My favourites films released this year starts off with this gem

 

 

 

#10

 

Kick Ass

 

A young boy decides to take matters into his own hands when he questions why there are no real superheroes. Clever, witty and all round great fun. I've never read the comics and probably never will but this film is so well done I almost contemplated it. Littered with great performances and even Nick Cage doesn't disappoint but the character who steals it is easily Hit Girl. Laughed all the way through and I don't really like comedies.

Edited January 2, 201114 yr by Severin

#9

 

Despicable Me

 

The worlds greatest supervillain adopts 3 young chikdren to further his evil aims. Another exceptional animated movie for adults and children alike. Something of a surprise at just how good this was. Excellent casting again and some wonderfully realised characters. Particularly the minions and the dog for me. Did not expect this to be anywhere near as good as it is.

My favourites films released this year starts off with this gem

#10

 

Kick Ass

 

A young boy decides to take matters into his own hands when he questions why there are no real superheroes. Clever, witty and all round great fun. I've never read the comics and probably never will but this film is so well done I almost contemplated it. Littered with great performances and even Nick Cage doesn't disappoint but the character who steals it is easily Hit Girl. Laughed all the way through and I don't really like comedies.

 

you should read the comics.

 

 

#9

 

Despicable Me

 

The worlds greatest supervillain adopts 3 young chikdren to further his evil aims. Another exceptional animated movie for adults and children alike. Something of a surprise at just how good this was. Excellent casting again and some wonderfully realised characters. Particularly the minions and the dog for me. Did not expect this to be anywhere near as good as it is.

 

I saw the trailer for this the other day and didnt think it looked very good.

#8

 

Th House Of The Devil

 

A young college student needs money to pay her rent and so answers an advert for a babysitting job.

 

Technically this came out in 2009 but didn't get a release here 'til his year. This film is superbly made with brilliant attention to period detail. Set in the 80s and filmed as if it was made then too and done so well you could easily believe it. Taking the 'Satanic panic' fears as its inspiration this builds slowly and layers on the tension until its shocking climax.

#7

 

Frozen

 

Three young skiers bribe the attendant for one last go on the piste but a misunderstanding leaves them stranded on the ski lift overnight with the site closed for the week.

 

Tense and well scripted this low budget thriller delivers on all counts. Its remarkably simple premise never lets it become boring or too predictable and full marks for using real wolves.

Edited January 2, 201114 yr by Severin

#6

 

Machete

 

A wronged former Mexican cop is hired by an unsrupulous businessman to assassinate a rascist Texan senator.

 

Robert Rodriguez's fake trailer for the Grindhouse project was so successful demand for a film was immense and he gave in and made it. This is perfect brain off material and expertly nails the grindhouse b-movie tradition. Full of blood, cheesy dialogue, hot girls and a very unsubtle commentary on US border policy this easily out Tarantino's the man himself all the while keeping it's tongue firmly in its cheek. Don't let Lindsay Lohan put you off it either. She's actually OK in it.

Edited January 2, 201114 yr by Severin

#5

 

Alice In Wonderland

 

From Lewis Carroll's ever popular classic tale.lice returns to Wonderland but doesn't remember being there before

 

No favourite list of mine would be complete without a Tim Burton film and whilst this isn't his best it is still a visual treat with memorable characters and his skewed sense of humour running rife. It's got Johnny Depp in it and that's always a good sign but even he can't claim to steal the movie. Burton's visuals get that accolade.

#4

 

Green Zone

 

A low ranking US soldier believes in the search for WMDs in Iraq but begins to question the poor quality of intel and slowly uncovers a bigger truth.

 

Matt Damon continues to impress in this taut thriller that is complex yet easy to follow and has some excellent set pieces and supporting cast. A great companion piece to Brian De Palma's controversial Redacted

#3

 

Exam

 

Eight applicants have reached the final stage for a job application and have one last exam to take and one single question to answer. But what is the question and who can trust who?

 

Surprisingly clever and well acted thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the end about who and what is the question. The cast of relative unknowns adds to the believability. A future cult favourite

#2

 

Inception

 

Leonardo Di Caprio takes on a job requiring to infiltrate a businessmans dreams and plant within a single idea.

 

One of those films that like The Matrix takes on a life of its own and appears very complex but is at heart an incredibly simple idea. Di Caprio again shows what a fine actor he has finally become and banishes memories of sinking ships and poor accents. Directo Christopher Nolan also shows why he's ranked currently among the best in the business and is now becoming among my favourite directors of all time. Not bad given his short career.

