Top 50 Films of 2012: No.40 - 31

Here we are into the second part of our journey with a mixture of big budget favourites and some smaller films you may not have seen.

The Amazing Spider-Man 
Director: Marc Webb

Kicking off a trio of superhero movies with one that really caught me by surprise as I wasn't expecting much from the spiderman reboot. What Marc Webb did was to add some real heart to Peter and Gwen and make them a more believable couple thanks in part to the performances from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. While Peter was easier to like I also enjoyed how the film explored his parents and his relationship with his aunt and uncle here played by Sally Field and Martin Sheen. While the CGI spoilt matters I have to say I really enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would and am looking forward to future instalments in this franchise.

Avengers Assemble 
Director: Joss Whedon

I feel like I'm in the minority in regards to the Avengers films as I haven't found them as amazing as everybody else seems to have done. With the exception of Iron Man, I thought they were all enjoyable in their own way but never really blew me away in the way I felt they should've done. To be fair to Avengers Assemble it was definitely the best of the bunch as it was sort of a greatest hits montage of all of the gang with Mark Ruffalo really impressing as The Hulk while once again Tom Hiddleston stole the show as Loki. In my mind the film fell down a little bit with the final battle which was far too long and a little over-indulgent. Overall though this was one of those films that did exactly what it said on the tin although I personally wanted something different to what was delivered here.

The Dark Knight Rises 
Director: Christopher Nolan

As much as I love Christopher Nolan, with Inception being my favourite film two years ago, I can't help but think his Batman trilogy has been a little over-hyped. While I enjoyed both Batman Begins and Dark Knight I didn't go overboard in my praise of them as some did while I found the concluding part to the trilogy in The Dark Knight Rises a little disappointing. Despite that it still had a lot going for it from the fantastic visuals to the great performances from Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and Joseph Gorden-Levitt while Anne Hathaway's Catwoman also came into her own in the latter stages of the film. The reason why this film isn't higher in my list is that the ending was a little underwhelming considering what had come before but having said that I think that Nolan has changed the face of the summer blockbuster by making films that aren't created for idiots.

In Darkness 
Director: Agnieszka Holland

From the comic book to the real life now for something a lot more serious but gripping nonetheless with Agnieszka Holland's mentally-draining In Darkness. The film is about a sewer inspector in occupied-Poland who hides families in his sewers away from the Nazis in return for a cash sum. Everything from the characterisation to the almost black shots of the sewers was incredibly stark and realistic however this wasn't a film you could particularly enjoy but rather admire. The best thing about In Darkness is that it really makes you think about what some of the families hiding from the Nazis went through and the mental and physical trauma they suffered while trying to escape the camps.

Juan of the Dead 
Director: Alejandro Brugues

Initially Juan of the Dead could've been laughed off as another comedy zombie film, and indeed there are some hilarious sequences which involve the killing of the undead, however I felt Alejandro Brugues' film went deeper than that. As the film is set in Cuba, and the zombies are constantly referred to as dissidents, there are definitely political underpinnings throughout the film while there is also a sense that the rise of the zombies gives slacker Juan a chance to shine. Juan of the Dead had a lot going for it as was part comedy, part horror and part political satire with some great central characters thrown in for good measure. Though it did drag occasionally it left me with a big smile on my face and you can't say fairer than that.

Liberal Arts
Director: Josh Radnor


Best known as Ted from How I Met Your Mother, Josh Radnor's second film as writer and star is a wry look at growing up and trying to move on from the place you feel the most connected with. In the case of Radnor's Jesse it's his old college which he returns to for the retirement of an old professor and where he also meets current student Zibby, played by Elizabeth Olsen, with whom strikes up a friendship which develops into something more. Liberal Arts explores the themes of growing up, not dwelling too much on certain areas and holding someone up on a pedestal. While I found some plot devices a little contrived I did really connect with the themes and characters throughout and the supporting cast, which including Richard Jenkins and Alison Janney, was just superb. 

Like Crazy 
Director: Drake Doremus

One of the very first films I watched last year was Drake Doremus' semi-improvised drama about two young lovers who are constantly separated by circumstance. Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones play Jacob and Anna who meet at college and fall in love however the only problem is that she breaks her student visa and they rarely get to see each other. The film follows them over a number of years in which both find love elsewhere but keep returning to what was their strongest relationship despite the fact that they might not know each other anymore. Doremus' film was a thought-provoking piece which did have its dull moments but overall was an incredibly likeable piece with two very realistic performances from its two lead actors.

Magic Mike 
Director: Steven Soderbergh

A film about male strippers starring the often wooden Channing Tatum didn't sound like an appealing prospect however I found Magic Mike to be one of my surprise favourites of the year. Thanks mostly to Soderbergh's direction, Tatum succeeds in making us like his everyman Mike someone who has taken to stripping in order to fund his furniture design store however he finds himself almost stuck in that world. Soderbergh's visual style perfectly lends itself to the seedy stripping scenes but once again it is Matthew McConaughey who steals the show as club promoter Dallas who is both rowdy showman and ruthless businessman. Though British actor Alex Pettyfer is a bit of a letdown as new stripper Adam overall Magic Mike is a well-acted, well-scripted film which I was really surprised how I much I liked.

