Darkmatters Films of the Year 2011

2011 - The Darkmatters Films of the Year

by Matt Adcock

It's that time of year - to reflect on the movies that have been the highlights...

So without further ado - here are the ones that delivered over and above the rest - for sheer entertainment, thrills, spills and cinematic excellence!?

10. Attack The Block

Hard edged sci-fi action mixed with street level laughs delivers a quality British feel good time. Credible, scary and fun...

Review

9. NEDS

Meet young John McGill a really smart, lovely, ambitious kid. Journey with him as he falls into the underworld of becoming a NED (Non-Educated Deliquente) it's tragic and heartbreaking but also shot through with great humour and grim violence.

Review

8. Limitless

The average movie goer only uses 20% of their brain when experiencing a film.

‘Limitless’ however brings experimental drug NZT to the table - a drug that allows people to use the full 100 percent of their mind for films or absolutely anything. Recorded side effects however include scorching of the pleasure receptors as a result of witnessing such a delirious action thriller head-trip.

Review

7. HUGO

Chloë Grace Moretz dazzles in this homage to every early film and the whole art of film making. The year's best 3D too (well up there with Drive Angry?!).

Review

6. Warrior

Warrior is a crunching plot punch to the forehead, followed up with a emotional knee to the abs and finally a satisfying slam take-down. Tom Hardy FTW!

Review

5. Black Swan

A phantasmagorical case study of someone breaking down but it is utterly watchable thanks to having a director with such artistic verve, empowered by an incredible cast.

Review

4. Super 8

Think Goonies mixed with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and, throw in some great references to films from across the genres and you’ve got the winning recipe for a new breed of classic.

Review

3. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Evil will with evil be expelled. Fincher’s remake is a turbo charged black hearted beast powered by Mara’s transformative performance.

Review

2. The Tree of Life

“Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? ...while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38)

Challenge yourself - see The TREE of LIFE and reflect on life, the universe and everything!

Review

1. Drive

I'd like you to meet ‘Driver’ (Ryan ‘Half Nelson’ Gosling) a man with no name but an uncanny way with cars. Drive is a uber powerful, heartbreaking romance shot through with heavy-duty violence and awesome crime-drama-action.

Review


Also highy recommended and in need of mention for various merit:

Sucker Punch - visually exquisite babetastic kick ass action (Review)

Drive Angry - devilish overload of OTT sexually charged violence (Review)

True Grit - updated western classic that rocks on many levels (Review)

Never Let Me Go - heartbreaking cloning / life drama (Review)

The Fighter - crunching gurning masterclass of hope (Review)

Take Shelter - mind twisting gut punch of apocalyptic doom (Review)

(quad poster not available - Katrina Bowden who stars pictured instead)

Tucker and Dale vs Evil - wonderful woods based red neck horror comedy (Review)

The Kings Speech - lovely royal-em-up life affirming tale (Review)

Source Code - excellent time jumping thrill ride (Review)

Kill List - brutal heart of darkness writ large on the screen in style (Review)

Super - The 'wrongest' super hero film ever, but so right if you can dig it!? (Review)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Classy spy slow burn steeped in quality (Review)

Happy Christmas!!

To all Darkmatters readers!!

'classic Christmas artwork'

Christmas cheer for the new year - which might be the year that Indiana Evans makes it big in the movies...

she certainly has the looks - but can she make the jump from TV?

Underworld Awakening - the catsuit is back!?

Underworld Awakening - still top cat(suit)?

by Matt Adcock

Now I'm an unashamed fan of the Underworld films (even if part 3 wasn't all that), the main reason is that Kate Beckinsale looked absolutely superb and created a cinematic icon as Selene the vampire death dealer.

So I'm delighted that she's back for the fourth Underworld film - here's the trailer:

But it raises the question - who's your favourite cinematic catsuit heroine?

Here are some contenders...

'Trinity' from The Matrix

'Black Widow' from Iron Man / The Avengers

New 'Catwoman' from Dark Knight Rises

'Catwoman' from Batman Returns

'Selene' from Underworld

'Baroness' from G.I. Joe 2

'Quorra' from Tron Legacy

'Marissa' from Spy Kids 4

\

'Blondie' from Sucker Punch

'Kitty Pryde' from X-Men: The Last Stand

I'm sure there are more - feel free to nominate others!?

