My Top 10 films of 2011 so far.......

It's that time of the year to look back on the last 6 months of cinema and what it as given us. Now, just so you're aware, all the films I have chosen I enjoyed thoroughly and respectfully understand if you were to disagree. Its been a fascinating 6 months where a great deal of films have been wrongfully subjected to criticism, undermined or even just written off. Thsi time last year, I had already found my favourite film of 2010 in the form of Christopher Nolan's Inception. Can we repeat that I wonder? Without any further ado, here we go.....

1. The Tree Of Life

Terrence Malik's return to the screen for his fifth film in a 40-year career is an inspiring tale chronicling the origins and meaning of life by the way of a middle-aged man's childhood memories of living in 1950s Texas. Featuring a stunning 30 minute sequence of imagery detailing the birth of life and the Earth (in which 5 people walked out of my screening), the film's ambition and epic scale is thrown into practice via the non-linear narrative and existential messages. Very similar to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Tree Of Life emobdies a life and soul that too few films wish to seize. Whilst it may be passed off as pretentious and boring, disappointing and enthralling people in equal measure, there's no doubt in my mind that this is a work of supreme art and Malik's ultimate masterpiece. Those who were uncomfortable when confronted with the film's messages are probably scared at the film's ability to do just that. Whatever your thoughts, The Tree Of Life is much more than your average cinema experience. It transcends anything you've ever seen before.

2. Blue Valentine

Dismissing all those soppy rom-coms and instead detailing the tragic and brutal breakdown of a marraige, Blue Valentine's honesty is what makes a sure-fire contender for a Top 5 finish come the end of the year. Sat in the Showroom, Sheffield's independant cinema, I was mesmerized by the raw power being generated on-screen. The constant switch between the past and present narratives demonstrate there is still something original about the technique, contrasting the once happy couple with the unhappy one. Director Derek Cianfrance's script works on one level as a stand-alone love story but it is propelled to something entirely different by Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams as the main characters. The film's touch of genius is Cianfrance's decision to film the pre-marriage sequences in Super 16mm to give it a grainy quality; a distant memory whilst the post-marraige sequences are filmed in Red One to give it a crisp, sharp intensity. Never before have I been so overwhelmed by such a film.

3. Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky's ballet drama is a technically brilliant descent into madness and obsession that are stripped down to the very core. Natalie Portman's troubled young ballerina longs to play the role of the White Swan but upon receiving the role must battle the demons inside her as she begins to channel the Black Swan. A metaphor for good and evil, the film's play on sexuality, evny and jealousy result in a deliciously destructive story going deep into the human psyche.

4. True Grit

The Coen Brothers reimagining of the original 1969 film is an entirely different altogether, combining gorgeous cinematography, stand-out performances from all involved (notably Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges) and the first straight up genre exercise by the Coens, True Grit genuinely feels like the first proper Western in years. The bleak story and bursts of violence only serve to excite the audience's love of what a Western is and it will be interesting to see how Mr. Tarantino tackles his own Western in 2013, Django Unchained.

5. 127 Hours

Based on the true story of Aron Ralston's climbing accident in 2003, where he became trapped by a boulder in Utah. Danny Boyle's surrealist take on the events prove to be a traumatising and somewhat darkly humourous exercise in survival as well as the ability to make a film based around one actor, in the form of one James Franco. Sure, everyone was waiting with baited breath for THAT moment, and when it arrives it is indeed uncomfortable viewing, but ultimately Ralston's hallucinations of family and his life re-inforce the film with a big heart. Life-affirming stuff.

6. Source Code

Director Duncan Jones, son of legendary rock star David Bowie, burst onto our cinema screens with his sci-fi debut Moon in 2009, easily being one of the best films of that particular year. In 2011, he returned for his second feature, Source Code; a sci-fi actioner set in the contemporary world as Jake Gyllenhal discovers a government project allows him to live the last 8 minutes of a man's life in order to stop a bomb detonating on a train. Proposterous and over-the-top but so much fun in the long run, you lose yourself in the film's gripping story and forget the abusrdity. Top performances with a even more brilliant script, Jones is one for the future and Source Code showcases his ever-increasing ability to direct a great film.

7. X-Men: First Class

One of the many superhero blockbusters due out in 2011, many desired a straight-up Magneto origin story. Granted, that would have made for excellent viewing especially if Michael Fassbender was still on-board. Instead though, we are given the origins of the X-Men. With the action taking a backseat and focusing on the fractured relationship between calm and collected Charles Xavier and hot-headed Erik Lensherr, X-Men: First Class proves to be a delightful treat. Not just a superhero film, it takes on a far grander scale. Like the previous installments, the mutants powers are used as metaphors for many real-world issues but First Class pushes them so much further as well as giving the fanboys something to be excited for in the near-future.

8. Thor

Slightly basking in the shadow of First Class but nonetheless a quality example of how to make a superhero movie, Kenneth Brannagh's Thor grips the audience with Shakespearean tragedy and a lead actor in Chris Hemsworth to create more bang for your buck. Like First Class, Brannagh prefers story over action, only using set-pieces when neccessary instead concentrating on the broken relationships between Thor and his father Odin and evil brother Loki as well as his banishment to Earth. A great piece of storytelling; the film is scattered with genuine natural humour that reminded me greatly of 2009's Star Trek and performances by Natalie Portman and Anythony Hopkins that help trascend Thor into something far more than a superhero movie. I look forward greatly to The Avengers in 2012, to see how my new favourite hero stands up against the like of Captain America and Iron Man.

