Okay, so folk who've been following my journal for a while may have noticed I ain't had any of my regular (I've no doubt a few would rate ANNOYING ) reviews of movies I've seen lately that have been really saucering my eyes ... anyways, I figured, since I'd fallen so far behind this year I would be best to just do a nice fat pre-summer rundown of the stuff that's had the most impact on me since the start of the new movie year.  So here it is, in purely chronological order regarding when they came out ...

HAYWIRE – I'll admit, it's the geek in me that REALLY loves this movie ... after all, those who know me KNOW I love a strong female character, and you really can't get much stronger than former American Gladiator/mixed-martial artist Gina Carano in the role of US Marine-turned action spy Mallory Kane.  Basically she's a female Jason Bourne, and character/actress are both well-served in this intense, labyrinthine conspiracy-based suspense thriller.  Director Stephen Soderbergh shows a surprising flair for action that he's hinted at in previous films but never really let rip before now ... and, less of a surprise, he gives the quality cast (including stand-outs Ewan McGregor and Michaels Fassbender and Douglas) plenty of chances to shine.  But this is definitely Carano's movie, and she's probably the biggest surprise of the bunch – sexy, dangerous and with a certain edgy charisma, she definitely deserves to go onto bigger things from here.  Maybe Soderbergh should get back on the sequel bandwagon here ...

THE GREY – Liam Neeson's back in action-mode again, albeit in a much more grizzled, angsty form here in Smokin' Aces/The A-Team director Joe Carnahan's brutal man-against-nature thriller.  Forced to take responsibility for a small group of survivors of a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, Neeson must fight off a pack of starving, aggressively territorial timber wolves and lead the men (including Young Guns' Dermot Mulroney) to safety through the hostile frozen waste.  Carnahan conjures a pervading sense of tension and dread throughout, crafting a series of harrowing chases/cliffhangers/pitched man-against-beast battles that keep you on the edge of your seat from the harrowing crash to the final showdown, while at the same time stirring a potent dose of emotional power into the mix, making you genuinely root for these guys against these insurmountable odds.

THE DESCENDANTS – first off I'll get straight to the point – I don't think George Clooney has EVER been better than he is in Election/Sideways writer/director Alexander Payne's touching, off-beat bittersweet comedy drama.  He gives the performance of his career – subtly nuanced, restrained yet crumbling, often heartbreaking to watch – as the number one descendant of Hawaii's last king, forced to take the lead in his family's lives after his matriarchal wife is put in a coma after being launched from a speedboat.  He's ably supported Shailene Woodley and newcomer Amara Miller as his troubled, wayward daughters, both excellent throughout, while Payne's pitch perfect, occasionally achingly-hilarious script and direction (like George trying and failing to seem dignified running around in deck-shoes ) making this a thoroughly enjoyable, worthwhile experience.  And the Hawaiian locations are STUNNING ..

CHRONICLE – the first entry to top my "movie of the year" spot, this ingenious sci-fi thriller about three high school lads who develop telekinetic powers after an encounter with a mysterious "alien" McGuffin is one of the most riveting and rewarding movies I've seen in years.  Okay, so the "found footage" medium's been done to death, but it's really skilfully done here ... besides, there's so much to enjoy here that you rarely even notice, instead getting drawn into the boys' adventures as they learn to control their new talents, until things start to run away with one of them and the story takes a very dark, genuinely scary turn.  Quite possibly the coolest ever superhero movie that was never actually based on a comic book, this under-the-radar sleeper hit deserves true cult status in the future ... and I've no doubt it's going to earn it too ...

THE WOMAN IN BLACK – Daniel Radcliffe looks set to blast out from under the shadow of Harry Potter in fine style thanks to his troubled turn as desperate young everyman Arthur Kipps in writer Jane (Stardust/Kick-Ass/X-Men: First Class) Goldman's effortlessly creepy adap of Susan Hill's Victorian ghost story.  Director James Watkins weaves an atmosphere of palpable, creeping dread throughout, the richly layered soundscape, skilfully arranged editing and scary-beautiful cinematography combining to make this one of the finest spook-based chillers since The Sixth Sense.  Radcliffe is admirably supported by a quality cast, in particular Ciaran Hinds as a sceptical bereaved father, while the eponymous lady herself is one hell of a haunting spectre ...

SAFE HOUSE – definitely a pretty strong bet for 2012's thriller of the year, Daniel Espinosa's breathlessly suspenseful spy-fest is easily the title that's come closest to capturing Bourne's gritty action crown since Casino Royale.  Ryan Reynolds has always been most interesting when playing "serious" roles, so it's great to see him finally get a part he can really sink his teeth into as an inexperienced but ambitious young CIA operative who winds up hopelessly out of his depth when he becomes "responsible" for Denzel Washington's deadly rogue agent/wanted fugitive.  Washington continues to flex his substantial action-man muscles AND his sizeable thesping talent, but Reynolds holds up impressively well too, easily carrying the movie when his A-list co-star isn't on-screen and flat refusing to get acted off the screen when they're together.  Throw in some really blistering action sequences (an excellent early car chase and one of the most brutal, down-and-dirty fight sequences ever committed to film proving the particular highlights), a fascinating yet not too hard to follow conspiracy plot and a top-notch support cast headed by Brendan Gleeson and Source Code's Vera Farmiga, and this is definitely one of the year's absolute highlights.

