Haywire (2011)

A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.

Review: 8.5/10

The bright spot in the film is the presence of Gina Carano, an MMA fighter whose physical energy and skills in the Octagon were what inspired Soderbergh to make the film in the first place. She’s the focus here, and her prowess as a combatant allows for some of the most realistic, impressive fight scenes in a long time. In terms of performance, Carano succeeds by being allowed to focus her time and energy into moving fluidly through her environment and fighting her way out of it. She’s surrounded by an impressive crew of men who do their best to halt or kill her, including Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, and a sketchy Antonio Banderas who actually strokes his beard while plotting evil schemes, but they’re all support. Carano’s the real star, and she brings the perfect tone of predatory nuance to the role. She’s not just good for an athlete; she’s a good performer, period.

Goon (2011)

Labeled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of under performing misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.

Review: 8.5/10

I hadn't read or heard much about Goon before I went to see it; all I'd seen was the trailer. I didn't even realise that it was based on a true story. I wasn't expecting it to be that good, but was pleasantly surprised. 

I was expecting that the funny bits in the trailer were all that would be on offer but the whole film was seeped in that simple (albeit sometimes unnerving) comedy that had the audience laughing out loud often. 

Hunger Games (2012)

Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.

Review: 9/10

It’s rare that a director can successfully adapt a novel — especially one with as big a following as The Hunger Games — in a way that both thrills new audiences and satisfies the textual purists. Gary Ross, however, knocks it out of the outdoor arena, extracting brilliant performances from his cast, perfectly rendering the words from the page into images on the screen, and capturing the exact tone of the book: Somewhere between sickly grim and supremely entertaining. The Hunger Games does more than live up to the hype; it makes the hype an afterthought.

Fat Kid Rules the World (2012)

A dropout comes to the aid of a chubby and suicidal high-school kid by recruiting him as the drummer for his upstart punk-rock band.

Review: 8/10

Jacob Wysocki is the kind of actor where, the minute look into his soul-penetrating eyes that say more than words ever could, his sympathy begins to tug at your fragile heartstrings, and after spending an hour and a half with his character, rarely leaving the frame, you feel shaken and riveted. He's playing a character seemingly more in-tuned with life than his character in Terri, his acting debut, and in certain stretches, he appears more comfortable and confident as an actor.

Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.

Review: 9/10

The Cabin in the Woods is a spin on the horror genre from writer's Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, without giving away the spoilerish parts of the plot, I'll simply say that it involves 5 friends who fit the horror movie stereotypes (Jock, Slut, Party-Guy, Nerd, Virgin) who go to a cabin in the woods to party and get away from it all. Trouble is, its never really safe to go to a cabin in the woods is it?