End of Watch is one of the more uniquely shot films of 2012. It’s a mix of “found footage” style mixed with a gritty tone that Ayer is known for throughout his many cop-centric films. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena turn in great performances and although the story is a bit weak, the character aspects make up for any shortcomings.
Despite only having a relatively short 97-minute running time, Source Code is a far more impactful film than others that are a good 40-50 minutes longer. The reason in part to this is the efficiency of director Duncan Jones who jumps in to the mainstream after the success of indie hit Moon and makes a splash.
Love & Other Drugs is propelled by the leads rather than the story. I give major credit for the brave performances by Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal as they don’t go overboard with characters that could’ve been walking movie clichés. Now, the script itself is serviceable but nothing special, in fact it sticks pretty closely to the formula.
Zodiac is a fantastic film and probably one of my favorites from director David Fincher. It’s a fascinating mystery/crime drama with excellent performances that were sadly overlooked by the Academy. Of course, it didn’t help that Paramount released this in March rather than December.