I’m not a comic book fan. The genre staple of superheroes fighting each other in every possible combination over childish dialogue and ludicrous lack of continuity really does not appeal. Which is why, after telling some comic-loving friends this, I was so surprised to enjoy their recommendation: Y: The Last Man.

It tells the story of Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, starting from the day when every other male on the planet suddenly and violently dies. They’re left with a world where women have to rebuild. With significant losses to the population of nuclear engineers, politicians, pilots etc, Yorick witnesses a society that is struggling to find meaning while throwing off old gender stereotypes. Meanwhile, he is tasked with finding a cure, accompanied by a brilliant geneticist and a bodyguard.

While some of the sci-fi trappings can seem a little clichéd in synopsis, the excellent writing (provided by Brian K. Vaughn, who now writes for Lost) is thoughtful and tactful enough that everything that happens seems so inescapable, there’s no other way that you can conceive of events unfolding.

Unfortunately, the final issue of Y was released just last month, but it’s better that it was a planned finale (the story was always supposed to end at this point) than it running on longer than the story could have taken.

I’d advise anyone, particularly those who’ve taken a snobbish attitude to the comic book form, to read this one book. If you’re not hooked by the end of the first issue, I can’t help you; this is the work of genius.

As a post-script, I’d like to add that it’s drawn me into some of the less stereotyped comics (I still don’t like superhero books), including:

• Ex Machina — Vaughn’s other series, about a man who becomes a failed vigilante with the help of a mysterious accident,
• The Walking Dead — A fun, though sometimes drawn-out, story about zombie apocalypse survivors (I have a soft spot for all things zombie),
• Buffy Season 8 — Whedon continuing his brilliant storytelling with a massive increase in scope in terms of what can be achieved.
• V for Vendetta — The classic 10 part series about revenge, propaganda and change; which makes the film look like a vague embarrassment.

Go, read.

Kicking off another year of Film Fight in a particularly late fashion comes the January 2008 update.

Dan in Real Life hits an interesting balance between a character study of a man falling apart with feelings of jealousy and inadequacy, and lightweight family comedy. Steve Carrell plays the titular character who falls in love with a woman he can’t have. Under slightly cliched circumstances, they are forced to spend a substantial amount of time together and shenanigans ensue. While at times it falls short, with schmaltzy scenes and some resolutions that are a little too easy, it proves itself to be a surprisingly good film. It’s warming fun, without being unbearably cookie cutter. Worth seeing.

Almost in stark contrast, Charlie Wilson’s War is a lot more lightweight and throw-away than it should have been. The film follows a minor congressman through the period where he shadow funded Afghanistan against Russia, in order to bring about the end of the cold war. The subject matter could’ve been the stuff of heavyweight political drama and dark dealings, but we’re left with a fairly insubstantial fluff piece about a womanising politician trying to do something with his life. The one stand out performance is Philip Seymour Hoffman as an aggressive but ultimately brilliant CIA agent who masterminds the broad strokes of the plan; his performance making it a real shame that the thrust of the film wasn’t better conceived.

The Coen brothers return to form with a new modern masterpiece, No Country for Old Men. Excluding a slightly over-long and fruitless final scene, acting as a diminuendo, this film hits home perfectly. It has a quiet mood to it: dialogue is sparing (particularly in the early part of the film), scenes are framed in shadow, and plot revelations are left largely to what the central character knows. Josh Brolin plays that well-trodden Coen archetype: a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, presented with an opportunity, and he pulls it off superbly. His performance is only bettered by Javier Bourdem, a killer who is terrifying and ruthlessly homicidal, while being fair, principled and honest. Throughout he comes across like a force of nature: uncompromising, unchallengeable but not malicious. Brilliant from any angle, and well worth seeing.

Sweeney Todd is a complete change of pace. Based on the musical, it sees a typical Tim Burton cast sing their way through a dark comedy about revenge, treachery and mince pies. While the opening hour is painfully slow and the various accents laughable, it really starts picking itself up for a solid, if somewhat predictable, finale. Going a few steps off the beaten path have certainly made an odd concept work surprisingly well.

