FILM: Looper (dir: Rian Johnson, 2012)

"Aren't you a smart monkey?"

It is rare that you get to the end of a movie and feel very satisfied as the credits start to roll, and Looper provides that feeling.  It is a smart and utterly absorbing film, which cleverly revisits classic genre tropes (seen in films such as The Terminator, Blade Runner and even Scanners all notably present) but then weaves them into a tale which is at the same time refreshingly told, creatively put on screen and shows such attention to small details that it is a delight to watch.  The first half is the breathless sci-fi action-thriller set mostly in a recognisable near-future that truly delivers on all that the trailers promised, which then gives way to a surprisingly intimate and effective drama that pays off wonderfully on all the preceding setting up.  To put it simply: Gordon-Levitt, Willis and Blunt are all terrific in the lead roles, director Rian Johnson is clearly one to watch, and Looper is easily one of the best films of 2012.

FILM: The Campaign (dir: Jay Roach, 2012)

"You look like Richard Simmons just crapped out a god-damn hobbit!"

The Campaign pretty much delivers on its trailer as a fairly standard middle-aged American comedy with a few more laughs than most of its type.  Ferrell delivers an effortless but predictable performance, and Galifiniakis creates a surprisingly strong character as the initially fey and hopeless political rival. Support is strong: Dylan McDermott and Jason Sudeikis both work well as the two campaign managers, and particularly effective are Sarah Baker and Katherine LaNasa as the two contrasting wives.  The satire is weak and the humour blunt, but The Campaign contains enough silliness and simple laughs to keep it on the right side of enjoyable.

FILM: Tower Block (dirs: James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson, 2012)

"DO YOU HEAR ME?"
"I think they can hear you in Australia, love."

This latest entry into 2012's high-rise genre collection is an unexpectedly neat, taut micro-budget British thriller.  The idea is simple and very effective - the remaining residents on the top floor of a tower block are picked off by a mystery sniper over a weekend - but this tight bottle concept also means that the plotting has very few places to go.  Direction is confident and frequently interesting, editing is tight, and the simplistic synth score succeeds in a retro fashion.  Although the residents are a predictable bunch of stereotypes, the cast is strong, with particularly good performances by the younger actors such as Jack O'Connell, Russell Tovey (successfully restrained here as a lonely alcoholic) and Sheridan Smith (who gives good Ripley).  From the teaser and the opening sniper attack, which is superbly handled, Tower Block does more than enough to maintain interest throughout.

FILM: House At The End Of The Street (dir: Mark Tonderai, 2012)

"Sometimes people can't be fixed."

House At The End Of The Street has wafer-thin plotting, sketchily-drawn characters and a tendency to inadvertently veer closely towards parody, making this a largely tedious and drawn-out watch. The film's two saving graces are the big plot twist that sets up the third act (which, whilst neither entirely unexpected nor original, does work) and a nicely-drawn performance by Max Thieriot. Apart from a handful of jumpy moments created by loud stings with lunges into frame, there is a notable lack of tension throughout, largely owing the very obvious set-ups and Idiot Plot running riot.  If it weren't for the marquee value of Jennifer Lawrence, this very weak film would struggle to crawl onto DVD, let alone cinema screens.

FILM: Premium Rush (dir: David Koepp, 2012)

"Have a nice day, douchebag!"

Premium Rush is a hugely enjoyable and utterly daft high-concept movie.  A mean-spirited viewer might see this film as ninety minutes of watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt pedalling furiously around New York, but the visual and narrative conceits keep the action flowing wonderfully, tension is maintained throughout - both from the main plot and the inevitable wince-inducing accidents that the bikers suffer at times - and to watch the couriers taking on brutal New York traffic is compelling.  As an actor, Gordon-Levitt could sell any situation, and here he is effortlessly engaging and on-screen most of the time, and the supporting cast are all good within their rather limited stereotyped characters.  The resolution of the story holds a surprising but satisfying turn of tone, and overall Premium Rush delivers a well-staged and very entertaining light action-thriller.

FILM: ParaNorman 3D (dirs: Sam Fell and Chris Butler, 2012)

"Don't make me throw this hummus!  It's spicy!"

