Review: The Salesman

You would not think Iran would not have any major influence in the movie industry. But director Asghar Farhadi has given some of the best films of the last decade.

Most of them seem to have a similar story, and that is marriage problems. Despite there being not much difference, they all still seem to be gripping viewing.

His latest one is no different, and like all the others, it is another great drama.

You are straight into it with quite a frenetic opening scene. That pretty much sets the momentum nicely and you get introduced to our characters and their situation really well. As the story develops, it's get quite tense and emotional. Then we get into a finale that was genuinely heart-breaking to watch.

The performances are all very good. I remember seeing Taraneh Alidoosti before in About Elly, and she is as great as ever in this. Shahab Hosseini was the real star in this. It is quite a transformation his character has throughout the film.
Babak Karimi played a solid support. There are quite a few others that I wanted to mention, as some gave devastatingly good performances. But I am struggling to find any pictures to fit the names from the cast list. So all I will say is, the cast on the whole were great on the whole and fantastic in parts.

I liked its suspense. It's emotional, moving and it portrays a struggling marriage really well. I think what makes it great is its under-statedness and that it's quietly tragic instead of being melodramatic. It looks like a tricky thing to pull off and Farhadi manages to do that really well and pretty consistently with his other films. While you may think this sounds like a depressing film. For me, it was more startling and it can shake you up if you can be patient with its slow-burning pace.

This ended up winning Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. I am happy to see one of Farhadi's films get a well deserved Oscar. But sadly, due to the recent travel ban introduced by America for several Middle East countries, the Iranian director could not attend. It is a real shame he could not accept it in person. But at least, winning the award and this story will get more people watching this film and his high quality back catalogue. Also, films from countries like Iran give you a great indicator on how some people live their lives in some others of the world that you may never get to see for yourself.

Rating: 8/10

The 2017 DJG Movie Awards

It is time for what is now my third DJG Movie Awards to see if I can continue to get better nominees and winners than the Academy Awards themselves.
Like last time, I truly feel that my nominations look so much better than a bunch of old gentleman in Los Angeles could create. But to be fair, I am not far off what they have conjured up.

All of the categories from last year are back. But I have added a few more once again. I have decided to create awards for the best trailer and scene/moment. I thought of adding one for a trailer as I feel that has become as essential as the film itself. It is rare to find really good trailers now, as most of them give the game away far too easily. So what I am looking for a in good trailer, is one that highly excites me whilst not giving much away. That for me is what a trailer should and need to be.
As for best scene/moment. It was not one that I was originally thinking of. But there have been times in these last couple of years that have made me think of the best moment of any film. Like for example, if this award was around last year, I would have given to Room. To avoid spoilers, I have titled the scene or moment to something that relates to the scene, but still does not spoil that scene entirely for people who have yet to have seen it.

I try to narrow my categories down to 5 nominees, except for Best Film which is 10. But I have struggled to narrow down the nominees in both of my new categories. I just could not decide which ones I should take out.

Here is the full list of the winners (in bold) and nominees. Let me know what you think and if you agree with them:

BEST EDITING:
Arrival
Hunt For The Wilderpeople
Jackie
Lion
Sing Street

BEST COSTUME DESIGN & MAKEUP:
Hacksaw Ridge
Jackie
Rogue One
Star Trek Beyond
The Neon Demon

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Hail, Caesar!
Jackie
La La Land
Kubo And The Two Strings
The Neon Demon

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Kubo And The Two Strings
Rogue One
The BFG
The Jungle Book
Warcraft: The Beginning

BEST SCORE & SOUNDTRACK:
Justin Hurwitz - La La Land
Mark Mancina - Moana
John Carney, Gary Clark, Adam Levine - Sing Street
Yeong-Wook Jo - The Handmaiden
Cliff Martinez - The Neon Demon

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Hunt For The Wilderpeople
Jackie
La La Land
The Handmaiden
The Neon Demon

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Captain Fantastic
Deadpool
Fences
Miss Sloane
The Edge Of Seventeen

BEST TRAILER:
10 Cloverfield Lane
Deadpool
Free Fire
Hail, Caesar!
The Jungle Book
The Neon Demon

BEST SCENE/MOMENT:
Would That It Were So Simple - Hail, Caesar!
Live TV Debate - Miss Sloane
The Verdict - OJ: Made In America
Bad-Ass Vader - Rogue One
Drive It Like You Stole It - Sing Street

