></span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Actor in a Leading Role</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Demian Bichir, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A Better Life</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>George Clooney, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Descendants</em></b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Jean Dujardin, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Gary Oldman, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Brad Pitt, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Moneyball</em></span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Best Actress in a Leading Role</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Glenn Close, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Albert Nobbs</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Viola Davis, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Help</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em>Rooney Mara, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</em></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Meryl Streep, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Iron Lady</em></b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Michelle Williams, <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">My Week With Marilyn</em></span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></em></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Animated Feature Film</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A Cat in Paris</em>, Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Chico & Rita</em>, Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Kung Fu Panda 2</em>, Jennifer Yuh Nelson</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Puss in Boots</em>, Chris Miller</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Rango</em>, Gore Verbinski</b></span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cinematography</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em>, Guillaume Schiffman</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo</em>, Jeff Cronenweth</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em>, Robert Richardson</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Tree of Life</em>, Emmanuel Lubezki</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">War Horse</em>, Janusz Kaminski</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Foreign Language Film</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Belgium, “Bullhead”, Michael R. Roskam, director</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar”, Philippe Falardeau, director</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Iran, “A Separation”, Asghar Farhadi, director</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Israel, “Footnote”, Joseph Cedar, director</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Poland, “In Darkness”, Agnieszka Holland, director</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music (Original Song)</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>“Man or Muppet” from <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Muppets</em>, Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Real in Rio” from <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Rio</em>, Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garret.</span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><strong style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Writing (Adapted Screenplay)</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Descendants</em>, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em>, Screenplay by John Logan</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Ides of March</em>, Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Moneyball</em>, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</em>, Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Writing (Original Screenplay)</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em>, Written by Michel Hazanavicius</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Bridesmaids</em>, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Margin Call</em>, Written by J.C. Chandor</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Midnight in Paris</em>, Written by Woody Allen</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A Separation</em>, Written by Asghar Farhadi</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Art Direction</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em>: Laurence Bennett (Production Design); Robert Gould (Set Decoration)</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2</em>: Stuart Craig (Production Design); Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration)</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em>: Dante Ferretti (Production Design); Francesca Lo Schiavo (Set Decoration)</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">War Horse</em>: Rick Carter (Production Design); Lee Sandales (Set Decoration)</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Costume Design</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Anonymous</em>, Lisy Christl</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em>, Mark Bridges</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em>, Sandy Powell</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Jane Eyre</em>, Michael O’Connor</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">W.E.</em>, Arianne Phillips</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Documentary Feature</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hell and Back Again</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory</span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Pina</b></span></em></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Undefeated</span></em></li>
</ul><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Film Editing</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em>, Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Descendants</em>, Kevin Tent</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</em>, Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em>, Thelma Schoonmaker</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Moneyball</em>, Christopher Tellefsen</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Makeup</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Albert Nobbs</em>, Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2</em>, Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Iron Lady</em>, Mark Coulier and J. Roy Hellan</span>d</span></li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Music (Original Score)</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Adventures of Tintin</em>, John Williams</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Artist</em>, Ludovic Bource</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em>, Howard Shore</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</em>, Alberto Iglesias</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://media2.slashfilm.com/slashfilm/siteimages/sf-bullet.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">War Horse</em>, John Williams</span></li>
</ul><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></ul><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Visual Effects</span></strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2</em>, Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hugo</em>, Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Real Steel</em>, Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg</span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Rise of the Planet of the Apes</em>, Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett</b></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 9px; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Transformers: Dark of the Moon</em>, Dan Glass, Brad Friedman, Douglas Trumbull and Michael Fink</span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">From my predictions, "The Artist" should finish with the most awards (6), but we'lll have to wait and see. I'll hopefully reappraise my choices nearer the awards in late February when I've hopefully had time to see more of the films.</span></div>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-12858356598668935252012-01-24T18:15:00.000-08:002012-01-25T16:36:22.471-08:00Movies to Look Out for in 2012Hi folks, I've compiled a list of movies that will (hopefully) entertain us throughout 2012. I don't know a huge amount about quite a lot of them, but I've gone for films I think have potential, based on the concept, cast, director or a great trailer (which I've embedded when available.)<br />
Time will tell if any of these turn out to be good as the year unfolds, but hopefully I'll hit the mark with some of them. Anyway, in no particular order, here we go...<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Wrong</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Quentin Dupieux (AKA Mr Oizo) follows up his head exploding pscho tyre horror movie "Rubber" with this tale of a man searching for his dog. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Great trailer too, I have no idea what this is about, in a good way.</div><object style="height: 296px; width: 485px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kdBAIiB6MIU?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kdBAIiB6MIU?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="485" height="296"></object><br />
<span style="text-align: left;">It also has William Fichtner in it, who's always great.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;">(more info now available on <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/wrong-man-loses-dog-hilarious-weird-stuff-sundance-2012/">/Film</a>)</span><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>ParaNorman</b><br />
