End of My Year Review 2011

FILM

Arthur Christmas

Honourable Mention:
Midnight In Paris, Captain America: The First Avenger, Bridesmaids, 13 Assassins, The Fighter





TELEVISION

Game of Thrones

Honourable Mention:
Homeland, Revenge, Parenthood, Treme, Alphas, Breaking Bad





COMIC BOOK

Batgirl, Vol. 3

Honourable Mention:
Criminal: Last of the Innocent, Freedom Fighters, Vol. 2, Hellboy, BPRD, Power Girl, Vol. 2, Xombi, Vol. 2



SOFTWARE


GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition

Honourable Mention:
FileZilla, Opera, LastPass, Norton Internet Security, Wallpaper Cycler Lite, Comic Collector

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Cast
Daniel Craig
Rooney Mara
Stella Skarsgard
Robin Wright
Christopher Plummer
Joely Richardson
Goran Visnjic
Screenwriter
Steven Zaillian
Director
David Fincher
Running Time
158 minutes



Based on Stieg Larsson's posthumously published crime thriller trilogy, "The Millennium Series." The book describes the mystery surrounding the long-unsolved disappearance of an heiress. A journalist recently dinged by a libel case and a young female hacker try to resolve it, stirring up bundles of personal and industrial corruption along the way. (Sony Pictures)

Interesting and engrossing for the most part but the film continuing beyond the mysteries solution seemed unnecessary especially given how long it is.

Tom Brooks’ list of the top ten films of 2011

Video Link


Ten
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Nine
Margin Call

Eight
The Tree of Life

Seven
Beginners

Six
Warhorse

Five
Moneyball

Four
Hugo

Three
The Artist

Two
The Descendants

One
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Cast
Robert Downey Jr
Jude Law
Noomi Rapace
Jared Harris
Stephen Fry
Rachel McAdams
Screenwriters
Kieran Mulroney
Michele Mulroney
Director
Guy Ritchie
Running Time
128 minutes

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room... until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty—and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade, points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction—all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

A little long but very entertaining.

March Comics

CBR has the new Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel solicitations for March.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.

RAGEMOOR #1
Jan Strnad (W) and Richard Corben (A/Cover)
On sale Mar 21
b&w, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries
Ragemoor! A living castle, nurtured on pagan blood, harborer to deadly monsters! A fortress possessed of its own will and ability to change itself, with the power to add and destroy rooms and to grow without the help of any human hand. Its owner is mad with jealously, its servants aren’t human, and its secret’s horrific!
• From the creators of Mutant World!
• A gothic nightmare à la Poe and Lovecraft!
“Richard Corben and Jan Strnad are like the Jack Kirby and Stan Lee of post-EC monster comics, responsible for classics like The Last Voyage of Sindbad and Mutant World. To see the two of them back together and a project like this is just exciting as hell.” —Mike Mignola (Hellboy, B.P.R.D.)

Corben's art is just fantastic.



SAGA #1
story BRIAN K. VAUGHAN
art / cover FIONA STAPLES
MARCH 14
48 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99
Y: THE LAST MAN writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN returns to comics with red-hot artist FIONA STAPLES for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. The adventure begins in a spectacular DOUBLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE, with forty-four pages of story with no ads for the regular price of just $2.99!

I got the first trade of Y: The Last Man read it but went no further, Ex Machina I have all of it but have still to read the last 10 or so issues. The art and the genre have sold me on this.

Supercrooks #1
Mark Millar (W) • Leinil Yu (A/C)

When The Market Is Flooded With Competition And The Authorities Are Always On Your Tail, What’s An All-American Supervillain To Do? Go To Spain, Of Course! From The Writer Who Brought You Kick-Ass And The Artist Of Secret Invasion Comes A New Series About A Team Of Superpowered Ne’er-Do-Wells Looking To Pull Off One Last Heist In The Land Of Bullfighting And Delicious Churros.
32 Pgs./Mature …$2.99

Maybe.

Hugo

Cast
Ben Kingsley
Sacha Baron Cohen
Asa Butterfield
Chloe Moretz
Jude Law
Ray Winstone
Christopher Lee
Helen McCrory
Frances De La Tour
Richard Griffiths
Emily Mortimer
Michael Stuhlbarg
Screenwriter
John Logan
Director
Martin Scorsese
Running Time
126 mins

Based on Brian Selznick's captivating and imaginative New York Times bestseller "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." Hugo Cabret, Scorsese's first film shot in 3D, tells the tale of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When Hugo encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl, and the cold, reserved man who runs the toy shop, he is caught up in a magical, mysterious adventure that could put all of his secrets in jeopardy. (Sony Pictures)

I saw it in 2D. It was lushly shot and nicely entertaining. Part childrens adventure, part documentary on early cinema.

