Groovy Mule
Posts: 1089
Joined: 26/11/2005
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All scores out of 10
January
Cinema
6th Deja Vu 7 - Disappointing ending which showed a lack of balls but good premise.
7th Apocalypto 6 - Mediaeval chase movie with some incredible scenes but not a fun ride or a cohesive whole.
13th The Last King of Scotland 9 - Great film with an acting tour de force from Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy.
14th The Pursuit of Happyness 4 - Manipulative film which dragged. Lots of people in the cinema crying.
20th Smokin' Aces 6 - Frankly ludicrous but stylish hitman drama. Ending a cop-out.
20th Babel 8 - The Japanese section of the film is the most satisfying but this is a treat for the eyes and ears.
23rd Bobby 7 - Good ensemble piece although some parts better than others. Some parts are trying too hard to be profound though.
25th Black Book (Zwartboek) 9 - Beautifully shot gripping work from Verhoeven with a stunning lead performance from Carice Van Houten.
27th Blood Diamond 7 - Great performances from DiCaprio, Honsou and Connolley but falls a little flat towards the end.
29th The Fountain 7 - Quite the headscratcher, the visual effects are inspired but Aranofsky's obsession with facial close-ups annoyed. Tricky but worthwhile.
31st Rocky Balboa 7 - A little mawkish at times and cheesy at others but better than expected and you can't help but get swept up in the atmosphere.
Home
3rd The Long Kiss Goodnight 6 - Frankly a ridiculous actioner but not without its charms.
6th The Road To Guantanamo 4 - Not entertaining enough to warrant viewing and too journalistically lacking to be a credible documentary
7th The Last Kiss 7 - The dialogue is well written but it feels a little smug in places. Good entertainment.
8th Pierrepoint 7 - Timothy Spall and Juliet Stevenson excellent but it feels made for TV.
14th Terminator 3:Rise of the Machines 7 - Fairly good continuation of the story but pales in comparison to the first and second installments.
21st Breakfast on Pluto 7 - Great performance by Cillian Murphy but I was left somewhat underwhelmed by thr film.
21st Contact 8 - Good performance by Jodie Foster. Started slow but picked up speed well.
27th Hard Candy 8 - Intense psychological thriller with great performances from Ellen Page and the underrated Patrick Wilson.
28th Murder in the First 5 - Never really got into this courtroom drama. There are far better examples of the genre.
31st The Bone Collector 5 - Generic thriller with a decent performance from Angelina Jolie but hardly a taxing piece of work.
February
Cinema
3rd Notes on a Scandal 7 - Acerbic, powerful performance from Judi Dench in a film which never quite gives us sufficient insight into Blanchett's life.
4th Dreamgirls 7 - Ever so slightly frustrating film where too much happens off screen but Foxx and newcomer Jennifer Hudson perform well.
5th Running with Scissors 5 - Tonally a mess but good performances from Bening, Wood and Cross. Disappointed with Paltrow and Fiennes.
11th For Your Consideration 5 - Lacks the heart of previous Guest efforts and not all of the humour hits the mark.
13th Hannibal Rising 7 - Malevolent film which starts better than it ends but one which is beautifully shot by Peter Webber and a decent performance from Gaspard Ulliel.
16th Hot Fuzz 9 - Great fusion of comedy and action and a fantastic screenplay to boot. Quite simply - fun.
17th The Science of Sleep 8 - Typically wacky from Gondry but also has a lot of heart
24th The Good Shepherd 8 - Bit long but stylishly directed, interesting film but a touch staid.
24th The Number 23 3 - Tonally all over the place, the plot is flimsy but Jim Carrey does the best he can with it.
28th Letters from Iwo Jima 9 - Beautiful and elegant yet at the same time brutal and horrifying. This is a masterful piece of cinema from Clint Eastwood with a powerhouse performance from Watanabe.
Home
1st Mickey Blue Eyes 6 - Seen it before but it was TV and its easy viewing. Funny in places but it is the cinematic equivalent of autopilot, nobody doing anything outside of their comfort zone.
7th To Die For 7 - The quest for fame distilled by Gus Van Sant with a quality performance from Nicole Kidman.
11th Cocktail 5 - Cheesy 80s high concept ticking off the checklist of 80s Tom Cruise film moments.
11th Tequila Sunrise 6 - Another cheesy high concept 80s flick - Towne doesn't hit the heights of Chinatown.
14th Art School Confidential 6 - Quirky offering from director Zwigoff.
17th The Nightmare Before Christmas 8 - Really enjoyable with inspired music and lyrics.
17th Vera Drake 8 - Heartbreaking kitchen-sink drama with an amazing performance from Imelda Staunton.
19th Poseidon 4 - CGI was pretty crap, characterisation virtually non-existant, action pretty good but somewhat predictable.
25th The Ice Harvest 4 - Think it wanted to be a comedy but it lacks the humour and if wants to be a noir, it lacks the sensabilities.
