Ginger and Rosa

Movie Name: Ginger & Rosa
Year of Release: 2012

Director: Sally Potter

Stars: Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, Annette Bening, Jodhi May, Andrew Hawley

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

Sally Potter's work is forever associated with her adaptation of "Orlando", which featured a fantastic performance from Tilda Swinton. Her newest film, "Ginger and Rosa", follows the story of two young girls, who are best friends growing up in London. By the time they reach 17, it's 1962 and the world is at the brink of a nuclear meltdown. But whereas Ginger is more interested in the salvation of humankind (and her family), Rosa is more interested in relationships, in particular with Ginger's father, the immature and self centered Roland. As the nuclear tension escalates, so does both girls lives, with each going in directions that end up having dramatic disclosures.
Sally Potter has been a director always interested in the lives of women looking for a sense of direction in their lives. Women that are coming in to their own terms, feeling comfortable in their own skins - that occurred with Tilda Swinton in "Orlando", with Christina Ricci's character in "The Man who Cried" and now with Elle Fanning's character in "Ginger and Rosa". The film utilizes the backdrop of the Cold War, to depict the slow disintegration of Ginger's family life - her father is an immature, self centered and self righteous man, and her mother resents his infidelities and a life that she put on hold to have a child. The film portrays the bohemian/intellectual side of Ginger's life (with the circle of friends her mother has) and depicts the innocent friendship and complicity with Rosa, who ventures into more sexualized territories than Ginger. The film is beautifully shot and has strong performances from Elle Fanning and Alessandro Nivola, but ultimately it never feels engaging and connected with both the drama of Ginger's sudden step into womanhood, and her family's ultimate ending. It's a flawed, yet interesting film worth investigating.

Olympus has Fallen

Movie Name: Olympus has Fallen
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Stars: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Radha Mitchell, Finley Jacobsen, Ashely Judd, Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Cole Hauser, Melissa Leo, Phil Austin, Sean O'Bryan, Robert Forster, Malana Lea

Genre: Action, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3

Synopsis:

Director Antoine Fuqua is back, following his latest action efforts, "Brooklyn's Finest" and "Shooter". The film follows the story of disgraced secret services agent Mike Banning, an all around decent and hard working man, who is desperately trying to redeem himself. This opportunity presents itself when the White House is attacked by Korean terrorists, who seize the President and his aids. It's up to Mike Banning to single handedly combat this group of highly skilled mercenaries and save the day.
Antoine Fuqua has always trailed behind the late Tony Scott in terms of directing style and visual flair. Though their styles have some similarities, Antoine Fuqua sadly can't rise above all the clichés that abound in this tepid action vehicle for star Gerard Butler. In this thinly veiled B-film with a fantastic cast, the main character and plot, are a mix of John McTiernan's "Die Hard" with John Carpenter's "Attack on Precinct 13th", with a dash of Wolfgang Petersen's "Air Force One". The film never presents anything innovative, and the actors are just dialing in their performances. It's quite puzzling seeing Oscar winners Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, and talented actors such as Radha Mitchell, Aaron Eckart and Robert Forster in such a tepid film. The positive points go primarily for the first section of the film, when the situation presents itself, but this one film that would have benefited from John McTiernan's hand in deftly building tension. A missed opportunity and a mediocre film at all counts.

Stoker

Movie Name: Stoker
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Park Chan-Wook

Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, Ralph Brown, Phyllis Somerville, Alden Ehrenreich, Lucas Till, Harmony Korine, Judith Godreche, Tyler Von Tagen

