Film & Short diary: 2012

"My thirst for adventure will never be quenched!"


Director: Chris Miller
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton
Running time: 90 minutes
Country: USA


The Shrek franchise began tremendously with its first two instalments receiving worldwide critical acclaim but then came along the disappointing Shrek The Third and to round it off, the fourth instalment Shrek Forever After fulfilled the warmth and the comedy that provided a very good ending to the series. However, having said that it had concluded, there was something missing as it didn't seem quite complete just yet. One of the main characters in the series, Puss In Boots, first-appeared mid-way through the Shrek sequel and we needed a glimpse of his past which would name this a spin-off. Films of this particular kind are usually an absolute waste as they go totally out of hand and because this was a prequel as well, expectations were rather mixed. Despite this, Puss In Boots turned out a great surprise that feels like one on its own without almost no connection to the Shrek franchise at all.


Years before the events of Shrek 2 (no precise time setting), the adorable but tricky Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) must clear his name from all charges making him a wanted fugitive. He makes attempts to steal magic beans from the infamous criminals Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris), the hero crosses paths with his female match, Kitty Softpaws (Selma Hayek), who leads Puss to his old friend, but now enemy, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Although, Humpty's trust in Puss was rocked many years ago due to acts of betrayal after a strong friendship, Puss agrees to aid the egg retrieve the magic beans, steal the Golden Goose and to clear Puss's name.


From the likes of particularly DreamWorks Animation and Pixar Animation Studios, each of the feature films presented embark us all on different adventures and meeting new characters from different backgrounds that provides the enchanting magic, the hilarious comedy and the binding and close bonds between the characters. Within Puss In Boots, it consists of an adventure into the classic fairy tales that we'd have read in our younger lives, which is what the four Shrek films express. So, it is, in that particular way, still linked to the series but as far as dialogue, comedy and action, Puss In Boots is more a less a particular kind of film alone.


Although its animation and only consists of voice-acting, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas gives a performance that he really was destined to portray the title character. He already was brilliant in the Shrek films but more than ever, Banderas adds a more badass and more heroic cat that we hadn't really seen previously and we witnessed a rather emotionally attached and thought-provoking Puss that we didn't see all that much within the Shrek series. Plus, he presents a character a lot like Zorro/Alejandro Murrieta who Banderas is well-known for playing. Mexican Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek, who has collaborated with Banderas on more than one occasion in leading roles (e.g. Desperado, Once Upon A Time In Mexico) provides a solid performance who brings forth an unusually sexy nature towards Kitty Softpaws as she expresses a Catwoman-like personality even though she's actually a cat. So, due to the voice acting performance and how Hayek made us feel about her, she would have made a strong candidate for the Catwoman character.


The Hangover and Due Date funny man Zach Galifianakis goes somewhere a bit different with this one, not only because it's animation but because the Humpty Dumpty character is occasionally a rather dark character, so that provides a rather new side of acting to him as well as the vintage laugh-out-loud humour that he brings forth here and has done in the past. Humpty is rather different here to the original tales of the character, but it's still a very nice treat to see him on the big screen. Even more fairy tale classic characters are added to the list - Jack and Jill, who are portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. Having said that these two are the biggest villains in the film and their appearances aren't frequent, they aren't the innocent ones like in the nursery rhyme and older tales. So, like Humpty Dumpty, it was a delight to add them into the mix. Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro amazingly came into the blue and appears in a brief role as the Moustache Man.


Chris Miller, the director who gave us the massive let-down that was Shrek The Third, directs Puss In Boots and reluctantly makes up for the previous disappointment he bought forth. These being the only two feature films that he has ever directed and has provided a balanced point of view about him now, whatever he'll decide to be part of in the future will go either way. The most important feature that was in Puss In Boots that was a vital miss in Shrek The Third was that it provided a lot more warmth and strong bonds between the characters, and quite honestly if any animated film for kids doesn't have that, it's not going to work. It took three screenwriters to write this intriguing spin-off prequel and the hats go off to them as two of the three provide solid experience in writing an animated film and the third has illustrated participation within the comedy genre. So, in the writing category of the film, it turned out a successful triumph.


Overall, Puss In Boots is a charming and dazzling adventure that has almost no part of the Shrek series at all. Whether you're a huge admirer of Shrek and its sequels or not, Puss In Boots is a family film that is filled with exciting and enchanting aspects that mixes the innocence of the story for kids with the childhood memories of the tales featuring the characters that'll no doubt make this appealing for adults to really enjoy too.

"This quest sucks!"


Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Danny McBride, Natalie Portman, James Franco, Zooey Deschanel
Running time: 102 minutes
Country: USA


As we have experienced on several occasions throughout particularly the '70s and '80s, medieval fantasy-adventure stories with lively-related humour have charmed us all with its highly magical, exciting and warm nature and are the particular genres that almost completely define 'entertainment' when it comes to watching films. So, due to the theme and the majority of cast members within the film, Your Highness looked like it could be something worthwhile but having received an overwhelmingly negative critical reception, it turned out a very corny, unrealistic, and plain stupid disappointment that wasn't even funny or entertaining to watch and almost became an agonizingly painful film that is one of the worst films of 2011.


Always the constant second favourite behind his older brother Prince Fabious (James Franco) due to his numerous heroic and charming actions, disgruntled scoundrel Thadeous (Danny McBride) vents his frustrations by blundering simple assignments, indulging in too many spirits, and berating his aide Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker). But when Fabious' new bride Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) is kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Leezar (Justin Theroux), Thadeous is forced to tag along on his very first quest. Encountering wise wizards, ruthless jungle savages, and the fiercely driven warrior girl Isabel (Natalie Portman), Thadeous must learn to play the role of a valiant knight - and when Fabious is captured by Leezar, the bumbling prince might just become a hero.


Having experienced the magic and the humour within adventurous fantasy-comedies such as The Princess Bride and the Monty Python series, those particular aspects within Your Highness really went over the top as the humour was needlessly corny with such inappropriately vulgar lines. So, as a result of this, it really is not a comedy seeing as it doesn't achieve either sides of humour to entertain its target audience and it totally ruined the realistic feeling of embarking on an adventure. As far as the quest is concerned, it really was not anything like that we hadn't witnessed time and time again as it uses numerous references from historical stories based upon legends such as Robin Hood and King Arthur and attempts to mix the Monty Python like humour but massively fails to do so.


Having already directed 2008 hit Pineapple Express, director David Gordon Green returns to the comedy genre and attempts to make another hit. However, due to the atrocious script from Danny McBride and Ben Best and even the terrible acting and story, it is a huge miss and would perhaps consider calling it almost as bad as the painfully awful "comedies" from Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. In films like this, a cast and a crew either really take the film seriously or just go into making it like it is only a bit of fun. In Your Highness' case, it is something that is definitely not something to take seriously but if it actually had funnier jokes, it really would have been something really fun to watch.


