October was a busy month for me, so there is only one film in the Film Fight…

First and last up, Gone Girl is David Fincher’s latest, about a man who is accused of abducting and killing his missing wife. The pacing here is masterful, with each act taking the story in a different direction; moving from straight-up thriller to dark satire along the way. As you’d expect from Fincher, the whole thing looks gorgeous, with a golden sheen over all of those fixed camera shots. While the film is generally well-acted, there are a few of the smaller performances that are a bit broad, but nothing to really put you off. All in all a very good movie (See my Gone Girl Twitter review).

The inevitable winner is, of course, Gone Girl.

For September’s Film Fight, we have three films…

First up, The Guest very quickly establishes that its tongue is firmly in cheek and that, despite the unease and tension in some scenes, it is not to be taken seriously. Doing this early was a good move, as it can then play scenes as knowing, rather than misjudged. The film finds just the right balance of dark comedy, home-intruder horror, and outright action for the mix to work. Enjoyable. (See my The Guest Twitter review).

While the slow burn of a spy thriller can be rewarding, A Most Wanted Man is not. It has the hallmarks of the genre: a slow, methodical build-up of misdirection, double-agents and deep-planning. It fails to pay-off on any of it. Maybe that was the intended punch-line, that sometimes these cat-and-mouse games don’t work, but to the viewer the lack of any real dramatic moment meant it was largely dull. Boring. (See my A Most Wanted Man Twitter review).

Finally, Before I Go To Sleep has a lingering and sad atmosphere, every scene filled up with a sense of mourning for a life that has been forgotten. Nicole Kidman is fantastic as a woman filling in the details of her former life day-on-day; with Colin Firth and Mark Strong both giving good performances. While the ending is overly saccharine, and oddly out of place, the majority of this film is excellent. Beautifully shot, well acted, and with an interesting narrative. Must watch.   (See my Before I Go To Sleep Twitter review).

The obvious winner is Before I Go To Sleep, for its strong performances and great direction.

Again, a few months late, but August’s Film Fight has 4 films…

First up, Guardians of the Galaxy represents a change of pace for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Where the earlier films are straight-faced without being dour, Guardians is out-and-out comic book crazy as we see the wider cosmic parts of the universe. The cast are great, managing to pull off fun action with genuinely funny moments; playing the right level of knowing insight into the absurdity of, for example, a tree that is best friends with a psychotic raccoon. The storytelling is a little exposition-heavy at times, but you won’t mind when everything else works so well. Very good. (See my Guardians of the Galaxy Twitter review).

The Inbetweeners 2 is the result of extending a series way beyond breaking point. Where the series was funny, and the first film was okay, there’s barely anything left for a second film. There are a handful of horrible but funny moments, but most of the film is just the same reheated filler. Avoid. (See my The Inbetweeners 2 Twitter review).

The Expendables 3 is another sequel that should never have been made. As is par for the course, the opening and closing action sequences are big, extravagant indulgences that can be greatly entertaining. The problem is everything else: the awful acting, the terrible dialogue, bad pacing, pointless subplots etc. There’s very little to like when something isn’t exploding on screen. Also avoid. (See my The Expendables 3 Twitter review).

Finally, The Rover is an exceptional, cold-blooded revenge thriller against the backdrop of a society that no longer has meaningful consequences. Set in a post apocalyptic world, reminiscent of The Road, Guy Pearce delivers one of his best performances as the not-quite-right lead. Brutal, relentless and breathtaking. Very good. (See my The Rover Twitter review).

The winner is The Rover for being such a cold but gripping film.

Yup, they’re getting later and later at the moment, but here’s the Film Fight for July, with 4 films…

First up, How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a fun-enough sequel to what was a pretty good kids movie. It’s not a masterpiece, feeling a little formulaic at times, but it really didn’t have to be a classic. There are sad moments, fun moments, exciting moments. It does its job of being an entertaining, if light-hearted, film. Enjoyable. (See my How To Train Your Dragon 2 Twitter review).

Boyhood is a fascinating experiment: director Richard Linklater assembled his cast every year for a few weeks, ostensibly so we can see the 7-year old boy at the centre of the film turn into a 19-year old man. While the pacing doesn’t always work, it’s great to see the actors improve year-on-year. While Ellar Coltrane, as the lead, sees the most obvious evolution, it’s great to see now-seasoned actors, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette, going from serviceable at the start to great towards the end. Very worthwhile. (See my Boyhood Twitter review).

