This week is a new top 10 list, and I'll be covering my top 10 current WWE superstars, these are the 10 superstars that out of the entire WWE roster, I like the most. This is a list of current wrestlers, not my all time top 10, although that may come one day yet. Now there are certain exceptions that have to be made to the list, I.e since HHH is only a semi-competitor, then I can't include him on the list. So here's my personal view of who's the best in WWE at the moment.
10. Cody Rhodes
Sure Cody doesn't share the same electricity as his father, but Cody has proven to be a rather skilled athlete, and someone who's broken away from his fathers shadow. He has a crisp fluidity in the ring, with moves such as the beautiful disaster or crossRhodes being executed with ease when most wrestlers would stumble. His realistic punches and kicks have been comended by the legendary Bret Hart. He first stood out in mid-2010, by portraying an over-the-top pretty boy or 'Dashing' gimmick, Cody exuded a vain, smuggness that made him a good heel. While I prefered the Dashing gimmick to what he does now, his disfigured psycho gimmick Is pretty good due to creative booking, and Cody does a good job of conveying it. Cody is a star on the rise, who's stepped out of his fathers spotlight.
9. Alberto Del Rio
Del Rio is one of the most talked about stars today. While his WWE title reign was seemingly unnoticable, there may be a reason for that, due to some mild problems I think Del Rio has. His in ring style is seemingly blad, as in he only has 2 major moves (1 finisher and 1 signiture), granted he wrestles a methodical heel style, he isn't the best technical wrestler, so that doesn't gell well. I believe that if Del Rio added more signature moves, maybe incorperates some lucha moves, he could be greater. Apart from that, his finisher/1 signiture (cross armbreaker and inziguri on top rope) that he does have are pretty good moves. Del Rio also has a smarmy charisma that is necessary for a heel. Complete with cool Mexican aristocrat gimmick, cool entrance and cool personal ring announcer (Ricardo!), Del Rio is a superstar that's always fun to watch.
8. Daniel Bryan
Although many of you will be angry at me for placing him this low, Bryan hasn't had much chance to shine recently. Maybe in autum 2010, when he was having good PPV matches, he'd have been higher on the list, but apart from Money in the Bank and Summerslam, he's had little PPV time this year, he's lost the majority of his matches and has been made to be Sin Cara's bitch. However, even his short Smackdown matches are gems, he is a wrestler who can adapt to any style and carry any opponent, he has an exciting moveset and is probably one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. All WWE need to do is put some faith in Bryan, give him more wins, maybe an IC title run and more PPV matches to showcase his ability, and Bryan can be one of the top wrestlers in the world.
7. Wade Barrett
A man who was probably the top heel of 2010, Barrett is someone who may be that again someday. He has all the qualities of a good superstar. Unique look, with a 6ft5 frame on a meaty body, his combed back hair and beaky nose add heel characteristics to him. His promos are carried out with a thick Prestonian accent that makes his monologues smooth, while he also has a sly, arrogance that's easily conveyed. His has a good moveset, and with his aformentioned frame, he can give these moves to most wrestlers (he gave his finisher to bloody Mark Henry!). Yes Barrett has all to tools to make him a major player in WWE, he's proven this during his fued with Randy Orton and John Cena, I'd like to see him as the top heel of Smackdown, I'd rather him than bloody Mark Henry.
6. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler on many occasions has been compared to the late great Mr Perfect Curt Henning, and there's a damn good reason. Ziggler is someone who's ability sets him apart from the rest, his technical skills mixed with pure athleticism, a good moveset and entertaining selling makes him a modern great. Drifting in the mid-cards now, I believe soon enough that Dolph will make it to the main event some day, he's had many great matches with the likes of Kofi Kingston, John Morrison and Daniel Bryan, his Royal Rumble match with Edge proved that he could be something. Dolph has a great look with a chisled physique and bleech blonde heel hair, his mic skills are a bit average, but that's why he had a manager, and he is one of the best athletes in wrestling right now, if WWE are smart, they'll use Dolph to his full potential.