If you could compare Danny McBride and his humourous ways as an actor, he would have identical characteristics to how British actor James Corden acts in the films that he is part of. Corden's unnecessarily corny humour is used in comedy-horror Lesbian Vampire Killers and resulted in an un-funny and laughably awful film. However, it is even worse with Your Highness as McBride takes the style of humour and the fun, adventurous journeys and virtually spits on them, so as a whole his performance did not work and felt unrealistic from the get-go. Alongside, Danny McBride are two young actors in their 30s who a few months before the release of Your Highness were Academy Award nominees: Natalie Portman (winner) and James Franco. So, after earning that and now going from that to this, neither of them could sink any lower as both of them give shockingly terrible performances!


James Franco had previously starred in Pineapple Express alongside Danny McBride with David Gordon Green as director, but he really flops here! He may have become a charming actor in general in most recent years (especially with his underrated role as James Dean in TV-film bio-pic) but his role in Your Highness is almost like McBride's - incredibly weak with almost completely inappropriate vulgar that simply is not funny. As for Natalie Portman, there are some particular moments that are jaw-dropping and that is literally about it for her. Zooey Deschanel makes an appearance in the film too and again, she delivers a really bad performance too. It's perhaps with how it's written and the tone of the story that makes the actors bad in Your Highness, but there is one slight positive about them appearing in this film: they add some slight sophistication to it so due to this and that they are both Hollywood stars, this would become more attracted publicly.


Overall, Your Highness is unsurprisingly but at the same time shockingly an absolutely terrible film that is just not funny or adventurous to watch in the slightest. Hopefully Franco, Portman and Deschanel have learned their lessons from this one and will never part of anything like this ever again. To be honest, you've really got to be someone who actually understands and is entertained by corny humour that is involved in Your Highness to get the full enjoyment from it. So, although it looked good with fabulous costumes and cinematography, that didn't even same the film from disaster and can now referred as one of the most annoying films that you'll ever see.

"We are not so very different, you and I. We've both spent our lives looking for the weaknesses in one another."


Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch
Running time: 127 minutes
Country: France, UK, Germany


First of all, before watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy it's important to know that it is not the James Bond-like spy film that features gun fights, car chases and a lot of violent physical contact. Nevertheless, it is unlike many other espionage films that you could possibly see as it takes you on a more theoretical journey into complex investigations and problem solving. Although spy films are not the most favoured sub-genre that everybody will enjoy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is neither one of the best nor worst spy films that there has been as it provides positive qualities and negative flaws on equal fronts.


During the Cold War in the 1970s, an operation led by the head of British Intelligence aka "The Circus" Control (John Hurt) to arrange a meeting with a Hungarian general goes badly wrong that results in the death of agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong), but Control alongside his right-hand man George Smiley (Gary Oldman) are fired and therefore forced into retirement. Smiley is called back by Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) to investigate a story by Ricky Tarr (Tom Hardy) who says to Smiley that there was a mole for the Soviet intelligence aka "Witchcraft" at Prideaux's death. However, Smiley doesn't do it alone as he seeks the help from Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) to unravel the mystery.


Having said that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is unlike many other espionage films such as the James Bond, Jason Bourne and Mission: Impossible franchises, there are a few certain faults that the film consists of that could make its viewers slightly lose interest. For example, reading the synopsis doesn't seem too difficult to understand but when you're actually watching the film and as it goes into specific detail, it becomes rather complex and can occasionally exhaust the audience by gradually making them feel a bit lost by it. So, as a result of this, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy really is a film that needs to be watched more than once to gain a full and clear understanding of the story or to just simply read the novel and watch the 1979 television series.


Although finding the complex and rather slow dialogue was the only major problem, the direction and filming side of production was just superb! From the director of Swedish horror film, Let The Right One In, Tomas Alfredson goes somewhere different as it becomes his very first English language film. Time and time again, we see this 'whodunit' style thrillers resulting in plot twists and dark background stories but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy expresses the dark yet rather clean settings of the film demonstrating life in the 1970s and during the Cold War. Despite the style of filming, Alfredson just lacked expressing that realistic feeling you get when trying to feel attached to the characters, so he may be able to do a lot better but he can do a lot worse than this.


Let's all be perfectly honest about this: Gary Oldman is undoubtedly one of the most underrated actors of all time who has delivered some fantastic performances and has appeared in a lot of blockbusters over the years. His performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was absolutely brilliant as George Smiley which could result in him finally gaining him a long-awaited Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actor. One who has watched the TV series would have found it a rather difficult task to be able to surpass what the late Alec Guinness managed to bring forth to the character, but considering that I've not watched the series; Gary Oldman is the one who could've surpassed Guinness. Recent Academy Award winning actor Colin Firth (The King's Speech) makes his mark and delivers a good performance as Deputy Chief of the Circus, Bill Haydon. Other strong additions to the cast are uprising young actors Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch who together add a bit of youth alongside the older and more experienced actors. Mark Strong makes a very crucial appearance as Jim Prideaux in the powerful prologue of the film and within the rather sudden flashbacks that constantly kept appearing at the most unexpected times.


Overall, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is neither a fantastic film that is one of the greatest of its genre as well as of 2011, not one of the worst either. Gary Oldman deserved the critical acclaim that he received and is accompanied by a strong ensemble cast that saves the film. I wouldn't go as far as to call the story a 'mess' but there are many ways where it could have been a lot easier to understand and could have been better.

"No measure of time with you will be long enough. But we'll start with forever."


Director: Bill Condon
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke
Running time: 117 minutes
Country: USA


Following a well-deserved 17 month break from Twilight after the release of Eclipse, the time has come with the start to the beginning of the end of this paint-dry, corny and needlessly overhyped franchise. Being the one series of films that you truly either love to bits where you'd get all obsessive about them or you absolutely hate every aspect about and being one who thankfully succumbed to the latter, there wasn't really anything major that was going to change at all. So, for this reason, there was nothing to look forward to and expectations were practically the same as the other films and as a result of this, we've been given another dull, incredibly boring and laughably awful film that may have left a cliffhanging conclusion but still provides the audience with the fact that the exciting death of this franchise is almost here.


After their long-term relationship throughout the three predecessors, vegetarian vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and female human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) finally get married and they venture on their honeymoon and whilst arriving there, they consummate their marriage. Gradually after this occurs, Bella realises that she is pregnant and this becomes a huge issue for her and for Edward. Bella seeks the help of her friend and admirer Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) who is determined to protect her and to prevent the unborn baby from causing her any life-threatening harm.


The three predecessors have been met as critical failures already but what instantly made Breaking Dawn: Part I another one to follow up those is because it clearly steals the ideal decision from the final Harry Potter novel Deathly Hallows being split into two films to bring forth more excitement and so much had occurred in the single novel that would be too much to fit into a single film. However, with Breaking Dawn: Part I, it wasn't even a huge build-up to the final film as it was really dry and just dull from start to finish. Plus, due to the dialogue and events that occur, Breaking Dawn: Part I renovates a much cornier take-on of classic Roman Polanski horror film Rosemary's Baby, but there was actually one particular concept of the film that actually was quite freaky to watch. It's just absolutely ridiculous why it has taken so long to add at least a bit of horror into the franchise.