Prometheus vs The Hobbit trailer fight!

Matt Adcock gets excited about two of 2012's big hitters

Prometheus (the Alien semi-prequel) looks great...

Darkmatters review here



But can anything stand in the fantasy juggernaut path of The Hobbit?

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (12a)

Dir. Guy Ritchie

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“I don't blame you, I blame myself.

It's been apparent to me for sometime that you would succumb to your feelings for him.

It isn't the first occasion that Mr. Holmes inconvenienced me in recent months. The question is: What to do about it?”

For this follow up to the surprisingly enjoyable Guy Ritchie revamp of the classic famous sleuth – we rewind to 1891 where things are about as happy and harmonious in Europe as they are now!? i.e. the Germans, French and English are really not getting on.

After a political bombing, several unexplained murders and a shady character buying up producers of munitions, hospital supplies – could war be on the cards?

Step forward Sherlock Holmes (Robert ‘Iron Man’ Downey Jr) who traces the evil mind behind this scheming and murdering to his fabled adversary Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris).

Can Holmes, aided by his trusty assistant Doctor Watson (Jude Law), who’s supposed to be on his honeymoon, really avert a financially motivated world war? And how is the beautiful gypsy fortune-teller Madam Simza (Noomi Rapace) connected?

"we could do a western dressed like this"

Against the odds, this sequel actually surpasses the first film – upping the scale of the action, improving the awesomeness of the plot, and boosting the fun factor by having a superb cameo from Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes – Sherlock’s camp older brother.

It all works wonderfully and puts Sherlock Holmes firmly on the map as a major action thriller franchise to be watched. There are some stand out scenes that rival anything seen on screen this year. Pick of the bunch is a breathless, nerve-wracking chase through a forest which employs some Matrix like camerawork to really jaw dropping effect.

A Game of Shadows is super slick and romps along at a great pace. It might be over 2 hours long but it flies past in a blur of fights, plots, intrigue and a liberal sprinkling of funnies.

Harris is excellent as the seemingly unstoppable Moriarty, a baddie who is a very worthy opponent for the brilliant Holmes. Guy Ritchie shows that he can deliver crowd pleasing spectacle, and is just at home showing the two opponents locked in a tense game of chess as in the more usual ‘Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels’ form of mortal combat.

If looking for some great cinematic viewing to end the year with choosing ‘Holmes’ is an elementary choice!!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

4 – Quality my dear Watson!

Awesomeness öööö – you’ll jump in places, scream in others
Laughs ööö  – very funny, improved on the original
Horror öö – slightly scary
Babes ööö – Rapace is kinda hot
Spiritual Enlightenment öö – genius level intuition is a gift from God

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (18)

Dir. Todd Strauss-Schulson

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

It’s Christmas time – there’s no need to be afraid.

At Christmas time, we let in light and banish shade…

Oh sorry, got a bit carried away there – but after seeing A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, it’s hard to not feel full of the joy of the Season. This madcap, drug fuelled sequel to the politically incorrect Harold & Kumar Escape form Guantanamo Bay ups the craziness, and brings sleigh loads of funnies.

The two ‘heroes’ get reunited by a mysterious present after a couple of years apart. Harold (John Cho) has moved on and grown up – working on Wall Street, his legendary weed smoking days behind him. Kumar (Kal Penn) however is still smoking and slacking his life away big time. A massive night of misadventure awaits as the twosome get embroiled in seriously messed up situation involving a burnt Christmas tree, Ukrainian mobsters, sex, drugs and shotguns…

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas really earns its 18 rating too – the plots goes off the deep end of ‘wrong’ when it tops the continual bawdy knob and sex references with a baby who inadvertently snorts cocaine, smokes weed and takes ecstasy. This isn’t a film for those of an easily offended nature!?

