Blades of Blood (2010) - ★★★½

Director: Joon-Ik Lee
Writers: Seok-Hwan Choi, Cheol-Hyeon Jo, Oh Seung-Hyeon
Stars: Jeong-min Hwang, Seung-won Cha, Ji-hye Han, Seong-hyeon Baek, Chang-wan Kim

Blades of Blood is simply a really good action movie. It doesn't delve right into Korean history, or give us anything substantial to learn from. It gives us entertaining characters, a riveting story, some great sword-fighting scenes, and beautiful cinematography. It's not a film to go out of your way to see, but it's definitely a movie worth seeing. It's the very first South Korean action movie I've ever seen (I don't count Oldboy), and it was a perfect introduction to their action-film industry for me. Its greatest moments are from Jeong-min Hwang, who played a blind man/masterful swordsman with a wicked sense of humour.

The King's Speech (2010) - ★★★★½

Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: David Seidler (Screenplay)
Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Jennifer Ehle, Timothy Spall

The King's Speech is a film that had me grinning like an idiot the whole way through. I just loved this movie. LOVED IT! There are many reasons why. First of all, I think the performances are spectacular. Colin Firth sealed himself as one of the all time greatest actors with his royal performance, and Geoffrey Rush added another flawless performance to his already flawless resume. It concerns one of the most interesting times in British history (IMO), which was accompanied by a masterful choice in music and really effective cinematography. If it weren't for the tiny amount of 'schmaltz' or 'cheese' injected into the storyline, I'd call it a perfect film.

A Serbian Film (2010) - ★

Director: Srdjan Spasojevic
Writers: Aleksandar Radivojevic, Srdjan Spasojevic
Stars: Srdjan Todorovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Jelena Gavrilovic, Slobadan Bestic, Katarina Zutic, Luka Mijatovic

A Serbian Film would have to be one of the most overblown movies ever talked about. Review after review, people and critics were saying that this was the most disgusting, horrific, bloodiest movies ever made. While it is disgusting and graphic, I found the THOUGHT of the movie more disturbing than the actual movie itself. It came across just plain ridiculous to me, which made it very hard to find anything truly affective. It deals with pedophilia, necrophilia, incest, torture, and murder. I'm one of those people who gets disturbed by movies easily. Hostel (2005), 120 Days of Sodom (1975), and even Guinea Pig (1985) were more shocking and disturbing to me than A Serbian Film. So many people are calling this the ultimate extreme shock-horror film of all time... but to me it was a grossed-out pile of "meh."

The Incite Mill (2010) - ★½

Director: Hideo Nakata
Writers: Honobu Yonezawa (Novel), Satoshi Suzuki (Screenplay)
Stars: If you really want to know, click HERE.

The Incite Mill was such a draining experience for me. The characters were all stupid, annoying, irrational and completely unbelievable. This directly resulted in the whole story becoming a catastrophic mess, which is sad because it had potential. Perhaps the worst thing of all was the excruciatingly terrible performances by most of the cast. It's like Hideo Nakata wanted this to be like an Agatha Christie novel (albeit way more radical), but it lacked the wit and the suspense of most basic mysteries. I think it took about an hour before it became painful to watch. (Also, I swear I've seen the exact same story before. I can't quite put my finger on it).

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) - ★★★★

Director: Ricki Stern, Anne Sundberg
Writer: Ricki Stern
Stars: Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin, Don Rickles, other comedians.

I love Joan Rivers. I’ve always found her to be hilarious. That’s why I really enjoyed her documentary, because she truly has led an interesting life. From starting on the Johnny Carson show in the 60s to winning The Celebrity Apprentice a few years back, A Piece of Work covers many of her most intimate moments. There are times where she really opens up and shows us how vulnerable she can be, which is what separates this bio-documentary from most. Even though I loved it, I feel like they could have covered a lot more in her career that has spanned over 50 years.