25th Point Break 7 - Enjoyable, high concept romp with Keanu and Patrick Swayze.
March
Cinema
3rd The Illusionist 8 - Suffers slightly in comparison to The Prestige as Norton's performance lacks some of the required showmanship but this is still a well-crafted film with great music and cinematography.
6th A Guide To Recognising Your Saints 6 - There are moments of brilliant, moving film-making in this debut feature by Dito Montiel but there are some parts which are seriously hardwork and some unnecessary and distracting moments of directorial pretension.
10th The Good German 9 - Once I got into the style, I really enjoyed it, like the lovechild of Casablanca and The Third Man.
14th Ghost Rider 4 - Risible comic book film which seems strangely camp, unsurprising when you consider that the baddies are straight out of an Evanscence music video. Some good effects, some not so good. Dialogue laughable bad and Eva Mendes can't act.
19th Factory Girl 5 - As deep as a puddle complete with innumberable 60s cliches. Despite that Sienna Miller, Hayden Christiansen and Guy Pearce do their best with what they are given. This may, however, be the limits of Miller's talent.
24th 300 7 - Visually impressive albeit like a computer game, ultimately very enjoyable style over substance
26th Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus 6 - Starts off so well but let down by the increasing quirkiness over focus. Nicole Kidman is excellent but Downey Jr's performance smacks of someone trying to prove it is him under the make-up. Also looking like the Cowardly Lion dressed in the clothes of Ken Russell doesn't help.
Home
5th Cars 6 - Not the best Pixar film and the middle part of the film lulls. This is offset by great race action.
10th Rumor Has It 5 - Unfunny "romantic comedy" where Shirley Maclaine nabs all the best lines.
11th Crank 7 - Totally hilarious action film, Jason Statham has found his niche.
12th Heavenly Creatures 7 - Something of a novelty as it is the only Peter Jackson film I have seen that I have liked. Great writing and acting by the 2 leads but some of the other acting is somewhat wooden.
17th Dark City 8 - Great, clever sci-fi with a convincing central performance from Rufus Sewell and quality villians. Before its time.
17th The Devil's Backbone (El Espinazo del Diablo) 8 - Chilling ghost story set at the time of the Spanish Civil War.
18th 16 Blocks 6 - Average cat and mouse actioner from Donner with Willis playing a shadow of his former action star self. David Morse is good, Mos Def is somewhat annoying.
22nd Crossing the Line 7 - Fascinating documentary on the life of the last living American defector to North Korea, James Dresnok.
24th Heaven 6 - Loses its way in the second half but nicely directed by Tykwer. Blanchett and Ribisi put in good performances.
25th X Men: The Last Stand 6 - Not a bad end to the X Men series with a fine central performance from Ian McKellan but some of the set pieces are somewhat lacking and Vinnie Jones is atrocious.
25th White Men Can't Jump 7 - Fun basketball movie which relies heavily on the interplay between Harrelson and Snipes and their charisma.
April
Cinema
2nd Days of Glory (Indigenes) 7 - Highlights those forgotten heroes but the battle scenes don't quite stack up and the middle is flabby and the epilogue is unnecessay. The final 20 mins before that are excellent.
4th Catch a Fire 8 - Pretty taut political thriller with a great leading performance from Derek Luke and quality support from Tim Robbins.
6th Sunshine 8 - Lacked the tension in the finale when the tone changes but this film is extremely visually impressive and it feels suitably claustrophobic. Chris Evans and Benedict Wong perform particularly well.
7th Blades of Glory 7 - Doesn't quite hit the heights of Dodgeball but fun nevertheless and some jokes really hit big. Heder particularly impressed.
14th Shooter 7 - Tense, modern day action film with a charasmatic lead performance from Mark Wahlberg, suffers from being bluntly political.
14th Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai hung jin jia) 6 - The weakest of Zhang's wushu films but Gong Li gives a superb performance. Film suffers from over egging the melodrama and poor pacing.
16th Unknown 6 - The writer of this film had obviously been watching Saw for his original premise but this goes down the psychological route rather than the horror route, some good performances but the story unravels at its conclusion.
25th Fracture 7 - Despite the wildly fluctuating accent of Hopkins, this was a surprisingly taut thriller and Gosling performs well, using his natural charisma well. It is somewhat predictable as legal potboilers go.
26th Half Nelson 8 - Ryan Gosling is incredibly charasmatic and his chemistry with Shareeka Epps makes this film. Antony Mackie also performs well as the drug dealer.
27th Alpha Dog 5 - The writing is somewhat disappointing and some of the performances don't ring true particularly Foster, whose character I had thought was strangely camp for a Neo-Nazi thug. There are some good performances though from Timberlake, Stone and Yelchin. Despite being the lead character, Emile Hirsch is strangely anodyne.
28th The Painted Veil 7 - Good performances and beautiful cinematography but the source material suffers from being too staid and Schreiber is criminally underused.
