SPOILERS AHEAD
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Animal Kingdom is a solid Australian crime thriller, which is both perfectly paced and astoundingly acted. It tells the story of teenager 'J' Cody moving in with his Melbourne based extended family after the death of his mother, a family up to their necks in trouble after their involvement in everything from armed robbery to drug pushing. It's J's Grandmother (played by Jackie Weaver) and his Uncles who provide much of the drama in this dark and sizzling movie, with a fantastic turn from Guy Pearce as a detective investigating the family's dealings. It's violent, but those moments are used sparingly to keep us on our toes. James Frecheville, who plays J, is a revelation, who delivers an accomplished performance despite this being his feature film debut. Animal Kingdom is critically acclaimed, and for good reason. It's tense in places, which is often hard to bear, and a compelling watch. 8 / 10.
Tangled (2010)
The second occasion of my regular movie night with my 4 year old sister, Scarlett, had us watching Tangled, a Disney movie that ticks all of the boxes for a classic, princess themed animation (songs, romance, etc). Having grown up with Disney, it's safe to say that this movie is an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of old, but it just didn't work for me. I'd much prefer to re-watch The Little Mermaid, perhaps for nostalgic value. Maybe I'm being stubborn, but I just couldn't get into Tangled. It was refreshing to see Disney putting something out that wasn't a collaboration with Pixar, because I still feel like there is a place in the industry for these cutesy movies that are mainly aimed at the young ladies. Scarlett seemed to enjoy it though, especially the musical moments, which bumps up my score to 6 / 10
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (2010)
Blue Valentine (2010)
I'm not much of a fan of romance on film. I feel like much of the time it follows the fairy tale route. The happy ever after, soul mate, meant to be together, love is beautiful direction that's been done over and over but always seems like the easiest route for romantic comedies, serious romantic dramas or the like. Every once in a while comes a film that takes the more believable, and unfortunately for us, the more truthful version of love and tells a story that is both understandable and uncomfortable at times. In Blue Valentine, it's that latter feeling that comes from feeling like a voyeur as we watch the relationship between a young couple fluctuate from comfortable happiness to pettiness, paranoia and in the end, sheer hatred. The film jumps back and forth, showing these scenes in a jumbled order, but this doesn't take away from the story it is trying to tell. The interaction between the main actors, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, is frank and sincere. I can't remember the last time I believed in an on screen relationship so much. Some may see this movie as miserable and over-dramatic, but it really isn't. If anything, it's just conformation that even when two people want to make things work and be happy, it doesn't always work out that way. An honest account of young love and the trials that face it, Blue Valentine should have won more awards than it did. 8.5 / 10.
Appropriate Adult (2011)
ITV1's 2 part adaptation of the true story of serial killers Fred and Rose West and how they were brought to justice was eerie, intense and told a different point of view on events to previous tellings I had seen. Instead of trying to give a view from the murderers themselves, or the victims, Appropriate Adult centres on Janet Leach, a woman brought by Gloucester Police during their interrogation of Fred to provide support for the accused. It's an exploration into the mind of a killer, but also explains the trials somebody like Janet, a volunteer as said 'appropriate adult' can go through when the grisly details and intensity of the situation gets too much for her to handle. Dominic West was believable and uncanny as Fred, certainly taking centre stage in the drama, driving each scene forwards with his unhinged and baffling attitude towards the girls he killed. Emily Watson's performance as Janet Leach was a bit wet, the same look rarely leaving her face, but I find that with much of her work. This made the second half of the second episode a bit of a bore, as Fred's death left Janet feeling lost and almost unable to go on with giving evidence in Rose's trial. It was intriguing enough and riveting in places, 6.5 / 10.
Green Lantern (2011)
Green Lantern has the potential to be another great movie adaptation from DC, with a talented leading man in Ryan Reynolds and what appears to be a huge budget, but unfortunately it falls flat due to a bad script and a lack of risk taking. It was an enjoyable ride at times but never really went in the direction I wanted it too, and the threat from the main villain (a cloud of energy that eats planets or something, the Paralax) just felt a bit empty. The comedy elements were okay, as were the action sequences, but even the special effects (which were clearly what most of the budget went on) seemed slightly poor in comparison to much of the other superhero movies we've seen this summer (Thor, X-Men First Class, Captain America). I won't be calling out for a sequel! 6 / 10.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
After some recent discussion with friends about our most memorable horror movie experiences, I had the urge to revisit a movie I haven't seen for a number of years, The Blair Witch Project. On its release, it rode a wave of notoriety due to the question marks surrounding the possible genuine nature of the footage, which showed 3 members of a documentary film crew lost in the woods and being terrorised by an unknown force. Since then it's been made clear that it is a work of fiction, but that doesn't take away from the real fear that grips you when you watch certain scenes. Sure, in a world populated by the manufactured scares of Paranormal Activity, the Saw series and the like, many people will find The Blair Witch Project unappealing, but I still really enjoy the atmosphere it creates, despite the fact that there is never a 'big reveal' or defining money shot. 7 / 10.
Grave Encounters (2011)
Talking of manufactured scares, Grave Encounters pulls off every cheap trick in the book to make the viewer terrified, from loud noises and spooky grainy images, which works on a basic level but doesn't strike me as something that will become a part of mainstream culture, like the previously mentioned Blair Witch. That's because it's all been done before. This is just another 'ghost hunting gone wrong' set up, with a documentary crew spending a night in a haunted abandoned mental institute before things take a sinister turn. Sure, I jumped out of my skin a few times, but mainly because the editing was done well enough (along with some soundtrack additions) to create the scares. The direction which the movie took was a simple route and ended up feeling very unoriginal. Enjoyable at the time (in places) but in hindsight, not very good at all, earning it the SHIT MOVIE OF THE MONTH award with a 4.5 / 10.
Drive (2011)
I will be posting a separate blog post for my thoughts on Drive, including a deconstruction of the themes of the movie which is one of my favourites of 2011 so far. Keep an eye out for that, but for now my score for the movie is 9 / 10 and it is my MOVIE OF THE MONTH.
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