Honourable mentions:
- Midnight Special - quite similar to some early Spielberg works and to JJ Abrams' Super 8; great performance from Michael Shannon as well.
- Eddie the Eagle - the feel-good film about the plucky Brit.
- Supersonic - interesting documentary about the early years of Oasis.
- Swiss Army Man - Paul Dano is stuck on an island and befriends a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe); too many other films out at the same time.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - came out just after I finalised this list. At the time this is being published, I have now seen it and thought it was very good.
- Born to Be Blue - looks at jazz legend Chet Baker's comeback in the late 60s; starring Ethan Hawke; limited UK release.
15. Jason BourneLet's just forget about 2012's The Bourne Legacy; that was a complete failure. Why was that? Well, the fact there was no actual Jason Bourne might have been one of them. And so he's back. By the way, is it really 14 years since the first film was released?
Former CIA operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) hacks into their system and leaks information regarding all their Black Ops projects, including Treadstone. This brings Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) out of hiding, especially considering the fact she has information regarding his father. Meanwhile, the new CIA cyber head Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) believes she can get Bourne to cooperate with them, whereas the agency's director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) wants him eliminated.
Not only is it a return to the franchise for Matt Damon but also for director Paul Greengrass. The two of them changed the blueprint for blockbuster thrillers when they made The Bourne Supremacy back in 2004. They did say that neither of them would ever do a Bourne film again without the other. So why now? Well, obviously they thought that there should be a story set in this post-Snowden and WikiLeaks era and see how Jason Bourne would fare in it; a lot has changed in the world since 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum. I guess to some extent that is where they try to include the character of Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed) and his connection to the CIA, but that part of the story is probably the weakest element. The absence of Tony Gilroy, who wrote all of the previous films is felt here. It feels like there is not much of a story, but then it feels like there is.
The Bourne films are always remembered for their breath-taking action sequences - the car chases through the streets of Paris, Moscow and New York; the parkour-inspired running across the roofs in Tangier and the close-quarter fights in which Bourne is able to win with common household items (such as a magazine, a pen and a tea towel). There are several memorable sequences in this film, the first of which is the chase through the streets of Athens during an anti-austerity demonstration; this was actually shot in Tenerife, due to financial and political reasons. This chase felt more confined than the ones from the earlier films, but that might just be because of the crowded and narrow streets. It is shot, edited and plays out very much like many similar set pieces from Paul Greengrass films; there is a lot of shaky camera footage in his past works. And finally, there is a car chase in the middle of Las Vegas. This apparently took five weeks to shoot (you can only imagine the difficulties that would have arisen) and 170 cars were wrecked (that's got to be a record).
Matt Damon is not as young or spritely as he once was, but he is still able to perfectly reprise what is his most iconic role. He admitted that his physical training was much harder this time around - he is now in his 40s - but his physical presence and lack of words speak loud enough and convey a range of emotions. Most of his lines are less than five words and he only has less than 25 of them, it was reported. In terms of other performances, Lee Jones and Vikander give good accounts of themselves as two of the leading figures of the CIA, who as mentioned both have differing intentions with regards to Bourne. Lee Jones is following in the footsteps of Brian Cox and David Strathairn, taking on the roles the two of them previously had in the franchise. Finally in this Bourne film, the asset has been given a bit more development and a bigger role to play with. In the past we had Clive Owen, Karl Urban and Edgar Ramirez (plus some others) and they were mostly silent and followed their orders. Now we have Vincent Cassel and we learn about his prior history with Bourne.
I'll be honest and say that it is not as good as The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum; it's probably just on par with The Bourne Identity. There are flaws with the plot and some key questions remain unanswered. There is the possibility for another sequel. My advice, maybe make that the last one, otherwise they are in danger of destroying everything great about the franchise. Know your limits. However, it does still offer the Bourne experience (that sounds like a sequel name) that so many actions films in the past have tried to copy and failed.
This past summer was not the best for blockbuster/franchise movies; in fact the whole year was a bit of a letdown in that department with only a few films cutting the mustard (at least another one of them will appear later in this countdown). Fortunately though, Jason Bourne showed us what can be done and I think that I had a better time watching it than I would have done if I had seen some of the others.
Plus, there was a supposed letter to Damon and Greengrass asking them to make another film from YouTube channel CinemaSins. Any problems you have, take it up with them.
14. High-RiseWow...this was one of the weirdest films I have seen in recent years. Well it is Ben Wheatley. Expect anything different?
Based on the novel by J. G. Ballard published in 1975, Dr Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) moves into a luxury high-rise apartment designed by architect Anthony Royal (Jeremy Irons). He soon meets Charlotte Melville (Sienna Miller) and learns there is a marked class system within the block; the upper classes live near the top and the lower classes near the bottom. Soon afterwards, the lower classes, led by documentary filmmaker Richard Wilder (Luke Evans), want the same privileges that are available on the top floors and then anarchy takes its toll.
There have been numerous attempts to adapt Ballard's book in the past, but up until now it has been regarded as "unfilmable"; it was a "stalled passion project" for producer Jeremy Thomas. Nicolas Roeg was one of the earliest directors to be approached and at one point Vincenzo Natali was connected to it in the early 2000s. However, Wheatley has managed to do something was not possible before and a large part of that is the script from his long-time collaborator Amy Jump. It is meant to be set in the future whilst having a 70s appearance to it. Wheatley said in an interview with Empire: "The book makes as much sense now as it did then. It was written in the '70s, projecting itself into a near future, but we live in that future now. We’re almost in a new version of the '70s." This in some way reminded me of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. You can tell it is intended to be set in the 70s by the fashion, the music, the style and the fact that everyone is smoking. It has managed to keep its socioeconomic themes.
I do think this is the biggest release from Ben Wheatley. It certainly is more ambitious and has a higher profile than his most notable previous works Kill List and Sightseers. There are a few pseudo-weird moments where it slows down similar to the rope scene from A Field In England (you know the one I mean, with Recce Shearsmith walking out of a tent).
This film has certainly divided audiences. You will either love it or hate it, depending on your level of patience and if you would like to hear an orchestral version of ABBA's S.O.S. (and another by Portishead). The performances are good, particularly from Hiddleston, Evans and Elisabeth Moss. It is daring and bold, but you would want to see something like that, rather than something too safe.
By the way, any dog lovers may want to look away about two minutes in.
13. Captain FantasticPeter Bradshaw, the so-called film critic for The Guardian, gave this film a one-star review calling it "fatuous and tiresome". I would use the same words to describe him and his reviews (that's what we should have more of - reviewing the reviewer). Thankfully the good Dr Kermode gave it four stars; that was good enough for me, plus all the other praise it received.
Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) has been living in the forests of the Pacific Northwest with his wife Leslie and their six children, aged 7-18. They have put their children through a rigourous exercise and intellectual routine, giving them a physical and mental advantage over others. However, the news of an upcoming funeral has the family leave their home in a bus called 'Steve' and try to survive in the "real" world.
This is a film about parenting, questioning what it means to be a good parent for your children and asking what is right and wrong. You accept that these children are both physically and mentally superior to those their own age. However, due to their isolation there is so much that they have no knowledge of and experience a culture clash. In one scene, they are in a small diner and don't know what Coca-Cola is; they are also intrigued by pancakes. They are coming into contact with what they were once told was bad for them. According to writer/director Matt Ross, the film is about the following: is Viggo Mortensen the best dad in the world or the worst dad in the world? Or is he maybe a bit of both? And at the same time, it plays like a road movie as they travel to this "new" world. The road movie aspect will of course draw similarities to Little Miss Sunshine, but this has a full-on bus rather than a small VW Camper van. There are several surreal moments, for example hunting for their food, climbing sheer cliff faces, discussing Marxism, celebrating the birthday of Noam Chomsky, reading The Brothers Karamazov and giving the children weapons as presents. And that is just a few. Plus, Ben feels as if it is OK to swear in the presence of his children and them to swear back; there is a lot of swearing in this film (probably the main reason why it received a 15 certificate).
Most of this film's praise has been for the lead performance of Viggo Mortensen and it is well justified. He wants to do what he feels is right and he is devoted to them, even if his methods are unorthodox. We've seen him previously take on a loving father role, trying to do what is best for his son, in The Road, but this film is certainly more uplifting. The other standout performer is British-born actor George MacKay as the eldest child Bo, who wants to venture further into the wider world and has that opportunity presented to him early on. Other notable cast members included Kathryn Hahn as Ben's sister-in-law Harper, Steve Zahn as her husband and Frank Langella as Ben's father-in-law. However, it is the young cast members, the other children, who outshine these adults. And they each given their own time and space in the film.
Ross did make this film a bit autobiographical, building on his growning up. So, is Ben a good father? That's for you to judge
12. Green RoomThe last couple of years that I have done this countdown, I have always felt the need to include a horror film; I've had The Babadook, It Follows and Crimson Peak. well, this film is the closest to thing to a horror that you're probably going to get. IMDb counts this as horror.
If you have ever been in a band and thought that you'd had a bad gig, could be worse. You could have ended up like these guys.
Punk rock band, The Ain't Rights, - lead singer Tiger (Callum Turner), guitarist Sam (Ali Shawkat), drummer Reece (Joe Cole) and bassist Pat (the late Anton Yelchin) - are touring around the Pacific Northwest with very little money to their name. They eventually get themselves a gig at a bar in the woods of Oregon, populated by neo-Nazi skinheads. However as they are about to leave following their set, they become witnesses to a crime scene and lock themselves in the green room in order to survive.
This film was written and directed by Paul Saulnier, who always wanted to create a thriller set in a green room. He described it himself as "an obsession". He made a short film back in 2007 as part of a 48-hour film challenge which was set in one; that one though had more supernatural elements to it. This is Saulnier doing it "the right way". He does provide a sense of claustrophobia with the band stuck inside this room with little to no ways of getting out. Saulnier's most notable work prior to this was Blue Ruin and this film has been described by many as a "follow-up" on a similarly low budget; Blue Ruin's lead Macon Blair stars in this and is also a co-producer.
Whereas that was a revenge thriller, this is a reinvention of the grindhouse cinema of the 70s (similar in regards to its indie, low-budget production), but with suspense and brains to go with it. Assault on Precinct 13 has been described as one of this film's many influences; you could also include Straw Dogs and Deliverance to that. There's one scene that nods towards Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left and Craven always believed that if a film has to include violence it needs to be there to alarm people. There is even a few black comic elements, including this witty exchange: "They run a tight ship"/"Except it's a U-Boat". And there is something ironic about the fact the band's first song is a cover of a popular song by the Dead Kennedys (I'll let you work out which).
Upon witnessing this crime, Anton Yelchin does what any ordinary person would do; he tries to run away and call for the police. Yeah, that doesn't quite go to plan. However, there are moments when he demonstrates that he may not be the hard-core rocker that he appears, such as treating this like paintballing. The same can almost be said Ali Shawkat, the smart member of the band who has a secret fondness for Simon & Garfunkel. All of the band members are well developed, three-dimensional and as the film progresses display unexpected capabilities. And then there is the leader of the skinheads - Darcy, played by Patrick Stewart. Wow, he can be evil when he has to be.
By the way, what's your "desert-island band"?
11. 10 Cloverfield LaneOK, fine. There are two (kinda) horror films on this list. A 'blood relative' to 2008's Cloverfield and this is also produced by JJ Abrams.
Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has left her
fiancée, but is then involved in a car accident. She wakes up to find herself in an underground bunker owned by a mysterious individual called Howard (John Goodman). Alongside them is Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.). Howard tells Michelle that there has been an alien attack and the air outside is contaminated. However, she soon questions what really the biggest danger she is up against is.
I'll be honest and say that I was never at all interested in Cloverfield at the time of its release. I ignored it mainly due to it being a found-footage movie and wanting to be like War Of the Worlds. I did buy it at the same time as this new one, but admittedly I fell asleep whilst watching it (it was a long day). Remember two years ago that I did like one of director Matt Reeves' most recent films - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. So I pretty much went into 10 Cloverfield Lane with an open mind, willing to judge it on its own merits. Here there is a new director - first-timer Dan Trachtenberg. Well, this isn't a found-footage movie. Hooray, I like it already. Like I said, this film is a "blood relative". Originally it was going to be called The Cellar, but then the project was taken over by JJ Abrams' company Bad Robot. The only connection to Cloverfield is in the name. There was very little publicity in advance of its opening. The scale of it is also different. Cloverfield took place in the whole of New York City, where as this is in a bunker underneath a farmhouse. It is also a much more intimate film too.
Wow, John Goodman is creepy in this film. Of course he has played eerie, unstable characters before, such as in Barton Fink. But that was not a horror, mystery, thriller film. We are uncertain whether or not he is the saviour or captor to Mary Elizabeth Winstead and what his motivations are. Sometimes you do feel a bit of pity for him, but that is quickly cancelled out when you see how threatening he can be. Winstead gives an equally powerful performance, as the audience gets to experience the full range of emotions from her throughout.
The big question that surrounded this film, and to some extent still does and forever will, is the connection to Cloverfield. That could easily have attracted people to it, but at the same time turned them away. Mark Kermode described it as more of a combination of The Disappearance of Alice Creed meets Room - "people in a trapped environment who don't know what's going on in the outside world...distrusting and then trusting and then distrusting again each other's motives". On its own merits, it is a very interesting and well-put-together psychological thriller with enough tense moments. And maybe I was a little unfair on Cloverfield. Should I go back and see it again with an open mind? We'll see...
