Midnight In Paris

A hack Hollywood script writer (Owen Wilson) on vacation in Paris reflects on choosing money and easy writing over literature. As he wanders Paris, away from his fiancee he keeps finding himself transported back to the 20s when Paris was alive with the great artists of the century, all of whom he manages to bump into.

For a film meditating on missed opportunity and the elusive better time, always in the past, this is surprisingly playful upbeat fare from Woody Allen. Had he himself been playing this role in the golden age of his great film making days, our author would surely have been a much more mournful and tortured soul. But with Wilson you get instead a slightly dazed character, alive with optimism but wracked with Allen's trademark neurosis, a refreshing variation.

There is light and frivolous romance, moments of farce and dialogue that sparks throughout. Each 20's artist is dashed off as a charicature lending each one a great deal of humour while still revering their art. The films reflections on life and art are made simply without contrivance leaving it much like a good chocolate mousse, insubstantial but light, rich and satisfying.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The British government recall a forcefully retired expert spy to uncover a mole at the head of the agency.

This is a brilliant film, artfully directed and wonderfully acted by the cream of British male actors and engaging from beginning to end. Yet not all will like it because it takes its time. There is very little action. Instead there are lingering shots of men thinking. Flashbacks recalling behaviour as much as incident. Sitting. Smoking. Drinking. As the film moves forward each detail is laid out plain as day. No trickery to try and cast then recast suspicion. It's all there for you to figure out, if your mind's as Sharp as that of George Smiley. A great who-is-it?

Gary Oldman is sensational as Smiley, his older frame and specs suggesting no danger but a cold stare and razor sharp manor giving away a lethal intelligence. Somehow, despite rarely indicating warmth to hose around him, he pulls the viewer into Smiley's world so you root for him all he same. 

It's sure to garner awards but massive box office takings show that people are more than happy to spend money on films that aren't young, dumb and full of bimbos.

Troll Hunter

A trio of Norwegian film students set out to film a documentary about a rogue bear hunter but in chasing him around Norway, find he hunts something rather larger.

Filmed documentary style a convincing cast beautifully capture an amateur feel to the documentary filming. The troll Hunter is especially convincing as a grizzly old man fed up with his job.

The Norwegian troll myths are used to bring depth and variety to the trolley themselves, often seen and brilliantly realised but not so heavily that plot paradox or keeping up become a problem.

Norway is heavily travelled in the film so it does feel very much troll Hunter, not troll hunted and this is perhaps the surprise of the film. Scenes where you would expect tension typically undermine themselves with a witty remark that has everyone laughing. A really fun entertaining film if you can find it on DVD.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

It all ends says the poster's tag line and so it does. With much wand waving and spell casting, and an occasional heart string tugged at. It's spectacular to watch and while the tone is darker in the latter films, they still come over essentially as a merry romp. As 8 films spanning a decade with consistantly high production values they are a significant part of recent film history but I'm surprised by the casts dismay at the lack of non-technical awards nods because for all the box office receipts, there is nothing individually stand out. This is a good thing in a series that heavily relies on ensemble casts sub almost every working British actor found here somewhere but there is no insult in saying the whole works, but not because of one performance.

The Tree Of Life

Terrence Malick muses on life, death, grace, nature and our place in the universe by showing us two children growing up. It's beautiful to look at but the constantly shifting camera and edits make you feel like you're suffering from ADD. I spent the film feeling like something important was about to happen but nothing ever did. It was artful and considered in a way I wish more films were so I despaired that I was so incredibly bored that for the first time in over a decade I strongly considered leaving win the half of the audience that did. This one is only for the insomniacs.

The Way

A father is called to France to collect the body of his son who has died on a walking pilgrimmage along the 800km Camino de Santiago (Way of St James). The film follows him as he decides to complete the walk in what becomes his own personal pilgrimmage.

The film is fantastic on the way it captures the essence of what doing a walk of this kind is like. The familiar faces that become friends. The frustrations when they're there and you want to be alone. The little things that become significant just for being outside daily life. Glorious countryside at times revelled in, at times ignored.

But the walk is really a visual motif representing the spiritual journey the walker is making. This is where the film really lifts itself above the crowd, finding a light touch to bring emotional resonance to points a heavy hand would drag down to cliché.

A minor complaint would be never showing the hard miles, blister lancing or foot bandaging that these walks require. But, perhaps because I enjoy a long break plodding from A to B, this is by far my favourite film of the year so far.

Little White Lies

Guiallme Canet previously directed the excellent Tell No One so I went along to Little White Lies with high hopes of some excellent French cinema. And it certainly is very French.

A group of friends go to the coast to spend the holidays at their rich friends villa. Much wining, dining and philosophising ensues. If anything a bit too much ensues. About an hour too much.

I quite enjoyed the film, at least in part because I enjoy French cinema style but the main characters all need a slap so by the end I felt a bit weary and the trite end undercut the main point of the film leaving it feeling hollow.