5. Sheamus
Sheamus is what most promotions would look for in a wrestler, this is probably why he was pushed so early, like a young Brock Lesner, he can be the next big thing. He has a unique look that immediatly gains peoples attention, with unbelievably pale skin (which I think is a great counterpart for all the orange posers) and a striking Ginger haircut mixed with a huge physique that WWE loves so much. His mic-skills are pretty decent, the smooth Irish accent (it seems most wrestlers with cool accents are good on the mic) either striking fear when a heel, or being jolly and lighthearted as a face. Sheamus has a great range of moves for a man his size, and he hits each move with perfect timeing, a move like a brouge kick is hit so well that you'd think it was fecking real. All in all, Sheamus has every quality that makes a good wrestler, look, mic-work and in ring skills, and he has the later in spades.
4. Christian
After years of being considered one of the most underated wrestlers in the world, Christian has finally made it to the big time. Christian has earned the fans respect with his crisp moves, executed so smoothly, and having an array of moves to use in his matches. His series with Randy Orton this year was great, some of the best wrestling seen in a while. But it's Christians other qualities that've come out this year as well after his heel turn. His mic-work helps convey his heel character, which is what good heel mic-work should do, his pompus, arrogant, smarmy character who thinks he's so great that he deserves title shot after title shot, no matter how many times he's lost, his heel character is one you love to hate, thus making Christian the best heel today. It's good to see that Christian is in the main event, and with great matches and an awesome heel persona, it's obvious he belongs there.
3. The Miz
you either love or hate the Miz, and I love him. While his momentum has seemed to dwindle in the past month, he's shown that he's one of the most entertaining wrestlers there is. His mai attribute is his skills on the mic, he's done many promos that have grabbed the audiences attention and captivated them, his delivery is excellent, he's already spawned 2 catchphrases, Miz has a verbiage that is delivered slowly, yet with emphasis on each word, putting over whatever angle he's in. The Miz constantly presents himself as a superstar, with flashy suits and a certain charismatic swagger to him, making him, and anything he's involved in seem special. While he's not a Ric Flair or Bret Hart when it comes to ability, he still has a decent style, and can have pretty good matches with the right opponents. All these attribute make the Miz (sigh)....AWESOME!
2. Randy Orton
At one point the top wrestler in the world, only at the age of 31, he's already a 9 time world champion, winning his first at just 24, Orton is truely something special. At this point in his career, Orton is one of the best and at the top of his game. He has a quick, intense style that perfectly matches his persona of an angry psychopath with quick bursts of anger, his move have an impact, yet also a smooth flow to each sequence, making most of his matches with anyone enjoyable. He's had some of the best matches of his career with Christian this year, excelling his legacy even further, no other wrestler could match intensity with match quality at the same time, but Orton does it well. His dangerous Viper gimmick makes him a good anti-face character, someone who's badass and malicious, yet cool and justified, making him an extemely over superstar. Orton is only young, yet he's acomplished more than most veterans do, there's a reason for that, he's a perfect mixture of ability and persona, he's Randy Orton.
1. C.M Punk
In my view he is not only the best in WWE, but the best in the world right now, he's worked hard to get where he is, he had the respect of many fans, he's the top wrestler right now, he's CM Punk. After competing in the match of the year with John Cena at Money in the Bank, Punks career has skyrocketed, he has great in ring skill, a vast array of moves mixed with good psychologhy. Punk is a jack of all trades, he's a good technical wrestler, he can be a good highflyer, he incorperates martial arts kicks, and he knows how to build a match, use the perfect spots and come out as great. His mic-skills are also great, his promos recently have been entertaining, mixing a shoot style humour with a seriousness to intensify the fued. Any time Punk is on RAW, you know it's gonna be good, whether it's a well put together match, or a memorable segment, Punk is the star of WWE, let's hope it stays this way.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Review: The Fighter
When you have a certain genre of film that's packed with cliches, it's hard for a film in that genre to truely stand out as a classic, in this case, sports films, and in this case; David O Russel's 'The Fighter', does it's best to stand out, not only as a great boxing film, but as one of the premier films of the year. With powerful drama, suspense, acting, characters and well shot sequences, The Fighter is a film worthy of the many award nominations (and deserved wins) it had. So, for the sake of cliche...(sigh) Lets get ready to Rumble!
