(500) Days of Summer (USA, 2009)
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Chloe Moretz, Clark Gregg

As a film enthusiast you're always on the lookout for innovation in films - not specifically for films which move the goalposts and redefine our notions of cinema, but for those which take something well-worn and familiar and challenge it for a new audience. With this in mind, there is nothing that can get one's gander up more than a film which claims or thinks that it is being inventive, when in fact the merest glance beneath its surface shows that it is nothing of the sort.(500) Days of Summer comes at you with claims of being a genuine postmodern love story, an Annie Hall for the Twitter generation, or a rom-com for people who genuinely hate rom-coms. While it may not have the putridly glossy veneer of Sex and the City, the film ultimately shoots itself in the foot by being too kooky for its own good, and too structurally self-conscious to feel genuine. While there are still ideas and moments which sparkle, for the most part it feels disappointingly hollow.There's no denying that the makers of (500) Days of Summer had their hearts in the right place when setting out. In an age where cinema is increasingly and ever more cynically geared to the interests of teenage boys, romantic comedies or dramas with believable female protagonists are harder and harder to come by. The majority of contemporary romantic comedies are either predictable rehashes of stuff from the 1980s and 1990s, or vacuous vessels for product placement, offering women supposed material satisfaction in place of some more permanent form of happiness or self-esteem.Marc Webb's film is at its strongest when it attempts to puncture that self-contained, pre-packaged form of contentment. Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes greetings cards for a living, and struggles to remain optimistic or positive about the prospect of love in generalr. In one of the film's best scenes, he stands up in the middle of a meeting and lets rip about how hollow and meaningless love and happiness have become. Our culture has become so orientated around 'events', seeing emotion as something to be conveyed through commerce, that we are losing our ability to genuinely feel affection or understand each other.Somewhere within (500) Days of Summer, there is an edgier, more adventurous film which wants to use this premise to completely deconstruct the modern notion of love and romance. There is the potential within this material for something as scabrous and poisonous as Heathers, a ferociously funny film which ripped into the John Hughes view of high school by making you both squirm and howl with laughter. But try as he might, Webb can't seem to bring this desire to the surface for more than a few moments at a time. For all its claims of being left-field, indie-spirited and unconventional, (500) Days of Summer is structurally all too similar to the films whose clichés it claims to subvert.The single biggest problem with the film is that its structure of shuffled timeframes doesn't work. The film occupies the same kind of ground as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, trying to depict or capture the seemingly random way in which memory works within the context of a failed romantic relationship. But where Michel Gondry used the shuffled structure with great intelligence, confounding our expectations and getting us to question our own memories, Marc Webb treats it as a gimmick, as little more than a device to distract from the conventional elements of the story.This lack of confidence in the use of non-linear narrative is shown by the presence of a narrator. Having a narrator in any kind of story gives a feeling of certainty to the direction and outcome of the plot. This is even true of film noir, where an unreliable narrator makes us certain that we should not trust anyone. When you have a film which sells itself on being free-spirited and unpredictable, you don't want any creative element which would suggest otherwise. The narration here is as pointless as the narration in The Big Lebowski; it cheapens the experience by introducing choreography into an atmosphere of spontaneity.In terms of the central relationship, there isn't a great deal about either Tom or Summer which hasn't been covered in some depth before. Dynamically they're very similar to the main characters in Annie Hall: Joseph Gordon-Levitt may not be as neurotic or self-hating as Woody Allen, but Zooey Deschanel is frequently as off-the-wall (and as annoying) as Diane Keaton. The idea of the relationship being important despite the fact that boy and girl do not end up together has been handled more conclusively in several other films. I don't recall either Annie Hall or Gregory's Girl having such a clunker of a final scene.The familiar elements of (500) Days of Summer keep coming to the fore as the film moves forward (and backward). The conversations surrounding musical taste are essentially the same as the arguments in Stephen Frears' High Fidelity, but with an indie gloss on top (in other words, substitute any other band for 'The Smiths' and you're home free). Summer may claim that romance is dead like it's a novel concept, but she is essentially playing the Billy Crystal role in When Harry Met Sally..., being the sceptical side of a relationship which treads on the edge of friendship. There's nothing wrong with making a love story with familiar scenes and plot points, but it helps if the film is happy with admitting this, rather than constantly avoiding the issue so that it can continue claiming to be original.One of the problems with the indie genre is that it attempts to compensate for the ordinary, often dull nature of its stories with unbridled levels of kookiness. While (500) Days of Summer isn't exactly off the radar, it contains any number of moments which will send the less tolerant among us running for cover. Some of the sillier romantic scenes are funny, like Summer's quip about her high school nickname, or the couple frolicking around in Ikea and remarking that "there's a Japanese family in our bathroom". But Deschanel's impromptu singing and the drunken karaoke scenes which follow are a clear sign of the plot running out of steam. And that's not to mention the completely misjudged musical number, which is closer to High School Musical than Singing in the Rain.The final, and most surprising, problem is the film's lack of interest in the motivations of its female character. While Tom gets his fair share of backstory about failed relationships, and those of his male workmates for comparison, we get no real indication of what has made Summer who she is, and why she behaves towards men in the way she does. One could argue that this is symptomatic of the genre as a whole, with the film becoming less of a rom-com than a bromance that happens to have girls in. But that does not excuse the lack of intrigue surrounding Summer, for which Zooey Deschanel must take some of the blame. Regardless of how underwritten she is, you cannot make us care about someone by staring doe-eyed into middle distance for two hours.The other performances in the film are a little more promising. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has proved his action chops in Brick and Inception, and he does the best he can with a role which requires him to be constantly either in a mood or blank-faced wonder. A pre-Kick-Ass Chloe Moretz is thoroughly impressive as Tom's worldly-wise younger sister, with both actor and character having wisdom beyond their years without looking like they are trying to play younger than themselves. And Clark Gregg is convincing as Tom's boss, coming across as creepy and unsettling without going over-the-top.(500) Days of Summer is a disappointing and deeply overrated addition to the rom-com genre. When stripped of all its hype and kookiness, it is essentially Annie Hall with shuffled timeframes, half the brains and less than half the conviction. Had Marc Webb the guts to risk being unpopular, and deconstruct the notion of modern love head on, it might have been more memorable, distinctive and enjoyable. One hopes that he will do a better job when dealing with Peter Parker.

