Sunday 15 May 2011

this week on 100 Films

3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week -- coincidentally, all of films from 2009! They were...

(500) Days of Summer (2009)
An opening voiceover warns the viewer that “this is not a love story”. Of course, it is, just one without the traditional ending... romantics would do well to heed this warning anyway, otherwise they might find themselves disappointed. However, viewers who are prepared for a story that rings true... may well be pleasantly surprised. It’s not wholly unique, but equally it doesn’t feel derivative.

An Education (2009)
The film hangs on Carey Mulligan, justly nominated for her performance. Quite aside from whether the performance is awards-worthy or not, it’s effortlessly watchable... On the other hand, some have found her character too pretentious or naïve — maybe your own background will dictate if you see these negative traits.

Up in the Air (2009)
It’s easy to see how Clooney’s character — very much the centre of the piece — could be irritating or vapid or any number of other negative adjectives, but instead he’s… well, he’s George Clooney, isn’t he? He’s all charm. If you were going to be fired, you’d probably want George Clooney to be doing it.

Also worth noting (relatively) is that (500) Days of Summer is the 500th review of a feature-length film to be posted as part of 100 Films! It's not the 500th film though, as I've reviewed a variety of non-counted films. But that 500th is imminent...

More next Sunday.

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