This true story follows up and commer boxer 'Irish' Micky Ward, a fighter who has potential, but by hook or crook, is held back by his family, including shovanistic (if that's the spelling), crack addict brother Dicky and controling mother Alice. With a dynamic like this, we are far more interested by what goes on outside the ring than what goes on inside. The fact that Micky is living in his brothers spotlight (Dicky was an ex-boxer who knocked down sugar Ray Leanard), that Alice clearly favours Dicky over Micky, how even the mildest act of breaking away by Micky is met with uproar from his family, how Dicky's addiction impairs his ability to help his brother when it counts, all these elements make us invested in the story and characters. Micky is so held back and overcomes so many obstacles, that when he wins in the end, you're feeling his jubilation and you're given the feel-good ending you need after all the turbulance. This is a story that'll have you hooked and rooting for the protagonist as all films should.
Now the matter of this being 'just another boxing film'. True there are the cliches of the hero overcomming all odds to achive his dreams, just liks the Rocky films. And there is complaint that even in the modern era, it doesn't hold the sense of cynicism that the great 'Raging Bull' held. But there's something to counteract the arguements of the nay Sayers. Unlike Rocky, this is a true story, all these so called cliches actually happened, so why take them out? And this isn't just any other feel good sports film, there's a grittyness to it, as is conveyed by the stagnant environment of Lowell, Massachusetts, a bleak setting with dull colouring all around. And the character of Dicky provides plenty of darkness, with his addiction digging him into a pit of hopelessness, having to steal his brothers spotlight to feel great again. Don't think of this as just another sports movie, it's way better (excluding Raging Bull)!
Director O Russell provides good direction (redundant!). The fight scenes are well shot, building suspense, putting the viewer in the midst of the battle, experiencing every punch, knockdown...well that's it. The fight scenes were shot using the same cameras HBO used to film Wards fights, creating a stylish realism of a 1990s boxing match. Scenes such as Dicky reanacting his Knock down of Sugar Ray, in a crackhouse, is filmed perfectly, slow motion used at the right moments to capture either the majesty or the brutality of the moment. This is truely O Russells finest work.
Sure there's drama, realism and direction, but the most praised thing in this movie is the acting. I know it's the obvious but I feel it must be mentioned in a 'Fighter' review, Christian Bale gives the best performance of his career, as Dicky. With a weasely Boston Accent, complete with punch drunk twang, there's also the constant spectacle, which is what the character of dicky is, a walking spectacle, Bale unleashes a blitzkrieg of smarmyness, brovado, sorrow, self pity and final jubilation all in one film, Bale is one of the few Oscar wins that truely deserved it. Mark Wahlberg as Micky is the lead, but is often discarded in the praise, which If any thing is good, it matches his character, while Bale gives the full force performance, soaking up the attention, it's Wahlberg who's restrained, conveying a man who just can't find it in him to stand up to his family. Amy Adams as Charlene, Micky's girlfriend, gives a decent performance, you feel she wants what's best for her man and you'd believe she could anyone the courage to make it to the top. Mellisa Leo as Alice is another great performance, you sense the love she has for her children, yet also her egotism and manipulation. As far as acting goes, you can't go wrong with this film, it's probably the most right acting you'll find.
In conclusion, 'The Fighter' is probably the 2nd greatest boxing movie ever (it ain't no Raging Bull), with everything you could want from a film, story, acting, direction...in the end it's a 5 star classic worthy of any praise it gets. If you'll remember this movie for anything, it'll be Bale's awesome performance, but don't let that be your only reason for watching.
This true story follows up and commer boxer 'Irish' Micky Ward, a fighter who has potential, but by hook or crook, is held back by his family, including shovanistic (if that's the spelling), crack addict brother Dicky and controling mother Alice. With a dynamic like this, we are far more interested by what goes on outside the ring than what goes on inside. The fact that Micky is living in his brothers spotlight (Dicky was an ex-boxer who knocked down sugar Ray Leanard), that Alice clearly favours Dicky over Micky, how even the mildest act of breaking away by Micky is met with uproar from his family, how Dicky's addiction impairs his ability to help his brother when it counts, all these elements make us invested in the story and characters. Micky is so held back and overcomes so many obstacles, that when he wins in the end, you're feeling his jubilation and you're given the feel-good ending you need after all the turbulance. This is a story that'll have you hooked and rooting for the protagonist as all films should.