10. Captain America: Civil WarThere was a common theme to the "big, anticipated" superhero movies this year and that was two icons going up against each other. DC gave us Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which, in all honesty, was a critical flop (what else do you expect from a film directed by Zack Snyder). And on the other hand we had this offering from Marvel - 'Avengers 2.5', aka Captain America: Civil War.
Following on from the events of The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, the United Nations want to introduce a registration act to regulate the actions of superheroes. This causes a schism to form within the Avengers. On one side, for the act, Tony Stark - Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.); on the other, believing that heroes should remain free, Steve Rogers - Captain America (Chris Evans). In addition, there is an explosion at a UN gathering which kills many people and the man supposedly behind it is Bucky Barnes - the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) - who Captain America still believes there is some good in. Plus, there is the mysterious Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl)
I must say I did have concerns about this film, primarily the fact they were trying to include too many superheroes into this film and have too much going on. That was always a problem I had with the X-men films, especially the most recent ones. Even though there are a lot of characters in this film, each of them are given their own moments. We see Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) struggle with the consequences of her abilities; Vision (Paul Bettany) tries to understand what it means to be "human"; Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) needs something to do since retiring and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is caught between both sides. Plus, there is, briefly, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and he certainly makes himself present in the film's showpiece action sequence. And then there are the two new additions - Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and the third reincarnation of Spider-Man (Tom Holland). For those of them that don't get enough time on screen, that's just because there is so much stuff going on. Even though you have all these characters against each other, they really don't want to hurt each other. You can tell that with some of the banter exchanged between them in the fight scene at the airport. Another memorable action sequence is the chase between Bucky, Cap and Black Panther in a tunnel in Bucharest (although they actually filmed it in Berlin). There are just so many to choose from.
As the Captain America films have evolved, so has its main man. We see that he is challenged to stick up for his ideas/beliefs and what he stood for, even though some of those have faded. He also wants what is best for the other Avengers. Chris Evans has certainly made this role his own. I always thought that Captain America was the most interesting of all the Avengers; he has a better backstory than the others and I thought he was the most human. As for Robert Downey Jr., I always thought that Iron Man was a bit too smug and egotistic, but in this film he demonstrates that he has a human side. He is feeling the consequences of their actions in the previous films and the beginning of this one.
Some people have called this Marvel's best film yet, the film that Age of Ultron should have been. I remember when I saw that last year I was unsure whether or not I preferred it to Avengers Assemble. One of the advantages this film has is the fact that the Russo brothers are continuing what they had begun with The Winter Soldier, which was a character study of Cap. Yes, the plot and the main themes of vengaence and collateral damage are very similar to Batman v Superman, but there is also more of a sense of fun to it.
It is Christmas time, so we need a Shane Black film in our lives. Here is this year's entry. Where's the Christmas in this film? Wait until the ending.
Set in Los Angeles in 1977, Holland March (Ryan Gosling), a misfortuned private investigator, and Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a hired enforcer, are paired together following the disappearance of a young woman and the apparent suicide of a porn actress. However, they soon discover that they aren't the only ones looking for her and most of the others involved in this case have wound up dead.
Many of the films that Shane Black has worked on in the past have been about mismatched duos fighting crime; Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and Riggs (Mel Gibson) in Lethal Weapon, Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) and Dix (Damon Wayans) in The Last Boy Scout and Harry (Robert Downey Jr.) and Perry (Val Kilmer) in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. In The Nice Guys, March and Healy are originally on opposite sides of the case - Healy actually breaks March's arm when they first meet -, but then through a series of complications they are forced to work together. But they have great chemistry. They are the funniest duo in film this year.
Gosling is very funny. This is up there with one of the best performances in his career; if his performance in Drive was him doing James Dean, this film is him doing Buster Keaton. It is not just the lines that he delivers; it's also the physical comedy as well. One of the funniest scenes is when the two of them are trying to have a conversation in a public toilet and March just looks like a complete fool with the door constantly shutting and him dropping his cigarette or gun. His facial expressions stand out too. The relationship between him and his daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) is one of the keys to the success of the film. She wants to help him anyway possible, even though some of the places they go to aren't exactly appropriate for her. She does seem to be the only character who has a sense of morality. Crowe very much resembles John Goodman; his age is beginning to show. However, he is still able to embrace this character for one of his best performances in ages. Both of them seem at home in their roles and you wonder how much of their dialogue was ad-libbed.
It is a bit edgy with its, at times, fruity language, violence and subject matter. It is sharp-witted and well scripted, with many laugh-out-loud, unexpected moments; it was never going to be subtle. There is also a certain nostalgia for 1970s' Los Angeles, including a poster for Jaws 2 (probably the only good thing that film has ever done).
8. Sing StreetSimple formula - boy meets girl; girl is not impressed; boy starts band and invites her to appear in a music video. Sounds like most films doesn't it. What makes this one stand out? It takes place in Dublin in 1985 and is from Once and Begin Again director John Carney.
15-year-old Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is looking to escape the problems he has to endure at home: his parents' marriage is on the rocks; his father's (Aiden Gillen) work has dried up and he is having to move to a free-state school run by a group of priests. He then comes across a model called Raphina (Lucy Boynton) and asks her if she wants to appear in a music video for his band. Now all he has to do is form a band - Sing Street.
Some of the best moments are the scenes involving Conor's brother Brendan (Jack Reynor). He is the stoner of the family - the one who has given up. But he is also the only providing guidance and reassurance to Conor, mostly through the music he insists he listens to. He insists early on that Conor does not want to be in a cover band and tells him how he shouldn't sound, insisting that he takes some risks when it comes to writing a song. The film is as much about brotherly love as it is about romantic love. Walsh-Peelo gives a great performance as the film's main protagonist. We see him arrive at his new school and struggle to fit in as anyone else would, especially considering that his shoes do not meet the school's regulations. But, in his own words, he's "a futurist"; he wants to look ahead. But at the same time, he is "happy sad", like The Cure. The more and more he writes, the more affection he has for Raphina. In contrast to Conor and Brendan, we learn early on that the rest of the family do not have the same hopes and aspirations.
The music plays a standout role in this film. The family debate about what sounds good whilst listening to Duran Duran on Top of the Pops; are they going to make it to the top? Erm...Other bands to feature in the soundtrack include The Jam, The Clash and A-ha. Going back to what I said previously about The Cure, they are one of the influences on the band Sing Street - them, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. They take numerous styles/features/techniques to form their own material and that all culminates with the performance they give at the school near the end. Supposedly there was going to be a collaboration with U2, but that never came to fruition.