Before Twilight and her role as Bella Swan, Kristen Stewart starred in some fun and interesting films as a child from the likes of Panic Room by David Fincher, Into The Wild by Sean Penn and fun family sci-fi adventure Zathura. However, now she has sunk to the lowest level that she ever will fall down to as she gives an absolutely appalling performance as Bella who doesn't provide any emotional feeling for the audience and there is simply no connection between neither Bella and Edward Cullen nor Bella and Jacob Black! Stewart may have the pretty characteristics for the character but when it comes to actually playing the character, it just doesn't work for her at all. The love triangle relationship between Bella, Edward and Jacob is literally like in a closed cage needlessly continues and simply does not go anywhere at all!


It is true, Cedric Diggory has died but has been resurrected by vampire Edward Cullen as Robert Pattinson has really gone from playing a rather crucial character in the fourth Harry Potter film to a vegetarian vampire who has fallen in love with a human. There is nothing vampire-like about Edward at all as he provides the exact opposite of the true nature of vampires that we have seen over the years. Pattinson's performance as Edward has been atrocious from the very beginning but what we see within Breaking Dawn: Part I is Edward at his worst general standard, especially in the scene with the wedding and the laughably pathetic sex scene where he breaks the bed and panics that he harmed Bella during the act! Stewart doesn't help build the connection between Bella and Edward but Pattinson just doesn't merge it together at all and for the better, both characters just need to be killed off. Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black is once again a really annoying portrayal of a young teen-wolf. Lautner is perhaps the hunkiest than he's ever been but that doesn't make his performance or character any more interesting or stronger. His role perhaps wasn't as vital or as frequent as in New Moon or Eclipse, so it was more about Edward and Bella in this one.


Just like the films based upon the Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, the films within the Twilight have consisted of a large number of directors chosen to direct the films but have always used the same screenwriter to pen the scripts. Academy Award winner Bill Condon couldn't even successfully make this into a solid build-up to the end and neither could David Slade whose previous works before directing Eclipse were horror films Hard Candy and 30 Days Of Night. So, this proves that even experienced filmmakers could not bend around making a film that is emotional, occasionally intense or even entertaining to watch about some of the most annoying characters you could ever read about with ridiculous dialogue! In addition to the author Stephenie Meyer, the screenwriter has to be female, doesn't it, who has transformed the scary-looking, deadly and sinister nature of a "vampire" into a soulless and soft-hearted fairy? The written dialogue is almost completely written from a typical avid female fan of the series with such cliché and gut-retching lines that makes it completely dry throughout every second of it.


Overall, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I is, as predicted, yet another atrocious addition to the Twilight series that moves us one step closer to when it all ends. This is the Twilight series in a nutshell: just because the characters are needlessly eye-popping and are an ultimate sexual fantasy towards its target audience, that doesn't make it a good film that has a strong dialogue with intriguing characters. Quite frankly, Breaking Dawn didn't even need to be split into two parts because there was not a large number of turning events occurring in this one with lots of detail in the story like there was in Deathly Hallows. It was basically just the Twilight series sneaking their way into earning some more money. So, now that Part I has been released with four films down and one to go, we're almost there to the end of this series!

"I was the one who wanted to wait for the divorce and you didn't."


Director: Terence Davies
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, Simon Russell Beale, Barbara Jefford
Running time: 98 minutes
Country: USA, UK


Understandably, one can totally confuse this British drama for a film about the underwater world and it's features due to the description of the title (especially the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea), but the nature of the title definitely serves its definitive meaning within the film. Time and time again, we have witnessed these dramas involving traumatised civilians that take us on an emotional and thought-provoking ride where the occurred events lead to a very tender and important message. The play by dramatist Terrence Ratigan that this is based on has already been adapted once before into a film that starred Vivien Leigh and Kenneth More, but now comes forth a second adaptation of the play.


Set "around 1950", The Deep Blue Sea is the story of Hester (Rachel Weisz) who is the wife of older man, William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale), a local High Court judge, but Hester begins an affair with a man at her normal age, Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), a Royal Air Force Pilot. However, fearing that Freddie is tired of her, Hester attempts to commit suicide. When this doesn't go to plan, her life is totally altered upside down as her relationship with Freddie hits the rocks.


Although it is a 1950s British drama, the extraordinary title The Deep Blue Sea provides a personal reference to death as it illustrates how one's life can sink to an incredibly low level that could go as far as to one considering an attempt at suicide. So, as a result of this, the film exposes an explanation informing that we do not know what goes on inside the mind. The Deep Blue Sea is not adapted in chronological order so it consists of just after the suicide attempt and then taken into numerous flashbacks that exposes the motive to do so. It literally opens up the consequences and personal affects that suicide really has, not so much on the individual committing it, but for the loved ones around that person.


Out of the six films since 1988 that he has directed, Terence Davies hasn't received any major recognition and a critical round of applause for his work. Considering that his latest film The Deep Blue Sea stars the dazzling and beautiful Rachel Weisz and uprising actor Tom Hiddleston, his work is yet again extremely underrated. What he provides with The Deep Blue Sea are concepts that are partially linked with the tones from a certain number of films directed by David Lynch, such as rather dark background settings, eerie music score and with some unique and creative camera angles. Including being the director, Davies also took the honourable role of penning the script of The Deep Blue Sea. There is so much dialogue within as it involves a lot of thought-provoking and up-close conversations like a play normally does. So all-round, Terence Davies honours the original play by Terrence Ratigan but makes it a solid drama.


To be quite honest, The Deep Blue Sea is one of those rare films where only a certain low number of specific key characters involved. Academy Award winning British actress Rachel Weisz has and we've seen her mostly as this simple, young, gorgeous woman in the majority of films that she has been part of. Her performance in The Deep Blue Sea as Hester Collyer is rather different from anything she has done, so she provides a slightly new style of performance in this one. She's a lot darker in nature and is a deeply distressed and fairly psychologically disturbed young woman who is in her own personal trap and tries to break free! Weisz's performance perhaps isn't Oscar bait, but it's definitely one of her best roles. Tom Hiddleston who got his breakthrough earlier in 2011 after Thor and he gives a distraught and emotional performance as Freddie Page. The chemistry between Freddie and Hester could have been a tad bit stronger, but it was solid enough to get to grips with and to feel the emotional attachment between them.


Overall, The Deep Blue Sea is a highly underrated drama that is definitely one of the best British films of 2011 as it provides both emotional drama and a psychological in-sight into the mind. No, this isn't going to be one of the greatest films that you'll ever watch, but it is still provides what every film of this particular genre should: a meaningful message to its audience. So, for this reason, it is a recommended drama that is really worth checking out.

"I think directing a movie is the best job ever created, but Marilyn has cured me of ever wanting to do it again."


Director: Simon Curtis
Starring: Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Julia Ormond
Running time: 101 minutes
Country: UK


Having the ability to tackle a biographical film about a Hollywood icon is usually a very difficult task as a particular series of events that occur in one's life is required for it to work as a solid story in a motion picture. When it comes to a film about somebody like Marilyn Monroe, you really need a strong casting for that person and it needs to be executed solidly that is both a film alone but also brings forth a tribute towards the real-life people the actors are portraying. Monroe's shocking and unexpected death in 1962 would have perhaps been the biggest key idea for a film, but we are taken somewhere a bit different with My Week With Marilyn as it shows us one of her projects and close relationships and about her overwhelming popularity as an actress and sex symbol in the 1950s.


