Top 20 of 2012 PART 1

It's that time when everyone has to write their best of the year lists. I'm no different. Though I waited a year to write my best of 2011 list, I've decided that I can confidently write my best of 2012 list today! That is in no small part due to all the films I've been reviewing for Filmoria and Static Mass Emporium. So a massive thanks to those sites because I'm actually ending the year having seen quite a lot of 2012 releases.

In fact by my count I've seen 68 films released in 2012 in the UK. That's out of a total of 193 films I watched for the first time this year. I'm sure with all the films I re-watched this year, that would comfortably take me over the 200 mark for films I have watched in 2012. Respectable but I hope to do better in 2013!

And now on to the list:

Films I didn’t get to see that may well have made an appearance: The Master, The Raid, Rust and Bone, Headhunters, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Hobbit

Honourable mentions (if only this were a top 25): Avengers Assemble, The Grey, The Descendants, Safety Not Guaranteed, Coriolanus

20. Looper

My own silly expectations are to blame for this being outside the top 10. I suspect if I watch Looper again, I'll enjoy it a lot more. Great, intelligent science fiction but not as good as the time travel films I grew up with despite a fantastic performance from JGL.

19. Prometheus

Another victim of my ludicrous expectations, though I think a lot of other people felt let down by this too. Still a great film though and one I'm looking forward to re-watching. It certainly had the most exciting marketing of the year.

18. The Hunger Games

I got the trilogy of books for Christmas last year and while the first film didn't live up to the promise of the first book, it was still a hell of good film for young adults (and the rest of us!) Infinitely better than Twilight, it's a shame that the second and third books didn't live up to the original either. I'm hoping the film sequels will improve on the books. This is why I loved the first book so much.

17. Chronicle

It’s a superhero spin on the tired ‘found footage’ formula.  Climaxing with a creatively shot smack down that flies, explodes and rips through a city on a meager budget, Chronicle is a very impressive directorial debut.

16. Margin Call

I reviewed this for Filmoria when it was released on DVD and loved it. I also got to interview actress Susan Blackwell who appears at the start of the film. Compelling, sad and refreshingly free from boo-hiss villainy in favour of surprising humanity.

15. 21 Jump Street

Laughed my ass off while watching this. Literally nearly fell of my chair clutching my stomach it was hurting so much during the drug taking scene. One of the best surprises of the year. Funny, silly, dumb AND occasionally smart!

14. Carnage

One of my favourite casts of the year all stuck in a room for the entire length of the film. It has middle class couples at war over brawling boys and despite being stagey is absolutely hilarious especially once the alcohol starts to flow.

13. My Brother the Devil

Another one I reviewed for Filmoria, It is filled with gripping performances and it has a script that raises a wealth of important and relevant issues that combine to make this a must-see British drama from an outstanding new voice.

12. Sightseers

This one I reviewed at Static Mass Emporium, Alice Lowe delivers a brilliant performance and her character Tina steals the film from all around her. Sightseers is an excellent serial killer comedy that has lots of laughs, vicious violence and heaps of heart, and all with a killer soundtrack. My review also won a competition and appeared here at the Picturehouse Cinema blog.

11. Lawless

I loved the period setting, all the performances from a fantastic cast and thoroughly enjoyed the prohibition and early gangster story. Guy Pearce makes a superb villain and Tom Hardy shined in his bad-ass in a cardigan role. Better than the Hillcoat/Cave collaboration The Proposition.

And here is the top 10 0f 2012! What do you think so far?

Results for the Best Found Footage Film

A while back I asked you to vote for your favourite found footage movies. You can see the results in full here. There were exactly 80 votes in total so a massive thanks to everybody who voted!  I know it's an unpopular sub-genre but people mostly seem to like a few of these so I gave all voters the chance of picking their top 3.

Diary of the Dead, The Last Broadcast, The Magician and The Last Horror Movie were the big losers racking up an impressive zero votes each. The Last Horror Movie is quite a good little British horror and I suspect not a lot of people have seen it. The Magician is like an Australian version of Man Bites Dog and I imagine this is again little seen. Diary of the Dead is Romero's attempt at found footage and has some interesting moments but overall is nothing compared to his original 'Dead' trilogy. The Last Broadcast is the film that came out the same year as Blair Witch but ultimately got forgotten by history.

Zero Day (one of my favourites), The Last Exorcism, Project X and Grave Encounters all got one vote. I haven't seen Project X and am curious despite the hostility I heard towards it. Grave Encounters went on a little long and lost its way but had some effective scares and has a great set up. Zero Day is excellent but needs to be seen by a wider audience.

Quarantine, the American remake of Rec, just beat Rec 2 and Man Bites Dog by getting 3 votes to their 2 votes each. Paranormal Activity just beat the daddy of found footage Cannibal Holocaust with 5 votes to 4. Rec towered above all of these with 9 votes.

For the most part, it looked like there might be a tie between Chronicle, Cloverfield, Troll Hunter and Blair Witch. Eventually however Troll Hunter failed to compete and fell behind ending up with 11 votes. Blair Witch and Chronicle pulled ahead with 13 votes but Matt Reeves' New York trashing monster managed to pip all the competition by taking home 14 votes and is therefore the overall winner!

So there you have it. Cloverfield is officially the greatest found footage film ever (as voted for by 80 people). Let's hope they get round to making an equally as thrilling sequel or prequel one day without tarnishing the original. Or maybe they should just leave it alone?

Vote for the Best Found Footage Film

As part of my PhD thesis research I'd like to know what are the most popular found footage films to you my lovely readers!  I've put a list of the most commonly known ones here but please feel free to let me know if there are others you prefer!

Please vote for your top 3 and if you fancy leaving a comment on why they are your favourites, I would really appreciate it.  I know most people seem to hate found footage but I bet you've all seen a few of these and I bet you've even quite liked at least a couple of them.

If you hate found footage with a passion, then please feel free to just vote for the three that you least hate.  I'd love to get as many responses as possible to this so please feel free to share with anyone and everyone!  This is the first ever poll at I Love That Film and I hope it won't be the last.

I was tempted to put End of Watch on here but I don't think it really counts as there is so much in it that it is not shot from the camcorders that the characters carry.  Same as REC 3.  I haven't seen Lovely Molly yet so not sure where that sits either.

Personally I love voting at your blogs so I hope you will enjoy contributing to this one.  Here's the poll!  Voting closes on 30th November!  Happy voting!

Film Review – Paranormal Activity 4

Has the Paranormal Activity franchise still got what it takes to scare audiences silly?  Have horror fans seen one too many found footage films now?  Head on over to Filmoria for my full review of Paranormal Activity 4.

As most people who occasionally read this blog will know, I am the fool who is currently doing a thesis on the found footage sub-genre in modern horror and so I have to watch every single one of these films as they are ejected into cinemas or more commonly straight onto DVD. 

The big question is, does this fourth installment in the low budget put very profitable franchise come close to recent developments of the found footage trend in other genres such as the superhero themed Chronicle?  And can Paranormal Activity 4 live up to expectations set incredibly high by films like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield? 

Common consensus was that the previous installment in the series managed to bring back a bit of the first film's magic after the disappointment of the second film.  Star of the series so far Katie Featherston returns in this sequel that brings audiences more supernatural shenanigans to give you sleepless nights.  I interviewed her before the special gala screening and you can read the interview here. 

Please check out my review at Filmoria to find out what I thought about the highly anticipated Paranormal Activity 4 which was released in cinemas today.

And please let me know in the comments below what you think of the review or the film if you've seen it.

Finding the Fun in Found Footage

Please go and take a moment to check out my first article for Boolean Flix all about why you shouldn't hate on the found footage fad in modern horror!  Let me know what you think either here or over at Boolean Flix.

2012 Releases Ranked: Top 10

Yesterday I listed the nine less good films of 2012 here.  Because I'm a useless critic and enjoy most films I see and would hate to give any competently made, mildly entertaining movie anything less than 5/10, there have been no real stinkers for me yet!  I have about a hundred others I still need to see but will be waiting for the rental.  Without further ado, this is my top 10 of 2012 so far.  Please click the titles for more of my drivel:

10.  Into the Abyss 7/10

9.  The Grey 7/10

8. Michael 8/10

7. Chronicle 8/10

6. Carnage 8/10

5. 21 Jump Street 8/10

4.  Prometheus 8/10

3. The Hunger Games 8/10

2.  Cabin in the Woods 9/10

1. Titanic 3D 10/10

What do you think?  Am I stuck in the 90s putting Titanic as the best film of 2012?  Have I got a fetish for woods with Hunger Games and Cabin so high up the list?   Or maybe I've got a thing for the Hemsworth brothers?  Is Chronicle really better than Avengers?  Is anything better than The Avengers?  Is this whole list pointless with the impending rise of the Dark Knight?

February Films Part 2: The top 9

 After yesterday's list of the other nine films I watched this month, it's time for the top nine!  Bookended by two great foreign films and featuring two unique and funny takes on the superhero genre, it has been an incredible month for my film watching.  I love every one of these films.  Don't be surprised if quite a few of them turn up on my 'Best of 2011' list when I finally get round to making it.  And there's at least one that might end up on my 'Best of 2012' list.  Please enjoy and don't be afraid to criticise, agree or generally sound off in the comments section below.  Thanks as always for taking the time to read, skim or get involved!

9. Cell 211 (Daniel Monzon, 2011)

Riddled with ridiculous plot elements but very tense and well-acted, this prison and politics thriller is great entertainment as long as you can switch off your plot-hole detecting area of the brain.  When the new guard gets stuck behind bars in a prison riot on his first day on the job, he must pretend to be a prisoner or face the wrath of the vicious, angry mob that are protesting their treatment at the hands of the corrupt, brutal guards.  Sounds silly?  It is but it handles the tension and action superbly with a great idea that isn’t afraid to make the odd political point.

8. Hesher (Spencer Susser, 2011)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes the reins from Rainn Wilson and becomes the unhinged nutter after Wilson’s ‘Super’ anti-hero.  This time Wilson is the depressed Dad of a boy who is in need of his father back after the death of the wife/mother.  Hesher (JGL) comes into their life with long hair, Metallica on the stereo, clothes that need washing and plonks himself on their sofa in his underpants.  It’s as weird as it sounds but thoroughly enjoyable and unique.

7. Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

It’s a superhero spin on the tired ‘found footage’ formula.  When three high school dudes discover ‘something’ underground, they suddenly develop powers of telekinesis.  One of the teens is weird kid Andrew who likes to film everything and has a few anger issues.  Climaxing with a creatively shot smack down that flies, explodes and rips through a city on a meager budget, Chronicle is a very impressive directorial debut.

6. Super (James Gunn, 2011)

Shut up crime!  Mentally unstable Rainn Wilson puts on a costume and starts battering baddies when his girl (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a smarmy drug dealing prick (Kevin Bacon).  It’s hilariously OTT with a couple of lovably psychotic performances from Wilson and sidekick Ellen Page.  Dark, violent and bloody funny!

5. Crazy, Stupid, Love (Glenn Ficara, John Requa, 2011)

Surprisingly sweet and funny rom-com with a stand-out turn from Ryan Gosling and great performances from all the leads (Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone).  When Moore decides to divorce Carrell, he hooks up with serial shagger Gosling for a series of man-dates to learn the art of seduction.  It all leads to a hilarious confrontation of characters in love with other characters, secrets being disclosed and surprising relationships revealed.  Clever, funny and sweet, it’s the best rom-com I’ve seen since (500) Days of Summer.

 4. Everything Must Go (Dan Rush, 2011)

Will Ferrell excels in a serious role.  After losing his wife, job and house, Ferrell takes to sitting in the front yard amongst the belongings his wife has left him with.  Sinking back into alcoholism, he encounters a number of sweet but troubled characters that in their own ways need his help as much as he needs theirs.  Not much happens but it’s beyond charming and Ferrell show’s another side to his lovable persona.

3. Carnage (Roman Polanski, 2012)

Middle class couples at war over brawling boys.  Hilarity ensues once the alcohol flows.  Very stagey but gifted with perfect performances from a brilliant cast.  Put Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster in any movie together and I'd pay to see the fireworks.  Add in John C. Reilly and Christph Waltz and keep the entire cast virtually in one room for the entirety and you have a recipe for success.

2. Tyrannosaur (Paddy Considine, 2011)

Paddy Considine impresses with a directorial debut of staggering power.  An alcoholic meets a sweet charity shop worker who is grappling with her own demons.  Harsh, realistic and unforgettable.  Olivia Colman and Peter Mullan are outstanding with power house performances gifted by an excellent script.  Eddie Marsan delivers another astonishing bastard.

1. In a Better World (Susanne Bier, 2011)

Best film of the month.  Oscar winning Danish film directed by Suzanne Bier that follows two bullied boys as they stand up to anyone they feel oppressed by.  Meanwhile one of the boys’ fathers is a doctor in Africa dealing with the repercussions of a brutal, psychotic warlord who mutilates the locals.  Dealing with violence, revenge, death and despair, it’s brilliantly acted with a couple of perfect central performances from the two young boys.  The adults are just as convincing and the story builds towards unbearably tense confrontations and an explosive climax.  Brilliant.

So now you know what I think.  But who really cares about that?  What do YOU think of these films and my ranking?  What's the best the film you saw this month?