As you’d expect from a film following the exploits of a bomb disposal squad in Iraq, there is an incredible sense of tension throughout this fantastically-directed and well-acted drama. It was refreshing to see an Iraq war movie with an almost complete absence of politics.
VERDICT: Not quite the masterpiece the critics claim it to be, but excellent nonetheless.
Although well-made and well-acted, this adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s novel misses the point somewhat by using an overload of CGI and sound effects in an attempt to make the painting “scary”, eliminating any creepiness of feeling or dread in the process.
VERDICT: There’s nothing really wrong with it as such but it’s fairly forgettable.
Think I, Robot but without as much depth or style. An interesting concept is squandered somewhat by workmanlike direction and uninspiring action.
VERDICT: Passable entertainment but not much more.
I honestly don’t know who this is aimed at, as it is essentially your typical Wes Anderson film, albeit derived from one of Roald Dahl’s simpler children’s stories and made in a crude and off-putting animation style. In the end I don’t think it’s really suitable for anyone. The number of awards this is winning mystifies me.
VERDICT: Bizarre and not in a good way. Skip it.
An excellent and emotional opening ten minutes unfortunately is followed by one of Pixar’s weakest, and silliest, films to date. Yes, it’s a cartoon, but Pixar has proved in the past that such films can be far more complex and original than the Saturday-morning style antics on display here. The 3D added almost literally nothing.
VERDICT: It’s still good but for Pixar it’s pretty average.
Excellent acting elevates what is otherwise a rather unoriginal and uninteresting plot. Carey Mulligan in particular will be well-deserving of her inevitable Oscar nomination, and stands a good shot at perhaps even winning.
VERDICT: It’s good but nothing special.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
This is your typical Terry Gilliam film: interesting ideas, visually very creative, but otherwise a complete mess, lacking in anything approaching a likable character and ultimately a bit of a waste of time.
VERDICT: Not impressed. Don’t bother.
The vaguely-true story of CIA psychic spies with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey all in comedy mode should really have been a lot better than this. In all honesty it was actually a bit dull and trying too hard to be “quirky”.
VERDICT: Mildly entertaining but that’s it. Not worth going out of your way to see it.
There are about 15 minutes of absolutely spectacular chaos and destruction in 2012. Sadly the film lasts for 150 minutes and the rest of the running time is taken up with lame, predictable plot, poor dialogue and worse acting.
VERDICT: Literally almost all the action is in the trailer, so stick to that instead.
Not being much of a fan of horror and generally being quite hard to scare, I have to admit that this was genuinely quite creepy at times. It is very slow and the plot is dependent on the main characters being, well, a bit stupid, but it’s a very impressive exercise in no-budget film making. I especially liked how underplayed many of the set-pieces are, and who’d have thought that time-lapse camera recording could be so disturbing?
VERDICT: Worth seeing, especially if you’re a horror fan.
The Coen Brothers’ latest film is a return to their earlier style, i.e. extremely eccentric and not even vaguely mainstream. Apparently it’s a reworking of the biblical story of Job, but most of that was lost on me, as were a lot of the Jewish cultural references. The opening scene seems to belong to a different movie and the ending seems to have disappeared entirely…
VERDICT: I kind of liked it but I’m not entirely sure why. Worth seeing.
A complete waste of time. If you’re going to make yet another version of Dickens’ story then you should at least do something vaguely original with it aside from making it in motion-captured CGI and adding a couple of dull action sequences. The 3D was better than usual but still didn’t add much.
VERDICT: Boring. Don’t bother.
Richard Kelly’s third film has much in common with his much-loved debut Donnie Darko – an intriguing, unusual premise; a pervading sense of weirdness; a tendency for isolated scenes of bizarre occurrences that leave you asking yourself “What the…?”. Sadly it does not share Darko’s charm or entertainment value and is probably a bit too dark and depressing for its own good.
VERDICT: Interesting but ultimately a bit disappointing.
I intend to write a full review for Avatar soon, so watch this space... but perhaps don't hold your breath.
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