Now the matter of this being 'just another boxing film'. True there are the cliches of the hero overcomming all odds to achive his dreams, just liks the Rocky films. And there is complaint that even in the modern era, it doesn't hold the sense of cynicism that the great 'Raging Bull' held. But there's something to counteract the arguements of the nay Sayers. Unlike Rocky, this is a true story, all these so called cliches actually happened, so why take them out? And this isn't just any other feel good sports film, there's a grittyness to it, as is conveyed by the stagnant environment of Lowell, Massachusetts, a bleak setting with dull colouring all around. And the character of Dicky provides plenty of darkness, with his addiction digging him into a pit of hopelessness, having to steal his brothers spotlight to feel great again. Don't think of this as just another sports movie, it's way better (excluding Raging Bull)!
Director O Russell provides good direction (redundant!). The fight scenes are well shot, building suspense, putting the viewer in the midst of the battle, experiencing every punch, knockdown...well that's it. The fight scenes were shot using the same cameras HBO used to film Wards fights, creating a stylish realism of a 1990s boxing match. Scenes such as Dicky reanacting his Knock down of Sugar Ray, in a crackhouse, is filmed perfectly, slow motion used at the right moments to capture either the majesty or the brutality of the moment. This is truely O Russells finest work.
Sure there's drama, realism and direction, but the most praised thing in this movie is the acting. I know it's the obvious but I feel it must be mentioned in a 'Fighter' review, Christian Bale gives the best performance of his career, as Dicky. With a weasely Boston Accent, complete with punch drunk twang, there's also the constant spectacle, which is what the character of dicky is, a walking spectacle, Bale unleashes a blitzkrieg of smarmyness, brovado, sorrow, self pity and final jubilation all in one film, Bale is one of the few Oscar wins that truely deserved it. Mark Wahlberg as Micky is the lead, but is often discarded in the praise, which If any thing is good, it matches his character, while Bale gives the full force performance, soaking up the attention, it's Wahlberg who's restrained, conveying a man who just can't find it in him to stand up to his family. Amy Adams as Charlene, Micky's girlfriend, gives a decent performance, you feel she wants what's best for her man and you'd believe she could anyone the courage to make it to the top. Mellisa Leo as Alice is another great performance, you sense the love she has for her children, yet also her egotism and manipulation. As far as acting goes, you can't go wrong with this film, it's probably the most right acting you'll find.
In conclusion, 'The Fighter' is probably the 2nd greatest boxing movie ever (it ain't no Raging Bull), with everything you could want from a film, story, acting, direction...in the end it's a 5 star classic worthy of any praise it gets. If you'll remember this movie for anything, it'll be Bale's awesome performance, but don't let that be your only reason for watching.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
The Middle Of The Road
There's a certain protocall for certain superstars in a certain position in the WWE roster, this protocall has been consistant for the past 15 years. Superstars who have proven themselves to have a glimmer of abillity but are seen as not ready for the main event are given the role of being a mid-card champion, I.e intercontinental or united states champion. There's been a question lately on the importance of these titles, what significance they hold to the WWE roster today and what can be done to make them a bigger deal, all of which shall be explored, because I can't think of anything else to write about.
First of all let's look at what the mid-card titles mean in recent times. Back in the raging 80s, the IC title was seen as something prestigious, a title that winning on it's own was seen as a big deal. Legends such as Honkeytonk Man and Rick Rude were happy enough to be considered IC champion, that the title alone was enough to consolidate their greatness. IC title matches were often the main event of the tv shows, lasting up to 20 minutes and if neccessary, were stipulation matches such as steel cage. Fast foreward to the 21st century, the title is viewed (and often conveyed by the announcers) as a stepping stone to greater things. This depricates a mid-card titles worth and the worth of matches for the title. If Dolph Ziggler is just U.S champ to enhance his career, then why does he feel the need to defend it valliantly? He could just forfit the title then try for the WWE title. This makes the title seem second rate (it is but that shouldn't be conveyed). It's as though no superstar would be happy just being the US or IC champ.
