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Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Best Spiderman movie
For me the best Spiderman movie and right up there with the best of Marvel. The main reason for this. They've finally gotten a proper Peter Parker as well as a proper Spiderman. In my opinion they've never nailed Peter, always playing him too old. You've always had a school full of 30 somethings, but this time they feel and look like real teenagers (Garfield got the Spiderman part off to a tee, but not peter). Also though they've nailed the feel of the comics, they've not felt too burdened by them, allowing themselves to update things to reflect our times, perfectly portrayed by the update to the Flash Thomson character. In fact all the surrounding characters are excellent with particular kudos to Jacob Batalan's Ned. And also it has one of the most relate-able and strongest baddies so far in Marvel in Keaton's Vulture. Though you can't pass by the fact that he's making and selling weapons of, if not mass, at least major destruction to any tom, dick or harry, you can relate to how he feels betrayed by the system, and his speech to Peter about how the little people feed off the scraps of the big table does hit home a little. And the action, though not as spectacular as some of the bigger set pieces of previous films is perfect for the scale of this movie and is in at least one scene quite scary and moving at the same time. All in all it's a delight of a movie and it's nice to have a bit of a more personal, smaller scale story before we hit the really big bells and whistles stories we've got to come.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
For the love of god stop this.
Please for the love of god stop now. How is it possible for these to continue to get worse, and even more pertinently, why do I continue to see them. For the first time in a very long while I considered walking out of a film, and that was after about 15 minutes. I was bored stupid. They try to continually up the action set pieces in this franchise but just manage to make them more stupid, bombastic and confusing with muddied visuals, terrible pacing and stupidity from the characters. And some director really needs to get hold of Johnny Depp and get him to actually act and not merely caricature his original creation of the first pirates just upping the ticks and foibles. And as for the acting of the rest of the cast, Jesus. Even good actors seem to feel the need to Depp it up in this series, and the two new leads were so wooden they didn't need ships to cross the seas. Add to all that a god awful script full of pathetic dialogue and character motivation with a pee poor story arc and this turd may finally sink the franchise. Here's hoping.
Rogue One (2016)
Star Wars as A Bridge Too Far
I was a bit wary of the star wars spin off stories when I first heard they were coming, and I'm still a bit apprehensive about the young Han Solo movie and I've never had any interest in a Boba Fett film, but if they're all to the quality of this then we've nothing to worry about. In fact if they live up to this then run to the cinema on the first day. I love the way this expands the universe but feels thoroughly grounded in and bonded to the originals. Its far darker in tone than much of the rest of the Star Wars universe and much of the humour of a Leia, Han or even a Po Dameron or a Finn is missing. But this is a war film after all and the stunning final act brings this home with the best and most realistic battle sequences ever in Star Wars. Some have marked this film down as they had no empathy or feel for the new set of characters but I had none of these problems and re-watches only made me feel more for the sacrifices they were making in the hope for a better future. Another so called problem was the CG re-creations of original characters but for me this helped bond this to A New Hope, for sure they were not perfect, but many people who did not know they were re-creations did not even notice. And to top it off we get probably the most bad ass Darth Vader scene we'll ever see. Superb.
Sing Street (2016)
Just superb.
Had heard so many good things about this and had really wanted to see it but it didn't come to my local world of cine so I missed out during its theatrical run and one thing or another had made me not catch up later, but I was determined to see it before the year was out as I thought it might be one of my favourite films, and I was right. I had really enjoyed Begin Again and Once was one of my favourite films when I saw it so I am a fan of director Carney's work and in this he's right back up to Once's standards. I was enjoying it from the start, helped by the 1980's setting which was when I was in senior school just like the protagonists and which the film perfectly portrays, but was not blown away. But as it progressed it just crept into my being, filling me up with its energy, heart, sole and most of all its music and the joy and exuberance of its creators. The young cast here shine, from our hero, to his bully nemesis, taking in along the way the heroes dream girl, his band of misfits, and the worlds ultimate big brother. Sure, for a group of school kids they are unrealistically good at writing and performing their various pastiches of several 80's pop styles, but the songs are incredibly catchy and the homemade videos they create for them are very funny and perfectly of the era. If you don't leave this film with a song in your heart and a smile on your face, then your dead inside.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Up with the best coming of age comedy dramas.
