365 Days, 394 Movies, 346 Posts: 2011 as it was for me.

Wow, another year is just about over. If I'm being perfectly honest, 2011 has been a great year for me. I don't know whether I consider it great just because it went so fast and there are so few things I remember about it, or whether I just had a lot of fun this year. Of course, like every year, 2011 hasn't been perfect. Far from it, in fact. Unfortunately, this year will always be known as the year when my beloved old horse Sox died. I always dreaded the day when this will come, and admittedly, it's been hard living without him since as he has been there with me for my whole life. However, while that has cast a permanent dark cloud over the year, 2011 has been one filled with several great achievements, mainly to do with the blog and my writing.

2011 really was the year when I stopped making this blog just another space on the internet and attempted to get it out there a lot more. At the beginning of the year, I was contemplating shutting the thing down because I thought that no-one read it. But then, out of nowhere, a whole lot of people started circulating the blog and I had to step my game up to make sure that they stayed. This meant that I put a stop to reviewing every single movie I saw, because that got a little exhausting and some of my reviews ended up being extremely passionless. I also endeavoured to make this is a more personal blog, instead of a place where I post reviews focussing on silly things like lighting (you know the ones I mean). Hey, I'm a female teenager blogging about films, which is different, so I have to use that to my advantage. Anyway, the moment when I really had to step my game up was when I won the Lammy for 'Best New Blog'. Here was something I wasn't expecting, as I was just happy to be nominated. But I won - I still for the life of me don't know how - so I had to make sure that I actually lived up to this award. Add on several little achievements to do with the blog and a call from Paramount Studios and I think I did. Apart from the sharp drop in pageviews this month, but I suppose that's to do with the silly season.

2011 was also the year when my taste changed and I started becoming more...I don't know...astute. I got a new love for arthouse, independent and foreign films. If you showed me The Tree of Life in 2010 I probably would have pretended to like it just to get some credibility. But I really did love it. Same with Melancholia. I've realised that the smaller the film, the better I'll like it. However, I still love the odd blockbuster and Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg are still my favourite film-makers. So don't count me as one of those people who only love the obscure films and refuse to like anything else. Because I still liked Limitless. I also watched a lot more: I watched 282 new-to-me films (53 up on last year), rewatched 112 films (not specifically all different films, as The Social Network would account for 10 of those), which makes a total of 394 separate occasions I've spent watching a movie this year. Yes, I do have a life, too.

Anyway, last year I did some musings on each month of the year as it happened on the blog. Time to feel nostalgic...

January
Starting the year with 10 lessons I learned from the 2010 movies and also my 10 favourite movies at that time, January quickly dissolved into a month of silly little reviews that I'm sure no-one read. Then I started going hundy on Annual Awards Nerdism. Which reminds me, I should probably get more into it, but it's hard when all of the films in contention are months away from getting a release here. This post was a particular favourite of mine...it took such a long time to do, too.

February
February was the time when people started circulating the blog, and thank goodness, because I was posting like a maniac in this month. Again, Annual Awards Nerdism was in full swing, as the month ended with the Oscars. One post that still gets me a lot of pageviews (image searches, obviously) is the 10 guys I wouldn't mind spending Valentine's Day with. If I could go back in time I'd add Jeremy Irvine, Ralph Fiennes and Michael Fassbender. This was also the month when I introduced the new rating system, which I'm thinking about changing very soon...

March
March was not a very good month at all, especially towards the end. Anyway, I began the month with my top 10 of 2010, which has changed a little bit since then (pencil in Blue Valentine in the 3rd spot). I also wrote this review on The Ghost Writer, which I personally think is one of my best. I took part in the Desert Island CD blogathon, held by Anomalous Material. Slightly making my month better at the end was this LAMBcast, where my fellow bloggers said some kind things about the site.

April
Quite the interesting month, this one was. I released my favourite actors, actresses, and classic stars. I also listed the 100 things I love about the movies, which I could add to until we get to 1000. But April was most known for the classic movie marathon. Marathons are so exhausting.

May
I unleashed my 100 favourite films this month...what a task that was. I think I posted some of my best posts this month, like The Hurt Locker vs. Facebook, What an R18 is Like for Someone Too Young to Watch Them, and Being a Young Movie Lover... I got a couple of LAMMY nominations and changed the look to something really swanky (but then the template pooped out on me in September so I'm stuck with this). I started my 'A Conversation with...' reviews this month, too. I should definitely start those again.

June
June was probably the month I'd probably remember the most from this year. Our school came second in Stage Challenge, and the day after I got my tonsils out, and then a few days after that, I got announced as the winner of the Best New Lamb. So much happiness all coming in at once (okay, getting my tonsils out wasn't the happiest thing for about a month, but I'm glad I'm not sick now).

July
July was the month that Sox died, but otherwise, this month was okay. I watched Blue Valentine, shared the film characters that I'm like, and listed the 52 reasons why I love Inception. But what I loved the most about July was the fact that we were doing an Anne Frank unit in drama and we watched Schindler's List in preparation, and I absolutely fell in love with it. So much so that I wrote this extremely long review on it, which I hated when I first posted it, but have come to love a lot. Call me strange or whatever, but I became - I don't know how to put this - interested (?) in the Holocaust (interested sounds bad...but I did learn a lot about it). I started to value my life my life a lot more, hence this strange, personal post.