There's a somewhat simple way to combat this and bring the titles pristege up. For starters there's the champion himself, he needs to be portrayed as a great wrestler, someone who could push the world champ to the limit, if Cody Rhodes was given the treatment of say The Miz, then the audience would view him as a great wrestler and think that you must be truely great to become IC champion, making the title important. Also, there needs to be the view that the Ic/US title is important enough for a wrestler to just have. Cody Rhodes should state in a promo, that the IC title is such a great accomplishment for him and he could retire the next day knowing his career was great enough due to the title. When Randy Savage or Mr Perfect were IC champions, they always put over how great the title was, ad though they didn't need to be in the WWF title picture. Small details such as those can make people care about the mid-card title scenarios and matches.
In conclusion, it would be important to the new HHH regime to re-establish the prestige of the IC/US championships. This will elivate not only the wrestlers involved, but also the importance of the matches, people will be excited to know the outcome of the next US title match, creating an overall greater interest in the entire product. Granted, main event angles such as Punk/HHH and Cena/Del Rio should be pushed and promoted first, but that doesn't mean the US/IC title scenes can't be given the factors I've presented in this here blog. I doubt these changes will happen any day soon, but it'd be nice if they did.
First of all let's look at what the mid-card titles mean in recent times. Back in the raging 80s, the IC title was seen as something prestigious, a title that winning on it's own was seen as a big deal. Legends such as Honkeytonk Man and Rick Rude were happy enough to be considered IC champion, that the title alone was enough to consolidate their greatness. IC title matches were often the main event of the tv shows, lasting up to 20 minutes and if neccessary, were stipulation matches such as steel cage. Fast foreward to the 21st century, the title is viewed (and often conveyed by the announcers) as a stepping stone to greater things. This depricates a mid-card titles worth and the worth of matches for the title. If Dolph Ziggler is just U.S champ to enhance his career, then why does he feel the need to defend it valliantly? He could just forfit the title then try for the WWE title. This makes the title seem second rate (it is but that shouldn't be conveyed). It's as though no superstar would be happy just being the US or IC champ.
There's a somewhat simple way to combat this and bring the titles pristege up. For starters there's the champion himself, he needs to be portrayed as a great wrestler, someone who could push the world champ to the limit, if Cody Rhodes was given the treatment of say The Miz, then the audience would view him as a great wrestler and think that you must be truely great to become IC champion, making the title important. Also, there needs to be the view that the Ic/US title is important enough for a wrestler to just have. Cody Rhodes should state in a promo, that the IC title is such a great accomplishment for him and he could retire the next day knowing his career was great enough due to the title. When Randy Savage or Mr Perfect were IC champions, they always put over how great the title was, ad though they didn't need to be in the WWF title picture. Small details such as those can make people care about the mid-card title scenarios and matches.
In conclusion, it would be important to the new HHH regime to re-establish the prestige of the IC/US championships. This will elivate not only the wrestlers involved, but also the importance of the matches, people will be excited to know the outcome of the next US title match, creating an overall greater interest in the entire product. Granted, main event angles such as Punk/HHH and Cena/Del Rio should be pushed and promoted first, but that doesn't mean the US/IC title scenes can't be given the factors I've presented in this here blog. I doubt these changes will happen any day soon, but it'd be nice if they did.
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Five Fantastic Films
In this weeks blog, I'm gonna countdown the top 5 films of the year 2010. Granted, it would've been more appropriate if I'd have written this 8 or 9 months ago, but certain aspects such as me starting this blog a few months ago, or that I didn't see these films until they were out on DVD got in the way. 2010 was a fine year for film, with these 5 titles being a must own for any cinephile. So enjoy the list I've compiled and maybe it'll inspire you to check these out for yourself.
5. Kick Ass (Dir: Mathew Vaughn)
This was probably one of the most unique films of that year, the plot alone is cause for question. A teenage boy becomes an Internet celebrity after becoming a superhero, attracting the attention of a father/daughter superhero team and the mafia. This is a clever parody of the superhero genre that mixes ultra violence, black humour and sheer madness to create one of the most entertaining films of all time. Aaron Johnson supplies a great naivity and teen meekishness to the role of Kick Ass. Nic Cage Borders on both loving and insanely creepy as Big Daddy, his second most insane role of the year (read on!). But it's then 12 year old Chloe Moretz who steals the show as Hit Girl, uttering numerous obcenities and violently killing many bad guys, she's a mixture of badass and innocently lost in her fathers shceme for revenge. The many scenes that'll blow your mind include Hit Girl offing an entire room of gangsters with an array of knives, set to upbeat indie rock music is one of the reasons why this is a must see film.
4. Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Dir: Edgar Wright)
Another film with a unique concept. This is a sureal comedy that portrays itself as a live action video game with a rom-com plot put into the fray. Slacker Scott Pilgrim has met the girl of his dreams (quite literally) but must defeat her 7 evil ex-boyfriends to be with her. The use of references to games such as Street Fighter, Tony Hawk or just about any arcade game is a delight. The fight scenes are well set up, they're portrayed with a sense of grandness that most action films are missing these days. But this is a comedy, and it's a pretty funny one at that, with great jokes, character traits and surealism to keep you laughing. But the true source of the films greatness is it's heart, you feel Scott, no matter how jerkish or lazy he is, due to the performance given by Michael Cera that adds a charm and vulnerability to the character that makes you feel the love he has for his other half. The humour appeals to the teen generation, along with the films characters and plotting, making it this generations Ferris Buller due to great jokes, likable characters that shouldn't be likable and a main character that you want to see win, no matter what a jerk he is.
3. Bad Lieutenant (Dir: Werner Herzog)
This is a completely different film from Abel Ferrera's 1992 film, and completely better. Nic Cage delivers one of his best performances as Terrence Mcdonagh, a cop in New Orleans, who after an injured back has to deal with numerous drug addictions (he takes more stuff than Amy Winehouse), a murder case with a runaway witness, gambling debts, vengeful gangsters and his alchoholic fathers dog. We see numerous problems pile up on the Lieutenant, most of which he got himself into, the audience is invested to see how he'll fix it all. Set against a decaying New Orleans backround, we see a great character in Mcdonagh, someone who's back injury has led him into drugs and the drugs leading him into other problems, a character truely trapped by his addiction, and one who'll break many rules along the way (note the scene where he searches a couple for drugs). Cage gives a performance that's a mixture of hopelessness and frantic energy. Director Herzog adds his own sense of madness to the film, with point of view shots from reptiles set to New Orleans jazz or a gun battle set to country fiddle music. In the end this Is one of the most engagingly corrupt cop movies you'll see, all down to Cage's character and performance.
2. The Social Network (Dir: David Fincher)
The true definition of modern drama, this film annalyses the rise of the worlds youngest billionare, facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg. This is seemingly this generations Citizen Kane, due to it being a character study of a wealthy man, but for other reasons too. Just like Kane, Zuckerberg is portrayed as a man who as he gains more power, alienates his closest friends and at the end of the film, being truely alone. Whether this is an accurate depiction of Zuckerberg or not, it's an interesting character portrayal, the brilliant Harvard nerd who cares little about anything (reprocusions, girls, social life) but his main goal, to get his project off the ground. You'll be entertained and enthralled as Zuckerberg goes through the film and we see the process of his 2 court battles over the right to facebook, we see numerous betrayals by this character for the price of billions, it seems every double cross he does (from his ex to the twins that gave him the idea) has a purpose. For a truely great character study, watch this immediatly, you won't regret it.
1. Inception (Dir: Christopher Nolan)
Now I've covered alot about this film in a previous blog reviewing it. I'll renew some of the points I made by saying that it's the perfect mix of powerful drama, hard hitting action and a complex plot. The director/writer Nolan creates a world in which the concept of being able to go into other peoples dreams is believable and this creates the possibility of a complicated plot involving dreams within dreams, limbo and questioning your reality. It's a film that appeals to both casual action audiences and arthouse cinephiles. The performances by Decaprio and Hardy add to the film, along with incredible special effects (I.e revolving hallway fight scene). In short, it's a total package of a film that deserves to be top of the list.