Another brilliant trailer<b> </b>(love the use of Donovan's "Season of the Witch") from the team that brought us the eye popping "Coraline". My most anticipated animated film this year.<br />
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B4cC3Q4dhNM?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B4cC3Q4dhNM?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="485" height="296"></object><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Only God Forgives</b><br />
The "Drive" team of Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn reunite for a thai-boxing gangster flick. <br />
Yeah.<br />
And the brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas is rumoured to be playing a matriarchal crime boss. Exciting.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQBIHxjG-nO3_yiBPiOGsTxigRfmxpTjhprYBrLt56HtxC1d6CxWHf7cP7rSOWSEoZAxWlt_IGwZTa0fZE9rB4FqE7PwJbTybGyeUbrSgQJS9k3n7VX3ChTpEdSHqW4A5cmdTM7H34RA/s1600/onlygodforgives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQBIHxjG-nO3_yiBPiOGsTxigRfmxpTjhprYBrLt56HtxC1d6CxWHf7cP7rSOWSEoZAxWlt_IGwZTa0fZE9rB4FqE7PwJbTybGyeUbrSgQJS9k3n7VX3ChTpEdSHqW4A5cmdTM7H34RA/s400/onlygodforgives.jpg" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">No footage yet, but it might look a bit like this.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Detachment</b><br />
"American History X" director Tony Kaye returns with a great cast for this school set drama.<br />
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<br />
<b>Looper</b><br />
I have very high hopes for this one. Director Rian Johnson reunites Joseph Gordon Levitt (star of Johnson's "Brick") for a futuristic mob movie. Gordon Levitt plays a young contract killer who executes targets sent back in time by mobsters in the future. While this ensures there's no evidence left by the murders, it poses Gordon Levitt a unique problem when charged with killing his future self, played by Bruce Willis.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ9MG9UvWyDuaeKhxe0gGsxx4m00yEnYmUPdZB7__OmcEV9yqgZ0yOutdTzxVNUxQkLx9MJ3l5CqFsxVjJkmPnSKNpcv1cqwQxqLwRcHxESSOPbGiapKciPjJesvNOsO3fS4jLbStjiw/s1600/looper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ9MG9UvWyDuaeKhxe0gGsxx4m00yEnYmUPdZB7__OmcEV9yqgZ0yOutdTzxVNUxQkLx9MJ3l5CqFsxVjJkmPnSKNpcv1cqwQxqLwRcHxESSOPbGiapKciPjJesvNOsO3fS4jLbStjiw/s320/looper.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Will Willis convince us he was once Gordon Levitt?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>MS One: Maximum Security</b><br />
Looks like Guy Pierce playing John McClane in space based remake of "Escape from New York". Anything about that sentence that doesn't sound great?<br />
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</b><br />
<b>The Burial (or untitled, depending on who you believe)</b><br />
Who knows what will happen (if anything) in Terrence Malick's follow up to the devisive "Tree of Life"(for the record, it was one of my favourite films of last year). Whatever happens, it'll look stunning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekoSfiCD6ghPe3nn7vFewr6_EXOq4UP8eipkFC_-tuMneByo_YFt14wuQCmDnWgSQW7aKFDP63K-5LSgv8DPGB8xwLothD0wEv1wpmmsuKeLGz_Mhcbo4fk8V0UIR5ps2P3Krg5naNjY/s1600/theburialmockup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekoSfiCD6ghPe3nn7vFewr6_EXOq4UP8eipkFC_-tuMneByo_YFt14wuQCmDnWgSQW7aKFDP63K-5LSgv8DPGB8xwLothD0wEv1wpmmsuKeLGz_Mhcbo4fk8V0UIR5ps2P3Krg5naNjY/s320/theburialmockup.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Malick dinosaurs?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Knights of Badassdom</b><br />
This could be awful... but the trailer won me over. A very geek friendly cast (alumni from"Game of Thrones", "Community", "Firefly"etc) seem perfectly at home in this role-playing-gone-wrong-com. Like the end of "Role Models" but with real magic.<br />
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kn1I4Stb-o8?version=3&feature=player_detailpage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kn1I4Stb-o8?version=3&feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="485" height="296"></object><br />
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</b><br />
<b>Stoker</b><br />
Chan-wook Park (Oldboy) directs Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode and Mia Wasikowska in his first Hollywood movie. An interesting proposition in itself, but it's also a return to the vampire genre in which he made the atypical horror "Thirst", one of the most inventive additions to the undead canon in recent years.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpVAIzR-JFhs_ZD_ch34vK5QRlp_850kRirGsCUU2uBngbqHVXOCqxzlLY4V_q1xDGCPZjoOk31TGc3LzoJh5BNpMGP9cT35WZP96MeyunjDUnV5n2byoqlC__-aAm7wAmUPSfSNAgJU/s1600/stoker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpVAIzR-JFhs_ZD_ch34vK5QRlp_850kRirGsCUU2uBngbqHVXOCqxzlLY4V_q1xDGCPZjoOk31TGc3LzoJh5BNpMGP9cT35WZP96MeyunjDUnV5n2byoqlC__-aAm7wAmUPSfSNAgJU/s320/stoker.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Alas, Kidman's unlikely to be playing the vampire...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Moonrise Kingdom</b><br />
Perhaps it's more of the same from Wes Anderson, but that's what I want from a Wes Anderson film. From the brief clip of Jason Schwartzman in the trailer, there could be a few surprises in store and I can't wait to see the character he's playing (Looks like a cross between a priest and Robert Duvall's Colonel Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now"). Ed Norton and Bruce Willis are also exciting additions to the Anderson stable. Thankfully, <a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/play/393256/">Bill Murray</a> is back too.<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Gravity</b><br />
Alfonso Cuaron (director of "Children of Men" and responsible for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiyA70jAL14">that</a> long take.) returns to reality based science-fiction. This looks to be a tense sci-fi with a heavy burden on the shoulders of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney playing a survivors left adrift in space by a devastating satellite accident. Very little about the plot is known, so my description above might be off the mark, but Guillermo del Toro has seen sections of it and called it "mind-blowing". Bullock also claims all the actors performed without make-up so it'll be interesting to see what difference this makes to the look of the film.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPh65GWbkOtwzKfGK74o8uJrVvsyJNUMTTwS6WY8GBlN63USzaAVMRN1KyUJBluMsipQCMEra9FanhOREekzykK3WfmOw-ODLMweiB7zXJbedCJNJgI3EAD1gIlImvxsntBjnkvMhS3BI/s1600/gravity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPh65GWbkOtwzKfGK74o8uJrVvsyJNUMTTwS6WY8GBlN63USzaAVMRN1KyUJBluMsipQCMEra9FanhOREekzykK3WfmOw-ODLMweiB7zXJbedCJNJgI3EAD1gIlImvxsntBjnkvMhS3BI/s320/gravity.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image is unlikely to represent the "mind-blowing" Gravity</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Marcy Martha May Marlene</b><br />
Not really a film I'm anticipating, as I've already seen it, but it hasn't had it's official UK release yet, so it should be on this list. A great exploration of the effects of spending time in a cult and how the experience lingers. <b> </b>Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes are the stand out performers in this excellent film.<br />
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<b>Red Lights</b><br />
Sigourney Weaver's psychologist investigates Robert DeNiro's psychic. I don't know a whole lot more than that, but if the promising cast (featuring "Martha Marcy May Marlene" revelation Elizabeth Olsen and the ethereally eyed Cilian Murphy) are given a decent story, this should be worth a watch.<br />
(More info now available at <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/red-lights-director-buried-created-version-ghostbusters-sundance-2012/">/Film</a>)<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4qOm3WcYon74f02l6UTMLZECDrmhOKI6JgNfu3_u_61W2A98WIdLxkJmNRB2WQlvmXMam3N-yTeqs4YDkBGiqe08wj-yn2NXf4m0OZcTovQKc9kmxo3arZB6fqVio9NfXE1KWMtjaKs/s1600/redlights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4qOm3WcYon74f02l6UTMLZECDrmhOKI6JgNfu3_u_61W2A98WIdLxkJmNRB2WQlvmXMam3N-yTeqs4YDkBGiqe08wj-yn2NXf4m0OZcTovQKc9kmxo3arZB6fqVio9NfXE1KWMtjaKs/s320/redlights.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Ripley takes on psychic DeNiro.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<b>Neighbourhood Watch </b><br />
A comedy about suburban dads forming a neighbourhood watch group. Not too exciting? What if those dads are played by Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and the I.T Crowd's resident mega geek Moss (Richard Ayoade)? And what if that neighbourhood watch group discover a plot to destroy the world? Sounds good to me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwR3_0zH-Mm7QW_G3lUi4bqtZ7m8WqsNZ_6FKWzEUagb3_k4SiBsaCRGyMQgz11VzHYcQkKYpIS5vqPKjBeOTs3D4gMryGGe1aEtVlm2EwWG67CxfJ4B4yHqqoc7wBycGJIGz-KcQjIc/s1600/neighborhood-watch-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwR3_0zH-Mm7QW_G3lUi4bqtZ7m8WqsNZ_6FKWzEUagb3_k4SiBsaCRGyMQgz11VzHYcQkKYpIS5vqPKjBeOTs3D4gMryGGe1aEtVlm2EwWG67CxfJ4B4yHqqoc7wBycGJIGz-KcQjIc/s320/neighborhood-watch-1.jpeg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will Ayoade ditch his trade-mark accent for an American one?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<b>Young Adult</b><br />
This is another one that won me over with it's trailer. Directed by Jason Reitman from a Diablo "Juno" Cody script, Theron looks very entertaining as a woman returning to her home town to steal back her (now married) High School sweetheart. I've also heard Patton Oswalt puts in a scene stealing performance, which is great news for fans of his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Xo7hqvKJaos">5 second films</a>. <br />
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<b>Seven Psychopaths</b><br />
