2017 My Top 20 of the year at the cinema (from 160 films seen)
The best films that I have seen at the cinema in this year (no spoilers in my comments)
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- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHarrison FordRyan GoslingAna de ArmasYoung Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsFionn WhiteheadBarry KeoghanMark RylanceAllied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.Dunkirk - simply brilliant ! Nolan does it again ! genius ! Heart pumping stuff from start to finish. What I like about Christopher Nolan is he doesn't insult the audience's intelligence , The timeline and focus of Dunkirk is split into 3 points of view ; LAND, AIR and SEA and although it needs your attention the non linear flashbacks and forwards to each POV are a complex intertwining way of showing the story from those 3 perspectives, some might prefer a chronological order but I think that would lose the 3 element POV. On LAND we follow a small band of soldiers for the longest time period and their attempts to get back to England amongst the hundreds of thousands of men waiting to be rescued from the Dunkirk beaches. On the SEA we focus on one day and one of the small boats that ventures out from a small harbour to get across the dangerous waters of the English channel. In the AIR we have the perspective of a couple of Spitfire pilots where their timeline lasting one hour or more accurately until their mission fuel lasts.
This really is an epic ‘event’ film, the way this historic event is portrayed is second to none, there’s a real sense of drama and desperation about the how the soldiers try to get back home to just survive on the beach and on the limited ships trying their best to evacuate them. The spitfire pilots are on the clock, they can only stay in the air for as long as their fuel allows and you feel that clock ticking away with every scene from the sky. Of the flotilla at sea we only see one out of the hundreds of boats involved in this momentous rescue mission, but again this isn’t about too much character development, it’s there to show us a snippet in the lives of ordinary people coming to the aid of a national disaster not ignoring the obvious danger but accepting it needs to be done.
The individual character / actor performances are never too big to overshadow the event as a whole. Tom Hardy is fantastic as one of the 2 spitfire pilots that we see and is very much on the job in hand in an almost routine way, he is not trying to be a hero he is just doing the best he can. Newcomers Fionn Whitehead and even Harry Stiles show they have plenty of acting talent and deserve to be alongside some great veteran actors like Kenneth Brannagh, Mark Rylance and Cillian Murphy, who all put in great performances. Come Oscar / awards season I would expect a few best supporting actor nominations.
Another aspect of the film I really like is the lack of dialogue, especially at the start of the film , this really allows for the scene to be set and triggers our pulses racing.
Hans Zimmer as ever provides a truly atmospheric and great score that adds immensely to the mounting tension that we experience throughout the film.
Nolan never disappoints me with spectacular visuals and here again we see some large scale scenes that are of the best ever war film cinematography I can think of.
There is plenty of action mixed in with moments of tranquillity, the calm before the storm the harrowing fight for survival in the face of adversity.
As I left the theatre I couldn’t help but overhear peoples comments of ‘wow, what a great and powerful film’ I couldn’t agree more ! such a must see film, I will be going to see it again next week on the iMax screen, I already rank this as my top film of the year with another viewing I can easily imagine this becoming my favourite film of the 21st century so far. - DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattZoe SaldanaDave BautistaThe Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues, notably Star-Lord's encounter with his father, the ambitious celestial being Ego.Watched as a double bill with Vol.1, so it is easier to compare the two. I really enjoyed the first film and have watched it several times already but it was great to see it again in 3D at the cinema. Does Vol.2 have the same impact ?!, well sort of, it's difficult to follow originality, the first hour is absolutely hilarious and visually fantastic and I thought this was going to become my favourite film of the year so far ! but then Kurt Russell turns up and the decline began for me. The existing characters develop closer bonds and all shine in their moments on screen with some great jokes as you would expect, however some of the new characters are a little bit disappointing. The song selection (awesome mix 2) is at times classic 1970s but some tracks I didn't recognise, still I couldn't help wag my feet to the music, Groot does some of the best dance moves and steal's the show again. So much effort has gone into making this look good a big thumbs up to the CGi guys who get a hard time these days ! There are several (5) amusing clips in the end credits making it a long watch because you get the whole 135 minutes of great entertainment ! essential viewing for this year !, I will go and see it again soon that's for sure. (9/10 1st half 7/10 2nd half) only 3 years to wait for Vol 3 !! Update -after watching 4 times I've decided I like this film a lot after all, upgraded to no.1 after IMAX viewing this afternoon.