5. Kick Ass (Dir: Mathew Vaughn)
This was probably one of the most unique films of that year, the plot alone is cause for question. A teenage boy becomes an Internet celebrity after becoming a superhero, attracting the attention of a father/daughter superhero team and the mafia. This is a clever parody of the superhero genre that mixes ultra violence, black humour and sheer madness to create one of the most entertaining films of all time. Aaron Johnson supplies a great naivity and teen meekishness to the role of Kick Ass. Nic Cage Borders on both loving and insanely creepy as Big Daddy, his second most insane role of the year (read on!). But it's then 12 year old Chloe Moretz who steals the show as Hit Girl, uttering numerous obcenities and violently killing many bad guys, she's a mixture of badass and innocently lost in her fathers shceme for revenge. The many scenes that'll blow your mind include Hit Girl offing an entire room of gangsters with an array of knives, set to upbeat indie rock music is one of the reasons why this is a must see film.
4. Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Dir: Edgar Wright)
Another film with a unique concept. This is a sureal comedy that portrays itself as a live action video game with a rom-com plot put into the fray. Slacker Scott Pilgrim has met the girl of his dreams (quite literally) but must defeat her 7 evil ex-boyfriends to be with her. The use of references to games such as Street Fighter, Tony Hawk or just about any arcade game is a delight. The fight scenes are well set up, they're portrayed with a sense of grandness that most action films are missing these days. But this is a comedy, and it's a pretty funny one at that, with great jokes, character traits and surealism to keep you laughing. But the true source of the films greatness is it's heart, you feel Scott, no matter how jerkish or lazy he is, due to the performance given by Michael Cera that adds a charm and vulnerability to the character that makes you feel the love he has for his other half. The humour appeals to the teen generation, along with the films characters and plotting, making it this generations Ferris Buller due to great jokes, likable characters that shouldn't be likable and a main character that you want to see win, no matter what a jerk he is.
3. Bad Lieutenant (Dir: Werner Herzog)
This is a completely different film from Abel Ferrera's 1992 film, and completely better. Nic Cage delivers one of his best performances as Terrence Mcdonagh, a cop in New Orleans, who after an injured back has to deal with numerous drug addictions (he takes more stuff than Amy Winehouse), a murder case with a runaway witness, gambling debts, vengeful gangsters and his alchoholic fathers dog. We see numerous problems pile up on the Lieutenant, most of which he got himself into, the audience is invested to see how he'll fix it all. Set against a decaying New Orleans backround, we see a great character in Mcdonagh, someone who's back injury has led him into drugs and the drugs leading him into other problems, a character truely trapped by his addiction, and one who'll break many rules along the way (note the scene where he searches a couple for drugs). Cage gives a performance that's a mixture of hopelessness and frantic energy. Director Herzog adds his own sense of madness to the film, with point of view shots from reptiles set to New Orleans jazz or a gun battle set to country fiddle music. In the end this Is one of the most engagingly corrupt cop movies you'll see, all down to Cage's character and performance.
2. The Social Network (Dir: David Fincher)
The true definition of modern drama, this film annalyses the rise of the worlds youngest billionare, facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg. This is seemingly this generations Citizen Kane, due to it being a character study of a wealthy man, but for other reasons too. Just like Kane, Zuckerberg is portrayed as a man who as he gains more power, alienates his closest friends and at the end of the film, being truely alone. Whether this is an accurate depiction of Zuckerberg or not, it's an interesting character portrayal, the brilliant Harvard nerd who cares little about anything (reprocusions, girls, social life) but his main goal, to get his project off the ground. You'll be entertained and enthralled as Zuckerberg goes through the film and we see the process of his 2 court battles over the right to facebook, we see numerous betrayals by this character for the price of billions, it seems every double cross he does (from his ex to the twins that gave him the idea) has a purpose. For a truely great character study, watch this immediatly, you won't regret it.
1. Inception (Dir: Christopher Nolan)
Now I've covered alot about this film in a previous blog reviewing it. I'll renew some of the points I made by saying that it's the perfect mix of powerful drama, hard hitting action and a complex plot. The director/writer Nolan creates a world in which the concept of being able to go into other peoples dreams is believable and this creates the possibility of a complicated plot involving dreams within dreams, limbo and questioning your reality. It's a film that appeals to both casual action audiences and arthouse cinephiles. The performances by Decaprio and Hardy add to the film, along with incredible special effects (I.e revolving hallway fight scene). In short, it's a total package of a film that deserves to be top of the list.
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