Another film I know very little about. What I do know is that it's directed by Martin McDonagh who made the brilliant "In Bruges" and features a sensational cast of some of the most interesting acotrs out there. Colin Farrell stars, but the cast also includes Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Tom Waits, Christopher Walken, Abie Cornish and "Precious" stand out Gabourey Sidibe.<br />
Pretty cool name too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAfC8urqMZofb3r3DQskzjPU02UhafRmArGgMVvOJu3nMEeTbQ6X5RE4P-RI7tu0pWGCQHAmEnC2OuDUCXE86sDAma4VsEeTVS5igCYZ_erjMjvrC2_xS70jr4KRdJOwk1KpUuDi7i0k/s1600/7psychopaths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAfC8urqMZofb3r3DQskzjPU02UhafRmArGgMVvOJu3nMEeTbQ6X5RE4P-RI7tu0pWGCQHAmEnC2OuDUCXE86sDAma4VsEeTVS5igCYZ_erjMjvrC2_xS70jr4KRdJOwk1KpUuDi7i0k/s320/7psychopaths.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blimey</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Safety Not Guaranteed</b><br />
A film I've only recently become aware of, it's a time travel comedy starring Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza. Plaza plays a reporter who is assigned to find and interview a man who has posted a newspaper ad that appeals for someone to go time travelling with him. Is the man really a time traveller, or just delusional?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ls4dRcHVo8dpDJgpqsUo7l7zL_ALi69J6lrBu4hDtMnr7ZdP4Wzk5FebPiLKR6O3t8svpZJVUUjGcYqTa1tczdSRLBmslmUGk_apb3fVAU4MUEOWl6_RAhOwsUHHDuXtjG-TNSK8H8A/s1600/safetynotguaranteed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ls4dRcHVo8dpDJgpqsUo7l7zL_ALi69J6lrBu4hDtMnr7ZdP4Wzk5FebPiLKR6O3t8svpZJVUUjGcYqTa1tczdSRLBmslmUGk_apb3fVAU4MUEOWl6_RAhOwsUHHDuXtjG-TNSK8H8A/s320/safetynotguaranteed.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>It's had some great early reviews that bill it as a comedy with real heart, which in most years is unfortunately often a rarity.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfA-GNasLjMsQglMju1Jg7DtP3hgJS7Un0XxYcb-i_c8KvSs0oTZGVYK_omOKFrgOpzMgBWveJ4syq_UA9PkJcGvmENc94EBr5fqUXpaIxINLmEOSePRjw1iqYRMai_lUTpO2a7KvtPw/s1600/safety2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfA-GNasLjMsQglMju1Jg7DtP3hgJS7Un0XxYcb-i_c8KvSs0oTZGVYK_omOKFrgOpzMgBWveJ4syq_UA9PkJcGvmENc94EBr5fqUXpaIxINLmEOSePRjw1iqYRMai_lUTpO2a7KvtPw/s320/safety2.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Robot and Frank</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This sounds fantastic. A comedy set in the near future, Frank Langella plays an ex-jewell thief who is cared for by a robot. You can watch a clip <a href="http://bcove.me/ap1w8j9k">here.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyXenPfoHnhd-_8lC7pz8qq0rSJsDuvsOVneq83vwSLSXvjUB26kFquU02gcZAgLmU11IqHnoiOvPfxO4-aJHhVe5xMXkSIZcPFoqBiDzGEovATQCfzD-kUMqnSzKuPtd-OICwldGSJU/s1600/robotandfrank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyXenPfoHnhd-_8lC7pz8qq0rSJsDuvsOVneq83vwSLSXvjUB26kFquU02gcZAgLmU11IqHnoiOvPfxO4-aJHhVe5xMXkSIZcPFoqBiDzGEovATQCfzD-kUMqnSzKuPtd-OICwldGSJU/s320/robotandfrank.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>And the obvious ones...</b><br />
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<b>The Avengers</b><br />
What comic book fan wouldn't have this on their must-see list? In Joss Whedon the film has a director used to balancing ensemble casts and my hopes are high.<br />
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<b>Prometheus</b><br />
Ridley can't get it wrong can he? Sir Scott ventures back into "Alien" territory for this quasi-prequel.<br />
The trailer is mouth-watering.<br />
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<b>The Dark Knight Rises</b><br />
As with "Prometheus" this could either be a triumph or the biggest let down of the year. The trailer grabbed me though and I've heard great things about the prologue that ran before "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." Fingers crossed bat-fans.<br />
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<b>Django Unchained</b><br />
I love western's and I love (most) Tarantino, so I hope this lives up to it's billing. Tarantino's "Southern" is set to address racism in the era of the cowboy, with Jamie Foxx as the titular character. The supporting cast look great, including roles for Christophe Waltz, Kurt Russell and Sasha Baron Cohen, while Leonardo DiCaprio plays the main villain.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvcEaP6XVsgdROJ7Vfk77FLMVI25bgv-rOhP7OUBdgGaHt_2YnTkogBVx_aZIfk7vVGfqYJsSJQwlRvj6agsolnU8xXdygpULx4nGA4dQfvWxff7zp6DmtEJBhlVl4vs7ct0qnXaETxs/s1600/djangounchained.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvcEaP6XVsgdROJ7Vfk77FLMVI25bgv-rOhP7OUBdgGaHt_2YnTkogBVx_aZIfk7vVGfqYJsSJQwlRvj6agsolnU8xXdygpULx4nGA4dQfvWxff7zp6DmtEJBhlVl4vs7ct0qnXaETxs/s320/djangounchained.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><br />
I wasn't sure if this was out this year or next, but I'm also looking forward to Danny Boyle's "<b>Trance</b>"<br />
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Oh and some film called "<b>The Hobbit</b>"Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-2217368439472022832012-01-02T07:05:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:47:54.157-08:00Films of the Year 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvegs8oLMXgufDcGZvSkWN7Pntqbu0VmWBuOHsWENuFSq9xbgmpOytctB9EQFH06-cCfIjoT8Hp5bth209QigndmkePCdyJblH1-88OrgTNY9q7Zw83nw3i6uosqE0xZpIBCpTz3HDmA/s1600/montage2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvegs8oLMXgufDcGZvSkWN7Pntqbu0VmWBuOHsWENuFSq9xbgmpOytctB9EQFH06-cCfIjoT8Hp5bth209QigndmkePCdyJblH1-88OrgTNY9q7Zw83nw3i6uosqE0xZpIBCpTz3HDmA/s400/montage2011.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br />
Hi folks, it's just about time for my<span style="font-weight: bold;"> FILMS OF THE YEAR 2011</span>. I said I'd switch to a top five this year, but it turned out that involved too much decision making... so top eleven for twenty eleven it is.<br />
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Thankfully, there's not so many U.S. films awaiting release in the UK this year (The notable ones being "War Horse", "The Descendants", "Young Adult", "The Muppets", "A Dangerous Method" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"), so the list should have less obvious omissions than last year. I've been sticking to the official U.K release dates, which means films that we're high on some 2010 lists have faded in my mind a little and have probably ended up lower on my list than maybe they should have been.<br />
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It's been a good year and the overall quality has been pretty high, with a diverse range of movies that I hope I've reflected in my list. Feel free to ridicule my choices, they've not been made objectively, but chosen in terms of my enjoyment and the emotional impact they had on me. So, in a very loose order here's the list.<br />
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<b>Top 11 for 2011</b><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">11. Hugo</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSOUQiJjDxzGiNm6UJ2cVJOXVRFQavG7C5GZH_gyNPeuV5RLDFsRZsQBYubzaWNKIBbK38HKn-t2XLt4EPjIOauyEw1GBSBdGALFgq4aMsAXCe4ElPPru2z8sjjhioPYfE2GlQ6RRuV8/s1600/hugo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSOUQiJjDxzGiNm6UJ2cVJOXVRFQavG7C5GZH_gyNPeuV5RLDFsRZsQBYubzaWNKIBbK38HKn-t2XLt4EPjIOauyEw1GBSBdGALFgq4aMsAXCe4ElPPru2z8sjjhioPYfE2GlQ6RRuV8/s640/hugo.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been a year of movies about film making and this one by Martin Scorcese really shows the early magic of cinema. It really tugs at the heart strings throughout, with talented (and more importantly, not annoying) child actors holding their own against the likes of Sir Ben Kingsley and Ray Winston. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mixing a tale of friendship and family with early, wildly inventive film making, the story manages to balance the two elements remarkably well, combining them into a satisfying whole. I'm not sure how well it's gone down with the intended children's audience, but I imagine it has enough charm for all ages. The 3D worked well, but as with most films in which it is well utilised, it's subtle and I'm not sure how much it added. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">10. The Tree Of Life</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5lTBuLKs8I_8P6X00p4VgDmjtedVDTINwSZepPcM-pK6EDpDcAVy25Fq0-49uA0xDmst5xuQBE5W0OaCpMoVP2q7OUsfddNRjwEqZT1iec4E_xE6tT_m8uYwJC9ehEP_vr60pM5KUeo/s1600/treeoflife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5lTBuLKs8I_8P6X00p4VgDmjtedVDTINwSZepPcM-pK6EDpDcAVy25Fq0-49uA0xDmst5xuQBE5W0OaCpMoVP2q7OUsfddNRjwEqZT1iec4E_xE6tT_m8uYwJC9ehEP_vr60pM5KUeo/s320/treeoflife.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Certainly the most divisive film of the year, I can fully understand how many people hate this film. Meandering and slow, it can sometimes seem like it's going nowhere, but it also manages to have some perfect moments that are both beautiful and emotional. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's at it's best when it is reflects memories of youthful confusion, pain and anger. The parents are not rendered in a realistic manner, more as child-like impressions of adult hood, turning them into caricatures that enhance the best and worst effects of their parenting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found the creation of the universe section enthralling, but I'll admit the dinosaurs don't really work, except to highlight the film's theme of the struggle between grace and nature. It does have a lot of problems, most will hate it, but I think it's worth a watch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">9. Black Swan</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_7DOnu3EMtKGrWcuVS2KUJfKTsp5-ox-8evNIuKFJnQD3x2PZI00rNgXb86-lYv-bxuiw8dLTlJ7_Nx7j7cDnb33iznNFvp8Q-my_Z0mayYMihwcRMHdakU5H91watHHpIdt2oq6lOg/s1600/blackswan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_7DOnu3EMtKGrWcuVS2KUJfKTsp5-ox-8evNIuKFJnQD3x2PZI00rNgXb86-lYv-bxuiw8dLTlJ7_Nx7j7cDnb33iznNFvp8Q-my_Z0mayYMihwcRMHdakU5H91watHHpIdt2oq6lOg/s320/blackswan.