However dodgy the plot line it’s hard not to be swept up in the Christmassy fun, especially when Neal Patrick Harris makes the mother of all cameos with an absolutely insane Christmas show that serves as a way of shoehorning some up tempo Christmas carols into the mix. The whole 3D thing is a worked well too, I’m not really a fan of 3D movies but this one plays it for laughs and with everything from bodily fluids through to shotguns being shamelessly pointed right out of the screen.

Director Todd Strauss-Schulson holds nothing back, one minute we’re in a crazed frat party, the next sees the guys trying to infiltrate a Catholic church – each scenario treated with lashings of T & A.

If you’re in any way inebriated when you see this you well might freak out at the surreal Claymation sequence, which brings untold humorous gory death and destruction to the tale. Yes it’s entirely puerile but it’s also possibly rival Bridesmaids for the title of funniest film of 2011.

So if you need a family friendly Christmas movie – Arthur Christmas is you man, but for sheer tongue-in-cheek idiocy seeing A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas will certainly fill you with Christmas cheer, dude.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

4 –  'High' times for Christmas

Awesomeness öööö – Santa gets shot in the head!?
Laughs ööööö – very funny, wrong yes, but funny!
Horror ööö – willy stuck on a frosty pole anyone?
Babes ööö – Jordan Hinson is very hot (see below)
Spiritual Enlightenment öö – Jesus makes an appearance but it doesn't go well...

Darkmatters Films to look out for in 2012

Darkmatters Top Film Picks 2012

By Matt Adcock

"I am the LAW"

DREDD (Darkmatters' hot tip)

Judge, jury and executioner, the infamous 200AD  super cop / one man law, teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO... This has lots of potential to rock!

"They're Creepy And They're Kooky, Mysterious And Spooky

Dark Shadows (Darkmatters’ most freaky) 

Tim Burton rocks some younger viewer friendly horror with everyone’s favourite Hit Girl Chloë Grace Moretz.

"All vampires should wear leather and carry guns!"

Underworld: Awakening (Darkmatters’ most guilty pleasure) 

Kate ‘vampire warrioress’ Beckinsale sqeezes back into her leather catsuit as Selene in order to lead the battle against humankind.

"We gotta kill em all OK?"

The Hunger Games (Darkmatters’ most like Battle Royale)

In the future a boy and girl from twelve districts have to fight to the death on live television… Could be a good riot deterrent!?

Prometheus (Darkmatters’ most promising sci-fi) 

Ridley Scott brings us an Alien prequel starring Idris Elba and Noomi Rapace – also looking at the origin of humankind… Please don't cock this one up!

"Scarlett johansson brings the sizzle"

The Avengers (Darkmatters’ film of the year?)

Finally the S.H.I.E.L.D. agency brings together a team of superhumans to help save the Earth from annihilation by extraterrestrial invaders. Altogether now ‘if we can’t defend earth, we will AVENGE it!’

"New Catwoman, on what looks like a batbike"

The Dark Knight Rises (Darkmatters other film of the year!?)

Tom Hardy brings the Bane… Gotham City falls and Batman is pushed to breaking point and beyond. Do the words ‘can’t wait’ mean anything to you?

"The tube rush hour crowds really annoyed Peter Parker"

The Amazing Spiderman (Darkmatters’ spider sense tingling) 

Andrew ‘Social Network’ Garfield takes the spandex clad lead, the Lizard is set to be the main baddie. We are excited!

"Wild card thrills ahoy"

Django Unchained (Darkmatters’ violent thrills choice) 

Tarantino is back with a tale of mentor / slave-turned-bounty hunter who set out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

"The not so happy couple"

The Great Gatsby (Darkmatters’ literary classic) 

Another lavish looking adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Long Island-set novel, where Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbour.

"The dwarves are out..."

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Darkmatters’ Fantasy-em-up) 

Off we go then back to Middle Earth where young Hobbit Bilbo, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug.

"The gorgeous people"

Syrup (Darkmatters’ random Amber Heard starring choice)

Sees a slacker hatches a million-dollar idea. But, in order to see it through, he has to learn to trust his attractive corporate counterpart. Based on Max Barry's novel.

Looks like another great year for films potentially - what are you looking forward to?