The Woman in Black (2012)

Directed by: James Watkins

Verdict: What the Woman in Black lacks in substance it tries to make up in scares. Lauded as Daniel Radcliffe’s big foray into the non-Harry Potter world, for me his performance fell a little flat and the real star of this film was the haunted house at the centre of this spooky tale. The film is carried rather too much by its aesthetics, sound and some chilling performances by the broad supporting cast. In my opinion the film could have been better served with a leading man who packs a little more punch.

It’s a sad thing, but I don’t think Daniel Radcliffe will ever shake the ‘boy who lived’ label. I hate to be so harsh on the star of the films which illuminated my childhood, but I don’t think Radcliffe is likely to be taken seriously as a thespian – not on the basis of his performance as Arthur Kipps anyway. For me, Radcliffe’s Kipps is unlikeable and in a film which is basically the story of him vs. the titular woman likeability and screen presence are key. And it just seems implausible to me that he could be the father of a four year-old-son and be grieving the loss of his wife… I mean, he’s just a student wizard.

Despite the narrative focus on Kipps, the stand-out of this film us undoubtedly the diegetic setting. The haunted house is undeniably spooky, with countless small touches and details making it utterly convincing. The colouring of the small town terrorised by the woman in black is bleak, grim; and with the tour de force collective performance of the supporting cast serves its purpose as a gripping plot thickener.

Director Watkins achieves a visually-spectacular scare-fest with this film, but I can’t help feeling this film could have been a lot better.

The Descendants (2011)

Directed by: Alexander Payne

Verdict: A heart-warming film with a more edgy feel, The Descendants benefits from a sensational Oscar-winning script adapted from Kaui Hart Hemmings’s novel and two outstanding acting performances from Academy Award nominee George Clooney and rising star Shailene Woodley. Shot in the stunning surroundings of Hawaii and featuring arguably the soundtrack of the year, The Descendants combines sorrow, joy, laughter, grief, betrayal and angst in a film that accomplishes both political and familial storylines.

Between the uplifting Hawaiian soundtrack, the unrelenting beautiful landscape shots and the notoriously easy-on-the-eyes Clooney, you could be fooled into thinking The Descendants is a family-orientated comedy. In some moments, it certainly seems like it is. But what sets Payne’s film apart from so many others this awards season is that it possesses so much more substance than that.

There are two basic subplots: Matt King is facing a decision as the descendant (now you get it) of one of Hawaii’s original white land-owners over what will happen to the 300-acre piece of ‘prime real estate’ and at the same time has to deal with the various revelations that emerge from his wife Elizabeth’s fatal boating accident. Clooney is superb as King who struggles both internally and externally with the sudden pressure of becoming a single-parent to his two daughters whom he knows little about. His often under-stated grief and anger is suited perfectly to the mise-en-scène of the film, which makes the most of calm and breezy weather and local attire.

For me, Woodley is the star of this film and it is extraordinary that she didn’t receive an Oscar nod alongside Clooney. She has one of the most expressive faces I’ve seen in a young actress for years, and the underwater scene in the King’s pool is one of the most hear-breaking film moments I’ve seen (not to mention ingeniously shot). Woodley’s character Alexandra is King’s eldest daughter and graduates from rebellious teen to mature young-adult as the film progresses. Her frustration is beautifully acted by Woodley, who is utterly convincing. It is in keeping with the theme of Matt’s familial absence that it is Alexandra who breaks down and informs him that her mother was conducting an affair.


As brilliant as these two performances are, they are undoubtedly complemented by the rest of the acting ensemble. Amara Miller as King’s younger daughter Scottie and Nick Krause’s dumb-but-lovable Sid provide most of the comic relief as they accompany Matt and Alexandra on their quest to seek out Elizabeth’s former lover Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard). Judy Greer’s cameo turn as Brian’s wife Julie culminates in a heart-wrenching, tear-inducing scene at Elizabeth’s bedside, and Beau Bridges as Cousin Hugh is a smiling yet menacing counter to Matt’s wishes.

Beautifully captured by Payne and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, The Descendants is sure to charm everyone who sees it.

Shame (2011)

Directed by: Steve McQueen

Verdict: What could have been a hard-to-watch, uncomfortable 1 hour 40 minutes is actually a gripping, chilling account of addiction and the damaging human condition. A masterful performance by Michael Fassbender brings the troubled character of Brandon to the brink of audience-detestation and back again. Carey Mulligan’s painful howl of a performance steals the show as Brandon’s damaged sister, all captured in a horrifyingly beautiful motion picture.

There are many out there who are bemused/outraged/cynically raising a British eyebrow over Fassbender’s omission from the Academy Award nominees list. After seeing his tour-de-force performance in this film, I’m right there with them.