August
In celebration of my 16th birthday, I did my 16 Days of Birthday marathon. You'll find out some interesting stuff about me here. It also snowed properly here for the first time in eight years, which makes August my favourite month of the year. Making it even better was my viewing of The Tree of Life, which I was equally as confused by as I was enthused by (such a lyrical genius). I love this review that I wrote on it.

September
September was the month where, I think, this blog kinda went downhill. I completely blame myself: school got really hard, I was exhausted and completely disheartened by my poor mock-exam results, and I just didn't have the time or energy to do anything. I took a two week break, which I admit I had a hard time returning from. Still, I got to go to the NZFF and see Melancholia, compare Sucker Punch to a teapot and spend my Friday night watching Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.

October
I celebrated the blog's second birthday this month, a milestone which I didn't think I'd get to. There were some notable posts, too: a personal one about why I'm looking forward to War Horse that has something to do with a special horse that I lost, how you could sell your movie with a poster...for dummies, and why everyone should just get the eff over Shame being rated NC-17.

November
I'm so glad I had the blog in November, because it was a nice break away for me from studying. There were a few posts I personally loved, like the favourite film argument, 52 things I love about The Social Network, and the 10 movies I wish I had made. However, my favourite post was one that I didn't even write specifically for the blog...yup, the essay about piracy that I wrote for school that gave me a brush with Hollywood. It's funny how these things happen.

December
My favourite review of mine was written this month: one of Hunger. For once, I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about! However, this month was dominated by my Harry Potter marathon. I'm so glad I did this now. Other posts I loved were my favourite posters of 2011, my favourite and least favourite movies from the year and my favourite performances from my 2011 obsession, Ralph Fiennes. Top that off with my third consecutive win of the English cup at school, and my year finished pretty well.

What's in store for 2012?
When school goes back in February, I doubt I'll be posting regularly (as I'm a year 12 which means I have a lot more to do), and this blog might even fade away. But let's not be so pessimistic: I'm going to get really serious about Annual Awards Nerdism. I'm going to watch a lot of those classic films that I haven't seen. I'm going to see The Dark Knight Rises on opening night. And if I get my back into it, you might see something big from me next year. I hope to make 2012 every bit as good as 2011!

But for now, I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone circulating this blog. I don't feel like I thank you enough. Seriously, without you guys, this blog would not be here. You are what made this year so great for me. So thank you, and all the best for 2012! Now...off to watch Inception, which is the best year-ender movie ever.

December in Movies

Whoa. It's the end of 2011. I don't know how, but it is. Anyway, I'm posting my monthly review a day early because I have a special end-of-year post for tomorrow, New Year's Eve. At 11.59pm tomorrow night I'll be sitting there wondering where the hell this year went. This year has gone faaaaaaaaast.

Movies I'd never seen until the month of December...

Hunger - Kinda bummed that I didn't get this for Christmas. Still, I shall buy this movie on Criterion blu-ray sometime this year. Because it is that good.
Jonah Hex - That's the last time I'm watching a movie just because it has one of my favourite actors in it. I love you, Michael Fassbender, but this wasn't so good.
Green Lantern - Watching this on what was perhaps our first real summer's day (it was hooooot) was probably not the best idea...I got so agitated. It's been a pretty crap year for Ryan Reynolds though, hasn't it? After his tremendous work in Buried I thought he deserved more.
Oranges and Sunshine - One of those movies that everyone at work seemed to love. I thought it was pretty okay. Emily Watson is the best.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale - Perhaps not the best movie to get into the Christmas spirit with, but it was nice enough.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Golly, I loved this movie. If only Andy Serkis could get that Oscar nomination.
Senna - I bought this movie on Boxing Day, 25% off. It was literally the only thing I wanted for Christmas, but as luck would have it, I didn't get it. Oh well, I never get DVDs, anyway. My other presents were cool enough.
The Great Dictator - I admit, I felt a little uncomfortable seeing Charlie Chaplin make fun of Hitler and what was happening to the Jews (but as Chaplin said, if he had been aware of what Hitler was really doing, he wouldn't have made the film). Otherwise, it was quite funny, but not as good as City Lights or Modern Times.
Before Sunrise - So lovely. I wish I could go to a foreign land and have a romance like that.
Before Sunset - Even better than the first. Oh, it was just so beautiful!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - I can't believe that the series started with a kids film.
Priest - Better than I expected, but then again, my expectations were really low (I am turning into such a snob). Paul Bettany should stop making films like this, though. He is so much better than this.
Something Borrowed - Good lord. If anyone tried to make me watch this again, I would personally rip my eyes out.
The Orator - NZ's first submission into the foreign film category at the Oscars, and Samoa's first feature film. Unfortunately, I don't think it'll make it big since it is so slow, but it has some beautiful cinematography.
Cowboys & Aliens - It's fair to say that I don't remember any of this movie now. Such a shame, because it should have been so much better than it was.
Henry's Crime - Vera Farmiga was amazing, as usual, but this was kinda dull. As you could expect from your average Keanu Reeves movie.
Incendies - After those three films, I was hoping for a lot from Incendies. To be honest, it is the only one that I vividly remember. And I think I'll remember it for the rest of my life, even if I never see it again.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Worst of the series.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Why is this one everyone's favourite? It was good, but as a stand-alone film, it wasn't that great.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Second worst of the series. Way too fun when it should have been serious.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I really liked this one. Anything could be better than Goblet of Fire.
Submarine - I'd love to make a film like this one. I'm just not quirky enough, though.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - It's funny how your views on the events of one film change when you find out the real story.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - This one was every bit as good as part 2, in my opinion.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - I need a pet that I can call Severus Snape. Or just something that I can name Severus Snape.
Horrible Bosses - I thought that this was freaking hilarious. Best comedy of the year, in my opinion.
Chatroom - Interesting premise and nicely styled, but it just didn't really go anywhere. It was cool seeing Hannah Murray, a.k.a Cassie from Gen 1 of Skins again, though. She was awesome.
Cinema Paradiso - Was on the Maori Channel (they show some seriously good foreign films) on Christmas Eve. Eh, it was a nice enough movie, but I was left kinda wanting. The end was wonderful, though.
The Guard - I like my Irish comedies. They are funny.
Casino Jack - This movie just never seemed to end. Such a shame, because it had a lot of potential.
Barney's Version - A wonderful, underrated romance/drama. Paul Giamatti was so deserving of his Golden Globe. Rosamund Pike was brilliant, too. I wish she'd get noticed more.
Hobo with a Shotgun - An interesting movie to have follow Barney's Version. I loved it, though!

