Sweet Nothings

The main problem with being an avid fan of Mark Kermode and the Kermode/Mayo "Wittertainment" brand is trying to avoid basing my opinions exclusively upon his. I try not to always agree with him, but such is the strength of his character that I find myself absorbing his views by an odd kind of osmosis. Take Inglourious Basterds , for instance. Even though I really enjoyed the movie and it had those two incredible sequences (the opening one in the house and the one in the bar), I share every criticism the good Doctor made of that film and its creator - overlong, undisciplined, self-indulgent in the extreme, etc. It's just that I love Tarantino's style so much that I can forgive him an awful lot (I've not seen Death Proof , to be fair). Basterds wasn't my film of the year though. Film studios and critics everywhere will be devastated to know that I haven't really decided on one. All the big Oscar-fodder came along in January in what has become the annual ...

Movies JJ Abrams's reimagining of Star Trek was better than I could ever have expected it to be. Contrary to accusations from some die-hard Trekkers, Abrams has managed to stay true to the spirit of the tired old franchise whilst completely reinvigorating it with hipper characters and cutting-edge FX. Surely there won't be a better action blockbuster all year. Let The Right One In was an effective melding of youthful coming-of-age tale and bloody horror, made more unsettling by its bleached 80s Scandinavian suburban setting. Perhaps not the masterpiece that some have made it out to be though, and certainly the gorier scenes prompted more knowing laughter from me rather than genuine scares. And then there was a preview showing of The Hangover last week. Now, the format of this is somewhat original - three blokes wake up in their hotel room after a stag night in Vegas having gained a baby and a tiger but lost the groom - but the unlikeable, 2D characters (including a young Brian...