The feature film debut from Australian writer/director Jennifer Kent, based on a short film she made in 2006 called Monster, certainly received much acclaim from critics as it played at numerous festivals including Sundance. Therefore, it deservedly got to feature at multiplex cinemas. Plus, William Friedkin called it the scariest film he had ever seen. And he's the guy who made The Exorcist.
Essie Davis plays single mother Amelia, forever troubled by the loss of her husband, looking after her son Samuel who is somewhat jumpy and obsessed with defending them against monsters hiding under the bed. One night, she reads him a story about a creature known as Mister Babadook. However, soon afterwards something begins haunt the pair of them because: "If it's in a word or in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook".
I have to admit that even though I would probably need to see it again to fully understand it, it does what it sets out to do which is make you jump in your seat. It is such an unsettling film that addresses genuine real horrors, such as creatures that exist in the mind of a young child. In fact as you may know, a lot of children's books actually have creepy dark origins/elements (e.g. Struwwelpeter and the great tall tailor are part of the inspiration for Freddy Krueger). In the scene in which they actually read the book, you can see it is a beautifully illustrated creature, looking like a very dark Dr. Seuss book. It is such a refreshing change from the typical formula for modern-day horror films (plastered in gore, numerous jump scares or if you're Uwe Boll flicking the lights on and off). In fact, this is as much a psychological thriller as it is a horror film. There is an emotional involvement between the characters and the audience, especially as Amelia gets more and more drained mentally, as she is deprived of sleep and loses her patience easily with Samuel. Both of them are acted very well, as this is more a film about their relationship rather than being solely about the Babadook.
This film is sure to become a cult classic, as it has created a monster sure to terrify generations.
And for fans of Kermode and Mayo's Film Review: "Baba Dook-Dook-Dook. Push pineapple, shake the tree. Baba Dook-Dook-Dook. Push pineapple, grind coffee."
9. Dawn of the Planet of the ApesMy full review of this film can be found in the community issue of Seren, which you can read online here. I'll try not to repeat myself here.
Approximately ten years after the outbreak of the simian flu which wiped out most of humanity, Caesar and the apes are living in peace in the forest, when they are disturbed by a group of humans living in the ruins of San Francisco.
As with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis gives a fantastic performance as Caesar (there will surely be another campaign for him to receive an Oscar nomination), especially due to the fact he has now developed a series of vocalisations. Opposite him is Toby Kebbell as Koba, who is equally brilliantly portrayed; whereas Caesar wants peace between the apes and humans, Koba wants war. It is the same for the humans - on one side, Jason Clarke; on the other, Gary Oldman. In this respect it is somewhat familiar to Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
I do like the way it has easily continued on from Rise but, more importantly, how much it references/harks back to the original Planet of the Apes in the same way that Rise did. Those two have saved this franchise after the awful Tim Burton remake of the original. Director Matt Reeves, who previously made a name for himself with Cloverfield, has already signed on to direct the next film in the franchise, as there is still a long way to go to tie everything up.
8. CalvaryThis comes from writer-director John Michael McDonagh, creator of The Guard, but this is at the other end of the scale to that film's black-comedy atmosphere.
During a confession, Father James (Brendan Gleeson) receives an anonymous death threat from one of his parishioners, who was abused by another priest, giving a week left to live. He also has to comfort his daughter Fiona (Kelly Reilly), who has suicidal tendencies, and reach out to other members of the community, who have their own reasons for hating the Catholic Church. However, he senses dark forces closing in. Other notable cast members include Chris O'Dowd, Aidan Gillen and Dylan Moran.
Brendan Gleeson certainly gives a stellar performance, as witty as his performance in The Guard. He is on screen for pretty much all of the film and yet he is playing so much more than just your ordinary priest. Even he admits that his threat is "certainly a startling opening line". Most of the other cast members do a great job at portraying those you suspect are responsible - Chris O'Dowd as the butcher jealous of his wife, Dylan Moran as the arrogant member of the upper class who hates himself (think Bernard Black moving up in the world though not changing much) and Aidan Gillen as the non-believing impish doctor who is possibly the most unlikable character (would you expect anything else from Petyr Baelish).
As mentioned before, The Guard was very much a dark-comedy. This film has some light-hearted moments, but its tone is much darker and more uncomfortable; it treads a very fine line between the two. It tackles heavy issues associated with the Catholic Church, many of which Irish Catholics would be in a better position than me to argue. And Brendan Gleeson is somewhat the scapegoat, yet he is innocent at the same time. It is obvious what the film is leading up to, as Gleeson believes early on that he knows the identity of his would-be killer.