50/50

Cast
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Seth Rogen
Anna Kendrick
Bryce Dallas Howard
Anjelica Huston
Screenwriter
Will Reiser
Director
Jonathan Levine
Running Time
99 minutes

Inspired by personal experiences, 50/50 is an original story about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places. Two best friends lives change when one of them is diagnosed with cancer. (Summit Entertainment)

I haven't seen everything he's done but I'm going to say that I find Rogan mildly funny although a guy in the audience laughed out loud at his lines many times. For me Joseph Gordon-Levitt held this together with his performance which was quietly affecting.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Cast
Robert Pattinson
Kristen Stewart
Taylor Lautner
Michael Sheen
Billy Burke
Anna Kendrick
Jackson Rathbone
Kellan Lutz
Nikki Reed
Peter Facinelli
Elizabeth Reaser
Ashley Greene
Screenwriters 
Melissa Rosenberg
Directors
Bill Condon
Running Time
117 minutes


Bella and Edward, plus those they love, must deal with the chain of consequences brought on by the marriage, honeymoon, and the tumultuous birth of a child, which brings an unforeseen and shocking development for Jacob Black. With more romance, passion, intrigue and action, the conclusion of The Twilight Saga begins. (Summit Entertainment)


I'd forgotten a lot of details so when Edward started reading minds it took me a second to work out what was happening and remember vaguely that the Vampires had various powers. Lots of the guests at the wedding seemed to be presented like they were returning characters but I couldn't really recall them. Not a lot really happens but it passed the time OK.

February Comics

CBR has the new Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel solicitations for February.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1
Brian Wood (W), Becky Cloonan (A/Variant cover), Dave Stewart (C), and Massimo Carnevale (Cover)
On sale Feb 8
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
In this sweeping adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s fan-favorite “Queen of the Black Coast,” Conan turns his back on the civilized world and takes to the high seas alongside the pirate queen Bêlit, setting the stage for an epic of romance, terror, and swashbuckling. This is Conan as you’ve never seen him, with the combination of one of Robert E. Howard’s greatest tales and the most dynamic creative team in comics!
• A perfect jumping-on point for new readers!
• A bold, fresh take on the Cimmerian.
• “Queen of the Black Coast” is the most-requested Conan adaptation!


I got the 2004 Conan series and then 12 issues of Conan The Cimmerian but dropped it because it somehow felt off. I've read all the Conan stories by Howard and as was said in the letters pages several times it had never really felt right. However given how good Northlanders is, although I have dropped it because it doesn't have a regular cast, I'm looking forward to this.

Arthur Christmas

Cast
James McAvoy
Jim Broadbent
Hugh Laurie
Bill Nighy
Ashley Jensen
Imelda Staunton
Screenwriters
Peter Baynham
Sarah Smith
Director
Sarah Smith
Running Time
97m 23s

Set on Christmas night, the story of Arthur Christmas at last reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child's question: 'So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?' The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic – a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns. (Sony Pictures)

Fantastic. Funny and inventive. I wept with joy at the end.

The Ides Of March

Cast
Ryan Gosling
George Clooney
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Paul Giamatti
Marisa Tomei
Evan Rachel Wood
Screenwriters
George Clooney
Grant Heslov
Beau Willimon
Director
George Clooney
Running Time
100 minutes

"The Ides of March" takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency. (Sony Pictures)

An interesting well made movie.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn 3D

Cast
Jamie Bell
Andy Serkis
Daniel Craig
Simon Pegg
Nick Frost
Toby Jones
Mackensie Crook
Gad Elmaleh
Screenwriter
Steven Moffat
Director
Steven Spielberg
Running Time
106 minutes

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn is the first in the series of 3D motion capture films based on the iconic character created by Georges Remi, better known to the world by his pen name "Herge". (Paramount Pictures)

Action packed but emotionless. I've never read the comics but surely Tintin is supposed to be bright. Here he only slightly seems so because everyone else is so dumb.

