120+ Movies: Summer Blockbuster season is here!

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120+ Movies of 2011

The InternationalThe International (23/04/11)

An Interpol agent attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution’s role in an international arms dealing ring.

What have I learnt from watching this film? The world’s banks are lethal corporate machines and rule the world with an iron fist. Or something like that. What else have I learnt? The subject of banks don’t necessarily make for an interesting thriller. I got lost in a lot of the details.

Plotting was pretty slow. I admit I did get very bored and woke up somewhat just as the excellent scene at the Guggenheim museum played out. Loved that scene and the use of the structure of the museum was brilliant.

Can’t remember the outcome of the film, but by the end I didn’t care too much. None too thrilling characters and heavy dialog meant I got lost along the way!
Rating: 2/5

ThorThor (25/04/11)

The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

The first time I saw the trailer for the film I was a little scared. It looked like it could be a major car crash of a comic book film and not at all paving the way for The Avengers film. The look of Asgard looked so absolutely over the top. I couldn’t imagine that playing alongside the very normal Earthbound scenes.

The film was anything but a car crash. It was brilliant! Loved it. Chris Hemsworth made a fantastic Thor. Going from an arrogant, cock-sure god to a much more human god. Asgard looked absolutely stunning as did all the very elaborate Asgard-ian outfits. Great storyline – simple but there was no need for it to be any more complicated for the sake of it. Loved the cameo from a certain Avenger and the post-credits scene just made me excited about The Avengers movie.

Natalie Portman didn’t have a whole lot to do. Shame, but that’s what the role called for. All of the attention was firmly on Thor and his journey. As an origin film for a comic book character, that’s what the film needed to be.

Having the film in 3D is utterly pointless. Some of the action sequences were so frenetic that it all looked like a blur in 3D. Though that’s more the studio and marketing people’s insistence on making films 3D when there’s absolutely no need for it.

I think the bar has been raised very high for the rest of the comic book movies that are due to be released this year. It also has bonus points from me for using Foo Fighters.
Rating: 5/5

Fast & Furious 5: Rio HeistFast & Furious 5: Rio Heist (28/04/11)

Dominic and his crew find themselves on the wrong side of the law once again as they try to switch lanes between a ruthless drug lord and a relentless federal agent.

This film doesn’t claim to be anything other than what it is – a balls out ridiculously large action film with some of the most beautiful cars seen onscreen since Gone in 60 Seconds. And for that I absolutely loved it.

The plot’s simple, even with a couple of hiccups along the way, the film goes from A to B with few deviations from the course. You’ve got some fantastic action sequences set in the favelas of Rio. Those really were fantastic to watch. I think I caught a little bit of CG when Brian and Mia went crashing through a rusted roof – they suddenly looked very plastic-y! Other than that, the action sequences looked refreshingly real – something a lot of action films lack these days.

Same with the car chase sequences. All were done with real cars and some skilled stunt drivers. That’s another reason to applause the film. I still think my favourite car chase sequence of all time is shared between Ronin, The Bourne Identity and Supremacy. However the final car chase with the bank vault was so ridiculously audacious and just plain massive, it’s got a special place on my favourite car chase list.

The car themselves? Can I just say wow? The 2002 Porsche GT3, 1966 Ford GT40, Koenigsegg CCX, 1972 Nissan Skyline, I could go on! Too many pretty cars for me to list them all, but those are my favourites. I think. The list is sure to change the next time I see the film, when I buy it on blu-ray!

Brian Tyler’s back with the scoring duties and he’s pulled it off again. Fantastic action movie score to add that little bit more to the film. It’s hard not to love it.

Fast & Furious wasn’t a movie franchise I thought I’d be a fan of. I just ignore films 2 and 3 in the franchise. 1 and 4 were fantastic films and Rio Heist is a great addition to the franchise.
Rating: 5/5

Read on to see the entire list of movies seen this year so far:

43 Movies so far this Year

  1. The Horse Whisperer 3/5 (1/1/1)
  2. The Informant! 3/5 (09/01/11)
  3. The Fighter 4/5 (11/01/11)
  4. 127 Hours 5/5 (14/01/11)
  5. The Wolfman 3/5 (15/01/11)
  6. Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story 4/5 (16/01/11)
  7. The King’s Speech 5/5 (19/01/11)
  8. The Town 4/5 (20/01/11)
  9. Ninja Assassin 2/5 (24/01/11)
  10. He’s Just Not That Into You 1/5 (25/01/11)
  11. Imagine That 1/5 (27/01/11)
  12. Gentlemen Broncos 2/5 (04/02/11)
  13. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale 4/5 (06/02/11)
  14. Daybreakers 3/5 (12/02/11)
  15. The Book of Eli 2/5 (13/02/11)
  16. True Grit 4/5 (15/02/11)
  17. Red 1/5 (19/02/11)
  18. Invictus 3/5 (20/02/11)
  19. Coraline 2/5 (28/02/11)
  20. Juno 3/5 (02/03/11)
  21. Monsters vs. Aliens 1/5 (06/03/11)
  22. Jennifer’s Body 2/5 (06/03/11)
  23. Rango 4/5 (09/03/11)
  24. The Crazies 4/5 (11/03/11)
  25. Lakeview Terrace 1/5 (12/03/11)
  26. Battle: Los Angeles 3/5 (13/03/11)
  27. Submarine 4/5 (14/03/11)
  28. The Adjustment Bureau 2/5 (16/03/11)
  29. Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief 2/5 (18/03/11)
  30. The Happening 1/5 (19/03/11)
  31. Sucker Punch 2/5 (02/04/11)
  32. Carriers 1/5 (03/04/11)
  33. Source Code 4/5 (06/04/11)
  34. 3:10 to Yuma 3/5 (09/04/11)
  35. Walking Tall 1/5 (12/04/11)
  36. Your Highness 3/5 (13/04/11)
  37. El Mariachi 3/5 (14/03/11)
  38. From Paris With Love 3/5 (15/04/11)
  39. Scream 4 3/5 (16/04/11)
  40. Hot Tub Time Machine 2/5 (17/04/11)
  41. Attack the Block 4/5 (20/04/11)
  42. The International 2/5 (23/04/11)
  43. Thor 5/5 (25/04/11)
  44. Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist 5/5 (28/04/11)

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