If there is one good reason for me to openly support the sanctity of marriage then it would have to be my new flat screen LCD Smart TV. Complete with my new Love Film online streaming package, as you may have guessed, I have been watching a lot of films recently (considering we had to forgo the honeymoon for our endless viewing pleasure, I am happy with the compromise).
Sounds great, yes? Newly married couple curled up on the couch at the weekend after the working week, how idyllic. Well it is but, there are just more bad movies then good and we find ourselves trolling through the titles, debating if it is going to be a waste of our time or not, and that kind of takes the fun out it.
The bad films are bad for so many reasons but one thing that stands out from the random selection of films I have seen recently, and I think I am not the first to speculate this, is that no one in Hollywood has any more original ideas. If it's not just the plain old obvious remake (The Amazing Spider-Man 2012) it's a prequel because they hammered out as much as they possibly could with the original storyline (Alien prequel Prometheus 2012) or just some rehash of a classic story (Show White And The Huntsman 2012 and Gnomeo and Juliet 2011).
Also thrown into the mix is the gross misuse of typecast actors such as Alan Rickman in Help I'm A Fish (2000), clearly trying to use him to replicate his success in The Lion King; Christian Bale as an emotionless crime fighter in Equilibrium (2002); Aston Kucher as a goofy romantic lead in Valentine's Day (2010); Morgan Freeman narrating things in The Bucket List (2007); Nic Cage fighting his inner crazy man in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011) or Liam Neeson punching organised crime in the balls in Unknown (2011).
Then there is the old actors who have come in to a more accessible price range for amateurish directors that just end up miscast, Al Pacino in 88 Minutes (2007), or just blatantly made a fool out of, Val Kilmer in The Red Planet (2000).
Perhaps the casting idea behind a lot of these films is that the name of the actor drawing customers to the box office, that age-old trick. But, this can be used when producers panic about a weak film and try to throw as many names at you as possible, in a desperate bid that you may just like one of them enough to see the movie. This was used in Gnomeo and Juliet (2011) and Valentine's Day (2010), where the ending credits were too long to fit on the one reel of film.
Occasionally there are films that just are what they are, not ground-breaking or thought provoking (or funny) and The Bounty Hunter (2010) was just that. I knew I was going to be subjected to Gerard Butler pouting and shooting and Jennifer Aniston flicking her hair but I watched it anyway, nothing really happened and it was completely predictable.
As much as Butler and Aniston wasted my time the disappointments are the hardest to take, Repo Men (2010) had what could have been an excellent premise but the execution missed the target by miles; bad acting, poor script, huge plot holes. The very same thing happened to The Adjustment Bureau (2011), "...those are the guys who hurt your ankle" is actually a line from a pinnacle moment in the film. No, seriously. Other disappointments that I have seen this year are John Carter (2012), for obvious, convoluted reasons and Prometheus (2012). The opening scenes of Ridley Scott's long anticipated prequel are stunning, then to be confronted by a crew devoid of all logic and mission directive? Well I just wanted my money back.
But enough. Enough of the bad and mediocre movies, what of the better films I have seen this year?
Most of the best films that I have seen so far this year have all been in the cinema with the exception of Source Code from 2011. Not the best film but well made and acted, I enjoyed its unusual plot and surprisingly beautiful score. My cinema lust perhaps says a lot about me and how I am heavily seduced by media and marketing or maybe it has just been a hell of a year for comic book hero fans.
The Amazing Spiderman (2012) was well cast but remained a little rough around the edges of its plot (The Lizard, his motives, his aim, was weak) and the smell of desperation from Sony Pictures was a little off-putting. It had a hard act to follow after the massive success of The Avengers (2012), which was pitched just right in all aspects, and coming out just before the conclusion of the Batman trilogy would be tough for most films.
The Dark Night Rises (2012) was of course one of the better films I have seen, however, I felt disappointed because I found The Dark Night had a stronger plot, script and action scenes. As an end to a trilogy it was excellent considering the poor reputation third films usually have (Alien 3, Matrix Revolutions, and Terminator 3).
So to my stand out film of the year so far...
The Grey.
I thought this was just going to be Liam Neeson punching wolves but was so taken back with the first death scene; absolutely breathtaking (no pun intended). It was classically plotted but in such a wonderfully atmospheric and bleak manner.The films positive approach to the inevitability of death is refreshing and compelling.
Well written, shot, cast and acted, this is highly recommended and goes some way to restore my faith in film making with conviction and clear vision that the majority of films lack.
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