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE:
Everybody Wants Some!!
Fences
Free Fire
La La Land
Sing Street

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE:
Viola Davis - Fences
Hayley Squires - I, Daniel Blake
Michelle Williams - Manchester By The Sea
Naomie Harris - Moonlight
Bella Heathcote - The Neon Demon

BEST SUPPORTING MALE:
Sharlto Copley - Free Fire
Ben Foster - Hell Or High Water
Lucas Hedges - Manchester By The Sea
Issei Ogata - Silence
Jack Reynor - Sing Street

BEST LEADING FEMALE:
Rebecca Hall - Christine
Isabelle Huppert - Elle
Natalie Portman - Jackie
Jessica Chastain - Miss Sloane
Tae-Ri Kim - The Handmaiden

BEST LEADING MALE:
Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool
Denzel Washington - Fences
Sunny Pawar - Lion
James McAvoy - Split

BEST DIRECTOR:
Denis Villeneuve - Arrival
Tim Miller - Deadpool
Damien Chazelle - La La Land
Ezra Edelman - OJ: Made In America
John Carney - Sing Street

BEST FILM:

Arrival
Captain Fantastic
Deadpool
OJ: Made In America

Sing Street
Split
Supersonic
The Red Turtle
Your Name
Zootropolis

Total list of winners
4  - La La Land
3  - Arrival
2  - Captain Fantastic
      Sing Street
1  - 10 Cloverfield Lane
      Fences
      Jackie
      The Jungle Book
      The Neon Demon

Total list of nominations
7  - Sing Street
6  - The Neon Demon
5 -  Deadpool
      Jackie
      La La Land
4  - Fences
3  - Arrival
      Captain Fantastic
      Free Fire
      Hail, Caesar!
      Miss Sloane
      OJ: Made In America
      Rogue One
      The Handmaiden
2  - Hunt For The Wilderpeople
      Kubo And The Two Strings
      Lion
      Manchester By The Sea
      Split
      The Jungle Book
1  - 10 Cloverfield Lane
      Christine
      Elle
      Everybody Wants Some!!
      Hacksaw Ridge
      Hell Or High Water
      I, Daniel Blake
      Moana
      Moonlight
      Silence
      Star Trek Beyond
      Supersonic
      The BFG
      The Edge Of Seventeen
      The Red Turtle

      Warcraft: The Beginning

      Your Name
      Zootropolis

My Top 10: Films Of 2016

2016 has been a funny sort of year. While most of the blockbusters were disappointing, it is the independent films that have shone. It managed to end up with a historic outcome for my film of the year. The first ever of this particular genre to end up on top.

It was not until the last few months of the year, where the quality certainly made up for the majority of disappointments that were released. Thankfully, a lot of those independent films have been either well reviewed or being given a healthy amount of nominations in the major awards.
Film documentaries have also shone this year. Many with hard-hitting subjects, and some with the most delightful stories that only script-writers could only dream of.

At first, I thought the quality would be lacking in my top 10. But in the end, there were a few films that I was surprised that I had to take out.

The first one I wanted to mention was The Jungle Book. It is one of the few re-makes of recent years to be superior to its original.
Director Jon Favreau and his team showed their passion of this story and gave us a hugely entertaining adventure extravaganza.
It has spectacular visual effects, perfect voice casting and a well constructed and developed story. This is certainly my Jungle Book.

Manchester By The Sea I thought would have made it as well. A deeply moving and well constructed drama which sees Casey Affleck play an uncle who is asked to look after his nephew following the death of his brother.
Affleck as well as Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams give us a highly emotional story with a few surprising comedic moments.

Free Fire sees an arms deal goes wrong. Then a epic shoot-out ensues and it is just a matter of survival.
British director Ben Wheatley has made one of the most fun and exciting action films in recent years. The action is visceral and beautifully shot.
It is incredibly funny from start to finish and has many great performances, especially by Sharlto Copley.

Weiner is quite an astonishing film documentary about the disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner whose strange personal life hugely affected his campaign to be Mayor Of New York in 2013.

Another documentary. This is one Supersonic, which covers Oasis the biggest British band since The Beatles. I would not call myself an Oasis fan. But I certainly appreciate their achievements and popularity. The film's thorough detail really makes you see why they are who they are and fans and no-fans can really get a lot out of this.
It is thorough in its detail and has a great presentation with nothing but archive and backstage footage. This for me is the most spot-on presentation of what this band is about.