Home
2nd Angel-A 6 - Some great moments, visually enticing and a breakthrough performance from Rie Rasmussen. The final ten minutes is not in keeping with the remainder of the film.
5th Natural Born Killers 5 - I'll be honest I just didn't get it. The Warner Bros cartoon pacing and editing and over-the-top characters didn't work for me.
6th An Inconvenient Truth 8 - I'm convinced that this will become compulsory viewing and one of the most influential films of this century. My only quibble is that it is too overtly political which is not particularly appropriate.
8th The Passion of the Christ 4 - Don't really know how to rate this one. The first half is dull and the second half is sickeningly brutal.
8th Office Space 8 - Damn it feels good to be a gangster. A great comedy from Mike Judge about the perils of working in the modern office and very quotable.
9th Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 10 - Better than I remembered and I liked it first time. Fantastic heartfelt romance which doesn't rely on stereotype with beautifully natural performance from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet
15th Die Hard 2 6 - Not a patch on the first film. The formula remains largely the same but cheesier. Taking McClane out of the Nakatomi Plaza and into a wider arena did not work for me.
15th Lost in Translation 9 - Having lived in Japan I think this film captures the bewilderment of foreign culture perfectly with beautifully understated performances from Murray and Johanssen.
22nd Stander 6 - Good performance from Thomas Jane and some quality scenes but the execution doesn't live up to the premise. Looks like the costumier had fun with all manner of different wigs and facial hair appendiges.
22nd Die Hard With A Vengeance 7 - Better than the second film and bringing in Sam Jackson to be Willis' sidekick is an inspired move.
25th Walk the Line 6 - A bit dull, standard biopic fare. Reese Witherspoon is good as is Phoenix but the story feels derivative (Ray with white people anyone?) and fails to properly engage.
26th Scream 2 7 - I have a soft spot for this series and while it is not as good as the first one, it still delivers shocks and laughs like the first.
29th Wall Street 8 - A movie which defines the 80s, some of the context seems laughable now but the performances are uniformly excellent and the writing is great.
29th The Sum of all Fears 6 - Not bad, not great, Affleck is a competent Jack Ryan but the plot is a tad convoluted. You can only get so excited by exposition about Russian internal politics.
May
Cinema
1st The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) 9 - This is a sublime piece of drama with Henckel von Donnersmarck ably ratcheting up the tension and drawing us into the characters and their motivations. Ulrich Muehle, Martina Gedeck and Sebastien Koch all give touching performances.
5th This is England 8 - Despite the difficult subject matter, this film is very powerful with supreme performances from Thomas Turgoose and Stephen Graham. Liked the 80s nostalgia but it is a shame that the mother and Woody disappear for large chunks of the film.
6th Spiderman 3 6 - I don't know where to start. The scenes just didn't flow, the dialogue was lame and some of the scenes were oddly slapstick. James Franco and Topher Grace were the bright spots.
7th Goya's Ghosts 5 - Forman is the master of biopic-style films but this film is seriously flawed and the second half of the film is a complete mess. Bardem's monk being put to the question, however, is one of the best individual scenes of the year.
8th Fast Food Nation 3 - A real missed opportunity. Both narrative and dialogue feel forced and fake and characters and subplots randomly disappear.
14th Goodbye Bafana 7 - Bille August has crafted a touching, slightly sentimental and old-fashioned movie which has a fantastic central performance from Joseph Fiennes.
18th Zodiac 9 - This film is arse numbingly long and for a film as interesting and gripping as this surprisingly feels it. The attention to detail of this film is amazing and Fincher produces a slow burning classic and fills it with beautiful performances.
19th 28 Weeks Later 7 - Surprisingly a sequel which works and doesn't feel artificially tacked on. The camerawork is a little over frenetic but Fresnadillo's direction is intelligent. Some of the acting could best be described as poor especially from the kids.
21st Black Snake Moan 5 - Exploitative attempt at Southern Gothic but it feels trashy and an attempt at mimicking Tarantino.
24th Magicians 6 - Feels like an extended sketch and may have worked better in that format, starts very stiff particularly Webb but gets better an there are a number of genuine laugh-out loud moments.
26th Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 7 - Overlong complicated and overlong, not as good as the first film but a significantly improvement over part two.
Home
5th Prime 5 - Does anything actually happen in this movie? Slightly cliched rom-com which doesn't even bother with supporting characters outside Meryl Streep's shrink. Greenberg did ok, Streep was in kooky mode but Thurman does not convince as a romantic lead for me.
6th Bubble Boy 7 - Not the greatest film ever but it is fun and Jake Gyllenhaal's charisma helps this film along.
7th Right At Your Door 7 - Low-fi but suprisingly effective movie based on what-ifs and the threat of terrorism and the effect of terrorism on personal lives. This was well done.
11th Air America 6 - Knock-about comedy action film with Gibson and Downey Jr, both of whom are pretty charismatic but the story is pretty lightweight and predictable.
