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Forgetting Sarah Marshall

As far as comedies go, this is definitely one of the better ones. The actors are great, the story is fun and interesting, the location is new and fresh and the emotions feel genuine. It's just one of those movies that you watch to make yourself feel happy. It is not, however, a movie that you put on to learn about how real life works. There aren't really any useable lessons about breakups in this flick, nor are there any real lessons about relationships: it's all about the entertainment, so it sticks to predictability. Despite that, it never feels stale or "factory-produced", much like Knocked Up and The 40-Year Old Virgin.

Only one real solution for dealing with breakups is ever given (other than "be lucky", I guess), and the rest of the film is based around building up motivation for it. The solution? Go out and do something!

In a sentence:

A top-notch comedy that is very motivational, funny and entertaining. Having actors like Bell, Curtis and Segel certainly doesn't hurt either!

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Michael Jackson's This Is It

Well, as sad as it is that the actual "This Is It" show never happened, this is pretty much the best thing we can get, now. The documentary is very thorough in showing preparation, set design, and of course Jackson's health and mentality, and gives a pretty great idea of how incredible these shows would have been. The editing makes the best of the available footage, which isn't always of very good quality, but is always watchable and never impertinent.

There is one downside. A big part of watching this is to see how well MJ still performed days before his death. This being rehearsal footage, we never get to see him at his 100%: he always mentions that he is saving his voice and energy for the real shows. Despite this, no doubt is left that MJ was still quite on top of his game by the end of the movie. His rehearsal of Billy Jean in particular is incredible for a 50 year old: the fact remains that even at 60% effort, he remains an incredible showman.

In a sentence:

Tells you everything you can know about what MJ's This Is It show would have been like. Answer: incredible.

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Sideways

This film is a very smart and very character-driven road movie, which explores the surprisingly interesting and deep world of wine. It also spends a lot of time exploring the two main characters' bad personality traits, and the effects on the two female secondary characters, in a surprisingly human and deep way. The acting is absolutely brilliant, the writing is subtle yet precise, and the cinematography does justice to the beauty of Californian wine country.

A great and intelligent movie to watch if the somewhat tame subject matter doesn't scare you.

In a sentence:

Incredible acting and great writing are aplenty in this very deep and emotional character piece.

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Up In The Air

What made this film so interesting to me was that it explores themes, dreams and values that I can really relate to at this point, such as traveling and isolation. In terms of analyzing this lifestyle, the movie raises more questions than it gives answers. In the end, it's up to the viewer to decide which philosophy makes the most sense, which is pretty cool.

Then you've got the acting, which is phenomenal across the board, and the writing, which is witty and seems to have a perfect understanding of its characters, and people in general. Cinematography-wise, it's generally pretty subtle, but it works well.

In a sentence:

A fascinating look and analysis of the frequent flyer and isolated businessman, along with a few other lifestyles, all wrapped in great writing, acting and cinematography.

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Right, well, as you can guess from pretty much any marketing material from this film, this is a very very strange movie. The backstory slowly gets unfolded and explained throughout the movie, but even at the end of it, it is insane. Still, somehow, Gilliam manages to keep it all together and understandable, even believable at parts. In the end, the story doesn't really leave you with anything at all; it's more about the journey than anything else.

Heath Ledger's last performance, however, is only "good", and hardly as memorable as the Joker. Still, the other actors play their parts wonderfully (I especially liked the guy playing the Devil), and the cameos from Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp to fill in Ledger's missing bits make a surprising amount of sense.

In a sentence:

An insane movie that nonetheless stays faithful to its own reinvented logic, with some great performances and some mediocre ones. It is a fairy tale for adults and druggies.

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Sherlock Holmes

This is surprisingly great for what could have been a complete disaster to reboot! What really stands out is Robert Downey Jr.'s acting, which is hilarious, fascinating, eccentric and witty all at the same time. He is complimented very well by Jude Law, and the chemistry between the two is about as good as it gets. The plot and writing are both markedly above-average for a popcorn flick, with some pretty good intrigue and an ending that successfully wraps up everything with a bit of nostalgia. The action and cinematography are both top-notch and original, and fit surprisingly well with all the Sherlock Holmes detective work.

