January 2009 films

As a new feature for this blog, I've decided that I'll give a quick round up of the films I've seen each month, and say a few words on my favourite/ least favourite films of the month, perhaps with the view of picking a "film of the year" and "film not to waste your time on" come the end of 2009. If I can pick just one in each category, of course!

So, Janaury 2009 has been a pretty good one for me in regards to watching films - I've seen plenty of them, both on TV and at the cinema. This may well be reflected in the fact that I've given two of the 16 films 5 stars - that's pretty rare, and often no films in a month get given that rating! The one thing I haven't done is watch many older films, which I'd like to do a bit more of as there are plenty I would like to see. But then I guess that's a hazard of this being the time of year all the Oscar films get released, so I tend to go to the cinema more.

Anyway, this months films are listed below:

• Seven Pounds (2008)
• Milk (2008)
• Wonder Boys (2000)
• As You Like It (2006)
• Howl's Moving Castle (2005)
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
• Scary Movie 4 (2006)
• Casanova (2005)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
• Starter for Ten (2006)
• Australia (2008)
• Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2006)
• Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)
• Poseidon (2006)
• The Thief Lord (2006)

Both Milk and Howl's Moving Castle scored 5, and they both fully deserved it. But Howl's Moving Castle has to win as my favourite movie of the month as it is simply so wonderfully different, and was so unexpected (at least for me). This is perhaps unfair on Milk as, likely as not, had it appeared in a different month, it may well have won film of the month easily. But I don't think it would ever beat Howl's Moving Castle for me.

As for "film not to waste your time on", the clear winner here is As You Like It. Boring is the only word it deserves.

Film of the Month: Howl's Moving Castle
Film not to waste your time on: As You Like It