Martha Marcy May Marlene 
Director: Sean Durkin

More Elizabeth Olsen but this time she's a lot more haunted as she plays Martha a young girl taken in by a cult who she falls for only to escape when she learns their true motives. The film follows two different timelines one with Martha being taken in by the cult and the other in which she tries to adjust to life with her sister and her husband with the latter story being my favourite. While the visual style totally suited the story I really enjoyed Olsen's performance while John Hawkes was equally striking as the sinister cult leader.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower 
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Ending this chapter with yet another indie film and another surprise as I really connected with this story of the high school outsider and his efforts to find friends for the first time. Though it was a little issue-laden The Perks of Being a Wallflower gave us many great performances notably from Ezra Miller as the outrageous but unhappy Patrick in a role that was a lot more likeable than the one he previously played in We Need to Talk About Kevin. This film really struck a chord with anyone, like me, who's ever felt like an outsider while the soundtrack was top notch and even Emma Watson was able to expel memories of Hermione Granger with her performance as the messed-up Sam.

Next time we have crossbows, tigers, bikes and maniacal laughs to look forward to so I'll see you then.

Review No.145: The Dark Knight Rises (Some Mild Spoilers)

In a recent interview Christopher Nolan revealed that he would like to direct a Bond film at some point and I have to say in his two most recent Batman films there are shades of Bond in the opening sequences. Like with Bond these openers relate to the plot in some way but in the case of the Batman films often star a fairly recognisable actor who only appears in that scene while in The Dark Knight it was William Fitchner as the bank manager desperately trying to fend off The Joker here its Aiden Gillan as a CIA agent who is out to get information on our lead villain 'the masked man' Bane played by Tom Hardy. While Bane slinks around in the sewers our hero has become a recluse since the Batman took the blame for Harvey Dent's death and has been hiding out of sight for the past eight years. He is spurred into action though when Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle nimble thief makes off with his fingerprints which he later discovers is a plot by a Wayne board member to get himself placed in charge however the greater threat is that he is working with Bane as he has helped him construct a mighty world under the sewers. As well as Kyle the other woman who is after Bruce is environmentalist Miranda Tate who wants him to help her with her plans to create a sustainable energy source. While Bruce tangles with his inner-guilt so does Commissioner Gordon who himself is injured in an early kerfuffle and whose main hope in solving the latest crisis comes from Joseph Gordon-Levitt's rookie cop who is smarter than most of the detectives on the force. To say any more about the plot of The Dark Knight Rises would be to give away too much, some of you may think that I've given some spoilers away already, but then if you don't know want to know what happens don't read the review. What I will say is this final film in Nolan's trilogy, he has categorically said he's not going to make any more, is that it links up all the plots nicely even if the ending is a little too cheesy for some people. Though before that ending there is mountains of doom, pits of despair and a brilliant cavalcade of special effects.

When I came out of seeing The Dark Knight I was blown away by it however I didn't feel that The Dark Knight Rises made me feel that special despite having a lot of good in it. The main problem with the film is the first hour in which the Nolan brothers establish what has happened since the last film before introducing the new characters and their relationship to the ones we have met already. I felt this section was particularly flabby despite some decent interaction between Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne as well as some brilliantly shadowy shots of Bane's underground layer. For me the film really kicked into gear when Bane and Batman had their initial showdown which is the catalyst for what happens throughout the rest of The Dark Knight Rises. From there Nolan lays on the effects fast, including the scene at the football stadium which has been doing the rounds for months now, but unlike some other high budget films there is more than just spectacle. The Dark Knight Rises explores the themes of right and wrong but mainly in regards to the class system as well as the corrupt nature of a lot of city officials which is obviously a very topical subject at the moment what with all the implications linked to the phone-hacking scandal. One of the issues I had with the film was that there was no humour in place to counter-balance this bleakness because even in The Dark Knight The Joker was able to provide some jet-black comedy. Here the most amusing sequences happen between Wayne and Kyle, especially when they're in full Batman and Catwoman roles, and their interplay does create some warmth on screen. It's just a shame though that their separated for most of the film as this almost screwball comedy aspect would lend itself well to a film that at some points is just too depressing for its own good. The cast do a good job across the board with Bale putting in another exemplary performance especially in the scenes in which Wayne has to display more despair than normal. Of the other regulars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman all get to do their small pieces and do them well. I was surprised how good Hathaway was as Catwoman and she seemed to revel playing this villainous woman and she lit up the screen more than Marion Cotilard did but then she was more a plot device than anything else. I think it's unfair to compare Tom Hardy's Bane to Heath Ledger's Joker as the former is much more of a dark creature but unlike the latter he does have a clear motive for his destruction. However for me the best performance came from Joseph Gordon-Levitt as rookie cop John Blake a former orphan who really believes in the power of the Batman even when others don't. Blake is really the heart of the film and Gordon-Levitt delivers an honest performance which, if the ending is anything to go by, will maybe develop into something more solid if the franchise continues.

While The Dark Knight Rises is far from a perfect film there is still much to like about it as it a clever summer blockbuster filled with some really great set pieces as well as a lot of a thought going into the central themes. Nolan is a proper film-maker who both entertains and challenges his audiences simultaneously making visual spectacles with images that stay with you long after the film has finished. Once again the director has assembled a fine ensemble cast, with standout turns from Gordon-Levitt and Hathaway, though nobody is quite able to match Heath Ledger's turn in the previous Batman film. There are a couple of gaping plot-holes, not enough humour to counter-balance the darkness and I did feel that Nolan did reveal the ending early while in addition I still thought the first 45 minutes or so were a little flabby. I think the amount of enjoyment you'll get from The Dark Knight Rises depends on how high your expectations were prior to watching the film for me I went in with an open mind and on the whole was thoroughly entertained. Overall the good more than outweighs the bad and I suffice to say if Nolan does direct the next Bond film after Skyfall then I'll certainly be watching.

Verdict: A flabby opening third is quickly forgotten as Nolan brings on the despair and gets great performances from his cast though maybe this is a little generous I will still award The Dark Knight Rises 8/10