Previously, we had numbers 15 to 11 and then numbers 10 to 6 of the best of 2017. Just a quick recap:
15. A Ghost Story
14. Logan
13. The LEGO Batman Movie
12. Free Fire
11. Battle of the Sexes
10. Get Out
9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
8. War for the Planet of the Apes
7. Dunkirk
6. Detroit
So for one last time, here are my top five...
5. T2 Trainspotting
Back in 1996, we chose life. Now, we are doing it again and
we've brought the old band back together.
20 years on from stealing a bag full on money and ditching
his friends, Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) has returned to Edinburgh to reunite
with them - Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Simon, formerly known as "Sick
Boy" (Jonny Lee Miller), who has a business proposal lined up for him.
Meanwhile, the psychotic maniac known as Begbie (Robert Carlyle), who Renton
double-crossed, has escaped from prison.
20 years is a long time to wait for a sequel and there were
a lot of high expectations for this, particularly because of Trainspotting's
cult status. The follow-up to Irvine Welsh's original book was Porno, which was
set ten years later, and a few years ago there was a draft by screenwriter John
Hodge that was sent to everybody. Director Danny Boyle said it was faithful to
the book, but did not really translate to the big screen, so the filmmakers
went for a more original story; one more personal to Hodge. As I may have
mentioned before, Irvine Welsh is not the most cinematic of authors; the only
other work of his that has made a successful transition to the screen was
Filth.
So, has it worked, waiting this long? Well if they had made
it sooner, five or even ten years after the original, there would not have been
the same nostalgia that was experienced, not only by the audience but also the
filmmakers and actors. Modern-day films, if they are a hit, will get a sequel
about two or three years after their release; it is a commercial pressure.
Danny Boyle said that was not the case back in the late 90s...Sorry, going back
to the question that was asked; of course it has worked. There are many themes
addressed in this film, including nostalgia for the past, age and the
consequences of getting older, friendship, trust, memories (both good and bad),
betrayal, addiction, recovery and redemption. I am sure we can all relate to
those in some sort of way.
We see that all the characters have aged sufficiently. They
felt young, fearless and invincible in the first film, but a lot can happen in
20 years. This film is a reunion of sorts, seeing what it is these characters
have got up to in that time and what is the state-of-play with their current
situations, similarly with the actors who play them. Renton has swapped drugs
for running, but he soon comes to the realisation that his life is not so rosy
and the last time he was truly content was 20 years ago. He returns to
Edinburgh with a lot of baggage after being diagnosed for ACS and feeling a
certain amount of guilt for stealing that money. He is trying to rebuild old
bridges with those he once called friends and also his own family; even since
he left his mum has passed away. He is "a tourist in [his] own
youth". Spud has continued to struggle with addiction and is possibly the
worse for wear of all the characters as we are reacquainted with them. But then
he becomes the centre of the film, using his nostalgia and memories as creative
inspiration; he needs a purpose. Ewen Bremner does give the best performance in
this film. I loved the little Raging Bull tribute when he tries going to a boxing
gym for the first time. During his time in prison, Begbie has been estranged
from his son and wants him to follow his example of crime and violence, rather
than hotel management. Apart from that all he wants to do is kill Renton.
Simon, who has still got his standout blonde hair, is unsuccessfully running a
pub but also still living on the edge, notably attempting to blackmail
well-respected members of society. And his big masterplan involves fraudulently
applying for a business development loan from the European Union. As for other
characters, remember Diane (Kelly MacDonald)? She is now a lawyer. And Mikey
Forrester (Irvine Welsh) has also moved up in the world. We're also introduced
to new ones, particularly Simon's Bulgarian girlfriend Veronika (Anjela
Nadyalkova).
I like to think that Danny Boyle is the only one who has not
changed slightly in those 20 years (apart from the fact that he won an Oscar
for directing Slumdog Millionaire and won the hearts of the nation with the
opening ceremony to the London 2012 Olympics). Only he could have brought all
this together and allowed the cast to find these characters for themselves,
giving them the occasional hint along the way. It certainly looks as if the
conflict that once existed between him and Ewan McGregor is over, just because
Boyle decided to go for Leonardo DiCaprio for The Beach instead of McGregor who
had been in all of his previous feature films.
So, the title. Why 'T2'? Danny Boyle said he wanted to call
it that if that would have been allowed by James Cameron as 'T2' was, and still
is, the common abbreviation of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. However, Terminator 2 is not legally called that. Well the cast believe that
the name they went with would have been chosen by the characters, particularly
to annoy Cameron. That's fine by me.