On paper, I thought I was going to hate this film. I thought it would be uncomfortable, and that Fassbender’s character would be unlikeable, unrealistic and dull. What Fassbender achieves in this film mostly through body language and facial expression is astounding. Brandon is portrayed as a fairly normal guy, albeit with a sometimes terrifying sex addiction.

I had read beforehand that this film was ‘chilling’ and ‘gripping’, but quite honestly didn’t believe that a film about a well-to-do office worker in modern day America would really have that many scary elements. However, I was both chilled and gripped within the first 15 minutes of watching. The sequence where Brandon watches and stalks a woman through the subway station is both beautifully shot and masterfully performed.

Mulligan’s turn as Sissy is striking as she self-destructs in the most heart breaking way. As the film progresses the brother-sister relationship frequently breaks conventions – both filmic and social – and becomes increasingly uncomfortable and hard-hitting, culminating in Sissy’s tragic suicide attempt. Mulligan’s part is relatively small in this film and the star is undeniably Fassbender; in saying this Sissy’s rendition of ‘New York New York’ is gorgeously shot in close-up and Mulligan’s more than capable vocals capture every ounce of heart-wrenching emotion.



In all, this film was a total surprise to me. McQueen has taken some inordinately tough subject matter and turned it into a beautiful motion picture. I doubt very much anyone who has seen this film exited the cinema without questions buzzing around their mind. The film can be seen as focussing on one complex and dangerous fictional character, but really it’s a much broader social commentary that is utterly striking and one of the most ambitious films of our time.

The Wrestler (2008)

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Verdict: Sometimes hard to watch but always, always a film with grit, heart and integrity. In other words, classic Aronofsky. Rourke gives the performance of his career to date as the absolutely lovable violent thug Randy ‘The Ram’, complemented brilliantly by stripper/mom Marisa Tomei and abandoned daughter Evan Rachel Wood.


It wouldn’t be a film by Darren Aronofsky if it didn’t mix moments of graphic violence, blood and gore with heart-wrenching scenes of emotion and inner-torment. The Wrestler won universal acclaim upon its release, and it’s easy to see why.

Rourke gives a deeply-affecting performance as Robin ‘Randy the Ram’ Ramzinski; a performance that saw the actor welcomed back into Hollywood’s A-List folds after a long time in the cold with an Oscar nomination. Rourke’s multi-layered performance is one of several brilliant acting turns in The Wrestler; Tomei is both hilarious and heart-breaking as stripper/mother Cassidy/Pam, in a role that saw her earn an Academy Award nomination for Supporting Actress. Wood is sharply believable as Randy’s bitter daughter Stephanie, in a sub-plot that builds Randy’s character up for a fall.

There are moments, mostly in the first half of the film, that are extremely graphic. Not shocking, considering this is a film about a professional wrestler. Aronofsky considers The Wrestler to be a companion piece to Black Swan, an equally disturbing and graphic film about an athlete’s search for satisfaction in perfection.

The poignancy and emotion of Aronofsky’s film comes, in majority, from the startling parallels to be drawn between Ram’s life and Rourke’s life off-screen. This fact was played upon massively in the publicity and advertising for the film, with posters reading ‘Witness the resurrection of Mickey Rourke’, but was plain to see for all viewers of the film familiar with the frequently tumultuous relationship Rourke has had with the culture of Hollywood and celebrity.


In my opinion, this is one of the best films of the last few years, and is a must-see for all movie fans. I myself have always hated wrestling, but enjoyed this film immensely and found myself with a newfound respect for those wrestlers who put themselves through this day in, day out in the name of show-business. Characters like that put certain actors and Hollywood stars to shame, though not Rourke, who proves in this film he is one of acting’s greatest talents.
The tagline for the film was ‘Love. Pain. Glory.’ That pretty much sums Rourke up.

The Artist (2011)

Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius

Verdict: Quite frankly, probably my new favourite movie of all time. And I don’t make decisions like that lightly. Visually stunning, totally heart-warming, featuring stand out performances both on and off-screen from cast and crew alike. Genius, utter genius.

I walked out of the cinema half an hour ago, having seen The Artist. And I’ve literally been smiling ever since. As a film student and a general cinema-lover, Hazanavicius is probably as close as I can get to my own version of Einstein.

The concept of making a silent film in homage to the era of silent movies and the classical Hollywood era in itself is incredible. The way the film shifts in and out of the film and the films within the film is sublime, simple and elegant. Watching Jean Dujardin in this masterpiece of a performance as George Valentin is probably the closest I can get today to how those fans felt back in the days of watching Rudolph Valentino and James Dean on the big screen for the first time. This is a career, no, a lifetime-defining role. This is a cinema-defining film.

On the surface, the film starts out like a copy of the old silent films we’ve all admired from a distance. It’s shot in black-and-white, it features occasion inter-title cards with necessary lines of dialogue, and the filmic ration is classic old-Hollywood. But this film is so much more than just a duplicate of the old films.

