FILM: Warrior (dir: Gavin O'Connor, 2011)

"You gotta better shot at starting a boyband."

The story - two estranged brothers destined to battle each other for $5 million in the ultimate MMA tournament - should not work, but Warrior is a a clever and very powerful piece of entertainment.  The film sets itself up as a world apart from the standard sports movie by giving more characterisation (between father and son) in the opening scene than most movies manage in their entire running time.  Whilst the lead characters lack the colour and vivacity of The Fighter clan, they make up for it with sensitivity and heart: Nick Nolte as the recovering alcoholic father is given a role which showcases just what a fine actor he is, Joel Edgerton makes a good job of the least interesting role as the son who gave up on the family to lead a seemingly straightforward life (as a physics teacher!), and Tom Hardy is phenomenal as the angry, damaged powerhouse who cannot relate to either his father or brother.  Motivations work, the parallel stories build effectively, and the fight scenes are filmed with extraordinary energy.  The entire final act - the progressive cage battles of the 16 contestants at the showdown in Atlanta - is overwhelmingly tense and at times almost unbearable to watch, which is a testament to how affecting the story is told.  Terrific direction and wonderful performances make Warrior a genuine and unmissable surprise.

FILM: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (dir: Thomas Alfredson, 2011)

"That was a great time, George."
"It was the War, Connie!"

Remarkably, this adaptation of le Carre's Cold War classic is almost too good, the remarkable artistry from every department so dazzling that it threatens to distance the viewer from the terrific storytelling.  Alfredson creates another bleak and starkly beautiful film, hooking the audience with unreliable half-information and unfinished conversations from (largely) emotionally closed-off men and providing the viewers with the same journey as George Smiley, brought out of retirement to identify the mole at the heart of MI6.    Every frame is beautifully composed, the design work is gorgeous and Alberto Iglesias provides another sumptuous silky music score.  The acting is simply sublime: Oldman is outstanding, but there is whole raft of excellent performances throughout, notably from Mark Strong, Kathy Burke, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and the remarkable John Hurt. This is an exquisite film which is both demanding and very rewarding.

FILM: crazy, stupid, love. (dirs: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, 2011).

"I am actually begging you to stop this!"

When you look at the roster of acting talent on offer, it is astonishing how dull this movie is.  The script is so thin, even poor Kevin Bacon is unable to wring anything out of it.  The drama is shallow, the comedy almost entirely inhabits tumbleweed territory and the big narrative 'surprise' towards the end is instantly given away by the casting (what physical trait is shared by Julianne Moore and Emma Stone?)  The only truly bright spot in this slightly seedy, weak and unconvincing movie is the wonderfully-timed delivery by Liza Lapira as Stone's friend.

FILM: Friends With Benefits (dir: Will Gluck, 2011)

REVIEW No. 200!

"Time to update your fairytale, baby."

Although the sexual aspect of the film, is significant, Friends With Benefits is more romantic-comedy or even sit-com in its stylings.  The two leads both inhabit that fantasy realm of rom-coms - affluent, pretty, great jobs, amazing apartments - and it is fortunate that not only do Timberlake and Kunis have the comic ability to carry off the film but also work together extremely well as they are both on-screen for most of the running time.  The two actors fare less well in scenes where they are merely required to rattle off carefully-scripted rapid-firequips, but when given time and room to breathe emotionally they genuinely shine.  Thankfully, the second half develops sufficient bite to sustain interest, leading to a standard but well set-up finale that ultimately leads nowhere.  There are plenty of good lines and a lot of ground (and dialogue) covered in this generally warm, attractive, well-played and satisfactory film.

FILM: Colombiana (dir: Olivier Megaton, 2011)

"You'll thank me later."

Colombiana looks terrific, its lush and expansive location visuals mostly bathed in a warm golden sunshine glow, contrasting with the cooler interiors.  Oliver Megaton directs like Michael Mann on steroids, with impressive coverage on some sequences.  Co-writer/producer Luc Besson's fingerprints are all over this film in terms of characters, relationships, motivations and even the ending, and whilst the film is generally well-executed, the over-familiarity means there is little to surprise.  The superb Zoe Saldana rises above the material in a strong and controlled central performance, but there is also some good supporting work, notably from Lennie James as the pursuing detective.  Colombiana is a slick, glossy thriller that provides reasonable entertainment but little else.

FILM: The Troll Hunter (dir: Andre Ovredal, 2011)

"Are you nuts?"

The Troll Hunter is easily one of the best examples of the found-footage genre: enjoyable, fun and engaging.  The clean, grounded narrative has great momentum throughout, its credibility enhanced immeasurably by three energetically naive performances by the college students who become embroiled with Norway's lone troll hunter, a gritty and hard-bitten performance that gives the film gravitas in the same way that Robert Shaw gave to Jaws.  The spectacular grand-scale vistas provide a believable backdrop for the fantasy elements - these trolls are huge - and the escalating encounters are cleverly shot with a level of camerawork that winningly conforms to the found-footage conceit and also demonstrates a strong degree of creativity and professionalism.  The mix of humour, documentary, tragedy and fantasy is for the most part convincingly handled, making this movie a strong piece of film-making and which renders the proposed American remake utterly redundant.

