December 2013 - January 2014 films

I didn't write a monthly review in December because I had watched two movies. But I've done a bit better with 4 movies in January, so that feels like a good enough amount to write a review. The movies in question are:

• Hidalgo (2004) - 3.5 stars
• Let Me In (2010) - 4.5 stars
• 2012 (2009) - 3.5 stars
• Tangled (2010) - 3.5 stars
• Gnomeo and Juliet (2011) - 4 stars
• Saving Mr Banks (2013) - 4 stars
• Carnage (2011) - 2.5 stars

A fairly eclectic mix of movies. but on the whole a good selection. I really enjoyed a number of these movies, and only one was really disappointing. Having said that, my film of the month(s) is easy. Let Me In stands out above all the other movies, because the story is simply such a good one. Although this is an American remake, it doesn't suffer for this - although I'm not sure it improves on the original Let the Right One In much either. It's still a fantastic, interesting story and manages to set just the right atmosphere.

Film not to waste your time on is pretty easy too. Only one movie here stands out as bad, and that's Carnage. It could have been so much better. Whilst it's an interesting story and a good premise, it really does feel as if you should be watching this on a stage. It also totally fails to have any closure at all, which was very frustrating. It's not a movie (or a story) that needs to lack closure. However, although bad, it's not terrible. It's just the worst movie on a list of films that, on the whole, were really quite fun to watch.

Film of the Month(s): Let Me In
Film not to waste your time on: Carnage