Worth Watching:

• Sherlock Series 2 (2012), Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss – More of the utterly awesome same. These guys really know how to finish off a series too – wow what an ending! Superb acting, and the construction of the episodes (movies really) means the joys unfold sublimely well. Put simply, if you haven’t caught this, go out and do so.

• Hidden (2005), Michael Haneke – This sorta thriller features very clever use of style, incorporating video technology such as fast forwarding wonderfully into the  narrative. An examination of unwanted surveillance, as a couple are terrorised by tapes of their house and strange drawings sent to them. An intriguing, and well acted, weaving of the past into the present.

•  Burning Man (2011), Jonathan Teplitzky – As good as I could imagine a study of grief being. Incredibly fragmented opening half hour distils brilliantly at just the right moment. Performances are uniformly brilliant whilst the direction is similarly excellent. I cried at the death of a character I had known for two shots. I’m not a crier, but I wept or cried openly for the entire last hour of this. One of the very few films that do death (and by extension life) justice. If I had of seen it in time, this would have been in my top 5 for last year.

• Wish You Were Here (2012), Kieran Darcy-SMith – Well off young people getting into serious trouble appears to be the trope of choice in Aussie cinema at the moment. Splintered, non-linear narrative works well here to gradually reveal the true nature of what each character knew. A pretty enjoyable outing with universally unlikeable characters. The shocking ending is a winner though.

• The Woman in Black (2012), James Watkins – This haunted house flick is a cracking chiller. It’s all very Victorian – fog, marshland and distrusting locals hiding something. Shot very cleverly to enhance the atmosphere and shocks. A contained, taut film anchored by excellent performances from Daniel Radcliffe and Ciaran Hinds. Scared the shit out of me too.

• Dark Shadows (2012), Tim Burton – This very fun film is actually a meditation on the nature & function of family, with some distinctly adult flashes. Burton & Depp have successfully dialled it down here resulting in a fantastically restrained performance and an incredible looking (1972 set) but not visually gimmicky film. A simple story and a great cast equal lots of fun.

• Tinkler Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Tomas Alfredson – Novelist John Le Carre is known for his labyrinthine plots, and I had been warned that this adaptation of his most famous novel was borderline impossible to follow. But to me, it just requires close viewing, an old school, slow burn of a spy thriller. Beautifully shot, with close-ups driving the story. A tense, cracking adult film that is with one of the best male ensembles ever cobbled together with Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Strong the best of a very good bunch. I will admit though that the final reveal was not entirely clear to me.

• The Descendents (2011), Alexander Payne – I think this is an overrated film, but by no means a bad one, and one that grows as it goes along. A man’s wife goes into a coma, at which point he has to ramp up his parenting duties and discovers she has been having an affair. Clooney is extremely good in an exceedingly difficult role – that of a man put in an insane position. It sort of turns into a wonderfully strange, absurd road trip with an inspired confrontation scene and a delightful building of a father-daughter bond.

• Men in Black 3 (2012) Barry Sonnenfeld – This is just great fun. So good to see people like Josh Brolin and Emma Thompson being exceedingly silly. This series of films are silly, but at their best, inspiringly, absurdistly so. Not much is done with the time travel aspect of the narrative, and the huge secret reveal at the end is a hollow attempt to add gravitas where it is not wanted. But this is one of the funniest, and funnest big budget romps of the year.

• Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012), Deb Cox & Shelly Birse – What an awesome Australian show, a period crime tales told with unrelenting joy. Simply amazing characters, led by Essie Daviss as the one of a kind titular detective, backed by 5 or 6 others you can’t help but love. Fun for the most part, but it also shows it can really ramp up the tension over the last couple of episodes. Very happy to hear that series two is in the works.

Not Worth Watching:

• The Promise (1995), Marharethe von Trotta – A weighty start gives way to a pretty tepid, clichéd love story. Not that surprising when you consider the premise – young lovers divided by the Berlin Wall. Oh, think of the metaphors. The lack of backstory hinders the main two characters, as well as their supposed intense love, whilst the film is melodramatic in a bad way. Some interesting ideas, but an annoying change of actors in the main role and a script that bumbles attempting to render the differences between East and West mean they don’t shine through.