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been a long time since I watched it early this year, but I remember it being a compelling watch. It has great performances throughout the core cast, with Portman justly winning last year's Oscar. The film evokes the vividness of a Dario Argento giallo horror, but has more coherence and drive, with added Aronofsky unease. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">8. The Artist</b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"> </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpKdBzk82WdbVT9ODV2133jnoVpgFd9ADztcWRDUxz-Kjsr8oUjQCbUzyD8pRDC2AZmI-Dnz4BLcazwytz5wpYOCIY8-ysFkvX1sx7RYFFHpR5Ra96GT1nEB2oX850Nk55QxWyR13UxA/s1600/theartist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpKdBzk82WdbVT9ODV2133jnoVpgFd9ADztcWRDUxz-Kjsr8oUjQCbUzyD8pRDC2AZmI-Dnz4BLcazwytz5wpYOCIY8-ysFkvX1sx7RYFFHpR5Ra96GT1nEB2oX850Nk55QxWyR13UxA/s320/theartist.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Incredibly charming throughout, "The Artist" manages to capture your attention without the need for spoken dialogue. Like "Hugo", it's another movie about film making and echoes the storyline of "Singin' in the Rain", but re-imagined as a traditional silent movie. It strives for authenticity and even uses the extremely narrow for modern cinema 4:3 aspect ratio, which is a bit of a culture shock. Without dialogue the film can focus purely on visual storytelling, which leads to incredibly creative exposition. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">7. Bridesmaids</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0Fhzo3m1UDHmjDaXDIj-A1DVFJUudULdLLAv2GS8dfEwUXglZdUb8xNQDRm-0xVCLoYttYYTeTtaIHpPxFbKYa4cjuTN7sE3nPMydq8fJMgWUia-PZKjeLEOWUjQSrLzBOcMhc7ELR4/s1600/bridesmaids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0Fhzo3m1UDHmjDaXDIj-A1DVFJUudULdLLAv2GS8dfEwUXglZdUb8xNQDRm-0xVCLoYttYYTeTtaIHpPxFbKYa4cjuTN7sE3nPMydq8fJMgWUia-PZKjeLEOWUjQSrLzBOcMhc7ELR4/s320/bridesmaids.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The best American comedy of the year has a lot of heart but it's also consistently funny, with a great central performance from Kristen Wiig. She's manages to play "quirky" without becoming too frustrating or annoying, which is a rare talent. The rest of the cast are great too, with the "I.T Crowd's" Chris O'Dowd appearing in one of the few male roles in this refeshingly female oriented film. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">6. Captain America</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-JLp8UhrLdxucK9_TeMR6SjeAJgh6Sq9beqeR7KBgAdme8LZos6h4uTpB5gdu2b028-7eHiEqtRVgduws5w45uVPM8ohjvcH4x1-hXCLJ03Bde0BpKmayrvX-t19QShpCukfQVkBaNA/s1600/captainamerica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-JLp8UhrLdxucK9_TeMR6SjeAJgh6Sq9beqeR7KBgAdme8LZos6h4uTpB5gdu2b028-7eHiEqtRVgduws5w45uVPM8ohjvcH4x1-hXCLJ03Bde0BpKmayrvX-t19QShpCukfQVkBaNA/s320/captainamerica.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My guilty pleasure this year was "Captain America: The First Avenger". It was great to see a period super hero film and it's World War 2 setting really set it apart, creating an "Indiana Jones"feel to the movie. Chris Evans manages to make this symbol of American patriotism sympathetic to a global audience and you really root for him. Hayley Atwell provides the perfect acerbic foil to his earnestness and Tommy Lee Jones steals every scene he's in as a grizzled General. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The effects are on the whole excellent, with Evans hulking frame convincingly shrunk down in the pre-Captain scenes, but the "Red Skull" looks too rubbery to be taken too seriously. Hugo Weaving's performance thankfully makes up for this and he's menacing throughout, mimicking Werner Herzog's flat, weary accent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was already looking forward to next year's Marvel super hero ensemble "The Avengers" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" makes me even more excited by the prospect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">5. Drive</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3p2BKRchyphenhyphenoZLzTR4EMmMGOVrqUQigwO2BH_aKMiz6BZObQ5bmzBjsfEAvV0ZJTXt3q0Er_q3n3TUfFfH9hTCUne1WX5kqcqiRaUDEPz0-FHyo1DyTbprX-T9bj2vrRDOM0YrWttRDB8/s1600/drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3p2BKRchyphenhyphenoZLzTR4EMmMGOVrqUQigwO2BH_aKMiz6BZObQ5bmzBjsfEAvV0ZJTXt3q0Er_q3n3TUfFfH9hTCUne1WX5kqcqiRaUDEPz0-FHyo1DyTbprX-T9bj2vrRDOM0YrWttRDB8/s320/drive.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" gives Ryan Gosling a platform to give a stand out Clint Eastwood-like performance in this stylish movie. Low on dialogue and high on great soundtrack choices, this film is a modern western with Goling's "Driver" filling the role of the lone gunman. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At times the film's styling can come across as a little cold, but this juxtaposes brilliantly with moments of extreme violence and emotion, best summed up by the beautiful but then shockingly violent elevator scene. The trailer gave away too much plot and so there weren't many surprises lying in wait for me, but it was still compelling watch, just don't expect a whole lot of actually driving in "Drive'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">4. Blue Valentine</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9avNCRLlx9pKM-3N9rkwqRVHqLO-H49Is1gHNOg5u5UO-Hct_OQ3DMFYEuQIxzAr5Co9a4Ik_aHLnJupkDXFhApmOel1kProtonuGD1TJbdq_zcvc0crsLYcEojei4paf2QBOYywxMYk/s1600/bluevalentine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9avNCRLlx9pKM-3N9rkwqRVHqLO-H49Is1gHNOg5u5UO-Hct_OQ3DMFYEuQIxzAr5Co9a4Ik_aHLnJupkDXFhApmOel1kProtonuGD1TJbdq_zcvc0crsLYcEojei4paf2QBOYywxMYk/s320/bluevalentine.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second film to star Ryan Gosling on my list, he gives far warmer performance than in "Drive" in this atypical romance. A brilliantly acted film that details both the start of a relationship and further down the line once they're married and the early optimism has faded. Both Gosling and Michelle Williams give emotional performances as both the young lovers and tired married couple, with genuine chemistry between the pair. The time between the two periods is subtly but convincingly conveyed, with minor changes in dress, personality and hairline. With his unkempt thinning hair, the older version of Gosling seems to have based his look on Nicolas Cage in "Raising Arizona."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">3. Submarine</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiez48STNdyps3NOsGK2vWKsvx4gi88BY8CR9jQQPriNzeVhYhk6ldy3gSTLAIJLoANQcyExwUAtFnCMENvUnVP-No6vGF-ivWeriSxZXh9Hx74Q2_MzGnpHn26_Ls0hTiV70YYndmDw/s1600/submarine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiez48STNdyps3NOsGK2vWKsvx4gi88BY8CR9jQQPriNzeVhYhk6ldy3gSTLAIJLoANQcyExwUAtFnCMENvUnVP-No6vGF-ivWeriSxZXh9Hx74Q2_MzGnpHn26_Ls0hTiV70YYndmDw/s320/submarine.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been over a year since I saw it at Brighton's Cinecity film festival, so I'm struggling to remember all of the details again. The film deals with the travails of growing up, viewed through the eyes of the pop-culturally obsessed young Welshman Oliver Tate. Like Blue Valentine, the film features the beginning of a relationship and a troubled marriage, but this time features the young protagonists first relationship and the marital discord of his parents. Richard Ayoade's debut feature is very funny, has great style and is beautifully shot, but it's main advantage is it's emotional clout. The cast are excellent, from the two young leads Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige, to the gifted character actors Sally Hawkins, Noah Taylor and Paddy Considine, who plays a sleazy mystic life coach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIPzWnmGljjWYxGHZhV8rFHHskCqX0oqnu6PS3o0gnwERFBBZgnD5a9soXCWFBX8iZrTAvB-GfyRudHic4pdjmMOWo-NiK7u1BQIdbKHpC0Bb4SduCtigLR87K2yvkn4Gld0N4M1L6Gw/s1600/dragon+tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIPzWnmGljjWYxGHZhV8rFHHskCqX0oqnu6PS3o0gnwERFBBZgnD5a9soXCWFBX8iZrTAvB-GfyRudHic4pdjmMOWo-NiK7u1BQIdbKHpC0Bb4SduCtigLR87K2yvkn4Gld0N4M1L6Gw/s320/dragon+tattoo.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">The reason I've waited so long to write this list is because I was giving myself a chance to see this. I've been shielding myself from any plot information from either the books or the original film, so I could just appreciate this as a work on it's own.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So with no knowledge going in, I thought this was a gripping thriller with a brutal storyline that doesn't seem to have been toned down in it's Hollywood conversion. I don't think it's as good as Fincher's "The Social Network" or "Se7en", but he's still crafted a tight whodunnit, with unease and suspicion strewn throughout, although the ending is slightly anti-climatic. His leads are both excellent, Daniel Craig is as good as you'd expect, while Rooney Mara as the titular character really convinces too. It's a pretty exposing role to play and she's not found wanting.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Trent Reznor's score is a perfect fit as you'd have expected from the excellent trailers, although the Bond-like intro sequence set to his and Karen O's rendition of "Immigrant Song" seems a little too glamorous for the subject matter. This is a minor quibble though and I'm now eagerly awaiting Fincher's take on the rest of the trilogy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">(NB: My brother who's a fan of the original Swedish film, was less impressed, feeling it didn't add enough to warrant the remake, so I'm not sure how well this version will go down with fans of the series.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">1. Hanna</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpEtL5utVj6sjBNfIQckfK-j2EKmRBYlgcn9VYlrqz0WlOtjPcG9ZBNlHjD8hIrsw8c-PIrTCavKJOfx-vqgQ1FEnzItjnCt79Qnf7UNy-lwkElRyQZ68DU88R9FhfbcUFxx04_j2oSY/s1600/hanna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpEtL5utVj6sjBNfIQckfK-j2EKmRBYlgcn9VYlrqz0WlOtjPcG9ZBNlHjD8hIrsw8c-PIrTCavKJOfx-vqgQ1FEnzItjnCt79Qnf7UNy-lwkElRyQZ68DU88R9FhfbcUFxx04_j2oSY/s320/hanna.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">I never expected "Hanna", to be my favourite film of the year, but having now watched it twice, I'm convinced of it's quality. A film that definitely deserved far more praise and success than it got, it seems to have slipped under the radar a bit. Directed with great skill by Joe Wright (a name more commonly associated with the period dramas "Atonement" and "Pride and Prejudice"), it manages to be a fantastically well-balanced action thriller, with all it’s elements weighing in equally to make a fully rounded film. It's a unique blend of espionage, conspiracy and fairytale, that combine to create an offbeat coming of age tale. Fantastically paced, beautifully shot and acted with great conviction, it has a diverse talented cast.<br />