McDonagh handles the heavy themes in this film with respect, whereas another director could have easily just made a cheesy, yet dark, version of Father Ted.
7. The Grand Budapest HotelWes Anderson is certainly one of the most creative directors visually at the minute. His previous film, 2012's Moonrise Kingdom, was certainly proof of that, as well as its great performances. That formula continues with this gem - The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Ralph Fiennes plays M. Gustave H, who is a famous concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel in the fictional Republic of Zebrowka. One day he is accused of the murder of an old women called Madame D (Tilda Swinton) after she leaves him a valuable painting of hers for which her son Dmitri (Adrien Brody) is up in arms against. The whole film is told through the eyes of Zero, a lobby boy who Gustave becomes good friends with, and is set between supposedly between the First and Second World Wars.
Wes Anderson films are generally stories about story-telling and that is the case here. It begins with Tom Wilkinson telling a story about F. Murray Abraham, who himself is telling a story to Jude Law. They are just three members of an all-star cast, something else which is common for Wes Anderson films, even if some of them are on-screen for mere seconds, such as Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Harvey Keitel. The best performance is Ralph Fiennes, because you normally would not associate him with comedic roles but he excels in this. Visually, it is impressive; the outside of the hotel looks like a giant cake you want to eat. the production design of this film is similar to Anderson's 2009 adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox. There are also very interesting uses of colour, including the different uniforms symbolising different hotels.
The split time frames are best demonstrated through the use of different screen ratios for each period, all of which remain within the standard 1.85:1 digital aspect ratio. Now normally this would be an issue for projectionists (yes, they still exist), but when the film was released there was an accompanying letter stressing the importance of their role.
This film seemed to become more and more popular, benefiting from word of mouth as it reached the number one at the UK box office in its third week. Certainly one of the funniest films of the year.
6. GodzillaThis film is certainly a better re-imagining of the Japanese classic movie monster than the Roland Emmerich film from the 1990s. Why? Well for starters, no Matthew Broderick.
In 1999, an accident takes place at a nuclear power station in Japan and 15 years later Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) is searching for the truth, even dragging his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) along. They come across a group of individuals reawakening a creature formed by the scientific arrogance of men which threatens to wipe out humankind. Their only hope of survival - Godzilla.
As with most action films, the first half of the film lends itself to character development, giving the audience a chance to meet the three dimensional humans, who they will grow to care about later on. Bryan Cranston, for me, gives the best performance, even though he is not in the film as much as the trailers would suggest. And he is the one who constantly disrupts the relationship between Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. Therefore it is some time before Godzilla finally decides to reveal himself, but when he does you won't be disappointed. One of the most memorable scenes in the film is the skydiving sequence, which is well complimented by the choice of music - Ligeti's Requiem from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is one of the most notable sequences of the year. This whole film needs to be seen on the biggest screen with the best sound quality available.
The film is directed by Gareth Edwards, who made a name for himself with visual effects, as well as his 2010 feature film debut Monsters; the effects for which he supposedly created in his bedroom. That film cost an estimated $800,000; the estimated budget for Godzilla is $160,000,000, with Forbes Magazine predicting that it would be this year's equivalent of John Carter - the biggest money flop of the year. Opening week worldwide, it took around $200 million. Might want to check your crystal ball Forbes. Therefore with more money available, Edwards has more effects at his disposal. This includes creating a new enemy - the MUTO.
Unlike the Emmerich film, this one remains faithful to the original Japanese film Gojira, released in 1954. It begins with old footage from that year showing the early nuclear tests, which are presented as a faux-newsreel. These tie in to what scientists were originally intending to do, which was kill Godzilla. Obviously the sequence at the nuclear power station brought to mind elements of the accident at Fukishima and it is late described to be a natural disaster. In fact, the screenplay was being written when the tragic events took place. This once again highlights the film's theme of the arrogance of man in thinking they can control nature.
Throughout the film, you can see that it is made by someone who had a large amount of affection for the original.
5. Guardians of the GalaxyThe latest offering from Marvel and the biggest surprise of the year for me, as I am not a huge comic book fan.
26 years after his abduction from Earth, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) discovers/steals an orb that is wanted by Ronan The Accuser. He is therefore hunted down, but to save the galaxy he teams up with a group of other misfits - Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket the raccoon (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel).
I went into the screening with trepidation, not knowing what to expect. What I saw turned out to be a very funny film. Drax is especially amusing due to his complete lack of emotion and misunderstanding of metaphors. He is just a psychopath. The ways that each of the main characters interact with each other is funny; there is no common ground for them. That is kind of why Dave Bautista gives the best performance out of all the cast members, alongside a very charismatic Chris Pratt, whose performance makes Quill very similar to the original carnation of Han Solo. The way that all the main characters come together in the prison and subsequently break out together is most enjoyable, especially Quill acquiring a prosthetic leg. I love to see these people struggle to get along with each other with the constant bickering. It felt a little weird watching an evil Karen Gillan on screen, but she also does a great job.
