January in Films.

[via Dine & Dish]
With January being the month for lacking money and staying in, this meant that I've been watching a lot of movies.
A total of 21 in a month sounds like quite a lot to me anyway, a lot of them being neat, well shot documentaries. So here's the list of movies that I watched in January, some new to me, some not.

1. Perks of Being a Wallflower ✸  – Not as good as the book but pretty easy watching all the same, even if they make it a little darker than the book for almost no reason. Ezra Miller is probably the best thing about this film.
2. Ruby Sparks ✸ – A clever idea even if it did have Paul Dano, who's face I hate, as the leading man. It was very pretty to look and I really liked the ending.
3. The Sword and the Stone – The first film I watched back on the ground while trying to stay awake when I got back from Florida. One of my favourites but I don't think I'd ever seen the last bit, my favourite part is when they're squirrels.
4. Zoolander – Brilliant nonsense. 
5. This is 40 ✸ – I am a massive fan of Knocked Up, so I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. It's just as funny as any other Judd Apatow film and I don't quite know why I thought it wouldn't be because I love Judd Apatow. It has some really funny lines and moments and I might even consider picking it up on DVD when it comes out.
6. Couples Retreat – This film isn't my favourite of it's kind but I've got a lot of time for Vince Vaughn.
7. Mulan – Perfect film if you need to feel pumped.
8. Stand By Me – One of my favourite films when I was 15 and I still really enjoy it, it's just one of those great Sunday afternoon films.
9. Django Unchained ✸ – This is the January movie isn't it? Everything about it is great. I like Tarantino but I hated Inglorious Basterds but this had me from seeing the trailer when we went to see Lawless last year. I think it's good that he's uncovered such a dark part of American history and it's certainly not done in as offensive way as everyone claims. There's action, humour and drama, plus Django is a badass.
10. Hitchcock ✸ – If you fancy seeing as great an actor as Anthony Hopkins dolled up in unconvincing, distracting, fat old man make up, then by all means, go ahead and watch this. It's far too light hearted with a complete lack of depth. The Ed Gein element is interesting but never really elaborated upon so ends up being a little unneccessary,.
11. A Glimpse Inside The Mind of Charles Swan III ✸ – I don't know what I was expecting but it looked quite good in the trailer, we actually turned this off because it was so dire. I guess I was expecting something a bit Wes Andersony, but I didn't get that at all. There wasn't enough Bill Murray either.
12. Django Unchained
13. The Imposter ✸ – A really interesting documentary about a French guy that impersonated a missing American kid to the point of actually integrating with his family. It doesn't last and there are a few things that were touched upon but could have done with more detail. 
14. Craigslist Joe ✸ – If The Imposter had made me wonder how some people could possibly behave the way they do, this kind of restored my faith in humanity a bit. The documentary follows Joe as he makes his way across the U.S using only contacts met through Craigslist, cutting himself off from friends and family for a whole month. He looks a bit worse for wear by the end but he definitely has an incredible journey.
15. Argo ✸ – With Oscar season well and truly on it's way I do try my best to see all the 'Best film' nominations, with the Academy Awards being my favourite. So this was the first, sadly it couldn't really hold my attention, I get why people love it but it just wasn't for me.
16. Life of Pi ✸ – Maybe it was the tiger but this was definitely much more up my street. At times the special effects were a little distracting but overall it was beautifully made and I really enjoyed it both visually and in terms of storyline. I'm looking forward to reading the book, even if I've not heard as nice things.
17. Indie Game: The Movie ✸ – Another little documentary, this time following the makers of Super Meat Boy, Fez and Braid in various stages of their creation process. It's a couple of years old now so I've heard of these games before but the story of Super Meat Boy is particularly lovely.
18. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – Other than The Royal Tenebaums, this is my favourite Wes Anderson film and yet another one that Moon hadn't seen. I adore it, from the humour to the visuals I just think it's great. I was pretty surprised to read it's a total flop.
19. Bully ✸ – A hideous insight into the American school system. I think it's awful that it's been given an R-rating over there so the people that the documentary's about can't even see it. There are some really grim moments and overwhelming proof that teachers just need to stick their oar in a little more.
20. The Queen of Versailles ✸ – An insight into billionaire, David Siegel's life and ultimate downfall during the 2008 recession. He was looking to build the biggest house in the whole of America, a replica of Paris' Versailles Palace but sadly he ran out of money. It was an interesting way to show the economic downturn but also great because it's amazing to see how people that rich live even when they're less rich than they were.
21. The Fighter ✸ – I never watched this when there was all the fuss over it a few years ago. I did enjoy it but found their Boston accents totally stressful.

See what I mean about a lot of documentaries? I wish there were more UK documentaries that are made to such high-spec, we just get crudely-titled ones about people with swollen faces. I think I've seen quite of a lot of movies generally this month, I reckon I won't see as many in February but you never know, I'll definitely be settling down to one this evening anyway and I've watched two this month already!

✸ – New to me films - 14/21
Favourite: Django Unchained
Worst: Easily, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan.