Haywire

Rating: 8

Did not expect to like it. Liked it!

The Artist

Rating: 9

That man. That dog. Oh my god.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Rating: 9

I'm irrationally bonkers for Gary Oldman. So, though the plot made no sense to me whatsoever, I adored it. Yeah, Gary played the Alec Guinness role and killed it. And Colin Firth is in it. And John Hurt. And Tom Hardy. And the director is the man who directed the original Let The Right One In. Fuck you, The Help! I'm rooting for Tinker Tailor!

Hugo

Rating: 7.5

I wish I'd seen it in 3D. I almost never think that.

The Descendants

Rating: 6

Whatever.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Rating: 9

Rooney Mara! Right?

A Dangerous Method

Rating: 8

Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen! OK the movie has a weird way of making sexual perversion - or the 1930s version of it - kind of boring. There's a pre-WWII metaphor lurking beneath the surface here which is a shameful waste of some naughty good ingredients.

Shame

Rating: 8

So I saw Shame and A Dangerous Method within a week of each other. Then I went back and re-watched Inglorious Basterds. Then Michael Fassbender turned up in Haywire and the next day he was on Terry Gross talking about his role in Jane Eyre, which I need to see now. So it seems like I'm a little preoccupied with Micheal Fassbender but it also seems like the universe just won't let me look away.

Young Adult

Rating: 7.5

Don't know how to describe it. Not sure I can recommend it. I did like it, though. Charlize and Patton Oswalt are great together.

The Muppets

Rating: 6.5

Jason Segel and Amy Adams are so good, as are the muppets and Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords, who did the music.

The Skin I Live In

Rating: 9

Just delightful, especially considering all the graphic rape and violence. Seriously. Did they go there? Oh yes they did.

Drive

Rating: 9

Maybe the most under-appreciated movie of 2011. Believe me, I hate car movies and car chases. This isn't about that.

The Help

Rating: 6

These actresses are great. But I think the material is bad. It will win the Oscar, probably. I'm glad for the actresses but there must be a smarter way to tell this story.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Rating: 6.5

Was reluctant to see it because of my rule against any movie with commas or apostrophes in the title but I'd say it's worth seeing for Ryan Gosling. It has some problems. It's not bad. But I stand by my rule.

30 minutes or Less

Rating: 7.5

Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson and Jesse Eisenberg? Come on. It's great.