Logan isn't the only piece of this puzzle.

Date: Friday 29th March
Film: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber and Danny Huston
Running Time: 01 hour, 47 minutes
Rating: 5/10

My love for superheroes is well known to all who've met me, and the X-Men franchise is no exception to this rule. Which makes it surprising that I hadn't got round to watching this origin tale before (even more surprising when you learn I have it in my X-Men box set), but I had little desire to watch a film that focused on the creation of one hero. I felt that there was enough covered in the X-Men stories to leave Wolverine with that air of mystery and I just wasn't all that inclined to learn much more about him. Plus, I'd heard it was terrible.

The Luce was over for the weekend, I gave her free reign of the DVD racks and it was decided that I should, finally, get round to watching this one. I went in with little knowledge, the film hadn't interested me and, for all my love of comic book movies, I'm not an expert on the background material. I was genuinely surprised with the faces that popped up. If I'd have known going in that Liev Schreiber, Taylor Kitsch and Ryan Reynolds all had roles (albeit varying in length) it would have been watched a lot sooner.

Unfortunately, for all the great talent that appeared, there was still a role for Will.I.Am, a sign, for me, that this film wasn't going to be great.

The problem I had with Wolverine was that the characters that brought the most to the film were incredibly underdeveloped (particularly Deadpool and Gambit). There was a lot of focus on things that weren't all that relevant to the plot and, overall, I was left feeling a little deflated by the film.

As origin films go, I'd much rather watch First Class a few more times.

Challenge day: 184
Challenge time: 11 days, 18 hours, 46 minutes
Challenge film total: 145

How grand it must be, to be the chosen one.

Date: Wednesday 27th March
Film: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
Running time: 02 hours, 33 minutes
Rating: 9/10

I can't really say much more than I've said in the last few posts on this subject. Things are getting darker, risks are getting bigger. The films are growing alongside the characters.


Challenge day: 183
Challenge time: 11 days, 16 hours, 59 minutes
Challenge film total: 144

I like this ship! You know, it's exciting!

Date: Monday 18th March
Film: Star Trek (2009)
Director: J. J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and Simon Pegg
Running time: 02 hours, 02 minutes
Rating: 10/10

I can watch this film a trillion times and I still find it ridiculously exciting so when the flatmate told me his plan for the evening was to settle on the sofa and watch it, I did a little jig of glee.

I've said everything I have to say on this before. It's wonderful, it makes me happy. Watch it. Now.

Challenge day: 174
Challenge time: 11 days, 02 hours, 12 minutes
Challenge film total: 137

Listen, why don't you relax. Why don't you take a pill, bake a cake, go read the encyclopedia.

Date: Tuesday 19th February
Film: Moon (2009)
Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey
Running Time: 01 hour 37 minutes
Rating: 10/10

So many people have told me I will adore this film. It's set in space, it stars Sam Rockwell, it's basically right up my street. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to get round to watching it. I missed out on watching Moon's BBC preview at the end of last year, but I knew that the first time I watched this, I wanted to look back over some of the director and production team's tweets I caught that night. A quick query in the twittersphere and I was helpfully pointed to a Storify of  all the fun stuff. 

Pillows plumped up, laptop in hand and I was ready to go.

Within five minutes I was so involved in the film I forget that the tweets were there. It says an awful lot for Sam Rockwell's talent that he can command your attention throughout a film where his main interactions are with a computer (voiced by Kevin Spacey) and himself.

It's hard to describe Moon,  not without giving things away. If you haven't seen it, seek it out. This is a wonderful piece of film-making.

Challenge day: 147
Challenge time: 09 days, 09 hours, 51 minutes
Challenge film total: 116

It seems I've created a monster. A strangely persuasive monster

Date: Sunday 20th January
Film: Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger and Michael Fassbender
Running time: 02 hours, 33 minutes
Rating: 8/10

Snow had put a dampener on my plans for the weekend, Luce was stuck in Southampton, so there was no Harry Potter Studio Tour and Sunday night's planned Gosfest, including a trip to see Gangster Squad, had been put on hold. There was only one thing that could make this day a little more pleasurable, wrapping up in my Sofa Duvet with a chocolate orange and Michael Fassbender's beautiful face...

