12 of '12! Part 2.

Welcome back to my list of the top 12 films that I saw in 2012! So far I've counted down from 12 to 6, which leaves us with just five more to go - my favourite films of 2012. So let's not waste any more time, cue the Top of the Pops jingle because here are my top five films of 2012...

Pioneers of cinema itself, and previous Best Picture winner at the BAFTAs and Oscars last year (for my favourite film of 2011, The Artist), the French are at it again, with touching comedy Untouchable (original title: Intouchables). The film, which after becoming the second highest grossing film in the French box office experienced a warm reception overseas too, tells the story of a wealthy paraplegic who decides to hire a less well-off young man to be his carer, as he is the only person to show him the one thing he desires: no sympathy. There isn't an awful lot to not like about Untouchable; it is effortlessly the funniest comedy of the year, has a touching and thoughtful story at its centre, the beautiful setting of France, and a close buddy movie relationship at its heart that makes the film a real feel-good treat. It may be predictable from the outset to see how each of the characters will learn from one another as their relationship blooms, but any flaws become significantly less problematic as the film is such a joy to watch. When placed next to a mainstream comedy such as Ted which is equally predictable, the laughs in Untouchable feel honest and genuine when compared to a film that in comparison seems to try too hard to make its audience laugh. Once again the French prove that they really are the fathers of film!

Michael Fassbender proves that he has the balls (literally) to take on a very challenging film in Steve McQueen's hauntingly beautiful film Shame. This harrowing art film about sex addiction tackles a very difficult subject matter and makes it accessible to all through the undeniably human them of addiction as a whole. With its flawless cinematography, stunning performances from Fassbender and Mulligan, and superb direction, Shame allows you to step inside the mind of a man battling his inner demons, in a mesmerising and powerful way. Heavily snubbed at last year's awards ceremonies, this is a tour de force piece of filmmaking that blew me away. Click here to read the full review.

Easily the most inventive and unique films of the year, Berberian Sound Studio was also one of my personal favourites! Toby Jones proves how he is one of the best and perhaps overlooked British acting talents, in a film about the creation of horror sound effects in film itself. Whilst the first half of the film gives us an insight into the construction of film (rest in pieces melons and cabbages), the second half turns art house as the film then goes on to deconstruct itself, as the lines between ours, Gilderoy's and the horror film's diegeses begin to blur as reality and film merge. A remarkable piece of filmmaking that will leave you thinking, but more importantly entertained as what starts out as a normal drama soon turns into a very unique horror.

Sam Mendes Took a stab at the tried and tested 50 year old Bond formulae and well and truly proved that nobody does it better! Reinvented for a newer generation of cinema goers, Skyfall took the classic conventions of every Bond film, all of the elements that made them so enjoyable, and updated them to create an instant Bond classic... and then some! With a narrative that storms along at a pace like nothing else, some of the most extraordinary action set pieces in recent film history, stunning settings, skilful cinematography, a classic Bond song, and a modern and engaging character driven narrative, Skyfall was much more than just a good Bond film, it was a fantastic film full stop, and one that dared to offer more to those looking for it. Immensely fun, enjoyable and tirelessly exciting, Skyfall was one of the most satisfying films that I saw this year, and more than ticked all of the boxes. Click here to read the full review.

There's a great irony to the fact that I am posting this article on the day that the 2013 Oscar nominations were announced, as my film of the year rather shockingly garnered a total of 0 nominations (and just 1 for the BAFTAs yesterday), despite vast critical acclaim, approval from waves of cinema goers and fans alike, and for concluding one of the greatest film trilogies of all time. I am of course talking about Christopher Nolan's epic Bat-Finale, The Dark Knight Rises. This sudden backlash of accolade for the film comes as a shock to me, as I am in nothing short of complete admiration for Nolan's work in this remarkable film. Where to begin? It's a comic book action film, that's intelligent and engaging, relevant and poignant, entertaining and moving - a Hollywood blockbuster of art house quality. It has a tremendous cast playing deep characters in a film which is in essence a character piece that focusses not on Batman, but on the broken shadow of a man behind the mask. It contains some of the best moments of cinema of all time within a film that I discover more and more within every time I see it. It is traditionally shot on film (which holds a certain special quality to me compared to digital), and more impressively on IMAX, which in my eyes remains the most impressive technical advancement in film - and seeing the entire IMAX print on the grand canvas of an IMAX screen made for one of, if not the single greatest cinema experiences that I have ever seen. Heavy use of CGI is put aside (and see if you can notice when it's used anyway!) in favour for real visual effects, creating a more impressive aesthetic experience for us cinema goers. All of which Nolan implements in most of his films, and to which I admire greatly, but what makes The Dark Knight Rises stand out is the epic scale that it encompasses within all of these areas, really pushing the limits in what can be done in film - they dropped an actual plane out of the sky in the film's opening scene for Pete's sake! I adored Nolan's work on this incredible finale of a film and the entire Dark Knight Trilogy as a whole, and whilst the Oscars may refuse to acknowledge it, I give it the title of my film of 2012. Click here to read the full review.

Of course it wouldn't be a best of list without a few honourable mentions, and 2012 gave us so many good films that I just couldn't fit them all into my top 12 list. In fact I could probably even do an honourable mentions list for my honourable mentions with so many enjoyable releases! So are just a few of the films that narrowly missed out on places in my 12 of '12:

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: A fun outing that made for a much welcome return to the realms of Middle Earth, yet without the rose tinted glasses the over long running time (and we're only a third of the way through!) meant that the film was Baggins at times, resulting in it being more ummin' and aahin' than Balin and Dwalin; less Thorin and more borin' and snorin'! Yet as soon as Gollum steps onto the scene, everything suddenly comes alive, and the film well and truly begun. (Full Review)
• Lawless: a great modern gangster film that I enjoyed immensely. Shia LaBeouf was actually good in the role, and Tom Hardy (along with his role as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises) proved that he can convey the raw animalistic intensity of a character with just his eyes and a grunt! A fun film that I struggled to keep out of my list.
• Brave: Pixar's latest offering was a visual treat that had a touching mother/daughter story at the centre of it. Whilst it wasn't the studio's best piece due to the strict confines of the fairytale genre, it was certainly a lot of fun, with a refreshing female lead, and the clans and the triplets bringing a great comic relief to the animated proceedings. (Full Review)
• Prometheus: fair to say that this was a film that divided people; I actually very much enjoyed Sir Ridley's return to the Alien universe, and even almost gave it a spot in my top 12! Perhaps it did ask more questions than it did answer, but is that really such a bad thing? Whilst I admire the stylistic qualities of the old fashioned sci-fi immensely, each time I watch it I find more and more thing to think about within the narrative, which leaves me enjoying it all the more. (Full Review)
• Frankenweenie: Tim Burton returned to classic stop-motion animation in great style with his pastiche of the monster movie genre. Not only was it crammed with references and a lot of fun, it was also the only film that I have seen that seemed to purposefully use its 3D effect to add to its narrative. Yes that's right folks; it made me fleetingly believe in 3D! What more can I say!? (Full Review)
• The Descendants: A big contender for awards season last year, the George Clooney starring film was mostly just an alright film, which elevated itself to a very emotional and poignant piece at times. There is nothing more heartbreaking than a shot of a young girl being told that she will never get to see her dying mother again - I haven't teared up this much since Toy Story 3!

Well there you have it folks, my cinematic highlights of 2012 (out of the films that I actually managed to see); I hope that you enjoyed this read, and now it's your turn to get involved too! I'd love to hear what your top films of the year were too, so be sure to let me know in the comments section below. Or perhaps you want to give me a telling off for forgetting one of your favourite films of the year; maybe you just cannot stand my taste in film!? Whatever it maybe I always love to hear from you guys too, so make sure to leave a message below.

Here's to 2013 being just as good a year for film!

Review: Men in Black 3

MIB Film: 3. Dimensions: 3. Rating out of 5: you do the math...

The Men in Black are back! Agents Jay (Will Smith) and Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) don their suits and shades once again to maintain extraterrestrial peace on Earth in the third instalment to the Men in Black franchise. When Jay wakes up one morning to be told that his partner Kay has been dead for 40 years, it suddenly comes to light that the villainous Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) has escaped from a high security prison on the moon in order to travel back in time to 1969 - the year that young Kay (Josh Brolin) captured and arrested him - in order to kill Kay before he has the chance; therefore allowing Boris to launch a full scale attack on planet Earth. On learning this, it is up to Jay to use a time jump device to go back to 1969 himself to stop this plan and save Kay in order to restore normality in the process.

