The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Director: David Fincher
Rating: *****

This film is honestly one of the most exquisite and breathtaking things I have ever seen. A devastating drama in essence, yet tinged with subtle comedic moments, the film never goes overboard with any of the emotions presented to the audience. Even though the film is just under three hours long, it is just under three hours of pure genius, with the last half hour battling down your emotional walls so successfully you will still have a gobstopper-sized lump lodged in your throat and tears trickling down your face long after the film has ended.

Pitt's performance as Benjamin Button is well worth his Academy Award nomination, but should have been awarded the Academy Award itself - portraying a man at various different stages in his life must be extremely difficult, yet he still manages to make it completely believable. Blanchett's own performance should at least have deserved a nomination, especially towards the end when she is nursing her love, who, due to aging backwards, is now a young child with dementia. The only thing which could have been improved here is her accent, which occasionally drifts off the contagious New Orleans tang, but not enough to easily notice it.

This is an absolute must-see for anyone who adores a tear-jerker, or simply a fantastic film.

A Single Man

Year: 2009
Director: Tom Ford
Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult
Rating: *****

A congratulations is in order for Tom Ford. For directing an absolute masterpiece that has turned out to be my joint-second favourite film (with 'Inception'. Doesn't quite match up the ;The Lord of the Rings', but then again, nothing ever does).

Colin Firth plays George, a gay man unable to get past the death of his lover, eight months previously. The film follows him as he tries to find meaning in life. Set over one day, but including many flashbacks, he encounters several people who bring colour back into his life (literally). These include best friend and previous lover Charley (Moore), and student Kenny (Hoult).

The majority of the scenes included in this film completely took my breath away. The first one that comes to mind is the car scene. The camera looks out of the window of Firth's car, as he drives in slow motion. Mixed with the score, this is a beautifully put-together piece of cinematography which should never be forgotten, and should be seen by everyone.

The film itself has its more humourous moments, as well as the deadly-serious ones that make you want to sob. The right amount of both, in fact. The performances of Firth and Hoult, especially, must be commended. Hoult, best known from television drama 'Skins', proves just how much talent he really has here. I expect good things from him. Firth, glorious as usual, puts the cherry on top of the giant cake of his career. The film is decorated by its stunning soundtrack, and fantastic script. This is more than just a film. It is a work of art.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Title: Kick-Ass
Year: 2010
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Mortez, Mark Strong, Nicholas Cage, Lyndsy Fonseca
Age certificate: 15
Rating: *****

This absolutely stunning superhero film is up there with my all-time favourite, the Lord of the Rings. But, before you expect elves and orcs to show up, it's a favourite for a completely different reason, and of course, set in modern-day New York.

The hilarity, the gore, and the sheer brilliance of this film is complimented by the breathtaking cinematography and acting (especially by Chloe Mortez, who was only eleven at the time of shooting, performing many of her own stunts and using taboo to the extremeties).

My advice is to stop your knitting, and go out to the cinema and WATCH IT RIGHT NOW.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Title: Inglourious Basterds
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: War/black comedy
Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent
Certificate: 18
Rating: *****

This is an outstanding film. Tarantino again proves that he is one of the finest directors in the history of film. Brad Pitt portrays his character BRILLIANTLY, and the mixture between French, German, and English works extremely well.

One of the things I respect and admire most about Tarantino's work is the way the scenes just play out, in so much more of a realistic way: each scene is long, yet they never become boring. Every little attention to detail is there - the actors are cast perfectly and seem to have the crucial understanding of their characters. Not to mention that this film is HILARIOUS.

(500) Days Of Summer

Title: (500) Days of Summer
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Genre: romantic comedy
Year: 2009
Certificate: 12
Rating: *****

This film is a completely original, brilliant thing. It is told in a non-linear sequence, leaving the viewer piecing together their version of what has happened during events, and then either being proven correct, or incorrect. Also, the comedic side of it is actually funny, whenever it is meant to be, something rarely seen in recent comedies.

Not only is it funny, but it is also a moving and slightly upsetting film, due to it not exactly being about falling in love, more about falling OUT of it, and taking chances. Although the main characters have a very sweet relationship, it obviously will not work out as she is not quite into it enough. Another interesting thing about this film is that it is the girl who doesn't believe in love, whilst the man is a hopeless romantic, which is a pleasant change from the norm. One last interesting point is that the director obviously was not afraid to try something different, due to one scene in which he splits the screen in half, one side being how the protagonist is imagining things to go, the other side in which they actually do go. This scene is slightly out of sync, until the same things happen in both, which makes it less confusing.

This film is, definitely, a new favourite.

Borat

Title: Borat
Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines, Don Mazer, Todd Phillips
Genre: mockumentary, comedy
Rating: ***** (a favourite)

One word: BRILLIANT.

This is such a masterpiece that every single person in the world should go out and buy it immediately. And laugh at everything in it, even if it is insulting you or your beliefs (it insults EVERYBODY'S beliefs). Be good-natured, laugh, have fun, wet yourself. Watch this. Now.