Rating:
Verdict: Overrated and overly kooky

We're very nearly at the end of 2010, and with much of the Christmas dinner still working its way through my system, it's time to sit back, take stock and put forward my Top 10 list comprising the best films of this year.

I could waste time repeating all the usual caveats about having not seen everything, and all this being just opinion, but to be honest if you've been reading my reviews you probably know that already. Instead, let's just dive straight in.

10. The Arbor
A gripping if uneven documentary about the life and legacy of playwright Andrea Dunbar which straddles the divide between fiction and reality. By having the cast lip-sync to recordings of Dunbar's friends and relatives, what could be a straightforward biopic is transformed into a Rashomon-like exploration of the fractured nature of truth and how the past lingers in the present. One of the most unusual films of the year and a must-see for anyone interested in the documentary tradition.
Full review available here

9. The Illusionist (L'illusionniste)
Seven years after he charmed the pants off us with Belleville Rendez-Vous, Sylvain Chomet returns with an equally charming and uniquely crafted effort based on an unfilmed screenplay by Jacques Tati. While not as compelling or rounded as his debut, the film is still a visual delight with beautiful design and characterisation rooted in dry wit and subtle pathos. The film marries a well-judged relationship between an ageing illusionist and a young fan with social undercurrents about the decline of variety and the age of rock'n'roll.Full review available here

8. Burke and Hare
John Landis returns to the big screen in style with a really good black comedy about enterprising 18th-century murderers. Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis enjoy strong chemistry as the gags flow thick and fast, and the film is rooted in Landis' brilliant combination of horror and humour. Its lush period setting accurately recalls the classic Ealing comedies of the 1950s, and the film's knowing economies with the truth work largely to its advantage. Worth seeing just for the cameos from Paul Whitehouse and Tim Curry.Full review available here

7. Green Zone
One of the most underrated films of the year and another solid addition to the Paul Greengrass canon. A very well-constructed, technically accomplished and ultimately substantial conspiracy thriller, with Matt Damon cementing his status as one of Hollywood's best leading men. Bourne-style action set-pieces are ably intertwined with relevant discussions of the role of media in modern warfare and the fragmented nature of both the enemy and the allies. A film which ticks all the action movie boxes and hurls The Hurt Locker into the middle of next week.Full review available here

6. The Ghost Writer
What looked at one point like Roman Polanski's last film now stands as a fine addition to a stunning back catalogue. While ultimately a minor work which draws heavily on The Tenant, the film is a great old-fashioned thriller in its own right; a film which is less about political allegory and more about the powers-that-be and the faceless, nameless figures which try in vain to keep them in check. Ewan McGregor gives his best performance in years as the title role and the final shot is textbook Polanski: chilling, bitter and cynical.Full review available here