One that could have been included, was Split. I never thought I would see director M. Night Shyamalan come back with a fun and highly enjoyable horror thriller that is full of great ideas.
A combination of a unique story and very strong performances especially by James McAvoy made this such a fun watch. Shyamalan is back, and I hope it's not just a one-off. It is not just a film about this individual. But how the media value scandals and personal life over their political views.

If this was a top 10, then The Handmaiden would have made the cut. Chan-Wook Park's latest installment and it is a highly gripping, tense and suspenseful Gothic thriller. With Oscar worthy performances by Tae-Ri Kim and Min-Hee Kim, there is a lot to like about this.
When you think you have the story sorted, trust me it goes places you won't expect. It's quite a fascinating character study that has unprecedented access to something like this.

This year, I wanted to do a FULL ranking list of the 2016 films that I have seen. Below are those films, with a short review of each of my top 10. I also have this list in video form if you want to check that out as well:

201) Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens
200) Planet Of The Sharks
199) Ice Sharks
198) Jurassic Wars
197) Independents' Day

196) Grimsby
195) Gods Of Egypt

194) Cell
193) Max Steel
192) Independence Day: Resurgence
191) Our Kind Of Traitor
190) The Great Wall
189) Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
188) Zoolander 2
187) The BFG
186) The Girl On The Train
185) Dad's Army
184) Central Intelligence
183) Alice Through The Looking Glass
182) Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates
181) Inferno
180) The Hunstman: Winter's War
179) Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

178) Mother's Day
177) Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
176) Love & Friendship
175) Morgan
174) Suicide Squad
173) Ghostbusters
172) Assassin's Creed
171) I Am Wrath
170) All This Panic

169) Operation Avalanche
168) Trolls
167) Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
166) Bleed For This
165) Neruda
164) The Levelling
163) The Greasy Strangler

162) The Purge: Election Year
161) Revolution: New Art For A New World
160) Personal Shopper
159) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows
158) Cameraperson
157) Passengers
156) Citizen Jane: Battle For The City
155) Things To Come
154) Lights Out
153) Keanu
152) The Legend Of Tarzan
151) Pete's Dragon
150) Imperium
149) The Secret Life Of Pets
148) The Birth Of A Nation
147) Risk
146) The Love Witch
145) Versus: The Life And Films Of Ken Loach
144) 13 Hours
143) Born In China

142) Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave A Damn

141) Apprentice
140) The Angry Birds Movie
139) Hail, Caesar!
138) Sausage Party
137) The Promise

136) Graduation
135) I Am Bolt
134) Ouija: Origin Of Evil
133) Hotel Salvation
132) Swallows And Amazons
131) The Girl With All The Gifts
130) Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

129) Lady Macbeth

128) Heal The Living

127) Me Before You

126) Una
125) Hidden Figures
124) Florence Foster Jenkins
123) Kung Fu Panda 3
122) Hush
121) X-Men: Apocalypse
120) Money Monster
119) Allied
118) Tommy's Honour
117) A United Kingdom

116) Antropoid
115) Forever Pure
114) Unlocking The Cage
113) Warcraft: The Beginning
112) The Infiltrator
111) Snowden
110) The Magnificent Seven
109) Bobby
108) Wild

107) Little Men
106) Doctor Strange
105) Gold
104) Department Q: A Conspiracy Of Faith

103) Denial

102) The Finest Hours
101) The Limehouse Golem
100) The Founder
99) Sully: Miracle On The Hudson

98) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
97) A Monster Calls
96) Prevenge
95) In Between
94) The Age Of Shadows
93) American Honey
92) Frantz
91) Mindhorn
90) 20th Century Women
89) The Eagle Huntress
88) Sing

87) Julieta
86) Eddie The Eagle

85) The Nice Guys
84) Jim: The James Foley Story
83) Midnight Special
82) Goldstone
81) Sami Blood

