OK, so I’ve been a bit busy this year. Well actually I haven’t I just couldn’t be bother to blog. So my new years resolution is to make sure I blog about something at least once a week. Lets see how long I last.
Anyway to round off the year I thought I’d give you my take on some of this year’s films in a one sentence summary:
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Drive – Overrated. Michael Mann ( Thief ) and Walter Hill ( The Driver ) pretty much said all that was needed to be said about this kind of thing.
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Hugo – Scorsese + 3D = good ( The 3D stops it from being great ).
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Bridesmaids – Actually better then the hangover. There I’ve said it.
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True Grit – Still trying to understand the point of this remake. It baffles me and so does the critics praise of it.
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Thor – mediocre
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Green Lantern – see entry for ‘Thor’
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Captain America – see entry for ‘Green Lantern’
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Tintin – Spielberg + 3D = Bored my arse off.
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13 Assassins – Miike will never be able to wipe the memory of Audition from my mind, but I actually enjoyed this flick.
I’ve seen loads more then this but this is what sticks in my mind. Overall not that great a year. Mostly I’ve been catching up on old movies on DVD. They don’t make them like they used to…shit I must be getting old.
January 2, 2012 at 12:53 am |
This is a really arbitrary summary. As you say, you have seen many more films released in 2011 than that. Also, there are some big, critically acclaimed films which you haven’t seen, like Tree of Life, The Artist and Black Swan. I am sure if you were in a slightly different mood, or your viewing had been slightly different, you would have a more positive outlook.
I haven’t seen all the films you listed, but I have a few comments on your appraisals.
I loved Drive. It might have been a bit empty in some respects, and perhaps overrated by some reviewers, but it was just a cool film and I enjoyed enough that I would happily watch it again. Also, I would hate it if directors decided not to make any more movies like that because it had been done before. I think there is plenty of scope for new heist/getaway films and Drive was sufficiently different from what has been before.
Actually, I have read a few comments from a few people drawing comparions with Walter Hill’s Driver and saying Driver is a better film. I like them both about the same to be honest and I think Drive pays homage in a way I like a lot more than Tarantino’s overt genre parody.
Anyway, Bridesmaids was not better than The Hangover in my opinion. Not really sure why you feel that way.
I completely understand why True Grit was critically acclaimed and I enjoyed the film. However, I agree it was a disappointing choice for adaptation, given what has been before.
I agree that Thor and Captain America were mediocre, but I would say Green Lantern was in a different class. It was completely lousy. A terrible, terrible piece of crap. It boggles my mind that it was as bad as it was.
January 3, 2012 at 5:42 pm |
“Anyway, Bridesmaids was not better than The Hangover in my opinion. Not really sure why you feel that way.”
Yes, yes it was…miles better I just saw it again recently and have completely changed my opinion on it. Sorry but with some hindsight its an awful film and I would never watch it again. It bored me second time through. Granted I knew all the jokes but that’s no excuse.
Drive V. Driver. Yes there is plenty of scope for the genre, but if you want an existential thriller Driver is far superior. Besides I’m fed up of people paying homage to old films lets have something new.
Oh and Black Swan was actually made/released in 2010. OK UK release was Jan 2011 but it was considered for last year’s Oscars so I don’t count it. Plus I haven’t seen it so why on earth would I comment on something I have not seen. You seem to be missing the point of my blog its a one sentence summary on what I’ve seen not some crazy billion page critical analysis. Christ if you want that go read Mark Kemode’s blog
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January 3, 2012 at 7:14 pm |
Well, we can agree to disagree regarding The Hangover and Bridesmaids, although I will admit it has been a while since I saw The Hangover.
I like Driver, it’s got some great sequences, but I clearly do not have the same regard for it that you do. I don’t think it’s far superior and I’d rather watch Drive again if I’m honest (purely for enjoyment).
I understand you may feel fed up with films paying homage, but coming up with something completely new is more problematic than you seem to appreciate, particularly when you’re talking about genre films. Driver is not entirely original you know; it is an extension of the film noir genre. Drive is sufficiently original and what I was trying to say is that where it pays homage it does so in a subtle way.
I mentioned Black Swan purely because if you’d seen some more movies maybe your outlook wouldn’t be so jaded and bleak. I could have just have easily have mentioned The King’s Speech or similar. I wasn’t expecting you to comment on it!
I understand the point of your post, but it seems pretty random to me. You mention nine films that I don’t think anyone would really try to argue were the best of the year’s films, then from that you extrapolate that it hasn’t been a great year and they don’t make them like they used to. I think if you had watched more and maybe were not dwelling on weak superhero flicks, you’d have a more positive view of the year’s films perhaps. I can agree that there is a lack of creativity in Hollywood, but I feel like maybe you’re more forgiving with old films than you are with new releases.
January 3, 2012 at 8:02 pm |
Well if you are talking about Thrillers the two best thrillers I’ve seen this year are ‘The secrets in their eyes’ and The Lives of Others’, one was a 2007 Oscar winner and the other 2010. They were both infinitely superior to Drive and modernish films. They were thrilling and had a deep emotional core which Drive just didn’t give me. At the end of the day these movies touched me more then Drive. But I didn’t include them as they weren’t released this year. Plus I think I’ve seen more films then you at the cinema this year and I’m just going by that. Not DVDs, not stuff I’ve seen on TV, not stuff I’ve downloaded, after all that’s all I have and that’s what I’m basing my conclusions on. If I had seen Tree of Life, or any of the others I may well have a different opinion but I’m just going on the facts based on my constraint vision.
P.S Isabella Adjani is about a gazillion times sexier/mysterious/cooler in The Driver then Casey Mulligan so The Driver wins just based on that.
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P.S.S I saw Transformers 3 at the cinema and hands down that was the worse movie I’ve ever seen this year. None of the movies mentioned in my blog come even close to the awfulness of that. So its all relative
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January 4, 2012 at 2:09 pm |
Right, but you essentially dismissed Drive on the basis that Walter Hill and Michael Mann had done it all before and therefore it was redundant. I’m sure we have both seen better films, but Drive was stylish and enjoyable for what it was. I think it deserved a lot of the praise it received and I certainly don’t think it was entirely derivative.
Your post came across as very negative and dismissive, so I was trying to point out that your generalisations about the year were based on only a sample of the year’s releases; of which you have only bothered to comment on nine. It might not have been a fantastic year for cinema, but there were some highlights which you haven’t even mentioned. In fact, you will probably look back in a few years time and end up complaining films like Tree of Life or The Artist had “a deep emotional core” missing in the releases of 2013 or 2014.
P.S. I don’t think much of Casey Mulligan, but Chritina Hendricks is just as awesome as Isabella Adjani as far as I am concerned. Actually, for what it’s worth, I always thought Adjani’s character in Driver was a bit incongruous anyway.