- DirectorKenneth LonerganStarsCasey AffleckMichelle WilliamsKyle ChandlerA depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.Considering this is a tragic and sobering tale of how your life can be turned upside down in a matter of seconds it is just so enthralling and beautifully played out. Casey Affleck just seems to be going from strength to strength with every film ever since playing Robert Ford in the Assassination of Jesse James, and of course starred in my favourite film "Interstellar" too. He is giving his brother some serious competition and I look forward to his next project. Here he returns to his home town of Manchester by the Sea but we don't know why he left until a series of flashbacks paint the picture of a truly broken man, if it were a book it would be one of those you just couldn't put down. At a bit over 2 hours you might think it would be too long but it is so well paced that I didn't notice the time flying by. Ok it is so sad in places you might need a tissue but I love films that can affect you so deeply. Michelle Williams gets a Golden Globe nomination for a relatively small but brilliant supporting role, Casey a most deserved GG win for best actor. A must see film, I might even go and see it again next week if hopefully it is still on.
- DirectorAndy MuschiettiStarsBill SkarsgårdJaeden MartellFinn WolfhardIn the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsEwan McGregorEwen BremnerJonny Lee MillerAfter 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie.Danny Boyle was taking a big risk with this sequel after 20 years since the iconic "of its time" Trainspotting. But as we have seen on many occasions Danny delivers ! In preparation I watched the original film, as I haven't seen it for at least 10 years and I would strongly recommend this to anyone going to see T2, I don't think it is a film that would work on its own, you need the back story. There are of course lots of flashbacks to the first film not so much to give you the back story but just things to compare and contrast what has changed and what has stayed the same. There are even subtle tributes to David Bowie and Francis Bacon. This film in my opinion is more watchable than the darker seedier original , it is more amusing and more uplifting , we do seem to have are lot more to choose from this time around. Great performances from all the leading cast make this even more rewarding. The story is very well conceived and makes a good step forward from the first film/story. It's not all doom and gloom but not a bed of roses either, I enjoyed this much more than I expected to.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsAnsel ElgortJon BernthalJon HammAfter being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.
- DirectorDK WelchmanHugh WelchmanStarsDouglas BoothJerome FlynnRobert GulaczykIn a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.
- DirectorDaniel EspinosaStarsJake GyllenhaalRebecca FergusonRyan ReynoldsA team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars and now threatens all life on Earth.I might be biased but this is brilliant ! A great Space SciFi without Matt Damon ! it can be done ! ok we don't get any disco music but the team of astronauts need to science the *beep* out of the Life brought back from Mars. I found the tension lasted from the opening scene right through to the final one, I was on the edge of my seat for 95 minutes. Avoiding spoilers it is difficult to say too much, such as about how good the special effects are but they are quite spectacular. The cast is surprisingly good too especially Ryan and Jake but great support just impresses even more. I enjoyed this so much I will definitely be going to see this a few more times in the coming weeks.
- DirectorRupert SandersStarsScarlett JohanssonPilou AsbækTakeshi KitanoIn the near future, Major Mira Killian is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.If you haven’t seen the 1995 anime you really should see this live action intelligent, complex and visually stunning interpretation , if you have seen the anime you should see this as a great new film and not some insult to the classic, there’s room for both and this might actually get more people interested in the previous film too if you just stop slagging it off. GITS Anime –ok it was good but its also nice to have a live action option., it does annoy me that the so called “true” fans will knock this fantastic display of movie making because it somehow spoils the original 1995 film, this movie can stand on it’s own or side by side with the anime and shine a light on the a great piece of scifi history they are.
Ok no more references to the anime, and avoiding any spoilers regarding the plot.
Scarlett Johansson is looking great , near soft porn she looks so naked, maybe too great ? no! We want more and the way she moves is very convincing as a robot, she also brings out the true existential dilemma of being part robot and part human that is after all what is at the heart of this story.