Will Smith is one actor who has had an extraordinary career, now standing tall as one of the highest grossing film actors in the world. What makes his career so fascinating to examine is to look at where he started off in comparison to where he is now. TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, in which he played to skinny hip-hop clown Will is what well and truly launched Smith into the spotlight - with millions still watching re-runs of the old series still today (tell me you don't know the theme song - I dare you!). Now he has become something entirely different, a big action star who also lends his hands to working on more personal, emotional and challenging roles from time to time - a truly mad evolution! The original two Men in Black films sat nicely in the centre of this change, as Smith started to become the action hero but still maintained his comedy side - basically the character of Jay in a nutshell. And that is one of the first problems that I had with the film. It becomes almost bizarre and jarring to see Smith revisiting his black comedy roots again in MIB3, as he says lines that are fine when he is twenty-odd years old, but seem a bit off coming from his more mature adult image today. But this is just a minor quip.

Having said that, it is undeniably fun seeing Smith and Jones pairing up again with their unique sense of banter. Speaking of Jones, who returns for parts of the film set in the present day, he is still able to pull off an enjoyable performance as grumpy old Kay, because he still appears to be grumpy and old! For the scenes set in the past, the reigns get passed over to franchise newcomer Josh Brolin, who does an excellent impression of Tommy Lee Jones - which is on the whole as entertaining as you'd imagine it to be, but you do get the main jist of it all in the trailers. Other newcomers Jemaine Clement provides an entertaining and threatening enough performance as the film's villain, and Emma Thompson does what she needs as the new boss of MIB and Kay's old flame, but being a character in the present means that she doesn't get all that much screen time. Although in comparison to Nicole Scherzinger's role in the film, Thompson shouldn't worry at all as Scherzinger's role as the villain's accomplice is wrapped up by the end of the first scene - although I think I'm actually quite relieved that it is...

Agent J (Will Smith) in MIB3: "Everyone look here *flash* Okay so Men in Black 2 and 3 were never made..."

As a personal fan of the original MIB film, yet not so much for its sequel, I really hoped that this one could be more in line with the first one - I'm disappointed that it isn't. One reason for this is because it in some ways loses its MIB-ness in the process of its time travel storyline, with the iconic MIB headquarters from the first two films only being fleetingly used as the characters spend more time running around the country and through time instead. Some of the alien banter that was seen in the first two films is often missing here, with less jokes and witty one-liners being made at the extraterrestrials and physical fighting both being replaced with quick zaps from blasters and exploding bodies. Alongside these, a lot of characters also fail to return to the film, with the once prominent twiglet-like aliens having about one line as they walk by, the much-loved talking dog being reduced to just a photo on Jay's wall, and to make way for a love interest in Thompson's Agent O the old leader of MIB Zed, well let's just say 'Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.' Director Barry Sonnenfeld has unfortunately forgotten a lot of the things that made the first film so loved. Unfortunately after an alright start, the film does start to sag in the middle of the film and generally gets a bit boring with it not providing as much humour or action as you'd like it to. When the film reaches its climax, you can't help but wonder why they bothered at all, with the whole film in hindsight just seeming a little bit pointless overall.

However the film is not all that bad, and it does have its highlights. The first film was as successful as it was because at its heart laid the relationship between Jay and Kay, and how it develops as the two of them train and work together, contrasting and complimenting one another with their grumpy old man and young hip kid act. Whilst the second film lost track of this factor and became a generic sequel with little character development, there is far more of this in MIB3 with the entire film essentially revolving around their relationship. Although having said that I still find it bizarre that 15 years of working together hasn't solved the problems that they have already!? The time travel element of the film also provides a refreshing twist, with a lot of humour to be found in the 1969 setting that the film jumps back to - I particularly enjoyed the stylistic elements here with the aliens looking like they were designed in the 1960s. Whilst the film doesn't feature as many laughs or as much action as the first, it still has enough there to make the film an enjoyable affair, and it does get going again quite nicely towards the later end of the film, with its heartwarming ending - although arguably an unneeded sub-plot thrown in probably just to get Smith's interest - does wrap things up nicely.

