Looper (2012)

An intelligent time-travel flick, Looper is centred on Joe, a mob hit-man who kills targets sent back in time to him via time-travel. The plot thickens when Joe's future self is sent back in time to be killed by his present self; we are then artfully given two alternate endings which loop back to whether Joe fulfils his duty or allows his future self to live. With the potential to be confusing, the film is cleverly put together and, for the time being, fills a gap in the Terminator niche that really needed filling. The soundtrack is subtly used for dramatic effect and I definitely loved the inclusion of Chuck and Mac's - Powerful Love. The only fault here is the deflating ending - which is a big deal - but I have to give the movie a pass on this because the journey up until then was almost perfect and in a roundabout way you can choose your own ending. Watch it again many times.

9/10  

Pitch Perfect (2012)

A descendent of Glee, Pitch Perfect follows Beca and Jesse who join two different a capella groups hoping to eventually compete in a national tournament. Part romantic comedy, part musical and infused with a fraternity/sorority Greek element, there's a host of interesting sub-stories and characters yet this is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. At times horribly catty, the songs are well-chosen from pop hits and performed admirably and, for the most part, enjoyably. Beneath the story is a clichéd 'be yourself and don't be afraid to change' type moral which, in all fairness, is a worthwhile message worth repeating. Worth watching again in the background while not taking it too seriously.

7/10

Chronicle (2012)

Unusual, Chronicle is a faux-doco style film about 3 boys who discover an alien presence which bestows telekinetic abilities upon them. Initially party tricks, their competency improves until they are able to fly and control large objects with their minds. Inevitably, this escalates as Andrew, who comes from an abusive household, becomes corrupted by the powers to the detriment of the group.  Void of music, this kind of works with the feel of the film (but I always miss music in movies). That said, it's an interesting venture into 'real' superhero territory that feels like an improved hybridisation of Misfits and Cloverfield with a dark dramatic edge. A keeper, watch it again a few times.

8/10

Moneyball (2011)

Reminiscent of Friday Night Lights, Moneyball builds a story around baseball as opposed to just being a movie about baseball. It is based on the true story of Billy Beane, a washed up professional baseball player who manages a mediocre baseball team and dares to attempt to win the championship. He poaches a young analyst that has devised a calculation to quantify the value of players and then builds a rag-tag team based upon it. While the music is good, it's really sparse and it could've really helped in this film. In the end, this is a movie about opportunities lost and learning to make peace with that reality. Rewatchable (maybe once).


7/10