12th The Da Vinci Code 7 - Despite its obvious flaws the interesting historical conjecture hold my attention and enjoyment and I like this film despite it containing one of the worst car chases on celluoid.
12th Children of Men 9 - A bleak vision of future Britain but one which is brillantly shot and featuring a worn-in scruffy totally appropriate performance from Clive Owen.
19th Echo Park L.A. (Quinceanara) 6 - Underwhelming film which lacks the drama or narrative drive which the film requires, too many strands are left loose or dangling. Some decent performances from the young cast though.
20th Syriana 7 - Impressive scope for a film which contains some understated, personally touching performances from Matt Damon and George Clooney. The plot feels a tad convoluted and tenuous.
28th The 40 Year Old Virgin 8 - So many laugh-out loud moments and improv brilliance from Steve Carrell and Seth Rogan.
28th Fight Club 10 - So visceral, such a mind-**** of a movie and showcases Brad Pitt's best performance.
June
Cinema
2nd Flyboys 5 - Fight action is good but the surrounding parts are truely terrible, cheesy and partially sophofiric.
3rd Wedding Daze 4 - Isla Fisher and Jason Biggs are credible romantic comedy leads but the writing here is so poor that neither can save this film.
9th Ocean's Thirteen 8 - Put simply fun. A return to form for the Ocean's series and while it feels like a greatest hits show, it retains the spirit which made the first film such a success.
11th Jindabyne 7 - Haunting but at equal points frustrating as the characters appear unable to articulate their feelings and the short scenes give the film a choppy feel as does the switching of tone by director Lawrence. There are fine performances from Linney, Byrne and the child actors.
18th Tell No One (Ne le dis a personne) 8 - Fine performances, particularly from Francois Clouzot as Dr Alex Beck and Kristin Scott Thomas, Canet keeps the tension high and marks himself out as a director to watch.
21st Vacancy 6 - Works better than expected and I loved the Hitchcockian title sequence. Having Beckinsale and Wilson rather than 2 tweens from US sitcoms probably helped the believability. Not earth-shattering but exceeding expectations.
23rd La Vie En Rose 5 - Disappointing choppy biopic which relies too much on flashback and on prior knowledge. Many of the supporting characters are insufficiently introduced. The only bright spot in this film is Marion Cotillard who performs well as Edith Piaf. Overall, tries too hard to be different.
Home
2nd Get Over It 5 - Teen comedy with Kirsten Dunst and Jon Foster. Just not interesting enough and Shane West's ridiculous character doesn't help.
3rd The Host (Gwoemul) 6 - Didn't get the slapstick in the first half of the film, thought the FX were good but the political overtones are clumsy and obvious and the film suffers serious narrative lulls.
3rd Six Days, Seven Nights 5 - No chemistry between Schwimmer and Heche and little more between Heche and Ford. The ending is something of a cop-out too. Lacklustre "rom-com".
4th Waiting ... 2 - Oh dear! I think I laughed once.
8th Big Nothing 5 - Funny in parts and very very dark but the twists are too much and the overall effect is something akin to mania
9th Fahrenheit 9/11 8 - Flawed but still a very telling documentary and at times very moving. Moore is occassionally incendiary for his own ends but there is no doubting the conviction of this film. Will be remembered as a classic documentary in years to come.
9th Cinema Paradiso 9 - Cinematic prozac. I defy anyone to actively dislike this film. A picture with a lot of heart and excellent performances from the three actors playing Toto.
10th Little Miss Sunshine 8 - Touching film funny and in places hilarious with great performances across the board.
17th Confetti 5 - Some good moments and Jessica Stevenson is infinitely watchable but the improvision leads to a number of moments which just fall flat.
18th The End of the Affair 7 - A touch staid and starchy but the subject matter leads it in that direction. The cast of Fiennes, Rea and particularly Julianne Moore work well together.
23rd The Shipping News 5 - Glacially slow, very serious and earnest thespy film but interminably dull. Julianne Moore is a bright spot.
24th A Good Year 7 - Sir Ridley Scott deals with the lighter side of life in this adaptation of Peter Mayle's book. The presentation is beautiful and Scott's mastery is there on screen for all to see. Russell Crowe appears to get more of his personality on the screen in a more knock-about role. Enjoyable yet slight.
30th Requiem for a Dream 10 - This film blew me away with the claustrophobic cinematography and editing, the fantastic performance from Ellen Burnstyn and the perfect marriage between score and film.
July
Cinema
3rd Paris Je T'Aime 6 - The dictionary definition of a mixed bag. Some segments were great, others were less successful. I would have preferred less vignettes but some of them to be slightly longer.
7th Die Hard 4.0 7 - Big bold brash old-school action pic which delivered more than the lacklustre trailer promised. Some problems with believability and consistency but fun.
9th Edmond 2 - Dire, Mamet-scripted "thriller". Large parts of the dialogue fall into psycho-babble leaving some scenes almost unintelligable and the rest of the dialogue is either rascist, sexist or homophobic. William H Macy does the best with what little he has given.
