CAST
MIA WASIKOWSKA, ALDEN ENRENREICH, MATTHEW GOODE, NICOLE KIDMAN, DERMOT MULRONEY, JACKI WEAVER

DIRECTED BY
CHAN-WOOK PARK

Chan-wook Park’s English language debut Stoker is a suitably stylish and gripping thriller that has not gotten enough love.

Beautifully directed and performed, Stoker is one of the rare examples where a foreign director’s style can smoothly transitions into Hollywood and not lose his identity while doing so. It’s just a shame that this visually impressive chiller didn’t garner more acclaim, for Stoker is just the kind of intelligent, engrossing thriller missing from today’s cinema.

CAST
TOM CRUISE, NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU, MORGAN FREEMAN, OLGA KURYLENKO, MELISSA LEO, ANDREA RISEBOROUGH

DIRECTED BY
JOSPEH KOSINSKI

Tom Cruise rarely makes a misstep, and so it goes with Oblivion, a sci-fi action thriller that is as narratively engrossing as it is visually impressive.

Unfortunately derided as all style and no substance, Oblivion is much more than its critics claim, proving to be an emotionally rich and thematically strong sci-fi movie that see’s Cruise perfectly balance his action man and dramatic actor personas. Equally impressive is director Joseph Kosinski, who continues to prove his worth as one of the most visually spectacular directors working today.

CAST
GEMMA ARTERTON, SAOIRSE RONAN, CALEB LANDRY JONES, JOHNNY LEE MILLER, SAM RILEY

DIRECTED BY
NEIL JORDAN

Has Twilight drained our appetites for vampires to such an extent that a film like Byzantium could be as underpraised and overlooked as it has? It sure seems that way, with this Neil Jordan directed horror thriller - with striking visuals and pro-feminist edge -  unfairly overlooked as the game changer that it is.

Jordan knows all about flipping vampire conventions on its head as he did with his seminal Interview with the Vampire. Yet while that film became a hit, Byzantium has been left by the wayside. Perhaps it was a case of vampire fatigue. Or perhaps it was the rare sight of two actresses in strong vampire roles (as opposed to the usual busty damsels) that turned potential viewer off.

Regardless, Byzantium – like Near Dark and Martin before it – will be seen as the horror classic that it is.

CAST
JAMES FRANCO, ZACH BRAFF (VOICE OF), MILA KUNIS, RACHEL WEISZ, MICHELLE WILLIAMS

DIRECTED BY
SAM RAIMI

It’s always hard to mess with the legacy of an iconic movie, especially when that movie is The Wizard of Oz.

Yet while Oz the Great and Powerful does not match up to the Judy Garland classic, it’s in itself a very entertaining and energetic fantasy romp that benefits from the spirited and innovative direction of Sam Raimi, the legendary Evil Dead filmmaker brining his madcap energy and unique handle on big visuals to what could have been a clone of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, but proved to be so much more.

CAST
CHRISTIAN BALE, CASEY AFFLECK, WILLEM DAFOE, WOODY HARRELSON, ZOE SALDANA, SAM SHEPARD

DIRECTED BY
SCOTT COOPER

A common complaint amongst today’s movie fans is that there are not enough character driven films, like those from the golden era of the 70s.

And yet, Scott Cooper delivers just that with Out of the Furnace and not only did critics slam the film because its star heavy cast played conflicted characters (shocking!), but audiences could not even be bothered to buy a ticket and give this modestly budgeted drama the financial bump it needed, making it an example for studios not to invest in character driven movies.

It’s a shame. Elegantly written and directed by Cooper, this story of family, masculinity and revenge in the outskirts of New Jersey is one of immense power and grit, with Christian Bale, Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson (especially) delivering excellent performances.

Hopefully those who did not see Out of Furnace at the cinemas will give it the proper respect during its home entertainment release.

CAST
ISRAEL BROUSSARD, KATIE CHANG, EMILY WATSON, TARISSA FARMIGA, CLAIRE JULIAN, LESLIE MANN

DIRECTED BY
SOFIA COPPOLA

Once the indie darling, Sofia Coppola has fallen out of all sorts of love with film critics, yet their judgement of The Bling Ring is especially harsh for it just might be Coppola’s best, most thought provoking film yet.

Based on the true story about a clique of wannabe socialites who stole from the rich and famous celebrities they worship, The Bling Ring delves into the lives of its social media obsessed, celebrity worshipping antagonists with a clear eyed transparency that is heartbreaking in its revelations, namely that the idolatry of materialism is rich amongst a generation who have not been taught better.