On a side note, as are a lot of other people I am personally not a fan of 3D, but have gone on the record for joking that MIB3 could work in 3D as the cheap plastic glasses resemble the shades that the MIB agents wear (just check out the poster at the top) - almost making you one of them! In all seriousness it's not worth seeing the film in 3D (nor is it really worth seeing any film in 3D), and like in Prometheus the other day I found myself removing the cheap plastic glasses at times to notice just how much of the vibrancy and colour that you lose from each of the films by watching them in 3D. 2D is simply cheaper and better! End of Rant.

After a 10 year wait since J and Ks last outing, and 15 since the last good one, Men in Black 3 - a film that has been in the works for so long - simply isn't as good as you'd want it to be. Whilst it is refreshing to see our favourite suited and booted duo back in action, their minor banter and a heartwarming if not arguably unnecessary ending aren't enough to fully redeem the film from its boring drag in the middle and the fact that at the end of it all it just seems to be all a bit pointless. Lacking the charm, excitement and wonder that the original MIB showed us; with MIB3 being Will Smith's first film in 3 years, you almost wish he could have waited just a little bit longer for a sharper and more entertaining script that is closer to that of the original. You won't need a nueralizer to forget most of this somewhat unmemorable and unnecessary film, but you might want one just in case...

Verdict: 3/5

Men in Black 3 is now showing in cinemas across the UK.

Agree or Disagree? Leave your comments below!

Review: Prometheus

2012: A Ridley Scott-yssey!

It isn't often that a film comes along that truly defines a genre, and it can often be difficult to establish those that do; but in the case of the science-fiction genre in particular (something that was briefly debated in my review for John Carter earlier this year) if you were to select two genuine genre defining films that have shaped the sci-fi films that we see today, then you'd almost definitely be left with Star Wars, and Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien. Now Sir Ridley has returned to the Alien universe that he created 33 years ago with his prequel that's not a prequel (I'll try my best to clear this up in a bit!): the long awaited and highly anticipated Prometheus.

The year is 2085, and a group of scientists and explorers who have discovered a series of ancient markings littered throughout history, informing them of the origins of mankind coming from the stars, have followed these signs into the depths of outer space to a mysterious planet where they will truly discover where the human race comes from, whilst simultaneously trying to ensure that they actually make it out alive as events unfold that could change the fate of the entire human race.

Firstly I feel it's important to address the important matter at hand, and the question that is almost certainly on everyone's minds: a prequel to Alien that isn't a prequel to Alien - what!? Prometheus is set within the Alien universe, and does contain a number of small moments that relate to the beginning of Alien much later down the line - without any spoilers the film's ending in particular does link to Alien, but not a massive way that anyone who hasn't seen it will be left feeling confused. The rest of the film however is it's own entirely individual story with its own unique characters and aliens. See? A prequel that isn't a prequel! In fact the film itself in my opinion is actually probably closer to a spin-off than a prequel if anything. The obvious result of this means that anyone can watch the film and appreciate it, but those who know a bit more about the Alien mythology will gain a little bit extra on the side. However nor should it be a film that lives in the shadows of Alien, as despite the heavy influence upon the iconic elements of the original Alien used within the trailers and promotions for Prometheus, the film should be seen in many respects as a stand alone film of its own.

Along side this though, Prometheus does very much feel like an Alien film. Visually stunning, the film takes the retro vision of the future that Scott envisaged for the original film and presents it with both real life effects and sets, and advanced CGI; allowing Scott to explore more possibilities within the universe he created. The effect of this is rather extraordinary - the film manages to perfectly execute a look that is both true to that of the 70s original yet modern and contemporary to today's audiences who are now technologically 33 years closer to that reality. Remaining close to Alien, the tone of Prometheus clearly has Scott's visionary fingerprints all over it as it encapsulates the feeling of spectacle and the escapist futuristic excitement that entertains us as much today as it did in 1979 - mainly brought in through one of it themes of space exploration. In fact a lot of the themes from Alien, as well as a few from Blade Runner, also appear in Prometheus alongside a great number of new themes and ideas based around questions of life, the universe and everything, which lay deep in the background for those who wish to look for them - a sort of 2001: A Space Odyssey for today's audiences. As a result of these ideas and themes Prometheus actually becomes more of a solid sci-fi piece than Alien: which became iconic for its unique horror/sci-fi genre hybrid. Despite this the film isn't without its moments of horror, the emphasis merely lies in other areas even though some of the best moments were thanks to a return this iconic vibe.