It feels as if this film is more of a comedy than it is a sci-fi, action, hero flick. In fact, many people compared their viewing experience of this film to the first time they saw Star Wars, what with the vast size of the universe created and the different races of aliens. Yet, there are also cues to Serenity, Avengers Assemble, the Mass Effect series and Indiana Jones. This film wants to engage with its audience and offers something for everyone.
Plus, the soundtrack is awesome (including Rupert Holmes, Blue Swede and David Bowie) and is available in cassette format.
4. The Raid 22012's The Raid was certainly a surprise hit for its action and bloody violence, so what could the follow-up deliver? Well, We Got This Covered called this "the greatest action film ever". These films have certainly brought to our attention the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat.
Following on straight after the first film, Rama (Iko Uwais) is told that the boss he defeated was merely small fry. To protect his family, he is sent undercover in prison to befriend the son of a mob boss who he eventually becomes an enforcer for, whilst trying to bring them down from within and expose the corruption within the police. However, he soon discovers he is in way over his head.
The first film certainly has a sense of confinement to it, as it was all set with a tower block; a mix between Assault on Precinct 13 and Die Hard. By contrast, this one is spread all over Jakarta and actually has a story to it, even though that story does get somewhat complex later on. However, it is also more sophisticated and longer. They haven't decided to let up on the fight scenes; they look as brutal and spectacular as before, especially the ones in the courtyard and in the kitchen near the end; the courtyard just looks like organised chaos. It looks beautifully choreographed, yet also one of the most violent films you will ever see. The level of violence is almost up there with some of Quentin Tarantino's films. Unlike the first film, there are more and more props being used in the fight sequences, something that this martial art does teach. When he reviewed it, Boyd Hilton believed it featured the best car chase sequence in a movie since The French Connection; you have cars chasing each other, but at the same time there are fights going on inside one of the cars. They have also tried to make it less of a sausage fest this time, by showing that this is a martial arts for both genders through the character of Hammer Girl.
Thankfully, it is not an exact carbon copy of its predecessor; it is even more ambitious. Yet, I'm still amazed that this piece of Indonesian and martial art cinema is directed by a Welshman, Gareth Evans. Just a shame there are plans for an American remake of the first film.
3. Gone GirlThe date movie of the year...erm, maybe. That would depend on the state of your relationship, whether or not you do talk to each other. Well done David Fincher.
Adapted from the book by Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl examines the relationship between Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike). On the day of their fifth anniversary, Amy goes missing and this prompts a media circus to descend on Nick. Even though he makes public appeals for her, he is vague on details and the police soon make him a prime suspect.
There is such a destructive relationship between Pike and Affleck's characters that you have no idea which side to support because it's narrated by these two different voices. They look like a happy couple to start with, but then you see the vagueness of Affleck when responding to the police questionings and hear the extracts from Pike's diary. But then as the film progress...I don't want to give away spoilers. They really are mistrusting characters; the most messed-up couple you will see. This is especially true considering what they do behind the other's back. Both Affleck and Pike give fantastic performances. Don't be surprised if you see them nominated for awards in the next few months.
This being a David Fincher film, you can expect the usual amount of shocking moments and discomfort. It is up there with his best works like Se7en, Fight Club and Zodiac, which is the one it most closely resembles for me. There are many Fincher trademarks on display, including wide shots, low-key lighting with that green/blue tint and down beat endings. Once again, he has teamed up Trent Reznor for the soundtrack and it features the same harsh sounds in places as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which is good. This is also a film about projected images and how you should react in this situation. At first Nick is doing all the wrong things, such as smiling and posing for photos (a complete lack of empathy), but then the character of Tanner Bolt shows him what he should be doing.
There are also good performances from Carrie Coon, Neil Patrick Harris (yep, Doogie Howser is in this film) and Tyler Perry (don't worry, he's not in drag).
Unlike a lot of other people, I had not read the book prior to watching the film. I obviously wasn't alone as it soon became a best-seller again in book stores. I should know. I bought a copy myself...and still haven't read any of it yet.
2. The Lego MovieHow best to sum up this movie? Three words - "Everything is AWESOME!!!" If this film doesn't win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, there is seriously something wrong with them.
Emmet (voice of Chris Pratt) is an ordinary character in a Lego world, following all these instructions. However, he is believed to be "The Special" - the one who will save everyone from the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell). Alongside him are Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) and Batman (Will Arnett).