Based upon a true story and a book and memoir written by Colin Clark is set in the summer of 1956 where Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh is making a film named The Prince And The Showgirl in London. Young Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When film star Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) arrives for the start of shooting, all of London is excited to see the blonde bombshell, while Olivier is struggling to meet her many demands and acting ineptness, and Colin is intrigued by her. Colin's intrigue is met when Marilyn invites him into her inner world where she struggles with her fame, her beauty and her desire to be a great actress.


My Week With Marilyn provides almost exact similar concepts to what Academy Award winning historical drama The King's Speech provided in 2010. Mutually they are balanced evenly between a typical historical costume drama and just simply a biographical film. Most people refer to historical dramas as films that are about kings, queens, dukes, duchesses etc, but being a film about Hollywood stars and a small love story, My Week With Marilyn provides colour and beauty which is essential for a film like this. Plus, it proves that both biographical and historical films usually work best when the budget isn't massively high, and although £6.4 million isn't all that much for a film of this modern era, thankfully the glistening backgrounds and corny acting doesn't take over My Week With Marilyn like we have seen in the past.


Simon Curtis is another addition to the list of directors that have converted from a few years of television and then going straight into the world of cinema. Due to his lack of experience in the film industry, the odds were perhaps against him to make a rather important film like My Week With Marilyn that turns out a solid and all-round success. Curtis, like Tom Hooper for The King's Speech goes straight into the blue and goes on to make a solid breakthrough in his career and provides an accurate on-screen vision of great historical figures. Like director Simon Curtis, screenwriter Adrian Hodges makes his film debut as he penned an extraordinary but rather flawed script. Hodges who previously wrote and co-created science-fiction television programmes Survivors and Primeval, perhaps didn't get it all right with My Week With Marilyn as it consisted of a few particular scenes of dialogue with inappropriately vulgar lines. That is the only slight weakness of this film that slightly lacked the reality of a film set in 1950s London, but it is all-round a breakthrough for the makers.


To be able to not only pull off the precise vocals and talent but the beauty of the almost perfect woman that was Marilyn Monroe is almost impossible to achieve, but Michelle Williams' portrayal of Monroe is pretty damn close! Williams who has appeared here and there in various films since her breakthrough performance in Brokeback Mountain, provides a performance that proves itself worthy as one of the greatest portrayals of a historical symbol in recent memory. She not only supplies the irresistible sex symbol status of Monroe but also maintained her cute, vulnerable and in-secure nature, just like Colin Firth did of King George VI in The King's Speech. Plus, Williams acts as two people - Monroe herself but also Monroe in the role of Elsie in The Prince And The Showgirl, so that's another positive aspect on Williams' part. Quite frankly, if she does not win the Oscar for Best Leading Actress, the Academy will have made a huge, huge mistake as there could not have been a more explicit portrayal of the iconic Marilyn Monroe as Williams provides here.


My Week With Marilyn not only features Marilyn in one of her films but also other legendary actors portrayed by other ones from the likes of Sir Laurence Olivier, his wife at the time Vivien Leigh and Dame Sybil Thorndike. Kenneth Branagh who has appeared and directed in a numerous number of historical dramas, portrays Sir Laurence Olivier in a performance that provides Olivier as a both rather dangerous yet incredibly funny character. The love-hate chemistry between Williams and Branagh on-screen as Monroe and Olivier is absolutely superb as they generate together a re-birth illustration of the production within The Prince And The Showgirl. Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of author and creator of the story Colin Clark provides a young and innocent character who perfectly demonstrates how easy Monroe really was on the eyes, and Judi Dench was her absolutely wonderful, supporting self once again as Dame Sybil Thorndike. The only weak-spots for casting were Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh who for starters doesn't look like Leigh and adds no reality or belief that it's Vivien Leigh on the screen. We all blatantly know Emma Watson as Hermione Granger in the incredibly popular Harry Potter franchise, and stars in a film that's totally different to what she's done before, but the problem is with Emma now is that all we know her as now and always will know her as Hermione Granger.


Overall, My Week With Marilyn is a solid and mesmerising motion picture that captures the reality of 1956 London alongside outstanding performances from Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh and makes its mark as another truly great biographical film and historical drama. In order to gain a clear understanding of Monroe's and Olivier's nature and fully appreciate the actors performances as the selective characters, it is perhaps essential to watch any one of their films that they've each been part of. Plus, if you're firmly hooked to the emotion and inspiration of The King's Speech, you are bound to gain a close sensitive attachment to My Week With Marilyn too.

"Mission accomplished!"


Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton
Running time: 133 minutes
Country: USA, United Arab Emirates


Just when we all assumed that the Mission: Impossible franchise had been put on the shelf after the trilogy concluded with the third instalment of the series released in 2006, the announcement of an unexpected fourth film in the series bought forth great risk but at the same time a lot of excitement and anticipation. The three previous films gave us all the explosive action and intense adventures that was required of them and have cherished the pleasure of watching them over the past 15 years. As you watch the Mission: Impossible films, what you see is what you get and as a result, Ghost Protocol is a fresh fourth instalment that sticks to the exciting and exhilarating experience of its predecessors but at the same time creates something that is almost one on its own and it could become the start of something new.


Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol brings Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) back into action once more. Ethan, alongside accomplices Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and new recruit William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) are on a race against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States of America. An attempt by the team to stop him at the Kremlin ends in a disaster, with an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF being implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to invoke Ghost Protocol, which is where the IMF are taken the blame for the attack. In order to clear the name of the IMF as well as themselves, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks to Dubai and amongst other places in order to prevent the strike from occurring.


As we have previously learned from long-awaited fourth instalments in a franchise, each have added a more up-to-date outlook of the series and is perhaps pushed away and becomes one on its own. However, in the case of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, it is a renovation to the series that perhaps wasn't essentially needed but added even more excitement, popularity and positive criticism as it's nothing that's your typical Hollywood film. It's just a nice and simple action film with a dialogue that's not too complex. Plus, having altered the title from "Mission Impossible IV" to Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, it adds a difference in that sense as well as within the film as a whole. Surprisingly, Ghost Protocol actually shows that, unlike many franchises, you don't exactly have to watch the predecessors before watching the latest instalment.


For the fourth consecutive time now, Tom Cruise reprises his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt working alongside four different directors as part of the series. However, his performance in Ghost Protocol is perhaps a rather altered change to the character as we see a more light-hearted and slightly funnier Ethan in this one than we saw in the previous films. Ethan is really not a James Bond-like spy, but due to the inventive and fictional tools and the humourous gags, Ethan's personality is less serious but perhaps more intense to watch on-screen. Cruise is a symbol of Hollywood in the action genre and yet standing at almost 50 years old, he still has it in him to blow us all away with his exciting action adventures. After his Oscar nominated performances in Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker and Ben Affleck's The Town, Jeremy Renner is the latest recruit in the team as he portrays the IMF technical field agent, William Brandt. After previously battling against Chris Pine and Tom Hardy for the role of Brandt, Renner goes from war, to crime and now to action and suspense and becomes a solid partner alongside Tom Cruise although Brandt was originally going to take over Ethan as the new protagonist of the franchise! Although Renner was decent enough to watch, replacing what Cruise has bought to the series here, nobody can ever live it to that or surpass it.


