Leezy's Movie Reviews

Top 10 Films from March and April, 2013 (Excluding re-watched films)

10 Best Films Watched in 2012 (Excluding re-watched films)

1, The Descendants - Story, setting, music and most of all performance came together brilliantly to make a truly excellent film.

2, Warrior - A sports film which, much like Rocky, transcends its genre to be about so much more than it would seem to be on the surface. Again close to tears at the conclusion due purely to emotional exhaustion.

3, 127 Hours - A powerful piece of cinema which almost made me cry through sheer empathetic joy at the end.

4, The Avengers - Fun in every sense of the word with an absolutely marvelous cast. It’s the stuff you go to the movies for.

5, Falling Down - A wonderfully cathartic release from all the day to day minutia of societal and conventional norms. One of Michael Douglas’ finest performances.

6, Kramer vs Kramer - A great example that you don’t always have to go big to make an impact. The most real looking take I’ve seen dealing with the fallout of divorce.

7, The Artist - A superb love letter to the silver screen’s early years. Maybe a little over-hyped at this point but still a solidly entertaining watch.

8, Dog Day Afternoon - The limited locations combined with the powerhouse performance of Pacino kept the tension high and the story captivating.

9, Wreck-It Ralph - Loved this film: Great characters, great message and great cameos. An all around enjoyable watch.

10, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original) - The creepy premise and the uneasy undercurrent of the whole movie mixed with the American 50’s setting made for a fantastically unnerving film.

Top 4 Films from December, 2012 (Excluding re-watched films)

Total watched this month: 12 (6 new)

I would normally let this roll onto the next month given that I’ve only seen 6 new films (two of which made it on my 2012 top 10 worst list), but I like to draw a line under each year and start fresh so think of this more as bookkeeping rather than an actual update.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 4/5

Life of Pi 4/5

My Week With Marilyn 3/5

In Time 3/5

10 Worst Films Watched in 2012 (Excluding Rewatched Films)

1, Suckerpunch - Easily the most instant dislike of a film I had this year. I gave up on it 20 minutes in and then came back to it because I hate to leave a movie unfinished. Pointless visuals, horrible story and manages to be both misogynistic and misandristic at the same time. Total waste of time.

2, Serious Moonlight - Despite my initial inability to remember this film at all, this was the movie which I thought of the most when considering the bad movies I had watched this year. Something about it just annoys me ever time I think about it.

3, Midnight In Paris - Helpful for bringing me to a realisation about myself and my choice in movies but crushingly dull and filled with the biggest of douchebag characters.

4, Immortals - Pretty visuals but needlessly grotesque and pointless.

5, Piranha 3DD - Wasted potential in an enjoyably schlocky franchise.

6, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - Ambitious attempt at something different but a terrible final product.

7, 30 Minutes or Less - One funny scene doesn’t make this a comedy.

8, Beginners - I’m sure perfectly lovely for those that like this type of film but bored me senseless.

9, Stripes - Badly dated and quite sexist.

10, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - Exactly what I thought it was going to be like but still really cheesy with terrible comic relief.

I actually didn’t do to badly this year considering it was only really the top 4 that I disliked entirely. Last year all 12 films were completely terrible.

Best of 2011 watched in 2012 (excluding rewatched films)

Like a lot of film review blogs and sites do around this time of year, last year I created a top ten films from 2011 list. What I discovered from doing this though was that I don’t actually watch that many films released in a given year but wait for them to come to Sky the next year. Bearing that in mind I decided to create the top 10 films from 2011 watched in 2012 list.

1, The Descendants - There is nothing wholly remarkable about this film but the performances in it are what make it my number 1. Clooney and co just nailed it perfectly and I’d be surprised if he ever manages to top this film.

2, Warrior - The unsung great of 2011, this movie takes you on an emotional journey and makes you want to patch up any relationships you’ve let fall apart.

3, The Artist - Well deserving of the best picture win, this movie is beautifully made and a wonderful watch.

4, The Help - Four strong female performaces and an interesting story keep this from feeling too overly cliche.

5, Crazy, Stupid, Love. - This one caught me off guard but is a charming comedy dealing with the various issues and tribulations of love.

6, Drive - A polarising film to say the least but I liked it enough to merit a spot on the list. Not a lot of rewatchability but an interesting film no doubt.

7, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol - Much like Fast Five last year, I could not have predicted my enjoyment of this film, given I’d written off the franchise, but this was just an entertaining watch all round and easily the one I’ve rewatched the most since its release.

8, Real Steel - I honestly don’t know why I liked this movie so much other than it’s a familiar tale with a twist and has two really well done performances in a relationship you completely accept as genuine.

9, The Muppets - I’ve got a soft spot for these lovable bundles of felt anyway but this film was a wonderful love letter to the show and great fun to boot.

10, Hugo - While kitschy in places, Hugo is visually stunning and an interesting look into a topic which could have been remarkably dry if handled incorrectly.

Best and worst watched in 2012 lists and a best of 2012 released in 2012 list are also forthcoming.

Top 10 Films from October and November, 2012 (Excluding re-watched films)

Total watched this month: October: 14 (10 new) November: 8 (5 new)

Kramer Vs Kramer 5/5

Crazy, Stupid, Love. 4.5/5

Wreck-It Ralph 4.5/5

Looper 4/5

21 Jump Street 4/5

The Pianist 4/5

Horrible Bosses 3.5/5

Ted 3.5/5

Skyfall 3.5/5

Haywire 3/5

Top 10 Films from August and September, 2012 (Excluding re-watched films)

Total watched this month: August: 21 (8 new) September: 13 (5 new)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) 4.5/5

Amistad 4.5/5

Brave 4/5

Total Recall (2012) 3.5/5

The Bourne Legacy 3.5/5

The Expendables 2 3.5/5

Columbiana 3.5/5

Footloose (2012) 3/5

Killer Elite 3/5

The Debt 3/5

Top 6 Films from May, 2012 (Excluding re-watched films)

Total watched this month: 13 (6 new)

Winchester ‘73 4/5

The Conspirator 3/5

Men in Black 3 3/5

Everything Must Go 3/5

Flatliners 2/5

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 1/5