|
80%
|
Warm Bodies (2013)
|
"To call this an unlikely love story is an understatement, but it is precisely this level of weirdness that makes the romance between R and Julia so surprisingly touching."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
69%
|
The Croods (2013)
|
"The Croods is simple enough in its story and structure that its emotional honesty and touching message will catch you quite off-guard."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
15%
|
A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)
|
"Remember those Mr Magoo cartoons where the doddery old bald guy would blunder around various locations, leaving chaos in his wake while constantly insisting "I'm on vacation"?"
|
Tim Martain
|
|
75%
|
Goddess ()
|
"Liking Goddess is easy - this Aussie musical comedy is undeniably charming and its leading lady, Laura Michelle Kelly, is captivating."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
60%
|
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
|
"Something that stood out (so to speak) was the sheer amount of cleavage being exhibited by the movie's three witches - I thought Disney had a rule about this kind of thing?"
|
Tim Martain
|
|
67%
|
Cloud Atlas (2012)
|
"For a long, sprawling, high-concept, philosophical, stylistic mash-up of a film, Cloud Atlas is impressive and thought-provoking without ever being pretentious."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
45%
|
Beautiful Creatures (2013)
|
"While this movie easily has more charm than the cynically produced Twilight films, it somehow lacks the charisma."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
64%
|
Anna Karenina (2012)
|
"Between the screenplay by playwright Tom Stoppard and the direction of Joe Wright, Anna Karenina is a stylistically fascinating film."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012)
|
"A remarkable performance by Daniel Day-Lewis is the glue that holds Lincoln together. Without him, this would be a very unremarkable film."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013)
|
"There is no Team America-style, flag-waving bravado behind this story - it is quite the opposite."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
63%
|
Hitchcock (2012)
|
"Hitchcock's playful yet slightly dark tone makes it an easy film to watch and the insight into Hitch the man will be a hoot for any fan of his work."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
88%
|
Life of Pi (2012)
|
"What better analogy for our place in the universe than a couple of scared creatures stranded on a precarious liferaft in the middle of a vast nothingness?"
|
Tim Martain
|
|
65%
|
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
|
"THE Hobbit occupies that same awkward spot in popular cinema as the Twilight movies in terms of balancing good cinema against fan-service."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
74%
|
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
|
"Whatever its agenda might (or might not) be, Rise of the Guardians is a surprisingly rousing tale with a story that resonates easily, if not deeply."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
85%
|
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
|
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower is funny, nostalgic, heartfelt and sweet, and so vivid it will practically make you feel the warm summer wind in your hair."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012)
|
"Sometimes the old ways are the best. This is a theme and repeated line running throughout the new James Bond film Skyfall and never has it been more true."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
48%
|
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)
|
"The Twilight Saga has finally ended, not with a triumphant roar but with the self-satisfied mumble of an inconsiderate lover rolling over and breaking wind as they fall asleep"
|
Tim Martain
|
|
82%
|
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
|
"Seven Psychopaths is almost certainly not the movie you'll be expecting it to be, but as long as you stick with it, this is one of its greatest strengths, not a weakness."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
——
|
The First Fagin ()
|
"The First Fagin is a great example of how true stories are often more extraordinary than fiction."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
55%
|
Bachelorette (2012)
|
"A comedy with an almost cruel level of honesty that explores not just the weird dynamics of long-term friendships but the deeper forces that operate inside each individual."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
96%
|
Argo (2012)
|
"Argo will make you say "wow" not because of anything big and flashy but purely for its well-told story."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
51%
|
Savages (2012)
|
"Oliver Stone isn't known for making pretty films but ugly is something he does very well."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
67%
|
Lawless (2012)
|
"Don't expect to be carried along by big action and cliched dialogue, Lawless expects you to do some of the work yourself by immersing yourself in this richly textured world."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
40%
|
Mental (2013)
|
"It had me in its spell from start to finish and I ran the gauntlet of every possible emotion along the way. Outstanding."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
93%
|
Looper (2012)
|
"Well-constructed narrative, looping back on itself, spiraling willingly into its own paradoxes and dealing with all the weird overlaps in a way few movies dare to bother with."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
98%
|
Marwencol (2010)
|
"The film is never flippant, never disrespectful and always approaches Mark's hobby with eyes wide open and no agenda other than fascinated admiration."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