British actor Simon Pegg reprises his role from the third instalment as Benji Dunn, and what a splendid return it was! Pegg has frequently played these nerdy, no-mans-land characters in films such as Star Trek as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, and was the one handling the gags and comedy that continued to keep the audience keen and managed to do so successfully. With Renner and Cruise for the action and Pegg for the comedy, Paula Patton was the easiest on the eyes as she is a typical female accomplice aiming to engage in strong chemistry with the characters and to add some spice into the film which she also successfully pulls off. After his leading role in the Swedish Millennium trilogy, Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist makes his first crucial Hollywood debut in the English language as antagonist Kurt Hendricks, so this could be the start of something new for him. Ving Rhames, one of two actors to have appeared in all four instalments (of course, other being Tom Cruise), makes a solid cameo appearance in this film too and made his presence known.


After receiving so much criticism when selected as director, Brad Bird has truly surprised us all and has provided us with a film that has bought something out in him that has taken far too long to see. So, who would've thought that Brad Bird, a director who's directorial filmography consists of animated family films (Pixar Animation Studios films The Incredibles and Ratatouille and The Iron Giant), could have pulled off an intense and exhilarating action espionage film so amazingly? Bird has had appearance as part of the action genre like we witnessed in The Incredibles back in 2004 so you can identify familiar characteristics from that within Ghost Protocol, but going from an entirely style of filming so successfully is beyond belief! So, Bird is a completely different director here as he mixes a straightforward espionage story with intense action and on-running gags that enlightens the audience. As well as making more with Pixar, he simply must continue to blow us all away with these live-action films!


Overall, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol became a huge surprise and is a fantastic action film that is quite possibly the best critically received film of the series, and is my personal favourite. As unnecessary as the film perhaps was to begin with before watching it, the most unexpected outcome Ghost Protocol leaves you with is that it sways you by demanding more, it expresses that the series hasn't been put to sleep just yet and that we could be seeing a fifth film in a few years to come.

"It's World War I. The troops are being readied for battle and, in this case, it's not just man who will need to be brave: It's also the horses, including Joey."


Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup
Running time: 146 minutes
Country: USA


After his successful 3D motion-capture animated feature The Adventures Of Tintin, the legendary Steven Spielberg provides us with another treat as he makes his second feature film of 2011. Although, War Horse is perhaps the most different war film that has ever been made seeing as isn't that much a tale following the perspective of men during the war, but it's really from the point of view of a horse. So, the fact that Spielberg was chosen for directing War Horse, there must've been an alter to the war genre as well as a guarantee that'll leave the audience feeling emotionally attached and gripped to the film and what it consists of, which is a speciality of Spielberg. Having said this, War Horse provides a deeply personal story with a numerous number of meaningful messages that'll melt your heart as well as break it.


Based on the children's book of the same name by Michael Murpurgo and also loosely based on the 2007 stage play, tells the story in Devon 1914 of a young family on a farm - the alcoholic father, Ted (Peter Mullan), the mother Rose (Emily Watson) and their young son Albert (Jeremy Irvine). One day, Ted manages to purchase a young stallion by outbidding his obnoxious landlord Lyons (David Thewlis) and takes him back to the farm. Whilst there, Albert and Joey (the name that Albert decided for him) grow this strong bond and live as if there was nothing that stood between them. However, on the brink of World War I, Joey is sold to the armed forces and leaves Albert devastated but leaves his father's pennant tied to Joey's bridle should he ever find him again. Albert joins the service in an attempt to find Joey again and return him home safely.


As you watch it, it is rather easy to identify War Horse as a Spielberg film due to the facts that it mixes the innocence and personal friendships that we observed in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and the horror, heartbreak and devastation of war within his hugely successful war film Saving Private Ryan. So, this really is a film that only Steven Spielberg could pull off as it features so many particular aspects that we have seen him do so exquisitely over the years. Most directors nowadays would attempt to re-live what Spielberg has made, but this time Spielberg re-lives what directors before him had previously done. For example, he commemorates the works from directors such as Victor Fleming and John Ford with the farm-like backgrounds that provides peace and innocence, but with the dark and moving story behind it. Plus, it creatively manages to push in the R/15 certificate where war films are usually at this particular rating, but War Horse creatively manages to push in its PG-13/12A rating by being able to merge the deeply personal and intense aspects together that appeal to a wide target audience like it well and truly deserves.


Including the outstanding direction from Spielberg, the praise must go to breath-taking aspects of the cinematography, art direction and costume design. War Horse presents itself as a film of pure art as well as an emotional war-drama as the cinematography in many ways is very similar to classic Hollywood film Gone With The Wind. Plus, the backgrounds settings provides the "Awww" sense to it that makes it the occasionally sweet and innocent tale featuring the beautiful landscapes and the golden skies but also a sense of disgust and gloom due to the battlefields. John Williams, who has collaborated with Steven Spielberg in almost every single film that he's done, never ceases to amaze as he once again puts together a very powerful, spine-chilling score that adds even more drama and reality into the film. However, despite the positives, the film did slightly suffer from slow pacing to begin with as it took quite a while to get going.


In almost every single film that Spielberg has made, he usually goes for an entirely different cast all-round as he works alongside some up-rising, young actors and some other experienced yet underrated actors in War Horse. However, despite the different cast the leading role has to go to Joey, the stallion who is the central figure of the story. Out of the 14 horses that played Joey, the leading one who appeared the most had already portrayed Seabiscuit in the film of the same name; this horse wasn't just a horse make an appearance to charm the audience. It was literally like Joey, as well as the other horses, was providing an acting performance as we venture along with Joey through war and we can understand it from his perspective. This is exactly what this film is meant to bring out - how horses were truly treated during wars and the fact that their lives are still ones lost in the wars. So, if you're an animal lover, you will almost immediately fall in love with Joey and will lead you to tears whilst experiencing his journey.


Jeremy Irvine makes his feature film debut as he portrays handsome and sweet-hearted Albert. Irvine's performance may be underrated but he provides exactly what was expected from a young, sensitive man as the relationship between him and Joey is a firmly solid bond, especially in the opening segments of the film where they meet. In the war scenes, he renovates the charming and occasionally innocent nature that's familiar to Lew Ayres's role as Paul Bäumer in classic World War I film All Quiet On The Western Front. Emily Watson and Peter Mullan deliver grand performances as well as Albert's parents Ted and Rose, and David Thewlis is very good as the arrogant landlord Lyons. Debuting French actress Celine Buckens and veteran French actor Niels Arestrup make crucial appearances too but they could've really done with speaking French with English subtitles as it would've perhaps made a bit more realistic. There are also other surprise arrivals into the film from recent breakthrough actors Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch and they make their mark in War Horse with solid performances too.


Overall, War Horse is truly an absolutely magnificent and epic story that expresses the firm bind and the personal effects that friendship beholds. Plus, it demonstrates war as a whole from an entirely different perspective that hasn't really been taken into account. War Horse is one of those films that will leave you feeling a wide range of mixed emotions as it is a deeply inspiring, genuinely cute and nail-biting journey that is yet another fine accomplishment from Spielberg and will surely lead you to tears of heartbreak and joy.