80) Paterson

79) A Cure For Wellness

78) Queen Of Katwe

77) Trapped
76) Free State Of Jones

75) Jason Bourne
74) The Conjuring 2
73) The Hounds Of Love

72) The Lost City Of Z
71) Away
70) Elle
69) The King's Choice
68) Christine
67) Clash
66) After The Storm
65) Don't Breathe
64) Star Trek Beyond
63) Before The Flood
62) Ethel & Ernest
61) Notes On Blindness
60) Neerja
59) Their Finest
58) Loving
57) Kubo And The Two Strings
56) Deepwater Horizon
55) Finding Dory
54) Moonlight
53) Patriots Day
52) Silence
51) The Salesman
50) Big Fish & Begonia
49) Bobby Sands: 66 Days
48) The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years
47) Dancer
46) Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown To Off The Wall
45) My Life As A Courgette
44) Headshot
43) I Am Not Your Negro
42) The Wailing

41) Train To Busan
40) Moana
39) Life, Animated
38) Raw
37) The Edge Of Seventeen
36) The Neon Demon
35) 10 Cloverfield Lane
34) I, Daniel Blake
33) Hunt For The Wilderpeople
32) Captain America: Civil War
31) Swiss Army Man
30) The Accountant
29) The Light Between Oceans
28) Score
27) It's Not Yet Dark
26) Rogue One
25) Nocturnal Animals
24) Jackie
23) Everybody Wants Some!!
22) Hacksaw Ridge
21) La La Land
20) Fences
19) The Jungle Book
18) Lion
17) Miss Sloane
16) Manchester By The Sea
15) Free Fire
14) Weiner
13) Split
12) Supersonic
11) The Handmaiden

10) Hell Or High Water - A crime western that definitely feels like it belongs in the 70's or 80's.

It sees two brothers resorting to a desperate scheme of robbing banks in order to save their family's ranch.

A wonderfully written script with top performances by Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges, as well as Chris Pine and Gil Birmingham.

9) A Silent Voice - An emotional and beautiful anime that was never afraid to make it a tough watch and cover sensitive subjects.

It covers universal topics and relatable ones for so many people.

Along with the gorgeous Japanese animation, this film has such strength in its story and themes, it will be seen as real as any other live-action feature.

8) Sing Street - Possibly the feel-good movie of the year that came out of nowhere.

From the director of Once and Begin Again, John Carney has done a fantastic job in this wonderful coming of age story.

It has great characters, top story-telling, countless comedic moments and has a soundtrack that deserves to win Best Original Song at the Oscars.

7) Deadpool - For many, the superhero film that we have been waiting for.

With some films within this genre being too similar or disappointing, along came 'the merc with a mouth' as Ryan Reynolds reprises his role with fantastic results.

It is ridiculous funny with an unexpectedly clever non-linear story-telling.

6) Zootropolis - A hugely entertaining Disney adventure that keeps the studio in another golden era of their film history.

It tells an interesting crime story with our two buddy cop-esque characters that goes down risky paths. But the execution of everything makes it a wonderful all-round story that manages to be more appealing to adults than kids.

Definitely the family film of 2016.

5) Captain Fantastic - A wonderful comedy drama that sees a family living in the wild and living off the land, having to face the real world due a tragedy.

It is a real eye-opener, very inspiring and has top performances all-round, especially by the always great Viggo Mortensen.

4) The Red Turtle - A wonderful and highly engrossing animation that is also produced by Studio Ghibli.

While it is not a full Ghibli, it is still a wonderful story that is simply told and has a snappy 80 minutes duration. Despite there being next-to-no dialogue, the visual story-telling is simply gorgeous.

3) Your Name - A very clever and hugely funny anime by Makoto Shinkai, who is being labelled as the new Hayao Miyazaki.

It sees two high school kids who are united through their own dreams. It has a great mix of rom-com and sci-fi. The animation is powerful, the characters are memorable.

It also makes me want to see more anime outside of Studio Ghibli.

2) OJ: Made In America - This 7hr 45min film documentary gives us one of the most well told and heavily detailed versions of one of the most famous events in 20th century America.

I found it fascinating and highly remarkable viewing, and this needs to be seen by everyone. Not only does it wonderfully portray the rise and fall of O.J Simpson. But also the tragic events in California during that time.This will be the definitive edition of one of the most famous court cases of all-time.

1) Arrival - Denis Villeneuve's complex and profound sci-fi drama has been seen by many as one of the best sci-fi's of the last few decades.

Amy Adams play a linguist that is recruited by the military to translate an aliens language.

It's non-linear story-telling has what made this film one of the best told stories for some time.

Review: A Cure For Wellness

On the whole, I have liked a lot of Gore Verbinski's work. I'm a big Pirates Of The Caribbean fan, Rango was a lot better then I thought it was going to be, The Ring scared the crap out of me and I thought The Lone Ranger and Mousehunt with solid fun films.