• Iron Sky (2012), Timo Vuorensola – This really not very good film completely wastes the incredible concept of Nazis on the dark side of the Moon. It is nowhere near self aware enough, and is just bad and unfunny. The sci-fi and action elements are simply unexhilarating whilst the visuals are bland and acting uniformly woeful. Bad enough though that it will probably gain a cult following on DVD.

• The Dictator (2012), Larry Charles – A film dedicated to Kim Jong Ill – A heinous tyrant who tortured and murdered. That’s the kind of thing this film finds funny. Not just ignorant and dismissive of the terrible goings on of the Arab Spring, but downright racist in parts. Comedy about dictators and the like can be subversively brilliant (I’m looking at you Chaplin) but this is not at all. And worst of all for a comedy – it’s deeply, deeply unfunny.
  

If you only have time to watch one Burning Man

Avoid at all costs The Dictator

Francis Ford Coppola is a director whose ego can come through in his films, think Apocalypse Now (1979) for example. However, The Conversation (1974) is a very different beast, and is a creation on a much smaller and intimate scale than Coppola’s aforementioned Vietnam epic.

The film essentially concerns surveillance. The opening shot starts from a voyeuristic high angle over a crowded square at lunchtime. The shot is very long, and moves in extremely slowly, so slowly that you barely even realise that it is moving. The effect is that the viewer focuses on the people mingling about, trying to ascertain exactly what we should be looking for. Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul a surveillance expert who is struggling with his conscience. Should he care about what people do with the audio tapes he captures using his high tech means, or should he just spy and absolve himself of all blame. The film is quite slow moving, and Coppola shows the ability to gradually build the moral dilemmas that Harry Caul is experiencing. And even whilst the snail’s pace can frustrate, Coppola always maintains a level of mystery surrounding the goings on so as to never lose the audience. This is a good thing, because the film accelerates wonderfully in the second half as the true nature of all things are slowly (then suddenly) revealed for all to see.

The Conversation is a strangely wonderful film in that it takes the viewer on an in-depth look at an industry completely foreign to most of us. There are surveillance conferences, scenes of men who work in the industry sitting around discussing war stories, an obsessive concern with the detail of surveillance technology and exceptional use of a sound design full of alarms, buzzes and garbled half-heard conversation that immerses you in this world. Hackman’s Harry Caul is a ‘man apart’, with a singular focus on his work to the detriment (or non-existence) of his personal connections. Hackman wonderfully crafts a man who seems totally not at ease in the world. This is a man who on the night of his birthday chooses to sit at home playing his sax along to an LP. On a thematic level, Harry’s work and his moral concerns regarding it, reflect a broader enquiry into Catholicism that also takes place in the film. Specifically the place of confession and the transference of sin and responsibility through the act of confession.

Much of the film does revolve around the titular conversation, which is a single, seemingly innocuous conversation. This one conversation, which Harry is paid to record, is repeated over and over again as Harry utilises all the technology at his disposal to try and ascertain what was said. And notably once he has achieved that, he goes outside the scope of his role, and attempts to discover the significance of it. The Conversation closes with a cracker of a twist. It is a plot turn that makes you see the whole of the film in an entirely new light.

This film, perhaps better than any other, shows what an original filmmaking voice Coppola was (is?). From a car chase that comes out of absolutely nowhere, to the endless close-ups of surveillance equipment, this is a little film with so much to absorb, and I recommend you give it a shot.

Verdict: Stubby of Reschs

Progress: 55/1001

Worth Watching:

• The Butcher Boy (1917), Roscoe Arbuckle – Short film starring Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle, Buster Keaton in his first screen appearance and Luke, the original superstar screen dog. Arbuckle is the greatest physical comedian ever, and that includes his co-star here, who would go on to greater esteem (and who is my favourite screen comedian). This is fantastic as all the jokes are perfectly structured, a great rapport between the stars is immediately apparent and there’s lots of action, culminating in a great food fight.

• I Am Bruce Lee (2011), Pete McCormack – The film perfectly captures Lee’s transformative brilliance and persona. The film uses Lee as a starting point to examine all the beautiful things in life. His wife, a wonderful brave woman, leads a selection of interviewees who imbue much intelligence and thought. Explores Lee’s influence over dance, MMA and many other things. A great documentary.