(Jesus, he's a handsome son of a gun)

We had a flat vote, and it was decided that we would watch Inglourious (it was between that and my second favourite Michael). 

I'm no Tarantino expert, I've seen some films I've enjoyed and some I really haven't. IB is one of the ones I really, really like, even if it does completely rewrite history. Granted, I was rubbish at History at school, I don't remember much, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember if Brad Pitt and a french woman hell bent on revenge blew up Hitler in a cinema thus ending WW2.

Christoph Waltz is a revelation in this film. He somehow manages to make a horrendous character a little bit likeable, I think it's this little wiggle...

Yes, there is violence, I wouldn't expect anything less from QT, but it doesn't ever seem gratuitous. Yes, there is bad language, again it seems to fit well with the film. Yes, there is Eli Roth, but not everything can be perfect.

I managed to get a little too comfortable under that sofa duvet and sleep through all of Fassbender's on screen time. I'm blaming the duvet. I've banished it back under the bed. 

All in all, apart from the nap in the middle, I again enjoyed this film. I've seen it a few times now and enjoy it a little more every time. I'm even warming toward Brad Pitt. 

Challenge day: 117
Challenge time: 07 days, 02 hours, 21 minutes
Challenge film total: 87

You promised you wouldn't do anything stupid or reckless

Date: Thursday 3rd January
Film: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Billy Burke
Running time: 02 hours, 10 minutes
Rating: 5/10

The second film in the saga, based on what I feel is the worse of a bunch of bad books (still, a bit of a guilty pleasure).

Having now watched almost the entire saga, I can say that I feel this is the worst film of the bunch. It doesn't have a lot in terms of action, and there isn't a massive plot.

I didn't really enjoy this one at all.

Challenge day: 100
Challenge time: 06 days, 04 hours, 48 minutes
Challenge film total: 77

Adventure is out there!

Date: Tuesday 1st January
Film: Up (2009)
Director: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer and Jordan Nagai
Running time: 01 hour 36 minutes
Rating: 9/10

Oh God, this film...

A brilliant animated film about coping with grief, making friends and opening your heart. It's funny, touching and will reduce even the hardest of hearts to a sobbing wreck.

Plus, there are talking dogs. That's right, DOGS THAT TALK.

Challenge day: 98
Challenge time: 05 days, 22 hours, 29 minutes
Challenge film total: 74

When you're desperate, that's when you got no choice.

Date: Wednesday 26th December
Film: Public Enemies (2009)
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard
Running time: 02 hours, 20 minutes
Rating: 5/10

I really found this film dull. How can it have such a strong cast and yet completely fail to engage me? A lot of people have told me that I'd enjoy this, that they really enjoyed it, but it just wasn't for me. I'm not really sure why.

It was nice, for the first time in a long time, to see Johnny Depp playing a character that wasn't another caricature of Captain Jack Sparrow, and his cheekbones are pretty special but other than the handsome girls and boys I struggled to find any positives with this movie.

Challenge day: 92
Challenge time: 05 days, 01 hour, 25 minutes
Challenge film total: 64

Who was that pointy-eared bastard?

Date: Monday 17th December
Film: Star Trek (2009)
Director: J. J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and Simon Pegg
Running time: 02 hours, 02 minutes
Rating: 10/10

If you don't like this film, we can't be friends.

I adore it, lens flare and all.

A great re-imagining of a classic franchise.

There is nothing that makes me happier than handsome boys in space.

I will probably watch this 50 more times before Into Darkness comes out later this year.

Challenge day: 83
Challenge time: 04 days, 13 hours, 09 minutes
Challenge film total: 83