Last post, I said I watched about five new movies (read: movies I hadn't seen before) in the space of three months. Now I've watched seven in two weeks. Guess I'm improving.
Paul (Greg Mottola, 2011) -
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a pair of English geeks touring America who cross paths with the eponymous alien life form (voiced by Seth Rogen). It was about as good as I expected, with some decent gags and performances but ultimately a lot more lightweight than I'd like it to be.
Attack the Block (Joe Cornish, 2011) -
+
Much more like it. A low-budget horror-comedy based around aliens invading a London estate and the handful of disparate human characters that make a stand. Not quite as good as I expected (then again, the praise was very high), but I recommend it. Great performances by largely unknown actors, some impressive set-pieces - admittedly not that great a horror, but when it's effective, it's effective.
Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011) -
Very impressive. Technically brilliant, great soundtrack and amazing performances all around. Definitely not perfect, though, as its storyline (understandably) feels a little underdone and the film sort of falls apart a bit towards the end, but otherwise, wow.
Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011) -
Never mind the hype, this is decidedly average. At least it's probably better than
The Hangover Part II, but I don't think that's too hard to do.
Red Dog (Kriv Stenders, 2011) -
Not my thing at all.
Four Lions (Chris Morris, 2010) -
The expectations may have gotten a bit too high for this one, but it's still very good. Based on a handful of bumbling terrorists as they repeatedly attempt to strike out against the system, it's not quite laugh-out-loud funny for most of the time, but it's definitely clever and thoroughly audacious. The ending was something else as well.
The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) -
I don't know, somehow giving this a rating after one viewing doesn't quite work. It feels like it should be a
, but honestly, viewing this for the first time will probably do something to your mind. Some of the visuals are amazing, but these are tempered by a somewhat lacklustre "life in the fifties" narrative dominating the film's running time. Makes me wonder what Malick cut out of the final product. Will definitely re-watch.