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Edgar Wright's third film is a visually astounding and heartfelt love letter to all things comic-book and video game, with a beautifully-judged coming-of-age story at its centre. Career-best performances from Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead elevate the film above other quirky teen affairs to create a film as much about accepting responsibility as it is about defeating psychic vegans. A hilarious film which never misses a beat.Full review available here

4. Kick-Ass
After grabbing our attention with Stardust, Matthew Vaughn turns comic-book conventions on their heads in this flesh-ripping adaptation of Mark Millar's comics. The film combines knowing humour with rich pastiches of Batman and Spiderman, approaching the darker and tougher aspects of comics while keeping its tongue firmly in cheek. Visually outstanding and with brilliant stunt choreography, this represents a real departure from the light-to-dark cycle of comic adaptations and set the bar high for Christopher Nolan's next work.Full review available here

3. The Social Network
David Fincher returns to form spectularly with an intelligent, intriguing and labyrinthine examination of the founding of Facebook. Combining the visual intimidation of Zodiac with a razor-sharp script from Aaron Sorkin, Fincher manages to do what Noah Baumbach never managed: to take a bunch of hideous, chauvinistic intellectuals and make them engaging and entertaining. But the film is also a gripping analysis of the way in which technology comes between friends, the ruthlessness of capitalism and the changing nature of nerds.Full review available here

2. A Single Man
Colin Firth gives a career-best performance in Tom Ford's ravishing and heartbreaking debut based on a story by Christopher Isherwood. Ford's outstanding visual palette, which draws on the work of Michelangelo Antonioni, is the fitting sheen to a tender examination of grief and the powers of deception which we employ to protect ourselves in everyday life. The film is less a thesis on sexuality than a poignant and meticulous portrait of one man struggling to appear in control when everything about him hints towards chaos and meltdown. An emotional triumph.Full review available here

1. Inception
Having come perilously close with The Prestige, Christopher Nolan finally delivers his masterpiece with a daring blockbuster notable not only for its intelligence but its nuance and emotional resonance. What begins as a heist movie set inside the minds of its protagonists blossoms into a full-blown examination of dreams, addiction, grief and redemption, contained in a brilliantly designed cinematic world and underscored by spectacular action. Inception is the pinnacle of Nolan's career, marrying thematic complexity with visual astonishment to create a memorably mesmerising masterpiece.Full review available here

Honourable Mentions
Shutter Island (USA, dir. Martin Scorsese)
The Kids Are All Right (USA, dir. Lisa Cholodenko)
The Killer Inside Me (UK, dir. Michael Winterbottom)
Winter's Bone (USA, dir. Debra Granik)

Roll on 2011 :)

Daniel x

Kick-Ass (USA, 2010)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Comic book adaptations come in a cycle of 'light' and 'dark' phases. Every period of films which takes its characters and settings seriously is eventually followed by a camper, sillier phase, and vice versa. Batman went from a camp TV series to the dark and edgy Tim Burton films, then back to high camp with Joel Schumacher, and is now firmly rooted in darkness under the guidance of Christopher Nolan.

Kick-Ass, however, breaks this cycle, marrying the dark, moody and intense side of comics with a knowing earthiness and its tongue firmly in its cheek. These conflicting elements are held together by memorable performances and Matthew Vaughn's striking visuals, creating a film which truly and madly lives up to its name.In the space of ten years, Matthew Vaughn has gone from a nameless, also-ran producer to one of the most exciting directors working today. Having cut his teeth producing Guy Ritchie's first films, he made his directorial debut with Layer Cake, a flashy but ultimately empty-headed gangster film. Having dropped out of directing the third X-Men film, he really found his feet with Stardust, a genuinely great family fantasy which didn't take itself too seriously. And now we have Kick-Ass, a feisty oddball of a film which is without question his best work to date.Where some adaptations have simply lifted out the characters and put them awkwardly into the real world, Kick-Ass lives and breathes the comic-book universe. The film is dripping with pastiches or parodies of superheroes, and no character is left either unscathed or un-subverted. On the one hand, we have overt discussions about different characters- for instance, Dave's monologue about the difference between Spiderman and Peter Parker ("Spiderman gets the girl" - or not). On the other hand, we have the extended sequence of Nic Cage donning the Big Daddy outfit. The scene of him painting black make-up over his eyes is a crafty nod towards Tim Burton's Batman, since Michael Keaton underwent the same procedure when putting on the batsuit.

