This site has moved!!!!

Like I said before guys this blog is coming to a close but have no fear it is simply being moved over to a different web address where on this new site you will be able to see new release music features and news as well as film articles, news and reviews. You can also interact and have your say on this years films.

The new website is called Audio Rushes and can be found here:

http://audiorushes.com/

So please guys take a look and enjoy your 2013 film experience, with the help from us at Audio Rushes.

TOP FILMS OF 2012

So with the year finally out then (oh Happy New Year to you all) I thought I would bring you a small feature giving you my top films of 2012 followed with my least favourite films of 2012. If you are a regular to my blog you will see I've been reviewing a new film every week and rating them out of ten and judging which ones have been my favourite for the year. As 2012 has been and gone the top list of films of 2012 for me, has been locked in and my top 10 has been confirmed so below is my list with a little blurb of each film. If you disagree, agree please do leave a comment and let me know. Here's the list.


1. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES     10 / 10


Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

The Batman returns for his final outing in Christopher Nolan's finale to the Dark Knight trilogy. Eight years since Batman took the fall for the White Knight Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne has isolated himself from the City that now hates the Batman. When a mysterious cat burglar breaks into his Manor however Bruce links her to bulky terrorist Bane who is hellbent on destroying Gotham meaning Batman will have to return.

A fantastic end to a brilliant trilogy that has a bit of everything to wrap up the entire narrative. This may be the weakest of the trilogy but for an ending it is perfect and for that reason is our number 1 of the year.

For the full review: The Dark Knight Rises review


2. ARGO     9 / 10


Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman

Directed By: Ben Affleck

The true story of Tony Menez, a CIA extraction expert who is sent into a hostile revolutionary Iran to rescue six US Diplomats. His idea; to pose as a film crew and bring them out via the airport which is guarded by Iranian rebels in search of the hiding Diplomats.

This is a tense film filled with elements of comedy but is also a film that had us on the edge of our seats for the final half hour at least. Some great performances and great direction from Affleck makes this our 2nd favourite of the year but only narrowly missing out on the number 1 spot due to the scale of The Dark Knight Rises. This is a film not to miss.

For the full review: Argo review


3. SKYFALL     8.5 / 10


Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris

Directed By: Sam Mendes

The latest installment of James Bond sees him survive death right at the start and begin to realise he isn't as invincible as he first thought. With Bond out the way a new threat looms over MI6 but not with the organisation itself but with one member of the team; M. A former agent with a baring grudge plans revenge on his former boss but when Bond returns he does all he can to protect his Mother figure which leads him to relive a troubled backstory that until now the aundience never knew Bond had.

This is Bond back where he belongs. it doesn't feel like a Bond film as it is much more grounded than the usual smart quips he spouts out. This is the Bond between Bonds and is certainly the one that will be putting the franchise back onto a steady track.

For the full review: Skyfall review


4. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK     8 / 10

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro

Directed By: David O. Russell

A former teacher is released from a mental institution and begins to train up to get his wife back. When he finds out she has a restraining order against him he befriends a local widow who has mental issues of her own as he believes she can communicate to his wife for him, however she will only do it if he agrees to be her dance partner at an up and coming competition.

For the full review: Silver Linings Playbook review


5. THE HUNGER GAMES     8 / 10

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

Directed By: Gary Ross

In a futuristic world two candidates from different Districts must take part in a televised game devised by an evil President of the Capitol. The Hunger Games pits twelve children to the battle of the death with only one becomming the victor. When Katniss Everdeen's little sister is chosen at random to compete, Katniss volunteers to take her place and finds herself battling for her life in the arena.

For the full review: The Hunger Games review


6. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN     8 / 10

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron

Directed By: Rupert Sanders

A dark fantastical version of the well known fairy tale. A new Queen takes charge of the land and removes beauty and youth from younger women in order to keep herself perfect but when her magic mirror tells her Snow White will surpass her she orders a Huntsman to bring her Snow White's heart. Whilst fighting the dark forest the Huntsman comes across Snow White and instead of killing her takes her side and the two build an army to take down the Queen's evil reign.