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL – John Madden's a very complex director, rarely making the same kind of movie twice in a row.  After all, he's responsible for Shakespeare In Love, one of the funniest and romantic "Bard movies" around, but his last offering was the dark and intense The Debt, about a trio of Israeli Mossad agents capturing a Nazi war criminal ... anyways, his latest offering has far more in common with the former, being the playful tale of a group of British pensioners who go to stay in a new resort for "the elderly and beautiful" in India, which turns out to be a rundown, ramshackle former hotel run by the flaky and potentially bonkers Sonny (Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel).  Cue plenty of culture clash fun and some brilliant, complex performances from some of Brit cinema's finest elder talent, including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and a deliciously spiky Maggie Smith.  Funny but moving in equal measure, this is definitely one of the year's most "adorable" movies so far.

JOHN CARTER (OF MARS) – basically, I flat REFUSE to shorten the title – I don't consider the association with the Red Planet to hamper the movie at all ... anyways, the long-awaited screen adaptation of the first entry of Edgar Rice Burroughs' seminal pulp sci-fi saga, A Princess of Mars (oh, how different would cinematic history have gone had this TRULY been Disney's first animated feature rather than Snow White), is definitely the year's most enjoyable, pure popcorn ROLLERCOASTER RIDE movie so far – sure, it's flawed, being loaded with cheesy dialogue, occasionally hammy performances and the odd contrived plot twist, but the rewards FAR outweigh the drawbacks here. Taylor Kitsch finally throws off the shackles of his criminally truncated appearance as Gambit in the Wolverine movie, here bringing Burroughs' titular action hero to stirring life and demonstrating he's got leading man charisma to spare, while his Wolverine "co-star" (after all, they never actually shared any screentime) Lynn Collins is suitably sexy and super feisty as Martian princess Dejah Thoris.  The Wire's Dominic West and Kick-Ass' Mark Strong are both on typically strong boo hiss form as the bad guys, but the best thing in this movie, without a doubt, are the ten foot tall, multi-armed Tharks – as beautifully, fully-realised as Avatar's Na'vi, easily letting the actors behind the CGI shine through, most of all Willem Dafoe as mighty bravado-flashing warrior chief Tars Tarkas.  Visually sumptuous, endlessly inventive and packed with plenty of meaty, full-bodied epic action, this one definitely came out too early – as a summer blockbuster it could have been REALLY spectacular ...

CONTRABAND – currently my crime movie of the year, this remake of acclaimed Icelandic thriller Reykjavik-Rotterdam is a wonderful example of compelling characters, near-obsessive attention to detail and taut, slow-burn atmospherics winning over loud, flashy Hollywood action.  Mark Wahlberg is tough yet desperate as a family man and ex-smuggler forced to undertake One Last Job to bail his brother in law out of a crippling debt, but the movie really belongs to Ben Foster, grizzled and tightly wound as his troubled best friend, and Giovanni Ribisi, brutal, unhinged and explosive as the sleazy local hood with a troubling hidden agenda.  ()  While there is one blistering central action sequence, this movie's very much about the details, the real tension coming from the things that COULD happen but DON'T.  Like they say, sometimes less is more, and that's definitely the order of the day here.

THE HUNGER GAMES – for a little while my movie of the year, I still rank this very highly, and it's definitely one of the most interesting sci-fi movies I've seen in a long time – indeed, I've not yet had a chance to read the books but after this I'm absolutely champing at the bit to give 'em a go ().  Of course it helps no end that it's such a compelling story, and Pleasantville director Gary Ross gives it all the guts and intensity it deserves – at no point does the film shy away from the inherent horror of a future society when an annual televised "Reaping" pitches twenty-four adolescents into a brutal gladiatorial contest where only one can walk out alive, while at the same time keeping the pathos and underlying tragedy welded on the right side of powerful over mawkish.  From what I've heard, Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone/X-Men: First Class) may not really look the part of heroine Katniss Everdeen, but she's every inch the gutsy, determined survivor needed to carry the movie, while Josh Hutcherson's fragile turn as in-over-his-head cannon fodder tribute Peeta is so compelling you find yourself rooting for him right from the start.  Fascinating, intricate and deeply affecting, this is definitely one movie that's gonna stick with me for a long time, and which I'll keep coming back to for years to come ... even in the face of some of the BIG STUFF that's coming out later in the year, I think this one's probably still going to place very high in my end of year list ...