FILM: Kill List (dir: Ben Wheatley, 2011)

"Sometimes, God's love is hard to swallow."
"Not as hard as a dinner plate."

Kill List is 98% magnificent.  This is a dark, disturbing and brutal film, both emotionally and physically - there were walkouts at this screening - which is exploited fully by the audaciously-controlled use of sound and editing, caustic dialogue and characterisation, utterly extraordinary performances (especially by Neil Maskell and MyAnna Buring as the lovingly self-destructive central couple) and a narrative that frequently leaves the viewer dreadfully unsettled as to where is it going along the way.  The only problem - and it is a big one - is that if you are a genre fan, one early event immediately gives away where the film is ultimately heading, indeed leading to a disappointingly generic ending and final 'shock' twist.  Nevertheless, Kill List is a fantastic piece of film-making on every level, which is challenging, demanding and superbly executed.

FILM: Apollo 18 (dir: Gonzalez Lopez-Gallego, 2011)

"Something's not right."

Apollo 18 is a standard found-footage movie - the conventions of the genre are now firmly in place - but it does have some merits.  This is Blair Witch in Space rather than Paranormal Activity on the Moon, as its initially interesting but increasingly daft and unconvincing premise unfolds more as a character piece than shocker.  The cast play it admirably straight and performances are generally strong, together with good use of the confines of space vehicles and light/dark on the lunar surface.  The technical treatment of the footage is good and direction and editing are generally well-handled, making the found-footage conceit work well, and there are a couple of good shock moments.  The fundamental problem with this style of movie is that it inevitably comes across as cheap-looking, there is a lot of non-action and dull scenes, and there is an overall sense that the narrative and the film as a whole simply underwhelm, and whilst Apollo 18 is undoubtedly an above-average example of the genre, it still does not actually do very much over its running time.

FILM: Fright Night 3D (dir: Craig Gillespie, 2011)

"That is fiction.  This is real."

Fright Night is an intelligent remake that respects the original but uses it as a springboard to make an effective contemporary horror film.  It is very attractively shot, and it uses 3D in a mostly natural way, with only a couple of unnecessary and jarringly obvious digital blood-spurts at the audience.  The daftness of the tale uses popular vampire mythology (old and new) to entertaining effect without labouring the point, and there is a well-handled mix of humour and horror from beginning to end.  The film is blessed with superb casting: Anton Yelchin gives Charley Brewster a grounded innocence which works better as the film progresses and he faces up to the harsh truth of what is happening; David Tennant has a ball hamming it up in the role of Peter Vincent but is saved by his usual expert timing of delivery; and Toni Collette and Imogen Poots provide strong if limited support as Charley's mother and girlfriend.  The film belongs to a very in-form Colin Farrell, giving Jerry the vampire a truly dark, dangerous and ruthless demeanour that fills the screen in every scene.  In terms of horror, there is little that is truly edge-of-your-seat, but overall Fright Night is well-written, beautifully-crafted and entertains throughout.

FILM: The Art Of Getting By (dir: Gavin Wiesen, 2011)

"How can you call yourself a painter if you don't paint?"

If you are an angst-ridden teenage art student, this film will probably seem 'like, totally awesome'.  Otherwise, this vacuous and limply-drawn tale of a misanthropic teen who not only finds a friend and falls in love is a real test of patience.  Freddie Highmore gives a disappointingly bland reading of a dull role, whilst Emma Roberts again shows an engaging stillness on-screen.  There is a strong adult supporting cast including Rita Wilson, Blair Underwood and an unrecognisable Alicia Silverstone all in insignificantly-written character roles, and there is some nice work by Michael Angarano as ex-student artist Dustin.  The passage of time through the college year is handled nicely, but in the final act any remaining semblance of credibility is thrown out in a mad dash for an inappropriate punch-the-air happy ending.  The Art Of Getting By clearly has its heart in the right place, but it lacks depth in its rather flimsy treatment of the characters and issues.

DVD: Hatchet II (dirt: Adam Green, 2011)

"You mean, like a Jason Vorhees or something?"

After the slick efficiency of Frozen, Adam Green returns to the land of the low-budget slasher with an inevitable sequel.  Following on directly from the end of the first film, the character of Marybeth is here taken over by the wonderful Danielle Harris and genre giant Tony Todd gets an expanded central role, both actors doing their best with long scenes of very thin dialogue.  The structure remains the same: a strong opening gore gag (with a good flashback expansion of Victor Crowley's backstory), forty minutes of extremely slow set-up, then a final half-hour of outrageous (but well-handled) comedy gore that picks off the cast one by one (and sometimes in pairs!).  Although touted as old-school American horror, the Hatchet films have much less plot than many of the original 80s slashers.  Hatchet II is a watchable, better film than the original, but its weaknesses do not make it a strong example of the genre.