I was somewhat disappointed by the summer blockbuster output this year, with only 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' exceeding expectations. 'Man of Steel', 'Pacific Rim' and 'The Lone Ranger' all left me pretty cold, while some, such as 'After Earth', 'Jack The Giant Slayer' and 'The Host' bordered on awful. This is all perhaps reflected in my top 10 list, which includes fewer tentpole Hollywood releases than previous years. This blog post, as with previous years, also features several other awards, including Actor, Actress, Scene-Stealer, Soundtrack and Trailer of 2013.
To make the list a film must have received its UK cinema release within the year 2013. Several of the current big awards buzz films, including '12 Years A Slave', 'American Hustle' and 'The Dallas Buyers Club', are not released in the UK until the early months of 2014. One of my favourite films I saw this year, 'The Spectacular Now' (London Film Festival), cannot be included on this list as it will not receive its official UK cinema release until 2014. There are a few critically acclaimed recent releases, including 'Nebraska' and 'Kill Your Darlings', that I have not seen yet and am unlikely to until January so I could of course not consider these for the below list. Similarly, 'All Is Lost' and 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' are not released until right at the end of December so have not been considered. Anyway, happy reading, and would love to hear all your end-of-year lists!
TOP 10 FILMS OF 2013 ------->
BEFORE MIDNIGHT
'We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna' (IMDb). The third in Richard Linklater's masterpiece series about the relationship between Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) is arguably the finest, and the patience to set the films each nine years apart has really paid off. So strong is the writing that it doesn't take us too long to catch up, yet we are never unaware of just what the couple have been through during this time, and the changes they have undergone. The dialogue is sharp and true, the result of much hard work by Linklater, Delpy and Hawke, all now so in tune with the characters' thoughts and feelings. The interplay between Delpy and Hawke is as beautifully cohesive and natural as ever, albeit tinged with a sense that there is something about to break, some harsh truths needing to be spoken.
One of the unlikeliest trilogies of all time but easily one of the best, these films explore the relationship between these two people in such depth that come 'Before Midnight' we are so familiar with Jesse and Celine they are like family. When we see them hurting, or hurting each other, it hurts us too. You'll laugh, you'll cry. It'll warm you up and then break your heart, and then warm you up again. But please see the other two films first, to really get the full character arc of this wonderfully real, human couple.
THE KINGS OF SUMMER
'Three teenage friends, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land' (IMDb). Nick Robinson and Gabriel Basso are both terrific as best friends Joe and Patrick in this lovely coming-of-age story with echoes of Stand By Me. Joe, frustrated by his father's attempts to control his life, enlists the help of his friends to build a new home in the nearby woods so that they may live off the land and be their own men. Comic relief comes in the form of Moises Arias as the tag-along oddball Biaggio.
Support is provided by the ever dependable Nick Offerman as Joe's Dad Frank, searching for his missing son and learning about him as if for the first time. The Kings of Summer may be slight, but it is also touching, sweet and funny, 'perfectly evoking', as Robbie Collin writes in his Telegragh review, 'that too-brief time of life when you could pass the evenings drunk on stolen beer and all the spare time you could dream of'.
THE WAY, WAY BACK
'Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park' (IMDb). Dripping with nostalgia, The Way, Way Back came out of left field as one of the sweetest and funniest films of the year. Steve Carell has fun playing against type as the bullying, narcissistic Trent, and there are great supporting turns from Toni Collette as Duncan's nice but slightly unaware mother, Maya Rudolph as a water park staff member, and Alison Janney is a hoot as the boozy, brash neighbour.
The film belongs to Sam Rockwell, though, as the wisecracking Owen. Rockwell is the film's main source of humour, warm and likeable and delivering endlessly quotable dialogue (credit to writer/directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, fresh from their Oscars success with The Descendents) in a deadpan manner reminiscent of Bill Murray. The Way, Way Back surprised me with its injection of warmth, heart and fun - almost the perfect summer movie.
STOKER
'After India's father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him' (IMDb). Park Chan-Wook's first foray into English-language cinema after the success of Korean flicks Oldboy, Lady Vengeance etc was certainly a divisive one, with some considering it genius and others ludicrous. I was in the former category, finding Stoker to be a deeply atmospheric, moody mystery tinged with eroticism and yearning and anchored by a terrific cast.
