Just watched Mark Kermode's video blog, 'Worst 5 Films of 2010' and have to agree with his comments on Sex and the City 2 being a colossal embarassment. Offensive for all involved.
I'm having a think over the films of 2010 and can't help but feel a bit saddened by the number of remakes and sequels on the go. Six of the top ten grossing films in the US were remakes or sequels. While Toy Story 3 is a great example of when it works, as a movie-goer I'd like to see more original stories, ideas and characters. When the audience feels the brand is being milked for all it's worth, I think it's time to move on. There's an abundance of brilliant ideas and potential adaptations just waiting to be played with. One such example of this at work is 2009's Up in the Air.
At this point, I ought to be honest with you and mention the gaps in my 2010 film viewing. I missed a couple of the biggies; The Social Network (which, I'm told is utterly brilliant), Kick Ass and Exit Through the Gift Shop, spring to mind.
One film I didn't see, though as a result of design, was the Human Centipede. 2010 had its share of horror and I love the genre but the old-school stuff, you know; suspense, excitement, dread... I'm not one for the pornographic gore of Hostel or Splice. So I politely declined the Human Centipede, the trailer for which remains etched in my memory.
On a different note, pleasant surprises last year included Predators which ticked all the boxes. I'm back-tracking to a degree here, after my quips earlier about sequels, but this one was removed enough from the original and good enough to stand alone. The storyline was well-thought out, nicely shot and convincingly acted. And seeing Adrian Brody transformed from the quellazaire-holding-Italian-suit-wearing gentleman into a sweaty, buff army-guy was a lot of fun.
My stinkers of the year have to be Sex and the City 2, Robin Hood (ahem, another remake) and Brooklyn's Finest. SATC2, I think, is a self-explanatory disaster. Robin Hood, while it had a good deal of cash thrown at the problem to make it look very pretty, just failed for me. Crowe appears to be flavour of the month just now and while I enjoy his films, I felt there were a thousand British actors who could have nailed this part (and kept the same accent throughout). Blanchett - another actress I enjoy, brilliant in Veronica Guerin- felt totally wrong for her part and dare I say this, a bit too old for Marion. As far as the storyline itself went, the historical reshuffling felt extrapolated and clumsy. It didn't take me long to lose interest in this one.
Brooklyn's Finest had one major flaw; it was just too depressing. I've no other qualms with the film except its failure to provide its audience with a lifeline as things start bad and only get worse. It's a shame beacuase they paid for a great cast with Don Cheadle, Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke. By the time it finished, my partner and I felt deflated and marginally suicidal. I guess I just don't think a film should leave you without any hope left in your bones which is why I mention it here.
2010, we doth our cap to you. As for 2011, we hope for great things.
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3 comments:
I totally agree. I also note that you don't take the opportunity to have a dig at twilight. While we love it so, Eclipse was rather flawed, in fact, I recall us both laughing our asses off at rather serious scenes. Boy, that was a long sentence!
Love the log honey x
does robin hood really count as a remake?
Yeah, I guess Robin Hood isn't a remake, it's more 'remake of the much tired legend'.
And yes Clare, Eclipse had issues but as far as the Twilight movies, i'm very much blinkered. :)
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