27 Dresses (2008)

Title: 27 Dresses
Director: Anne Fletcher
Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden
Genre: Romantic comedy
Certificate: 12
Rating: ***** (a favourite)

27 Dresses is a delightfully funny romantic comedy, about weddings and romance. When you first start watching it, you are not sure what to expect - the idea is not the best I have come across - but after a little while, something happens. You stop worrying about how likely the situation is, and you just enjoy watching a great rom-com, which will make you laugh and smile the whole of the way through. Katherine Heigl (most known for her role as Izzie Stevens in Grey's Anatomy)'s performance is, as per usual, flawless.

The Notebook (2004)

Title: The Notebook
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: James Garner, Gena Rowlands, Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams
Genre: Romantic drama
Certificate: 15
Rating: *****

The Notebook is a film I have wanted to see for a long time now. When I did finally managed to watch it, I was not disappointed. There is not much I can really say here, as I do not want to give anything away. What I shall say is that, if you are anything like me, the end of this film will have you sobbing so much that you will need to re-apply all of your eye makeup, and possibly change your white blouse, as it will be going see-through due to your tears.

This is one of my favourite films of all time, it will not only make you cry, but also laugh, and it will warm your heart completely, and repair your broken belief of finding a soul-mate.

This is a DEFINITE must-watch.

Ellie May

Star Trek (2009)

Director: J. J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg
Genre: Science-fiction
Certificate: 12
Rating: *****

I've never seen anything to do with Star Trek before, even though I am a lover of sci-fi. After watching this film, I am going to watch every single film and series of Star Trek, simply because I absolutely ADORE it! Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg...all are fantastic actors, and all out-do themselves in their performances in this film. The plot is great - it is extremely clever to think about someone coming back from the future and changing the past, causing that future to maybe never happen. There is a perfect balance of comedy and action in this film to make it a modern classic. One minute you are laughing, the next your pulse is racing as a fight has just broken out (and trust me, there are loads of fights). All I can do is congratulate Mr. Abrams for directing a masterpiece.

The Children (2008)

Director: Tom Shankland
Starring: Eva Birthistle, Hannah Tointon, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley
Genre: Horror
Certificate: 18
Rating: *****

Before watching this, I was in the perfect mood for some nice gore. However, whilst watching this, I realised that it is the first horror film I have seen that made me want to turn it off, shriek, and possibly puke. The Children is not that gory, in comparison to the Saw films, or Eden Lake. But what makes you want to scream is that fact that it is children, who are meant to be innocent, are wielding knives and other sharp objects, and are purposefully attempting to murder their older family members. These children are surprisingly well-acted, as are their parents. Although their parents aren't...sadistic like them. As the parents are completely irrational (they believe that the older teenage daughter, who is going through a rebellious stage, is attempting to murder the children), it is not hard for the children to get their own way. As well as the horror, the camera shots are actually beautiful - there is one scene in which the blood is seeping into the snow, which is an inappropriate 'wow'. This film is disturbing, and it will keep you up at night. But it is also a stroke of genius.

Shallow Hal (2001)

Director: Farrelly Brothers
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander
Genre: romantic comedy
Certificate: 12
Rating: *****

From the DVD case, this film looks like it is not going to be too good. Yet if you give it the chance it deserves, and 'don't judge a book by its cover', you will realise how good it actually is. The plot is basically about a man who only judges women from what they look like, before his perceptions are altered, and the beauty within women reflects on their beauty outside. And so, he falls in love with a beautiful woman, who he does not realise is actually fat. Yes, the plot IS cheesy, but it manages to become a beautiful film, when Jack Black's character realises that he loves his obese girlfriend, because of what she is inside. There is a scene in this which almost brought me to tears - after Hal's perceptions are re-altered, he realises that a little girl whom he played The Kissing Game with is actually a burn victim. This scene was beautifully done. Obviously, the message of this film is about seeing the inner beauty of individuals, and Shallow Hal brings it across almost too easily. A must-see.

Skellig (2009)

Director: Annabel Jankel
Starring: Bill Milner, John Simm, Kelly Macdonald, Tim Roth
Genre: fantasy
Certificate: 12
Rating: *****
Review: I recently read the book of Skellig, which my dad had to force me to do. The book alone took my breath away, but then the film came out. I was skeptical of this at first - perhaps they would ruin the book, a little like The Golden Compass. However, when I sat down to watch it, I realised that it was stunningly beautiful, and extremely well-done. John Simm does a great performance, and, of course, so does Tim Roth. Yet, the performance that stands out the most is that of child actor, Bill Milner. He has, of course, been in Son of Rambow, in which his acting was also pretty good. The film does not stick entirely to the book - a lot more is given away about Skellig, and there is a beautiful scene in which Michael jumps off a tower, hoping that Skellig will catch him. All in all, this is a well-done film, and, in my opinion, a classic.