Okay, so perhaps the final moment, in which *spoiler alert* George speaks at long last was inevitable. Perhaps we all saw it coming. That somehow enhances the magic of this movie. Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, as George and Peppy Miller respectively, deliver stand-out performances that put most ‘Hollywood’ actors of today to shame. Their subtle shifts between the over-acting of the silent era and their naturalistic performances elsewhere are a joy to behold. And of course, Uggie the dog is utterly superb.

There are those out there who are claiming that parts of The Artist are rip-offs from other films – i.e. the shot/reverse-shot breakfast table sequence, and the well-publicised usage of Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo score. These are people who obviously missed the point of the film and totally avoided all press both before and after viewing. This may turn into a rant, just to warn you. Citizen Kane is lauded as one of, if not the greatest films ever made. Orson Welles reportedly learned everything he knew about movies and directing them – ergo everything about how to make Citizen Kane, from John Ford’s masterful 1939 Western Stagecoach. Considered one of history’s cinema experts, Francois Truffaut’s début film Les Mistons borrowed extensively from both its original text, and from many other films in the formation of its aesthetic narrative. This is not what cineastes call ‘rip-offs’. This is dedicating your work to other great directors; it’s paying homage to the extraordinary art of the cinema. And that’s everything that The Artist stands for.

Yes, there are countless in-jokes for cinema experts. But those who go to see The Artist knowing nothing of the grand history of motion pictures will be just as blown away by this uplifting, beautiful and utterly un-pretentious film. The film as a whole, along with Hazanavicius, Dujardin, composer Ludovic Bource and Bejo have already been showered with prestigious awards and nominations, and have garnered the most Golden Globes nominations for the ceremony to be held on the 15th January. In my opinion, if Hazanavicius’s masterpiece isn’t recognised and rewarded at The Academy Awards (rightly or wrongly cinema’s most famed awards ceremony) it will be an utter travesty.

I won’t ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen The Artist yet (what are you waiting for? GO NOW!), but there is one moment with a glass and a table that is surely one of the greatest moments of cinema, and certainly the best I’ve personally witnessed in a theatre. Okay, the use of diegetic sound is scarce and The Artist is mostly just moving pictures. But you won’t find another film that is more moving than this. Five stars, a must-see.

Juno (2007)

Directed by Jason Reitman



Verdict: One of the most original films of recent times. It tackles a difficult subject with comedy and is both hilarious and heart-wrenching. Diablo Cody writes the most unique script of the 21st century in a film characterised by zingy dialogue, stand out acting and emotive camera shots. Great movie.

Juno’s script, by Diablo Cody, was what inspired me to work in film. That’s probably not the norm. I’m guessing a lot of people are spurred on by films considered a little bit more high-brow than Juno. But the absolutely brilliant writing of this script inspired me, and made me want to write for the screen. The script is probably the best thing about this film; which is no mean feat considering Reitman directs a film shot in beautiful colours and with innovative shots, and who can forget the outstanding Ellen Page as pregnant teen Juno?

It’s a theme which has almost been done to death in Hollywood – pregnancy. In that sense Juno isn’t a particularly unique film. It’s the edgy way it broaches the subject that separates it from so many dull rom-coms about surprise knock-ups (see if you can decipher what I’m referring to…).
I’m going on a lot about the script. But it’s hard not to. Let’s look at the opening exchanges between Juno and the utterly fascinating shopkeeper:

“Back for another test?”
“I think the first one was defective. The plus sign looks more like a division symbol, so I remain unconvinced.”
“Third test today, mama bear. Your eggo is preggo, no doubt about it. It's really easy to tell. Is your nipples real brown? Yeah, maybe your little boyfriend's got mutant sperms; knocked you up twice.”
“Silencio, old man! Look, I just drank my weight in Sunny D and I got to go pronto.”
“Well, you know where the lavatory is. And pay for that pee stick when you're done. Don't think it's yours just 'cause you marked it with your urine….
What's the prognosis, fertile Myrtle? Minus or plus?”
“I don't know. It's not seasoned yet.”
“Take some of these.”
“No, there it is. God, that little pink plus sign is so unholy.”
“That ain't no Etch A Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, home skillet.”

I mean, come on. That’s absolute genius. The entire film comes up with incredible sayings that just have to be integrated into my everyday speech.


Aside from the script, there is some pretty brilliant acting in Juno. Page, in her breakout role, completely owns the screen like a seasoned pro. For most of the film she is utterly hilarious in a unique dead-pan, verging-on-crazy style. She shows her true acting credentials in the scenes just after Mark admits he doesn’t want a baby and after she gives up said baby, however. Her change in emotions is heartbreakingly realistic and adds a new dimension to the previously comedic role, and rightly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The supporting cast are no less impressive either; Michael Cera is always is nails-on-blackboard awkward and utterly adorable, Jennifer Garner is both irritating as hell and totally endearing, and Allison Janney and J.K Simmons for me steal the show as Juno’s oddball parents.