Three '3' (2010) - ★★★½

Director: Tom Tykwer
Writer: Tom Tykwer
Stars: Sophie Rois, Sebastian Schipper, Devid Striesow

There’s something about this movie that will stick in my mind forever. It’s far from great, but there are great things in it. I really enjoyed the story, the music, the cinematography and the performances. If this film is lacking anything, I guess it would be decent character development. The three stars were all fine on their own, but together they lacked chemistry and a spark to suck me into their sticky situation. At times I was a little bored, but for the most part I found 3 to be extremely interesting.

Heartbeats (2010) - ★★★★

Director: Xavier Dolan

Writers: Xavier Dolan

Stars: Monia Chokri, Xavier Dolan, Niel Schneider, Anne Dorval

I was captivated by Heartbeats. It embodies heart-ache, jealousy, frustration, anger and lust in a most beautiful and glamorous fashion. The performances are all spectacular, mainly because the actors can portray these heavy emotions realistically. One thing that is absolutely stunning is the cinematography. Director Xavier Dolan was only 21 years old when he made this film, and my god has he put it together well. It's a story that many can relate to, but it's modern and youthful. Long story short, I loved this movie.

Under the Hawthorn Tree "Shan zha shu zhi lian" (2010) - ★★★★½

Director: Yimou Zhang
Writers: Ai Mi (Novel), Lichuan Yin, Xiaobai Gu, Mei Ah (Screenplay)
Stars: Dongyu Zhou, Shawn Dou, Meijuan Xi

This is one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. For the first time in my life, a film has actually made me projectile cry! I held my emotions so well throughout the whole movie, then bam! Right at the end of Under the Hawthorn Tree, I cried as hard as I ever have. The chemistry the two leads have in this movie is incredible. Their story is so romantic, and Yimou Zhang put it together in such a beautiful way. It's a privilege to see masterpieces such as this.

The Social Network (2010) - ★★★

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (novel)
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara

I'm conflicted when it comes to The Social Network. It's good in practically every aspect of film making. The acting was great, the music was nice, and the story was interesting. Then why did this film irritate me so much? It irritated me to the point where I couldn't enjoy the film. Jessie Eisenberg was incredible as the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, yet at the same time was the least enjoyable part of the movie for me.

The whole film is basically about the creation of Facebook from start to finish. It showcases the lawsuits against Mark Zuckerberg, who stood on many toes to make Facebook a successful website. This film is just as much about Zuckerberg's best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), who was both a cofounder and business partner from the beginning. I feel like the start of the film is all about Zuckerberg, then it becomes about Saverin, then back to Zuckerberg. This worked really well, because Garfield's character was just as interesting and complex as Eisenberg's. 

There was no clear star of the film for me. I feel that both Eisenberg and Garfield were brilliant in their performances. One thing that didn't quite get through to me was the inner conflict that Zuckerberg must have been feeling when he betrayed his friend. There were a couple of scenes where you could see Zuckerberg thinking about his actions, but I couldn't sense if there was any regret or sadness there. As good as Eisenberg was, I am confused as to whether his character was sincerely sorry for his actions.

Justin Timberlake did a great job in his role as Sean Parker, a party-boy and founder of two successful websites. His character was clearly supposed to be irritating, which he achieved splendidly. Another great performance was from Armie Hammer, who played both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. For me, these two characters were one of the most entertaining parts of the film. I could feel their frustration. I actually wished that they would win their lawsuit against Zuckerberg. 

The main problem I have with the film is that I got pretty bored by the end, and that's got to count for something. I admire the fact that they didn't portray Zuckerberg as an angel, however, it didn't make me care much for him either. I can't deny that this is a good film, but I think it's far from perfect and very overrated.