'Kick Ass' is amazing, and sorry to say I easily prefer it over Scott Pilgrim tbh. 'Despicable Me' is also easily one of the best animated movies I've seen in quite some time. 'Frozen' and 'Exam' were both compelling viewing, and both very tense throughout but are definetly only movies you watch once really, still both really good. 'The House Of The Devil' looks right up my street too ... haven't seen 'Green Zone' or 'Machete' and I was left feeling very underwhelmed by 'Alice In Wonderland' tbh :(.

#1

 

Monsters

 

6 years after NASA inadvertantly loses alien material on re-entry to Earth the aliens have slowly begun to spread out from the centre of Mexico and the US and Mexican armies are struggling to contain them. Amidst all this a young photo-journalist is despatched to bring the bosses daughter home.

 

Quite simply this film is a stunning acheivement by any standards. Made for a pittance in movie terms and with no script, a limited cast and crew, no permission to film on most locations and 'off the shelf' visual effects software the film manages to be coherent, funny, moving and look great. Indeed many of the effects are better than some of the big budget films. This kind of film is the true definition of groundbreaking cinema. The two leads have such great chemsitry because they are a couple in real life and the acting is affectingly honest because the lack of script does away with any sense of forcedness or cliche. Instead the actors were allowed to make up the dialogue on the spot except for a few given plot points deemed imperative.

Anyone looking for a monster movie will be disapointed as the focus is on the relationship between the two leads and a social commentary on US drug and immigration policy. Something of a recurring theme in films this year.

'Kick Ass' is amazing, and sorry to say I easily prefer it over Scott Pilgrim tbh. 'Despicable Me' is also easily one of the best animated movies I've seen in quite some time. 'Frozen' and 'Exam' were both compelling viewing, and both very tense throughout but are definetly only movies you watch once really, still both really good. 'The House Of The Devil' looks right up my street too ... haven't seen 'Green Zone' or 'Machete' and I was left feeling very underwhelmed by 'Alice In Wonderland' tbh :(.

Thanks for commenting. I need to see Scott Pilgrim still so I can't say but I'm a sucker for Tim Burton so maybe I'm a tad biased with him.

you should read the comics.

I saw the trailer for this the other day and didnt think it looked very good.

I might have a look if I see them about but I'm not really a comics kind of guy.

As for Despicable Me, it's definately better than you expect from the trailer. I try never to place too much emphasis on them as they frequently lie.

 

(I realise the irony of that last sentence given I've posted trailers for all the films :lol: )

#3

 

Exam

 

Eight applicants have reached the final stage for a job application and have one last exam to take and one single question to answer. But what is the question and who can trust who?

 

Surprisingly clever and well acted thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the end about who and what is the question. The cast of relative unknowns adds to the believability. A future cult favourite

 

brilliant brilliant film, didnt realise it was this year otherwise it would have made my top 10 easily, i may just be getting mixed up because i saw it before it came out at a private screening with a Q+A with the director.

 

going to have to revisit the film sometime soon.

Hey Martin. From your list I've seen...

 

10. 'Kick Ass' Amazing film. One of the best comic book films ever. :wub:

09. 'Despicable Me' Another fantastic film. I agree that the trailer for this looks crap (apart from the seperate Minions trailers :wub:) but it's deifnitely well worth watching in full.

05. 'Alice In Wonderland' I keep forgetting this was released this year. Major hype surrounding it at the time, but by the time it was finished in the cinema, the buzz died off completely! It was alright, not worthy of the hype I thought though. It could have been a hell of a lot better I thought. Tim Burton could have done so much more with, well, Alice IN Wonderland really (although the imagery was sublime!)

02. 'Inception' Really, really love this film. Love the casting (particularly Tom Hardy!) and Leonardo DiCaprio has leaped up to be one of my favourite actors this year (with both this and 'Shutter Island' - if you've not yet seen that, please do!)

 

Not seen any of the others but 'The House of the Devil' thing looks fantastic! Will find an online link for it tomorrow and watch it. Not gonna lie though, 'Frozen' looks boring yet interesting! (Like 'Buried' - which I personally thought was fantastic!) Will probably catch that sometime too.

Oooh I forgot about Buried. Must download that