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

"Stoker" is director Park Chan-Wook's first english language film, following his successful korean films "Thirst", "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance" (to name but a few). The film follows the Stoker family, in particular India, a young woman, whose father unexpectedly dies on her 18th birthday. Her long missing uncle reappears precisely around the time of the funeral, which prompts suspicion from India, and causes joy in her distant mother. As her uncle starts inserting himself in India's life, the seemingly placid life the Stoker family has enjoyed starts unraveling and changing, forever changing the young woman's life.
"Stoker" is a beautifully directed film, with a stunning cinematography and editing, which makes the film a pleasure to look at. It has a perfect pacing in the way it builds the tension and drama between the characters, however that's precisely where the issue lies with this film. The main faulting issue in this otherwise beautiful film, is the complete cliché ridden screenplay, which makes no use of what could have been a dark and interesting premise. The actors all try to breathe some life into characters that are barely explained (why does India resent her mother and vice versa), though Mia Wasikowska does manage to build a character filled with doubt, self questioning and ultimately becoming a woman. Nicole Kidman (whose face is emotionless these days) and Matthew Goode in particular are not so fortunate in their performances. Matthew Goode tries to build a menacing persona, but there's a spark definitely missing in his performance - this was definitely a case of miscasting. A beautiful but ultimately hollow film, which crumbles due to a weak screenplay.

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Oz the Great and Powerful

Movie Name: Oz the Great and Powerful
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Sam Raimi

Stars: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King,  Tony Cox, Abigail Spencer, Bruce Campbell

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3

Synopsis:

Director Sam Raimi is back, after tackling his "Spider Man" trilogy and the underrated "Drag me to Hell". "Oz the Great and Powerful" is a prequel to Victor Flemming's "The Wizard of Oz", the beloved classic which immortalized Judy Garland and the legendary yellow brick road. The film introduces the audience to Oscar, aka Oz, a small time magician in Kansas, who makes his living through rudimentary magic tricks and who uses his suave style to lure and seduce the ladies. Oscar is accidentally transported to Oz, the kingdom, when a hurricane hits Kansas. Upon there he meets Theodora, a young beautiful witch, who falls under his charms, and who believes Oscar to be the legendary Wizard who is destined to save the kingdom from the wicked witch. Oscar is sent out to the dark forest to battle the villain, but ends up meeting the beautiful and gentle Glinda, who explains who the real evil forces are. It's up to Oscar to acknowledge his inner worth, and save the entire kingdom.
Sam Raimi's take on the legendary world of Oz, owes more to the vision that Tim Burton set forth in his "Alice in Wonderland", but it does build some aesthetic bridges to the Victor Flemming classic. The film's main issues end up being related to the characters and story development. The film is filled with clichés, from the main anti-hero (the con man with a heart of gold), to the trio of witches, who are of course completely paper thin in terms of character development. The sidekicks for the main hero, namely the cute monkey and the chinadoll girl, though beautifully rendered, remain lifeless just like it's main hero. James Franco simply does not work in the main role - he does not embody the whole larger than life persona of the con man, and without a strong lead, the film lacks spark and emotion. The wicked witch also feels trapped and does not have much to do - this film needed a villain with a bigger bite, and sadly that never occurs. On a positive note, Peter Deming's cinematography and Danny Elfman's score are both wonderful. A misfire from Sam Raimi.

Side Effects

Movie Name: Side Effects
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones, Channing Tatum, Ann Dowd, Mamie Gummer, Peter Friedman, Laila Robins, Vinessa Shaw, David Costabile, Michael Nathanson, Sheila Tapia, Polly Draper, Andrea Bogart

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Prolific director Steven Soderbergh is back with another fantastic genre piece. Following "Haywire" and "Magic Mike" from 2012, this new year brings "Side Effects", another collaboration of the director with screenwriter Scott Z. Burns who also wrote "Contagion" and "The Informant". The film follows the story of Emily Taylor, a young woman going through anxiety and depression following the release of her husband from jail (he was convicted for insider trading). Upon Emily's suicide attempt, she is placed under the care of Dr. Jonathan Banks, an overworked psychiatrist who tries to salvage Emily the best possible way he can. One of the medications he prescribes, Ablixa, has some side effects, namely sleepwalking. In one of those episodes, a dramatic event occurs that sends everyone's lives spinning in very different directions.
Steven Soderbergh is one of the most talented directors currently working - he not only directs, but also is the cinematographer and editor of his features (he uses the names Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard for those). He has tackled most genres since his brilliant feature debut with "sex, lies and videotape" in 1989. "Side Effects" is a great addition to his overall work, a film that is very much a Hitchcockian exercise, with flips in the narrative that you don't see coming. The film flows effortlessly, which is a true testament to the ability of the director to conduct this story with efficiency and talent. "Side Effects" also benefits from a very talented cast, particularly Rooney Mara who builds a character who is apparently very benign and docile and who turns out to be a lot more than what can be seen on the surface. Jude Law and Catherine Zeta Jones also turn in good performances which make a solid contribution to the overall feeling of the film. A solid film not to be missed.

