The Master (Dir - Paul Thomas Anderson. 2012)

Summary: A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader. 

I really try not to read reviews until I’ve seen a film myself, I mean yeah if I stumble upon Mark Kermode reviewing something on TV I can’t help but watching it but I don’t actively hunt reviews out until after I‘ve seen them. I hadn’t seen/read any reviews for The Master other than a short plot summary which to be honest didn’t give me high hopes, I mean how could anything top There Will Be Blood and why would I enjoy a film exploring the relationship between an Alcoholic and a Cult Leader. I also had the suspicion that I would love Joaquin Phoenix’s character and hate Philip Seymore Hoffman’s role and generally just couldn’t see this working. Well I can honestly say after watching The Master that all my presumptions were wrong and this is a powerhouse of a film.
From the off I hated Phoenix’s character Freddie, everything about Fred is off and unnerving, his actions seem slimy, aggressive and sickly, his posture is wiry and hunched like some evil is eating him from the inside out. Freddie has all the nasty dislikeable qualities of a Bukowski character but with non of the charm and Phoenix is so convincing, committed and awesome in the role I couldn’t help but smile and continue to do so pretty much throughout the whole film.
The story is about being trapped, one by circumstance (the psychological after effects of war) and one by his own creation (by being the leader of a cult he has founded).  I honestly cannot stop thinking about this film, I watched it over 4 weeks ago now and I really cannot articulate how good it is. Not all the best films are based on likable characters and sometimes what makes a film great is that you hate the main characters with passion.

Overall: I want to take you on a slow boat to China. 10/10

Anna Karenina (Dir - Joe Wright. 2012)

Summary: Set in late-19th-century Russia high-society, the aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the affluent Count Vronsky.

This film is beautiful, the set is mostly based on a theatre building, with different parts of the theatre becoming differently locations, it is very clever, I just wish the performances had been as good as the set design. Anyway lets start with the good; I quite enjoyed Jude Law’s performance and it was nice to finally see him play a part where he didn’t have to hide his receding hairline. Aaron Taylor-Johnson was convincing as the womanising Vronsky and I really felt his role mature by the end of the film. Overall I enjoyed the supporting cast (Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald & Domhnall Gleeson) but what spoiled it all was Keira Knightley. Now I don’t normally mind Knightley, I usually quiet like her in period dramas as I think she has an innocence and vulnerability that works well but the role of Anna Karenina was meant to convey love, passion, conflict and madness but all I got was a wet blanket. Thinking back to this, I think I would have preferred it with a different leading lady, maybe Emily Blunt would have been a good choice following her performance in The Young Victoria. I don’t know, Anna Karenina seemed full of promises which it failed to deliver.

Overall: It was stunning but it needed a better leading lady 5/10

Paranorman (Dir - Chris Butler & Sam Fell. 2012)

Summary: A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

I was disappointed with Paranorman; the animation was brilliant, the idea was interesting and I thought it had everything that would made a good kids film that adults would enjoy as well but I was wrong.
Firstly the plot was a little weak and the script lulled in parts. Secondly it just seemed to long, it either needed the story to be padded out more or needed a secondary sub-plot to up the pacing (yes I know this is pretty much the same as my first point but this issue really has to be highlighted). Lastly I felt there were too many references to classic horror films to make it accessible to children, yes the adults in the audiences will appreciate them but the kids will miss the joke and feel left out.

Overall: Disappointing but very pretty 6/10

Magic Mike (Dir - Steven Soberbergh. 2012)

Summary: A male stripper teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women, and make easy money. 

How did this get any good reviews? I guessed the whole plot within 10 minutes and does anyone really find Matthew McConaughey attractive? It has non of the charm of The Full Monty or Coyote Ugly and all of the horrible in your face-ness of Striptease or Showgirls. Soberbergh has not done a good film since Traffic and even though I was ill while watching this it was still a massive waste of time.

Overall: Please don’t watch this. Predictable and bad throughout, Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello's abs are honestly not worth the effort 2/10

Argo (Dir - Ben Affleck. 2012)

Summary: Argo is a 2012 American thriller film, based loosely on an account published in 2007 of the "Canadian Caper", in which Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

Dear Ben Affleck,  

Having just seen Argo I felt I had to write you this letter to apologise for the horrible comments I have made regarding your past work. In the past I may have referred to you as a hack, described your acting skills as wooden and your emotional range as goldfish-like. I have also, in the past at every opportunity, compared your inadequate acting skills to the greatly underrated & vast talent your brother Casey has consistently demonstrated throughout his career. Dear Ben Affleck I am sorry and I promise this bad mouthing of you will not continue. 

