Time for more binge and purge....
Indecent Proposal (1993): the classic love story for the 0.01%.
Death In Paradise (Season 1-2, 2011): entertaining BBC murder mystery set in the Caribbean. Think Agatha Christie meets "A Place In The Sun". Features Danny-John Jules (Cat from Red Dwarf).
Parenthood (1989): Great film with a great cast. I had watched bits of it before, but definitely enjoyed re-watching it in full as a parent.
The World's End (2013): I was really really enjoying this film -- as a hilarious sad-sack bromance a la The Hangover -- right up until the point where blue paint started exploding out of robot heads. After that, things got a bit silly. Still, it was a pretty entertaining to the "three flavours cornetto" trilogy.
The Hobbit - Battle of Five Armies (2014): expectations weren't high but, wow, this was one bloated CGI turd of a film. Never mind Azog, Peter Jackson is the real Defiler here.
Predestination (2014): intriguing little time-travel yarn with Ethan Hawke, based on the 1960 sci-fi short story "All You Zombies" by Robert Heinlein, which was also the inspiration for the Red Dwarf "Ouroboros" episode.
The Drop (2014): solid little crime flick dealing with the Russian mob in Brooklyn which turned out to be James Gandolfini's last film role. Written by Dennis Lehane (The Wire) and, for me, somewhat reminiscent of "A Bronx Tale".
The Imitation Game (2014): Benedict Cumberbatch is superlative in this powerful biopic about the great mathematician/computer scientist Alan Turing and the cracking of the German "Enigma" code in WWII. Unfortunately, the film takes copious liberties with the true story that detract somewhat from its overall impact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imitation_Game#Accuracy). Disappointing, because the true story scarcely needs any exaggeration.
Theory of Everything (2014): excellent biopic about the life of physicist Stephen Hawking. I'd say "God bless him" but he might take that as an insult.
Birdman (2014): self-indulgent arthouse flick about a washed up actor (Michael Keaton) producing a theatre show with Ed Norton as the main actor.
Moneyball (2011): Joe Satriani plays the Superbowl! Oh, and a solid little story about baseball manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), based on the book by Michael Lewis.
Snowpiercer (2013): quirky steampunk sci-fi flick that seemed to combine elements of George Orwell and Roald Dahl. Interesting but didn't get up there for me.
12 Years a Slave (2013): stirring film that leaves you shaking your head to think how recently slavery was a way of life in the USA.
Sunshine (2007): mediocre Danny Boyle sci-fi yarn.
In the Flesh (2013): surprisingly moving BBC drama about zombies, or "partially deceased syndrome" sufferers.
Lucy (2014): flamboyant but ludicrous Luc Besson sci-fi effort about the (unfortunately debunked) idea that we only use 10% of our brains and so what might happen if someone (in this Scarlett Johansson) is able to access the remaining 90%.
Interstellar (2014): excellent sci-fi blockbuster in the mould of Contact (which also featured Matthew McConaughey). Physicist Kip Thorne (who was also involved with Contact) was involved, and helped to make the science as plausible as possible; his book "The Science of Interstellar" is well worth a read.
American Sniper (2014): whatever your view on the second Iraq war, and war in general, there is no denying the heroism of guys like Chris Kyle. I somehow hadn't followed this story in the media, so the tragic epilogue caught me by surprise and left me quite gutted. Powerful film.
Lincoln (2012): I'm not generally a big fan of this kind of epic period biopic, but a superlative performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, together with an undeniably powerful story, won me over.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012): phew, looks like I watched this just in time before the Seymour Hersh article exposed the whole story as a CIA cover up. Well, whatever, but the last 45 minutes depicting the Navy Seal extraction mission is excellently done.
These Final Hours (2013): indie sci-fi flick about the last few hours before the world ends. Set in Perth, which feels strangely appropriate. Liked it.
How To Get Away With Murder (2014): a brilliant law professor and her class of hyper-competitive over-achievers get more than they signed up for when a theory class on "how to get away with murder" unexpectedly becomes a practical.
Miss Bala (2011): interesting mexican drama about a beauty contestant who gets caught up in a drug cartel.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): machine-gun-toting chimpanzees on horseback looks every bit as ridiculous as it sounds.
The Cube (1997): intriguing low-budget "math thriller" from Canada. The script and acting aren't all that hot but the math is cool.
Nightcrawler (2014): Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as a creepy sociopath who finds a lucrative career in filming late night carnage and selling the footage to unscrupulous news stations.
Dallas Buyers Club (2013): moving aids drama, showcasing impressive performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. Unlike the unfortunate protagonists, be sure to use protection here (Private Internet Access IYF!).
Son of a Gun (2014): another home-grown WA flick, featuring Ewan McGregor. It's a fairly by-the-numbers prison/robber flick, laden with most of the usual cliches of the genre. However, as a debut effort it's not bad, and McGregor brings some class. A former schoolmate of mine had a role as the scary-looking extra in the prison van in the opening scene.
Locke (2013): strangely gripping for a film that basically consists of a series of phone conversations as a man drives from Wales to London. Tom Hardy is excellent.
Ex Machina (2015): the latest in what's starting to feel like a new wave of A.I. movies. Quite good.
Cool Hand Luke (1967): a dated Paul Newman classic one whose of many quotable quotes was the beginning of the G'N'R song "Civil War": "Whaaaaat we got here is a failure to communicate…"
Gone Girl (2014): Well-acted but pretty silly, and too long.
Boyhood (2014): Excellent coming-of-age story. Starring Patricia Arqette and the chronically under-rated Ethan Hawke, it was filmed over 12 years which seemed to lend it a uniquely "real" feel. The storyline might have been a little cliched in parts but I really enjoyed it.