Many have made comparisons with 1991's The Commitments, but Carney has stated that no homage was intended. Personally, there are a couple of nods towards films such as Be Kind, Rewind and Son of Rambow, in the sense of trying to recreate a sleek-looking music video in a backstreet alley, with a variety of differing costumes and an overload of eyeliner. And the fantasy video for Drive It Like You Stole It is wanting to be the prom from Back To The Future (that's the idea that Conor has in mind), with a reference to Rebel Without a Cause (probably the closest Jack Reynor will get to playing James Dean). There is the right amount of both comedy and drama to this film, with great performances from its mostly young cast.
If there is one thing we can truly learn from this film it is the following: "No woman can truly love a man who listens to Phil Collins".
7. Hell or High WaterThe latest entry to the list of great films about Texas, up there with the likes of The Last Picture Show, Lone Star and No Country For Old Men. Unlike all those, this one comes from a director from Northumberland - David Mackenzie, whose past works included Starred Up.
The Howard brothers - ex-con Tanner (Ben Foster) and divorced father Toby (Chris Pine) have a desperate scheme in play to try to keep a hold of their family ranch. This includes robbing a series of banks, which catches the attention of ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges).
The cinematography is very well done in this film. I mentioned No Country For Old Men previously; this film has a similar visual style to the one that Roger Deakins created of the hostile plains of Texas. The screenplay is also very good, written by Taylor Sheridan following on from his success with Sicario last year. It is one of the best screenplays written this year. It has received much praise for its slow pace; it doesn't feel the need to rush everything, very much like what Slow West did last year. It has been described as a modern day Western, which is somewhat rare, but starts off as a heist movie. How is it a Western? The dusty landscapes, the lawman chasing the robbers and the inevitable final showdown. But whereas old-fashioned Westerns were as much about the action, this film is about its developed, well-crafted characters. The soundtrack is pretty good too, with original music by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave; it adds to the atmosphere.
There is a fun chemistry going on between Hamilton and his partner Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham); Sheridan uses a lot more humour in this film than he did in Sicario and part of that are their interactions with each other. You are engaged with them and their shared history together. Of course Hamilton is close to a retirement that has been forced upon him. Also, why is it that every character Jeff Bridges has played in recent years needs subtitles in order to understand? Not a huge problem for me but it will be for some. As for the two brothers, they also have a good chemistry to them. Foster is the one who is predictably a loose cannon; for a few minutes he gets too greedy and as a result things go out of control. Pine brings a lot of heart to his character, the one you have the most empathy for. This is the most realistic character of his career. No smug-faced Captain James Kirk here.
The message of this film is clear - Hollywood, keep it simple. Don't over-complicated ideas. We like simple...
You'll have read the same things about this film - a reinvention of sci-fi; a "new take on a familiar old genre".
Twelve identical spaceships have landed all around the world (possibly in locations having something to do with Sheena Easton songs) and humanity must find a way to communicate with them. So the military calls in linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). However, they are in a race against time to find out the aliens' purpose for coming to Earth as other nations including China and Russia are on the verge of war.
Arrival is the latest film from French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve and unlike his last two films, Prisoners and Sicario, he has moved away from dark themes of kidnapping and the War on Drugs. However, much like those films, Villeneuve wants to slowly draw the audience in and makes them think about what is happening. Do not get confused between Arrival and Independence Day or that film's awful sequel which was released this year. Think of it more in the same ballpark as Robert Zemeckis' Contact and Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. That was what I thought it was going to be like - a modern interpretation of Close Encounters. In some ways it is, minus the blinking lights, the music and the mashed potato. Amy Adams goes on a similar journey of self-discovery and self-reflection to the one that Richard Dreyfuss did, with the aliens being the catalyst for it.
The design of the aliens, the 'Heptapods' (who Donnelly name Abbott and Costello), is nothing you won't have seen before I'm sure (they reminded me somewhat of the Reapers from the Mass Effect series), but what is most unique about them is the way they communicate using black rings that resemble ink blots or coffee stains. The way that they communicate and continue to with the main characters suggests that they are not here for global domination or war, but try telling that to the rest of world. Humanity's primary emotion when it comes to anything alien - fear.
There are a lot of technical linguistic theories and much vocabulary that Adams is able to condense down for the military sceptic (Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker)), the CIA ass (Agent Halpern (Michael Stuhlbarg)) and the audience to grasp some understanding; this is somewhat similar to another great sci-fi film in the last few years - Interstellar. Yes, she enters the film with a tortured past and this emotional weight hangs over her for the duration. However, this trauma is connected to what is going on around her. She copes with so much in this film and it is a great performance from Adams, the heart and focus of it.
Villeneuve has rarely put a foot wrong with his last few films. And we all know what's coming from him next year? Blade Runner 2049...
5. Eye In The SkyThe tagline says it all really - "The commander is in England. The drone pilot is in America. The terrorist is in Kenya. And the authority to strike is up in the air." Also, bizarrely, there have been comparisons from many critics to Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove...I'll let you all work that one out.
Colonel Katerine Powell (Helen Mirren), a UK-based military officer, is in command of a top secret operation to capture Al-Shabaab extremists from their safe house just outside Nairobi, Kenya. They have tracked them down using on-the-ground intel from undercover Kenyan field agents, including Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi), and remote surveillance from a US Air Force drone, piloted by Lieutenant Steve Watts (Aaron Paul). However, they soon discover the group's plans for a suicide mission and the operation changes to from "capture" to "kill". And then the presence of a nine-year-old girl further complicates matters.
Directors previously linked with this project included Tarsem Singh (The Cell) and Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall and, unfortunately, Diana), before eventually falling to South African Gavin Hood (director of Tsotsi, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006). One of the most effective aspects is that the film feels like it is playing out in real time. This raises the tension. You cannot make decisions like the ones faced in a split second. Another technique used by Hood was filming the actors individually for their scenes, although it turns out the main reason for that was budgetary. Still, it's effectively used, mirroring the distance and separation between each party.
Your moral compass will be pointing in all sorts of directions with this film. It is a huge dilemma that all the characters are faced with and none of them will come through this unscathed, whatever they choose to do. And the good thing is that the film does not pick one side/argument to solely concentrate on. There have been recent films examine drone and other modern warfare technologies and their ethics including Good Kill from 2014; what this film reminded me of most of all was the first episode of season 4 of Homeland, what with the potential collateral damage and the innocent civilians involved. What with the legal ramifications, Mirren's character is advised to refer up to her superiors and politicians...who themselves decide to refer up to their superiors...and so on. This is on a much larger scale though as everyone involved - those carrying out the mission and those on the side-lines - are all around the world. There is also the question of propaganda, with regards to how many people live or die. It is a very current film, with another one of the key themes addressed being the defection of Western civilians to join radicalised groups.
Helen Mirren's role was originally written with a male actor in mind, but she gives as much authority as any could; what else do you expect from an actress most famous for playing the Queen. Of course we all recognise Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad and there are similarities between his characters in that and this; he is faced with difficult decisions and battles with the constant turmoil going on inside him. Whatever happens, he is the one who has to face the biggest consequences of all those involved; the same could also be said about his co-pilot Carrie Gershon (Phoebe Fox).