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Cast
Tilda Swinton
John C. Reilly
Ezra Miller
Ursula Parker
Screenwriters
Rory Kinnear
Lynne Ramsay
Director
Lynne Ramsay
Running Time
112 minutes

Eva (Swinton), the mother of a teenager (Miller) who careers off the rails, struggles to cope with the aftermath of his devastating actions, reflecting on the boy’s childhood and the breakdown of her relationship with both him and her absent husband (Reilly).[Empire]

While watching I thought it was trying to be a mood piece but thinking about it afterwards its a horror movie. It's more moving and haunting in retrospect than at the time maybe because it's told out of sequence so you don't know the full story until almost the end. The murder weapon seemed a curious choice, I'm not sure you'd be able to do more than wound people most of the time, maybe that's in the book but why change from what is usually used.

Real Steel

Cast
Hugh Jackman
Dakota Goyo
Evangeline Lilly
Anthony Mackie
Hope Davis
James Rebhorn
Olga Fonda
Screenwriter
Dan Gilroy
Jeremy Leven
John Gatins
Director
Shawn Levy
Running Time
126 minutes

A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech. Charlie Kenton is a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback. (Touchstone Pictures)

Good but over-long and talky.

Midnight In Paris

Cast
Owen Wilson
Marion Cotillard
Rachel McAdams
Kathy Bates
Adrien Brody
Carla Bruni
Michael Sheen
Kurt Fuller
Mimi Kennedy
Yves Heck
Alison Pill
Corey Stoll
Tom Hiddleston
Léa Seydoux
Screenwriter
Woody Allen
Director
Woody Allen
Running Time
94m 3s

This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It's about a young man's great love for a city, Paris and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better. (Sony Classic Pictures)

Wilson is a great Woody stand-in because the persona is close to his normal screen presence and so he doesn't seem to be doing an impersonation like previous actors have. The story was a delightful idea and well staged at first I was worried but when the guy playing Hemingway started speaking he blew me away. Over the years I've repeatedly regretted not taking time to read any of his stuff or the greats generally and this made me want to again.

Warrior

Cast
Tom Hardy
Nick Nolte
Joel Edgerton
Jennifer Morrison
Frank Grillo
Kevin Dunn
Screenwriter
Gavin O'Connor
Director
Gavin O'Connor
Running Time
139m 43s

An ex-Marine haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. Even though years have passed, recriminations and past betrayals keep Brendan bitterly estranged from both Tommy and his father. But when Brendan's unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives. (Lionsgate)

Unconvincing in its drama, less so in the fighting. Overall it was alright.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Cast
Gary Oldman
Colin Firth
Tom Hardy
Kathy Burke
Benedict Cumberbatch
David Dencik
Stephen Graham
Ciarán Hinds
John Hurt
Toby Jones
Simon McBurney
Mark Strong
Screenwriters
Bridget O'Connor
Peter Straughan
Director
Thomas Alfredson
Running Time
127 minutes

Boring. I vaguely remember watching the TV Series years ago and loving it. The way the story is told here is just so dull and uninvolving.

Jane Eyre

Cast
Mia Wasikowska
Michael Fassbender
Judi Dench
Jamie Bell
Imogen Poots
Sally Hawkins
Screenwriter
Moira Buffini
Director
Cary Fukunaga
Running Time
120 minutes

Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender star in the romantic drama based on Charlotte Brontë's classic novel, from acclaimed director Cary Fukunaga. In the story, Jane Eyre flees Thornfield House, where she works as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester. As she reflects upon the people and emotions that have defined her, it is clear that the isolated and imposing residence – and Mr. Rochester's coldness – have sorely tested the young woman's resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. She must now act decisively to secure her own future and come to terms with the past that haunts her – and the terrible secret that Mr. Rochester is hiding and that she has uncovered. (Focus Features)

Languorous and a half but really good although lacking in romance. Seeing Imogen Poots crop up in this two weeks after Fright Night struck me as unusual.

The Guard

Cast
Brendan Gleeson
Don Cheadle
Mark Strong
Liam Cunningham
David Wilmot
Screenwriter
John Michael McDonagh
Director
John Michael McDonagh
Running Time
96 minutes

The Guard is a comedic, fish-out-of-water tale of murder, blackmail, drug trafficking and rural police corruption, and the two cops who must join forces to take on an international drug-smuggling gang, an unorthodox Irish policeman and a straitlaced FBI agent.(Sony Picture Classics)

It was fine and quite funny but it was all a little too random and ill defined. Scenes were self-consciously set in places to be cool looking and came across as odd. The 50's diner or the diving platform but most clearly the aquarium where I could almost hear the writer/director's thought process at work.

