I guess everything comes back around. Like your goddamn ties.

Date: Monday 15th April

Another day, another trip to The PCC (are we surprised? I bloody love it there), and this time I am introducing my sister to a double bill of films (again with a Q&A) by a writer/director that I love. A writer/director who is tirelessly working on making new and innovative films, or at least films that don't rely on the same old story telling techniques we see a thousand times over. First up...

Film: Brick (2005)
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas and Emilie de Ravin
Running time: 01 hour, 50 minutes
Rating: 9/10

I adore this film. I've seen it more times than is healthy. It is a fabulous noir thriller, harping back to classic detective thrillers that we haven't seen since the early days of cinema. It is modernised, taking from the mysteries of old, it tells the story of high school student searching in the shadows to find out what has happened to his ex-girlfriend. he has a couple of clues that make no sense, red herrings throwing him off and
an impenetrable group who know more than they are willing to tell.

I don't want to tell more, the brilliance of this film is all in the mystery. With a fabulous cast and an awesome script, it's hard to believe that this was Rian Johnson's debut. A near perfect film.

After a brief break for supper and a quick Q&A with the man of the hour, in which we learnt a lot more about how Rian Johnson works and what he aims to achieve with his films, it was time to settle down for the second movie of the night and, in comparison to Brick, Rian's big money gamble. A mind-bending time travel film with a decent budget, a big name cast and the chance for Rian to prove that he can do action as well as he can do drama...

Film: Looper (2012)
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels
Running Time : 1 hour 59 minutes
Rating: 9.5/10

I've gushed about this film before, and I have nothing to add. With each viewing I feel like I learn a little more about the ,story, about the characters, about the future.

Yes, the time travel logic is a little flawed but if you are looking that deeply into the timeline of a film, you don't deserve nice things.

Challenge day: 201
Challenge time: 12 days, 20 hours, 30 minutes
Challenge film total: 158

You need to know what you're up against. You need to be prepared...

Date: Monday 25th March
Film: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
Running time: 02 hours, 37 minutes
Rating: 9/10

Still pushing through Harry Potter films, ahead of the upcoming visit to the studios, so I retired to bed with the fourth in the series. It's at this point that things really start to get good. The point at which Voldemort is reaching enough strength to really wreak havoc.

The films get darker, the action amps up and they become about a lot more than a boy wizard.

Sheer escapist fun.

Challenge day: 181
Challenge time: 11 days, 12 hours, 08 minutes
Challenge film total: 142

To be a geisha is to be judged as a moving work of art.

Date: Tuesday 5th February
Film: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe and Michelle Yeoh
Running time: 02 hours, 25 minutes
Rating: 8/10

Under much duress from friends, I finally read this book a couple of years ago and, loathe as I am to admit they were right, I loved it. After being burned before with adaptations of books I loved, I then avoided the film. Again, these so-called friends told me that I would love the film. Again, they were right (I'm beginning not to like them, how dare they know me so well).

Memoirs is a stunning adaptation of the book. It sticks fairly faithfully to the story and adds striking visuals to the plot. This film is worth watching purely for it's beautiful cinematography.

Challenge day: 133
Challenge time: 08 days, 15 hours, 19 minutes
Challenge film total: 106

Gotham isn't beyond saving.

Date: Friday 7th December
Film: Batman Begins (2005)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Katie Holmes
Running Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Rating: 9/10

It's no secret, I love Superhero movies, and Batman Begins is no exception.

The first in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and, whilst it is not the best of the tree, Batman Begins is a brilliant re-imagining of the Batman universe. Christian Bale plays the brooding titular character wonderfully, with a great supporting cast including Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Katie Holmes.

Nolan has 'gone dark' in the best way possible; unlike more traditional superhero movies, this isn't all slick, bright and glossy. You get the feeling that these criminals really could be working underground around the city.

I only have one issue with Batman Begins, the vapouriser. If this machine turns water into vapour just by driving above the pipes containing liquids, how are people safe to be around it - surely it would vapourise the water in their bodies?

I think I've thought too much about this. I really should get out more.

Challenge day: 75
Challenge time: 03 days, 21 hours, 30 minutes
Challenge film total: 50