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Saoirse Ronan is great as the lead, conveying Hanna's wide-eyed wonder at a world she has grown up isolated from, whilst also convincing us that she could defeat adversaries twice her size. Eric Bana plays the stoic father perfectly and Cate Blanchett creates an obsessive villain with depth, but the film's scene stealers come in the form of Tom Hollander and Jessica Barden. Hollander plays the whistling bleach-blond German psychopath Isaacs, who has a camp menace far removed from his recent bumbling performances in "Rev" and "In the Loop". In contrast, Barden brings some of the best comedic moments of the film playing Sophie, Hanna's equivalent in age, but a celebrity obsessive who's motormouthed teenage spiel is almost as confusing to the audience as it is to Hanna. The film's sense of humour is a major asset, lightening the tone at just the right points instead of allowing it to become too angst ridden. <br />
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The soundtrack is another string to it's bow, with a brilliant propulsive score from "The Chemcial Brothers" that works just as well in the contemplative moments as it does in the high tempo action sequences. A top quality blend of all the film making elements, I highly recommend you check it out. <br />
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</div><b style="text-align: left;">Worthy Mentions</b><br />
Not quite on the main list...<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Melancholia, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Another Earth, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Take Shelter, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">13 Assasins (best battle scene of the year), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">True Grit,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">127 Hours, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Midnight in Paris (for once, a proper Woody Allen return to form), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Never Let Me Go, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Fighter, Fast Five</span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">, </b><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Super 8</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Skin I Live In, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Kill List (most tense film of the year), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">X-Men First Class (if there'd been more time to add a little polish to the script this could have been great), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">We Need To Talk About Kevin (which had my favourite first half hour of the year - a visceral montage of imagery spanning the past and present)</span>, <span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The King's Speech, Attack the Block, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Animal Kingdom, Tyrannosaur</span><br />
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<b>Worth a watch</b><br />
Fun films worth a look<b> -</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Rango (my favourite animation of the year), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (more of the same, but with more explosions and cross dressing), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn (not a fan of it's design or mo-cap, but it's not as "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley">uncanny valley</a>" as I thought it would be and it's a fun adventure), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Fast Five (just because Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is awesome in it.)</span><br />
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<b>Disappointments</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - I had far too high expectations for this film, so it was bound to fall short. I wasn't a fan of the first half, but felt it grew as it went on.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Thor - Mostly enjoyable, but cluttered with needless characters like the "Warrior's Three" that caused problems with the tone and pacing.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Ides of March - Usually films dealing with political elections move at a break-neck pace that reflects the crammed schedules of the politicians and aides, but this has a languid pace that drains the film of urgency. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Source Code - I had high hopes after Duncan Jones' debut "Moon" but this seemed fairly run of the mill in comparison.</span><br />
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<b>Better than I thought...</b><br />
The Future - I hated seventy percent of it, but the final thirty percent made sense of the preceding section and I ended up appreciating the film.<br />
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<b>Also</b>...<br />
These films are awaiting release in the U.K, but I saw them at preview screenings, so I thought I'd write my thoughts on them. Some of them might make next years list...<br />
Marcy Martha May Marlene - A look at life in a cult and it's lingering effects, definitely check it out.<br />
Carnage - A bit uneven and stagey, but entertaining.<br />
Coriolanus - Worth watching just for Ralph Fiennes performance in his directorial debut.<br />
Shame - Not as good as McQueen's debut "Hunger", but still has great sequences.<br />
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<b>The ones that got away...</b><br />
I'm still annoyed I missed these -<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">A Separation, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Deep Blue Sea, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Margin Call, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Descendants,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Troll Hunter, Beginners, The Interrupters, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Jane Eyre, Tangled, Biutiful, Meek's Cutoff, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">TT: Closer to the Edge, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Neds, Moneyball, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Weekend, Sleeping Beauty, Crazy Stupid Love, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Guard, Rubber, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Incendies, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">50/50, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">My Week with Marilyn, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">Senna</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"><b>,</b></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;"> </b><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15px;">The Inbetweeners Movie, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol</span><br />
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Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!<br />
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<b>2010 Update</b><br />
The ones I caught up with I missed last year...<br />
Exit Through The Gift Shop (Brilliantly entertaining), Splice, Tron: Legacy, Catfish (After hearing so much hype, I was a little disappointed)<br />
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The ones I didn't..<br />
Green Zone, Let Me In, Easy A, The Town, Buried, Mesrine, Robin Hood, Greenberg, Piranha 3D, Another Year, The Killer Inside me, Perrier’s Bounty, Centurion, Cyrus, Heartless, Cemetery Junction, Fish Tank, Made in Dagenham, The Ghost WriterMotskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-61239476422514742702011-12-01T07:40:00.000-08:002011-12-01T07:56:01.710-08:00Business Mouse!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K_Yo55azz3KRxz8wZI9c95UFNJqBz6vWPm9Keleplhb5gNmhYOIK2BxdhJQ0xxcD8lJYBYARPQ4Z_lUigbhrzjDVWwRdjPCsv_gCX3uhDkdgiMFFSpErxY-XbC2hw28yat4T8LKLWMw/s1600/Business+Mouse_Channel4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4K_Yo55azz3KRxz8wZI9c95UFNJqBz6vWPm9Keleplhb5gNmhYOIK2BxdhJQ0xxcD8lJYBYARPQ4Z_lUigbhrzjDVWwRdjPCsv_gCX3uhDkdgiMFFSpErxY-XbC2hw28yat4T8LKLWMw/s400/Business+Mouse_Channel4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="http://comedyblaps.channel4.com/#/business-leisure">Business Mouse</a> has arrived on Channel4.com as part of their new <a href="http://comedyblaps.channel4.com/#/business-leisure">Comedy Blaps</a> comedy showcase. I was supervising animator and editor for the the three episode mini-series, which was created by <a href="http://www.moderntoss.com/">Modern Toss</a>. <br />