• The Avengers (2012), Joss Whedon – Whedon has done a wonderful job of balancing the numerous characters. Also of imbuing humour into proceedings fantastically, without it coming off as extremely lame. The film is overlong, and the characters who have not had stand alone films suffer in comparison to Iron Man et al. But whilst not perfect, this is wonderful big budget fun.

• Sherlock Season 1 (2010 – Pilot 2009), Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss – Fucking amazing television series, featuring three 90 minute episodes. Driven by an innovative, cracking visual style and brilliant editing, this is like no TV show you have ever looked at. Benedict Cumberbatch is dynamite as an exxcentric and hilarious Sherlock and the interplay between him and Martin Freeman’s Watson is great. The third ep, featuring Andrew Scott as a chillingly effective Moriarty, is as searingly a creative piece of telly filmmaking as I have ever seen.
  

Not Worth Watching:

• Real Steel (2011), Shawn Levy – A Saturday arvo vibe to the whole thing, but you know, with robots. Hugh Jackman’s character starts off an utter prick – he tries to sell custody of his child for 50K – and doesn’t improve a whole lot. Boxing robots could have led to fun, well made mindless fluff. But this fluff is so mindless it is a painful experience, with montage taking up much of what should be the crux of the story and some inexplicable robot/boy dancing. Awful.

• The Thing (2011), Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. – I’m not familiar with the original, but it’s safe to say it’s much better than this. Bland, to the point that your attention to wander, with the only aspect holding interest the awesome Antarctic scenery. Butt there is not much of it. Really tame for a horror film, not enough happens unless you count bad CGI and moving arbitrarily from death to death of characters you don’t give a shit about. Pretty lacklustre and mindless overall.

• Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011), Lasse Hallstrom – I deeply disliked basically everything about this. The characterisation is intensely ham fisted – we get that Ewan McGregor is a nerdy, stuffy suit. The film starts with an annoying voiceover and even more annoying attempt at hip visual style. After that though, it just because tepid, average beyond measure with an inexplicably unbelievable romance at the centre. Only one minor character, that of Kirsten Scott Thomas, feels grounded in any sort of reality.

If you only have time to watch one I Am Bruce Lee

Avoid at all costs Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Worth Watching:

• A Separation (2011), Asghar Farhadi – This awards darling conveys a society far removed from the one I live in. A society where religion and ‘norms’ pervade every aspect of daily life. It is masterfully made and evolves into a detective yarn like nothing you have every seen before. There is richness and nuance here, in the narrative but also in the father-daughter and mother-daughter relationships.

• Immortals (2011), Tarsem Singh – Tarsem brings his indescribable visual flair to what otherwise could have been standard studio fare, and also tacks on some of his former works hyper-violence. There is a lot of poor acting, but this romp set in the world of Greek mythology so successfully combines the gritty realist with the fantastical in its visual presentation that it is really worth checking out.

Not Worth Watching:

• Alias Season 5 (2005), J.J. Abrams – Can’t shake a general sense of frustration at the overarching storyline across all seasons. Seems it had not been thought out in advance. The up and down flip flopping of the character of Sloane is a prime example. A tame conclusion to a series that started out so much better.

• Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Sean Durkin – This features probably the best performance by an actress over the past 12 months, from Elizabeth Olsen. She believably portrays a young woman full of anguish and vulnerability with no requirement to revert to histrionics. Once you settle into the film’s back and forth structure it engages and provokes thought, taking the viewer on an original (and at times harrowing) journey.

• The Artist (2011), Michel Hazanavicius – An excellent film. A homage to classic Hollywood and the transformative power of cinema at that time. The influence of Singin in the Rain (1952) is plain to see. The pride of the main character makes him a frustrating figure. Full of positives, the highlights are the cracking cinematography and the two joyful lead performances from Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo.

• Man on a Ledge (2012), Asger Leth – Sam Worthington establishes himself as an action star well worth watching in this, following in the footsteps of Aussie brethren Russel Crowe. This is a classically, simply shot action film that reminds just how enjoyable a film like this can be. A lot of this is down to how the plot slowly, but surely reveals its secrets which helps to maintain interest throughout.