Definitely one to watch, especially if you're into the whole Poe, macabre 1800s London thing.

In a sentence:

One of the best reboots I've seen so far, with wonderful acting, cinematography, pacing, action and a better-than-expected plot.

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Funny People

This is a strange movie. It seems like it'll be a comedy, but it's actually a drama with one or two jokes thrown in. It seems like it'll be a short-and-sweet type of thing, but it's actually very long and very drawn out, with two entirely different sections of the story (before and after he learns that he's not going to die). And most of all, it seems like it'll be pretty entertaining like Judd Apatow's previous films, but it's actually horribly dull.

The performances are pretty decent, but at no point does this film feel even remotely pertinent or meaningful. It's just about following Adam Sandler around as he goes through a series of mostly mundane things. There is never really any point, and any attempt at being poignant and emotional fails quietly.

Still, it's not a bad film; I can kind of see what the director was going for initially... it's just that whatever that was, he didn't succeed, and ended up with this instead.

In a sentence:

Ridiculously drawn out, dull and uninteresting, but with some decent performances and otherwise good writing.

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Avatar

Sweet friggin' mother of giant rabid monkeys on chocolate-covered sticks in HELL!! This movie's visuals are beyond words. Every single shot has you nearly in tears at how gorgeous it is. The 3D, which feels a bit odd at first, eventually becomes a gigantic visual boost that actually serves the experience instead of being gimmicky. The actual design of the world, the fauna and flora, the Na'vi and every other tiny thing in the movie is incredibly intricate and complete. There is enough material hinted at in this movie to make a whole saga (Star Wars, anyone?) without running out of ideas and new things to explore. The acting of the Na'vi is now perfectly on par with actual humans in terms of believability (the main female protagonist is in fact probably the most lifelike character in the film), thanks to advanced motion capture and rendering.

The main criticism everyone has had with this film is the story, mainly pertaining to the fact that it's basically a rehashing of existing ideas. Personally, I don't give a rat's ass if the story elements or structure are not totally new if the emotional and narrative effect is nonetheless positive. I really managed to connect to the world and feel for the characters, and I feel nostalgic about the movie as I write this, which tells me that the story did something right. I'd compare it to Star Wars, which was also a rehashing of age-old story structures and elements... but it's a rehashing done right, damn it, and that's worthy of some praise as well!

This will probably be the first movie that I will see three times in theatres, because after all, the experience of watching this in 3D in HD on a large screen won't be achievable in living rooms for another few years. Somehow, something feels historic about this flick, and I'm not going to miss out on that!

Now bring on the sequel!

In a sentence:

A new cinematic milestone that will likely become the Star Wars of the new millennium. Possibly better.

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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

First of all, the movie poster for this is awful, so don't let that subconsciously affect your opinion. In reality, the cinematography in this film is incredibly artful and beautiful to look at. The writing is also extremely advanced, which results in a certain level of difficulty understanding what is going on and what the characters are saying (concentration is a must), but I found it to be more of a challenge than an annoyance. At any rate, when you do understand, it's a lot of fun: the chemistry between Kilmer and Downey Jr. is fantastic, as is their acting, and the narrator breaks the fourth wall constantly which adds a lot to this film's originality and quirkiness. Thematically, this is a very dark film, but the humour and the characters end up making this more of a light-hearted affair. This is a great film to watch if you're looking for something intelligent and mature, but funny and original.

In a sentence:

Incredible cinematography, original and quirky writing and fantastic acting make this one of the best Noire films I've seen.

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Death At A Funeral

This is a fantastic british black comedy, and is one of those little gems that never really got the attention it deserved. It's also getting an american remake with all african american characters, which kind of goes to show that this was maybe a little too smart for some. It's very much a crescendoing movie: it starts out calmly funny, and gradually ascends into total insanity. I rarely laugh out loud when I watch something by myself, but some parts of this had me holding back bursts of laughter. There's just something about British humour that gets to me, especially when it is so flawlessly acted as this film. Definitely one to watch if you're looking for some smart, insane and very dark comedy.