Warm Bodies

Movie Name: Warm Bodies
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Jonathan Levine

Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Theresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, John Malkovich, Analeigh Tipton, Dave Franco, Cory Hardrict

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Romance

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

Following "50/50", director Jonathan Levine is back with an interesting take on a specific genre, namely the Zombie genre, which has been made popular by the talents of George Romero. The film follows the story of R, a young man, who is a zombie and the narrator of the story. R is different from his comrades, and after battling a series of humans, he develops a romantic interest in the lovely Julie. This improbable connection develops into something more, as R becomes more than a corpse and starts coming back to life. This soon starts extending to other zombies, save for a group who is named the "bonies" and for whom there is no rescue.
Jonathan Levine adapts the novel of Isaac Marion, embedding his gentle hero with a series of quirks and eccentricities, that make him a lot more than the traditional zombie. From listening to vinyls, to collecting snow globes, R is a young man desperately trying to make a connection. The film placidly accompanies his attempts to connect, help and ultimately rescue Julie and prove to her father (the always fantastic John Malkovich), that the world changes all the time. The film is finely acted and also benefits of good visual effects that successfully create a sense of a world at the brink of ultimate destruction. A film worth checking out.

Zero Dark Thirty

Movie Name: Zero Dark Thirty
Year of Release: 2012

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Stars: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Edgar Ramirez, Chris Pratt, Kyle Chandler, Harold Perrineau, Mark Duplass, John Barrowman, Stephen Dillane

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:

Director Kathryn Bigelow's follow up to the Oscar winning "The Hurt Locker", is another stellar example of what a fantastic filmmaker she is. The film details the long process of capturing Bin Laden, seen primarily through the eyes of a young analyst named Maya. Maya's resilience and driven determination are the core of the film, which goes to great lengths to paint a vast canvas of how many people and logistics were involved in making that event occur.
Kathryn Bigelow has always been a terrific filmmaker with a capability to create a narrative thread anchored in strong characters that are always inserted in a reality that is almost at odds with them. That was a strong point in "Point Break", "Strange Days" and even "The Weight of Water". "Zero Dark Thirty" builds a strong narrative based on facts that are well known by the general audience, but it gives it a human dimension by making us, the viewers, share the plight of Maya, the main analyst, whose life and dedication has been the completion of that mission. The labyrinth the film presents is as intricate as is the unraveling that slowly occurs as the story unfolds. The film is fantastically well directed, with a great central performance from Jessica Chastain. A film not to be missed.

Best films of 2012

2012 was a fantastic film for films. The year saw work from accomplished filmmakers who continued to expand their palette, with particular highlight going for Paul Thomas Anderson, who created with "The Master" a film unlike any other this year. This was a true work of art - unique, challenging and simply stunning in every aspect of it's execution. For that alone this would be a phenomenal year for film, but every other feature on this list proves that there are unique artists still laboring in an increasingly commercialized art form.

The Master
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons

Zero Dark Thirty
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, James Gandolfini, Edgar Ramirez, Chris Pratt, Kyle Chandler, Harold Perrineau, Mark Duplass, John Barrowman, Stephen Dillane

Cloud Atlas
Directors: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer
Cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, Jim Sturgess, James D'Arcy

Killing Them Softly
Director: Andrew Dominik
Cast: Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Liotta

Life of Pi
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Ayush Tandon, Gautam Belur, Adil Hussain, Tabu

Silver Linings Playbook
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, Shea Whigham, John Ortiz, Anupam Kher

Frankenweenie
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Winona Ryder, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell, Martin Landau

Django Unchained
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, David Steen

Looper
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Piper Perabo, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Pierce Gagnon

Special mentions should go for the following films. "The Impossible" from Juan Antonio Bayona, "Bernie" from Richard Linklater, "Paranorman" from Chris Butler and Sam Fell, "The Deep Blue Sea" from Terence Davies, and "Flight" from Robert Zemeckis.