16th Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 8 - Some lapses in the acting from some of the younger actors but the effects and the storytelling work well together and there is a good vein of humour running throughout.
21st Hairspray 8 - Catchy music, all-round good performances and fantastic choreography. A pleasant surprise!
28th The Simpsons Movie 7 - Not as good or as consistently funny as one of the very best episode but still pretty good and the performance of Albert Brooks was great.
29th Transformers 8 - The biggest surprise of the summer. It is actually good. Shia LaBeouf does a great job of anchoring the film and the special effects are fantastic.
30th Lonely Hearts 6 - Noirish crime film sees Travolta and Gandolfini hunt down the "Lonely Hearts Killers". Performances are uniformly decent and Salma Hayek, in particular, smolders on screen as a ruthless woman who is desperate for love. What lets the film down is the cliche driven script and shot selection.
Home
1st The Forgotten 6 - An apt name for a film which is likely to suffer a similar fate despite the efforts of Julianne Moore. It was fine but too middle of the road and the paranoid first half beats the more fanciful second half.
14th Freedomland 5 - Joe Roth directs the lacklustre crime movie with an attempt at a message. Nothing in this film really works and neither Julianne Moore or Samuel L. Jackson really click into gear.
14th Suspect Zero 6 - Slow-burn serial killer flick with some interesting editing and camerawork but the story never really holds up.
21st Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 8 - Fun original sports comedy with great performances from Stiller, Vaughn, Taylor and Justin Long. Great cameo from Rip Torn too.
21st Prick Up Your Ears 7 - Gary Oldman puts in a good performance in what is a slightly unwielding biopic of playwright, Joe Orton.
22nd Victim 6 - Undeniably ground-breaking but ultimately, a tad staid with a good performance at the heart from Dirk Bogarde.
23rd The Statement 6 - An odd film. I just didn't understand why all the French people had cockney accents and the story is a tad slight as not all the strands are examined in any great detail.
29th Garden State 9 - This is a fantastic study of grief, guilt, relationships and returning "home" to an area in which you no longer belong. Compulsory viewing for all men in their mid-to-late twenties with good performances from Braff, Portman, Holm and Sarsgaard.
August
Cinema
1st Sherrybaby 6 - A bravura stand-out performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal who performs so naturally and has great chemistry with the other actors in an otherwise rather aimless transient film.
4th The Hoax 9 - A very pleasant surprise. I hadn't expected to like this but in fact, this drama is extremely well paced and features two performances of quality from Richard Gere and Alfred Molina.
7th Brief Encounter 10 - Part of the Summer of British Film season it was a delight to see this film for the first time on the big screen. It is such a simple tale of love but one which is created with so much craftsmanship and the dialogue is superb.
10th The Walker 7 - Schrader's dialogue is crisp even if not all of his punches at the Bush administration are landed. Universally good performances particularly from Harrelson and Bacall.
12th Licence to Wed 6 - Moore and Krasinski make a very likeable pairing for a romantic comedy and while it is not the most hilarious comedy Robin Williams does get a few choice lines.
15th Evan Almighty 4 - Sadly its just not funny and Steve Carell can't make up for it, his performance is too big as a result. The script is abject and the joke of Morgan Freeman as God has gone stale. Put simply a sequel we didn't need.
18th The Bourne Ultimatum 8 - Good intelligent thriller with slightly more realistic action. The acting is uniformly good but some parts still somewhat underwritten (Julia Stiles again). The action is good but often on the overly-frenetic side so it is difficult to work out what is going on.
21st Eagle vs Shark 6 - An odd one this. There are parts of this film which are laugh out loud hilarious but too often it falls flat and there are parts which feel ripped off from Napoleon Dynamite. An interesting but somewhat flawed indie.
29th Seraphim Falls 7 - Essentially a chase movie but one which works due to the intense presences of Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan on screen and their interplay. Nice cinematography aids the story but it falls down a bit in the final third.
30th Knocked Up 9 - This is how to make a romantic comedy which appeals to both men and women. Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl make a very likeable central pairing, the supporting characters are well rounded and the script is good. Whilst this is not as laugh-out-loud funny as 40 Year Old Virgin, Apatow does a great job of mixing gross-out and sweet.
31st Breach 8 - Well written espionage thriller with a stand-out performance of real strength from Chris Cooper.
Home
2nd A Perfect Murder 5 - Disappointing sub-Hitchcockian thriller with Gwyneth Paltrow in full-on pout mode and Michael Douglas in murderous Gordon Gekko mode.
3rd The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 8 - Innovative crime drama with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw which does a great job of ratcheting up the tension.
5th Wild At Heart 6 - I have never really "got" the films of David Lynch and this, I fear, is another. Deliciously vicious performance from Willem Dafoe.
13th The Interpreter 6 - Kidman and Penn give reasonably believable performances but the narrative is rather convoluted and doesn't hold together in the final third.