Finally, Walk Hard sees John C. Reilly step out of the shadow of his peers and into the limelight, somewhat mimicking the on-screen change of a Johnny Cash wannabe hitting the big time. For the most part the jokes are obvious and somewhat cheap, but that doesn’t stop Reilly hitting the mark. A particular highlight is the cameo-laden Beatles scene, full of bickering and in-fighting (as well as terrible Liverpudlian accents). It won’t win any awards, but is worth seeing once.

The first film fight winner of 2008 is: No Country for Old Men, another notch for the Coens.

A few things have bothered me about my film reviews over the last few years. While the format of Film Fight is broadly what I want, in that it allows me to sum up the year in films in fairly handy units, it does have more than a few flaws.

Because it’s at least a month between watching some films and writing that month’s Film Fight, some of the spark for the film is gone. I lose enthusiasm and I fear that my reaction, my writing, gets slowly watered down by further comparing films and analysing them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, films should stand up to scrutiny over time, but

I also want to capture that initial reaction a little better.

Additionally I’m more than aware that my timeliness with updates can be pretty poor. That’s due, in part, to the fact that writing all the reviews at the end of the month can seem like a burden at times (though one that, ultimately, I enjoy taking on). I’d like to get some feedback out there more quickly.

To that end, I’m trialling mini-reviews on my Twitter feed. As with all Twitter updates, they’re limited to 140 characters so that should make for timely updates that capture my feelings toward a particular film. I’m also adding #FF08 to each update, as a hashtag which should come in useful at some point.

As in previous years, let’s sum up last year with some near meaningless awards that show little change:

• Best album of 2007 – There’s a fair bit of competition here, mostly niche rock stuff. Although there were solid showings from Fighting with Wire, Biffy Clyro and Reuben, I think the album I’ve listened to (and had stuck in my head) most is the lo-fi noise of “Curses” by Future of the Left. It’s not going to find a big following, but the people it finds will be infected with the sharp vocal hooks throughout. A classic.
• Bravest album of 2007 – While it falters in the opening track and the later track about middleweight boxing in the ’80’s, JetPlane Landing’s latest offering, “Backlash Cop”, proves to be a unique masterpiece. Leaving the tight rock of their second album behind, the boys from Derry have done what no-one expected of them: a rap-blues-funk concept album about jazz and blues legends. It absolutely should not work, but track after track deliver strong beats, lyrics and tight rhythm.
• Best new band – no-one. I didn’t really get into any new bands this year that I can think of. If you want some new stuff, I can recommend most people on Captains of Industry. My own fault for focussing on bands I already had.
• Best Use of William Fichtner – The man, the legend. His appearances are growing increasingly rare but he shone as Agent Alexander Mahone, the man sent after the escapees in Prison Break, season 2.
• Best Book I read this year – Although I don’t have too much to pick from, I think “Post Office” by Charles Buchowski is my favourite. A great read.

A lot of similarities with the 2006 awards then, but that’s no great surprise. 2007 seemed like a year for things coming together rather than upheaval. We shall see what 2008 holds.

As with my common caveat last year, a knock-out tournament like the annual Film Fight can only determine the winner and not any of the other places, but that doesn’t hugely matter (the whole thing being an excuse for me to write about films anyway). Some notable films that did not take a monthly final place:

• Them!
• The Last King of Scotland
• Blood Diamond
• Sunshine
• Vacancy
• The Hoax
• Michael Clayton
• Death Proof
• Ratatouille
• American Gangster

More importantly, the twelve finalists:

• The Fountain
• Hot Fuzz
• The Good Shepherd
• The Lives of Others
• Zodiac
• Tell No One
• Edmond
• The Bourne Ultimatum
• Knocked Up
• The Counterfeiters
• Planet Terror
• The Golden Compass

It’s pretty telling, to me, that of all the great films this year, my favourite three (The Counterfeiters, The Lives of Others, and Tell No One) are foreign language films that go back to strong narratives, beautiful direction, and character acting, rather than big budget Hollywood efforts.

More than in previous years, it’s incredibly difficult to decide between those three great movies, but I think the performance of Ulrich Mühe in The Lives of Others edges it over the top. A triumph of traditional strong story-telling, the film is a must-see masterpiece.