There are enough mild thrills and chuckles to make ParaNorman a pleasant, enjoyable but very gentle children's movie. Released a little early for Halloween, this stop-motion tale begins as a well-realised look at high school alienation as Norman - he sees and speaks to 'dead people' - is isolated at both school and home for his unusual ability, but then his importance in relation to the town's witch-curse sets him and the story off on a predictable but effective journey.  Design has a detailed and interestingly grimy and worn look - notice how Norman's facial features and even his locker door are a bit off-kilter - but the low-key colour palette means that the 3D does not always 'pop' as it could.  There are plenty of nods to classic horror films old and new (even Norman's ringtone cannot help but raise a knowing smile), the supporting characters are endearingly silly, and there is sufficient craft and invention on show to keep all ages engaged.  It was interesting to note that children in the audience were audibly scared when Norman creeps through a spooky house, yet they laughed out loud later in the same scene when a corpse was knocked about for comedic effect.  Could there be a better way to introduce the young to the joys of the horror genre?

FILM: The Sweeney (dir: Nick Love, 2012)

"World's running out of men like you, Jack."

This update of TV's old cops show is unexpectedly very enjoyable and holds a few surprises.  The uneasy marriage of old and new-style policing works very well here, and whilst the actual plot and scenarios are completely generic, there are sufficient twists to make the story interesting and which enable the final third of the film to have unexpected emotional heft.  This feels like a Nick Love film, but The Sweeney is by far his most consistent, coherent and enjoyable directorial piece yet.  Ray Winstone is absolutely superb as Regan in an immensely magnetic and considered performance, with Ben Drew providing strong support (and improving as the stakes are raised) in the Carter role.  Indeed, a powerful (and recognisable) British cast gives the film considerable backbone, the action is well-handled, autumnal London looks Olympics-beautiful, and apart from the decidedly unglamourous setting of the final chase/shootout, when the TV show's theme tune inevitably powers in over the end credits, the film finishes on a real note of triumph.  This is a successful update, making The Sweeney 2012 a good, solid action-thriller overall.

FILM: Hope Springs (dir: David Frankel, 2012)

"I'm so glad you're here."
"Well, that makes one of us."

Hope Springs is slightly slower than it needs to be, but this featherweight dramedy would probably have passed by unnoticed if not for the wonderful performances by the two leads.  As the 31-years-married passionless couple who go on an intensive marriage counselling holiday, Meryl Streep is a constant delight to watch, and Tommy Lee Jones - rapidly transforming into Walter Matthau - gives his best performance in ages, with Steve Carell adequate in the anonymous straight-man therapist role.  It ranges from mildly amusing to laugh-out-loud, but the film firmly delivers on portraying the empty routines of a long-lasting but withering relationship.  It is remarkable to see what the actors create from the paper-thin characters, and in terms of targeting the more mature cinemagoing audience it is largely successful, making Hope Springs a very pleasant but unsurprising viewing experience.

FILM: Dredd 3D (dir: Pete Travis, 2012)

"FREEZE!"
"Why?"

First, the elephant in the room: the near-identical plotting that Dredd shares with The Raid draws unfortunate comparisons but does not mean that Dredd is a bad film in its own right.  The 2012 incarnation is much more enjoyable than Danny Cannon's 90s version - mercifully, no Rob Schneider here - and presents a well-realised, gritty and grimy dystopian Mega City One, with Karl Urban's mask-covered reading of Dredd himself coming across as more grounded, intense and single-minded, and more in line with the 2000 A.D. version.  This is a full-blooded sci-fi-actioner, with the slo-mo conceit of the narrative's addictive drug providing opportunities for some inventive 3D splatter, and the CG effects work is generally strong throughout for a mid-budget film.  Direction is effective, and the noisy score works well, but the straightforward procession of narrative does little more than tick story boxes, however, and the lack of surprise or real threat flattens the film somewhat, although Lena Headey provides the film with a coldly powerful villain.  Without the sheer visceral power and poetry and the emotional clout of The Raid, Dredd 3D is a solid, effective but slightly unmemorable movie.

DVD: [REC] 3 - Genesis (dir: Paco Plaza, 2012)

"This is MY day!"

The opening fifteen minutes - a regular family wedding - works well in the signature shaky-cam style (if a little long-winded), and then the splatter really hits the fan as the film turns into a stylistic 'anti-[REC]' (a deliberate decision revealed in the extras).  In an about-turn for the series, this third instalment then becomes a very deliberately-lit, conventionally-edited 80s European horror throwback with a deliriously melodramatic music score, which offers some deliciously daft moments but offers little that is new in the genre.  The leads are enjoyable to watch, and this is an effectively-made film, but tonally it really is hard to tell at times if this is an affectionate homage or a nicely-knowing spoof.  At a scant 75 minutes, [REC] 3 packs in a lot of narrative manoeuvres and is an enjoyable watch for horror fans, but the subtle parallel links with the action of the first two movies merely serve as a reminder of the power of its predecessors.