CRAZY few months: July - September 2012 Films watched

What an insane three months it has been. Or more precisely, an insane July and August, followed by a post-insane numb-brained September. As a result I haven’t been writing up reactions to films, but have still been compiling them in handy lists of preference. Below is what I’ve been up to and what I’ve liked over the last few months.

All new releases are in this colour and a list comprising all of them in order of preference can be found at the bottom of this post.

September Films

SECRET FILM - At the British Federation of Film Festivals conference we saw a SECRET film and have been sworn to secrecy until a certain date, so find out later what film it is that I consider to be the best film I saw in September by coming back here. Those who know what it is (i.e. were also there), keep shtumb)
Paranorman
Chico & Rita
Dredd
Uno
Raaz 3
Crooklyn
Shadow Dancer

Already seen so don’t count towards this list

Citizen Kane
Tokyo Story

August Films

As you can probably tell, I was somewhat preoccupied this month, what with completing my MA thesis and all, so didn’t see a great deal of films. I did manage to get out to the cinema a couple of times, but other than that I structured viewing around spending time with the family. So there are two Netflix picks there that I watched with my wife, and obviously those Ghibli films down there that I watched with my son.

Bollywood tops and tails the list this month. Ek Tha Tiger far exceeded expectations, with some wildly imaginative set pieces. It’s one of those films that shows Hollywood how to play at its own game. The action is top-notch, but the romance and comedy work in perfect tandem to provide a really enjoyable mainstream film reminiscent of the best that 1990s Hollywood had to offer. At the bottom of the list, Hum Tum wasn’t in any way dreadful; in that respect it was a good month for films I did see. My Bollywood education will be continuing in the coming months as I prepare for the Bollywood offerings that will be set up by The Plaza Cinema.

As I have a backlog of three months and was insanely busy, I haven’t made any notes on any films, but please leave comments if you want to know what I thought of any particular film, or if I have to justify its position.

Ek Tha Tiger
Brave
Bourne Legacy
A Guide to Recognising Your Saints
Trust
The Hunter
Hum Tum

Films already seen and therefore don’t count in the above list, but both films - part of the Media Museum’s Studio Ghibli season - would wipe the floor with everything else seen this month

Princess Mononoke
My Neighbour Totoro

July Films

Le Quattro Volte (picture right)
The Dark Knight Rises
Fast Girls
Winning Season
Hesher
Ponyo
Silent Souls
The Amazing Spider-Man
Nick and Norah’s Endless Mixtape
Rescue Dawn
Snowtown
White Material (incomplete - LoveFilm disc knackered)
Battle on the River Plate (incomplete - boring. And it really pains me to say this as a massive Powell and Pressburger fan)

Films seen before

The Cat Returns

New Releases: July - September

The Dark Knight Rises
SECRET FILM - To be revealed
Paranorman
Fast Girls
Dredd
Ek Tha Tiger
Silent Souls
The Amazing Spider-Man
Brave
The Hunter
Raaz 3
Bourne Legacy
Shadow Dancer

Running list of new films this year - in order of preference

The Avengers
The Turin Horse
Moonrise Kingdom
Here, Then
Surviving Life (Theory and Practice)
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hunger Games
SECRET FILM - To be revealed
Paranorman
Fast Girls
The Descendants
Dredd
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Ek Tha Tiger
Shame
Prometheus
Le Havre
Tahrir: Liberation Square
Postcards From the Zoo
Kid-Thing
Silent Souls
The Amazing Spider-Man
Brave
High Tech, Low Life
Evidently... John Cooper Clarke
Hospitalité
Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal
Mirror Mirror
War Horse
The Hunter
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Journey 2: the Mysterious Island
Marley
Raaz 3
Woman in Black
Bourne Legacy
Dangerous Method
The Imposter
The Pirates.
Shadow Dancer
This Must Be the Place
Bel Ami
Law of the Jungle
Star Wars Episode 1