April was a relatively quiet month for cinema, with only three films viewed.

First up, Noah is a heavily dramatised and expanded telling of the story of Noah and the ark, as imagined by Darren Aronofsky. I’m a fan of much of Aronofsky’s work (particularly The Wrestler and Black Swan) so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in tackling what appeared to be a dull subject. I was wrong to do so as there is almost nothing worthwhile in this movie. Visually, it’s horrendous: bad green screen, awful CG, and colour-graded in the least tactful way you can imagine. The story is overblown, the performances lack any subtlety, and the dialogue is, to a line, atrocious. I cannot begin to imagine why anyone thought this was worth filming having seen a script, but all we can do now is avoid it. One of the worst films in recent years. (See my Noah Twitter review).

A few years ago The Raid was a surprisingly brilliant action movie, full of intricate choreography and a relentless pace, confined to a small tower block. The Raid 2 sees the scope expand across many more characters and locations, but keeps the essence: a fair plot that is fast moving, but with stunning fights. The stunt set pieces throughout are brilliant. From the prison riot through the nightclub brawl, you won’t be disappointed. The story itself is a little more convoluted, and told out of order, but don’t let that throw you too much. Enjoy the action, enjoy the movie. (See my The Raid 2 Twitter review).

Finally, Calvary is a strangely dark story about a priest forced to represent the better side of humanity to a largely unseen antagonist (and a cast of other broken people), beyond what he should have to bear. While that sounds high concept, the film is very much grounded in humanity. Shot through with a dark humour, it’s an oddly affecting film that can be laugh out loud funny one minute and tense the next. From the look through to the performances, this film rarely slips. Exceptionally good. (See my Calvary Twitter review).

The winner, as should be obvious, is Calvary; an unexpected gem.

March, as with February, was a reasonably busy month for films, with five fairly good movies.

First up, The Grand Budapest Hotel is precisely and obviously a Wes Anderson movie. It has all the elements of his signature look and feel: the wide framing, the grand shots, the pastel colours, the awkward dialogue, the quirkiness. It’s all there. The story itself centres on the life of a young man who finds love and a mentor and has to fight for both, but is told with all of Anderson’s dry silliness. It’s fair to say that if you like his other films you will like this. I am an Anderson fan, so I’d say this is a lovely film. (See my The Grand Budapest Hotel Twitter review).

The Zero Theorem, meanwhile, is precisely and obviously a Terry Gilliam film. Weird, bordering on surreal, characters inhabiting a bizarre, but not entirely unfamiliar, world. Christoph Waltz is great as the lead, an obsessive recluse searching for an answer to a macguffin of a problem. The whole film is a strange look at hiding away rather than embracing society, and the effects that might have on a mind. It’s not the easiest film, but it is fun. Good. (See my The Zero Theorem Twitter review).

Under the Skin is an alien movie. I don’t merely mean that the lead is an antagonist (played by Scarlet Johansson) sent to lure men to their doom in the manner of many b-movies; no, it’s keen to impress upon the audience a very alien, detached view of the world. After the initial laughs provided by the candid shots around Glasgow subside, we’re left with a stark and difficult to grasp film about the main character’s first glimpses of emotion. At times, utterly devoid of something comprehensible for the audience to get behind and at others so painfully at odds with their views (the beach scene with the young child is devastating), this is an interesting movie but hard to say that it is enjoyable. Worth seeing, if you have tough skin. (See my Under the Skin Twitter review).

British prison movie, Starred Up, is an unflinching look at the criminal justice system in the UK. Told from the point of view of a young man raised under harsh conditions, his arrival in the same prison as his father is as sad as it is inevitable. As he starts to be able to cope with the anger he has, the system keeps dragging him further in. Dark, brutal, and maybe a little heavy-handed at times, this is definitely worth a watch. (See my Starred Up Twitter review).

Finally, Captain America: The Winter Soldier proves itself to be one of the best blockbuster action films in years. It manages to effortlessly handle the world-building, character progression and plot (albeit a light one), while integrating some fantastic set pieces. It’s big, without being sprawling, and fun without being silly. While the Apple advert jammed in the middle jars quite badly, the rest is a great mix of action and adventure. It’s not as epic as The Avengers movie, but is probably a better movie for it. Very good. (See my Captain America: The Winter Solider Twitter review).

It’s another difficult month to pick a winner, especially given they all do very different things. I think I’ll go for The Grand Budapest Hotel, as the film most likely to stand the test of time.

I’ve been letting Film Fight slide a little, but it’s time to get back to it. February was almost five months ago, but was exceptionally strong, with six films that were all (spoiler!) really good. Not a bad one in the bunch, but what will win?

First up, Inside Llewyn Davis is relatively restrained for a Coen Brothers movie, showing life for a talented but struggling musician in the 1960’s folk scene. The titular character’s problems are mostly of his own making, finding himself unable to progress personally or artistically. The soundtrack is excellent throughout, the performances and characters are spot on, and the whole thing looks just right. The divisive meta ending aside, this is a strong movie. (See my Inside Llewyn Davis Twitter review).

Dallas Buyers Club is the sad story of a man who finds out he has AIDS and is given 30 days to live. Struggling to come to terms with his death sentence, he has to start putting aside his prejudices and old life in order to survive. Touching, sad, and wonderfully acted, this is another excellent performance by Matthew McConaughey; an actor on a great run of late. Very good. (See my Dallas Buyers Club Twitter review).