In a sentence:

Very funny and very crazy movie that features some top-notch acting and a definite British flair.

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

While this looks like just another cash grab generic family movie, this is in fact loads of fun and reminded me a lot of my simpler elementary school days when history and science were actually fun. Although the story itself is rudimentary at best, the characters, jokes, simplified history and science references and personality of this movie more than make up for it. It's just one of those movies that you just can't finish watching without a smile on your face.

In a sentence:

Although it is simplistic and spews out a lot of commonly accepted falsities, this is one of those rare movies that manages to make you feel like a kid again.

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Law Abiding Citizen

This is certainly an entertaining movie, what with all the ridiculous death scenes and Gerard Butler's total badassism, but that's pretty much it for this flick. It does hurl the "the justice system is corrupt!" message at you pretty much continually, which I guess is a good thing to do, ignoring the fact that subtlety is thrown out the window. And when comes the time to explain how the guy has been pulling off everything during the movie, the writers have backed themselves into such a tight corner that the answer is just as ridiculous and over the top as everything else before it.

It's worth watching as entertainment, but it still comes off as a failed attempt at being poetic.

In a sentence:

Cool acting from Butler, intense death scenes, good cinematography, but just... silly.

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon

While the first Twilight was a good example of what teenage movies should be, this one dipped a little too far into cheesiness for me to not consider it subpar. It was certainly entertaining enough, and the base story was pretty good, but somewhere along the de-shirting, lip-biting and uncontrolled shaking and sobbing, this film lost any pretence of being anything other than a chick flick. There's nothing wrong with that, but, you know, I'm a dude. It's a good excuse for a night out with some friends, but this isn't going to be winning any awards. Just a shitload of money.

In a sentence:

Contains some moments cheesy enough to make the theatre audience laugh, but otherwise puts a pretty decent twist on a formulaic love story, with some light action thrown in for good measure.

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Assassin's Creed II

So, I beat this 18-hour game in three days thanks to having the flu. It is without a sliver of doubt my GOTY. First, let me say this to those of you that weren't that impressed by AC1: every single thing that wasn't balls-out awesome from the first game is now either gone or replaced by something that is, with a bunch of extra balls-out awesome things thrown in. I could list them all here, but that'd take so much space that you'll have to take my word for it that this is way, way, WAY better than AC1. The story is also leagues ahead this time: somehow, throughout all the hidden glyphs and documents and actual story elements, it answers EVERY question from AC1, but then poses new ones which hold even greater potential. Of course in AC style, it does so with the help of a really mean cliffhanger, but that's ok because it's an awesome one.

I will now try to find some downsides to this game. Uh, the map is slightly sluggish when you have too much stuff on it. I got stuck in a wall once. It's not Zooey Deschanel. I dunno.

Seriously, this isn't just what AC1 should have been, it's what I'd always hoped it'd be.

In a sentence:

My 2009 GOTY: they took all of the good stuff of AC1, and then totally reworked everything to bring this game into the pantheon of all-time classics.

*January '10 update: After playing Uncharted 2, this has been bumped to my 2009 GOTY runner up!

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2012

This movie takes every disaster movie cliché ever, dumps it into one big mosh pit, then waddles around in it for 2 hours and a half. Fortunately, one of those clichés is super awesome special effects, which means that despite having terrible everything, it is extremely entertaining most of the time. Unfortunately, another one of the clichés is losing steam near the ending, and this movie certainly does: by the end of it, the action is slow, unimpressive and very overdrawn. And of course, nothing makes any sense.

In a sentence:

Ridiculously entertaining for the destruction sequences, but otherwise, don't expect anything other than total rubbish.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Right, well, judging by the sales figures, you've played this already, so I'll be brief. The single player is the most cinematic FPS experience ever created, as well as the most epic, and is absolutely thrilling from beginning to (way too early) end. Said ending is also one of the best "boss fights" in an FPS ever. The multiplayer is exactly the same that we've seen in CoD4 and CoD5, but with a few new things and a polished off experience. The Special Ops is surprisingly fun, with the stealth and sniping missions being some of the best Coop play out there.

