You can grab the HD versions here.

At first and judging from the trailers, I imagined Martin Scorsese’s latest piece of work to be a horror film. The master filmmaker (and yes we can still call him that despite none of his films lately being as ‘masterful’ as his earlier efforts) to take on horror? Bring… it… on! Sadly it’s more a mystery film with plenty of twists and turns than pure horror per se. That’s not necessarily a bad thing it’s just the plot isn’t overly original or as clever as I had hoped. Don’t get me wrong – there is much to enjoy with the film. Scorsese’s attention to detail is very good but the main issue I had with the film is Di Caprio. Whilst he’s better here than he has been in a while (although he was very good in The Departed), I still can’t buy him completely in this role. A better character actor probably would have given the role more complexity, more gravitas. In the end though, it’s still a worthy film to check out and well made. Scorsese purists might not love it as much as when De Niro was working with him, but it’s still one of his better recent films.

Up in the Air (2009)

Easily the best thing about Up in the Air is the cast – everyone is fantastic including George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Clooney really is perfect for this role that doesn’t require him to move too far out of his comfort zone but that works for this excellent mixture of comedy and drama. Kudos must also go to director Jason Reitman who once again, presents a character that we don’t really connect with at first but makes them endearing by the end. For Clooney’s character, he fires people for a living and doesn’t have a wife or kids. He doesn’t want that nuclear lifestyle but instead excels at his job and has one night stands. The brilliance with Reitman as a writer and director is showing us what is inside a man like Clooney’s character. The ending is also pitch perfect. My only minor complaint with the film and it’s really picky would be the fact that Clooney never seems to fire a ‘beautiful’ person. I understand why we never see one get the chop (obviously to illustrate the authenticity of the act) but it still bugged me.

A Serious Man (2009)

The Coens’ never seen to disappoint for film fans. Even when they don’t hit their absolute peak, there’s still so much to enjoy. A Serious Man didn’t thrill me as much as it did others and I think that probably comes down to the fact that I know next to nothing about the Jewish religion. More specifically The Book of Job. However that didn’t stop me from enjoying the film immensely at times and the wonderful performance from Michael Shulbarg. Reading up on the film afterwards was a little more rewarding in terms of the trying to figure out the films plot. It’s layered well, complex at times and the ending will leave a few people scratching their heads as it is slightly open to interpretation. But I’ve always liked it when filmmakers don’t hand over everything. It could also arguably be one of the Coens more personal films but they are such eclectic filmmaker’s it’s hard to say. There is also a fantastic sense of humour throughout that is so beautifully orchestrated by the master filmmakers it’s hard not to admire. Perhaps not their best work but they have proven they can shift into such diverse playing fields yet again.

Rec (2007)

In terms of modern day horror, Rec is one of the finest examples of the documentary-style, hand-held filmmaking approach there is. This Spanish classic is the basis for the US remake Quarantine which whilst still quite good, doesn’t compare to this original film. Quarantine is essentially a shot-for-shot remake but this original version blows it out of the water with a better sense of realism and terror. Co-directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza create a film very much in the style of 28 Days Later crossed with Cloverfield. It’s tense, claustrophobic and probably David Stratton’s worst nightmare due to the camera work. The ending is one of the creepiest I’ve seen in a long time too so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND checking this one out if you haven’t seen Quarantine.

Rec 2 (2009)

Rec 2 begins right where the original film ends and from the get go, it’s slap bang back into the mayhem. Just like what James Cameron did with the Alien franchise, directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza expand on the mythology and this time deliver us some answers. Some people will balk at the explanation, given that the original film doesn’t provide any answers but I liked the rationale provided here. It fits, it’s damn creepy and provides a high level of horror film pleasure. Whereas most sequels fall flat, this one is just as good as the original. Sure it’s not a surprise like the first but there are set pieces here which are even better and there’s some clever moments throughout. It even sets things up for a third film which luckily for new fans like myself, is in the early stages.