13th A Prairie Home Companion 6 - How you react to this film will probably largely depend upon how you react to Garrison Keillor. Personally, I found his rather languid delivery somewhat frustrating. Despite this, there are flashes of narrative brilliance and quality direction from Altman. Kevin Kline stands out of the ensemble cast.
19th Dear Wendy 6 - Vinterberg takes America to task over its love affair with the gun. Jamie Bell performs well but the anytime anywhere staging makes the film somewhat unclear and the story lacks in the heart and in the mind departments.
19th Domestic Disturbance 5 - Lacklustre thriller which relies too heavily on type and stereotype. The casting is predictable and cliched as are the characters and the dialogue. Vince Vaughn proved in Psycho that he struggles with thriller parts and his attempt at being the dangerous step-father doesn't work.
23rd Chuck & Buck 6 - Well written and very well acted but such uncomfortable viewing as well. A creepy stalker movie with some laughs along the way.
25th Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) 6 - Fantastic visuals and the inventive subtitling certainly adds something extra but not all of the plotting and narrative convinces.
26th The Night of the Hunter 8 - Extremely creepy but slightly dated. Despite this, there is no denying the power of Robert Mitchum's performance.
27th Jesus Camp 7 - Documentary without a documentarian's voice but instead comes from the "give them enough rope" school of film-making. Probably the most scary protagonists I am likely to see this year.
27th Angel Heart 7 - Bloody and a bit far-fetched but the tortured central performance from Mickey Rourke and the extended cameo of Robert de Niro make this film more than watchable.
September
Cinema
1st 1408 7 - A touch hokey and its scares tend to fall back on the horror standards but it is genuinely creepy and John Cusack makes a likeable lead.
3rd Death Sentence 4 - Disappointing film which piles on the violence in an attempt to distract the audience away from a script which lurches from cliche to cliche. Every Hollywood staple is used here, shamelessly chipping away at other films. This is also the only film with steadicam to make me feel sick - not a positive!
4th Hallam Foe 8 - I liked this, the dialogue was crisp and Jamie Bell gives a performance of real charm making what should be a pretty unlikeable, unsavoury character into a sweet, empathetic and extremely likeable scamp. He is backed up well by Sophia Myles. The ending falls a little flat.
8th Atonement 9 - Beautifully shot with fantastically high production values and superb acting particularly from James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan. Keira Knightley also performs well but occasionally slips into Brief Encounter pastiche.
10th Run, Fat Boy, Run 6 - Some funny moments but overly reliant on slapstick and the stock elements of British comedy - the cameo, swearing grannies and bodily functions. David Schwimmer did a decent job but I can't help feeling that this film would have been better suited to British direction and writing.
15th Superbad 8 - Some moments are hilarious and there are some great moments between Hill and Cera. However, it is slightly uneven and several moments fall flat.
17th 3:10 to Yuma 8 - The epitome of slow-burn. This film creeps up on you as it ratchets up the tension. At the centre of this film are two assured performances from Crowe and Bale who obviously enjoyed the verbal sparing. Nice supporting turns from Foster and Lerman.
18th Shoot 'Em Up 8 - Surprisingly worked quite well - very stylish, Looney Tunes style gun ballet with suitably quick one liners. Owen and Giamatti have tongues firmly in cheek.
Home
1st In Her Shoes 7 - Wonders will never cease, a well written chick flick! A fine central performance from Cameron Diaz with good support from Toni Colette and Shirley Maclaine.
3rd The Quick and the Dead 8 - I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Stylistically impressive with nice camerawork and with great performances from Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman and a scene-stealing performance from a young Leo diCaprio.
8th The Mexican 5 - Poor script, irritating performance from Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt is better but a tad smug. The saving graces of this film are Gandolfini who is excellent, Gene Hackman and Bob Balaban.
8th 8mm 6 - Grubby film but Schumacher's direction is apt for the tone of the film. The film lacks the subtlety of Andrew Kevin Walker's previous screenplay, Seven.
14th Music and Lyrics 6 - Formulaic rom-com with some amusing moments and the performances you would expect from Grant and Barrymore but too many moments are cringeworthily badly written.
15th Domino 2 - Appalling film with a script which is somewhat unintelligable and plays out like a 2 hour trailer. Keira Knightley is hopelessly miscast as a bounty hunter. Put simply, trash!
16th House of Sand and Fog 7 - Well acted and written drama but lacks the emotional impact it needs. Kingsley and Agdashloo are on exceptional form.
October
Cinema
2nd The Brave One 6 - Jodie Foster plays a everyday female "Batman-figure" vigilante in a film which whilst it has nice touches and one particularly brutal scene near the beginning but the film suffers from an overdose of coincidence and inept police work. Terrence Howard plays a neat foil but Foster and Andrews do not make a convincing coupling.
2nd Michael Clayton 7 - Great acting from Clooney, Swinton, Pollack and particularly, Wilkinson elevate what would otherwise be something of a muddle. This film feels like the work of an over active imagination - there are a few too many strands which detract from what could be a simple character study.
