Review of the year: Very Good

 
It is officially Christmas. Once the 1st of December arrives it is, as far as I'm concerned, time to fill the house with sparkly lights, pour a huge glass of Baileys and break out the Billy Idol Christmas album ("Hilarious": imockery.com). This year it even snowed like a mental thing, so I am feeling well and truly festive.

And so we trudge through the snow towards the shining glory that is Rob's list-of-things 2010. We are nearly at the top, where the most wonderful experiences drift about in ethereal snowstorms of brilliance. But before that, let's look at some of the things that happened this year that were very, very good.

Things that were very, very good.


Kick Ass

Now then, Iron Man, take a look at this. A fun, fresh take on the superhero genre, juggling conventions as if they were bewildered kittens. If you missed the film, or know little about it except that a little girl says a bad word, here's what happens: A young geeky boy dons a costume and fights evil-doers in contemporary America. He learns many lessons about responsibility. And a young girl says a bad word.

"Hang on!" you cry, spitting toast everywhere (you were eating toast), "That sounds quite a lot like Spiderman.  How is that new? Apart from the bit about the girl?" Well, toast-face, this guy doesn't have any special powers bestowed upon him from radioactive spiders or anything; he's just a normal guy trying to make a difference, and getting beat up a lot. He soon becomes entwined in a maelstrom of freakish events and characters, all massively enjoyable.

I liked this film a lot. Here are some reasons:

1. Although based on a comic strip, it is not a slave to it. Instead it takes the basic premise and bangs it into a shape more suitable for two hours at the cinema. Unlike some films, Red, for example, it definitely does not do this to secure a lower rating and thus more money. It does it because it knows that comic books and films are very different. Other adaptations take note.

2. None of the major studios wanted to finance it, so Matthew Vaughn got it privately finaced at a dinner party, and made it anyway. Then, of course, all the studios came scampering back, going 'Ooh - sorry, we've just realised it looks rather good...' I love it when this happens. I like to fantasise that all these corporate pillocks, whenever they get things like this wrong, sit down afterwards and say 'Boy, are we bad at spotting which ideas are good and worthy of our support! Let's stop basing our decisions on our own stupid, blinkered idea of what consitutes interesting, innovative art and listen instead to creative people with a track record of bringing fascinating ideas to the screen. And let's bring Caprica and Firefly back while we're at it.'

But they never do.

3. A young girl swears a lot and slices people to pieces. Guess which one of these antagonised the moral guardians of our society most? That's right - if Hit Girl had had the good manners to eviscerate her opponents while calling them 'melon-farmers' or 'nasty bad men', all would have been just fine. I particularly enjoyed Christopher Tookey's piece in the Mail, where his condemnation of Hit Girl as 'obviously meant to be sexy' led a lot of people to look at him and go "Errr... that  might just be you mate..."

Cemetery Junction

Ricky Gervais in subtle, restrained movie shocker. This film touches on a lot of the Brit-film narrative beats that we've all been familiar with since Robert Carlisle danced to Hot Stuff at Jobseekers, but does so delicately, and with its emphasis on the characters. Time and place are evoked with the right mixture of nostalgia and real understanding, while the plights of the main characters really feel like they matter. This is a story of growing up in a small town, trapped by expectation, tradition and you own lack of self belief. And, somehow, it's also really funny.

Top marks go to Emily Watson, who plays her character's heartbreak beautifully, and to Gervais, who stays out of the way for the most part, allowing his brilliant script to speak for him and letting the excellent ensemble cast do their thing.

The Social Network

I liked this a lot. A lot a lot. It's masterfully written, by  Aaron 'I wrote the bloody West Wing' Sorkin, features some great performances from the leads (especially Andrew Garfield) and has an interestingly weird soundtrack. It also marks the return to form of director David Fincher, after the extended CGI masturbation party that was Benjamin Arsing Button. If The Social Network and Benjamin Button had a fight, this film wouldn't even throw a punch. It would just look into the mid distance, a half-smile/half frown on its face, say something enigmatic and clever, and then walk away, leaving Button jumping up and down shouting 'Who da man?' to an empty room.

This is England

I've written about this series and its brilliance here, so I won't go on about it again. Suffice to say, it was brilliant television, and it firmly deserves its place in the 'very, very good' part of my mind.

The Trip

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon wander around the North of England eating lovely meals and doing impressions to each other. Doesn't necessarily sound like ground breaking television, but this six part TV series, directed by prolific film maker Michael Winterbottom, has totally won my heart.

I have spent much of this year slowly falling in love with Rob Brydon. I've always liked him, but his turn as Uncle Bryn in Gavin and Stacey made me laugh until I hurt my leg, and I've been addicted to his Welsh ways ever since. I've enjoyed Steve Coogan in a variety of things, from Alan Partridge (nach) to his peculiar self deprecating turns in films like Coffee and Cigarettes, 24 Hours Party People and A Cock and Bull Story. This last film, also directed by Winterbottom, is closest in spirit to The Trip, as both Coogan and Brydon adopt variations of their own characters and have fun with the idea of fame and perceptions of the self.

The series is really funny, but also, in places, very sad. Coogan is eaten up by his own dissatisfaction with the ageing process, and the weight around his neck that is the early - and never equalled - success of Alan Partridge. The six episodes chart a comic path, but also provide a meditation on getting older, and trying to understand what it means to be happy. I loved it.

That's it for very, very good things. See you soon for things that were, without doubt, absolutely amazing and great and fab. Don't slip on the ice. x