26%
|
Kath & Kimderella ()
|
"The dialogue has moments of blistering wit but even these brief flashes of gold are squandered with lame pay-offs and running gags that are just boringly repetitive."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
57%
|
Love (2011)
|
"At about the two-thirds mark, the film starts to wander off on its own, seemingly without really caring if the audience is following along or not."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
87%
|
Bully (2012)
|
"By exposing audiences to the stark realities of bullying, Bully just might encourage people to take it seriously instead of perpetuating the old adage "it's just kids being kids"."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
56%
|
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
|
"It falters a little bit and it's really just an effort to keep a lucrative franchise alive without its iconic star, but it still seems to have plenty of life left in it."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
93%
|
The Sapphires (2013)
|
"An Aussie film with real mainstream chops, not a film you watch out of patriotic obligation, but one you watch simply because it is a top-quality, enjoyable and affecting flick."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
35%
|
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
|
"Bekmambetov knows his way around supernatural movies very well but he just doesn't seem to have the sense of humour needed for this one."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
80%
|
Magic Mike (2012)
|
"Come for the half-naked hunky guys, stay for the expertly crafted story and gorgeous direction. No, I said "direction", now get your mind out of the gutter."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
87%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
|
"The intimate symbiosis between the loosely defined concepts of good and evil is a vital element in Batman lore and something that Christopher Nolan understands very well."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
88%
|
Not Suitable for Children (2013)
|
"Breaking down some stereotypes and making you think about a common issue in an uncommon way, this is a smart little flick, with some top acting and fine humour to boot."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
73%
|
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
|
"Something Webb does very well is to build and capture the emotion of this story, even if his handling of plot and action leave something to be desired."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
37%
|
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
|
"A solid performer, keeping its target audience in its sights much more firmly than many of its big studio contemporaries."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
48%
|
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
|
"Feels confused, directionless and overstuffed, with an uneven pace and a tone that lurches from dark gothic horror to candy-coloured fairy garden to epic fantasy battle."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
70%
|
Men in Black III (2012)
|
"Not bad but not memorable, it seems to only exist as a kind of nostalgic revival piece, a belated attempt to wring one last curtain-call from a long-dead series."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
58%
|
The Dictator (2012)
|
"It's funny enough, even hilarious at times, but is it really being incisive and intelligently manipulative, or is it just ignorant, offensive drivel? I can't tell."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
36%
|
Iron Sky (2012)
|
"Let's face it: it's Nazis from the Moon invading Earth in flying saucers, if you're expecting anything other than abject absurdity, you're in the wrong movie."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
38%
|
Dark Shadows (2012)
|
"Much like pizza and sex, even when a Tim Burton film isn't great, it's still pretty good, it's never really "bad"."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
64%
|
The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
|
"More dark comedy than rom-com, perhaps a little too honest, like someone who is telling you something funny but then overshares just a little too much and spoils the moment."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
|
"Joss Whedon, with his demonstrated ensemble cast-wrangling expertise, is the only director who could have pulled this off. And he has set a new benchmark in doing so."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
85%
|
Romantics Anonymous (2011)
|
"So much is conveyed in what isn't said: the half-finished words, the broken syllables, the inarticulate noises, even the silences."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
78%
|
A Dangerous Method (2011)
|
"IF you're up for some solid intellectual stimulation and don't mind having to work hard for it, this one will really give you something to discuss with friends afterwards."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
85%
|
The Hunger Games (2012)
|
"Finally we have a female lead character who is strong without being brutal, appealing without being objectified, and confident without being female-chauvinistic."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
85%
|
21 Jump Street (2012)
|
"Hollywood is obsessed with strip-mining old TV shows and movies for remake fodder these days, but 21 Jump Street is an example of how it can be done well."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
51%
|
John Carter (2012)
|
"John Carter is a product of a simpler time, when sense of adventure was paramount, and the film has this in spades."
|
Tim Martain
|
|
6%
|
The Devil Inside (2012)
|
"The less said about THAT ending, the better. But as a brief, brutal and nasty vignette showing the naked weirdness of an "authentic" exorcism, it's not sooo bad."
|
Tim Martain
|
87%
22%
90%