6th The Heartbreak Kid 6 - Not a classic from the Farrelly Brothers although it does feature the standard blend of schmaltz and gross-out. Stiller sticks to his usual schtick but Malin Akerman shows she could be the next Cameron Diaz.
6th Control 8 - This is not my type of music and I had little interest in Joy Division but this film is beautifully shot by Corbijn and Riley and Morton put in great performances. Morton does, however, feel a little old for the role and the shooting style is a little static.
7th The Kingdom 7 - Tonally and pace-wise somewhat unbalanced but the film benefits from a strong pre-credit sequence and decent performances throughout with a rich vein of humourous banter. Casting works but feels a little predictable with everyone playing to type.
9th Across the Universe 7 - Somewhat choppy and not all of the parts work but the music of the Beatles and the performances of Evan Rachel Wood and especially Jim Sturgess carry the film. Some of Taymour's direction is inspired.
13th The Invasion 6 - I had looked forward to this and it is a disappointment although not the out-and-out disaster some would have it. Kidman and Craig are ok but not stellar and several scenes feel tacked on.
16th Mr Brooks 7 - This thriller is pretty effective on the jump front and features some fizzing two-handers between an on-form Kevin Costner and consistently great William Hurt but has a little too much going on and struggles to pull the story strands together which detracts from the effectiveness of the main story.
20th Stardust 8 - How could you know like this? This is a film with an awful lot of charm led by Claire Danes and newcomer Charlie Cox with terrific support from Michelle Pfeiffer. The narrative is not fully cohrerent but the dialogue makes up for it.
21st The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (London Film Festival) 9 - Beautifully shot, Malick-esque mood piece with a fantastic performance from Casey Affleck who nails the part of Robert Ford with good turns from Pitt and Rockwell. Narrative is slightly over-reliant on narration.
24th Rendition 6 - Obviously a film with a lot to say but no idea how to say it. Somewhat lacklustre political piece but good performance from Peter Sarsgaard.
28th Eastern Promises 9 - Excellent dialogue, assured confident yet unflashy direction and an impressive lead performance from Viggo Mortensen made this one of my favourites of the year. Anyone who can make me enjoy a performance from Naomi Watts must be doing something right!
Home
6th Funny Games (1997) 8 - Unrelenting film from Haneke in which you never feel at ease and which subverts the Hollywood cliches. All the violence takes place off screen but the unsettling tone is what gets you.
13th Ride With The Devil 6 - Beautifully shot Western with a starry cast but the protagonists never fully convince, particularly Tobey Maguire, and the story never fully engages.
25th Dolores Claiborne 7 - Sombre and a tad glacial but with a strong leading performance from Kathy Bates and good support from David Strathairn.
27th Dirty Harry 10 - The dialogue fizzes with some great one liners and Eastwood puts in a masterful performance as put-upon cop Harry Callaghan. The quintessential police movie.
November
Cinema
9th Elizabeth: The Golden Age 7 - Felt choppy as if large parts had been cut out and the focus feels all wrong. The performances make this film what it is. Cate Blanchett gives a Shakesperian performance.
11th Lions for Lambs 8 - Stagey but the writing is good with some real emotional depth. This is added to by the strength of performances. Both Cruise and Streep give real powerhouse performances that spark off each other.
11th Planet Terror 6 - I didn't get it. The narrative is pretty weak and while it does subscribe to the Grindhouse formula, it did little for me although I liked Freddy Rodriguez performance.
17th Beowulf (3D) 7 - Some great spectacle and good action and I liked the motion capture animation but the dialogue was a bit weak and the story suffers from a bit of lag. Worked well in 3D too.
18th American Gangster 9 - Sublime storytelling with great acting from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Ridley Scott has crafted a piece of quality filmmaking.
18th Silk 5 - Story and dialogue was wishy-washy and the performances feel a tad stilted. The cinematography is picture postcard pretty but it's all style and no substance. It also would have made sense to film in French, n'est pas?
19th Into The Wild 7 - Some of this film strays into Kodak moment territory but McCandless' story is an interesting one. Hirsch is a likeable lead and gets good support from Keener and Holbrook.
24th Sleuth 3 - Disappointing mess. Pinter's dialogue would be more appropriate on stage and the direction and performances feels clinical and smug. Any high points come from Caine.
29th The Darjeeling Limited 10 - This surprised me as although I enjoy Anderson's other work, I have never been blown away until now. There is no shortage of heart in this film which drives us along while the humour ranges from the clever to the slapstick. All three of the main cast perform well, particularly Jason Schwartzman.
Home
2nd Hot Rod 6 - Feels like we've been there, done that. Feels similar to Napoleon Dynamite or Eagle vs Shark. Andy Samberg makes a likeable lead.
7th Disturbia 7 - Interesting premise which is very much like a modern, teen Rear Window. Shia LaBoeuf makes a very likeable leading man and David Morse is also quality. Overly reliant on horror cliche in the final third.