Now we have something that looks to have a similar tone to The Ring. But to be honest, I did not know what to expect as the trailers felt pretty vague. But it was still intriguing enough for me to check it out. Also, with me always liking Verbinski's work, it was practically a given that I was going to pay good money to see it.

What I got from it was rather pleasing I thought. Firstly, it is the type of film I rarely see and not have seen for quite a few years. The first act introduced to our characters and the situation fairly well. Then as the film got stranger and weirder, the excitement levels were gradually going up.
Even though I was having a good time with it, I could tell that the pay-off in the final act was going to make or beak the film. While I can see some demographics might not liking the ending. I was still pretty satisfied with it, even though I would liked a more profound one.

Dane DeHaan plays the lead, and I have always been interested by him. He was good in Chronicle and Metallica Through The Never. But I felt he was wasted in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He has the talent, and a look that can work in several genres I reckon.
I thought he was a pretty good lead in this. He carried the movie well and was easy to root for despite thinking his character not being that nice at the start.
Jason Isaacs was great in this and probably the strongest performance of the lot. He was super creepy, sinister in a very subtle way and I will probably never trust him ever again. Mia Goth was a good support, especially when with DeHaan.
I was surprised to see Celia Imrie in this. It is definitely not something you usually see her in. But she still plays her character as well as you expect her to.

One of Verbinski's main strengths is the cinematography and production design. Every shot is absolutely gorgeous, the locations really make you want to see them in real life, the editing is swift and consistent and even the sound design felt like an integral part of the story.

I had mixed feelings with the duration. I was surprised to see the duration being 2hrs 26mins. For me, it flew by and never felt any moments that dragged. I never checked for the time at any point and that alone gives this film a pass.
However, I could have taken off about 20 minutes of it. Making the film tighter I think would of heightened the tension nicely to make this a really good watch.

While it is certainly not a masterpiece, it was something that can definitely be talked about long after seeing it. It was well structured, the story fascinated me, the performances were good and I liked the vibe and tone of it. I liked its originality up to a point, it is certainly one that you do not see that often at this moment in the film world.
It may have flaws in its story. But I still think it is good fun and it leaves a lot for you to workout or decide for yourself.

The structure of the story managed to keep my interest throughout. While you are eager to have some questions answered, you are still having fun finding more unusual things going on in this film. The questions do get answered. But it will take a while. However, I think the content on screen will keep your interest until the big finale.
There are plenty of disturbing, sinister and gross-out images that elevated my enjoyment of the film. But there were some moments that amazed me that they even went there.

I can see it losing people though. But I think divisive films can sometimes be the best kind of films. They are films that spark discussions as it polarizes the audience.
It is quite weird and odd. But it certainly makes you think and I have to praise Verbinski and his team for giving us something that is not spoon-feeding the audience and the entertainment is serviceable enough. I liked the risks it took and I thought they did a great job. This certainly has the possibility of being a cult film eventually.

I would recommend watching this on its originality alone. If you feel you're watching the same sort of film over and over again. Then and go see this for something a little different.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Patriots Day

The combination of director Peter Berg and actor Mark Wahlberg has created a series of films that are becoming known as a loose true story trilogy. 2009 saw the brilliant Lone Survivor and only five months ago, we saw the release of Deepwater Horizon. Both great films and enjoyed them much more then I thought I would.

Now they are back with a third film together, and this one is about the bombings at the 2013 Boston Marathon. I clearly remember them happening, and it was truly shocking seeing something actually happen rather than seeing the devastation afterwards.

But with Berg clearly being well suited to this of genre, then you would expect another great addition to his pretty solid filmography. In the end, you get exactly that.

It has a very procedural structure that works well to this kind of story. The level of tension and emotion is built up nicely, and it manages to maintain that throughout. I liked the clever mix of their own filming with the actual footage from the event itself in some sections. That for me gave the film a lot of realism that will help it age well on multiple viewings.
But what I think is its biggest strength is that it manages to do the right things at the right time. It is tense and exciting when it needed to be as well as being moving, emotional and even shocking. From a personal point of view, there were nice uses of showing the Boston Red Sox. I am big Baseball fan and those moments certainly made me smile.

