Ten days, eight films, I DECIDE: Film Diary 2011, Part I

This year, thus far, I have watched eight films. There may be a ninth tonight, but we shan't talk about that. I have to have some privacy this blogspheric outer space, right? So, in the order of watching, here is my film diary thus far.

Severance – British character actors, and Danny Dyer, get slaughtered in a Hungarian forest. About as scary as an oak tree, but relatively diverting.

The Man Who Would Be King – Colonial wet dream with Sean Connery smouldering in uniform and Michael Caine SHOUTING A LOT ... it also happens to be fiendishly entertaining.

"Fiendishly entertaining"

Gomorrah – hard as bullets Italian mob drama which isn't for those of short attention spans or nervous dispositions, but it's full of intelligence and eye-watering confrontation.

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu – life is slow dying apparently, as is this movie; it's well-acted, well-observed stuff but it completely lacks any dramatic tension or verve

White Material – Claire Denis struggles between abstraction and colonial guilt in this muddled thriller which nevertheless showcases Isabelle Huppert's puppy-melting stare at its best.

"Isabelle Huppert's puppy-melting stare"

Die Another Day (second viewing) – not quite the weakest Brosnan Bond (that's The World is Not Enough), but this is a below average caper; it does feature Toby Stephens' glorious (and weirdly attractive?) villainry.

Die Hard with a Vengeance (umpteenth viewing) – a film full of head-smacking stupidity, and it's ridiculously over long, but for all its bells and whistles, your ears will be ring-a-ding-ing afterward

"a film full of head-smacking stupidity"

Lonesome Jim – coming across like a belated gasp of long-forgotten 90s indie cinema, this low-key slow burner features a lead character difficult to empathise with, but it's full of great moments and performances