9. The Adjustment Bureau

I must say, George Nolfi's take on Philip K. Dick's Adjustment Team had me divided at first. On first viewing, whilst enjoying it, I wasn't sure what to take from it. Letting the film simmer in my mind helped greatly to my overall perception. The Adjustment Bureau is a fantastic take on the concepts of free will and predestination as well as the idea of an omniscient/omnipotent God. Personally, I have never believed in a higher power but like The Tree Of Life (though not in the same way), the film made me question the idea of what's supposed and in what particular way. Fitted into a real-world context, the film is part love story, part theological exposition. Though not universally loved by critics but nonetheless enjoyed, I find The Adjustment Bureau to be the dark horse of 2011.

10. Paul

As a huge fan of the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost team, I was eager to see their take on the alien invasion story. Whilst it lacks Edgar Wright's kinectic energy showcased in their prior collaborations and last year's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, on individual merits, Paul is a very funny film. Even though a prior knowledge of sci-fi cinema may be needed to enjoy the film to the ultimate maximum (the film is full of references to Star Wars), there is still a great deal to enjoy. Seth Rogen's titular character being a source of humour, with his apparent love of marmite, pot-smoking ways and love of a good swear word being highlights. More interestingly, Paul has many tender moments too with Kristen Wiig's character's religion being questioned by Paul's knowledge of the world's creation and the love story between Pegg and Wiig's character is very sentimental. As a stand-alone film outside of the Pegg/Frost/Wright team though, Paul was an incredibly enjoyable film and delivered the goods.

So there you have it! That's my Top 10 films of 2011 thus far. let me know what yours! Follow me on Twitter at @IngloriousTward or leave message in the comments box. I'm eager to know!

Dollar signs change everything: Transformers: Dark of the Moon review

We come to that time of year yet again, known simply as the 'Blockbuster' season, where franchises and sequels are unleashed into the public domain with some cheesy acting, more bang for your buck and a hefty price tag to retrieve to guarantee the next installment. And occassionally, but rarely, the audience is treated to a blockbuster with real substance like last year's standout Inception which excelled many expectations to deliver us a film with geniune emotion and some quality acting, with an unbelievably complex yet intricate narrative that pleased all. Sadly, this is not one of those films. Oh no, not at all. If you know me well, you will know that from here on out, this will not be a pretty review. Michael Bay has long been a director whom I despise to the very core for crimes against cinema and Transformers is no exception. Prepare yourself people; its gonna be a bumpy ride.

The problem that has always plagued the Transformers franchise is its origins. Based on the popular Hasbro toyline, it was always designed as nothing more than a money making tool. What's that, Dreamworks? You're seeing dollar signs? Hmmm....I thought so. In the world of franchising, Transformers fits the perfect business model for any power hungry studio. Give Michael Bay a $250million budget and you know you're gonna have a loud, obnoxious, overblown, overlong yet critic-proof juggernaut on your hands. Michael Bay's "What can I blow up next?" philosphy will always ring true to the majority of the public, who see the Transformers franchise as escapism cinema. It's really anything but that.

The story involves a government conspiracy that goes back all the way to the Apollo 11 Moon landings, where Neil Armstrong & co. were actually sent to investigate the crash site of a Cybertronian spacecraft following the war on Cybertron, mentioned in the previous films by Optimus Prime. In the present, we are thrown back into the life of Sam Witwicky, played by Shia LaBeouf the Charisma Vaccum, who now has a new girlfriend Carly (there is no mention of why Megan Fox in the film) who is played by newcomer, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, a Victoria Secret model hand picked by Bay himself. I won't spend too long on this but this is one of the many things that displays Bay's lack of sense towards cinema. He supposedly loves creating his 'art' but he hires a model as the new love interest. We get it; she's attractive. So how else to introduce her other than a shot panning up her naked legs to slowly focus on her bottom? The man baffles me. I will say that she makes Megan Fox look like a masterstorke of casting genius but I digress. The Autobots now work for the government, participating in missions around the globe whilst Sam struggles to find a job and longs to work with the robots again. Their paths meet and once again, we are thrown into a miltary warzone where the Autobots and Decepticons engage in battle (again).

I deeply wish I could say there was more of a narrative to go on but there just isn't much to say. The third act of the film, roughly the last 60 minutes, is dedicated to one enormous fight between the duelling parties. Granted, the CGI is wonderfully executed and it does genuinely look good in the 3D format but for a full 60 minutes, there is only so much an audience can engage with. I found myself struggling greatly to keep up; the frantic editing leaves you wondering who's fighting now, the explosions are constant and its one set-piece after another. The first Transformers movie resembled what a summer blockbuster should be; silly, fun and OTT. But not in the way Dark of the Moon is. Whilst the original leant heavily on a story with a few battle sequences, the second film Revenge of the Fallen destroyed any notion of that story and spent 150 minutes blowing stuff up. Bay promised the third would be a massive improvement and actually, many critics reckon it is. Not this one I'm afraid. Its 155 minutes of bad acting, stuff blowing and the general sense that this franchise should have ended when the original (and superior) film was released.


Thankfully, Mr. Bay and Charisma Vaccum have stated they won't be returning to the franchise after the release of Dark of the Moon, considering the story finished. Thank goodness for this. Revenge of the Fallen is in my Top 5 worst films ever and Dark of the Moon has swiftly followed suite. I beg of you not to waste your time on this but with over a half billion in the bank after 10 days on release; its really no use. No will listen......like I said before, dollar signs change everything.

1 out of 5 stars. (Yes, THAT bad)

P.S. check out this link featuring the review by BBC Five Live's Mark Kermode, my favourite critic. He sums up in his own way what he feels about the Transformers franchise without saying a word.