Wahlberg was great as always as the lead. He was strong, believable in that role and it felt like I was watching a character and not Marky Mark himself.
There were lots of star studded cast members in the supporting roles, which reminded me of something like 'The Towering Inferno'. It was great to see Kevin Bacon in a supporting role. For me, Bacon is at his best when he is the villain or one of the main supports for the antagonist. This further proves that statement. John Goodman was solid despite not that much screen time. Another one is J.K Simmons. While his character was purposely not shown that much. I did not see the point of casting Simmons for a role you know is not going to be in many scenes.
All the other supporting cast did a good job. They never felt the generic type of characters you would expect in something like a Roland Emmerich disaster blockbuster. They felt like real people with genuine stories.

Berg looks to have found his wheelhouse, his main strength, his party piece. Whatever you want to call it, this film shows how well Berg can deliver on a tragic American true story. I mentioned 'The Towering Inferno' before, and I think Berg has become this generations John Guillermin.
It will be interesting if Berg finds another tragic true story that can be portrayed well on screen. If not, then I hope he dips into something new and more challenging, and yet still get excited about.

I will understand from people if they think this is lazy film-making as it is more of the same. But the execution of film-making and story-telling being of such high quality, it is hard to ignore how really good this film is.
It is a great portrayal of the events, it never Hollywoodizes itself and the performances are strong and will keep up gripped. As mentioned earlier, what Berg does best is getting to that emotional level and maintaining it throughout. It might not get you bawling your eyes out. But it can certainly get you welling up.

With Deepwater Horizon still being fairly fresh in the memory as it came out five months ago, it is hard to see which one is better. I think I will give the edge to Patriots Day, as it kept that emotional level for longer and much earlier in the film compared to Deepwater Horizon.
If you liked Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon, then expect more of the same.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Oscar Best Picture Winners

For many the Oscars are important, very important. It can define how the year has been within society and not just in film. It can certainly be politcal, especially in the ceremonies.
I first saw the Oscar as my guide to finding the really good stuff in movies. Most of the time, they were right. But other times were me just not getting why it won all those awards, or even got nominated.
Thankfully, I have come to terms that the Oscars are not the be-all and end-all, and that I do not lose sleep over the winner not being the one that I wanted. However, 14 of them are in my top 100 films of all-time.

So far, there have been 92 Best Picture winners over time. I have currently seen 82 of them. The 10 winners that I have yet to see are Driving Miss Daisy, Gigi, Gentleman's Agreement, The Lost Weekend, Going My Way, The Life Of Emile Zola, The Great Ziegfeld, Cavalcade, Grand Hotel and Cimarron.

Here is my ranking of the Best Picture winners, and I must mention that I think ALL of these are really good films:

85) Tom Jones (1963)
84) The Broadway Melody (1929)

83) You Can't Take It With You (1938)
82) Unforgiven (1992)

81) A Man For All Seasons (1966)
80) In The Heat Of The Night (1967)

79) Nomadland (2020)
78) Moonlight (2016)
77) Out Of Africa (1985)
76) Midnight Cowboy (1969)
75) Patton (1970)
74) The English Patient (1996)
73) Annie Hall (1977)
72) On The Waterfront (1954)

71) Marty (1955)
70) Braveheart (1995)

69) The Hurt Locker (2009)
68) All The King's Men (1949)
67) Argo (2012)
66) The Shape Of Water (2017)

65) The French Connection (1971)
64) Green Book (2018)
63) The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)
62) Around The World In 80 Days (1956)
61) Shakespeare In Love (1998)

60) Rocky (1976)
59) 12 Years A Slave (2013)
58) Platoon (1986)

57) No Country For Old Men (2007)
56) Chicago (2002)
55) Ordinary People (1980)

54) Hamlet (1948)

53) Mutiny On The Bounty (1935)

52) Spotlight (2015)
51) Oliver! (1968)

50) An American In Paris (1951)
49) Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
48) Rebecca (1940)
47) Birdman (2014)

46) The Godfather Part II (1974)
45) How Green Was My Valley (1941)
44) Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
43) The Apartment (1960)
42) West Side Story (1961)

41) It Happened One Night (1934)
40) From Here To Eternity (1953)
39) The Godfather (1972)

38) CODA (2021)
37) Casablanca (1942)

36) Mrs. Miniver (1942)
35) A Beautiful Mind (2001)

34) Parasite (2019)

33) Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
32) Million Dollar Baby (2004)