I have to admit the turning point in my opinion of you was your directorial début Gone Baby Gone, it was brilliant. It was such a beautiful film noir I think I told everyone I know to watch it. The came The Town which, to be honest was not as good as Gone Baby Gone but it did show stylistic versatility. The Town was good and I think the most interesting element about it was seeing just how much your acting had changed for the positive with you self directing. 

So lets gets finally talk about Argo, it is excellent, I really cannot remember the last time a film had me on the edge of my seat so much. The casting was inspired, the comic relief of John Goodman and Alan Arkin, the doubt and tension created by Scoot McNairy and there was you with all your brooding quiet intelligence. The tone this political thriller was fantastic and I really believed I was in the early 80s. I had been worried going into the cinema that it would be too dramatic, over the top and fast paced but Argo slowly builds, drawing you into the character developments and the subtle suspense.

Overall: I think I've done enough ass kissing and Argo is a masterpiece 10/10

Yours Sincerely,

Rachel Durance

Prometheus (Dir - Ridley Scott. 2012)

Summary: Prometheus is set in the late 21st century and centers on the crew of the spaceship Prometheus as they follow a star map discovered among the remnants of several ancient Earth cultures. The crew, seeking the origins of humanity, arrive on a distant world and discover an advanced civilization and a threat that could cause the extinction of the human race.

Well I somehow managed to watch this twice at the cinema, once in 3D IMAX and once in 2D. Firstly I just want to say that the 3D was a massive waste of time, 30% colour loss, horrible focus issues (I missed out on all the lovely Giger-esque background art) and messy jerky action sequences made watching in 3D jarring to say the least. Needless to say I enjoyed the 2D much more.

I love the feel of this film all gloomy, stark and post-apocalyptic, I expected it to be Alien and there is just a strong nod to what is to come (this is after all a prequel), but isn’t too over the top. I feel like it’s hard to talk about this film without giving too much away, it is beautifully shot, the sets and scenery are gorgeous and I thought the casting was wonderfully done.

From the opening sequence Scott has the audience asking ‘Why are we here?’ and ‘Where did we come from?’ and continues to escalate these themes as the film continues. I felt throughout that the script intelligently held back information, it doesn’t answer every question raised but it has the perfect level of mystery and guidance to let your mind wander to create your own answers.

As I’ve said above the casting was brilliant and I was (as always) particularly impressed with Scott’s strong female leads Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron but as much as I hate to gloss over the lead actresses, the real standout performance was Michael Fassbender as a replicant obsessed with Laurence Olivier. Fassbender effectively balances the role between evil mastermind and minion/servant that I didn’t know if I wanted him to succeed or fail. Everything from Fassbender’s mannerisms, speech and eye contact get under your skin bringing a consistent sense of anxiousness into the mix which offsets the other characters beautifully.

Overall: If Fassbender doesn’t get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor I will be very disappointed but Prometheus just needed something more to make it truly excellent 7/10.

So it's been a while.....

So my Film Awards Season blog re-opens for business and is undergoing a few changes this year. Firstly I will no longer be focused on the Oscars and instead looking more towards the BAFTAs, the reason for this is that based on the past few years the BAFTAs have included what I honestly believe to be a better, well rounded selection of films in their nominations, BAFTA include more 1st time directors, more independent films, have British film awards and in my opinion, buy less into the Hollywood studio marketing campaigns.

Secondly I have changed my film scoring system to being out of 10, the reason for this is that I think the score out of 5 system didn’t effectively reflect what was a good film and what was a great film. Take for example The Idles of March that I gave 4/5 to last year; while comes across as a strong score it could also be interpreted as an amazing score. The fact is that if I had reviewed The Idles of March with the out of 10 system I probably would have only given it a 7/10, it was good don’t get me wrong, but it just wasn’t unique, touching or special enough to justify a higher score.

Thirdly I am going to try, I mean really try this year to cover more films then in my previous 2 years, which is why I’m starting to review films in November instead of after Christmas.

Lastly if you disagree with anything, agree with anything or just want to nag me to review something I haven’t got round to yet, leave a comment. I know my opinions are not the be all and end all of reviews and I would love to hear what you think. Who knows maybe I’ve missed something or interpreted a moment in a different way, if you think this is the case let me know.