Mia Wasikowska has gone from strength to strength in recent years and gives one of her finest performances to date as the troubled India. The film marks a return to form for Nicole Kidman as India's mother, and Matthew Goode oozes a wonderfully slimy charm as the sinister Uncle Charlie. The cinematography by regular Park Chan-Wook collaborator Chung-hoon Chung is nothing short of stunning, and the score by Clint Mansell (one of my favourite composers) is unsurprisingly beautiful. As a horror, Stoker is more psychologically disturbing than full-blooded and shocking, a slow-burning, provocative, creepy mood-piece.
WHAT MAISIE KNEW
'In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle' (IMDb). This modern day adaptation of Henry James' novel is a small-scale but heartbreaking, beautifully acted study of the effects of her parents' divorce upon young Maisie. She is thrown from one parent to the other with a truly shocking lack of care or attention. Steve Coogan is enjoying quite the year, adding his strong performance here as Maisie's selfish and shallow father Beale to the hilarious Alan Partridge film and his fabulous screenplay and performance for the much lauded Philomena. Meanwhile Julianne Moore excels as the desperate, somewhat ugly character of Maisie's ageing rocker mum Susanna.
Alexander Skarsgard and Joanna Vanderham are absolutely wonderful as the new partners of Maisie's parents, struggling themselves with the neglect and mistreatment that Maisie is encountering. They give so much heart to the film and allow us to see, rather devastatingly, what Maisie's life could be like with parents who gave her the time and attention she deserves. The star of the show, though, is six year old newcomer Onata Aprile as Maisie. Aprile is an absolute revelation, turning in one of the finest child performances in recent memory and causing the entire audience to warm to her and suffer with her.
THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES
'A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective' (IMDb). Director Derek Cianfrance moves comfortably from the small, quiet but devastating relationship drama 'Blue Valentine' to this sprawling three act story set in the leafy environs of Schenectady, New York. Much as with 'Blue Valentine', The Place Beyond The Pines' greatest success lies with the power of its two central performances. Ryan Gosling, in a very different role to that of 'Blue Valentine', plays stunt rider Luke with a quiet but strong presence, a man driven to desperate measures to support the son he has only just discovered he has. Bradley Cooper, meanwhile, builds on his excellent work in Silver Linings Playbook with this performance as cop Avery, wrestling with his own sense of morality as all his ambitions take hold. Support is provided by the always excellent Ben Mendelsohn and Ray Liotta.
The third act requires the audience to accept certain coincidences, but if you can move past this it proves to be incredibly rewarding. This is where Cianfrance's full vision comes alive, helped by an electrifying Dane DeHaan as Luke's son Jason, as we see the long term effect of decisions made 15 years before. The Place Beyond The Pines deals in an accomplished manner with a number of big issues, chiefly those of and actions and consequences, of right and wrong and how often these concepts can be blurred. It wasn't for everyone, some finding it overlong or implausible, but I found the epic scope of this melodrama something to be commended - a film that isn't afraid to take risks. It confirmed Cianfrance as a new filmmaker of real note, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
THE BLING RING
'Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes' (IMDb). Largely misunderstood, The Bling Ring has actually wound up on a few worst-of lists but finds itself a place in my top 10 of 2013. Sometimes a film that features vacuous characters ends up being mistaken for vacuous itself, which seems to have been the case with Sofia Coppola's latest. I've been a fan of Coppola's since the very beginning, including 2010's equally misunderstood 'Somewhere'. There was no film released this year which felt as current, as of its time, a snapshot of a celebrity-obsessed culture high on social media. This is not the first time in recent times to find itself occupied with the excess of our current generation, with The Bling Ring cut from the same cloth as Harmony Korine's similarly divisive Spring Breakers in its depiction of a modern youth driven to the thrills of crime through boredom and dissatisfaction (this trend looks set to continue, most notably with Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street). In fact many parts of The Bling Ring felt very Korine-esque, coldly presenting a story of young Americans and their debauchery with very little attempt to pass judgement.