But you know this already, don't you?

In a sentence:

The best CoD yet, and a new benchmark for FPS. The single player is short, but a must-play.

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Pirate Radio

Original UK title: "The Boat That Rocked". This is a pretty special film, that caters almost exclusively to 60s and 70s music fans and rebel-types. Basically, a combat between uptight, evil politicians and maverick, badass rock n' roll fans is depicted, with drugs, sex and alcohol being the prevalent themes throughout. It'll take you back to that crazy we're-changing-the-world 60s feeling, but in a decidedly british way, with some pretty decent humour in the background and some really fantastic acting all around. It has its share of badass moments, and is generally a film that you will take a lot from.

On the other hand, it's bloody long, and extremely caricaturistic. You could have switched the main bad guy for Darth Vader without much hurting the believability of the film. Also, in real life, radio pirates in the 60s were much more opportunistic and profiteering and morally grey than these guys, who are depicted as good-hearted but dirty badasses. And although the film is really long and has some dull moments, it somehow manages to contribute to the feeling of living with these people for months and months, and makes it that much more memorable if you can keep your focus.

In a sentence:

Extremely nostalgic, very well acted and good-hearted, but very long and unrealistic. It's a great feel-good film for 60s and 70s music fans.

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Borderlands

This is one of the bigger video game surprises of the year for me; the level of polish and depth in this game was far beyond what I expected, and I had no trouble playing this for hours on end without getting bored, which is a rare feat for me.

Essentially, this is like Diablo in FPS form in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with Unreal Engine 3 cell-shaded graphics. The main idea of the game is to level up, gather loot, kill bigger enemies, and basically just grind your way to the top. That sounded a bit dull to me at first, but then I realized that when you slap this type of gameplay in an FPS, it actually ends up feeling fresh and motivating. You can really see the difference when you find new guns or level up. Slap on Coop and a surprisingly decent story, and you've got a winner.

Now, the main disappointment for me was the ending. There's a pretty major and difficult battle to the top of a snowy volcano, and then when you finally get to what the whole game has been building up to, you get a quick and confusing ending that isn't explained at all. I suppose that means that DLC will explain it, but it was still pretty disappointing. Also, as good as this game is, it isn't revolutionary in any sense of the term: it merely mashes together pre-existing genres and mechanics into a well-polished whole.

Still, one of the best Coop experiences of the year, so far.

In a sentence:

Surprising levels of polish, depth and fun, but ends rather oddly and doesn't really push any boundaries.

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(500) Days Of Summer

Man, I'm being really generous with the five stars as of late, but what can I say, I've been seeing a lot of fantastic movies! This particular movie shoots straight to being my favourite Romance ever by a gigantic margin, and would also have to be included in my top 20 movies of all time. It is genius from start to finish, although I expect it would only appear so to certain people.

Basically, it's a realistic "love story" that actually has the guts to teach the one end-all-be-all lesson about relationships that all other Romance films are too scared to address. If you've actually been taught this lesson yourself, then the film is twice as poignant, which is why some people might not find it as ingenious as I did. At the same time, I think everyone can appreciate and agree with what is told here.

Add to that the oscar-worthy acting (with Zooey Deschanel involved, no less), the extremely cunning script, the ingenious editing and titles and you get the best Romantic movie we'll probably ever see.

Now that I've hyped it up so much, though, you might expect something mind boggling when you watch it. Don't. It isn't. In fact, minimalism and humbleness are its defining features, which for me actually contributed greatly to the anti-hollywoodism (no crying in a torrential downpour, for instance, or running after a train, etc.). Still, if you look carefully, there is much to be found here.

In a sentence:

Probably the only Romance you'll ever need. Not afraid to tell you the truth, and it does so with genius acting, writing and editing.