"I saw your friend Jane Fonda on TV the other day. Made me want to run out and buy a poster from the Ku Klux Klan."


Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly
Running time: 79 minutes
Country: USA


Carnage can and already has almost instantly become an immediate attraction to all audiences due to its sophisticating ensemble cast who have delivered some of the best performances in various films over the past 20 years, and of course, an iconic director behind it all who makes an altered change in comparison to his other films as he makes something entirely different after being best known for crime-mysteries, horror and dramas throughout his career. So, with all these beneficial aspects behind it and having not much valuable experience with the comedy genre, Carnage is truly a hilarious but extremely underrated black-comedy that very closely resembles the comical ingenious qualities of situation-comedy television shows.


Based upon the play named The God Of Carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza, Carnage takes place in Brooklyn Bridge Park where after an argument whilst at school, 11 year old Ethan Longstreet is struck by fellow classmate Zachary Cowan. In an attempt to make amends between the boys and resolve the matter, Zachary's parents Nancy and Alan (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) pay a visit to Ethan's parents' Penelope and Michael (Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly), but as things in the well-intentioned meeting begin to take the wrong turning, the tension begins to build as does the extremely childish behaviour from the four grown adults. So, with this building up, chaos and ultimate disaster between the quadruple is waiting just around the corner.


Due to the very short duration of the film, that it is set in one entire day and is in pretty much one particular location and the numerous sparks between the characters, the aspects within the genre of situation-comedies really begin to kick in with Carnage. These aspects particular include the fact that although they go in and still try to get out of the situation that they are in with some good news or some kind of positive outcome, there is literally nothing within the film that can be done civilly without pure hell breaking loose. Plus, including the laughs and the disasters that occur within Carnage, hidden secrets begin to unveil about each of the characters that slowly begin to reflect their true nature and leads to questions.


The added spice to the film is the ensemble cast that features three out of four Academy Award winning actors. Firstly, Jodie Foster is perhaps the leading and most vital character from the quadruple as she is the passive-aggressive wife and mother. Foster goes into two whole new depths whilst portraying Penelope as she goes from this emotionally confused and worrying mother to a rather psychologically deranged woman with some anger and mentality issues. Secondly, any film starring Kate Winslet (especially alongside a well-known and famous director), you'd always expect her to give a grand performance and gladly she achieves this once again. Kate has mostly been part of emotional dramas throughout her career thus far but there is a wildly funny side to her that has been born and would crave to see her continue to do in the future. Both Foster and Winslet rightfully deserved their Golden Globe nominations but perhaps should have gained even more fame for their performances in Carnage.


Ever since his Academy Award winning role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, Christoph Waltz is really becoming a new Hollywood star as he collaborates with another notable director in a role that is different but somewhat familiar to what we have seen him be most famous for in the past. What is meant by this is that although Waltz's character Alan in Carnage, he is still quite the dark, manipulative guy but is still very funny and brings forth such strong chemistry with on-screen wife Kate. Now, last but not least, Oscar-nominated actor John C. Reilly is perhaps the most sophisticated one of the four regarding the comedy genre and he delivers a grand performance in the film as well that fulfils the complete package of successful acting from an ensemble cast.


From the likes of his greatest films throughout his 50+ year career such as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Tess, The Ninth Gate, The Pianist and most recently The Ghost Writer in 2010, Roman Polanski alters from his vintage genres of horror, thriller and drama to something that we hadn't seen frequently from him: black comedy. Polanski's work in Carnage identically resembles what Mike Nichols bought forth in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? back in 1966 with the extremely argumentative attitudes between the characters, the time settings with them mutually being set in a single day and most importantly, a somewhat related style of humour. Polanski collaborates with the original writer of the play - Yasmina Reza to write the script and together they write it absolutely brilliantly, which is another strong aspect within the film that has been snubbed by the various award organisations.


Overall, Carnage is a film that is beyond anything than what you'd expect and how it looks. You'd really expect some kind of normal suburban drama with one or two slight laughs in store but when you watch it, the laughs simply do not stop until the film ends. It is a fine jumble of suburban drama, disaster/slapstick comedy and situation-comedy, so if you're a fan of any one of these, then Carnage and everything that it consists of, is a solid recommendation for you that you'd find incredibly fun and that you'd laugh until it hurts. Polanski and the ensemble cast make this a special treat that is definitely one of the funniest black-comedies you'll and replies to some unanswered and unrecognisable forbidden characteristics of human nature and both their individual and social behaviour.

"We get to have that game, after all. "


Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry
Running time: 129 minutes
Country: USA


After the incredibly fun, amusing yet slightly overrated predecessor back in 2009, we are granted with another Christmas treat - the sequel, but this one looked a lot darker, perhaps funnier and more serious. Being a film based upon fictional legends, you're going to have to fill in the realism of the 1800s, the actors to give solid performances as if they were really that character and yet to add a bit of comical concepts to it by mixing modern-day humour together with intense action with dazzling effects and make-up. Both of these films achieved this tremendously, but the sequel especially attains a darker dialogue, even more comedy and a lot stronger chemistry between the characters.


Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows picks up just when the first one ended with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams returning to the cast and Guy Ritchie returning as director. Dr. Watson (Jude Law) is on the brink of marriage to his beautiful fiancé Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), but Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) is in need of accompanying on yet another mission to go after archenemy Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris). During this mission, they come across gypsy fortune teller Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace) who is seeking to find her missing brother Rene. With the assisting help from Sherlock's older brother Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry), together they attempt to take down Moriarty.


Having been approximately the 45th film adaptation of Sherlock Holmes up to his top game by unravelling mysteries, the one thing that has always been there with every single one is what you see within the films is what you get. The action sequences are more energetic, more intense and much more explosive in this sequel than in the predecessor. In addition to this there is another newly added style of filming that didn't jeopardise the film as a whole but perhaps slowed down the pacing (especially when it's meant to me an action film): there were too many slow-motion shots in too many segments.


Guy Ritchie, the director who wasn't only behind the first Sherlock Holmes film but some of the most popular British crime films from the likes of Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RocknRolla. Already with the experience of more adult-themed films, he added again to this sequel some more mature dark humour and badass tone but something different by adding new kinds of comical characteristics including entertainment for youngsters and alongside intense action. So, after achieving this with both Sherlock Holmes films, Ritchie ought to consider making more films in the future that are related to those certain aspects.


Re-born shining star Robert Downey Jr. already charmed us with his fantastic performance in the 2009 predecessor as Sherlock Holmes and to no great surprise; he manages to do just that yet again in the sequel. If there is anything that Downey Jr's role as Sherlock is somewhat identical to, it'd be Johnny Depp's role as 'Captain' Jack Sparrow in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise due to the unorthodox nature, the sense of humour and how he treats his peers, not to mention the similar time settings and styles of filming. Jude Law returns as Dr. John Watson, and what a fantastic one it is! Although Watson is finally due to be married which alters his life, there is a slightly relationship between him and Holmes in the sequel as Watson is almost completely used by Holmes in this one. Watson is almost completely used by Holmes and is almost completely manipulated and patronised to Holmes' pleasure but they are still friends. So, due to the humorous and strong chemistry between Downey Jr. and Jude Law on-screen, that is all the more reason with how well they perform together as such famously told characters.