But although it's a film with such an encyclopaedic knowledge of comic books, you don't have to be Kevin Smith or Quentin Tarantino to enjoy Kick-Ass. What makes the film so refreshing is its total refusal to take itself too seriously. It offers enough darkness and substance to satisfy the Nolan-ites and Burton-ians, but it never risks becoming alienating or self-absorbed in a manner that encumbered Sin City. The action sequences are shot with great alacrity and are inventively choreographed, being every bit as exciting as the battle scenes in a Zhang Zimou film.If there is a phrase to sum up Kick-Ass, that phrase would be: 'knowing fun'. The familiar elements of both the plot and the characters are clear to see up on the screen; we've lost count of the number of films about gangsters being taken on by masked vigilantes. The film is clearly aware of the power and prestige of the best comic-book works, but it also knows how hard it is to get those films right.

There is a real sense of relish in the way that the film tackles the clichés of the superhero film and completely subverts and twists them for its own amusement. If the film had been made by Frank Miller or Zack Snyder, the central premise of ordinary people trying to become superheroes would have been treated so portentously it would have been dull. Vaughn cuts through all their pseudo-intellectual claptrap, providing us with simple, laugh-out-loud answers to the central character's questions. Put simply, you wouldn't dress up in a suit and go out and fight crime, not because it's morally ambiguous, but because you'd look ridiculous and get your ass kicked.The film situates the superhero story in a completely contemporary parallel universe, and brings the different components of these stories bang up to date. Why would you waste your time running around answering distress calls from people in the street, when it's much easier for said people to send you emails? Why would you drive a massively conspicuous Batmobile, when a souped-up Mustang will do just as well? Touches like this are the nub of what Kick-Ass is: an affectionately savage satire of all things comic-book, with a dark but playful sense of humour.

There is a natural comparison between Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, since both films were developed at the same time as the comics which spawned them. Both films are visually outstanding, and both take a familiar romantic storyline and inject new life into it through a number of bold creative decisions. But in terms of their purpose, they couldn't be more different. Where Scott Pilgrim sought to charm you and make you chuckle at what unfolds, Kick-Ass asks a lot more of its audience, and the laughter comes tinged with a number of tough scenes.There are a number of scenes in Kick-Ass which are difficult to sit through, even for people who are well-versed in comic-book violence. For the most part the violent scenes are decidedly tongue-in-cheek, and the film doesn't linger unduly on any of the violent acts dealt towards the characters. That said, the scenes of Kick-Ass and Big-Daddy being tied to a chair and beaten to within an inch of their lives is very full-on. These scenes take the Joker's videotape in The Dark Knight and take it to the next level through a few gallons of blood and interesting camerawork.

The film has caused controversy because to its violence and foul language, including a now-infamous section of Chloe Moretz' character saying the 'c' word. As before, most of the violence is clearly comic-book: characters can get hurt and do die, but the film does not ask its audience to enjoy their pain, nor does it rely upon this level of engagement to make the lighter parts work. The violence towards Hit-Girl is carefully choreographed with all the power in the suggestion rather than the action; like Psycho and Alien before it, Kick-Ass works by making us think something has happened and then letting the emotional response play out.As for the language, that is largely indicative of the film's bad taste sensibility; Peter Bradshaw memorably described it as "an explosion in a bad-taste factory". The film makes no bones about its less politically correct scenes, mainly involving Nic Cage and his obsession with weaponry. Because the film was financed independently, it can get away with scenes that would never survive the test screenings of a modern blockbuster. The opening scene, which parodies the Spiderman series, sets the tone for the rest of the film, and there is no attempt made to sanitise Kick-Ass' circumstances for the sake of broader appeal. Even if the end result is not entirely to our liking, the film at least deserves some praise for having the balls to attempt such scenes in the first place.Moreover, the full-on and bloodier scenes in Kick-Ass are counterbalanced by the development of the central character. Like Scott Pilgrim the film is on one level a coming-of-age story; where the 1980s had John Hughes, our generation has comics. The central romance between Dave and Katie feels genuine, as do Dave's circle of friends who derive endless pleasure from Katie's misunderstands about his sexuality. The near-pantomime performances of Nic Cage and Mark Strong are balanced out by solid turns from Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is also enjoyable, so much so that we almost forgive him for Superbad.Kick-Ass is one of the best films of 2010 and is destined, like Scott Pilgrim, for cult status. Its uncompromising approach to both content and characters is refreshing in an age where so many similarly-styled films are unfairly watered-down. Its visuals are striking, its action is superb, its dialogue is witty and it's immensely good fun. Only time will tell as to its overall impact on trends in comic book adaptations, but it has laid down the gauntlet for The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. Until then, it should be embraced as a dark-humoured celebration of comics which is a jagged-edged joy to behold.

Rating: 4.5/5
Verdict: A bona fide comic book classic