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprisingly good reboot of the franchise, so it was going to be interesting to see where its sequel, Dawn of the Planet of The Apes, went next. There’s a significant time jump and the human population is all but wiped out as the film begins. A small group stumble into Caesar (the ape leader) and his new family, causing tensions to rise. While the supporting cast are sketched in overly broad strokes, the leads are well-drawn characters forced into worsening situations. There are a number of missteps (the music is overwrought, the apes using guns is never earned) but it remains entertaining. A solid action/adventure. (See my Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Twitter review).

Finally, The Purge: Anarchy takes the silly premise of The Purge (that for one night a year no crime is illegal) into a new direction. Where the original was a home-invasion horror, Anarchy is more of a suspense-thriller, in the mould of Judgement Night. Viewed through that almost B-movie lens, it’s an entertaining film. There aren’t many surprises, but the action keeps the pace up nicely. Good. (See my The Purge: Anarchy Twitter review).

For July, the winner is Boyhood, for being such an interesting cinematic undertaking.

It’s October, so clearly this Film Fight for June is very, very late. It is, however, quite full, with 6 films reviewed.

First up, A Million Ways To Die In The West is an absolutely terrible comedy. While it certainly does have some funny moments, most of which don’t rise above toilet humour, the film as a whole is almost as bad as Seth Macfarlane’s performance. He comes across as wooden when delivering anything that isn’t a gag. His knowing insights into the genre he’s pastiching get old quickly, and there’s little else going on. Boring, poorly paced, and badly acted. (See my A Million Ways To Die In The West Twitter review).

Edge of Tomorrow (or Live Die Repeat, or All You Need is Kill, depending on your context) is an excellent take on the time loop genre. An unwilling PR mans gets pressed into combat against an unstoppable alien force, being forced to live through his bad day thousands of time, as he slowly becomes a weapon. It does a remarkable job of compressing the wealth of information it has to convey into a clear shorthand; you’re rarely at a loss as to where he is in the cycle, even in the midst of the fast-paced action. Exciting and well made, an excellent watch. (See my Edge of Tomorrow Twitter review).

Fruitvale Station is the 2013 Sundance Grand Jury prize winning film, based on the true story of a man who was shot by police at the titular station. It is shot in a straightforward manner, following him around for the day leading up to the events; giving us a chance to see the struggles of the man before seeing his last struggle. The performances, like the camera work, are grounded leading to a horrible unease as the ending gets closer. Great film, well worth seeing. (See my Fruitvale Station Twitter review).

There have been many hours of media activity around the West Memphis 3, so it’s not surprising to see a dramatised version in the form of Devil’s Knot. It is, however, surprising to see an otherwise decent pair of leads (Reece Witherspoon and Colin Firth) turn in such poor performances. With the exception of Kevin Durand’s small role, where he absolutely nails it as John Mark Byers, there’s nothing worth seeing here. It’s poorly paced, with overwrought music, and a lack of care. If you want to know about this case, watch the Paradise Lost documentaries. Avoid this. (See my Devil’s Knot Twitter review).

When 21 Jump Street was announced, it seemed like a bizarre, completely unnecessary and likely very bad movie reboot of a once popular TV show, in the vein of Bewitched. It turned out to be one of the funniest dumb comedies out of the US in a good while. 22 Jump Street then is that most unnecessary of things: a sequel to an unnecessary success. Thankfully, it turns out to also be pretty good. While it never hits the highs of its predecessor, it does turn in some great scenes. It is highly derivative but knowingly so, without being a simple cash-grab. Worth seeing. (See my 22 Jump Street Twitter review).

Finally, Cold in July is… well, barely memorable. I am writing this significantly further on from seeing the film that I would like, but nothing much really stands out. The film is something of a throwback to the 80s revenge thrillers that have seen a small resurgence of late. It’s quite bloody in places and with relatively good performances, but the over-the-top lighting and bad pacing put this into B-movie territory. Decent. (See my Cold in July Twitter review)

The winner this month is a tough choice. As an example of the action genre, Edge of Tomorrow is very strong, but I think it’s edged out by the slightly more worthy Fruitvale Station. (As an aside, Fruitvale Station is currently on Netflix if you happen to be in Canada).