There is something refreshing about a film with no particular interest in critiquing, rather in simply capturing a piece of modern culture and leaving it to the audience to critique. Coppola's touch is present throughout the film, which features a number of terrific visual flourishes. In one bravura scene the Bling Ring rob Audrina Patridge's house of floor to ceiling windows, allowing us to watch the entire robbery in a single extended CCTV shot. I would argue this as one of the shots of the year. Emma Watson continued her great work in The Perks of Being a Wallflower with this revelatory performance as Valleyspeaking, unintentionally hilarious Nicki ("I want to lead the country someday, for all I know"), and Katie Chang was also very strong as the group's ringleader Rebecca.
GRAVITY
'A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space' (IMDb). Gravity signals its ambitious intentions from the off with an astonishing 12 minute unbroken opening scene unlike anything seen before, as we are introduced to our protagonists. Alfonso Cuaron's latest broke new ground, making the most of updated technology to deliver the most visually arresting film of the year. The sound design is nothing short of incredible, nailing the difficult task of creating realistic noise in a vacuum and cleverly incorporating Sandra Bullock's breaths and heartbeat as true thematic elements.
Gravity, as good looking and good sounding as it undoubtedly is, would only be half as watchable if the central performances lacked, but fortunately they do anything but. Sandra Bullock, an actress I have at times struggled to warm to, is left to carry the film for great parts and gives a career-best effort as Dr. Stone, forced to summon incredible strength in her struggle for survival while still grief-stricken after the death of her daughter. George Clooney, as Matt Kowalski, is as dependable as ever, his laid-back calm a perfect foil for Bullock's barely controlled panic. Gravity is Cuaron's best work so far in a career already displaying a number of quality, varied films. It begins by acknowledging that 'Life in space is impossible', but Gravity does a magnificent job of bringing space to life.
STORIES WE TELL
'A film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers' (IMDb). Sarah Polley's third full film as director after the very impressive 'Away From Her' and 'Take This Waltz' (one of my favourite films of 2011) is this wonderful little documentary about her family and the way in which their memories of events differ. Polley plays detective as she tries to discover the truths behind the relationship between her father Michael, a retired actor, and her mother Diane, a Canadian TV personality who died of cancer when Polley was 11, but with this film it seems that the truth depends on who is telling it.
As she grew up Polley was the subject of many comments regarding the lack of likeness between herself and her father, and this forms much of the focus of her explorations. Stories We Tell is a startlingly intimate and personal film, Polley unafraid to lay herself and her family bare. It's complex, grown-up watching, humourous and heartbreaking, with much to say about family, relationships, love and truth, and the effect of these human relationships on a much wider web of people.
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR
'Adele's life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, finds herself' (IMDb). Blue is the Warmest Colour is the love film of 2013 without question. Director Abdellatif Kechiche manages to coax (through whatever means he did - we won't go into that) the performances of the year from his young French stars. Léa Séydoux, as the blue-haired free spirit Emma, is tough, daring, a creative bohemian energy and a ray of light in Adele's life. The film's beating heart, though, is Adele Exarchopoulos, producing a totally believable, totally staggering performance as our protagonist Adele.
Much has been made of the lengthy, explicit sex scenes, which is a shame really in that it has somewhat distracted attention away from the fact that this is easily one of the films of the year. Yes, those particular scenes are full-on and extended, but so is every scene. The film is a meticulous, slow study of Adele's life and love, exploring themes of not just sex and lust but also education, art, romance, literature, discrimination. Some have classed it as overlong at 3 hours, but I barely felt it pass, so invested was I in the story and its many beautiful, devastating moments. I must admit I'm not a big fan of the film's English title - the French is 'La Vie d'Adele', directly translated as 'The Life of Adele', and works much better. The focus of the film is, after all, Adele's life, and the audience go on a truly epic journey with her. Ian Freer describes it well in his Empire review - '"How do you understand that the heart is missing something?” is a question posed at the start of Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme D’Or winner. The answer is as emotionally shattering as movies get, the ecstacy and agony of first love, real love, in all its magnificent simplicity and complexity'.
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Honourable mentions go to 'Ain't Them Bodies Saints', 'Blue Jasmine', 'Captain Phillips', 'Spring Breakers', 'Short Term 12', 'Prince Avalanche' and 'Frances Ha'.
ACTOR OF 2013 -- TOM HANKS
The last couple of months of the year have seen Tom Hanks in not one but two excellent turns in awards buzz movies. First up was Paul Greengrass' unbearably tense 'Captain Phillips', in which Hanks' titular sea captain and his crew find themselves the victims of Somali pirates aboard their container ship The Maersk Alabama. Hanks is all clear-headed, calm professionalism, a Boston everyman, which makes his breakdown at the end of the film so much more devastating, and one of the most powerfully acted scenes of the year.