Rachel McAdams doesn't make as much of a crucial supporting female performance in this one as there is an opening twist that occurs. So, instead we have Noomi Rapace in her first English language film after her memorable performances in the Swedish Millennium trilogy as the eccentric Lisbeth Salander. We now witness her in a very different role this time and she reveals a whole new side to her that could make her become a future Hollywood star in years to come. Seeing an appearance in general from Stephen Fry is a real treat but the fact that he portrays Sherlock's older brother Mycroft and provides the humour and charm that Fry has been able to achieve many times over the years. Jared Harris was also very good as primary villain Professor Moriarty who is perhaps more of a manipulative villain against Holmes than Mark Strong was in the predecessor.


Overall, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows is a very fun and entertaining popcorn flick that is more emotional, funnier, more action-packed and perhaps stronger plot-wise than its predecessor. Neither films are anything to take seriously and are both unorthodox but at the same time typical Hollywood hits and just like Mission: Impossible films, what you see is what you get with Sherlock Holmes. This sequel certainly left a cliff-hanger ending and after the events that occurred, the series really must continue with a third instalment.

"Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become... habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think we become."


Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, Olivia Collman
Running time: 105 minutes
Country: UK, France


The most important thing to understand about The Iron Lady before watching it is that it's not aiming to only appeal to those part of the Conservative Party that Margaret Thatcher led for so many years, and nor does one have to like her to get full enjoyment out of this film. Meryl Streep chosen for the role of Thatcher is literally like fate meets the eye as one of the most powerful film actresses in history portrays one of the most powerful women in history. Considering that The Iron Lady does have its fair share of flaws and could have been a masterpiece, Streep's breath-taking performance as Margaret Thatcher saves the film and is another one of her most memorable and treasured performances.


The Iron Lady is told in roughly three separate time scales as it tells the story of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep)'s young life before she became PM, when she met and married her husband Denis (Jim Broadbent), the birth of their twins Carol and Mark and her professional progression into the serious but complicating world of politics. Plus, her difficulties and struggles throughout the 11 years of her life as British Prime Minister and her personal life as an old lady after her long resignation and the death of her husband with the support from daughter Carol (Olivia Collman).


The most surprising yet biggest controversial flaw that The Iron Lady suffers from that it's not only a bio-pic but there were numerous scenes particularly in the scenes with elderly Thatcher, that there were aspects of psychological-drama that frequently consisted of on-running gags and occasionally dark scenes. Plus, having to mix in However, the positives within those components are that it added a slight more emotional attachment and realism to Thatcher's character and her current situations in her life. The Iron Lady perhaps would have been a stronger film if it just included the story of young Margaret and PM Margaret and the fact that it was mixed in three different stories at the same time with the approximate 105-minute duration made the film as a whole feel rather rushed and incomplete.


Phyllida Lloyd, the lady behind beautiful musical Mamma Mia! ironically starring Meryl Streep, makes only her second feature film thus far and collaborates with Streep once more with a more serious story with up-close and personal aspects to it. The biggest problem with Lloyd's direction within this one was that although the art direction and costume design were spectacular, there is something that is a tad too glistening and colourful which has been the largest fault for many historical motion pictures over the years. Plus, there were the occasional humourous segments that were rather unnecessary and were more or less like on-running but totally unexpected gags that are thrown in rather than adding jokes that are appealing to make the audience feel somewhat humoured and lively entertained by it.


Meryl Streep has been an Oscar goldmine in the majority of her films throughout her career following 17 Academy Award nominations with only 2 wins, but her performance as Margaret Thatcher is beyond belief as she brings forth not only Thatcher's featured characteristics in terms of physical appearance but manages to portray her posh British accent very accurately and her mannerisms and general attitude to peers around her! Streep's role as Thatcher almost precisely resembles the breath-taking Academy Award winning performance from Helen Mirren in her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. So, with this very strong positive aspect that the film bestows, The Iron Lady is a film that has been miraculously saved from major disappointment that could walk away with an Oscar.


Jim Broadbent has been in some of Britain's most favoured films over the years, including an Academy Award win in Iris back in 2001, but although he looked fantastic as Sir Denis Thatcher, alongside Meryl Streep as the Iron Lady, there was something about him that wasn't entirely appealing. For example, within the subplot about Thatcher's older life after Denis had passed, Broadbent was more of a less-serious character than somebody seeking to aid his wife in moving on with her life. So, in that sense, one could say that he was a bit of a sadist. Other vital cast members Anthony Head, Olivia Colman, Richard E. Grant, Alexandra Roach and Harry Lloyd all deliver fine performances in their respective roles too.


Overall, The Iron Lady is one of those films that is enjoyable to watch but unfortunately could have been something truly great in so many other aspects that we didn't really witness. You will have already seen better bio-pics in the past but at the same time, the same could be said oppositely as there are other ones out there that are even worse. As already stated, you don't need to be a fond lover of the Conservative Party or Margaret Thatcher to appreciate The Iron Lady but Meryl Streep's performance is mesmerizing and it has given her yet another solid opportunity for her to receive a third but long overdue third Academy Award win.

"We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place."


Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, Nicole Beharie, James Badge Dale
Running time: 101 minutes
Country: UK


Although Shame had begun and being processed with a rather easy and short combination of a low budget at only £4.2 million, a very short duration during the shooting of the film that lasted up to 25 days and after its release, receiving a low box office taking - $9 million approximately, it earned its well-deserved positive critical acclaim despite it's overly explicit sexual content that sealed it with an NC-17 rating in the US. Considering that there are films which either receive an NC-17 rating or anything mostly consisting of sex can be completely misunderstood for something involving pornography, Steve McQueen brings forth a film with a slight Stanley Kubrick and Bernardo Bertolucci-like style and approach to it that makes it a very gripping and magnificently filmed accomplishment with a very that leaves a very interesting but thought-provoking message.


Thirty-something Brandon Sullivan is a New York yuppie. He is also a sex addict who thinks about sex all the time when he's not having sex. He surfs for porn on his work computer, masturbates often even in his office's men's room, and eyes strange women in whatever situation he's in in the hopes of having quick anonymous sex with them. The arrival back into his life and his apartment of his sister Sissy Sullivan, from who he was estranged due to the emotional baggage associated, changes Brandon's life, especially in what he can do in what used to be the privacy and sanctity of his apartment. Brandon's life begins to spiral out of control following Sissy's arrival. He gains a better understanding, albeit an unpleasant one, of his life following an incident involving Sissy.


Considering that the plot and the background passions that Brandon has and can occasionally become a bit awkward whilst watching the film, Shame expresses that mesmerising feeling of pure beauty behind it. It provides a whole new meaning to sex that we hadn't really thought about before: the act as a whole is quite possibly the most passionate and pleasurable feeling one could ever endure but at the same time, this passion and pleasure could turn into something rather dangerous and become the biggest trap of all! Shame is one of those films that you'd watch where the story almost has absolutely nothing to do, therefore you cannot predict what is going to happen. So, what we have with Shame in that sense is that there are a few unexpected twists and turns around the corner.