When I first heard there was going to be a Lego film, I was like, "What?" and though it would be hit or miss. However, it works on every level, especially because it was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo who made Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street. This is even more ambitious and weird, but creative. It appeals to both children and adults in a similar way to Toy Story 3. It will tug at the paternal heartstrings, whilst also wowing kids. It was certainly fun recognising classic Lego pieces/figures. In fact, after watching it you have the urge just to go and buy more or find what is stored in a cupboard or under your bed. Visually, it looks amazing, especially the large size of the different worlds created. That is the beauty of Lego, the fact that there are endless possibilities as there is no fixed story and that is reflected in this film. It is certainly funnier than most the comedy films released this year as well, especially the idea that these ordinary figures have instructions to follow to live their everyday life. Plus, it makes consumerism and over-priced coffee funny.
The voice acting is superb all-round and has warranted a Batman spinoff with Will Arnett for 2017, a year before the proposed sequel is due for release. Plus, it does feature the best Liam Neeson performance for ages.
P.S. I want a double-decker couch...
The only film more epic and awesome than Lego and I honestly did not think I would be saying that.
Christopher Nolan's first film since The Dark Knight Rises and yet he still has this uncanny ability to entertain audiences whilst also being intelligent at the same time.
I will now try to give a reasonable plot summary without giving away spoilers. Humanity is facing extinction as crops are failing, when a wormhole in the space-time continuum is discovered. In an attempt to find a new world for humanity to populate, it is up to the crew of the Endurance to explore this new galaxy, piloted by Cooper (Matthew McConaughey). Other notable cast members - Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine and Matt Damon. This is also Nolan's longest film, clocking in at 169 minutes.
The obvious comparison is to Kubrick's 2001; there are references such as Hans Zimmer's score sounding very similar to Richard Strauss' Thus Spoke Zarathustra (especially the fanfare and organ) and TARS resembles the iconic Monolith. Nolan described his first ever viewing of 2001 as a seminal moment for him, as well watching the first Star Wars movie. He also cited Tarkovsky's Solaris as having an influence on this film and many others have noticed similarities to Robert Zemeckis' 1997 film Contact, which also starred Matthew McConaughey, with its father-daughter elements.
This film is the latest addition to McConaughey's career renaissance, better known as his "McConnaissance". Supposedly, he was in line for this role years before and was cast after his performance in Mud in 2012. His character faces the difficult choice between staying to look after his family or going into space to save humanity. There are some emotional moments in the film, especially between Cooper and his daughter Murph, who is fantastically portrayed by Mackenzie Foy. It is Nolan's most emotional film; there are moments where it is perfectly reasonable to have a little weep, especially when Cooper leaves Murph as she doesn't want him to leave but he has to in order to save the world. There is an ongoing battle in this film between science and sentimentality, yet also the main, I think the word you would use, antagonist is time.
Even though this is Nolan's first film without his former Director of Photography Wally Pfister, who this year made his directorial debut with Transcendence, it is shot beautifully using 35mm and IMAX. Nolan, along with the likes of Tarantino and Scorsese, remains passionate about shooting films on celluloid. The scenes involving the wormhole was assisted with the consultation of theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, who also worked on Contact. However, you don't have to understand the scientific theories, as it is primarily a film about human beings.
There are admittedly some flaws that people have highlighted, most notably the running time which could be 15 minutes shorter allowing the audience to make their own decisions on the ending. However, these are outweighed by all the glowing positives. My one regret was not going to see it in IMAX.
Nowadays there is more and more interesting and engaging shows on TV, with many saying TV is currently better than films and we are in a golden age. Therefore, it is worth including a quick acknowledgement of what was for me the best TV show of 2014:- Fargo - a fitting homage to the legendary Coen Brothers film of the 90s, which is beautifully shot, well written and features great performances from Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Toleman and Martin Freeman.
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens - let's see what JJ Abrams can bring (please begin with Jar Jar Binks being fired into the sun (that's very very unlikely)).
- Jurassic World - hopefully it will be the sequel that Jurassic Park truly deserves, because The Lost World and Jurassic Park III were not good.
- Red Army - an interesting documentary about the Soviet Red Army hockey team.
- Terminator Genisys - Arnie's back to rekindle our faith and hopefully make us forget that utter piece of s*** that McG made.
- Spooks: The Greater Good - for fans of the TV series, it's back; starring Peter Firth (yes, Harry Pearce returns) and Kit Harrington.
- Spectre - after the success of Skyfall, Sam Mendes is back to direct the 24th film in the James Bond franchise, which is promising; plus, it stars Christoph Waltz.