The Fantastic Mr.Fassbender plays the android David in the visually stunning Prometheus.

Of course the film's strengths don't just lie within Sir Ridley's visionary style and direction. There really is no shortage of acting talent with the likes of Noomi Rapace (the original Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Michael Fassbender (the fantastic star of Shame), Charlize Theron (who is also currently starring in Snow White and the Huntsman), Idris Elba (Thor) and Guy Pearce (The King's Speech) forming a small part of the overall cast. With Rapace playing Elizabeth Shaw, the film's female protagonist, another character becomes a memebr of Ridley's Angels, with Scott clearly retaining his emphasis on strong leading female characters after Sigourney Weaver's Ripley; a character who debatably changed the image and role of women in film forever. In fact during many scenes I almost felt myself having to do a double take, with Rapaces character occasionally even looking just like Ripley too! Alongside Rapace, The Fantastic Mr.Fassbender continues to prove himself as one of the finest actors around today within his role of the android David (nice name!).

Although despite its strengths, Prometheus is not without its problems either. Within the narrative of the film, a lot happens, and I mean a lot - the films certainly feels like its 2 hour running time. Firstly this causes a few pacing issues throughout the film, with a fair amount of scenes feeling longer than they needed to be, especially next to the film's more thrilling faster paced moments; during which the film really gets going. Alongside this the narrative does at times become bogged down substantially with a lot of sub-plots that arguably do not need to be there at all. This includes the prosthetic covered character of Guy Pearce's Peter Weyland, who's character feels unnecessarily aged for no apparent reason (you'll understand when you see him). It's almost as if Scott has grown a bit too attached to a lot of his own personal ideas and has attempted to cram them all into this one film, or maybe his ideas are just so deep and meaningful that they cannot fit within just 2 hours of screen time! Perhaps a second film is what Scott really needed to spread all of his ideas out a bit, in order to allow some of the more over-looked areas to breathe a bit more and for the film to flow a little bit better.

Despite the problems that the film does clearly suffer from, the overall scale, tone and vibe of the film are more than enough to make this a film worth watching, especially those who have seen and loved Sir Ridley's original 1979 film Alien - who will almost certainly get a kick of nostalgia out of the iconic style, tone and ideas of the first film. Performances from Rapace and The Fantastic Mr.Fassbender carry the film through, and with only a few small moments that link to the overall picture of the Alien films this really is a film that anyone can watch, even if they haven't seen the old films. Whilst it should be seen as its own entity, the sheer weight of Alien's slick and iconic narrative will mean that this film will remain within its shadows as its younger sibling - even if it doesn't necessarily deserve to. Prometheus has landed ladies and gentlemen; not in a crash-landing, but not in a smooth one either with some minor turbulence along the way...

Verdict: 4/5

Prometheus is now showing in cinemas across the UK.

Agree or Disagree? Leave your comments below!

Trailer Park: Prometheus

Returning to his roots, visionary director Ridley Scott heads back to one of the film franchises that launched his career. Released in 1979, Scott's second big screen project Alien became an instant classic, thrilling millions of cinema goers since through its visionary style, unique sci-fi horror genre and the sequels and spin-offs that have been released since. With a cast including Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, Shame's Michael Fassbender and Hollywood starlet Charlize Theron, Scott has made a welcome return to the Alien franchise with Prometheus - a non-direct prequel set in the world of the Alien universe. Whilst I didn't care much for Scott's last film Robin Hood, it is very exciting to see him return to the impressive visual style of his original Alien film in the scenes from this trailer; and even though I still believe that the physical special effects and sets used in the likes of Alien and the original Star Wars trilogy are very special, it is exciting to see this unique world today with the additional use of advanced CGI technologies which should allow Scott to explore new territories and push the boundaries with this new film. Prepared to get your heart pulsing in this adrenaline pumping new trailer released this morning...

Prometheus is released in cinemas across the UK on 1st June 2012.

Are you excited to see Ridley Scott return to the Alien franchise? Do you think it will be a blockbuster or lacklustre? Leave your comments below!