7th I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry 5 - Found myself laughing despite myself, some parts are offensive and others rely on cliched stereotypes but there are some sweet parts.
11th The Gingerbread Man 6 - Muddled Grisham adaptation which wastes talent of the actors and director involved in this Southern Gothic film.
17th Rushmore 8 - Highly amusing film with a soft centre. Schwartzman is superb as Max Fischer and handles the quirky dialogue well with good support from Bill Murray.
23rd Flags of our Fathers 6 - Muddled and disjointed and very much the poor relation of Letters From Iwo Jima but with decent performances from Ryan Phillippe and Adam Beach.
24th Fallen 7 - Formulaic but captivating supernatural crime drama with decent performances from Washington and Goodman.
25th Along Came A Spider 6 - The very definition of a brain-off crime drama centred around the kidnapping of the daughter of a US senator. Freeman is engaging but clearly on autopilot and the plot is far fetched in places.
27th Eyes Wide Shut 7 - Beguiling but also bewildering. This was a dificult film to get a grasp of which is not helped by the frostiness of the chemistry between Cruise and Kidman.
December
Cinema
3rd The Nines 5 - Thinks it's clever but sadly this is an incoherent muddle of a film which gets bogged down in its own ideas or fails to capitalise on others. Ryan Reynolds does a decent job of anchoring the acting roles but Hope Davis was somewhat irritating in a couple of the segments. August also has troubled shoehorning several of the actors in parts of the film.
4th The Magic Flute 7 - The music is beautiful and the performances, particularly of Tomasino and Papageno are very good as is Stephen Fry's libretto but the story feels a tad muddled and unclear in places and Branagh's use of CGI gives the film a slightly childish feel in places.
8th Rescue Dawn 7 - Christian Bale gives a believable performance as Dieter Dengler as does Steve Zahn with his supporting role. Herzog's writing feels rushed to get to the pain and the jungle scenes are a little on the long side.
9th The Golden Compass 4 - Dull narrative, some poor CGI and an annoying over-the-top performance by Dakota Blue Richards made this a frustrating watch alleviated somewhat by a fine performance from Nicole Kidman.
16th We Own The Night 7 - Somewhat anachronistic and familiar themes but the acting is top-notch, particularly Phoenix and there are some moments of real tension.
29th I Am Legend 5 - Weak CGI, corny dialogue, Will Smith lacks the gravitas to pull off the loneliness and weak ending. Not legendary - I an disappointed.
Home
2nd Perfect Stranger 2 - Sub-de Palma thriller in which the performances of Berry and Willis feel completely phoned in and the story and dialogue are ludicrous. Ribisi feels like he is in a different film.
9th Dead Ringers 7 - Jeremy Irons performs well in his dual role but as the film continued I lost track of which character he was playing.
18th Scoop 5 - The style and quick delivery don't suit Johansson and the story is somewhat slight. An acquired taste.
21st The Quiet American 8 - Philip Noyce has crafted a nicely-shot, atmospheric and intelligent drama with a fine central performance from Michael Caine and an understated supporting turn from Brendan Fraser.
22nd The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy 5 - I didn't really get a lot of the humour having not read the book and the film felt somewhat fractious and not completely coherent. Some good points though, particularly Stephen Fry's narration and the dolphin song.
24th Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events 8 - Great kid's entertainment with a fun central performance from Jim Carrey and believable, non-irritating kid's performances. Distinctive visuals and set design too.
25th How The Grinch Stole Christmas 5 - Fairly fun and Jim Carrey does a decent job underneath the make-up but the pacing is too madcap and the whole project feels a bit soulless.
29th How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days 6 - Brain-off enjoyable romantic comedy which actually manages to raise some laughs.
30th Spanglish 7 - Easy to watch rom-com featuring a mature, toned-down performance from Adam Sandler but a wildly OTT performance from Tea Leoni.
Number of films seen in total: 228
Number of films seen at the cinema: 110
Number of films seen at home: 118
Cinema Film of the Month:
 January: Zwartboek (run close by The Last King of Scotland)
 February: Letters from Iwo Jima
 March: The Good German
 April: Half Nelson
.gif) May: Das Leben der Anderen
 June: Ne le dis a personne
 July: Transformers
 August: Knocked Up
 September: Atonement
 October: Eastern Promises
 November: The Darjeeling Limited
 December: We Own The Night
< Message edited by Groovy Mule -- 2/1/2008 10:50:21 AM >
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My Cinema Diary 2007 - 
RE: My Cinema Diary 2007 - 
(Seen Once) 
(Seen Once) 
(Seen Once) 
(Seen Once) 
(Seen Once) 
(Seen Once) 
(Seen Once) 
I adored this film 
Wild horses couldn't drag me back to see this again 
Absolutely love it 
Really good entertainment 
Fairly entertaining 
Watchable, passed some time 
Was that it? 
Avoid at all costs 
Wizard of Oz (8/10) 
Deep Water (7/10) 
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