The Impossible

Movie Name: The Impossible
Year of Release: 2012

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona

Stars: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sonke Mohring, Geraldine Chaplin

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Juan Antonio Bayona's "The Impossible" follows the dramatic story of a family who gets caught up in the aftermath of the horrible destruction caused by the tsunami that hit the Asian shores in December of 2004. The film introduces us to a British family, consisting of Maria and Henry, and their three young children, Lucas, Thomas and Simon. The family is in Thailand enjoying their Christmas vacation, when a tidal wave of unprecedented violence comes through the beaches and destroys everything in it's path. Maria and Lucas get separated from Henry, Thomas and Simon. Maria is seriously hurt, and thanks to Lucas they manage to slowly make their way to safety. They eventually get found out by some local inhabitants and get sent to a hospital where thousands of other people also affected by the violent waters are fighting for their lives.
Juan Antonio Bayona's builds a film that is both riveting and exciting, pulsating with life and feeling. This is a film that accomplishes to be simultaneously technically flawless - the special effects that recreate the impact of the waves are nothing short of fantastic - and the way the characters are given time to really immerse the viewer into the dynamics of that family. The film also benefits from fantastic actors, namely Naomi Watts who again creates more than just a flat character - she embodies a woman who is grounded and is trying to protect her child and family above everything. Ewan McGregor and the young Tom Holland are equally fantastic, creating a very realistic sense of family unity. This a film to see and discover. One of the good surprises of 2012.

Music with an Impact - 2012

2012 was a great year for music. Bjork continued her tour and expanding the concept of her musical vocabulary with "Biophilia". Also so much new talent came out with fantastic music, that was truly inspiring to witness this dynamic array of new "voices". Below are my favorites for 2012.

Purity Ring - Shrines
Bat for Lashes - The Haunted Man
Niki and The Dove - Instinct
Grimes - Visions
Poliça - Give you the Ghost
Leila - U & I
Jessie Ware - Devotion
Passion Pit - Gossamer
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Brian Eno - Lux

Django Unchained

Movie Name: Django Unchained
Year of Release: 2012

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, James Russo, Tom Wopat, Franco Nero

Genre: Western, Action, Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

Following his latest directorial effort, "Inglourious Basterds", director Quentin Tarantino is back with his take on the western genre. The film follows the story of Django, a slave who is desperately trying to rescue his wife from the shackles of slavery and of her cruel "owner", Calvin Candie. Django is assisted in his quest by Dr. King Schultz, a bounty hunter with plenty of experience in the trade. Django and Schultz find out where Broomhilda is, and set up a plan to rescue her. The plan however takes some unexpected turns.
Quentin Tarantino is a director with a clear gusto for his own dialogue and with an eye for homages and references towards the work of other directors from the 60s and 70s. "Django Unchained" captures a lot of the spirit of Sergio Leone's Western spaghetti's (even Franco Nero makes a cameo celebrating that genre), but where the film gains momentum is in the way Tarantino "appropriates" these legacies and brings them out in an original and subversive way. The film balances his verbose side and monologues with bursts of violence (very much like his other features), in a way that is simultaneously engaging and dynamic. The actors are all equally great, in particular Christoph Waltz and the menacing Leonardo DiCaprio, who makes a terribly convincing and amoral plantation owner. A special highlight should go to the beautiful cinematography from Robert Richardson. A very good film worth watching!

Jack Reacher

Movie Name: Jack Reacher
Year of Release: 2012

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner Herzog, Jai Courtney, Robert Duvall, Alexia Fast, Josh Helman, Vladimir Sizov