Beginners (2010) - ★★½

Director: Mike Mills
Writer: Mike Mills
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic

Beginners is a fantastic movie in parts, and utterly boring in others. There were many great things about this film, including spectacular acting, music and memorable moments. Unfortunately it ended up being tiresome with a length of only 105 minutes, which is mainly the fault of the uninteresting love affair between McGregor and Laurent (through no fault of their own).

This is a film that includes coming out of the closet, dealing with grief and living life to the fullest while you can. Christopher Plummer plays Hal Fields, a 70-something year old man that, after his wife dies, comes out of the closet. This is because he wants to explore that side of him, which he never had the chance to back in the days when it was an 'illness' to be gay. McGregor plays his son Oliver, who accepts his father's new lifestyle although he doesn't fully understand it. Essentially there are two sides to Beginners; before Hal passes away and after he passes. Before he dies, we see his quest for love and a new life, while after he dies we are introduced to Anna, an actress that Oliver falls for whilst grieving the loss of his father. There are many issues that are delved into in Beginners, they just weren't entertaining, nor gripping.

Plummer was the clear star of this movie. He had a way of coming across as gay without uttering a single word, which is a master class of acting in my opinion. We laughed with him, we cried with him, and inevitably my heart broke when he dies. Without his skills, this film would have been a colossal bore. McGregor also gave a charming and beautiful performance as the likable and cooky Oliver. He's one of those actors who can say everything with their face, which he utilizes brilliantly. Laurent reminded me a lot of Juliette Binoche in this film, which made me like her before I even got to know her. Anna was an interesting and likable character that helps Oliver come to terms with his father's death, while at the same time must battle her inner demons. The performances in this film were without a doubt the highlight of the film and make up for most of the stars I've given. It is the theme to Beginners that made me add half a star, because it fit the film so well and was a joy to listen to.

Although this is a well-acted film, it couldn't be saved from the slow, tedious tempo and story development between Anna and Oliver. Sometimes I just wanted to yell "Get on with it!" It was obvious which direction their relationship was going, which is why it was so frustrating. It is a story that is predictable and slow, which makes waiting for the conclusion frustrating to sit through. I had my fingers crossed, just in case that would give me more scenes with Plummer. He was my primary motivation to watch the rest of the film, and when he passed, it was even more frustrating to see the love story unfurl, because nothing happens. Not to mention this film had many cliches that I was not too impressed with, such as the super touchy, silly gay man that Plummer had for a boyfriend. I guess the grounded and respectable Hal sort of makes up for the lack of exposure to nice, modest gay men.

Beginners is charming, funny, clever and above all, boring. The acting was marvelous throughout and the music accompanied it superbly. If only there was something more interesting and in depth than the tedious happenings of two depressed, boring people grieving over their fathers while dating each other. I recommend this film to people so that they can see Plummer give one of the greatest performances of his career, but not for its entertainment value.

Inception (2010) - ★★★★½

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Caine

Inception is a film that one has to see more than once to fully understand and appreciate the genius behind the plot. It has some of the best and most challenging visual effects in cinematic history and world class actors playing difficult roles well. Although the story was admittedly hard to follow for me at first, there was more than enough happening on screen to keep me entertained. Dialogue was necessary to keep me in the loop of the story, however this film is one of the few that can be enjoyed simply by watching the screen.

Christopher Nolan's Inception is set in a world where technology is available to invade the minds of people and extract information from their dreams. It beautifully visualises what a sub-conscious world looks like to a person dreaming and how they can manipulate it to change according to their vision. Leonardo Dicaprio plays Cobb, the best dream invader in the world and outlaw in America due to the suspicious death of his wife Mal, played by the wonderful Marion Cotillard. 

In order to see his kids again, he must perform a job for Saito, an intelligent and powerful businessman that promises Cobb that he can clear his name back in the USA. The proposition they have arranged with each other involves the process of planting an idea deep into someone's mind, and making them think that it is their own. This is called inception. What Saito asks of Cobb is to plant a thought in his big business rival's mind, one which would destroy their empire. In order to do this, Cobb assembles a crack team consisting of a creative student, a master thief, an experienced chemist, his best friend and Saito. Together they attempt inception on the mind of the businessmen through creating dreams within his dream.