For the full review: Snow White And The Huntsman review

7. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE     7.5 / 10



Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson

Directed By: Joss Whedon

When the World comes under threat from the evil God Loki, Super Spy Nick Fury constructs a team including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Incredible Hulk to go to battle against the alien creatures Loki plans on unleashing against the World. The biggest problem for the team however is getting along with each other.

For the full review: Avengers Assemble review


8. LOOPER     7.5 / 10

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt

Directed By: Rian Johnson

In the future time travel has been invented and Levitt plays Joe, a Looper who is an assassin who kills people sent back in time to be erased from the future. The job is well paid and Looper's live the life of luxury however that soon changes when Joe's next target turns out to be the future version of himself. When the older Joe escapes the younger version must track him down and kill himself before the next thirty years of his life is taken away from him.

For the full review: Looper review


9. TED     7.5 / 10

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane

Directed By: Seth MacFarlane

When a lonely young boy makes a wish on Christmas Eve that his teddy bear would come to life he wakes up on Christmas Day with that dream having come true. Twenty odd years later and that young boy John, has grown up and the teddy bear is still around only now he is a pot smoking, foul mouthed, prostitute buying scumbag who John must stop hanging around with in order to grow up, however best friends are for life.

For the full review: Ted review


10. 21 JUMP STREET     7.5 / 10



Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube

Directed By: Phil Lord & Chris Miller

Two useless cops are sent to the forces worst undercover division after bodging their first arrest. The division they join is on Jump Street and their new mission is to go into a high school posing as students and find the suppliers and dealers of a new drug which has killed one of the students, however school has changed somewhat from when they were there and neither of them understand what the word 'cool' really means.

For the full review: 21 Jump Street review


And the ones to avoid, the worst five of the year:-

1. Magic Mike
2. The Cold Light Of Day
3. Abraham Lincoln; Vampire Hunter
4. Lockout
5. Dark Shadows

So that is my small review of the year. I highly recommend the films in my top ten as out of the 52 we have seen these are the ones that have stuck in the memory and we thoroughly enjoyed. The worst five I would avoid as best you can as they really are poor movies but with the top quality that floods the top ten it is safe to say that 2012 has been a good year for movies. Roll on 2013 that is already boasting some highly anticipated movies.

Sadly however this blog is coming to an end, my year long project has been completed but I am currently in the process of kick starting a website that will bring you all the movie news and reviews plus music news and previews that will excite movie and music fans alike. Check out this page in the next few days where I will give you the new address that we hope to get up and running as of next week. So fear not my fellow followers the reviews will continue but on a different site. Happy new year to you all.

JACK REACHER - Forget the internet outrage, Cruise IS Reacher

Jack Reacher is the final film to be seen of 2012. It stars Tom Cruise as the title character who has been taken from the Jack Reacher novels written by Lee Childs. There are seventeen in total but this first film adaptation of the series is the story of the ninth book called One Shot, which was supposed to be the title of this film but was changed so people who didn't know the book would begin to understand the character. Personally I prefer the title One Shot but that isn't the reason for this review so I will brisk past it. Ever since this film was cast fans of the books caused mass outrage across the internet as they felt Cruise was not the Reacher they had in their minds, mainly because Reacher, according to the book, is six foot five and two hundred and sixty pounds where as any human with eyes will know Cruise certainly doesn't fit this profile. I haven't read the books so I am unaware of the depths of this character but I think Cruise is the perfect fit for it especially charisma wise. I have read that Brad Pitt and Will Smith were rumoured for the role but I really can't imagine either of them as Reacher. The fans of the books may think Cruise isn't their man due to his physical presence but as an action lead the fans can relax because Cruise is perfect.