Pilou Asbæk, I suppose he likes working with Scarlett after playing along side her in Lucy, here he is Batou the one who’s got her back covered, a friend , one of the Section 9 team of crack operatives, each with their own cybernetic enhancements.
The Cityscapes are as breathtaking as they were in Blade Runner plus some because technology has moved on ! and as with dogs licking their balls , its because they can that matters ! Skyscrapers have been plucked from Shanghai and squeezed into Hong Kong and it may well look like this in 30 years time. The holographic advertisings are fantastic and as an added bonus we get to see this wonder of futureworld in daylight too. Was it just my imagination or does one of the cars look like an upgraded Delorean with a flux converter powered by trash ?
The Matrix and the concept of being plugged into the grid was influenced by the original Ghost in the Shell, so it’s only fitting that some of the live action is going to appear familiar to the great filming and CGI effects invented back then, So don’t think this has ripped off the Matrix but had some payback.
Takeshi Kitano (Aramaki) – I guess he doesn’t speak English but everyone understands what he says in Japanese and he understands what they say in English, hmm what’s that all about?, this is one of the few things that irritated me ! were they just trying to avoid the over westernisation ?
I have already seen this film twice , first time was in iMax3D and this is a truly superb experience to have and the additional (~£5) cost is justified and worthwhile, the 2D version still looks good but is less immersive and not as sharp, I’ll check out the standard 3D version next week just for completeness of course. I hope they put an extended cut together with loads of extras on the BluRay that will be on my Christmas prezzie list for sure, if I can wait that long ! - DirectorGarth DavisStarsDev PatelNicole KidmanRooney MaraA five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.Another interesting true story with Dev Patel putting in another great performance as the lost child / adult seeking answers from his past life in a far away land. Although I find it hard to watch films set in India sometimes because of the hardship suffered by the many poor and put upon children it needs to be seen to be believed and this is I believe a very true albeit unfortunate portrayal. There is an almost unrecognisable Nicole Kidman in a supporting role as the adoptive Australian mother and deserving of the Oscar nomination as too is Dev Patel in the lead. What makes this film for me is the real footage at the end, a truly uplifting experience , the soundtrack seemed very reminiscent of The Revenant, quite haunting, anyway well worth going to see.
- DirectorJ.A. BayonaStarsLewis MacDougallSigourney WeaverFelicity JonesConor, a twelve-year-old boy, encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.A truly emotional film ! Lewis MacDougall puts in a brilliant performance for such a young actor in a leading role, Liam Neeson puts in a truly wooden performance and I mean that sincerely of course, (for a change) as the tree monster !(he is a true monster with the voice over) Felicity Jones seems to be in everything lately and shows why she is in such demand with a stunning portrayal of the sick mother. We even get the pleasure of a serious upporting role for Sigourney Weaver, she must have liked the story? If this doesn't move you to tears you must have a heart of stone. ! best film of the year so far.
- DirectorMarc WebbStarsChris EvansMckenna GraceLindsay DuncanFrank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.A wonderful film about a man trying to do the right thing for his niece, a gifted mathematics prodigy, who's mum, another mathematics genius committed suicide shortly after giving birth. Chris Evans puts in his best performance to date for me as uncle Frank, but little McKenna Grace steals the show as the funny kid Mary , trying to be normal with a head for high level maths. Just to complicate their lives further the grandmother sues for custody to pursue her dream of solving a famous maths problem. A Great supporting cast just makes this even more watchable. Very funny and uplifting with a sprinkle of tough decisions that will make you weep. A must see.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsAndrew GarfieldSam WorthingtonLuke BraceyWorld War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.As second world war films go they don't get much bloodier than this, the obvious comparisons I recall are Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gates, for me, 2 of the best ever. This stands out on several levels, a great narrative is split into 2 halves, the prelude to war with the romantic and character building stuff and the challenge of being accepted into the army as a conscientious objector, not willing to use a gun but wanting to serve and the second half at war defying all the odds to make a significant contribution without a gun, saving lives on the front line. I will spare the details but it is incredible and even more so because it is a true story. Andrew Garfield puts in another brilliant performance even better than in Silence, which shows he is a good actor destined to become a great actor. This is not a film for all, if you are a bit squeamish or don't like to see the brutally graphic and hard bloody truth of war the second half of this film is not for you. There really is more blood splattered around than a Quentin Tarantino movie. Here we get a great Mel Gibson direction, something we only seem to get every 10 years. Come on Mel, we deserve more.