A cast of mostly unknowns do a great job, with lone movie star attraction Emma Watson especially good in what is sure to be a career changer of a role. But his is a Sofia Coppola film through and through. Now only for the world to catch up with the fact that it’s one of her best.

CAST
GERARD BUTLER, AARON ECKHART, MORGAN FREEMAN, MELISSA LEO, DYLAN McDERMOTT, RADHA MITCHELL, RICK YUNE

DIRECTED BY
ANTOINE FUQUA

There are not many balls out, no BS, high quality action movies churned out by the dream factory of late. And when they are, it seems many are to oblivious to see them for what they are.

Olympus Has Fallen is just that kind of film, a glorious throwback to the shoot first, ask questions later action films of the ‘80s, with Gerard Butler kicking ass as a lone hero who takes on the North Korean terrorists that seize the White House and its President.

With Bruce Willis and his Die Hard franchise spectacularly bombing with its latest entry, the timing couldn’t be better for a new, pure driven action franchise to shoot its way to the top with the type of thundering “rat-a-tat-tat” that Olympus Has Fallen provides.

Critics have balk, but action junkies have salvaged every minute.

CAST
LIAM JAMES, STEVE CARELL, TONI COLLETTE, ALLISON JANNEY, AMANDA PEET, SAM ROCKWELL

DIRECTED BY
NAT FAXON, JIM RASH

Although a fan favourite, The Way Way Back never got its due as the great American coming of age story that it is. Written and directed by Oscar winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Way Way Back has one of those rich, dialogue driven, heartfelt and funny screenplays which not enough critics praised nor awards groups gave proper due.

Criminally passed over too were the great performances as delivered by an excellent ensemble cast, with special mention to Sam Rockwell who should have been a part of the Best Supporting Actor group that was unfairly filled by the likes of Jared Leto. After all, shocking body transformations always trump the ability to perform comedy and drama at a high level.

Indeed, The Way Way Back is a film that reached audiences by word of mouth. However, ti should have been a movie championed by critics, much like Little Miss Sunshine before it. A damn shame, that.

CAST
ROBERT REDFERD

DIRECTED BY
J.C. CHANDOR

In 2013, two films dealt with lone figures who fought to survive impossible odds as they undertook perilous journeys of the mind, body and soul. One was an overrated Oscar winner that starred Sandra Bullock. The other was All is Lost.

While the J.C. Chandor written and directed All is Lost didn’t have the visual effects bombast of Gravity, it does have other traits going for it, such as a lack of repetition, engrossing character study (without the aid of dialogue) and a strong lead performance by Robert Redford who delivers one of his best turns in his 50 plus year career.

Sure the critical consensus is high, but missing was the support from the average punter who made Gravity a talked about blockbuster, perhaps proving that eye candy does hold more relevance these days than the immersive, soulful filmmaking found in All is Lost. 

CAST
MICHAEL FASSBENDER, PENELOPE CRUZ, CAMERON DIAZ, BRAD PITT, JEREMY RENNER

DIRECTED BY
RIDLEY SCOTT

Cormac McCarthy’s lauded work as a novelist brought a lot of buzz to his first original screenplay for The Counselor. Add director Ridley Scott and a top notch cast (Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Brad Pitt) and the hype was huge.

Regrettably the response was devastating, with critics tearing The Counselor apart for being too dark, wordy and even pretentious. Exactly what they were expecting from a writer whose acclaimed works are brooding, violent and descriptive examinations of humanity is not clear, but what is clear is The Counselor has not been give the praise it so justly deserves.

Brilliantly blending Scott’s slick visual style with McCarthy’s lyrical dialogue, The Counselor also evokes great performances from its cast, especially Fassbender who delivers emotionally rich work with the Irish thesp at times reaching the bottom of his soul in many a demanding scene.

Above all what makes The Counselor such a devastatingly effective and haunting watch is its portrayal of evil within a world without grace. Where too many only want to see the guise of evil as entertainment spectacle, The Counselor refuses to treat and present it as such, opting for the bleak, suffocating darkness of the malevolent too slowly consume its willing participants (and their loved ones) whole.

It is bravura storytelling on McCarthy’s part, and unfortunately shows that the true portrayal of suffering by the hands of devils with no boundaries, is too much for some to handle. What you end up with is an underrated gem of a movie, that should be talked more for its themes and its presentation of them.