The film opens in style with a slick opening credit sequence before showing us the incident that triggers events of the film. Jai Courtney (to be seen later in the year as John McClaine Junior) pulls a van up in a parking lot, removes a sniper rifle from his van and shoots dead five people with six bullets. He litters the scene with evidence and disappears. The following day a different man is arrested and charged for the murders, a man with a history of murder with a sniper rifle whilst in the army. The only words this suspect uses are 'get me Jack Reacher.' While the police and District Attorney try to find out whom this Jack Reacher is, Tom Cruise arrives on the scene to announce his presence. Jack Reacher is a ghost, a man who drifts from place to place with no identification and brings justice to people who deserve it regardless of the laws. Reacher begins to discuss the case with the defence lawyer (Rosamund Pike) and tells the story of how the suspect, James Barr, was involved in a shooting which Reacher investigated, meaning Reacher knows Barr only too well. Reacher believes Barr to be guilty but as he begins to help investigate the case he realises he is becoming the target of 'random' attacks and that someone doesn't want him to dig any deeper. Due to this Reacher questions Barr's innocence and sets out to bring justice to the people who are doing all they can to cover their crime which is linked to a bigger conspiracy then simply five random shootings. Reacher's investigation leads him to a man known as the Zec (Werner Herzog) who will do anything he can to survive, including chewing off his own fingers.

There is plenty of charisma in this film, especially in the first hour. The opening sizzles and the introduction of Reacher is well done. As the crime is investigated we begin to see Reacher's investigating abilities and plenty of background exposition is delivered by showing how the lawyer's and Reacher's opinions differ depending on the information they have received. In this half we are also given some decent action sequences involving Reacher taking on five men in a bar fight and teaching them all a lesson. A fight with three heavies in a suspect's house where he receives a blow to the head from a bat, and an exhilarating car chase though the streets with Reacher being chased whilst being in hot pursuit of a potential lead. The action sequences are very well done by director Christopher McQuarrie and are acted out brilliantly by Cruise who brings his usual action panache to proceedings. The mystery cranks up to ten with plenty of intrigue floating around and the introduction of the Zec is horrifying as we see how far he will go to survive. Surely this could only make for an intense second half.

The answer to that would be no as the second hour falls apart. Once the centre point car chase finishes the story line becomes slightly generic and we begin to learn about a typical mole who is playing for the opposite team, and we meet an otherwise unmentioned war veteran who just turns up to help for no reason. This is nothing against Robert Duvall, who is great in the role, but he seems to be a character who was explored in the books but not so much here. This is how the second half felt, like much of the book was skimmed to get to a climatic fight. The Zec is never really mentioned and for a creepy villain he is reduced to two scenes, with is motives for the conspiracy never really being wrapped up. There are also many moments that don't make sense with Reacher giving the Zec's main henchman an opportunity to survive by challenging him to a fist fight instead of shooting him dead, what if Reacher lost the fight, everything would have been for nothing.

It is a shame how the second half turned as I was really enjoying it but by the end I felt completely unsatisfied with the plot never really wrapping up the loose ends. It felt like a film I had seen many times before and nothing could save it from falling drastically. The action scenes are well done, even in the finale, but it was all too generic and I never once felt afraid that Reacher was going to lose. The plot fails to realise which genre it should be settling in as at times it is a deep thriller and suddenly comedic fight scenes are thrown in which feel slightly out of place. Cruise is great in the title role; Pike unfortunately fails to back him up. The opening is great with the ending running out of steam. And the opening mystery disappears for the sake of mindless action by the climatic finale. This was a theme of the movie where something so good was equalled out by something particularly poor which means this has turned out to be a rather average action thriller, which is kind of what you expect from Tom Cruise now days. An underwhelming end to the year then.

Pros: Begins strongly and Cruise oozes charisma.

Cons: Fails to have any closure and loses its way in the second half.

6 / 10

Top 10 of 2012 so far:

1. The Dark Knight Rises     10 / 10 
2. Argo     9 / 10 
3. Skyfall    8.5 / 10
4. Silver Linings Playbook     8 / 10
5. The Hunger Games     8 / 10
6. Snow White And The Huntsman     8 / 10
7. Avengers Assemble     7.5 / 10
8. Looper     7.5 / 10
9. Ted     7.5 / 10
10. 21 Jump Street     7.5 / 10