Movies I've seen before but felt like watching again because I'm cool like that...

It's a Wonderful Life - To try and get myself into the Christmas spirit. Didn't work a hell of a lot though...I still don't think that we had Christmas this year. What is up with this year?
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Watched it again with my friends. Was way better the second time. Caesar is my main ape.
Bridesmaids - Again, watched it with my friends. We were overtired so we laughed at basically everything, but I still think it is so overrated.
Love Actually - This did a bit to get me into the Christmas spirit. But I still feel more caught up on last year's Christmas rather than this year's one.
Meet Me in St. Louis - My Christmas movie. Sat down with my umpteenth bowl of trifle and sung all of my favourite songs (The Trolley Song seriously is the best). I absolutely adore this movie.
Hanna - Dad made me write a staff pick on this movie since he had to get extra copies of it. I lied...I gave it 7/10 on the pick instead of my real rating, 6/10. But what I said on the pick was true, I said it was "stylish", Saoirse Ronan was "amazing" and the "music makes it 100x better than it should be". If you're from Dannevirke, still trust my staff picks on Incendies and Senna. They're legit.
Easy A - Was going to watch the Israeli version of The Debt (the original version, was in the preview drawer), but the disc decided not to work in my laptop. So I looked through my collection for something under 90 minutes, and this was one of the only ones I could come up with. New Years resolution: buy shorter movies.
In Bruges - Decided I was in the mood for Irish comedy last night. Ralph Fiennes is effing hilarious in this. In fact, the entire movie is.

So, how about you? Have you seen anything good this month?

"Maybe you'll end up like me. A hobo with a shotgun."

Film: Hobo with a Shotgun
Year: 2011
Director: Jason Eisener
Written by: John Davies
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Nick Bateman, Drew O'Hara, Molly Dunsworth, Robb Wells, Brian Downey, Jeremy Akerman.
Running time: 86 min.

Sometimes you have to be so wrong to be right. Hobo with a Shotgun is a film which lives up to it's silly-sounding title. Beginning it's life as a cheaply shot fake trailer chosen by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez as the winner of a competition to have it play before Grindhouse (a.k.a Death Proof and Planet Terror), director Jason Eisener decided to make a full-length feature about the hobo searching for justice. Funnily enough, last year Rodriguez did the same thing with his fake trailer Machete, but that movie only came out with middling results. Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun, though, with a smaller budget and a smaller cast, comes out on top because I found it far more fun. Which is weird considering all it is is a whole lot of people getting killed.

What's Happening Where I Am: Cinema and DVD releases here, 29/12/11

Cinema Releases

The Adventures of Tintin - Okay, this technically came out on Boxing Day, but they all count as 'this week's' releases. Tintin is one film I really would like to see, but only if I get given the chance handed out to me on a silver platter. In other words, I'm not going to pay my mother the petrol money just to go over and see this But if I don't see it, I feel like I'm missing out - because, you know me, it's me and Steven Spielberg to the very end. However, I'm the minority who would rather go and see War Horse instead of this one. That is, of course, if I can make it through the book. It's like only 150 pages long, has a really big font and spacing, and the words are so easy, but I just can't get through it. I've been in tears for literally the whole thing, and I'm only up to chapter seven and Joey hasn't even gone to war yet! I miss my horses...

Albert Nobbs - Hmmmmm, I can't make up my mind about this one. On one hand, it has an awesome cast (Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, and the apparently great Janet McTeer), but on the other, it has received some pretty mediocre reviews. As much as I'd like to be up with all of the Oscar buzzing performances, I have money to save.

Happy Feet Two - Fun fact: my cat is called Mumble, purely because this movie was on when I was going through names for her (hard to believe that was two years ago...I'm still stuck in 2009). Another fun fact: I forgot that this movie even existed. Woops.

The Iron Lady - Like Albert Nobbs, I'd like to see this because I like to keep up with all of the Oscar buzzing performances. Also, like Albert Nobbs, the reviews are putting me off. I was actually wanting to see this because, if my calculations are right, we get this nearly three weeks before America. So I was gonna be all like "yeah, I've seen this movie before all of you bitches!" But then I remembered that you would all be like "well actually, Stevee, we all saw Moneyball back in September, and guess what, you don't get to see it until February!" Cool story, bro. Anyway, The Iron Lady looks pretty bad, practically just running on Meryl Streep's supposedly good performance. From the trailers, her voice really annoyed me, so I don't think I'd make it through the whole film.

The Muppets - Here's a movie I actually wanna see, no matter what. Ever since those spoof trailers, this has been high on my must-see list. And, of course, there is my darling Amy Adams. You all know that I will see anything with her in it. I just have to figure out a way to go and see it, preferably not by myself (because someone of my age sitting alone in a G-rated movie is not something easily accepted in cinema-going society), so I can also go over and get a 2012 diary. Because there aren't any good ones in Dannevirke. FML.

Tower Heist - I must be such an awful person, because I keep forgetting that this one exists, too. It looks like a less funny version of Horrible Bosses. And I loved Horrible Bosses.

We Bought a Zoo - It must be pretty intense stuff, buying a zoo. I'd like to have a zoo, because then I could have lots of horses. But then that would actually be a stable, which would defeat the purpose of buying a zoo. So watch out for my sequel to We Bought a Zoo, called I Bought a Stable. Coming at you on Christmas Day, 2012. Just in time for Oscar season.

DVD Releases

Hanna - The first time I saw this, I was extremely disappointed in it. Mind you, I was running on three hours sleep, had two annoying teenage boys behind me and the cinema had no drink holders (you don't wanna know how annoying that is - first-world problems). So I decided, since this week's order came in early (to fit with all of the holidays and stuff), I'd give this another go. I was still disappointed. While I LOVE LOVE LOVE the soundtrack, Joe Wright's direction is super stylish and Saorise Ronan is freaking amazing (as are the family she meets, including my darling Olivia Williams), the movie falls flat for me. I just feel like so much is left unexplained - I'm a sucker for ambiguity, but this movie didn't make a lot of sense to me. It also dragged a lot, too. Plus, the way that Hanna was able to do everything kind of pissed me off, and also the relationship between her and her father was pretty odd. I also don't know why Cate Blanchett was so hell-bent on killing Hanna and Erik. I'm probably the only one that feels this way, but Hanna was a huge disappointment, for me.

Hobo with a Shotgun - Absolutely loved this movie. I was going to post my review tonight, but I ran out of time. Be sure to tune in tomorrow!

The Guard - I like my Irish comedies. This one was quite good, but it was no In Bruges for me. Still, there were some delicious performances from Brendan Gleeson (Golden Globe nominee), Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham and the ever-brilliant Mark Strong. I need to go to Ireland, because that's obviously where it's at.

So, what do you think of these movies? Have you forgotten that any of them existed? Were you a fan of Hanna? Would you like to buy a zoo? Discuss. 

"One plus one equals two, right?"

Film: Incendies
Year: 2010
Writer/Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard, Abdelghafour Elaaziz, Allen Altman, Mohamed Majd, Nabil Sawalha, Baya Belal.
Running time: 130 min.

If anything has changed about me this year, it's the fact that I have developed a better tolerance towards foreign films. No, that sounds awful - of the foreign films I saw back in the day I mostly liked, I'm not one of those people too lazy to read subtitles. This year, however, I have watched and absorbed many, and they're quickly becoming my favourite type of film. Such a reminder of that fact is the Canadian film Incendies, which was in contention for the foreign film Oscar earlier this year, losing to the Danish film In a Better World. Now, I haven't seen that movie, so this might be a bit presumptuous/wrong to say, but Incendies was far more deserving. Here is a film which I hope will live on as a classic in the future, as it is nothing short of an absolute masterpiece. Incendies embodies the definition of a shocking, hard-hitting drama in every sense.

Stevee's Unofficial Best Films of 2011

Again, when I say 'unofficial', I definitely mean unofficial. I've seen barely anything this year...it'll be months before I see such movies as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, War Horse, The Artist, Drive, Shame, The Descendants, Moneyball...one day I'll get around to doing an official one. For now, here are ten movies which I found quite good. And if you look at this list, you'll see just how pretentious and arty I have become over the past year.
Anyway, I know the criteria that I had for films that were really made in 2010 but they came out here this year. I've chosen not to include films like Blue Valentine or Never Let Me Go, even if they were released here in 2011, because I think of them as 2010 films no matter what. There is one film that I've included here that was in contention at the Oscars earlier this year, but I feel that it deserves a spot here considering it was part of this year's film festival and I never got to see it until a week ago. So yeah, I know what I'm doing.

Honourable mentions: The Orator, Meek's Cutoff, Beginners, Contagion, Super 8, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Trust, Winnie the Pooh, Crazy Stupid Love, Sarah's Key, Captain America, Limitless, Rango, X-Men: First Class, Source Code, Thor, Horrible Bosses.

10. Submarine
I just saw this film last weekend and I absolutely fell in love with it. There is just something about it's quirkiness and being so unashamedly over-the-top that I found it hard not to be drawn in to Oliver Tate's weird little world. Both Oliver and Jordana seem refreshingly real - well, Oliver is a bit pretentious - which makes this UK teen comedy shine. Not to mention, Paddy Considine plays his crazy character just the way Nicolas Cage would have...except he is much better.

9. The Help
This film gets a spot on my list because I had a pretty enjoyable time watching it at the cinemas, and it was a great adaptation of one of the best books I read in the past year (okay, don't take my word for it, I probably haven't read over five books in 2011). Plus, it has so much talent on show: Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain (whom I loved in this movie), Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek...such a strong female cast, and how often do we get that? We mustn't forget that I cried at least five different times during this movie, and when I cry, it sure isn't because I didn't like the movie!

8. Melancholia
Melancholia gets a special place in my heart because it was the first movie I ever got to see at the New Zealand Film Festival. Hopefully next year I can watch a few more. Lars von Trier's apocalyptic tale is one of beauty shrouded in sadness, as we see how a rogue planet affects two very different sisters. One of these sisters is played by Kirsten Dunst, whose performance should really be nominated for an Oscar because it is so cripplingly depressing. But the main reason that Melancholia has appeared on this list is because of it's absolutely amazing ending. Seriously, I can't believe how much I was shaking when the credits hit. I literally did feel like the world just ended.

7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
At the beginning of the year, I thought this would be just another one of those pointless prequels with a ridiculous title that would tank at the box office. Boy, I was wrong. Turns out that Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the greatest blockbuster of 2011, with one of the greatest moments of the year. Caesar is the coolest ape ever, and possibly one of the only 'heroes' from the movies that I didn't have trouble getting behind. Hopefully Andy Serkis does get an Oscar nomination, because his work is ground-breaking...and it's time Hollywood had a shake-up.

6. Incendies
A nominee for Best Foreign Film at this year's Oscars, Incendies is a Canadian film that doesn't shy away from much, and knows exactly how to smack the audience in the face. People who have seen the film will know what I'm talking about...the twist in this film will literally make you feel like someone just punched you in the face. This is an expertly crafted, beautifully shot, completely involving film which takes you to all sorts of places, including hell and back. If you haven't seen this film, then what are you waiting for? It's a hard hitting drama in every sense of the word.

5. Certified Copy
A collection of conversations (and you should know how much I love to see conversations on film) between Juliette Binoche and William Shimell were surprisingly quite enjoyable to me. Abbas Kiarostami's multi-lingual drama is one that makes you question all sorts of things, including and especially the relationship between the two strangers...or were they really strangers? So many questions that this movie asks, and while it doesn't really answer all of them, it is still beautiful to watch.

4. The Tree of Life
My tastes really have changed this year. If you showed me Terrence Malick's ultra-polarizing film last year, I would have really disliked it. But I rolled up to the cinemas, and while I was baffled, I was more intrigued than I had ever been before. Now I have the film on Blu-Ray, I've realised just what a marvel it is, but I don't think I could ever give it a proper rating. I know that a lot of people hate this movie, and a lot more people hate the people who like it. I'm sorry, but I just really liked it, for all of it's pretty pictures and the amount of reading-between-the-lines that it required. A magnificent piece of cinema, no doubt about it.

3. Hesher
While this is technically a 2010 flick, this film took a while to make it to the general public. I was pretty happy that I finally got to see it when it hit DVD back in September. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the titular Hesher, who is a loner that doesn't care about much in the world, but he can help a few people along. Filled with charming indie moments, plenty of funnies and enough heartbreak to go 'round, Hesher is delightfully original and even charmingly offensive. JGL gives a bloody terrific performance, too. If only more people had the chance to see this one...

2. Midnight in Paris
I have never been a huge fan of either Owen Wilson or Woody Allen, but Midnight in Paris is an absolute delight to watch. It's impossible not to love - as Wilson is transported to 1920's Paris and meets such icons as Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Dali, my eyes were having a mad love affair with the screen. I really can't say how much I love this film. It is just pure magic, from beginning to end. There were only two things that I didn't like about it: that it had to end and that Paris is so far away!

1. Senna
Isn't it weird how I have a documentary about Formula One as my number one for the year? But seriously, Senna is a masterpiece. The editing in this movie is probably the best I have ever seen, as I imagine that it isn't easy to edit down a whole lot of archive footage into something that closely resembles a normal narrative. And I must say, considering I didn't know that much about Ayrton Senna before watching the movie, and I was bawling my eyes out at the end, this movie really was something special. It was just wonderful.

So, what do you think of my list? What are your favourite movies of 2011?

And before I go, I'd just like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I'll be taking a couple of days off to enjoy Christmas and Boxing Day. As for you all, thanks for all of the support this year - it's greatly appreciated! I hope you all have a great day...eat and drink to your heart's content, and be happy!

Stevee's Unofficial Worst Films of 2011

When I say 'unofficial', I definitely mean unofficial. You see, as I live in NZ, I'm 100 years behind the rest of the world and I've seen very few 2011 films. My official list could only be done half-way through next year. But it's always cool to make lists and see how much they change in the future, which is why I'm doing this now. Unfortunately I have not yet had the opportunity to watch such films as Jack and Jill, Bucky Larson or New Year's Eve, but I've seen my fair share of bad films released this year. So kick back and take a look at my unofficial list of the worst films from 2011...

(NOTE: There are a few 2010 films that were released here this year, but I won't be including them unless they were really, really late. I know exactly what I believe fits the criteria and what doesn't. Mind you, this will be more relevant when I do my 'Best of' list tomorrow)

Dishonourable mentions: The Dilemma, The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Take Me Home Tonight, Red Riding Hood, The Mechanic, Just Go with It, Gnomeo & Juliet.

10. I Am Number Four
Loud and obnoxious, what is essentially a twist on the Twilight tale tries to masquerade as a compelling sci-fi flick filled with angst, but it fails. In fact, the movie just fails. It is set up to start a franchise, but I doubt that anyone would want to sit through anything like this again. It is also supposed to be the big breakthrough for Alex Pettyfer, but I couldn't stand him. The film is just so derivative that it's impossible to remember anything that happened in it within an hour of seeing the credits roll. A movie about a teen who discovers that he is an alien and everyone wants to kill him just isn't that exciting.

9. Sanctum
There is actually very little that I remember about this movie. I don't know whether that is because when I watched it I was still on a lot of drugs after getting my tonsils out, or whether it's because it was just really bad. All I remember is that there was a lot of water, a lot of blue and some lame family issues that just had to happen while these people were diving. Other than that, it was a poorly acted, weakly scripted and flatly executed deep sea tale that lacked any conviction or passion. But if you slap the name James Cameron on it, people will still watch it.

8. Battle: Los Angeles
For a teenage guy, this movie will be a masterpiece. For a teenage girl such as myself, it is nothing but a grimy bore. I'm sorry, but I really don't find multiple explosions very exciting. In fact, I didn't find much about this movie very exciting. And beware, because the average watch of this movie turns out to be more expensive than you would think at first. You have the price of the rental, and because of how filthy and grimy the movie is, you'll have to go and get some deodorant and soap to clean it off with. They should really make Battle: LA combo packs at DVD stores.

7. Your Highness
Turns out Natalie Portman didn't have a fantastic post-Oscar set of films. But not only that, this also starred James Franco, who got himself an Oscar nomination for 127 Hours. The one thing this film has in common with his hosting performance at the Oscars: he decided to just zombie around and be stoned for the entire thing. I've seen this movie twice now, and there's only one thing I can say about it: way too many dick jokes. Seriously, male genitalia is not really that funny.

6. Season of the Witch
You know why I watch Nicolas Cage movies? Because usually, they're hilarious. He usually lets loose and provides some good entertainment, even if the movies are really bad. Season of the Witch, however, is just a plain bad Nicolas Cage movie. There's nothing to it. We just have to watch Nic, Ron Perlman, a few tag-alongs and a witch go from A to B, which is almost as exciting as watching paint dry. I say 'almost' because at least the paint has more colour than this one.

5. Something Borrowed
This isn't a poorly made movie, at all. It's just extremely horrible to watch. Think of every cliché that you could possibly put into a rom-com, times it by 20 and stick it into a movie that runs at an over-long 112 minutes. Yes, it is painful to watch. We see running around in the rain, people looking romantically at each other but not doing anything about their feelings, a really annoying Kate Hudson and an overly sarcastic guy friend. This film could have been over in half-an-hour, or better yet, it could have just been reduced to the trailer, because from that you can tell what is going to happen. I'm sure that this whole love triangle business does happen in real life, but that doesn't mean that we need 20 million movies about it.

4. Sucker Punch
This time last year, Sucker Punch was my most anticipated movie for 2011. I thought it looked awesome, like there was no way that it could possibly fail. Then the reviews came around, and I decided to give this one a miss at the cinemas. Let's just say, it was the best $30 I saved all year. On a cold winter's night I watched it on DVD, and I was blown away by how awful it was. Despite it's mostly female cast, this is the most anti-female movie ever. The only thing a girl could ever take away from it is that the only way you can get revenge is by dressing like a total slut. There was one good thing that came out of it, though: I loved how I could compare it to a teapot in my review.

3. The Hangover: Part II
You'll never know how much I wanted to go against the general critics consensus and turn out loving this movie. I tried so hard to like it. But I just couldn't. I am a HUGE fan of the first one, so to say that this movie lets that one down is a major understatement. It's vulgar, offensive, harsh, annoying, much of the same story...it was just a really horrible film. I think I summed it up best in the last line of my review: "...there's nothing that I dislike more about the film industry than anything else: originality is often sacrificed for money."

2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
I've heard many people saying that this is the best film of the series...even Steven Spielberg thinks so. I love you, Steven, but we have to disagree on this one. You know that whenever you get reminded of this film you get an instant headache, you must have really disliked it. At 154 minutes, this is one of the most boring movies I've ever seen, especially when it gets down to the hour-long finale. The worst part is that there is no way you could possibly fall asleep while watching it, because it is SO. DAMN. LOUD. Proves that Transformers was only cool back in 2007.

1. The Roommate
This has to be one of the worst film I've ever seen in my life. It has a lame plot, even lamer acting and an extremely lame dependence on thriller clichés to get it through. Rebecca, played by Queen B Leighton Meester, is one of the most annoying characters ever, as she does all sorts of crazy shit so she can get closer to her precious roommate Sarah. This includes killing a kitten. Never is it acceptable to kill a kitten. Especially not for the sake of a crappy movie like this.

What do you think of these films? And what are some of your least favourite movies of 2011?

