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The Avengers 2012
Marvel's gamble pays off with its mega-hit. A fun summer movie that never takes itself too seriously.
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The Dark Knight Rises 2012
Nolan's final Batman film is wildly ambitious in terms of its scope, but many of the ideas suffer from clumsy execution. Still a satisfying film, with much to admire.
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Skyfall 2012
Mendes chooses to focus hard on the characters and drama. It's an interesting take, simply because we haven't seen Bond and M (in particular) dissected to such a degree. In many ways, Skyfall is as much about M as it is about Bond. The leading trio of Craig, Dench and Bardem all put in strong performances.
Given its 50 year anniversary, the themes of irrelevance and ‘old versus new’ were fitting, although a little more subtlety would have been nice.…
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Looper 2012
There is plenty to like about Looper. It's fun, deeply intelligent, and confidently directed. As a third feature, there is plenty of growth here; the narrative unfolds in a delightful manner, and there are some superb sequences.
Yet, this film also has many of the same issues that Brick had, which prevents it from being an unabashed success. For instance, his films have always felt self-reflexive to me. It's almost conscious about the fact that it is made for an…
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Argo 2012
It’s intriguing how Affleck is focused on making crowd-pleasing genre fare. He has obvious talent as a storyteller, but it remains challenging to balance artistic intent with broad commercial interests. With The Town, this proved to be problematic, as it translated into a predictable story and character arc, with plenty of schmaltz thrown in.
Yet, Argo proves to be a significant step forward. It looks deceptively simple on the surface, but it’s a tremendously skilled directorial effort. The tension is…
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The Dark Knight 2008
In many ways, this has not aged well. It relied heavily on the audience being unaware of what was coming next, and the urgency created by the Joker. This gets lost with repeated viewings. On the plus side, Ledger's performance is still remarkable (perhaps even more so). And some of the sequences still retain their wow factor.
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012
Well that was a disappointment. Bloated, and a tonal mess.
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Silver Linings Playbook 2012
This review may contain spoilers.
A genuine crowd-pleaser, though I'm not entirely sure why O'Russell is getting so much plaudits for his screenplay. There are some nice character details, but the clunky dialogue and straightforward plotting make it a mixed success at best. Besides, there is never any actual doubt that things will end up perfectly. Even when Pat Senior loses the first bet, the solution is presented quickly, and nobody really reflects on what just happened.
That said, when…
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Prometheus 2012
Crippled by a terrible screenplay that sends characters into contrived situations solely to move the plot forwards. Also superficially intelligent. What a waste of a strong opening half hour.
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Moonrise Kingdom 2012
Everything you might expect from a Wes Anderson film. Yet this appears to be the work of a more confident and matured Anderson, with greater levels of artistry. The story is typically whimsical, but surprisingly avoids his usual mid-film lag and actually gets stronger as it develops. The cast is dependable as usual; Hayward and Willis stand out. Possibly his best film to date.