As I am sure you all know, this is the last live-action performance from the late Alan Rickman who tragically passed away back in January and the film is dedicated to him. Needless to say, he is fantastic as the general asking the politicians for permission to engage. He also delivers the most powerful line of the film - "Never tell a soldier that he does not know the cost of war."
4. Hail, Caesar!
What kind of director would want to self-plagiarise their
own work? Well, Michael Bay recycles his because he is just lazy and
cannot direct traffic. Believe me, there is a lot of self-plagiarism in this
film. However it is Joel and Ethan Coen, so I am going to allow it. Because
they know what they are doing and care about/love film. And that's what this is - an homage to Hollywood's Golden Age.
Set in Hollywood in the early 1950s, Eddie Mannix (Josh
Brolin) works as not only a studio head but also a fixer for Capitol Pictures; he keeps the studio's big names
out of the tabloids and maintains their reputation. The studio is putting
together prestige picture Hail, Caesar, A Tale of Christ's Life ('Divine presence yet to be shot'), starring one
of Hollywood's big name actors Baird Whitlock (George Clooney). However,
Whitlock is kidnapped by a group calling themselves "The Future", who
want $100,000 ransom. Therefore, it is up to Mannix to resolve this whilst keeping Whitlock's disappearance from leaking out to the press, whilst
also dealing with the problems of everyone else at the studio.
So where do the Coens plagiarise themselves? Well, Captiol
Pictures was the name of the studio in their 1991 film Barton Fink. That film showed the horrors of working in Hollywood in the 1940s, whereas Hail, Caesar! is a celebration of it. Think of it as the B-side. The
plot, someone being kidnapped and being held for ransom, is very similar to The Big Lebowski. In
addition, George Clooney seems to have the same expressions on his face as he
did in O Brother, Where Art Thou?; in fact there is a connection between the names of his characters in both films. And there is a suitcase full of money that by the end of the film goes missing - Fargo (I know we could find some sort of a connection with that film too). And like the majority of their films, it is shot by Roger Deakins, who wanted the musical set pieces to have as few cuts as possible. As for non-Coen films, the film within the
film is a satire on Ben-Hur and also reminded me of Monty Python's Life of Brian. Classic films from the 40s/50s which are referenced or paid tribute to include Singin' in the Rain, Vertigo, North by Northwest and It's a Wonderful Life.
In terms of humour, if you're like me, you will be laughing
for most of the film and you won't care if you look like an idiot in the process. There is the usual absurdist and deadpan you would expect from the Coens. One of the earliest laughs is when Mannix is discussing the authenticity of the movie's depiction of Christ with a Catholic priest, a reverend, a rabbi and a patriarch; they seem more concerned about a scene involving someone jumping between chariots. The funniest scene for me was the exchange on the set of Merrily We Dance between actor/singing-cowboy
Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) and its director Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes)
concerning the delivery of the line "Would that it were so simple". That clip was
shown in the second trailer to be released and no matter how many times you
hear that it is hilarious. That itself is a tribute to the Jean Hagen-Kathleen Freeman exchange from Singin' in the Rain.
As for performances, Josh Brolin is at the centre of the film as Mannix. He has his own moments of humour, e.g. going for a confession every 24 hours because he is trying and failing to quit smoking. But throughout the film loaming over him is a better job offer. As I mentioned before, George Clooney does well playing the "idiot" of the film; it's like whenever the Coens need a stupid character in their films they write them with him in mind. Alden Ehrenreich is great as Hobie Doyle, probably the best performance of the film, and Tilda Swinton gives a good account of
herself as a pair of feuding gossip columnist twins. At the centre of the music numbers, you have Scarlett Johansson as a mermaid, trying to maintain her squeaky clean image, and Channing Tatum as a tap-dancing sailor. There are also cameos from Jonah Hill as the studio's "professional person" and Frances McDormand as the studio's editor.
Admittedly the plot is all over the place and you might get confused as to all that is happening, but the set pieces hold the rest of the film together. This film continues to cement the importance and brilliance of the Coens in the film world. If you struggled to like this film the first time you save it, go and watch it again; I'm sure you'll enjoy it second time around. That is typically the case with the Coens; the more you watch their films the more you will like them. That was the case with me and The Big Lebowski. Might that work with Burn After Reading? Erm...probably not.
Admittedly the plot is all over the place and you might get confused as to all that is happening, but the set pieces hold the rest of the film together. This film continues to cement the importance and brilliance of the Coens in the film world. If you struggled to like this film the first time you save it, go and watch it again; I'm sure you'll enjoy it second time around. That is typically the case with the Coens; the more you watch their films the more you will like them. That was the case with me and The Big Lebowski. Might that work with Burn After Reading? Erm...probably not.
P.S. I dare anyone to try and say the name of this film
without sounding like Biggus Dickus from Life of Brian.
3. Everybody Wants Some!!
This is not your standard teen or frat-house comedy film, like Superbad or 21 & Over; you know the kind of films that I mean. There are two main things about this film that set this one apart from them: it is written and directed by the legend that is Richard Linklater and is the "spiritual sequel" to the film that is the benchmark for this genre - 1993's Dazed and Confused. And fortunately, I love that film. This is a great film, which deserves a follow-up TV series in my opinion.
Set in 1980 somewhere in Texas, Jake (Blake Jenner) arrives at college as a new pitcher for the college's baseball team. He moves into a rundown, dilapidated house with his teammates and will spend the next three days before classes begin bonding with them. It's basically your standard Freshers' Week composed into a 2-hour movie.
As I may have mentioned before in a previous post, I am a huge fan of Richard Linklater. Dazed and Confused is epic; I loved School of Rock; the Before trilogy holds up well; Boyhood was by miles the best film of 2014 and should have done better at the Oscars than it did. Linklater has actually called this a continuation of Boyhood, as that film ended with its main character going to college and this one starts there. This is a very personal film to Linklater, probably building on his own experiences of going to college at Sam Houston State University, which he left early in 1982, and his enjoyment playing baseball when he was young. We see Jake in his car on the way to college, in one box a collection of LPs and next to them a turntable, amps and speakers. That was Linklater once upon a time. He wants to remember all the good times partying with friends, not the boring lectures or stressful deadlines for due papers. It is a college movie without the college.