WRATH OF THE TITANS – 2010's Clash of the Titans was a movie that really divided people, some loving it (and I'll admit I'm in that camp, even though the original early 80s movie is a personal favourite guilty pleasure), others not wanting to have anything to do with it.  So it's been more than a little surprising that this sequel showed up at all, never mind so quickly ... and even more so that it's SO MUCH better than its predecessor.  Battle: Los Angeles director Jonathan Liebesman crafts a much more gritty, down-to-earth adventure this time round, as Sam Worthington's Perseus is forced to take up his sword once again when his "uncle" Hades (Ralph Fiennes, wonderfully subdued once again) betrays king of the gods Zeus (Liam Neeson, still as proud and noble as before) and begins to unleash the monstrous Titans upon the earth.  The visuals are even more stunning this time round, the monsters more impressive, and now the 3D's genuinely integral to the action instead of just tacked on in a last minute retrofit.  And Rosamunde Pike makes a much better queen Andromeda than Alexa Davalos in Clash, portraying her as the genuine strong heroine that was suggested but never really revealed in the first movie.  All round, a vast improvement on a much maligned minor gem ...

JO NESBO'S HEADHUNTERS – this is being touted far and wide as "The Next Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" ... I'm sure PURELY on virtue of the fact that it's also based on a bestselling Scandinavian crime thriller, this one by acclaimed Norse novelist Jo Nesbo (The Snowman).  And yet in spite of this fact, they're very different beasts indeed.  Yes, at times Headhunters goes to some very dark places, but there's a wonderful streak of jet black humour running throughout, and while Aksel Hennie's Roger Brown – a corporate "headhunter" who poaches promising talent from other companies – is another gem of a literary "hero", he's about a million miles away from Lisbeth Salander.  Hennie's Brown is lovable in spite of his unpleasantness, a diminutive, arrogant and narcissistic toad who moonlights as an art-thieving cat burglar to substitute his high class lifestyle.  Until he meets his match in Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's imposing Viking of a nemesis, definitely in the running as one of this year's best villains ... skilfully plotted, superbly performed and packed with some excellent, unexpected twists, it may not QUITE be the new Girl, but it's still one hell of a cracking little thriller in its own right ...

BATTLESHIP – sure, it may be based on a board game and look like it's trying too hard to be the next Transformers (which probably doesn't bode too well given those movies' shortcomings, and definitely doesn't set it in good stead with the critics ), but this is actually a hugely entertaining, surprisingly intelligent and genuinely high quality flick.  Actor-turned-director Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Hancock) has crafted one of the slickest popcorn movies in years, taking the absolute bare-bones premise of the game, adding alien invaders, and mixing in a quality cast which includes John Carter himself, Taylor Kitsch, True Blood's resident Viking Alexander Skarsgård, Liam Neeson and even pop star Rihanna (who acquits herself most admirably indeed in her screen debut).  The action sequences are impressive, explosive and genuinely knuckle-whiteningly tense, and the aliens themselves are an intriguingly designed bunch rendered with some top-notch digital effects.  So what started out as the year's most questionable blockbuster, even a potential turkey, actually turns out to be a proper corker – not a bad adaptation from a game that you can play in the pub with two sheets of paper, is it?

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS – if it hadn't been for Joss Whedon's "trial run" for The Avengers (), The Hunger Games would still be my top movie for the year so far.  Instead I'm totally enamoured of this, what is definitely the best horror movie I've seen since The Mist ... which is really saying something.  I'm somewhat loath to say much about it since this is definitely a movie that's best to go in cold to see, with no expectations – all I will say is that it's every inch the game-changer it's being touted as, just as revolutionary for the horror genre as Scream was back in '96 ... and indeed the two movies have a lot in common, in particular the way they both play such great tributes to the classic archetypes of the genre while at the same time completely turning them on their heads.  Of course writer Whedon's the king at this (okay, I admit to being somewhat biased since he is one of my idols, but that doesn't mean I'm blinkered here because this is genuinely some of his best work) ... and similarly director/co-writer Drew Goddard (these days probably best known as the writer of Cloverfield) proves to be one hell of a director, showing a behind-the-camera talent worthy of comparison to heavyweight horror greats like Carpenter and Craven.  It's also THE funniest thing I've seen this year (to those who've already seen it I will simply say "husband bulge" to raise some recognition titters ), AND also genuinely scary, brilliantly cast (a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, frazzled yet inspired Fran Kranz and The West Wing's Bradley Whitford proving particular stand-outs, not to mention a FANTASTIC final-reel cameo) and genuinely thought-provoking.  I shall say no more in fear of potentially ruining the experience ... I shall simply say GO SEE IT!!  You won't regret it ...

Anyways ... that's it for now. This weekend of course sees the release of The Avengers, which signals the official start of the summer blockbuster season, and once again those in the know () will remember this means I won't be posting any more reviews until September when I do my Summer Blockbuster Top Ten, if you will. In the meantime, stay tuned ...