• Shame (2011), Steve McQueen – A film about a man addicted to sex, or more specifically ejaculation. Fassbender is surreally good as the high powered exec living this life until his sister, the phenomenal Carey Mulligan, turns his world upside down causing him to reflect on how he carries himself. A character study of a man caught in the most shameful of addictions. McQueen is a stylist and a technician & this is adoringly shot with great use of light, angle and especially sound.

• Hulk (2003), Ang Lee – This maligned film starts with a cracking credit sequence and never looks back. The most interestingly constructed comic book film I’ve ever seen, editing is masterfully used to truly make it feel like you are watching a comic brought to life on the big screen. Such a great vibe, truly inspired and don’t worry, Bana’s Hulk is awesomely destructive when the time comes. Jennifer Connelly gives a wonderful performance as well. Thematically as well as in looks, this is a much more ‘grown-up’ Marvel film.

• Hugo (2011), Martin Scorsese – An extremely rich film worthy of repeated viewings. Dripping in mechanics and clockwork, it features a revelatory performance from Sacha Baron Cohen and a phenomenal one from Ben Kingsley. Of course this is Marty’s ode to cinema, but at times, that is clumsy with dialogue serving as film lecture. It is a bit po-faced at times, but overall an amazing film.

• Flowers and Trees (1932), Burt Gillett – This Disney effort was the first ever winner of best animated short at the Oscars. It is classically Disney in style and nicely conveys the joys of the natural world. However the film has dated pretty bad and with no story to speak of there is precious little emotion to be found. Take a look:

• Search by Image, Recursively, Transparent PNG, #1 (2012), Sebastian Schmieg – It’s a clever idea. The results though are underwhelming. For far too long its just pictures of space, and the lack of any soundtrack really hurts it. Gets a lot cooler when the images begin to change, but these cuts are much too fast. It’s rare for a 4 minute film to feel too long, but this achieves that because too many of the images just aren’t that interesting. Check it out:

• Bluebeard (1944), Edgar G. Ulmer – One of my favourite fairytales is transformed into a pretty poor film. No real attention paid to establishing the film’s period chops and Bluebeard doesn’t even have a rockin beard. The film is about as atmosphereless as a film can be, even the invocation of the Faust tale can’t help. To top it all off the background music is incessant, and I don’t think anyone actually paid any attention to the music chosen. Really, truly terrible. And if it still sounds like a film you want to watch, you can check it out here:

• One for the Money (2012), Julie Anne Robinson – Katherine Heigl stars, featuring a whole lot of fake tan and as bad an attempt at an Italian accent you will ever come across. What starts as fun, light fare with a rockin hardboiled voiceover descends into inanity at lightning speed. Poorly acted (the supporting cast are atrocious), with an even more poorly constructed plot this woeful film is one I assure you you can afford to miss.

• The Incredible Hulk (2008), Louis Leterrier – Supposedly this is the better of the recent Hulk films. I must have missed something cause this bored me to tears. Somewhere between a sequel and a reboot, having all the same characters played by different actors is distracting. And not one of them is as good as what came in Ang Lee’s take, with Ed Norton & Tim Roth particularly miscast. Derivative, you can see the Bourne and Casino Royale (2006) references all over this one but they add little. And the decision to have the Hulk’s transformation triggered by heart rate rather than anger is a major fail.

• The Spanish Apartment (2001), Cedric Klapisch – Really slow start, with the most notable aspect being a number of (failed) attempts at funky aesthetics – onscreen graphics & images in fast forward. Gets into its stride, accurately conveying the sheer unfamiliarity of a new city, and a meta apartment with residents from all over Europe in each other’s pockets. In the end though, there are so many characters that none of them are really given the narrative attention they deserve. A surreal, comedy of errors that is perhaps too ambitious in the end.

• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), Stephen Daldry – An exceedingly annoying film with one of the most misjudged central characters ever. This painful child character, with the infernal tambourine he takes everywhere, is paired with an infuriating voiceover for a lot of it. Sandra Bullock is surreally good, and she evokes more emotion in her small part than the entire rest of the film. And whilst Max Von Sydow is also very good, his character is symptomatic of what’s wrong with the film. If the young central protagonist, and Sandra Bullock’s character had their screen time swapped, this might have been bearable. It isn’t.