The best teen comedy I've seen since Easy A and I hope this launches Hailee Steinfeld the way that launched Emma Stone to the next level as she's fantastic in this, portraying Nadine as a normal though precocious girl who is not always likable but is always relate-able. The supporting cast are all solid and Hayden Szeto is adorable as the atrocious useless flirt who crushes on Nadine but who she sees as more of a cute puppy dog friend than a boyfriend, but of course you know how its going to pan out. But its the clever way it leads to the obvious end point, and the interactions of Nadine and her family and friends along the way that raise this above the crowd. And it helps to have Woody Harrelson in his scene stealing best to help it on its way.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Better than Potter?
Whisper it quietly, but I might just have enjoyed this more than any of the Harry Potter series. Not that any of them were bad. The first 2 were a bit ropy but still set out the world beautifully, our first view of Diagon Alley was a wonder to behold, and they generally improved each after the other, though 3 may still be the best. But maybe the fact that this could just be a movie without beholding to the books, which the original series had to, gave this much more freedom. It was always impossible to completely be faithful to the complexity of the books story lines in the time restraints of a films runtime. Plus not knowing how it was going to turn out before even entering the cinema was a bonus. I also appreciated the fact that the wizarding world could be expanded beyond Hogwarts and its grounds, and the New York of 1920's was beautifully realised and the ways in which the magical world of America differed from that we had previously seen was cleverly done. The film is also improved by the fact that from the start it has better acting talent in the main leads as with the best will in the world the original child cast, with exception of Emma Watson and Tom Felton, were lacking a touch, though they improved a bit as time went on. This does suffer from the problems of the first couple of Potters in that it has to set up the world, and maybe tries to squeeze a bit too much in to pave the way for the sequels, and also Newts story and the forewarning of Grindelwald seem a bit squashed unnaturally together. But despite a few faults I really enjoyed this and am looking forward with impatience for the rest of the story.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Top quality Marvel
Right up with Iron Man as Marvel's best individual origin story and probably just outside their top 5 films in all, beaten out by Guardians, Avengers 1, Civil War, Winter Soldier and the aforementioned Iron Man (not necessarily in that order). Cumberbatch is superb as Strange, fantastically arrogant at the start, then excellently portraying his despair in his brutal fall to rock bottom, then his usual charm and wit as he gains confidence again as he begins to master his new found abilities. He is ably supported by a quality cast. Ejiofor and McAdams make the most of slightly underused roles, Wong is great as Wong, Mikkelsen gives Kaecilius a great sense of menace but also humanity and not a little charm of his own and is in my opinion one of Marvels better villains, though again underused a bit (an extra half an hour could have made this right up there with the best comic book movies of all). But the MVP is Swinton as the Ancient One, which considering the controversy of the so called white washing of the roll is a good thing (but what did they want, the Fu Man Chu type portrayed in the comics). She gives her character a sense of mischievousness and an impish charm instead of the staid wise person you may have expected, and her final scene with strange is both heartbreaking and one of the stand out scenes of the whole film. But of course as everyone who sees this will say, the thing that really raises this film are the visuals. I can't believe how some can dismiss them as having seen similar before in Inception. That is like comparing a toddlers drawing to a Rembrandt. Its not just the way the cityscapes are twisted and transformed, but the way the characters interact with them. And as for the scene where the Ancient One casts Strange through the different dimensions to open his mind, it must be one of the most original, inventive and visually stunning scenes ever projected to a screen. Also the inventiveness of the climactic scenes are something that sets this apart from all of the recent Superhero movies, both in the stunning visuals of having our heroes moving forward through a rewinding world, but also in the way Strange uses his ingenuity and not brute power to overcome his foe.