The Best Performances I've Seen from Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes

If you've been reading this blog since about July this year onwards, you will know that I am a little bit obsessed with British actor Ralph Fiennes (full name: Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, which is a name I'm equally as obsessed with). This year I've come to watch many of his films, but there are also many that I haven't seen (like Spider, The End of an Affair, Sunshine and Coriolanus). As today is his 49th birthday - I know what you're all thinking, he looks a lot younger than that - I'm going to list my ten favourite performances of his that I have seen. Because this year wouldn't have been so awesome had I not had a wee obsession with this impossibly good-looking and talented guy. And my teddy wouldn't have such a kick-ass name (Twisleton) if it wasn't for him.

10. Mr. Kendrick in Cemetery Junction

It may seem like an odd choice, given how this movie was unfortunately missed by a lot of people, but Ralph is pure awesomeness here. As Mr. Kendrick, he plays a man who purely does not give a shit about anything or anyone. He hasn't thanked his wife for a cup of tea in years, which is quite heartbreaking. But there is one scene where he gives a speech at a function, as he says goodbye to someone who has been working at his firm for years and years. He was so horrible I was in stitches. I love how funny Ralph can be even when he's insulting everyone.

9. The Duke in The Duchess

Admittedly, I don't remember a lot of this film as I watched it just about three years ago, but I do remember Ralph's performance above anything else in the film. Like a lot of his characters, he isn't very likeable in this film, to the point that you just want to punch him in the face for being such a royal pain in the butt. Still, even though his character is quite distant and insensitive, there's still plenty to like about Ralph's scene stealing performance.

8. Michael Berg in The Reader

I had a fair few problems with The Reader, which became increasingly evident when I rewatched it back in October. Despite that, Ralph, who plays the older version of Michael Berg (the younger version being equally as well played by David Kross), is still very good. It's undeniably Kate Winslet's movie, but I love how Ralph has to also confront the demons of his past, and learn to get over there. He's the centre of most of the heartbreaking moments of the movie, and that final scene kills me.

7. Count Laszlo de Almásy in The English Patient

I watched The English Patient back in July, and while I liked it, I still had some problems with it (I really do need to watch it again). However, Ralph's Oscar-nominated performance is one to treasure. He plays a rich, yet shy Count in two periods of his life: one where he is in love with an already married Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) and one where he is severely burnt due to a plane crash. Here is in full romantic mode - there is no way anyone with ovaries can't fall in love with him. Add that with the fact that save for the burnt scenes, this movie serves as some bloody good eye candy of him, and you have one of the best things he has ever done. As I said, I need to watch it again, mainly so I can fully appreciate everything this film has to offer, but he is great here.

6. Harry in In Bruges

He doesn't appear until an hour through the film, but when he does turn up he is pure awesomeness. He is absolutely hilarious as Harry, who is the definition of a complete asshole. And he uses the F-word five times in a normal sized sentence. Plus, he gets the best lines, like calling his wife an "inanimate fucking object!" and then following it up with "I'm sorry I called you an inanimate object. I was upset." The film itself is bloody great, too.

5. Justin Quayle in The Constant Gardner

This film isn't one of my favourites, and even though it was Rachel Weisz who got the acclaim and the Oscar for her performance, I was more blown away by Ralph's performance. In among the array of villains he has played, here is a film where he plays a shy, mild-mannered diplomat who's wife has been murdered, and he sets out on a journey to find out what happened. He is so good-hearted in this movie, even looking past his wife's horrible infidelities to do what needs to be done. He is also heart-breaking, particularly when he is breaks down crying at his now empty home, and especially in the final sequence. Quayle, in my opinion, is one of the best characters he has played, even if I didn't like the film all that much.

4. Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series

While his screen time is scattered throughout the five films he appears in, his presence is always there, which makes Ralph's performance as the nose-less villain of the decade quite eerie. You may take away his nose, his hair and his good-looks, but Ralph's talent shines through, delivering the best overall performance in the series. He gets his voice and evil-ness pitch perfect, and the way he carries himself is just scary. Ralph looks like he is having an absolute ball with his character, too. But just make sure that you don't piss him off, because he has a wand and he is not afraid to use it.

3. Lenny Nero in Strange Days

One of my greatest moments this year was discovering this movie buried deep in the messy shelves at Blockbuster and giving it a whirl. I'm not sure that I know many fans of Kathryn Bigelow's vision of Y2K, but I absolutely loved it. Ralph, who plays an ex-cop turned street-hustler who uncovers a police conspiracy  by looking at other people's recorded memories, is the definition of badass here. Give him a long hairdo, some stylish yet questionable clothes and a gun, and you have something unlike Ralph has ever done: be an action hero. I'm not talking about an action hero like those overly buff beef-heads. I'm talking about an action hero with heart, soul, and a pretty bad past. Such a shame that this movie is so under-appreciated.

2. Charles Van Doren in Quiz Show

When I saw Quiz Show, I instantly fell in love with it. A film about the quiz show scandals of the 50s, which has Ralph playing a pretty and privileged boy who is fed answers so he can beat geeky Jew Herb Stempel (John Turturro). While on the surface it could be said that Charles is at fault, the film digs deeper and shows things from his point of view. Ralph is perfect in this film, both in the way that he is insanely good looking (and that is an understatement), and in the way that he is silently in anguish underneath it all. When the story comes out, it is really sad watching him try and pick up the pieces, especially when he admits to what he has done in front of everyone. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. I think it is, for lack of a better word, a masterpiece.

1. Amon Göth in Schindler's List

This definitely won't come as a surprise for most of you, as I have said time and time again that this is my favourite performance of all-time. I just can't stress enough how utterly perfect he is as ruthless Nazi Amon Göth. Reading about the actual person, I found it hard to believe that someone like him existed, but what I found even harder to believe is how anyone could throw themselves so completely into playing him. Ralph is utterly terrifying, even from just one look. Every single moment in his performance qualifies him for being the best performance of all-time - it is bloody ridiculous that he didn't get the Oscar. You look at him and you see death, right the way through him. Which, as an actor, is not a very easy thing to convey.

Happy Birthday, Ralph! What are your favourite performances from Ralph Fiennes?

Day 8: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Welcome to the last day of my eight-day long Harry Potter marathon. This is purely because I have not seen any of the Harry Potter's and I promised a whole lot of people that I'd watch 'em all when the last DVD came out. That was over a month ago, so I have to do it now. I will be blogging about my journey through Hogwarts...and such.

After six days of watching the Harry Potter series, I am finally at the end. Yes, it is sad to end the series, because I had a lot of fun. But when a series ends with a film like Deathly Hallows Part 2, I couldn't help but feel the happiness/sadness/whatever that true Harry Potter fans felt. And this was another 2011 film to check off my list. Now I can say that I have seen the entire Harry Potter series, so to whoever it was that said I don't deserve a movie blog for not seeing it, I've just earned my ownership of Cinematic Paradox. Yay. Anyway, the final movie from an outsider's perspective:

-I admit, I was pretty sceptical over this movie. As I'd spent the past two weeks of my life (not every day, mind you) cleaning shelves at work, and the trailer for this played on the loop disc every hour and a half. Basically, while the trailer is quite good, how many times did they have to have Voldemort saying "NNNNYYAAAAAAHH" in it? Like, seriously. As soon as I heard a "NNNNYYAAAAAAHH" I wanted to shoot myself (or maybe that was just the messy shelves making me feel that way), even if it was my main man Ralph Fiennes' voice.
-Then again, everyone went crazy over this movie. I don't know whether this was because it was the end of the series and it was a given that people would go crazy over it, or whether this was just a really good movie. I tend to go with the latter, but let's not forget that it would work better as a conclusion to a really epic series rather than a stand-alone movie.
-Anyways, I loved how Hermione disguised herself as Bellatrix. No-one could be as convincing as Helena Bonham Carter, as that clearly shows.
-It never fails to amaze me how many British actors have been in this series. It's particularly cool that Ciarán Hinds shows up in this one.

-It's interesting how Neville Longbottom gets a lot of screen time in this movie. He seemed really under-used in the series, to me.
-I loved the scene where McGonagall fought Snape. I always knew she was a complete badass.
-That shield around Hogwarts was pretty epic. This film definitely has to be nominated for Best Visual Effects, no doubt about it.
-Okay, so this whole series was made when we learned the truth about Snape and Dumbledore. Like, I just felt like that was the best moment of the series. And I always knew that Snape was a good guy (he's my favourite character for a reason). Except, my friend hasn't seen this film, so I was having a very hard time telling her why Snape was my favourite character.

-And a big WOW to learning the truth about our Harry Potter. Poor guy.
-Jesus, the Draco/Voldemort hug. Funniest thing I've ever seen. Mind you, I wouldn't say no to a hug from Ralph Fiennes.
-**SPOILER ALERT** I almost died when Molly killed Bellatrix. The Weasley's really are a family filled with badassery.
-This film's version of Heaven was pretty interesting. Looks like my kind of place.
-The final act of this movie is the definition of EPIC. I can see why so many people are trying to get this nominated for Best Picture. Unfortunately, I don't think it stands a chance, particularly because it has been missing from all of the awards so far.
-The ending was of course sad because we have to leave everyone behind now, but I didn't really like how it ended. Let's just say, the actors involved didn't look old enough, and it was a tad cheesy. But I imagine that there were a few tears being wept in the cinemas.
-If anyone deserves Oscar nominations for this movie, it would be either Alan Rickman or Ralph Fiennes. They both play their characters consistently well, and with a finesse that isn't seen in many of the other cast members. Because the Best Supporting Actor race is so weak this year, they have every reason to get in, but I think voters will forget them and they will remain as two of the most underrated performances of all time.

-Speaking of the actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint do tremendous work here. They really did come a long way since 2001.
-In fact, the whole series came a long way since 2001. To think that this series started out with a very tame kids movie...
-This movie remains a highlight of 2011. All of the posters say "the movie event of a generation". I couldn't possibly thing of anything more true.

So, there you have it. I have now watched all of the Harry Potter films, and before the end of 2011, no less. Many of you have suggested that I read the books, which is something I'll start right after I read War Horse (which I keep putting off because it makes me miss my horses so much), and I'll try to finish before the end of 2012. Otherwise, I had a lot of fun watching these films. Some were better than others, but I can't deny how much I enjoyed watching them! I'll definitely be going back to them every now and again.

What I got for Deathly Hallows Part 2 (going to the lower end of this rating):