I've been watching several 2012 films lately, trying to catch up before the end of the year. Here's my very brief thoughts on 12 of them (with ratings).
**1/2
Funny moments and good performances, but the quirkiness can be quite grating at times.
***
Duplass, Blunt, and DeWitt are superb, even if the film drags in the third act.
***
A shocking, infuriating documentary on rape in the U.S. military.
***1/2
Writer/actors Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm present a touching drama of a couple trying to save their ill child.
***
Good script, with even better performances from Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen.
***1/2
In a startling look at a future cult, Brit Marling gives a knockout performance.
***1/2
Takes a page from Stranger Than Fiction, but has its own charm, with Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan in fine form.
***1/2
Though it's overlong, there are wonderful moments between the characters, and the cinematography is beautiful.
**
Love some of the performances, even though the characters and the narrative are bland.
***
For some reason, this indie time travel film works quite well, and it features great work from its cast.
***
Linda Cardellini delivers a fantastic portrayal of a veteran returning home, with Michael Shannon and John Slattery giving strong supporting performances.
**1/2
It's a bit uneven, but it's still hilarious, quirky fun backed by a solid cast.
I really liked Your Sister's Sister and Safety Not Guaranteed and Ruby Sparks is my favourite of the year so far. Glad you liked them too :)
ReplyDeleteThe performances were great in those movies. And I totally forgot that Kristen Bell was in Safety Not Guaranteed.
DeleteLoved Your Sister's Sister, especially Rosemarie DeWitt and Take this Waltz(big Sarah Polley fan so...). Sound of my Voice, not so much - I had couple of problems with it but loved the note it ends on.
ReplyDeleteP.S.: isn't Anatolia 2011 ? It's in my Netflix queue but I haven't gotten to it.
Enjoyed those two films, and Sound's ending is awesome!
DeleteAnatolia was released theatrically in the U.S. in January 2012, so I'm going by U.S. release date.
I haven't seen any of these movies yet. I'm still working on 2011. :-)
ReplyDeleteSafety Not Guaranteed, Ruby Sparks, & Your Sister's Sister are on my watchlist. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia looks good. And I've never heard of Return (which sounds like something I'd appreciate) and Sound of My Voice (which sounds fascinating).
I've still got films from 2010 and 2011 to see too. I'm never caught up. Really, I've still got more to see from ANY year. ;)
DeleteI saw Return because I heard Cardellini was great, and she is! Don't know if you've seen Marling's previous film Another Earth, but Sound of My Voice is even better. I'd recommend it, especially if you think it looks interesting.
Are these all out on DVD in America? I think some of them haven't even made cinemas here yet! You've been a busy boy.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing Alicia Silverstone in Butter and Jennifer Garner was good fun too.
All of these, except Butter, are out on DVD in the U.S. I either went through Netflix or Amazon Instant Video to watch them.
DeleteI loved Garner's accent in that film!