The Lego Movie is exactly what you might hope for: a funny, daft and often self-deprecating adventure aimed at kids, but with more than a few nods to the older audience members. The original characters are all good enough, but it’s the weird takes on existing characters (like Batman) that really shine. It’s got a good message, and manages to be both fun and well-considered. (See my Lego Movie Twitter review).

Her is about a lonely, quiet man who finally finds love again. To give it the twist you’d expect from a Spike Jonze film, his new partner is the artificial intelligence that he installs on his computer to put his life in order. The film follows their romance, as a commentary on the ever-changing nature of relationships from new love to drifting apart, but set against the question of what it means to be human. Jonze doesn’t let the big ideas get in the way of the story, as you’ll find yourself rapt from start to finish. A very good movie. (See my Her Twitter review).

Richard Ayoade’s second feature film, The Double, is about a man whose small life starts to fall apart when he meets his more successful doppelgänger. Set against a surreal Kafkan bureaucracy that makes the whole thing feel weird, we see the lead unravel scene-by-scene. Jesse Eisenberg does a great job as both the mild and meek character, and his charismatically aggressive double. There are no big laughs, but that’s fine: the humour is all in the tension. Funny. (See my The Double Twitter review).

Finally, Only Lovers Left Alive is about a vampire who is growing weary with immortality, especially with the humans he sees as ruining the planet. When his distant wife comes to comfort him, the film really starts. Between the cinematography, editing, and music, the film has a weirdly hypnotic feel that gives the comfortable romance a surprising warmth. This does, however, mean that the few dodgy lines of dialogue are oddly jarring, pulling you out of the trance-like mood. Still, both Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton are excellent, with a great supporting cast around them. A little odd, but definitely worth seeing. (See my Only Lovers Left Alive Twitter review).

The winner? Well, this is the toughest month in a very long time, but I think the contrast of scope and intimacy in Her being handled so well puts it ahead.

A new year, a new start for Film Fight. It’s been a busy start to the year so this is coming quite late. Three films for January:

First up, American Hustle has the kind of cast that you know you’re not going to have to worry about. They’ll turn in great performances and nail whatever you throw at them. That’s precisely what happens here, save for a few comically over-the-top moments. Leaving the cast aside, then, we’re left with a wildly unevenly paced film. At times, we get a barrage of clips, being narrated by the leads, at other times nothing much happens for 15 minutes. Given the lengthy runtime, this starts to become problematic. An entertaining film, with fun performances, but not a classic.  (See my American Hustle Twitter review).

Similarly, 12 Years A Slave has some of the most stunning performances of the Oscar season. Chiwetel Ejiofor, as the titular slave, is as fantastic when he’s trying to keep his head down as when he’s being brutalised by one of his masters. Likewise, Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of the cotton plantation owner is shocking and unnerving; bringing a genuinely frightening presence. We see the same level of performance from the rest of the cast, except for one minor but pivotal role that seemed quite out of place. It’s tough to watch the lingering, violent shots but it’s certainly worthwhile. An excellent film. (See my 12 Years A Slave Twitter review).

Finally, The Wolf of Wall Street is a fantastic, comic take on some of the worst excesses that came out of the world of stockbrokers. Based on a true story, it follows a mans rise from nobody to head of his own stockbroking firm; a position he gets to through lying, stealing and cheating, while indulging in every excess imaginable. The 18 rating on the film is well-deserved, given the copious sex and drug-taking scenes that make up the bulk of the film. The film is entertaining with a wonderful cast, but at three hours is vastly longer than it needs to be, knocking at least half an hour off would lose nothing of substance. Fun. (See my Wolf of Wall Street Twitter review).

It’ll be no surprise to say that 12 Years A Slave is the first winner of the year.

Twelve film fights later and we’ve got another finale. As always, my caveat from earlier years still applies: Film Fight is done in a knock-out style and, as such, only picks my favourite film of the year; there are no guarantees about second place.

First up, the films that were good but that did not win their month i.e. the honourable mentions:

• Lincoln
• Zero Dark Thirty
• Robot and Frank
• Compliance
• Trance
• Mud
• The Iceman
• World War Z
• This Is The End
• The East
• The World’s End
• Monster’s University
• Kick-Ass 2
• Filth
• How I Live Now
• Machete Kills
• Captain Phillips
• Anchorman 2

Then the monthly winners:

• January: Django Unchained
• February: Wreck-It Ralph
• March: Cloud Atlas
• April: The Place Beyond the Pines
• May: Upstream Color
• June: Much Ado About Nothing
• July: Pacific Rim
• August: Lovelace
• September: The Way, Way Back
• October: Prisoners
• November: Gravity
• December: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The winners, as a whole, don’t seem quite as high-quality as some other years, but there are some absolutely fantastic films in there. The Place Beyond the Pines is a powerful look at privilege and family ties. Upstream Color is a wonderfully hypnotic piece of story telling that pulls off its dreamy feel far better than similar films. In Pacific Rim we have the monster movie done well: the story is nonsense but the fights are fun and have weight, despite being CG. Lovelace has two of the best lead performances of the year. While Gravity is spectacular visual storytelling, gripping throughout.

The winner, though, as predicted back in June, is Joss Whedon’s take on Much Ado About Nothing. It’s suitably breezy, funny, delightful, wonderfully shot, and rammed full of excellent performances. This is an absolute masterclass on making Shakespeare feel relevant today, without dumbing down the source material. A well-deserved win.