He followed this up with a totally different, but similarly brilliant, performance as Walt Disney in 'Saving Mr Banks'. He hints at the multi-faceted nature of Disney, the likeability and showmanship (a perfect fit for Hanks' natural charisma), the childlike wonder, the ruthlessness, and perhaps impresses most in the quiet scenes with Emma Thompson (the way they play off each other makes for the most humourous and warm moments). Add these to his six (yes, six!) roles in the Wachowski Brothers' mind-bending, massively underrated 'Cloud Atlas' earlier in the year and it is very clear that 2013 was Tom Hanks' year, confirming to the world that not only is he a 'HUGE MOVIE STAR' but he is also a fabulous actor capable of great versatility.
Honourable mention should go to Hugh Jackman for 'Les Misérables', 'The Wolverine' and 'Prisoners'.
ACTRESS OF 2013 -- ADELE EXARCHOPOULOS
19 year old Adele Exarchopoulos came from nowhere this year to deliver certainly one of the bravest and most committed performances in recent times as her namesake in French love film 'Blue Is The Warmest Colour'. Exarchopoulos laid herself bare, both physically and emotionally, fully investing herself in a tour de force performance so natural that you lost yourself completely in the emotional rollercoaster that her character undergoes. She was unafraid to snub beauty for realism, often in tears, snotty.
What was most impressive was how well she nailed the subtle but very present transition that Adele goes through over the years that the film covers, from unsure youth to mature, heartbroken teacher. There is a particular moment later on in the film with Adele teaching her kindergarten kids, maturely containing her emotion from the kids that she loves so much, before breaking down in the classroom after they leave, that ranks amongst the finest acting I have ever seen. Time will tell as to whether she makes the leap across the pond to Hollywood or stays within French cinema, but whatever comes next a star is most certainly born. What will be interesting to see, in the long career that she undoubtedly has ahead of her, is if she can genuinely top this performance.
Honourable mentions should go to Cate Blanchett for 'Blue Jasmine' and Judi Dench for 'Philomena'.
DIRECTOR OF 2013 -- WOODY ALLEN
It's Woody Allen, and I love him. I'm really enjoying his return to form recently, and this year's Blue Jasmine was his most accomplished film in a long time, an effective character study featuring a sharp script by Allen, and stand-out performances. In it, 'a New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks a million, but isn't bringing money, peace, or love...' (IMDb). Allen gets a career best performance from Cate Blanchett as the titular Jasmine, and she is rightly being discussed as an Oscar frontrunner. Sally Hawkins and Alec Baldwin provide reliably excellent support - Hawkins has been rewarded with a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe nomination. In fact the more I think of it, the more I think Blue Jasmine should have been in the Top 10 list. No, no, I will not change my mind! Anyway, it's great to see Allen back in business and I'm looking forward to his next film, 2014's Magic in the Moonlight, starring Emma Stone and Colin Firth.
Honourable mentions should go to Alfonso Cuaron and Paul Greengrass.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF 2013 -- THE GREAT BEAUTY
As I have already written about 'Blue Is The Warmest Colour' I decided to give this award to 'The Great Beauty', a wonderful Italian movie that could easily have made the Top 10 Films list itself. 'Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty' (IMDb). Much has been made of this as a homage to Fellini's La Dolce Vita, but that in some ways does a disservice to Paolo Sorrentino's film and the originality of much of his vision. The Great Beauty is a sumptuous affair, exquisitely shot (if you needed any other reason to visit Rome, this could be it) and by a mesmerising central performance by Sorrentino regular and veteran actor Toni Servillo as the charming, reflective Jep. Italy's contender for 2014's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is uplifting, thought-provoking, and features the most breathtakingly beautiful music.
BREAKOUT STAR OF 2013 -- BRIE LARSON
Brie Larson was for me the obvious choice for Breakout Star of the year after excellent supporting turns in The Spectacular Now and Don Jon, followed up with one of the finest performances of the year in the lead role of foster care drama Short Term 12. As supervising staff member Grace, Larson breaks hearts and raises spirits in equal measure, nailing the strong, compassionate, beautifully human character perfectly. Next up for Larson is Rupert Wyatt's The Gambler, co-starring Mark Wahlberg, and The Basmati Blues, opposite Donald Sutherland. Watch out for this one.
