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Reviews
The American (2010)
Stylish, subtle
Anyone expecting to see a James Bond action film will be disappointed. This is a subtle, slow building film. There are a few moments of action, but mostly, the pace is slow without being remotely boring. The cinematography is stunning. To be expected, with the director being a renowned photographer. Clooney puts in his usual impeccable performance. I loved the great irony of the title, the film is called The American, Clooney is the only American thing in it, a contrast with the Italians he encounters. He is shown to be both ruthless, and incapable of being totally without feeling. The first when he shoots his Swedish girlfriend in the head, the second when he eventually falls in love with the prostitute he has befriended. All in all, thoroughly recommended.
Luftslottet som sprängdes (2009)
An almost totally satisfactory conclusion
I enjoyed this. The political elements were well done. As was the courtroom drama. However, having read the book, I was disappointed that 2 parts were completely absent from the film. First, Mikael having the affair with Monica. In the book, it was an important part of the story. Secondly, Erika leaving Millennium to work for a newspaper, before resigning and returning to Millennium. Again, an important part of the plot. Despite this, the film was still enjoyable. I rate the original 9/10, the second 8/10, this 8/10. This has by far the least action of the three, but is an intelligently made film, well worth a viewing. Rapace is on screen a lot less than the first two, but still turns in a convincing performance. Overall, if you enjoyed first 2 films, you will need to see this to complete it, and you will enjoy it.
Skyline (2010)
Dire!!
I wasn't expecting a masterpiece. Just some enjoyable nonsense. This however, was beyond awful!! The worst film I have seen since Max Payne!! The acting, direction and storyline were all atrocious!! Even the special effects weren't that great. The slow bit at start, introducing the characters, if you can call them that, was like watching paint dry. I didn't care about any of the characters at all. And of course almost straight away we knew which two would survive the invasion!! The actual aliens were drab, no excitement, just a lot of weird shapes eating up anyone and anything. Apart of course from the lead character, who somehow battled one off with an axe. Yes, an axe!! I don't expect ultra realism in these type of films, but come on!! Then the ending, made absolutely no sense, apart from probably setting up a sequel for next year!! Avoid!!! No seriously, please give this a miss. I never thought I would say this, but I think I would have even enjoyed a romcom more than this, or even a chick flick!! And I'm a 35 year old male!!
Another Year (2010)
Astonishing
I just saw it a few hours ago. What a gripping film. For a film with mostly people just sitting talking to each other, with very little action, it was amazing. Some people might find it bleak, well it was, but the performances were brilliant. All the cast were excellent, but Lesley Manville stole the show. Surely an Oscar nomination? Right from her first scene, she superbly displayed Mary's vulnerability, emotion and desperation. When she finds out that Joe has a girlfriend, her shock and misery is heartbreaking, and can also be admired as a great performance. Forget going to the cinema all the time for "escapism", a lot of people will give this a miss because it sounds depressing, but I urge everyone to see this. Life-affirming, I still can't believe that a story with so many depressing and sad moments, can still be such a wonderful film. I am already thinking that this is my favourite film of 2010.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Good, yet.....
First let me say I think that the reviews criticising the storyline are unfair. I think the story, and Douglas, are the best things about the film. For me, the storyline works perfectly. However, LaBeouf does not convince in every scene, and Mulligans performance is very poor. Brolin does a reasonable job, not his best performance, but quite effective. Of course, Douglas steals every scene he is in. I can understand that Stone wanted to concentrate more on LaBeouf and Mulligan to develop the story, but had Douglas been in more scenes, this could have been so much better. Don't be surprised if he gets at least an Oscar nomination. The jargon about the financial markets didn't detract from the story. I left cinema feeling entertained, but that it had just fallen short. Finally, Eli Wallach, what a performance, 95 years old!! The bird noises were genuinely hilarious AND surreal.
Let Me In (2010)
Even better than expected
I still have not seen the original, so went into this hearing people saying this not as good. I found this mostly excellent. The two kids did a great job, the tension was mostly set just right. The slow build-up at start was not remotely tedious. The actual gore is just the right level, not over the top. The only scene for me that didn't seem to live up to the rest of it, was when she attacked the police officer after he crept through the house. Don't know what it was, just for me didn't quite match the other tense scenes in the film. At 2 hours, it was the perfect running time. The bullying scenes were well acted by all. Now I can't wait to see Let The Right One In, if it's even better than this, it will be a treat.
Due Date (2010)
Funny, but could have been better
After originally having high hopes, I then began to dread that it was going to be awful, after reading some of the reviews. It fell in the middle, was good enough, without being great. Downey Junior had the incredulous expressions down to a tee. Galifianakis is good at the bumbler. One thing the people berating it got right, he has to make sure he is not typecast as the lovable loser. It is no Planes Trains, but enjoyable enough. About halfway through, you get the feeling it is about to run out of steam, but it picks up. A good cameo from Juliette Lewis as the drug dealer, Jamie Foxx's cameo is mostly pointless, only seems to be there for the joke with Galifianakis' dads ashes in the coffee tin. Overall, an enjoyable enough 90 minutes, but could have been so much better.
Easy A (2010)
Heart warming, without being sentimental
***This review may contain spoilers***
This is usually not my type of film. I went to see it based purely on the good things I have read about it. I have seen Mean Girls on TV, and was pleasantly surprised by it. This is even better. Emma Stone is superb, if there is no Oscar nomination for her, then there is no justice. The dialogue is very funny, without relying on obvious and infantile jokes. The references to John Hughes were surprisingly touching, without being over the top.
I saw it a couple of weeks ago, I note it has not performed that well over here in the UK. Probably because people over here think it will be too American. I can not recommend this highly enough, it is NOT a romcom, it is a feel good film, without having typical over-sentimental unbelievable nonsense. Go and see it!!
Burke & Hare (2010)
Enjoyable enough
I saw this last week, and it lived exactly up to my expectations. Not great, not terrible. Serkis and Pegg are funny in certain moments, both of them at times have expressions that genuinely make you laugh out loud!! Once you suspend your disbelief, Ronnie Corbett as the chief of the militia is pretty funny!! People have said it is too dark to be a comedy, and too light to be a drama. For me, this is a classic "leave your brain at the door" film. Most of people in cinema were laughing a few times, and I didn't find it too dark. Even the bits with dead bodies were more funny than frightening. If your wanting to have a laugh, and are not over squeamish, I recommend it. Doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't.