There have been many films released this year that I’ve yet see(*), and there’s many I have seen but still not included here… and you may disagree with me if that’s the case. But here’s the 10 films that grabbed me the most upon first viewing some time during this year, including two very late entries, in reverse order:
(Just missing out: Never Let Me Go, The King’s Speech, Rango, The Green Hornet, Source Code, An Education, True Grit)
10. KILL LIST: The first of two late entries. Current society can leave many with a pervading sense of nihilism; this film explores that with ingenuity and a cold stare. The ending will polarise the audience, but the clues are there. If you’re not left breathless and stunned when the credits roll, you’re not human. And then you start thinking over the following days: those foreshadowing parallels, the bizarre thank-you’s, Kiev, the Hunchback…
9. TROLLJEGEREN (TROLL-HUNTER): Heralded by word-of-mouth much like its eponymous creatures are by their distant foot-stomps, this Norwegian entry delights in its fresh take on the found-footage genre. Even their REAL Prime Minister gets in on the fun. Wonderful stuff.
8. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS: Adding a period flavour to the Marvel franchise, this exhilarates and delights in fresh ways. And that moment in the Argentinian bar with the pistol? Michael Fassbender for the next Bond. For sure.
7. FAST AND FURIOUS 5: Yes, you read that right. I loved everything about this film. It even sucked Jennie in from her book during my second view. Utterly bonkers, utterly brilliant. Look at the cast list, look at the plot. What’s not to like?
6. THOR: One of Marvel’s hardest characters to translate well today (a Norse “god” with a magic club-hammer?), Kenneth Branagh took us by surprise. I’d expected him to nail the god-politics but even the action was top notch. And Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are on top form.
5. I SAW THE DEVIL: Korea prove once again they’re ahead of the game in global cinema, mixing unflinching brutality with almost farcical humour and surprising profundity. A grieving special agent makes an uncaught serial killer’s life hell and leads us to question, “Would you? Where would YOU draw the line?”
4. ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: I’m a fan of the books and was hesitant, but Spielberg is on top form here (The crane swordfight! Haddock’s breath as fuel!) and still reverent to the source material. And the 3D (I’m not generally a fan) worked well.
3. HANNA: Another late entry. Joe Wright’s eye is masterful, and I found his tale of a child assassin mesmerising and beautiful. Some found it too weird, but I find that works through Hanna’s own naive eyes. And the back-story is convincing too. Tremendous.
2. CAPTAIN AMERICA: A Marvel film that cares more about character than spectacle. That’s not to say it has little of the latter, nor that its kin are superficial (there’s two more in this very list!), but the fact it’s content to have Chris Evans in a puny body for its first third proves where its heart lies. A good old-fashioned romp.
1. BLACK SWAN: Each time Jennie and I watch this we just want to watch it again. Natalie is nothing short of astonishing and Aronofsky holds it all together perfectly. Not for all tastes (like most on this list!), but for us it’s a thing of freakish beauty. A remarkable tale of obsession, fully deserving of its accolades.
(*Films I’ve yet to see but have a feeling could be serious contenders: Animal Kingdom, Tyrannosaur, Submarine, The Skin I Live In, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Monsters, Drive, Warrior, The Fighter, Tree Of Life, The Artist, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo [Fincher]… See? Not enough time…)