SCENE OF 2013 -- 'EVERYTIME' SINGALONG IN SPRING BREAKERS
A scene in the much-derided Spring Breakers in which some girls stand around a piano and sing a Britney Spears song with James Franco may not seem like an obvious choice for my scene of the year. But thinking back over all the great scenes in the great films of 2013, this one is still sticking in my mind more than most, so it gets my vote. Yes, it's absolutely OTT and ludicrous and trashy, but also wonderfully provocative and gloriously bonkers. Michael J.W. Stickings, in his the-reaction blog post, gets it right when describing Spring Breakers as 'an intriguing (and shocking) presentation of postmodern American nihilism, of a dream turned dystopic, of the dark side of youth culture and so of a terribly bleak future'. Franco underwent a manic transformation to play creepy gangster rapper Alien (one of the most underrated acting performances of the year), and it is him that kicks this scene off as his piano begins the Everytime singalong, assisted by his three Spring Breakers (Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine, clad in pink ski masks and 'DTF' printed sweatpants and clutching machine guns), all bathed in the beautiful pink Florida sunset. The scene then begins to intercut shots of the girls assisting Alien in the torturing and robbing of other vacationers.
This bizarre contrast between the hauntingly beautiful innocence of the girls (leading into Spears' own voice) singing Everytime and the horrific violence of their crimes works surprisingly well and lends the song a truly disturbing edge. Harmony Korine's musical choices throughout the film are strong, but the decision to use Spears' arguably finest song in this scene is certainly his best (the story of Spears herself bears an odd parallel to the fall of modern American youth that this film immerses itself in). The cinematography of Benoit Debie (the visionary DoP behind 'Enter the Void' and 'Irreversible') is excellent in this scene and throughout the film, all hypnotic slo-mo, lurid colour and voyeuristic lens work. The scene fades out to Franco's whispered 'spring break bitches', an aural motif cleverly used throughout this trippy, twisted film.
SCENE-STEALER OF 2013 -- SAM ROCKWELL (THE WAY, WAY BACK)
As explained in my piece on 'The Way, Way Back' above, Rockwell steals the show in that film as the wise-cracking water park worker Owen. Laughing all the way as he delivers priceless quote after priceless quote in his deadpan, warmly sarcastic style, it is easy for us to see why geeky kid Duncan finds an idol in Owen. Rockwell has been quietly turning in superb peformances for years now, notably recently in Moon, Seven Psychopaths and Choke.
SOUNDTRACK OF 2013 -- LES MISÉRABLES
Loving the music of Les Mis as I do this was probably always likely to be the winner this year, unless the music had been poorly delivered in the film. Fortunately this is not the case, whatever you may think of Russell Crowe's singing. Anne Hathaway's 'I Dreamed A Dream is worth every bit of hype it received, heartbreaking and full of naked emotion. Hugh Jackman, already renowned for his appearance in musicals, delivers a powerful and tearjerking 'Bring Him Home', and Eddie Redmayne perhaps teases the tears the most with 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables'.
Honourable mentions should go to 'Gravity' and 'The Great Gatsby'.
POSTER OF 2013 -- SPRING BREAKERS
'WISH YOU WERE HERE' - suggestive, hypnotic, and a neat reverse on the standard picture-postcard use of the phrase. The lurid colours that abound in the film itself. The sexualisation of violence that the film finds itself invested in, refusing to comment on the morality of it in typical Harmony Korine fashion. Beautiful and disturbing.
Honourable mention should go to 'Gravity'.
TRAILER OF 2013 (SHARED HONOURS) -- THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Martin Scorsese's latest is one of my must-see films of 2014. The brilliant, bold trailer showcases a reel of glorious excess in this 'true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government' (IMDb). Leonardo DiCaprio has yet to falter in his various collaborations with Scorsese and looks to be bang on form here (he now has a Golden Globe nomination to boot). Support from Jonah Hill (a revelation if early whispers are anything to go by), Matthew McConaughey (what a year 2014 looks like being for him) and the always brilliant Kyle Chandler.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszwuX1AK6A
& THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Sharing the honour of Trailer of 2013 with 'The Wolf of Wall Street', The Grand Budapest Hotel looks like it may well be the most Wes Anderson-y Wes Anderson film so far, which is saying something. The latest from one of my all-time favourite filmmakers, TGBH looks like typically quirky fun in this tale of 'Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend' (IMDb). This could be the ensemble cast of 2014, led by Ralph Fiennes and also featuring (pause for breath) Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Jude Law, Bill Murray (of course), Léa Séydoux, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel and Tom Wilkinson. Phew!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk
Honourable mentions should go to 'Anchorman 2', 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' and 'Gravity'.