Michael Fassbender has already broken through the layers of blockbuster triumphs and collaboration with famous directors after appearing in a vital role in Quentin Tarantino's war film Inglourious Basterds and then progressed to renovate the role of Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto as a young man in X-Men: First Class. So, now with two different cinematic experiences on his shoulders, Fassbender goes on to portray yet another extraordinary role that hasn't really been bought forth previously as we embark on his unorthodox adventures following his sexual passions and fantasies. Fassbender provides almost everything that you could ask for as we understand Brandon's struggles that not only become deeply emotional but also rather horrifying at the same time. His performance is without a doubt one of the most powerful performances of 2011 and it will be very difficult for him to be able to pull off a stronger and more thought-provoking performance in the future than what he gave us here.


Alongside Michael Fassbender is the young and incredibly beautiful Carey Mulligan as Brandon's sister. Mulligan has been recognised just like Ryan Gosling throughout 2011: delivered absolutely outstanding performances where she has been a strong and favoured Oscar contender for more than one film but has been completely shunned by the Academy. Her role as Sissy was occasionally all sweet and innocent but as we understood her a bit more, there turned this psychologically dangerous girl with a few problems. Another pointer about Mulligan in Shame is there is another whole new side to her that we hadn't seen before: she is an absolutely fabulous singer! James Badge Dale becomes a huge effective character in his role as Brandon's sleazy and flirty boss David, so he is yet another reason why Shame works in every aspect so exquisitely.


At approximately 40 years old, Steve McQueen makes only his second feature film throughout his entire career after 2008 biographical-drama Hunger, which also ironically starred Michael Fassbender. Together, they collaborate once more in another eccentric film that has identical filming and screenwriting aspects particularly to Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and Bertolucci's Last Tango In Paris. It is the eerie and rather slow styles of camera angles especially in sexual scenes, unique forms of music and the occasional use of vulgar language. Each of this films as part of different generations provide the fact that film is a form of art in the various key aspects as well as for pure entertainment. McQueen's next project Twelve Years A Slave in 2013 will become another exciting film to look forward to with Michael Fassbender appearing again.


Overall, Shame is one of those rare films that you'd watch and find both easy and difficult to watch on equal fronts as it expresses the pleasure and dangers of sex with a surreal and eerie approach to it. It is undoubtedly the greatest British film of 2011 and like many other public favourites; it has been snubbed massively by the Academy and Golden Globes! Shame could easily be described as a true dark horse of a film as it's another great piece of art that becomes something very beautiful but also grippingly intense to watch.

"What is it that makes the women in my life destroy themselves?"


Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause
Running time: 115 minutes
Country: USA


As you will very easily recognise from the theatrical trailer as well when watching the feature film itself, The Descendants really is your typical Hollywood bait as it consists of heart-breaking and thought-provoking emotion, personal connections between characters, some light-hearted humour and the wide variety of shots featuring beautiful landscapes. Plus, the fact that it stars a Hollywood gem - George Clooney, and both directed and co-written by Alexander Payne, who has made his first major project since 2004 comedy-drama Sideways. So, as a result of these, expectations were high and after watching it, The Descendants turned out a genuinely heartfelt film, not only about family and love but also loosely about revenge and justice that could lead you to tears.


Matthew King (George Clooney) is a Hawaiian land baron with a very long family history and still currently has many first and second cousins alongside him within Hawaii. Matt may have the financial benefits on his side but his personal life is currently hit breaking point after his wife Elizabeth King (Patricia Hastie) suffers from a boat accident that leads her into a coma and on life support and now has to re-connect with his two young daughters: 17 year old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and 10 year old Scottie (Amara Miller) to stand together as a family should anything positive or negative happen to Elizabeth. However, in one day not only discovering that Elizabeth will not wake up and that she will die, he also learns that she had been cheating on him with estate agent Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard) just before her accident. Speer has currently left for Kaua'i on vacation, so determined to get answers and perhaps even some kind of justice, Matt along with Alex, her "friend" Sid and Scottie venture to Kaua'i to track down and confront Speer.


The Descendants involves various beautiful landscape shots of Hawaii and as well as having its very emotional story, it makes it look a divine charm that adds lots of natural beauty and innocence to it. Plus, there are some moments that do consist of some humourous moments that'll make you laugh. However, despite having its dazzling and friendly aspects, it does have its occasional dark tones too such as tremendous amounts of stress between the characters and also some suspenseful segments especially when on the search for Speer and having almost no idea how Matt is going to approach the situation and what he is going to say. It is in no way classed as a thriller, but having mixed emotion, beauty and tension into one and still managing to have its very tender and heart-breaking message, we are bought with something very special which is what we have with The Descendants.


After his tremendous work in comedy-drama Sideways and having that on his shoulders, Alexander Payne returns to another Oscar buzzing comedy-drama that has almost all particular emotional aspects with its light and dark tones and balances it all absolutely brilliantly! This guy really knows how to make people laugh, how to take his audiences on adventures, make them feel attached to what's going on and to the characters and to these dark characteristics to them that we haven't fully seen of him just yet and should like to see in the near future. Due to his fabulous directing ability, he doesn't write the screenplays for his films alone. He has mostly collaborated with Jim Taylor, but The Descendants became the first film without Taylor as he works alongside Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Together, the trio write a script that is easily worthy of winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.


See, here's the thing about George Clooney: in every film you'd see that he's in, you'd always just expect him to just be George Clooney due to his frequent ladies-man and charming performances that we have seen from him over the years that has set his status as a Hollywood symbol. After his most recent Oscar nominated performances in 2009's Up In The Air, 2007's Michael Clayton, he goes somewhere totally different this time as we see a rather strong, angry and yet a rather vulnerable and emotionally-confused Clooney. His role is genuinely effective towards the audience as we are literally standing in his shoes by going down his road of emotional suffering but also his other path of revenge. So, Clooney definitely gives one of his greatest performances of his career and whatever he'll be in the future will be difficult to beat this one.


Alongside Clooney comes along a trio of young newcomers who have suddenly risen to fame in The Descendants. Firstly, there's 20 year old Shailene Woodley who gave an absolutely amazing performance as Alex. Her performance expressed the emotionally broken aspects of a young girl growing out of being a cute, innocent child into becoming a beautiful, sexy woman. Plus, there was something occasionally sadistic and rebellious about Alex as she desires to find the man who had an affair with her mother behind her father's back and wants him to suffer for what he had done. Woodley was literally robbed of an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress but there is no denying that her role is still another truly fantastic young actor/actress performance to remember. Secondly, Amara Miller makes her feature film debut as Scottie King who is someone that you'd generally call a problem child and in some ways resembles Chloe Grace Moretz in Kick-Ass. Nick Krause also makes his presence known as Alex's at-first arrogant but later on nice "friend" Sid in his satisfying and rather pleasant role.


Overall, The Descendants is a very tender and genuine story mixing the natural beauty of Hawaii and relationships between a families that leaves the all-important message: to always stand as a family in order to go through any crucial changes that occur in natural every-day life. This rightfully deserves all the Oscar fame that it has received and could walk away with a various number of awards upcoming. It is very important to know that The Descendants really isn't for the faint-hearted and will take you on an emotional journey that is bound to make one cry and will leave you jaw-dropped as the ending credits roll.