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Animated in a style inspired by classic cartoons like Top Cat, it features the adventures of the inept <a href="http://comedyblaps.channel4.com/#/business-leisure">Business Mouse</a> and his bumbling associates as they invest in a variety of unlikely schemes.<br />
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<a href="http://comedyblaps.channel4.com/#/business-leisure">Business Mouse</a> is a launch title for <a href="http://comedyblaps.channel4.com/#/business-leisure">Comedy Blaps</a>, Channel 4's new online video website that aims to showcase and develop new comedy talent. Episodes have been released weekly on the custom <a href="http://comedyblaps.channel4.com/#/business-leisure">Comedy Blaps</a> site and on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr3eT3kZz4A">Youtube</a> and <a href="http://vimeo.com/31963635">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hr3eT3kZz4A?hd=1" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8wABw3YFUAk?hd=1" width="500"></iframe><br />
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Business Mouse was also on the <a href="http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/november/business-mouse-modern-toss">Creative Review Blog</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/november/business-mouse-modern-toss"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EeVU2raDzeHYfi1dvkd7mEfVCIWDc4T6za07R74_OIPRNNynGwdZQOhxCw_k5jJl63FajFjVVrqauNQqVHtO_SPPisChSOJpjNQLCIt_-ZQKr-rtslh1Pn_MjDbMeX-We_MnzVUs8p8/s400/CR_BM2.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-55595500760150820942010-12-21T20:05:00.000-08:002011-01-04T15:41:27.514-08:00Films of the Year 2010Hi folks, it's the end of the year, so I thought it was time for my<span style="font-weight: bold;"> FILMS OF THE YEAR 2010</span>. Like last year, it was actually quite hard to find a top ten, so maybe I'll switch to a top five next year (down to a mixture of not going to see enough films and going to see crappy films when I did go). Not that I didn't see a lot of films that I really enjoyed and admired, but you want these lists to be compiled of ones you loved.<br />
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Many of the films I thought would be on this years list (Never Let Me Go, Black Swan, True Grit, 127 Hours, The Fighter) are out in the US already, but have slipped into next years scheduling for the UK. So I can't put them in this list, but I will probably have forgotten about them by the time it gets to December next year so they might miss next years...<br />
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Anyway, feel free to ridiucle my choices, but here it goes (in a kind of order that's open to change at any moment)...<br />
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<b>1. Inception</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZN40N8tSmj-ARAQb1uIRjNrFkVPXl_9gWzs4WJwmjwnsIWhyS0sMK7QlMRZKvQSCzFbfIeAtGzCKg0F66CXuitIfqjh-rv6l6NBuUirREgmxUBKjAW1_B8QrT1yXpyXLJH_5M9csi9L4/s1600/Inception_still2323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZN40N8tSmj-ARAQb1uIRjNrFkVPXl_9gWzs4WJwmjwnsIWhyS0sMK7QlMRZKvQSCzFbfIeAtGzCKg0F66CXuitIfqjh-rv6l6NBuUirREgmxUBKjAW1_B8QrT1yXpyXLJH_5M9csi9L4/s400/Inception_still2323.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think the hype surrounding it's supposed intelligence is starting to go against it, but taken as an event movie, I don't think it disappoints and I loved it. Yeah there's some dodgy plot holes here and there, but as an intelligent (in it's blockbuster field) action adventure, with spectacular visuals and a stunning (and often overwhelming) score by Hans Zimmer, it surely ranks as one of the best of the year. I rarely go to see a film twice at the cinema, but I made an exception here. I think that was almost a joke...anyway...<b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>2. The Social Network</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CzVw8twdyC-ylySG-VwTN3mC3SDH-am9GH4niyNWathWE-HPYn07svOEJEFUTWkcrSDvBRUojR4yeMJNzw_FD7Q5_T8DltJNAEn_wBIiETDFfYSJ0lNF5seXj0aTVwW0sFmqz5dAXdw/s1600/The-Social-Network-Movie-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CzVw8twdyC-ylySG-VwTN3mC3SDH-am9GH4niyNWathWE-HPYn07svOEJEFUTWkcrSDvBRUojR4yeMJNzw_FD7Q5_T8DltJNAEn_wBIiETDFfYSJ0lNF5seXj0aTVwW0sFmqz5dAXdw/s400/The-Social-Network-Movie-Poster.jpg" width="252" /></a> </div>A fantastic blend of extremely talented people, this film is hugely impressive. David Fincher's restrained direction, Aaron Sorkin's witty dialogue and Trent Reznors energetic soundtrack combine with a great cast to produce a film that defies it's dry subject matter to become a must see movie. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>3. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b> </b><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVNwMGsnC__I7nq__N2utsQ2GyioBX0M8wGyeaWoB7LZdUxrN43LwJ9lo8THLQ1_T7LW2iv5AteabZRy09NhzGFXh8LAYEkIKueL0f1i3Y0n7GSfG7msZG4Ve3IvFiohq-vOHvz27uwQ/s320/bad_lieutenant_4-%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></div>Nicolas Cage, Werner Herzog, lizards and break dancing spirits, what's not to love? Cage is in crazy mode (in a good way) and gives a hugely watchable performance. Constantly entertaining, it's hard not to love Herzog's non-remake/remake about, in his own words "the bliss of evil." <br />
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<b>4. Four Lions</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvhpc6oymMnZmuUhE6cMwfPDtMkpaXhTIX0ge_I3ZsgrewBCC4BtFZ94SGIGaJMoevvsFQ6OFuCcpUlPjEBxkNZiLifcv3hBbzwEa1BoGsSZB4p6Hc9rpaWfhL0VufLUguc5-xdbs4sE/s1600/fourlions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvhpc6oymMnZmuUhE6cMwfPDtMkpaXhTIX0ge_I3ZsgrewBCC4BtFZ94SGIGaJMoevvsFQ6OFuCcpUlPjEBxkNZiLifcv3hBbzwEa1BoGsSZB4p6Hc9rpaWfhL0VufLUguc5-xdbs4sE/s400/fourlions.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Perfectly balanced for such controversial subject matter, this is a triumph from Chris Morris. Creating funny but believable characters, he manages to make us laugh without ever making the act of terrorism a joke.<br />
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<b>5. Kick-Ass</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nYvA5asMv6mi6Ewnvc-sl8GczwmawSlDhrkKH0Djf9CGXdx0GVzKwMAJf3yAxcyMybYYurzJpaGT47SUo6fJCrD-zJgOPFGvTFZQ0Mz8bGINnhrSz3Cblbg2I-nDhSU4d8cuBbNKNhg/s1600/kick_ass_photo01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nYvA5asMv6mi6Ewnvc-sl8GczwmawSlDhrkKH0Djf9CGXdx0GVzKwMAJf3yAxcyMybYYurzJpaGT47SUo6fJCrD-zJgOPFGvTFZQ0Mz8bGINnhrSz3Cblbg2I-nDhSU4d8cuBbNKNhg/s400/kick_ass_photo01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A great twist on the super hero story, with another fun Nicolas Cage performance. The film starts as a realistic view of what would happen if a normal person donned a costume to fight crime, but ends as a wish fulfillment fantasy romp. This switch in direction annoys some people, but you have to admit it's great fun and has some of the best filmed fight sequences I've seen in years. It's nice to see the director Matthew Vaughn not over using the shaky cam and delivering sequences that you can follow. <br />
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6. A Prophet</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXtZEunNcBiNjSpF21Q6lqfYiJ_n_BMcemoVkcJkUbtZHrqLJdQhZ4nEmapjGvFOtJRX5Jxo7uMZHNdcLx85UxMbUPt-ZlLwL2TZCHjzkoxU0qo3Cd4ldx-80OIfO6sRke-wn5lPNvW0/s1600/un-prophete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXtZEunNcBiNjSpF21Q6lqfYiJ_n_BMcemoVkcJkUbtZHrqLJdQhZ4nEmapjGvFOtJRX5Jxo7uMZHNdcLx85UxMbUPt-ZlLwL2TZCHjzkoxU0qo3Cd4ldx-80OIfO6sRke-wn5lPNvW0/s320/un-prophete.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I saw this right at the beginning of the year, so my memories a bit light on details, but this is a gripping look at Europe's organised crime through the eyes a young convict climbing to the top. A fantastic performance from the lead Tahar Rahim, which includes one of the most visceral killings I've seen on screen in a long time. It also has my favourite final scene in any film this year<b> </b>(I won't ruin it for you). <br />
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<b>7. Toy Story 3</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzILl9Qji-P4D7co5u-jMZCdQmjHDG9MiPaVlZi_kfwLAxwQFKixM9I3psoJ6mbVmI4YLMz5EHN0c1Xszr_SVd_d7ldnA2_6EPRPSKSumn2Lcxfcv5waIUTol0UU02fAAVm0FBk3LGkpI/s1600/toy-story-3_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzILl9Qji-P4D7co5u-jMZCdQmjHDG9MiPaVlZi_kfwLAxwQFKixM9I3psoJ6mbVmI4YLMz5EHN0c1Xszr_SVd_d7ldnA2_6EPRPSKSumn2Lcxfcv5waIUTol0UU02fAAVm0FBk3LGkpI/s320/toy-story-3_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A fitting end to the trilogy, it delivers on nearly every level and is one of the most emotionally fulfilling films of the year. Still very funny, it's comedic moments balance out the tear jerking ones.<br />
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<b>8. A Single Man</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK3ji9tIOyIL7eF4mSbHhaBc88zSOgcGJNXU2QJvuZ_6ecFhNgC02JrGVfRBzL1HVaNOb85oTR1rcu99atHEjpOvibeuDHryYxHhaL3-zJWBUA3CwKuO0jUnuRM5E1NhEGtstYFXYWTA/s1600/A-Single-Man-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK3ji9tIOyIL7eF4mSbHhaBc88zSOgcGJNXU2QJvuZ_6ecFhNgC02JrGVfRBzL1HVaNOb85oTR1rcu99atHEjpOvibeuDHryYxHhaL3-zJWBUA3CwKuO0jUnuRM5E1NhEGtstYFXYWTA/s320/A-Single-Man-poster.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>I really enjoyed this slick debut from director Tom Ford. Colin Firth is brilliant, and brings emotional depth to a stylised film that may have lacked warmth without his performance. Also, it really made me want to wear a suit more often.<br />