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Dogma

This was my first Kevin Smith film, and I was pleasantly surprised. The subject of religion was handled excellently through some well-written sarcasm and irony, without really holding back. In fact, not holding back is basically this film's striking feature: swearing is abundant, blood is plentiful, and sex and fart jokes are certainly not lacking. Still, it retains a certain amount of taste and intelligence in such matters, which also shows in the maturity of its opinions on religion. Finally, for movie enthusiasts like myself, noticing the references or the funny casting choices was icing on the cake; one line in particular after a character is thrown off a train made me burst out in laughter. Basically, this is a great comedy to watch if you can handle the potentially offensive subject matter, and if you can appreciate all the pop-culture references.

In a sentence:

A intentionally crude, but intelligent and funny film that explains its views very well through the great writing and the awesome casting and acting.

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GTA IV

So, yeah, I finally beat this game, precisely one year, six months and five days after its release. Way too long, I know, but it's still quite significant, as this is the first GTA game I've finished, despite having played GTA3, Vice City and San Andreas to a minimum of 75% story completion. For someone with an attention span like mine, finishing a game as long as this one takes a heck of a lot of will, and this particular instalment somehow kept me motivated (albeit with some month-long pauses in between).

What has always made GTA games really stand out for me is atmosphere. In San Andreas, it was cruising along the highway on a motorcycle with some 90s music and a cool, foggy California coast alongside, or trying to scrap together a living in a garage in downtown San Francisco, or riding along the strip in a convertible with lights flashing everywhere. The environments have always been incredibly alive, and essentially the closest games have ever gotten to real life for me. The similarities are such that somehow my memories of moments in the game have the same nostalgia attached to them as memories from my own life. It's really quite unique.

And of course, the current-gen production values of GTA IV brought this to a new level. At one point, I discovered cab rides that allowed you to watch out of the window as you headed for your destination, and from that point on I started taking them almost every time without skipping. The city was just that beautiful to look at, and I'd always see new, interesting and funny things. Factor in the absolutely masterful writing, voice acting, animation, cinematography and design of the story, and I really got attached to the characters, which made the tough choices about revenge, money and family later on in the game essentially the most morally troubling situations I've ever faced in a game.

Now, of course, there are some flaws. First of all, characters call you up every now and then to hang out and go to a bar, or play some pool, and so on, which gets really annoying as it serves no real purpose other than getting an achievement for keeping everyone happy until the end of the game. Eventually, I just started ignoring everyone, which went against the point of the system (making it feel like you have a social network instead of just mission-giving waypoints). Also, the controls felt really smooshy and imprecise, and although I got used to it, it never quite stopped being a hindrance.

The main negative aspect of this game, though, would have to be lack of originality. GTA games have been pretty much the same thing since GTA3, although progressively better and more complete. San Andreas tried a lot of new things, and although not all of it worked, it was still fresh and fun. With GTA IV, it seems like Rockstar has basically perfected the formula without taking too many chances. The result is an AAA game, but I'm now really looking forward to seeing what new things they can bring to the table next time around.

In a sentence:

The definitive GTA experience; perfect in nearly every way, but it stops short of revolutionizing the genre.

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Being John Malkovich

I guess the best way to describe this would be "intelligently insane". From start to finish, this is pretty much maxed out in weirdness, very much like writer Charlie Kaufman's later film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, only weirder. On the other hand, though, it's very psychologically deep and has some of the best performances of 1990s cinema (I was surprised when I learned that one of the main characters really was Cameron Diaz, and not just someone that really looked like her. ), along with beautiful imagery. It's very much a poetic film.

On the other hand, and although this is on purpose, all the focus being on originality and apparent randomness makes the film lack a certain level of cohesion. It's kind of like taking some sort of drug and seeing lots of crazy and mind-warping stuff, but then waking up in a stranger's backyard pool and wondering how and why you got there.

In a sentence:

Mind-bending, entirely unique, amazingly acted, precisely directed, and is basically the filmmaking equivalent of a poem: soak it in, analyze it, define its meaning, and move along.

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Moon

This is one of those movies that I felt like giving a 4 to, but knew that the rating had to be a 5. The thing is, it's pretty masterfully done, especially considering the budget, and is one of the more intelligent and complete SciFis of the decade. Why did I feel it deserved a 4, then? Dunno. It just didn't reach me as much as other movies have, for some reason.