One thing that Dazed and Confused is most remembered for was being the break-through film for many young inexperienced, relatively unknown, actors at the time. These included Ben Affleck, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich and, of course, Matthew McConaughey ("Alright, alright, alright"). Linklater has done exactly the same thing here. Prior to this, Blake Jenner's most notable roles were in the TV series Glee and Supergirl, which also stars Tyler Hoechlin (McReynolds) as Clark Kent; he was in the reboot of Teen Wolf and, going back 14 years, Road to Perdition. Wyatt Russel, who plays pothead Willoughby, is the son of Kurt Russell; Glen Powell, the womanising Finnegan, was bizarrely in The Expendables 3; etc. If you were unaware of these acting talents before, you know them now so look out for them in the future. They all do a great job in this film and you have to admire the way they show their characters' competitive nature with each other. Jake is our avatar, representing the inexperience everyone has at the time they start college, not knowing what to expect in this unsupervised world. I will admit that the male-to-female ratio is quite high; there is a lot of testosterone in this film, as well as moustaches, and the women are seen as "potential conquests". However, Zoey Deutch's Beverly is the one female character we spend the most time with and she does well, especially putting some of the more dominant males in their places when we are first introduced to her.
As for the soundtrack, Linklater told Total Film: "Every song in the movie I have a very personal relationship to. I can tell you where we played that album...you'd go from music blaring in your house to music blaring in your car to music blaring at a party. It was the soundtrack of your life." You know this film's soundtrack is on point when it begins with The Knack's My Sharona. There is such as wide variety to them as well - from Alternative Ulster and Heart of Glass to Pop Muzik and Rappers Delight. If Dazed and Confused was rock and roll, this is a combination of hip hop, punk, new wave and synth, with a dash of country thrown in (see some of the parties/clubs they go to). It's a search for identity.
Remember the likes of Mitch, Pink and the others from Dazed and Confused? They had some many boundaries and restrictions holding them back - high school, parents, bullies, football, etc. - and they found solace in smoking drugs, going to keg parties and staying out all night. Well now we can imagine the freedom that is available to them at college. They have grown up and are their own bosses now. They are enjoying themselves, as should you with this film. They have the freedom to do whatever they want, as does Richard Linklater.
By the way, why the two apostrophes in the title? Ask Van Halen...
And now the top two. Like last year, it was almost impossible to separate these two films. They are polar opposites of each other, but still left a lasting impact on audiences.
2. I, Daniel Blake
One of the best British films released in recent years, from one of this country's greatest ever directors - Ken Loach.
Set in Newcastle, 59-year-old Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) has recently had a heart attack and needs help from the State before he is deemed fit to return to work. However, he is considered ineligible for employment and support allowance and must apply for benefits whilst looking for jobs that he is unable to take. At the same time, he is looking out for Katie (Hayley Squires), a single mum who has been relocated with her two children up from London.
This is the second film in Loach's, long and well-established, career for which he has won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival; the first was The Wind That Shakes The Barley from 2006. It received a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience. It is also the latest which he has collaborated with screenwriter Paul Laverty. Their other works together have included TWTSTB, Looking For Eric, Jimmy's Hall and The Angels' Share. A lot of Ken Loach films are based on his personal experiences but have a certain political underpinning to them. He has described the criteria for claiming benefits in the UK as "a Kafka-esque, Catch 22 situation designed to frustrate and humiliate the claimant to such an extent that they drop out of the system and stop pursuing their right to ask for support if necessary". I, Daniel Blake is up there with his 1969 film Kes as perhaps his best work.
You do have complete sympathy for the film's main characters. At the beginning we see a black screen and all we hear is Daniel answering these absurd questions from a nurse. Unfortunately for him, everything is online and we see him struggling to comprehend a computer for the first time (he is in his own words "pencil by default") and constantly being put on hold on the phone (haven't we all been there). He describes it perfectly as "a monumental farce". Perhaps the most powerful scene in the whole of film this year is when they visit a foodbank. I don't want to give too much away about it, but that was inspired by something that happened when Paul Laverty was researching the film. It will shock you to the core. Prior to this film, Dave Johns was most well-known as a comedian and Hayley Squires was in Call The Midwife. I think that we all know who they are now. They are fantastic in this film, bringing their characters to life and looking out for each in their struggle against a faceless authority.
One of this film's many champions was the leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn. He attended the film's premiere in London and posted on his Facebook page his praise for it. Earlier in the year Loach made a promotional video for Corbyn ahead of the Labour Leadership election. During a Prime Minister's Questions session, Corbyn urged the Prime Minister to go and see it to gain insight into the struggles of life on welfare. He also suggested she took the Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green with her, after he dubbed it "monstrously unfair" despite having never seen it. Such is the incompetence of our government. Iain Duncan Smith aimed his criticism at its portrayal of Jobcentre staff, to which the film's producer Rebecca O'Brien rightly said he was living in "cloud cuckoo land".
This film will stay with you. You will experience a full range of emotions watching it, from joy and laughter to sadness, shock and anger. This is reality and the events the film depicts are happening right now.
1. Hunt For The Wilderpeople
You thought that Leonardo DiCaprio had a tough time in The Revenant? You ain't seen nothing yet.
13-year-old Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is a rebellious youth who is being placed in the care of a new foster family - Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and 'Uncle' Hec (Sam Neill). However, something happens that threatens child services to send Ricky back to a care home. So he decides to run away into the bush and so begins a nationwide manhunt across New Zealand for him and Hec.
Why should you watch this film? Well, it's from Taika Waititi - the director of What We Do In The Shadows which was the funniest film in recent years. I would say, however, it did not get the proper release it deserved over here in the UK, but it introduced Waititi to the world. He had already made a name for himself in New Zealand with Eagle vs Shark and Boy and also WWDITS was co-written and co-directed with Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords. Next year sees the release of Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi's first major Hollywood film. This film had premiered at Sundance and then went on to break records on its opening weekend in New Zealand; it only cost US$2.5 million to make. It is based on the book Wild Pig and Watercress by Barry Crump.
The idea of a young kid going on an adventure with a grumpy old man will remind audiences of Up. That might be the closest comparison to make to any other film, as it is unlike anything else. Ricky and Hec develop this great relationship on-screen and it was the same off-screen between Dennison and Neill. Dennison did admit that before meeting Neill he had never ever seen Jurassic Park. It starts with bickering and disagreement, but then they are thrown together through adversity and need each other to survive. Dennison's attempts to be "gangster" are amusing (he has a dog which he calls Tupac), especially when he realises and reminds the audience that he is still a kid. As for Neill, this is probably his best performance of his career.
Remember what I said that I laughed through most of Hail, Caesar! when I first saw it? Well, I was laughing even harder in this film. I was nearly crying with laughter. It's a combination of things really: the witty responses, the timing and even a bit of slapstick. Ricky gets the funniest lines and that comes down to his lack of understanding, innocence and some popular culture references he tries to relate to. For example, in a scene where they are hiding down an embankment from their pursuers he tries mouthing something to Hec who doesn't understand what he is saying - "I was trying to tell you it was like The Lord of the Rings". That for me was the funniest moment of the film. And then there is their attempt to conclude with a Thelma & Louise style chase, with them flying through the air and Ricky shouting "FREEDOM!" This of course being a comedy from New Zealand there is an appearance from Rhys Darby, who is on top form as Psycho Sam, and Waititi himself cameos as the most bizarre minister you will see. It is not all just humour; there are some poignant moments as well which give it a perfect balance.