Reitman’s directing is, on examination, much more emotive and reflective than it first appears. The entire make-up of the film is striking – the usages of colour, lighting and sound all lend to the emotional rollercoaster of both the audience and the titular character. The opening sequence interspersed with cartoon-like graphics of Juno is beautifully done and opens up nicely onto the lawn with the infamous armchair.

Juno's soundtrack is one of the most indie, unusual and beautiful in years, and enjoyed correspoinding success. Many of the songs are performed by the brilliant Kimya Dawson, and the entire soundtrack has a positive, edgy, not run-of-the-mill feel to it, that complements the message and performances of the film beautifully.

The film received both negative and positive attention for its treatment of the topic of abortion. It’s hard to say on which side (pro-life or pro-choice) the film comes down on; Juno eventually decides against an abortion and later implies to her step-mother that she never even considered the option, which suggests a pro-life stance. On the other hand Su Chin, Juno’s classmate who pickets outside the abortion clinic is a caricature figure – with her incorrect language and childlike demeanour. I think this ambiguity was a terribly smart choice on the part of script-writer and director, and allowed for the film to be seen as a sweet and edgy comedy, rather than a political tool.

For me Juno is an intelligent, funny and emotional film that stays with you for one reason or another. But I have a feeling it’s like Marmite – you either love it or loathe it. I definitely love it.

Independence Day (1996)

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Verdict: One of the best action movies out there, definitely the best of the alien v human genre, if insulting to any extra-terrestrial life-forms that may be out there. Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum on fine form in a movie full of huge graphics and stand out acting performances, all things considered…

I’ve got to defend this movie. It never pretended to be anything other than it was – an alien-smashing, White House-exploding masterpiece of the trashy action genre. In saying that, it does perhaps go a little too far sometimes – the idea that this ‘far more advanced’ (according to the brilliant Dr Oaken) alien species could be undone by a simple computer virus is, ridiculously enough, one of the more unbelievable elements of the film. But let’s get that out of the way.

I first watched Independence Day when I was six years old, and it’s stayed with me ever since. I’ve watched it upwards of fifty times and can pretty much quote it word for word. There’s nothing self-assuming or arrogant about this movie. Emmerich’s great strength in this motion picture was combining moments of comedy (pretty much all of Randy Quaid’s performance as Russell Casse, the engagement ring scene between Jimmy and Steve) with moments of action-movie poignancy (‘Is mommy sleeping now?’ *sob*).

Not without good reason Independence Day won the 1996 Academy Award for Visual Effects. There are some scenes of exploding buildings that still hold up (no pun intended) against the high-end CGI of today. I personally think the White House explosion scene is brilliantly executed, looks pretty realistic and acts as the catalyst for the major death and destruction to begin. Classic.

The cast itself is pretty epic. Granted, it was really this role that catapulted one Will Smith into mega-stardom, but he was still a pretty famous guy at this point. Actors of the calibre of Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum were in this movie, which is a fact many overlook merely because it has aliens shooting stuff everywhere. And I mean, these were pretty classy aliens; they could control minds and everything.

I really do think this is a superior alien-American heroes-action-destruction movie. Honestly I do. It has everything one could ask for, apart from… intellect? There’s romance, action, comedy, brilliant visuals; it has everything. It even has a subtle commentary on social divides – Jimmy tells Steve he’ll never fly a spaceship if he marries a stripper… Then later in the movie Steve marries a stripper and immediately afterwards flies a spaceship. It truly is uplifting stuff.

And of course, who can forget probably the greatest monologue in movie history by President Whitmore (Pullman). Okay, maybe not the greatest, but it’s pretty darn good. It’s got to be at least up there with Samuel L Jackson’s epic Biblical speech in Pulp Fiction, Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, and the legendary Napalm monologue from Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. Right? “Today, we celebrate… our Independence Day!” It may sound cheesy and somewhat predictable given the movies title and the huge graphics that come up each day to remind us that it is, in fact, July 4th. However, even now when I watch the movie 15 years after my first viewing, that speech still makes my hairs stand on end. It’s a great piece of script-writing by Dean Devlin & Emmerich and a great piece of acting from Pullman.

Before I sign off, just one piece of negativity (where would we be without it?). At the end, when Steve and David return from space where they have defeated a whole fleet of alien ships with a virus, their loved ones and the president are coming out to meet them in a jeep. Which they promptly stop a good 100 metres away from the heroes and proceed to run all the way to them. No sane person does this. That’s all.

Overall, I love Independence Day. It’s a great feel-good movie and as a film student, it’s definitely my No 1 guilty pleasure.