Fright Night 3D

Cast
Colin Farrell
Toni Collette
Anton Yelchin
David Tennant
Imogen Poots
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Chris Sarandon
Screenwriter
Marti Noxon
Director
Craig Gillespie
Running Time
105 minutes

Senior Charlie Brewster finally has it all going on: he's running with the popular crowd and dating the most coveted girl in his high school. In fact, he's so cool he’s even dissing his best friend. But trouble arrives when Jerry moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right—but everyone, including Charlie's mom, doesn't notice. After observing some very strange activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone, Charlie has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself in this Craig Gillespie-helmed revamp of the comedy-horror classic. (DreamWorks Pictures)

It was pretty good.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Cast
James Franco
Freida Pinto
Andy Serkis
John Lithgow
David Oyelowo
Brian Cox
Tom Felton
Screenwriters
Rick Jaffa
Amanda Silver
Director
Rupert Wyatt
Running Time
105 minutes

Rise of the Apes is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. (20th Century Fox)

An engrossing and entertaining film.

Comics

CBR has the new Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel solicitations for November.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.



GUNS AND DINOS #1 (of 3) – GEM OF THE MONTH
story / art / cover FRANK CHO
NOVEMBER 16
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99
With a catastrophic fossil fuel shortage looming, several scientific and military groups are hard at work trying to find alternative fuel sources and modes of transportation to keep the United States military machine running. A small group of quantum scientists and engineers have made a breakthrough in transportation: space folding. Things go awry on its maiden voyage, though, and instead of teleporting the soldiers across the lab, it sends the entire military base back in time – with disastrous results!

Love Frank Cho art.


MUDMAN #1
story /art / cover PAUL GRIST
NOVEMBER 16
32 PAGES / FC / TEEN
$3.50
A BRAND-NEW SUPERHERO COMIC BY PAUL GRIST!
It’s the first day back at school for Owen Craig, and it’s not going too well. He’s been run over, got detention, and his police officer father has been taken prisoner by armed bank robbers.
And now his body seems to be turning into mud…

Maybe not sure.


SIX GUNS #1 & #2
Written by ANDY DIGGLE
Art by DAVIDE GIANFELICE
Covers by BUTCH GUICE
"Don't set them up if you can't take them down!"
Times may have changed since the days of the Old West, but in the war-torn South American state of San Diablo, the law of the gun still holds sway. When former hero-for-hire Maria Vasquez, alias Tarantula, finds herself wanted for murder south of the border, Texas Rangers Division lawman "Tex" Dawson is assigned to bring her in. But they're on a collision course with the outlaw Black Riders biker gang, who plan to make sure she never makes it to trial alive…
Classic Marvel gunslingers Tarantula, Tex Dawson, Black Rider, Matt Slade and the Two-Gun Kid are given a modern-day makeover in this hard-bitten tale of blood and bullets by the DAREDEVIL: REBORN team of Andy Diggle and Davide Gianfelice. Five heroes, six guns…against six hundred!
32 PGS. (each)/Parental Advisory …$2.99 (each)

Not getting ALL-STAR WESTERN from DC because it's $3.99 so may get this in its place.

Cowboys & Aliens

Cast
Daniel Craig
Harrison Ford
Olivia Wilde
Sam Rockwell
Paul Dano
Screenwriters
Alex Kurtzman
Roberto Orci
Damon Lindelof
Hawk Ostby
Mark Fergus
Director
Jon Favreau
Running Time
118 minutes

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival. (Universal Pictures)

Really good, I enjoyed it a lot.

Arrietty

Cast
Saoirse Ronan
Tom Holland
Mark Strong
Olivia Colman
Phyllida Law
Geraldine McEwan
Screenwriters
Hayao Miyazaki
keiko niwa
Director
Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Running Time
94 minutes

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.[Metacritic]

A lovely but slight tale.

Super 8

Cast
Joel Courtney
Elle Fanning
Kyle Chandler
Ron Eldard
Amanda Michalka
Noah Emmerich
Gabriel Basso
Zach Mills
Screenwriter
JJ Abrams
Director
JJ Abrams
Running Time
111 minutes

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined. (Paramount Pictures)

I was really enjoying it and being swept along until the ending which felt like a let down. I think because ultimately all the characters even the kids are just bystanders to what's going on and play no active part in the main events rather like with Cloverfield which JJ Abrams produced.