Inception is a film that I believe will be remembered for many years. It's effects are mind-boggling and breath-taking. They will still be incredible even next to the technology of the future. The acting on all accounts is believable and the stellar cast really completes the film. The ending leaves the viewer to make a choice. Whether the hero made it home and got to see his kids, or whether he is stuck in limbo. It doesn't specify where he ended up, but leaves us hopeful that he made it through all the adversity. From start to finish, I was sucked into this movie. I highly recommend this to anyone, but I warn you. This is not the kind of movie you can leave for 5 minutes and come back to pick it up. You have to watch carefully, or else you may miss a vital piece of information. Remember, this movie is best watched the second time.

The Silent House (2010) - ★★

Director: Gustavo Hernandez
Writers: Oscar Estevez (screenplay)
Stars: Florencia Colucci

The Silent House delivers what it promises. That is a cheaply made horror movie with a few scares under its sleeve.

The plot is based on a true story that happened some time ago in a small village in Uruguay. The Silent House focuses on the last seventy eight minutes, second by second, when Laura intends to leave the house which hides an obscure secret and she hopes to leave unharmed. Laura ( Florencia Colucci) and her father settle down in a cottage which seems to be off the beaten track in order to update it since its owner will soon put the house on sale. They will spend the night there in order to start the repairs the following morning. Everything seems to go on smoothly until Laura hears a sound that comes from outside and gets louder and louder in the upper floor of the house. Wilson goes up to see what is going on while she remains downstairs on her own waiting for her father to come down. 

REAL FEAR IN REAL TIME, this is the most remarkable underlying feature of the film which will not go unnoticed by all those who may be willing to experience this different and disturbing film. I will admit that I was biting my nails in some scenes, however as I watched it a second time I felt ludicrous for being so scared as it all seemed so silly now that I knew what was ahead for Laura. With subtle hints of the twist at the end of the movie shown throughout the film, I put two and two together and the ending became obvious and clever. I recommend this to anyone who likes a cheap horror flick.

Clash of the Titans (2010) - ★★★

Director: Louis Leterrier
Writers: Travis Beacham (screenplay) Phil Hay (screenplay)
Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen

Clash of the Titans is a story about the mortal son of the god Zeus (Liam Neeson), Perseus (Sam Worthington), who embarks on a perilous journey to stop the underworld and its minions from spreading their evil to Earth as well as the heavens. Zeus' brother, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), has hatched a scheme to usurp the throne from Zeus because of a feud they had extremely long ago when he was tricked and then condemned to be the God of the Underworld. Sounds like a pretty interesting storyline right? 


I think the greatest thing about this movie are the monsters that were involved, such as The Kraken, Medusa, Giant Scorpions, Djinn (magic creatures of the desert), and the Sisters of Fate. I thought all of these creatures were created beautifully and really were the highlight of the film. Particularly the CGI on the Kraken, it was just remarkable. 


Sam Worthington is one of those actors that can't carry make me feel any emotion. Even in Avatar, he just seemed to be a blank canvas. As Perseus, his distinct Australian accent and so-so acting were perhaps one of the lowest points of the movie. The thing that held this movie back was the way it was adapted to appeal to the younger audience. I hated how there were silly jokes and a love story I just couldn't connect to, and I'm usually a sucker for a good romance. I also have to mention the fact that it is hardly historically accurate too. Liam Neeson didn't play a very convincing Zeus. He just didn't exude power or wisdome, whereas Ralph Fiennes was flawless once again as Hades. Fiennes is just one of those actors that can make a crappy movie look good. As a whole I found Clash of the Titans entertaining, but also disappointing. It sets you up to think there will be brilliant battles and non-stop action. Unfortunately we got some of that and a lot of love story.