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Finally, here is my rating out of 5 for every 2013 release that I’ve seen. I have left a few gaps for films that I intend on seeing over the next few weeks, so I can edit this post to include my ratings.
The Impossible – 3/5
Quartet – 3/5
Gangster Squad – 3/5
Les Misérables – 4/5
What Richard Did – 4/5
Django Unchained – 4/5
The Sessions – 3/5
Lincoln – 4/5
Movie 43 – 1/5
Zero Dark Thirty – 4/5
Hyde Park on Hudson – 3/5
Hitchcock – 3/5
Warm Bodies – 3/5
Wreck-It Ralph – 3/5
This Is 40 – 4/5
Cloud Atlas – 3/5
Song For Marion – 3/5
To The Wonder – 2/5
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters – 2/5
Broken City – 3/5
Stoker – 4/5
Oz The Great and Powerful – 3/5
Robot & Frank – 4/5
Side Effects – 4/5
The Paperboy – 2/5
Welcome To The Punch – 3/5
Identity Thief – 2/5
Jack The Giant Slayer – 2/5
Trance – 4/5
The Host – 2/5
Spring Breakers – 4/5
Oblivion – 2/5
The Place Beyond The Pines – 4/5
Evil Dead – 3/5
Iron Man 3 – 3/5
The Look of Love – 3/5
21 And Over – 3/5
I’m So Excited – 3/5
Star Trek Into Darkness – 4/5
Mud – 4/5
The Great Gatsby – 3/5
The Hangover Part 3 – 3/5
Byzantium – 3/5
The Purge – 2/5
After Earth – 2/5
Behind The Candelabra – 4/5
Admission – 2/5
Man of Steel – 2/5
Much Ado About Nothing – 4/5
Stuck In Love – 4/5
Summer In February – 2/5
Before Midnight – 5/5
World War Z – 2/5
Despicable Me 2 – 3/5
The East – 4/5
Stories We Tell – 4/5
This Is The End – 3/5
The Internship – 2/5
Now You See Me – 3/5
The Bling Ring – 4/5
Monsters University – 3/5
Pacific Rim – 2/5
Breathe In – 4/5
The Frozen Ground – 3/5
The World’s End – 2/5
The Wolverine – 3/5
Frances Ha – 4/5
The Heat – 2/5
Only God Forgives – 3/5
Red 2 – 2/5
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa – 4/5
The Lone Ranger – 3/5
Kick-Ass 2 – 3/5
Elysium – 3/5
The Kings of Summer – 4/5
Lovelace – 3/5
We’re The Millers – 3/5
What Maisie Knew – 4/5
The Way, Way Back – 4/5
Pain & Gain – 2/5
Upstream Colour – 3/5
About Time – 3/5
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – 4/5
Any Day Now – 4/5
Rush – 3/5
Diana – 1/5
Blue Jasmine – 4/5
Filth – 4/5
Girl Most Likely – 3/5
Prisoners – 4/5
Runner Runner – 2/5
How I Live Now – 3/5
Le Week-end – 3/5
Machete Kills – 2/5
Romeo and Juliet – 3/5
Captain Phillips – 4/5
Enough Said – 4/5
Prince Avalanche – 4/5
The Selfish Giant – 4/5
Thor: The Dark World – 3/5
Drinking Buddies – 3/5
Philomena – 4/5
Short Term 12 – 4/5
Gravity – 4/5
The Butler –
The Counsellor –
Don Jon – 3/5
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire –
Blue Is The Warmest Colour – 5/5
Parkland – 3/5
Carrie –
Jeune Et Jolie –
Saving Mr Banks – 4/5
The Class of ’92 –
Kill Your Darlings –
Nebraska –
Oldboy –
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug –
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues –
All Is Lost –
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty –
