I had recently been feeling like this year has been a lacklustre one for movies and that there hadn’t been much that truly grabbed me. Then, as I did back in June, I looked back at the list of films I had watched over the last 6 months. To my surprise, I’d actually seen a ton of good and great films. So what’s a sporadic film blogger to do other than categorize them?
Tier 1 (the great stuff)
- Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare gets the Joss Whedon treatment. I laughed out loud. Lots.
- Something In The Air – wonderful French coming of age drama.
- A Field In England – bleak and intelligent, I’m itching for another viewing.
- Wadjda – a touching film about a young girl just wanting to ride a bicycle and the impact of institutionalised sexism.
- Frances Ha – Greta Gerwig is great as a lost 20-something.
- The Way Way Back – ‘the feel good comedy of the summer’.
- Blue Jasmine – Woody Allen at his finest.
- Drinking Buddies – mumblecore goodness set in a brewery. Awkward romance ensues.
Tier 2 (good or very good)
- Gravity – I’ve never felt as tense during a film or as elated afterwards. Slips into Tier 2 simply because I can’t stomach a re-watch.
- The World’s End & Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa – grouped together for filling my summer with brit-com excellence.
- The Grandmaster – Great martial arts film, sub-par Wong Kar-wai film. I’ll take it.
- Ender’s Game – surprisingly my favourite blockbuster of the year.
- Computer Chess – mumblecore goodness set at a computer chess tournament in the 80s. Awkward ensues.
- Metallica Through the Never – refreshing concert film which works brilliantly by adding in narrative elements. Dane DeHaan <3
Excellent stuff I’ve watched at home
- Harakiri – masterful samurai drama.
- The Others Guys & This is the End – two comedies I really enjoyed whilst consuming alcohol on a Friday night.
- Fast and the Furious 1-4 – this series is just so full of fun. The cast feel like a family. RIP Paul Walker.
Fuck my life
- The Counselor – just one entry here. Ridley Scott and the entire cast of top actors completely mishandle Cormac McCarthy’s screenplay.