...Oh, and the soundtrack is particularly good (see, I
didn't forget one of the key elements to the first film), featuring Queen,
Blondie, Wolf Alice, Young Fathers, Underworld, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and a
remix of Lust For Life.
4. Blade Runner 2049
Caution – review may contain spoilers…and possibly a
unicorn…or maybe not (it would if we were talking about the original)…
The one film I was most concerned about this year. Why make
a sequel to one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made? Many believe
that film is close to perfect. How can you come close to matching perfection?
What is “more human than human”?
Once again set in a futuristic Los Angeles, 30 years after the events of
Blade Runner, the Tyrell
Corporation has gone bankrupt and been bought by Niander Wallace (Jared Leto),
who is manufacturing
replicants - bioengineered androids. Meanwhile, Officer K (Ryan Gosling) is one of
the new generation of blade runners who hunt down and "retire" replicants. He discovers a long-buried secret which
has huge implications for mankind and his search then leads him to the man who was
in his shoes 30 years before - Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).
I mentioned before that Ben Wheatley has been a regular
contributor to my countdowns over the last few years. Another is Canadian
director Denis Villeneuve. In 2013, he gave us
Prisoners (which only just
missed out on my top 10 that year, but received an honourable mention); 2015,
Sicario; last year,
Arrival. This is certainly his most ambitious film yet. He
is obviously a fan of
Blade Runner, to the extent that there was a Q&A that
he took part in with Ridley Scott and they had a little disagreement as to whether
or not Deckard was really a replicant. In fact, Harrison Ford distanced himself
from that film and Ridley Scott because he [Ford] always believed that Deckard
was human. Speaking of which, if you are going to watch
Blade Runner before
Blade Runner 2049 make sure it is the 'Final Cut' you watch...the one with the
unicorn. I have mentioned previously going to see that version at the Tyneside
Cinema just over two years ago; one of my favourite movie-going experiences and
the Tyneside has quickly become my favourite cinema.
Anyway, back to reality, you
could try to watch 2049 as a stand-alone piece and it would still work, but
there are many concepts you will only fully comprehend if you have seen the
original, especially in the final third. As a fan of the original, I gave a sigh
of relief at the end. All the key themes from Blade Runner, including what it
means to be human, can artificial intelligence ever evolve into something
more and memories, had something new done to them. It is just shy of three hours long and
when I saw it in a cinema it felt long. So it is a film that takes its time to
tell its story as well as recap the original. In terms of its two main stars, they are both very good; Gosling is well-restrained (more so than some of his previous, memorable roles) and Ford is very sincere in his old age.
It is a visual masterpiece, thanks to cinematographer Roger
Deakins. You can easily lose yourself in the vast world that has been created;
it is breath-taking. The use of colour stands out: the bleak grey cities and
rusty oranges/browns. The world that has been created looks endless. If you
keep wandering through the fog, you have no idea what you will find next. The
score for the original was an iconic piece from Greek composer Vangelis,
combining electronic synth with noir jazz. This one began with Jóhann
Jóhannsson as its composer, a previous collaborator with Villeneuve, before he
left and was replaced by Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer. Even that harks
back to the original, if not a bit louder. It certainly matched the mood of the
film at times, whether it was an action set piece, key dialogue between characters,
establishing shot, etc.
It still beggars belief that this film was a commercial flop
in the US. Some people have highlighted a fault with the film’s gender
politics. With the possible exceptions of Robin Wright and Sylvia Hoeks, most
of the female characters are treated like sex objects. Ryan Gosling has a
virtual girlfriend that he has created and determined her setting depending on
his mood and there are large naked statues. I understand these arguments and,
yes, the plot is driven primarily by the male characters. But that is not the
worst thing this film could have done. It could have destroyed all the great
memories of the original Blade Runner, but thankfully it did not.
My one criticism - the dialogue in places was a bit soft. It
will not last in time like the immortal "tears in rain" speech that
Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) gave in the original.
3. The Disaster Artist
Did I ever doubt this film would not be good? "I did naaaht!...Oh, hi Mark." In fact, it exceeded my expectations.
The Disaster Artist is a dramedy looking back at the making
of what is considered to be “the Citizen Kane of bad films” – The Room. Greg
Sestero (Dave Franco) wants to become an actor, but is struggling to emote and
feels insecure. But then he sees the unforgettable enigma that is Tommy Wiseau
(James Franco). The two of them move to Los Angeles to further pursue acting
careers, fail and therefore decide to make their own film. It also accounts for
the troubles making it and the aftermath.
The film is based on the book of the same name by Greg Sestero
and Tom Bissell, adapted for the screen by Scott Neustadter and Michael H.
Weber. It accounts for Sestero’s experiences, not just of making The Room but
also his friendship with Tommy Wiseau. They are two people with a similar
dream, to be famous. The rights were published back in 2014 by Seth Rogan’s
Point Grey Pictures and it was then announced that James Franco would direct.
I have never properly watched The Room, but I have seen
numerous internet critics like the Nostalgia Critic and CinemaSins dissect it. I am aware of it having a cult following, in the same way as The Rocky
Horror Picture Show (the midnight screenings and the audience participation) or
Ed Wood movies. And that is The Disaster Artist’s closest comparison for many –
Tim Burton’s Ed Wood (Johnny Depp plays the worst director of all time, at the
time of making Plan 9 from Outer Space).
Tommy Wiseau believes he is making a film worthy of Tennessee Williams, but it
is in fact hillarious cinematic garbage. The writing is bad; the direction is bad; the
acting is bad. And it is largely down to him. The film cost allegedly $6 million
but only grossed $1800, and Wiseau supposedly paid to keep it in theatres so it would
be eligible for the Academy Awards.
The real-life Tommy Wiseau was hoping to be portrayed by
Johnny Depp, before agreeing on James Franco. In fact there is a moment in the
film where Tommy wants Depp to play the role of Mark in The Room if not Greg.
Anyway, Franco is amazing as this strange man who we never really learn anything
about. Where is he from; how old is he and where is the money coming from to
finance this film? Supposedly he is from New Orleans, but his voice is from
another planet; his is the same age as Greg, despite looking twice as old, and
money is no object. He wants brilliance and to play the hero, but is told by
one acting coach that he should only stick to villains or monsters like
Frankenstein or Dracula. He has a “malevolent presence” and we see that later
on when he is being horrible to one of his co-stars. He is a complete arse towards the others
making the film at times; he compares himself to Stanley Kubrick and Alfred
Hitchcock.
This is without doubt Franco’s best performance since 127 Hours.
One of my favourite scenes is when we are introduced to Tommy at the drama
school; he is giving this performance of what we assume is meant to be
Stanley from A Streetcar Named Desire, riving on the floor and continuously
yelling “Stella!” You watch it and you are just like “Wow! This is terrible and
yet amazing at the same time.” Supposedly Franco stayed in character whilst in
the director’s chair.
And then there is Dave Franco as Greg. He is in awe of
Tommy's fearlessness, making comparisons to James Dean and wants to learn from him. At times
he wants to live his own life, such as move in with his girlfriend and maybe branch out his acting, but then he remembers he made a pact to Tommy. This is the first Dave
Franco performance I have actually enjoyed and taken seriously. Another fun
performance, I thought, was Seth Rogan as Sandy Schklair, the script
supervisor, who must have been the most patient man in the world during the
filming of the actual film. Other notable performances include Alison Brie, Josh
Hutcherson, Zac Efron, Sharon Stone and Bob Odenkirk. There are also numerous
cameos – Kevin Smith, J. J. Abrams, Judd Apatow, Kristen Bell, Keegan-Michael
Key and Bryan Cranston, who offers Greg the opportunity of an appearance in Malcolm in the Middle.
New York Magazine summed this film up perfectly – “A tribute
to those who dream so big and fail so spectacularly that they actually
triumph.” The Tyneside Cinema was showing a double-bill screening of this and
The Room together (sadly I was late to the party; they quickly sold out). And that
is the main thing you will get from this film – you will want to go and watch
The Room. You can finally tick it off your movie bucket-list.
2. Baby Driver
Before I go on with this review, let me address the elephant
in the corner. There is one member of this film’s cast who has been in the news
in the last couple of months regarding allegations of sexual harassment. This
review will not deny or question the authenticity of these accusations; it is just
concentrating on the film Baby Driver. All I will say is there is one quote in particular
that this cast member says and at the time it was considered crude and many
audience members sniggered at it, but now that moment feels more awkward. Please do not judge me on
including this film.
Now, on with the review. Let’s take one of Britain’s top
filmmakers, Edgar Wright, send him stateside and let him loose with an idea he
has had for years. You could not have car chase sequences like these ones on
the streets of London. It can only work in the US. The last film he made on the
other side of the Atlantic was the underrated-at-the-time-but-now-cult-hit
Scott Pilgrim vs The World. However, here is his first solo outing as a writer
and director. Just don't be put off the title.