You also get to see beautiful sweeping and panning shots of New Zealand, from the bushy, dense rainforests to grassy mountains and dirty, dusty flatlands. They look natural and real; you want to go there (again!!!). In an interview, Neill said that at the beginning of his career no one would have thought about making a film like this in New Zealand, but has now called this a "golden age", ever since the success of The Lord of the Rings. One effective technique that Waititi employs is, rather than a traditional montage to show a passage of time, having the camera pan 360 degrees. There is also the decision to have it divided into 10 separate chapters.
So yeah, film of the year...
And...TV highlight of the year - Deutschland 83
Yes, I know this was originally released in 2015, in every country outside of the UK it would seem. We didn't get a first glimpse of this until January 2016, so that's why I am including it in my end of year review.
What more could you ask for from a show set in 1980s' Germany? A very original story set against real events about a young East German soldier, Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) who is ordered by the Stasi (including his own aunt) to spy on the West. It certainly played well outside of Germany. It was the first German TV programme to play on American TV without being dubbed and became the highest rated foreign drama in UK history. A lot of humour to be had in addition to its tension and drama. As for its soundtrack (just to name a few):
Honourable mention:
And here's what coming out in 2017 that I'm paying attention to:
3. Everybody Wants Some!!This is not your standard teen or frat-house comedy film, like Superbad or 21 & Over; you know the kind of films that I mean. There are two main things about this film that set this one apart from them: it is written and directed by the legend that is Richard Linklater and is the "spiritual sequel" to the film that is the benchmark for this genre - 1993's Dazed and Confused. And fortunately, I love that film. This is a great film, which deserves a follow-up TV series in my opinion.
Set in 1980 somewhere in Texas, Jake (Blake Jenner) arrives at college as a new pitcher for the college's baseball team. He moves into a rundown, dilapidated house with his teammates and will spend the next three days before classes begin bonding with them. It's basically your standard Freshers' Week composed into a 2-hour movie.
As I may have mentioned before in a previous post, I am a huge fan of Richard Linklater. Dazed and Confused is epic; I loved School of Rock; the Before trilogy holds up well; Boyhood was by miles the best film of 2014 and should have done better at the Oscars than it did. Linklater has actually called this a continuation of Boyhood, as that film ended with its main character going to college and this one starts there. This is a very personal film to Linklater, probably building on his own experiences of going to college at Sam Houston State University, which he left early in 1982, and his enjoyment playing baseball when he was young. We see Jake in his car on the way to college, in one box a collection of LPs and next to them a turntable, amps and speakers. That was Linklater once upon a time. He wants to remember all the good times partying with friends, not the boring lectures or stressful deadlines for due papers. It is a college movie without the college.
One thing that Dazed and Confused is most remembered for was being the break-through film for many young inexperienced, relatively unknown, actors at the time. These included Ben Affleck, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich and, of course, Matthew McConaughey ("Alright, alright, alright"). Linklater has done exactly the same thing here. Prior to this, Blake Jenner's most notable roles were in the TV series Glee and Supergirl, which also stars Tyler Hoechlin (McReynolds) as Clark Kent; he was in the reboot of Teen Wolf and, going back 14 years, Road to Perdition. Wyatt Russel, who plays pothead Willoughby, is the son of Kurt Russell; Glen Powell, the womanising Finnegan, was bizarrely in The Expendables 3; etc. If you were unaware of these acting talents before, you know them now so look out for them in the future. They all do a great job in this film and you have to admire the way they show their characters' competitive nature with each other. Jake is our avatar, representing the inexperience everyone has at the time they start college, not knowing what to expect in this unsupervised world. I will admit that the male-to-female ratio is quite high; there is a lot of testosterone in this film, as well as moustaches, and the women are seen as "potential conquests". However, Zoey Deutch's Beverly is the one female character we spend the most time with and she does well, especially putting some of the more dominant males in their places when we are first introduced to her.
As for the soundtrack, Linklater told Total Film: "Every song in the movie I have a very personal relationship to. I can tell you where we played that album...you'd go from music blaring in your house to music blaring in your car to music blaring at a party. It was the soundtrack of your life." You know this film's soundtrack is on point when it begins with The Knack's My Sharona. There is such as wide variety to them as well - from Alternative Ulster and Heart of Glass to Pop Muzik and Rappers Delight. If Dazed and Confused was rock and roll, this is a combination of hip hop, punk, new wave and synth, with a dash of country thrown in (see some of the parties/clubs they go to). It's a search for identity.
Remember the likes of Mitch, Pink and the others from Dazed and Confused? They had some many boundaries and restrictions holding them back - high school, parents, bullies, football, etc. - and they found solace in smoking drugs, going to keg parties and staying out all night. Well now we can imagine the freedom that is available to them at college. They have grown up and are their own bosses now. They are enjoying themselves, as should you with this film. They have the freedom to do whatever they want, as does Richard Linklater.
By the way, why the two apostrophes in the title? Ask Van Halen...
And now the top two. Like last year, it was almost impossible to separate these two films. They are polar opposites of each other, but still left a lasting impact on audiences.
2. I, Daniel BlakeOne of the best British films released in recent years, from one of this country's greatest ever directors - Ken Loach.
Set in Newcastle, 59-year-old Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) has recently had a heart attack and needs help from the State before he is deemed fit to return to work. However, he is considered ineligible for employment and support allowance and must apply for benefits whilst looking for jobs that he is unable to take. At the same time, he is looking out for Katie (Hayley Squires), a single mum who has been relocated with her two children up from London.
This is the second film in Loach's, long and well-established, career for which he has won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival; the first was The Wind That Shakes The Barley from 2006. It received a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience. It is also the latest which he has collaborated with screenwriter Paul Laverty. Their other works together have included TWTSTB, Looking For Eric, Jimmy's Hall and The Angels' Share. A lot of Ken Loach films are based on his personal experiences but have a certain political underpinning to them. He has described the criteria for claiming benefits in the UK as "a Kafka-esque, Catch 22 situation designed to frustrate and humiliate the claimant to such an extent that they drop out of the system and stop pursuing their right to ask for support if necessary". I, Daniel Blake is up there with his 1969 film Kes as perhaps his best work.
