At The Movies, January 6 to 12
Happy New Year, and for the first column of 2012 we’ve got politics and (sporting) pandemonium with reviews of the big releases this week. We’ve also got my look ahead to 2012 and the movies I’m most looking forward to this year, so enjoy.
The Iron Lady (12A)
Although usually we order movies alphabetically, when Meryl Streep makes an Oscar movie there really is only one place to start. Streep plays Margaret Thatcher in this fictionalised biopic, portraying her as an elderly woman looking back on her life, career and her love for husband Denis (an excellent Jim Broadbent).
While Streep is mind-blowingly good, the movie does feel somewhat cynically designed to be Oscar bait, a movie solely intended for award consideration. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating movie with an amazing central performance, with Streep’s fragile and stubborn portrayal worthy of all the Oscar talk.
Star rating: ****
Goon (15)
The world of ice hockey is explored in low-brow comedy Goon. Seann William Scott (American Pie’s Stiffler) stars as a simple but noble hockey fan whose only conceivable talent is being able to beat people up. He is recruited by a struggling hockey team as a goon (a player whose job it is to beat up opposition), and his team spirit helps the team turn their season around, heading for a climactic clash with the best goon in the business (Liev Schreiber).
Dumb? Certainly. Gory? Quite a bit. Funny? Definitely. Light and disposable, but good fun thanks to a well assembled script and a surprisingly loveable star in Scott.
Star rating: ***
James' top five movie picks for 2012
So as we enter the third year of this decade, let’s take a look at my most anticipated movies in the coming year (discounting January of course as we have those reviews coming soon).
5. Avengers (April 27)
Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury kick off a festival of geekiness, as all of Marvel’s heroes combine for a cross-over movie. It may be a case of too many cooks, but no denying this will be drawing huge crowds this summer.
4. Prometheus (June 1)
If you’re a fan of sci-fi, watch the trailer for this now. Michael Fassbender stars in Ridley Scott’s prequel to Alien, and it looks awesome.
3. The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)
How do you follow up the greatest comic book/superhero movie of all time? That’s the task facing Christopher Nolan as he follows 2008’s The Dark Knight. Taking the baddie role is Tom Hardy as Bane, and while I wasn’t hugely impressed by the recent prologue footage released, hey - it’s Nolan. It’s Batman. It’ll rock.
2. Django Unchained (December 26)
A personal choice here as my favourite filmmaker comes back following the success of his war romp Inglourious Basterds. He casts Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx in a movie about a slave taking revenge on his cruel master.
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14)
Could anything else be number one? Peter Jackson’s back directing the prequel story to the series that made him a legend. Martin Freeman plays the young Bilbo Baggins as he first discovers the ring, and sets off on a great adventure. I, for one, cannot wait.