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<b>9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8Wkgse5gpx-utCeq6uNmDQ4LFJNNJUwAxQ2i0qhQBc409m7Mc__N6P4Cnp6Vlh7mH-alHuxDcQ3lWm0EWWsg7C1aYe2Pa5QP6-BJW-_RKuLs6oAbBCiRS9DlYIBXOFNSv3r8guOpq6U/s1600/seven-evil-exes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8Wkgse5gpx-utCeq6uNmDQ4LFJNNJUwAxQ2i0qhQBc409m7Mc__N6P4Cnp6Vlh7mH-alHuxDcQ3lWm0EWWsg7C1aYe2Pa5QP6-BJW-_RKuLs6oAbBCiRS9DlYIBXOFNSv3r8guOpq6U/s320/seven-evil-exes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I didn't love this film as much as I'd hoped but it's still a fast paced exciting film experience. I could have done without some of the strict adherence to the comic visuals of the excellent graphic novels, as I feel the mediums should play to there individual strengths, but found the cast, humour and action sequences more than made up for this. Kieran Culkin steals the film as Scott's flatmate Wallace, while Brandon Routh reappears from the Superman wilderness in a great comic turn.<br />
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<b>10. How To Train Your Dragon</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ItdI7rVoo0SvoHxGteG8ptM7E1mORF18YojSftIv9_khzB7aVj38PqH4R2iZEWaWZTykbTYWJMfnoRyT1s7ZhHKHtXyvDsRLw7rfWM-0hrLeg760hxyZNYEVxmG42ahW1ZT1nY2u6cc/s1600/how-to-train-your-dragon-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ItdI7rVoo0SvoHxGteG8ptM7E1mORF18YojSftIv9_khzB7aVj38PqH4R2iZEWaWZTykbTYWJMfnoRyT1s7ZhHKHtXyvDsRLw7rfWM-0hrLeg760hxyZNYEVxmG42ahW1ZT1nY2u6cc/s320/how-to-train-your-dragon-0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mainly on the list as it's such a surprise package, it's not quite Pixar, but not far off. The film is brimming with charm and it was apparently spectacular in 3D (which is easy to believe from the soaring dragon rides). I'm still kicking myself for not seeing this at the cinema. <br />
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<b>Also</b>...<br />
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<br />
I'd liked to have had <b>The King’s Speech</b> and <b>Animal Kingdom</b> on this list, but I saw them in previews at Cinecity and they will only go on wide release next year.<br />
<br />
<b>Worthy Mentions</b><br />
Not quite on the main list...<br />
Down Terrace (Brighton based black comedy), The American (a stylish look at familiar character types), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (strangely uplifting), Nowhere Boy (interesting view of a young Lennon), Winter’s Bone (great performances in a gritty story. What's with the squirrels though?), Shutter Island (get's better and better as it goes along), The Kids are All Right (very close to being in the top ten, it's a top notch family comedy), Up in the Air (some great scenes in this enjoyable dramedy) ,The Illusionist (beautiful but slight), Of Gods and Men (an interesting look at religions role in society), Monsters (looks great for the budget)<br />
<b><br />
Disappointments</b><br />
These are mainly films I enjoyed, but weren't as good as I'd hoped...<br />
Iron Man 2 (enjoyable but cluttered with references), Harry Brown (some great scenes, like the gun dealer, but too morally and politically simplistic for me) , The Expendables (disappointing, except Stallone's fleeting erotic glance over at Arnie), The Wolfman (a bit of a mess except for the fantastic Hugo Weaving), Predators (not bad, but should have made more of it premise),<br />
Youth in Revolt (more French Cera needed), I’m Still Here (An interesting start but wears very thin by halfway through), Monsters (only the last third, which fails to add tension when events escalate), Enter the Void (I was with it for the first hour and a half, but ended up hating it by the end. I know your heading for the light!!! Just go there!) <br />
<br />
<b>The ones that got away...</b><br />
I'm still annoyed I missed so many of these -<br />
Exit Through The Gift Shop, Splice, Green Zone, Let Me In, Easy A, The Town, Buried, Mesrine, Robin Hood, Greenberg, Piranha 3D, Another Year, The Killer Inside me, Perrier’s Bounty, Centurion, Cyrus, Heartless, Cemetery Junction, Fish Tank, Made in Dagenham, The Ghost Writer, Tron: Legacy (although I'll see it next week, along with Catfish) <br />
<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-23264949465292768752010-12-21T17:44:00.000-08:002010-12-21T20:11:09.387-08:00Another Castle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj3wKVVu2hMkr6uzhEie1qFDT-3aVQvul8MtSVb90LFeO576wBC46rZ6nnkzRV9o2D8OKmen18XvwEs22Y4ake5fOKFIMpUKK7BYeRdvu7XjMUEggykx7yeUwlOFPUH-JVH8Sca1SpC0/s1600/another_castle_front.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj3wKVVu2hMkr6uzhEie1qFDT-3aVQvul8MtSVb90LFeO576wBC46rZ6nnkzRV9o2D8OKmen18XvwEs22Y4ake5fOKFIMpUKK7BYeRdvu7XjMUEggykx7yeUwlOFPUH-JVH8Sca1SpC0/s640/another_castle_front.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>Well, this isn't great timing, but I helped organise an exhibition called <a href="http://www.another-castle.co.uk/">Another Castle</a>, which has just closed it's doors after two successful weeks. Held at Brighton's A&E Gallery, the exhibition was a celebration of twenty five years of video games. Some of my work also featured in the show; two A2 art prints, an ISS Pro 98 "Decham" England shirt and an animation about my brother and I playing video games when we were younger.<br />
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I've got some photos I'll post later but you can see small versions of the prints below.<br />
<span id="goog_1130326856"></span><span id="goog_1130326857"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtw-40-pVdpsupn2_AxL18DxBucen-J4O8hiedYopgmceR6NwxrvNm1buDjpt5Fg99qHgsQiL27SAPY-swr7UCmdCJQgNMEPxAJcqEDlAN_v8PerSjDdw5vPHx_1FgxucO5xUEazAevg/s1600/snake_hide_shh_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtw-40-pVdpsupn2_AxL18DxBucen-J4O8hiedYopgmceR6NwxrvNm1buDjpt5Fg99qHgsQiL27SAPY-swr7UCmdCJQgNMEPxAJcqEDlAN_v8PerSjDdw5vPHx_1FgxucO5xUEazAevg/s640/snake_hide_shh_small.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Solid Shhnake" (Metal Gear Solid)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmOQptXqC6o0rZQZ9V24TpKgIyPqusuOoHXiPf-kR8dvkPHOj_2bGMppE0gP8wV1PHp-fiCUM_IjdqQn46BYemHYXACp5kgvJbH6okksILZwedh58miWSkYh5D2z8se8ZGRZNkGJ39sQ/s1600/FF7poster_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmOQptXqC6o0rZQZ9V24TpKgIyPqusuOoHXiPf-kR8dvkPHOj_2bGMppE0gP8wV1PHp-fiCUM_IjdqQn46BYemHYXACp5kgvJbH6okksILZwedh58miWSkYh5D2z8se8ZGRZNkGJ39sQ/s640/FF7poster_small.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"A Fistful of Materia" (Final Fantasy VII)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We should soon have the prints for sale on our website <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%28http://www.another-castle.co.uk/%29">(http://www.another-castle.co.uk/)</a>, so I'll keep you posted.<br />
<br />
We're hoping follow this show up with another exhibition in spring next year, which I'll try and write about earlier next time...Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-54051282369029504822010-08-03T02:45:00.000-07:002010-08-03T02:56:19.161-07:00Blinklife: How to TwitterHi folks, long time no post. I was working on doing some more specific blogging and started two blogs which I never actually launched. hmm<br />
<br />
Anyway, to get back into the swing of things, here's an animation I did at work with local comedian Stephen Grant. It's about Twitter (I'm also on Twitter... follow Motski to follow me)<br />
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<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOx-kjIa8BE&hl=en_GB&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOx-kjIa8BE&hl=en_GB&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-34857350109403140532010-01-25T08:31:00.000-08:002010-01-25T08:33:54.233-08:00Death Metal CockrelIt's Monday, time for some fun.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_UXEj8-2QT4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_UXEj8-2QT4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I was just gonna call it death metal cock, but I thought that might be miss construed...Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-3619517858935761982010-01-24T10:16:00.000-08:002010-01-24T10:19:30.764-08:00BlinklifeHere's an animation I did at work that was written and voiced by Brighton comedian <span style="font-weight:bold;">Stephen Grant</span>.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0JmYYTEasus&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0JmYYTEasus&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />There's two more you can see at <a href="http://blinklife.tv">http://blinklife.tv</a><br /><br />Go on, have a look.Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-11267410247817222922010-01-24T10:12:00.000-08:002010-01-24T10:13:55.194-08:00Muscle Rave!That Arnie really knows how to party.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9v521ZZ3lKw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9v521ZZ3lKw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-5769007974757123152010-01-17T04:03:00.000-08:002010-01-17T04:04:36.955-08:00Uncle Grandpa!This is awesomely amazing.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-LvIG7MDSys&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-LvIG7MDSys&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-54471464071331287812010-01-10T03:36:00.000-08:002010-01-10T03:39:50.887-08:00Welcome to 2010Just wanted to wish everyone a belated Happy New Year. This is my favourite video of the year so far and also how I imagine the rest of the year might turn out.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i9jz0G-RrDs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i9jz0G-RrDs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Motskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930891032418470473.post-14716594456959811942009-12-30T15:35:00.000-08:002009-12-31T04:49:12.364-08:00Motski's 2009 Film ReviewHiya folks, seeing as it's the end of the year and all, I thought I'd announce my <span style="font-weight:bold;">FILMS OF THE YEAR 2009</span>. It was actually quite hard to find 10 films that I'd feel worthy of the list (through a mixture of not going to see enough films and going to see crappy films when I did go) so the list has been left quite open to ridicule, but here goes (in no particular order)...