You do have complete sympathy for the film's main characters. At the beginning we see a black screen and all we hear is Daniel answering these absurd questions from a nurse. Unfortunately for him, everything is online and we see him struggling to comprehend a computer for the first time (he is in his own words "pencil by default") and constantly being put on hold on the phone (haven't we all been there). He describes it perfectly as "a monumental farce". Perhaps the most powerful scene in the whole of film this year is when they visit a foodbank. I don't want to give too much away about it, but that was inspired by something that happened when Paul Laverty was researching the film. It will shock you to the core. Prior to this film, Dave Johns was most well-known as a comedian and Hayley Squires was in Call The Midwife. I think that we all know who they are now. They are fantastic in this film, bringing their characters to life and looking out for each in their struggle against a faceless authority.
One of this film's many champions was the leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn. He attended the film's premiere in London and posted on his Facebook page his praise for it. Earlier in the year Loach made a promotional video for Corbyn ahead of the Labour Leadership election. During a Prime Minister's Questions session, Corbyn urged the Prime Minister to go and see it to gain insight into the struggles of life on welfare. He also suggested she took the Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green with her, after he dubbed it "monstrously unfair" despite having never seen it. Such is the incompetence of our government. Iain Duncan Smith aimed his criticism at its portrayal of Jobcentre staff, to which the film's producer Rebecca O'Brien rightly said he was living in "cloud cuckoo land".
This film will stay with you. You will experience a full range of emotions watching it, from joy and laughter to sadness, shock and anger. This is reality and the events the film depicts are happening right now.
1. Hunt For The WilderpeopleYou thought that Leonardo DiCaprio had a tough time in The Revenant? You ain't seen nothing yet.
13-year-old Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is a rebellious youth who is being placed in the care of a new foster family - Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and 'Uncle' Hec (Sam Neill). However, something happens that threatens child services to send Ricky back to a care home. So he decides to run away into the bush and so begins a nationwide manhunt across New Zealand for him and Hec.
Why should you watch this film? Well, it's from Taika Waititi - the director of What We Do In The Shadows which was the funniest film in recent years. I would say, however, it did not get the proper release it deserved over here in the UK, but it introduced Waititi to the world. He had already made a name for himself in New Zealand with Eagle vs Shark and Boy and also WWDITS was co-written and co-directed with Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords. Next year sees the release of Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi's first major Hollywood film. This film had premiered at Sundance and then went on to break records on its opening weekend in New Zealand; it only cost US$2.5 million to make. It is based on the book Wild Pig and Watercress by Barry Crump.
The idea of a young kid going on an adventure with a grumpy old man will remind audiences of Up. That might be the closest comparison to make to any other film, as it is unlike anything else. Ricky and Hec develop this great relationship on-screen and it was the same off-screen between Dennison and Neill. Dennison did admit that before meeting Neill he had never ever seen Jurassic Park. It starts with bickering and disagreement, but then they are thrown together through adversity and need each other to survive. Dennison's attempts to be "gangster" are amusing (he has a dog which he calls Tupac), especially when he realises and reminds the audience that he is still a kid. As for Neill, this is probably his best performance of his career.
Remember what I said that I laughed through most of Hail, Caesar! when I first saw it? Well, I was laughing even harder in this film. I was nearly crying with laughter. It's a combination of things really: the witty responses, the timing and even a bit of slapstick. Ricky gets the funniest lines and that comes down to his lack of understanding, innocence and some popular culture references he tries to relate to. For example, in a scene where they are hiding down an embankment from their pursuers he tries mouthing something to Hec who doesn't understand what he is saying - "I was trying to tell you it was like The Lord of the Rings". That for me was the funniest moment of the film. And then there is their attempt to conclude with a Thelma & Louise style chase, with them flying through the air and Ricky shouting "FREEDOM!" This of course being a comedy from New Zealand there is an appearance from Rhys Darby, who is on top form as Psycho Sam, and Waititi himself cameos as the most bizarre minister you will see. It is not all just humour; there are some poignant moments as well which give it a perfect balance.
You also get to see beautiful sweeping and panning shots of New Zealand, from the bushy, dense rainforests to grassy mountains and dirty, dusty flatlands. They look natural and real; you want to go there (again!!!). In an interview, Neill said that at the beginning of his career no one would have thought about making a film like this in New Zealand, but has now called this a "golden age", ever since the success of The Lord of the Rings. One effective technique that Waititi employs is, rather than a traditional montage to show a passage of time, having the camera pan 360 degrees. There is also the decision to have it divided into 10 separate chapters.
So yeah, film of the year...
Yes, I know this was originally released in 2015, in every country outside of the UK it would seem. We didn't get a first glimpse of this until January 2016, so that's why I am including it in my end of year review.
What more could you ask for from a show set in 1980s' Germany? A very original story set against real events about a young East German soldier, Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) who is ordered by the Stasi (including his own aunt) to spy on the West. It certainly played well outside of Germany. It was the first German TV programme to play on American TV without being dubbed and became the highest rated foreign drama in UK history. A lot of humour to be had in addition to its tension and drama. As for its soundtrack (just to name a few):
- Blue Monday - New Order
- Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling
- 99 Luftballons - Nena
- Modern Love - David Bowie
- Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
Honourable mention:
- The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
And here's what coming out in 2017 that I'm paying attention to:
- Manchester By The Sea - January 13th
- A lot of talk about this film being an awards contender in the next couple of months; stars Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams.
- T2: Trainspotting - January 27th
- The long-awaited sequel to 1996's Trainspotting, one of the greatest British films ever made. And thankfully the original cast and crew are back - director Danny Boyle and actors Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - April 28th
- Please be as fun as Vol. 1. From the teaser, the soundtrack already sounds promising (Fox on the Run by Sweet). Plus, Baby Groot looks adorably awesome.
- War for the Planet of the Apes - July 14th
- Once again directed by Matt Reeves following the success of Rise and Dawn.
- Dunkirk - July 21st
- From director Christopher Nolan, a film about the Allies' evacuation from Northern France to Britain during the Second World War. Just a shame that the majority of people that will go and see it will be One Direction fans because Harry Styles is in it.
- Alien: Covenant - August 4th
- The Martian was, for me, a successful comeback from Ridley Scott. Please let this good form continue with the sequel to Prometheus (even though I thought it was OK, a lot of people hated it).
- Blade Runner 2049 - October 6th
- The long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott's masterpiece from director Denis Villeneuve...Need I say more.
- Star Wars: Episode VIII - December 15th
- Hopefully this film will be darker than The Force Awakens, in the same way that The Empire Strikes Back was darker than A New Hope.
- P.S. may the force be with you Carrie Fisher.
- Twin Peaks
- A continuation of the cult TV series from the 90s. A good number of the original cast returning, including Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn and Madchen Amick; new cast members feature Laura Dern, Tim Roth, Naomi Watts and Amanda Seyfried. Plus, the involvement of composer Angelo Badalamenti and original creators Mark Frost and David Lynch must fill us with confidence. Whatever the rest of TV has in store for 2017, it will have to be bloody spectacular to tear me away from this. Get a cup of black coffee and a slice of cherry pie ready...
