Because let's face it, today is pretty slow so far.

At the cinema:

Mud - Really, really liked this. Both of the kids are excellent, as is the usually pretty dire Matthew McConaughey. Only thing I didn't like is that it's exactly one scene too long, but otherwise this didn't do much wrong.

Byzantium - Absolutely awful film about Vampires who aren't really Vampires but basically are. Dreadful script, underdeveloped characters, ropey special effects and for the first hour and a half no discernible plot. A really odd appearance from The Fucker from The Thick of It couldn't save this from being completely dire.

Populaire - Pretty throwaway French romcom about a typing competition. Essentially it only got made because The Artist was successful, and there are some obvious stylistic parallels between the two but it's a fairly harmless way to spend a couple of hours.

On DVD:

Half Nelson - On paper this is the archetypal "edgy" Hollywood performance where a pretty actor plays a character with a drug habit and a beard. It's probably the best Ryan Gosling performance so far though (although tbh I don't really see what the fuss is about with him), but the story doesn't really go anywhere and takes its sweet time getting there.

Michael - So very, very creepy. Bitterly uncomfortable film to watch due partly to its subject matter (note: this is the one about the paedophile, not the one where John Travolta is an angel) and partly due to the stark, skeletal way it's shot. Really didn't enjoy watching it (the scene where they're eating dinner has perhaps the most horrid snippet dialogue of any film I've ever watched), but I was really impressed at just how much the director was able to do with so little.

Beasts of the Southern Wild: I didn't like the somewhat gratuitous (and in parts completely unnecessary) animal gore, but otherwise this was a really charming film. Hard to believe that the main actress was six (6!) when she made and rightly got Oscar nominated for this. Thematically I found it very similar to The Road, but the execution was generally better. Enjoyed the music a lot too.

Now you.