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
Thoughtful intelligent apocalyptic drama
Absolutely fantastic film with superb performances all round, particularly by newcomer Sennia Nanua. The story is clever and thought provoking with an absolutely banger of an ending. But the thing I was most blown away by was just how fantastic the world building was, particularly as this was such a low budgeted feature. The visuals of the devastated world are up there with anything you will have seen in films with budgets who's coffee bill probably would have paid for this whole production. The scene where our protagonists have to pass through a hoard of infected who will remain oblivious to them if not awoken from their stupor is incredibly well realized as well as crushingly tense and terrifyingly real.
Room (2015)
Film of the year?
Well its January 20th and the games already up. My favourite film of the year has already been watched. At least if it hasn't then this is really going to be a banner year. This is an incredible film with fantastic performances from the 2 leads. Brie Larson is, as is always the case, excellent, but is blown away by an unbelievable performance from young Jacob Tremblay. It can only be because of his tender years that he didn't receive Oscar recognition as I don't believe we will see a better performance this year. Of course a lot of the credit for this must go down to fantastic direction from Abrahamson. As for the film, it is abhorrent, terrifying, warm, emotional, uplifting and life affirming, and not necessarily in that order. Your emotions change from one way to another many times throughout the run time. The genius of the film is that it shows the world from the child's perspective, after watching imagine how it would have looked if it had been showed from the mothers and shiver.
Me Before You (2016)
Beautiful romantic film
One of the most romantic films I have seen for some time. Of course its a weepy, and how I blubbed, though I have previous in this regard, but it also swells the heart and leaves you with a beautiful warm glow. This should make real stars of the two main players with Claffin excellent as someone who's life has been destroyed by an accident leaving him not just paralysed, but also without the will to carry on. But the true stand out is Clarke, who's unquenchable cheerfulness and sunny outlook on life in the face of his depressed hostility has to be seen to be believed and maybe starts to turn him around? A lovely film with a beautiful ending.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Truly superb film
Just when I thought the race for the best film of the year was over before it had begun with Room blowing me away at the very start of the year, along came this absolute gem. This was superb in every possible way. It looked beautiful, the story was touching, thought provoking and so so funny. The characters were well realised and even though some of those on the fringe were caricatures, all felt that they were real people. I can give this no higher praise than this is up there if not better than the best of Wes Andersons oeuvre. The two leads are superb with young Dennison fantastic but I absolutely loved Neill as the grumpy reluctant "Uncle", but even the most minor of supporting characters were well realised. The film perfectly balances a bit of sentimentality with hard nosed reality, and the fact that fact these elements sometimes can jar up against each other, just as in in life.
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Thoughtful intelligent character piece.
I enjoy the fact that though I feel the makers of this film have a predilection to fall towards one side of the argument this film makes as to whether the way the protagonist raises his children is right or wrong, it makes cogent arguments that each case has its good and bad points. Personally I can see the attraction of the simple life they lead, but can also see how it would make them completely unprepared for the real world they would face, if say something happened to the father. They are incredibly well educated, but as the eldest son states to his father during an argument, he understands nothing he hasn't learned in a book. I also like the way the film explores both the lifestyles of the family and that of those they encounter on their road trip to their mothers funeral, pointing out the incompatibilities and incongruities of each without making a case that one is better than the other, well maybe something of a case for one but while pointing out its drawbacks. Its a character piece of a film full of excellent performances with Viggo Mortenson excellent as the idealistic father who may have the best wishes of his children in mind in his actions but could be seen either as the hero or the villain of the piece depending on how you look at the lifestyle he want to raise his children in. He is ably supported by a series of excellent performances by the children. I am particularly drawn to the qualities of George MacKay who is developing quite the varied portfolio of performances ranging from this to a musical in the form of Sunshine on Leith, with all sorts of dramas and romantic leads in between. He could do worse than follow the lead of Viggo who is forging his own mercurial path only engaging in properties for which he truly cares.