The first thing you will notice is that this draws heavy influences from 2001: A Space Odyssey, except without the acid. Well, maybe a little bit of it, or just some pot, or something, as the film is still somewhat mind-bending, but always retains a solid storyline that follows logic and doesn't go crazy and start shooting random colours at you. There is a pretty big twist in the story, but it is given away near the beginning, and the rest of the movie is spent exploring the new situation. One of the things that make this so good, other than originality, is the detail and the possibility for thematic and ethical analysis; a lot of little things are present which make you think about a situation a lot more than you would have otherwise. It all feels very calculated.

And of course, the cinematography is great, the acting is superb, the editing is precise and creative and the pacing is spot-on. I guess the ending could've been better, but that's really just being overly critical. Basically, if you like deep, thought-out and original Sci-Fi, you can not allow yourself to miss this movie.

In a sentence:

One of the most original and intelligent Sci-Fi films of the decade, demonstrating that brilliant acting, editing, directing and writing are all possible on a small budget.

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Surf's Up

Yup, crazy huh? To be frank, I didn't see that coming either; I was just in it for the penguins. At that, it certainly delivers, with some of the cutest baby penguins ever being plentiful throughout. Plus, the other characters were all pretty awesome too, notably the chicken and the small long-legged bird thing. And of course, the voice talent was excellent all around with the top 3 standouts being Zooey Deschanel, Jeff Bridges and Shia Labeouf. But that's all stuff that you'd find in a generic kids' CGI movie. And this movie has a lot more to it than that.

First and most obvious is the documentary style that is used to great effect here. It really gives it a fresh, new and most of all original feel, with the camera crew actually being an (unseen) character, "real" camera effects like grain or fisheye being used during some scenes, interviews with pretty much all of the characters and TV sequences and old (in the narrative) footage being shown.

Then, you've got the wonderful exploration of different themes from the surfer lifestyle, that leaves you guessing as to what will happen and what the actual moral of the story will be in the end. Now, my fascination with said themes might have a lot to do with my enjoyment of the film, so be aware of that... Still, I think everyone has something to learn from it.

Finally, this is a visually stunning piece of art. Water and waves glimmer as sunlight shines through, or crash and explode into white flurries on the arctic coast. The environments are truly used to full effect, and supplemented by the great animation, design and facial emotions.

So while it may look like just another talking animal CGI formulaic adventure, this is actually full of heart and very unique. It might not have Pixar's thematic and emotional subtlety, but it makes up for it with other, newer strengths.

In a sentence:

A fresh and original take on the fascinating surfing subculture, with gorgeous imagery and freaking penguins!

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Brütal Legend

Let me start off by saying that this is one of the best designed and written games of the past few years. The world, characters, story, script and general atmosphere are off-the-charts awesome, and will make this one of the more memorable gaming experiences of this console generation.

It's a shame, then, that the gameplay isn't quite up to snuff. It all starts out pretty perfectly with some fun but basic hack and slash action, mixed with a cool "guitar solo" feature and some racing, leaving lots of open room for some cool... RTS action? What?

Although it's all introduced piece by piece pretty masterfully, the whole real-time strategy sections still just feel out of place, in addition to feeling overly simplified. The tools given to you to control your large force are rudimentary at best, and although I only had trouble with the final boss battle, it still ends up being sometimes frustrating to use.

Then you've got the free roaming, which is awesome because of the world, but the tasks you're given to do are the same 4 repeated over and over and over again. It would've been nice to see some variety. Plus, the map only allows waypoints on side quests and stores, and the navigation aid is reduced to "head for the giant column of light while checking your map every 10 seconds to make sure you're not heading into a ditch".

Still, these issues are mostly annoyances, and are certainly not game-breaking. It's just a shame that they're there considering the fact that this could've been an absolute masterpiece with some more variety and some better tools.

In a sentence:

Godlike design, characters, voice work and writing, but disappointing gameplay.

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