Genre: Action, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

Christopher McQuarrie made his name as a screenwriter, having won an Oscar for the screenplay of Bryan Singer's "Usual Suspects". "Jack Reacher" is his second directorial effort after "Way fo the Gun". The film is an adaptation of Lee Child's book "One Shot", which features his iconic character Jack Reacher (and this character has continued in a series of other books). The film follows Jack Reacher, an ex-military, with his own sense of moral conduct, whom no one knows exactly how to reach or contact. After a horrifying sniper attack in Pittsburgh, Reacher is drawn to the situation and to investigate what lies behind the horrifying ordeal. He is aided by a scrupulous and intelligent attorney, who is trying to defend her client. What Reacher finds out goes way beyond what any of them had initially expected.
Christopher McQuarrie builds with this film an intelligent and low key action/thriller piece, that goes back to the style Don Siegel so expertly created with "Dirty Harry". The film doesn't hold any new technological gadgets, and feels very much like an analogical experience in a digital world (compare this film to Sam Mendes' "Skyfall" for instance). The film lacks a certain grittiness, but is smartly written, particularly as the story and the conspiracy behind the events starts to unravel. Tom Cruise lacks the stern and cold look that this character requires - his approach has always been to make every single character ultimately likable (except perhaps for Lestat, in Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire"), but he is nonetheless an actor with charisma to carry the film. The supporting cast is equally solid, from Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins and of course, film director Werner Herzog, adequately scary and menacing. A solid and entertaining film worth seeing.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Movie Name: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Year of Release: 2012

Director: Peter Jackson

Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Lee Pace, Bret McKenzie, Adam Brown

Genre: Fantasy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

Director Peter Jackson is back to the world of author J.R.R. Tolkien, after the enormous success that was "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. "The Hobbit" takes place 60 years prior to the events that occurred in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The film follows the story of Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, who gets dragged to the quest/adventure that surrounds the dwarfs in their claim to take back their home, from a dragon that seized that place. Through this quest they find all sorts of opponents and some unexpected allies.
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is without question a film that lives from the spectacle that special and visual effects allow and build. The film is visually stunning and takes the context and style that Peter Jackson developed from his previous trilogy to another level (the 10 years between the films have also allowed for special effects to improve quite dramatically). The main problem with the film is the indulgence in areas of the story that add nothing to it, provide no insight to characters or motivation, and basically exist as a sole purpose to drag the story to no end (and therefore stretch this film to two other parts). Scenes are kept going and going, which add no depth to the story, making the pacing of the film very irregular and make for a very uneven experience. The high points remain the special effects, the production design and the acting which is uniformly good, with Ian McKellen again dominating with his weary and wise eyes. The film ends up being a good example of how the indulgence of means can effectively bring down even the most gifted story teller, which is the case of Peter Jackson.

Hitchcock

Movie Name: Hitchcock
Year of Release: 2012

Director: Sacha Gervasi

Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Wincott, James D'Arcy, Richard Portnow, Kurtwood Smith, Ralph Macchio, Tara Summers, Judith Hoag, Josh Yeo

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

Sacha Gervasi's debut feature focuses on director Alfred Hitchcock's attempts to create his fantastic and now classic film, "Psycho". For someone with such a rich personality and with a catalogue of films as stunning and beautiful as Hitchcock, this film feels like a pale and small homage, but the film is not without some merits. The film follows the aftermath of the premiere of Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and his decision to adapt the book "Psycho", which was influenced in turn by the killings of Ed Gein. Hitchcock always made his films with the close collaboration of his wife and partner, Alma Reville, who as the years have progressed, has noticed the director's obsession with his beautiful leading ladies and with her progressive invisibility in the public perception. When the studios refuse to back "Psycho" financially, Hitchcock decides to invest his own money into the production, creating some strains and stress to himself and his relationship with Alma.
Tackling the life of someone as iconic and talented as Alfred Hitchcock is always an herculean task. The biopic of Charles Chaplin by Richard Attenborough was a mediocre effort for another larger than life person, though "Hitchcock" has smaller ambitions, which ends up with better results. The film focuses on a few years as Hitchcock battled studios and the MPAA for the release of his iconic film "Psycho". The film delves deeper into the relationship of the director with his long time wife, Alma Reville, who was an instrumental part of the creative process for his films. Her longing to be away from his overbearing needs and shadow is touched in the film, as is his reverence and obsession with the beautiful women who always populated his films. Where the film falters is in the un-necessary day dreams of Hitchcock with Ed Gein, which add nothing to the story or to the mood. Sacha Gervasi who made his name as a screenwriter (he wrote Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal") makes an interesting film with good performances from Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and Toni Collette, but the overall tone is one of wasted opportunity. An interesting film nonetheless.