Monday 12 January 2009

Filmography 2008: BamBi Edition

In the same way as Telf has, and as I did for 2007, the films I saw that were released this year reviewed in under twenty-five words with a score out of ten.

There Will Be Blood
A gripping and intense story that you don't just watch, you experience. Day-Lewis is superb. A film I cannot fault.
10/10

Cloverfield
A snappy action-disaster film which does everything it attempts well. The real star is the monster. The handheld style works better on DVD.
8/10

In Bruges
Not what I was expecting at all. Wry and irreverent humour that works very well, and a cast that fits together in a very satisfying way. A new favourite.
8/10

Jumper

Boring, underdeveloped sci-fi/action tosh that even Samuel L. Jackson can't save.
4/10

Vantage Point
A novel concept that becomes overdone halfway through and is then dropped in favour of Hollywood tripe two thirds in.
5/10

Funny Games U.S.
Some solid performances throughout, but ultimately too nihilistic for its own good. A gripping watch but without enough substance in the end.
7/10

Iron Man
Despite slow and unfocused sections and a tacked-on bad guy at the end, this stays slick all the way through. Downey Jr. is fantastic.
7/10

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
A great action adventure. Ford is great, the supporting cast fine. A couple of silly moments, but otherwise highly enjoyable, and most certainly Indy.
7/10

Sex And The City
Feels well made, but I've never seen an episode all the way through, so its impact upon me was limited.
6/10

Kung Fu Panda
Well written with highly polished and vibrant animation. Black and Hoffman steal the show, but the Furious Five's vocal cast support solidly.
7/10

The Happening
Shyamalan churns out a pretentious, slow and ultimately uninteresting film. Wahlberg is so wooden he should be sold in Wickes.
5/10

The Incredible Hulk
Flat, unfocused, not very interesting. A waste of both a great cast and a franchise.
4/10

WALL-E
Flawless cinema. Ingenious in its crafting and execution. Endearing and sweet whilst having a seriously bleak (but entirely non-preachy) message. Superb.
10/10

Hancock
Smith is great as the eponymous hero with solid support. Loses its way a little in the second half, but ultimately a very good film.
7/10

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Slightly too long and a little lacking in pace and focus at times. That said, Del Toro has been allowed free reign with the characters and has created an excellent film.
7/10

The Dark Knight
Sprawling, gothic and highly polished. The whole cast is fabulous and the story is crafted masterfully. The standard by which comic book films will now be judged.
10/10

Mamma Mia!
Vacuous ABBA-fest with a ridiculous story. Luckily it never takes itself seriously for a second. Still pants though.
3/10

Tropic Thunder
Leaves you feeling a little lost at the start, but once this gets going its great throughout. Very, very funny. Cruise is a sensation.
8/10

Burn After Reading
The Coen Brothers doing what they do best very well. Outlandish characters in absurd situations. Finely crafted, very clever and very, very funny.
9/10

Quantum Of Solace
Somewhat disappointing, but only because Casino Royale set the bar so high. Gritty and well made, but the plot is confusing and the humour is absent.
7/10

And the ones I wanted to see, but never did...
Teeth
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days
Be Kind Rewind
Leatherheads
Shine A Light
Son Of Rambow
Man On Wire
Hamlet 2
Righteous Kill
Ghost Town
Lakeview Terrace
RocknRolla
Body Of Lies
Happy-Go-Lucky
W.
What Just Happened
Synecdoche, New York
Zack And Miri Make A Porno
Soul Men


1 comment:

Hanspan said...

Tarnation! I was looking for a male accomplice to watch Teeth with. I think it's probably a horror film I could stand to watch, because you know I'm so pro female on male violence (/sarcasm). More seriously, because for once the victim wouldn't be a pathetic girly, I would be able to go home without worrying that whatever badness happened in the film was going to happen to me.

And the really silly thing is, the more you guys keep posting about films, the more I remember ones I did actually see - like Vantage Point (when me and sister were on holiday in Thailand, we had time to kill before our flight), There Will Be Blood (awesome!), India Jones (pretty good) and Quantum of Solace (a resounding meh...).

HERE FOLLOWS SPOILER FOR HELLBOY II, DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE PATRICK/GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THESE THINGS.











And did you not think the fact that Prince Whateverhisname took his sister hostage and promised that no harm would come to her was somewhat self-defeating? Given that anything he did to harm her would harm him? And how did our band of intelligent good guys not realise this? Lame, lame, lame. Upto that point, I was pretty much enjoying it. And I liked the Star Wars-y feel of the demon market. Was sehr cool. Though the tooth fairies scared me :(