'Baby' (Ansel Elgort) is a talented getaway driver working
for a crime boss known as 'Doc' (Kevin Spacey). What is different about Baby is
that he has permanent tinnitus (ever since a car accident in his childhood) and
he blocks it out using music, which can heighten his focus and reflexes and
provide the perfect soundtrack for a heist/getaway. Before he is able to have
an ordinary life, he must help a group of bank robbers, including impulsive gunslinger
'Bats' (Jamie Foxx), scandalous 'Darling' (Eiza González) and former Wall
Street trader 'Buddy' (Jon Hamm).
Wright originally came up with the idea twenty-two years ago
when he was living in North London, listening to Bellbottoms by The Jon Spencer
Blues Explosion and thinking that it would make a great car-chase song. There
is also the influence of great car movies (or films with significant car scenes
in them) such as Bullitt, The French Connection (featuring the greatest car
chase ever in film), the original Italian Job, Vanishing Point, Smokey and the
Bandit, The Driver, The Blues Brothers etc.(just remember this is Edgar Wright
we are talking about; think about all those films that Shaun of the Dead and
Hot Fuzz were influenced by). It is that combination of visuals - high speeds,
sharp cornering, handbrake turns - and sounds – loud revving engines and tortured
tyre squealing. Then there is the heist element to it, inspired by the likes of
The Getaway, Thunderbold and Lightfoot, Heat and Point Break (a film very close
to Edgar Wright's heart (if you didn't know that already)).
With regards to the action sequences, the music motivates
what is happening, very similar to the fight in the pub scene from Shaun of the
Dead when they are playing Don't Stop Me Now. This was also the case in Scott
Pilgrim and going back as far as Spaced. A good example in this film is when
Baby won't let Bats and his gang out of the car for their heist until he
reaches the right point in the track he is listening to. That scene also
provided a good laugh particularly the fact that Bats wanted masks like Michael
Myers from Halloween (I'll let you work out what the other guy has bought):
- Eddie (Flea): Doc said Michael Myers!
- JD (Lanny Joon): This IS Mike Myers.
- Bats: It should be the Halloween mask.
- JD: This is a Halloween mask!
- Bats: No, the killer dude from Halloween.
- JD: Oh, you mean Jason.
- Eddie and Bats: No!
The music and action dominate the set-pieces and so there is
very little dialogue to them, like the car chase in Bullitt (although you would
not have been able to hear a word from Steve McQueen over the sound of that
Ford Mustang). The stunts were coordinated by Darrin Prescott who also worked
as a stunt driver on the car chase through the streets of Moscow in The Bourne
Supremacy. The Fast & Furious franchise wished they could have stunts like
these.
These aren't just a random selection of tracks. A lot of
thought must have gone into this selection, finding ones that would work best
in a car film. Wright said he would not write a scene until he found the right
track, so the writing accompanies it. So the choice of songs dictates the
scenes; the action sequences; the dialogue to some extent; the camerawork; the
editing. It is almost like a musical; yep, I am comparing Baby Driver to La La Land.
And it is also good that Edgar Wright did pick a variety of tracks, some that I
was unfamiliar with, rather than just the driving anthems everyone expects to
hear. I already mentioned Bellbottoms, but here are some more notable inclusions:
- Hocus Pocus - Focus
- Tequila - Button Down Brass
- Radar Love - Golden Earring
- Brighton Rock - Queen
- Neat Neat Neat - The Damned
- Nowhere To Run - Martha & The Vandellas
- The Edge - David McCallum
- Harlem Shuffle – Bob & Earl
- Egyptian Reggae – Jonathan Richman & The
Modern Lovers
The way he uses the tinnitus is rather interesting too,
particularly with the movie beginning with the sound of it playing over the
studio logos and it going away when the music begins. We see the film through
the eyes of Baby, but also hear it through the ears. It is almost non-stop.
Ansel Elgort does come of age in this film, perfectly
depicting a young man with good intentions but has been forced into this life
of crime. We see him have chance encounters with innocent members of the public
when he is caught up in the heat of the moment and he wants to get them out of
harm's way. He also has this heartfelt relationship with his deaf foster father
and looks to catch the attention of a waitress called Debora (Lily James). He
does have some tense moments with Doc reminding him who he works for, to which
Baby replies with a reference to Monsters, Inc. (wow, an R-rated film quoting
Disney...to witty effect it has to be said). I can relate to Baby in some ways,
mainly because like him I spend too much time listening to my iPod. The other
performances are good too, particularly Jon Hamm. Long gone are the days of
suave, sophisticated Don Draper.
