39 and 1/2 hours

You know, at 27, you'd think that I'd grow out of my ridiculous habit of staying up for days and days at a time. It never really goes well and I always end up confusing myself. But at the same time I get oddly proud. So, I woke up 10:17 on Thursday morning and went to sleep some time around 01:05 on Saturday morning. Because I'm really clever like that.

At least I didn't spend that amount of time trapped in a canyon, because that would have been nasty and I honestly don't think I have the multi-tool or the willpower to hack my own arm off. I like my arm, I'm very attached to it. I suppose I could segway into the Oscars (several weeks late) with that last comment, so indeed I shall. My thoughts.

King's Speech won every award going and it was quite clear that it was going too anyway. It's a film that was designed at the genetic level to be an award winner. But... I still think it earned them. Colin Firth gave the performance of a lifetime, Geoffry Rush was outstanding, the writing was solid, the directing was playful yet serious, everything about the film deserves the recognition that it got. That does mean that a few lost out.

127 Hours is probably the most powerful film I've ever seen, Inception (despite Mike Lynch's protests) is a truly innovative story without any real boundaries and I think True Grit had some serious merit going for it. But all of these were overshadowed by the awards-monster that is King's Speech, and can we really blame it? I mean, it's the safest of all safe options, its got the most marketable appeal of all thsoe movies and it's the best loved by the older generation, who are still in charge of things in tinsel town. It's triumph over adversity, it's friendship breaking across class struggle, it's morally unambiguous and straight to the point. As films go, it doesn't mess around.

But in 127 Hours we actually wanted a man to cut his own arm off.

In Inception we wanted to immerse ourselves in that spinning top.

In Social Network we would have watched him hit 'Refresh' forever.

In True Grit I wanted to hear Bridges talk for another hour.

But we can't have them all, can we?

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

So if I hadn't seen Ironclad a few days before, I'm sure that this movie would have clinched some awesome MANly feelings in me, but it certainly didn't have the punch of Purefoy and Cox's squaring up to VLADIMIER. Basically, for those that are unaware, Battle: LA is an alien invasion of the world, and it focuses on what it would look like from a hand-held camera sort of view.

Now, I'm not going to say that it's got a massively original story, or that it's got amazing characters (although Aaron Eckhart always gives a good performance and Michelle Rodriguez is, for once not shit!), or that it's a truly groundbreaking film... but I enjoyed it. I really, really enjoyed it. There's just nothing about it that didn't work, to my eyes.

It's got aliens, it's got big explosions, it's got US Marines realised that they are not the be-all-end-all of military forces, it's got action, it's got some overblown heroism and it's got a painful reference to Japan in the opening seconds.

Actually, I should make a point of that, it was shocking, the first lines of the movie are a radio voice-over saying about how Japan has been devastated. And we saw this on the friday release day, which was the VERY DAY the tsunami hit them.

Freaky, huh?

The other thing to mention with this movie is that it's a film about aliens invading Los Angeles... that's 'Inspired by True Events'. If you look up the Battle for Los Angeles on Wikipedia, you'll find out what I mean and quite frankly I think it's hilarious. Technically, this film about aliens invading Los Angeles is inspired by true events.

So overall, I think this film can be summed up in one phrase. 'If you can say "not quite as good as Independance Day" with a straight face, then that's this movie'. I dont' know why I thought that when I saw it, but there it is, that's this movie. It's fun, it's loud, it's explodey and it's a half decent way to spend an evening. And it kicked the shit out of Skyline.

Next time: BIUTIFUL.