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Star Trek</span><br />The most enjoyable film of the year. A great cast and a fast paced storyline blew the cobwebs away and created a tight, punchy blockbuster. The action sequences never failed to put me on the edge of my seat and always managed to dispel my disbelief, which rarely happens to me anymore. I didn't even mis the mighty Shatner too much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXYY_Vff7toZLejCxZnXWkb3brtmU38Dfq1TNWb6p9Mwi4OywXXq8FRXp_OIplCPkmUNaMRqZfQlj9Te58gZADc7PY4QlK5VsfG3UL2YdURH81-Hkn6z3G6JJYPn9bzVrmwWbgMZh-X8/s1600-h/star-trek-2009-sample-003.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXYY_Vff7toZLejCxZnXWkb3brtmU38Dfq1TNWb6p9Mwi4OywXXq8FRXp_OIplCPkmUNaMRqZfQlj9Te58gZADc7PY4QlK5VsfG3UL2YdURH81-Hkn6z3G6JJYPn9bzVrmwWbgMZh-X8/s400/star-trek-2009-sample-003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421208684739986130" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Synedoche New York </span><br />Some will hate, but I loved it. Bewildering and captivating in equal measure, it's a very emotional film that you will either be dragged into and be affected by or you'll find it confusing and self-indulgent(I'd hope most people will be dragged in) <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LyWGJ1AJlIFz_cQHoCVMImTuo-3OqOA__ceAJaWLhaGuE9VeTHO6DU0FxyXn-eu0mXgLogvedNhrhqOuaD4kF1X1p663qhzixeuTG3hoQP4G_HRe0rIbVEGM5Ois2mIcyukYtYgZgyE/s1600-h/synec2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LyWGJ1AJlIFz_cQHoCVMImTuo-3OqOA__ceAJaWLhaGuE9VeTHO6DU0FxyXn-eu0mXgLogvedNhrhqOuaD4kF1X1p663qhzixeuTG3hoQP4G_HRe0rIbVEGM5Ois2mIcyukYtYgZgyE/s400/synec2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421209058261393010" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. District 9</span><br />Up there with Star Trek in the blockbuster stakes. Great pacing and character development created a thrilling film that also greatly benefited from it's South African setting. It also had some of the most believable visual effects of the year despite a relatively small budget. I'm looking forward to seeing the films lead, Sharlto Copley, in the A-team next year. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEr5LE3cYCvg1xPBrlseXTxn7MMErA9540RklM_-U6eCeMCo49dt2CVlbJWoasJ_R4bZzChDi9iK3YOmg7FFYQQrh2qqmViG0HYSdBR_Z5jmEpwHg5Us92lGTu0s0V832X8QUlNsyYj_8/s1600-h/district9_1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEr5LE3cYCvg1xPBrlseXTxn7MMErA9540RklM_-U6eCeMCo49dt2CVlbJWoasJ_R4bZzChDi9iK3YOmg7FFYQQrh2qqmViG0HYSdBR_Z5jmEpwHg5Us92lGTu0s0V832X8QUlNsyYj_8/s400/district9_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421209237386364930" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. The Wrestler</span><br />A real shame that Mickey Rourke didn't get and Oscar for this touching but unsentimental film. Darren Aronofsky also deserves plaudits for his least showy direction to date, which prefectly suited the story.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirv3dGLZvHTTclmSYJbipOxvUxLXB3LWn9K-KeYBUr_h2X4FC3aLUefBikFI6NeO0eWfZV3ZTSY0DoWhpZ1sGPSMRaxwQd6cOdSI69KuCZ9URrayAJFsovRUooYgcCHLJjqQw1wfN-UPU/s1600-h/large-the-wrestler.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirv3dGLZvHTTclmSYJbipOxvUxLXB3LWn9K-KeYBUr_h2X4FC3aLUefBikFI6NeO0eWfZV3ZTSY0DoWhpZ1sGPSMRaxwQd6cOdSI69KuCZ9URrayAJFsovRUooYgcCHLJjqQw1wfN-UPU/s400/large-the-wrestler.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421209483493604770" /></a><br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. In the Loop</span><br />A fantastic ensemble cast banter hilariously, making the political system more worrying by the minute, but at least very funny. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNb4I0-E2229trvpTIXrJDcT99wZyDaIiaC1Am_LDQukme79oyqpX53eqniQDdOGcMKga_s9dtSssIbsFAlRaNAxsZg0ynUg8lOO8mXS3RSty21SMLAIE5wQh0xpgVeIdMrA8crSHLRk/s1600-h/in-the-loop_970x390.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNb4I0-E2229trvpTIXrJDcT99wZyDaIiaC1Am_LDQukme79oyqpX53eqniQDdOGcMKga_s9dtSssIbsFAlRaNAxsZg0ynUg8lOO8mXS3RSty21SMLAIE5wQh0xpgVeIdMrA8crSHLRk/s400/in-the-loop_970x390.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421209361457237842" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. Let the Right One In </span><br />Atmospheric, thoughtful and restrained but still with enough shock and gore to please hard-core horror fans. A vampire film for those who do and don't like them. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77U7k53VhZ5GqgW0MPtDl_BelbE4RD0flyLZFBaHcJ1FuenJXXp9HcTpqwgQSlan4wrfyJ53WPWMSB-qycxAYILEjdlH_yv_vPn-rRzbO54hMOFHEXcKqM6O0t4Y6GE-d9x3mPSYYxEM/s1600-h/large-LetTheRightOneIn.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77U7k53VhZ5GqgW0MPtDl_BelbE4RD0flyLZFBaHcJ1FuenJXXp9HcTpqwgQSlan4wrfyJ53WPWMSB-qycxAYILEjdlH_yv_vPn-rRzbO54hMOFHEXcKqM6O0t4Y6GE-d9x3mPSYYxEM/s400/large-LetTheRightOneIn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421209624925545122" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Fantastic Mr. Fox</span><br />Ambitious animation full of quirks and imagination that I think will reward repeat viewers. I especially liked the use of "cussing" and "cuss" to replace all the expletives. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOda_S9chmO2HK3VLhVderEQ7m2CrBCkuET11G12VmFSLTHg8cDNrS_74GAmaWKBO9RTWXw1OvGUkOs9MdHimSbv03Hg6eQ_0Fg9DOQSQ8T_oUYb5mzK5CSuo6pWq-cZ5wpZwWh2e7k0/s1600-h/fantastic-mr-fox-3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOda_S9chmO2HK3VLhVderEQ7m2CrBCkuET11G12VmFSLTHg8cDNrS_74GAmaWKBO9RTWXw1OvGUkOs9MdHimSbv03Hg6eQ_0Fg9DOQSQ8T_oUYb5mzK5CSuo6pWq-cZ5wpZwWh2e7k0/s400/fantastic-mr-fox-3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421209757205721330" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">8. Zombieland</span><br />My guilty pleasure of the list. Great fun, an on form Woody Harrelson and a fantastic cameo...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvNTts40WWqqFzfmwabc_Py8aom4GE5quUJ8rbpqobe87OA-GqNiGQyIREEIbl_tdnGaxUM2gdWvNwBbz49afl9IqcqE71G4VigsRRcOPTycMTnNqzf8OIa9MOdH2B7IWX6ntkmKMoBI/s1600-h/site_28_rand_1830257148_zombieland_maxed.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvNTts40WWqqFzfmwabc_Py8aom4GE5quUJ8rbpqobe87OA-GqNiGQyIREEIbl_tdnGaxUM2gdWvNwBbz49afl9IqcqE71G4VigsRRcOPTycMTnNqzf8OIa9MOdH2B7IWX6ntkmKMoBI/s400/site_28_rand_1830257148_zombieland_maxed.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421209928146196162" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9. Up</span><br />Should be on this list for the first ten minutes alone, but I thought it was great throughout, with spot-on comedic timing and real emotional pull.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U5gpo2nMFWupReYDF48wYJA2q0WJVPs454o77F6B7e43NKNKWxZnzmru1e1-AyQGYUe_cTzWnrmxXYFyQ6ViUT8AfQUMZ3QnqX14_1NHNJwHXxOXJ_OSu3seIGHPyiY7Qk2WZbbdcr8/s1600-h/up-4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1U5gpo2nMFWupReYDF48wYJA2q0WJVPs454o77F6B7e43NKNKWxZnzmru1e1-AyQGYUe_cTzWnrmxXYFyQ6ViUT8AfQUMZ3QnqX14_1NHNJwHXxOXJ_OSu3seIGHPyiY7Qk2WZbbdcr8/s400/up-4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421210045092506610" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10.Moon</span><br />A great performance by Sam Rockwell and clever use of a small budget makes this one of the best Sci-fi films of recent years. It also had a great poster.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGS6BMAV3BGib3e4vC7i_7yDUmmcohVDy_l3AbE2y66wqccE0oxdsYzpkFVTRPWTicbHwumpCGPZRSu2WLgYQksNDineaBUTpWl_VTO1rUgAP8694aKzHT_9DQOcT6ZUetFWR48D5QAE/s1600-h/moon-poster.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGS6BMAV3BGib3e4vC7i_7yDUmmcohVDy_l3AbE2y66wqccE0oxdsYzpkFVTRPWTicbHwumpCGPZRSu2WLgYQksNDineaBUTpWl_VTO1rUgAP8694aKzHT_9DQOcT6ZUetFWR48D5QAE/s320/moon-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421210274306884114" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Honourable mentions:</span><br />Broken Embraces, Gran Torino, Frost/Nixon, Drag Me to Hell, Coraline, Gamorrah, Where the Wild Things Are, Looking for Eric, Down Terrace, Milk<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Films I didn't see/should have seen/meant to have seen that I heard were very good -</span><br />Hurt Locker, Bright Star, An Education, A Serious Man, Bronson, Fish Tank, Mesrine 1 and 2. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Slight Disappointments...</span><br /><br />Inglorious Basterds - Really enjoyable, yet not the more focused return to form I'd hoped for. Less dodgy casting (Eli Roth does not convince as "The Bear Jew") and more self restraint would have made a tighter film, but then again that's probably not what QT intended.<br /> <br />Watchmen - Possibly the best adaptation you could do in the time allocated, but still missing far too much to feel satisfying. The disastrous casting of Matthew Goode ruins the murder mystery element of the storyline that could have helped the films narrative backbone(although to be fair to Goode, he could have been asked to play the role that way). Perfect Rorschach from Jackie Earle Haley.<br /><br />Avatar - Visually stunning (although it doesn't quite live up to the photo realistic hype) and impeccably made, but the story was a bit too straight forward and predictable for my liking. <br /><br />Public Enemies - I'm a big fan of Manhunter and Heat, so I had high hopes for Michael Mann's latest. It was an enjoyable look at John Dillinger's lifestyle, but unfortunately I found it a bit emotionally cold and it failed to fully engage me.<br /><br />The Men Who Stare at Goats - Some very funny flashback sequences, but it failed to maintain the laugh count, while also not fully exploring the darker elements of the story.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Disappoinments</span><br /><br />Transformers 2<br />Wolverine Origins<br />The Spirit.<br />Terminator SalvationMotskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02511123926376094417noreply@blogger.com1