By the way, there is sadly no Cornetto in this film.
1. The Death of Stalin
"In Soviet Russia, comedy satires you..."
Sorry to the other fourteen films on this list. You were
good – some were even great – but you weren’t this. Any complaints, you know where I am.
1953, leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin is dead
following a stroke and the regime has descended into chaos. Who is to take
control and who has a say in this?
- His son Vasily (Rupert Friend)
- His daughter Svetlana (Andrea Riseborough)
- His deputy Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor)
- Chief of security and NKVD (Soviet secret
police) Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale)
-
Politician Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi)
- Foreign Secretary Vyacheslav Molotov (Michael
Palin)
- War hero Marshal Georgy Zhukov (Jason Isaacs)
"Loosely based on the true story", The Death of Stalin was originally a French graphic novel by
Fabien Nury and Thierry Robins. It has been adapted for the screen by Armando
Iannucci, the mastermind behind the character of Alan Partridge, Veep and, of
course, The Thick of It. And that is essentially what this is, albeit in the
Kremlin rather than Downing Street or the White House. Alongside Iannucci to
help adapt this are The Thick of It’s co-writer Ian Martin, Peter Fellows and
comedian David Schneider. Even though it is set in 1953, it is very much with
the times. As Iannucci himself said:
- “It was made in the spirit of “My God, this happened!” and
it’s now released in the spirit of “God help us, please don’t let this happen
again!””
There is the right mixture of humour and darkness to the
film. You have the same childish and inventive insults, awkward moments of
silence and people running around like headless chickens from The Thick of It.
Everyone has to do the right thing – they are terrified of a wrong decision or
action – and every motion needs to be
carried unanimously. The comedy starts early on. A Radio Moscow producer (Paddy
Considine) is commanded to provide a recording of that night’s performance for
Stalin, but it does not exist. So he locks the doors, keeps the orchestra on
stage, brides the pianist to stay, drags in people off the streets and has to
find another conductor – “This is just a musical emergency.” But at the same
time as this going on, there are people getting thrown into prison, mass
shootings, child abuse, torture, etc. The comedy does not undermine the
seriousness and honesty of what actually happened. It is as much a tragedy as
it is a comedy.
One of my biggest gripes sometimes in films is actors
putting on fake accents, thinking that it is easy to sound like a foreigner. Some
of the worst Russian accents ever in films – Arnold Schwarzenegger in Red Heat,
Harrison Ford in K-19: The Widowmaker, Bob Hoskins in Enemy at the Gates (playing Nikita Khrushchev) and, of course, Sean Connery in The Hunt
for Red October. Here though, the cast are not doing fake Russian accents; everyone,
even the extras, is using their own voices. Joseph Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) and
Anastas Mikoyan (Paul Whitehouse) sound from Hackney; Nikita Khrushchev from
Brooklyn (Steve Buscemi must have been relieved that he did not have to do a
Russian accent); Georgy Malenkov from San Francisco and General Zhukov sounds
like a relative of Sean Bean’s from Yorkshire.
As for performances, Simon Russell Beale was magnificent as
Beria, the man in charge of security and deciding goes on the death lists or to
the gulags. This is one of his first major film performances; he is mostly
known for cameos in film/TV and appearing on stage. Steve Buscemi is great as
Khrushchev; he [Buscemi] is the complete opposite of Russell Beale and and Khrushchev the complete opposite of Beria. And stuck in the
middle of them is Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov, who has no idea what is going on
and thinks that image is a greater concern. It is great to see Michael Palin
doing a film once again, his first proper appearance in what feels like ages,
adding shades of Life of Brian when giving a speech to the committee. And without
doubt Jason Isaacs gives the best performance as the no-nonsense, decorated war
hero. And finally on this blog I have a genuine reason to carry on the great
tradition of Wittertainment and say the immortal words: “Jason Isaacs, hello!”
I mentioned the voice before, he said that the “bluntest” people he has ever
met are all from Yorkshire and Brian Glover (the PE teacher from Kes) was an
inspiration.
Back in September the Russian Ministry of Culture considered
banning the film; it could, allegedly, be part of a “western plot to
destabilise Russia by causing rifts in society”. And according to Jason Isaacs,
it hit a bit too close to home for former Prime Minister David Cameron;
apparently the film is “exactly like what was going on in Downing Street”...And
before you all get any ideas, this was made pre-Brexit.
When I saw the first trailers, my initial reaction was:
“It’s a Russian version of The Thick of It. That’s good enough for me.” And it
did not disappoint. Now, what is the Russian for “omnishambles”?