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongA woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.The Handmaiden is a reboot with a difference !, it takes the British (BBC)costume drama mini series 'Fingersmith' and turns it into an Asian art movie. The film is also broken down into 3 parts , part 1 is the con, with part 2 showing you flashbacks of part 1 but from different angles that are plot reveals and of course part 3 the outcome. The story if you didn't know is a fairly simple plot within a plot to con money from a wealthy family. The uncle is a collector of erotica and has been grooming his niece for something special. The maid, (really a pickpocket (fingersmith) ) is in cahoots with a conman who wants to marry the niece to inherit her wealth, we then get into some Hitchcockian twists and turns, it’s quite funny in places too. The cinematography is quite special in places, there are some great location shots and sensual close ups. Ok, let’s not beat about the bush, it is borderline pornography really, isn't it ? It is quite mesmerising to see 2 beautiful women together when it is done so well, some might say that this is the cherry on top of the cake? but it is quite explicit too , so not to everyone's taste. The costumes and sets are quite stunning and just add that extra layer of sumptuousness to the cake. Acting performances are pretty flawless too, something you rarely see these days. You should really go and see it to find out what happens, a must see for film fans.
- DirectorTaylor SheridanStarsElizabeth OlsenJeremy RennerGraham GreeneA wildlife officer, who is haunted by a tragedy that happened because of him, teams up with an FBI agent in solving a murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation and hopes to get redemption from his past regrets.
- DirectorChris McKayStarsWill ArnettMichael CeraRosario DawsonA cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan who wishes to become his sidekick.If like me you thought the last Lego movie was totally awesome, be prepared to be blown away by this one, totally *kapow*! the gags go over the heads of the kids and come up fast and furiously, you daren't blink in case you miss one. Watch out for Bruce Wayne's car number plate, it had me in tears!, I smiled all the way through nearly 100 minutes of fun, I ended up with a face ache ! There are so many villains from decades of movies you'll probably go dizzy trying to name them all. Awesome squared ?! a must see hard to believe film, how do they come up with so much creativity ? the ultimate product placement movie?
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsJames McAvoyAnya Taylor-JoyHaley Lu RichardsonThree girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.Shyamalan is a bit of a hit and miss merchant for me, I didn't like The Visit but I did like After Earth, but then he hasn't really hit the spot for over 10 years. Here is a sign that I sense it still might still be happening for him ? James McAvoy rarely disappoints and he has a lot to do in this film and I thought he was brilliant, Anya Taylor-Joy who was great in Morgan and The Witch last year again here shows that she is becoming a real talent and upcoming star of the future. Although this film is slightly spoilt in particular by the psychiatrist Dr Fletcher (sorry Betty but not your best performance) the rest of the cast are pretty good and add to the whole thing. Ok its not too unpredictable but surprising how it is actually played out. Worth going to see !
- DirectorChad StahelskiStarsKeanu ReevesRiccardo ScamarcioIan McShaneAfter returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life.The one man killing machine is back ! and still people want to mess with him, they just don't seem to learn ! Wick brings out some new toys and goes on a bloody killing spree , of course!. After going to so much trouble to get his beloved car back he goes and puts a few dents in it, that must have buggered his no claims bonus? This time he has an offer he can't refuse and takes the fight to the beautiful city of Rome. As you would expect there are some great kills and a little blood is spilled here and there, to put it mildly. He runs up a huge hotel bill and breaks the rules, will he be back ? hope so! Keanu is so good in this role. Great fun action film !
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsHugh JackmanPatrick StewartDafne KeenIn a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.Possibly the last Wolverine movie ? and if so just as well it goes out in style, probably the best X-Men film of all ?! The Wolverine film series have been the more violent and bloody of the whole bunch of X-Men films but here we go to a new level , more bloody, more decapitations and less silliness ?. Of course it follows the usual Marvel storyline formula but it just seems a bit more grown up, grittier and more likeable for non marvel fans?. There are always flaws but the action is so good you can ignore them.