VERNON'S BEST (AND WORST) FILMS OF THE YEAR

Two films stand out head and shoulders from all others as the worst films of the year, both of which gained from me 0/10 and they are the utterly egregious Observe And Report and the equally woeful The Men Who Stare At Goats both of which plumb new depths of rubbish cinema.

One might say that the latter is even more lamentable considering the thespian skills involved but there are few people who can surpass the ability of Seth Rogen to produce films which are about as entertaining as having your appendix removed by an inebriated surgeon using a blunt knife and no anaesthetic.His list of failures now include not only the bilge of the recent Funny People as well as Zack And Miri Make A Porno and the above named film.He is starring in the new adaption of The Green Hornet which ordinarily I would be looking forward to but now I await with dread.

On the plus side I would say that the films I enjoyed this year the most,in no particular order are:
District 9
Gran Torino
The Invention Of Lying
Orphan

All of which in their own different way I thought were wonderful,and all being of different genres - science-fiction,thriller,comedy,horror.

However,in my opinion the best film of the year is the previously reviewed Harry Brown being as it is such a wonderful example of acting by Sir Michael Caine,harrowing as most of the film is.

VERNON'S FILM OF THE DECADE

I was asked recently by a colleague what would be my favourite film of the decade following the nomination of There Will Be Blood as the best film of the last ten years by "Empire" magazine in one of their polls.I had to think about this one so I did ponder the question for a while before checking my list of my all-time Top Twenty films.

After I did only one of them was made in the last decade - I did think on this point for a while and had to agree with my list.Accordingly then,ladies and gentlemen,my Film Of The Decade is Saw which is my second favourite horror film ever behind the awesome Halloween (if you count The Thing as science-fiction rather than horror).

The franchise,as I mentioned above,is now up to its eighth instalment and shows no sign of flagging.I consider the first film to be,as is common in most franchises,to be the best with its myriad twists and turns and astonishing ending.

Ice Age 3

The third in the franchise sees the return of Manny,Diego,Sid and all their friends in another enjoyable if scientifically suspect adventure - but who cares about realism under these circumstances? in this film our heroes discover a lost world of dinosaurs hidden under the ice and they venture within on a "mission" which involves the return of some baby tyrannosaurs which Sid in his wisdom had "rescued".

Simon Pegg appears as new character Buck and the script is as sharp as ever with all the usual thrills and spills.The continuing sub-plot of Scrat the squirrel and his search for his elusive acorn is complicated by the appearance of a lady squirrel who outsmarts him at every turn.Three films in to the franchise it shows no sign of flagging - can be thoroughly enjoyed by adults and children alike.7/10

Blood

What a mess.Set in Japan with a juvenile American heroine taking the fight against evil to an assortment of villains armed with a big sword.

Yawn.Unconvincing plot,acting,CGI effects and a pointless and unconvincing ending.Tripe.0/10

Public Enemies

Based on the brilliant book of the same name by Brian Burroughs in which he describes the crime spree in America in the early 1930s,this film concentrates on the last two years of "gentleman bank robber" John Dillinger (who was named "Public Enemy Number One" by the nascent FBI).

The title role is wonderfully played by Johnny Depp in yet another of his chameleon roles,looking totally at home in the sharp suits and fedora hats so popular at the time.In real life Dillinger was an avid cinema fan and was compared by some to Clark Gable,and Johnny does impeccably play him as a suave,handsome,debonair,witty,bon viveur. Rather like me actually.Only without the suaveness,good looks,wit or style.

Most impressively the film uses some of the genuine historical locations - a bank robbery is recreated at the actual bank,still in use all these decades later,as is the prison from which Dillinger staged a breakout.The famous forest shootout at the Little Bohemia Hunting Lodge again uses the actual building.The acting is first-rate all around with British actors Christian Bale and Stephen Graham excelling as FBI agent Melvin Purvis and sociopathic killer "Baby-Face" Nelson respectively.The era is beautifully recreated,depicting the cars,nightclubs,clothing,as well as the poverty of the underclasses.

This is a superb addition to the pantheon of brilliant gangster films of the past such as White Heat, The St Valentine's Day Massacre,Dillinger,and of course the greatest gangster film of them all The Godfather.No crime film set in this era would be complete without that famous,or should it be infamous,staple,the Thompson submachine gun,in my humble opinion right up there with the lightsabre from Star Wars as the most iconic movie weapon.And director Michael Mann uses it superbly,as characters on both sides of the law utilise it freely.

The action scene shot in the dark with Thompsons blazing flame and hails of bullets are beautifully shot.Obviously not so beautiful if one was being pointed at you! Great acting by all and a brilliant and almost flawless interpretation of real historical events - I only spotted one minor alteration of history.Excellent.8/10

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The latest chapter in the saga is to a certain extent beyond criticism as by now people are in one of two camps - either you are or you are not a fan of the books or the films.

Being most definitely in the former group I always eagerly look forward to a new instalment in the series.Whereas the first three films were fairly faithful to their respective books the last three have omitted huge chunks of the narrative owing to the sheer volume of the texts.Notwithstanding this in this film there are two fairly substantial sequences which were not in the book,which is something of a departure.Acting honours as usual go to Alan Rickman for his note-perfect interpretation of Professor Snape and the wonderful Emma Watson who simply is Hermione - the performances are very good all round.

I also think there should be a special mention to Evanna Lynch who plays Luna Lovegood - a genuinely charming portrayal.More adult themes this time as our heroes and heroines discover love and all its ups and downs.

I went to see it twice and enjoyed it even more the second time.I did think however that the major event depicted here was something of an anti-climax,but maybe that was just me.Attention now shifts to the last book which has been shot in two films so nothing will be left out.Visiting and immersing oneself in JK Rowling's world is always a sheer delight.8/10

The Proposal

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds play respectively a high-powered literary executive and one of her staff at a prestigious company - she is overbearing and nobody likes her.

Her cosy existence is shattered when it is discovered that as a Canadian she is no longer permitted to work in the United States and so her masterplan is to pretend that she is going to marry her assistant in order for her to get her Green Card.A suspicious immigration official questions them both and she is forced to go to Alaska with her "beau" for his grandmother's birthday party.

Let us be quite clear on this - Sandra Bullock in a romantic comedy is a recipe for sheer delight although some critics do tend to dismiss some of her recent efforts.Fuddy-duddies.

The much publicised dual nude scene is very funny and Miss Bullock certainly looks stunning for her age (a most young-looking 44).All sorts of the usual mix-ups etc ensue before true love arrives at the end.Sweet and well-acted.Very enjoyable indeed.7/10