Blog: A great year for film (From The Argus)

Blog: A great year for film

4:17pm Thursday 18th December 2008

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OK, so I am a geek. I don't play Warcraft. Princess Leia isn't on the top of my babe list. But I am a geek nonetheless.

I watch films all the time. ALL the time. I got a job at a cinema 10 years ago to save myself money and they still can’t get rid of me.

I have seen 90 new releases this year so far; some good and some bad. Now I’m writing this blog, it's my job to watch them so you don't have to.

I will be here to guide you through what you should see at cinemas in the coming months.

I have decided to kick off with a bit of an end of year round up today. Mainly because there isn't much on at the moment and it doesn’t look like anything released in the next three weeks will be in my top ten in any way, shape or form.

It’s been a great year for film. There have been a lot of fantastic movies released. Some of them made money and some of them didn’t. Some very bad films also made a lot of money. This happens every year and I never quite understand it!

My top three movies of the year are WALL E, There will be Blood and The Dark Knight. I don’t really know what order to put them in so I won’t bother but all 3 are instant classics that should crop up on best-of-all-time lists from now on. Great performances, great stories and fantastic visuals - I would recommend all them to just about anybody. There will be Blood can be a bit of a tough watch if you are not used to the style of filmmaking but it is definitely worth trying.

Other films I have enjoyed this year are:

Kung Fu Panda - Really funny with a touching story and possibly the best action sequence of the year in the prison escape scene.

Juno - A great comedy drama that felt honest and never underestimated the viewer or became too schmaltzy. I know kids don’t really talk like this in real life. That’s the point!

Gone baby Gone - Effective and gritty drama directed by Ben Affleck. Casey Afffleck is great in the central role and is proving to be one to watch out for.

Persepolis - Animation based on an awesome Graphic novel. A humorous story abut a girl growing up in Iran. Looks brilliant and is much funnier than it sounds.

Cloverfield - Loved this despite the hype. Short and sweet at about 1hr 15mins but was always intriguing and thrilling with some great setpieces. Especially the subway sequence.

[Rec] - Remade as Quarantine, which is currently doing the rounds. This was a really bloody scary horror film. A spanish film set in a tower block which becomes quarantined when a mysterious virus is unleashed. You guessed it - zombies again!

Hellboy 2 - Outside of The Dark Knight, this was my favourite of the summer Blockbusters. Funny, action-packed and inventive. What more could you ask for?

There are always disappointments in the film world, and this year was no exception. The Happening was simply dreadful, but worth a good giggle, which is more than can be said for the laughter free Mike Myers effort The Love Guru. What happens in Vegas and You dont mess with the Zohan were utterly turgid attempts at comedies. Aliens Vs Predator 2: Requiem was a slap in the face for fans of either franchise. 10,000 BC was a huge let down from a usually bombastic and entertaining director.

There were also disappointments with Indiana Jones (just not good enough), National Treasure 2 (boring), Quantum of Solace (No Fun) and Prince Caspian (Too long).

I will be back to keep you updated with new film releases as when they appear. If you agree or disagree or want to tell me something then please let me know by leaving comments below. I welcome the feedback of any film fans.

Until next time,

James