31) Terms Of Endearment (1983)
30) The Deer Hunter (1978)
29) The Last Emperor (1987)
28) Gandhi (1982)
27) All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)
26) My Fair Lady (1964)
25) The Sting (1973)
24) Wings (1928)
23) Amadeus (1984)
22) The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
21) Crash (2005)
20) The Artist (2011)
19) The Sound Of Music (1965)
18) The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
17) Gone With The Wind (1939)
16) The King's Speech (2010)
15) Chariots Of Fire (1981)
14) The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
13) All About Eve (1950)
12) American Beauty (1999)
11) Titanic (1997)

10) The Departed (2006) - The film that finally got Martin Scorsese his Oscar. A re-make of the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, it sees a cop go undercover to infiltrate a gang while there is a mole in the police.

It is a hugely exciting and tense crime thriller with great performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon.

It is also the last Best Picture that was also my film of the year.

9) Dances With Wolves (1990) - This 3hr adventure epic sees Kevin Costner direct and star as a Civil War solider be exiled to a remote outpost. While befriending a Native American tribe, he slowly moves further away from the beliefs of the military.

It is a powerful story that affected me and many others.

8) Gladiator (2000) - Seen as one of the last great 'sowrds and sandals' films, director Ridley Scott gives us a visceral and highly enjoyable action drama.
Russell Crowe plays a Roman general who is betrayed and comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge.

It also stars the late great Oliver Reed who gives a fantastic performance in one of his last films.

7) Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Winner of 8 Oscars in total, director Danny Boyle tells a unique story where an Indian teenager finds his destiny when being a contest on Indian's version of 'Who Wants To Be Millionaire'.

The perfect mix of story-telling and wonderful camerawork gives us something that makes us have a feeling that we can rarely get from watching a film.

6) Schindler's List (1993) - Steven Spielberg gives his most emotional film, which is about a German businessman who aims to help his Jewish workforce avoid persecution from the Nazi's. It's messages of power and racism is applicable to any generation.

What is even more impressive, is that this was the year that Spielberg also released Jurassic Park.

5) Rain Man (1988) - A film that I never thought I would like as much I actually do. It sees Tom Cruise plays a selfish pretty boy travel cross-country to find the brother he never knew, who has been left a fortune from their deceased father.

This film sees an unbelievable performance by Dustin Hoffman. His chemistry with Cruise's character will make you smile, cry and sometimes both simultaneously.

4) One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - One of the most famous stories of all-time sees Jack Nicholson plays a criminal who pleads insanity and rebels the nurses within the mental institution.

Winner of 5 Oscars, this utterly remarkable story affected me in such a way, that it really opened my eyes to life and interesting films like this.

3) The Lord Of The Ring: The Return Of The King (2003) - The culmination of what it is seen by many as the greatest trilogy of all-time. For it is the perfect trilogy.

Peter Jackson's vision takes its final chapter. As the world of men form an army to fight the orcs of Mordor, two Hobbits make their final approach to destroy the One Ring.

This fantasy epic is special and will forever be timeless.

2) Ben-Hur (1959) - One of three films to hold the record of the most Oscars wins with 11. Charlton Heston plays a Jewish prince who is betrayed and put into slavery.
Once free, his path for revenge also takes a diversion via divine intervention.

Director William Wyler has some classics in his time, and this is probably his most successful one. It also contains my favourite scene of all-time. Yes, it's the chariot race.

1) Forrest Gump (1994) - Probably the most inspirational film I have ever seen. Director Robert Zemeckis tells the fictional story of Forrest Gump, whose life has contributed to some of the most historical moments of the late 20th century.

Tom Hanks has never been better, and this whole story became so ground-breaking that it ended up winning 6 Oscars in most of the high-quality Best Picture lists that included Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption.

Review: The Founder

Everyone knows McDonalds. It is one of the most famous companies in the world and has been for about 60 years.
For me, I was never taken to McDonalds for treats as a kid. Over time, I have never been that bothered by going and eating their products. I have been there a few times. But I much prefer other fast-food outlets such as KFC or Subway. I would even prefer going to Burger King than McDonald's.

But when a film comes out telling the story of how it became the business phenomenon that it is today, you have to see it.

It is directed by John Lee Hancock, who I have liked for Saving Mr. Banks, and not liked for The Blind Side. But with Michael Keaton starring in it, and the trailers looking quite appealing. That was enough for me to pay good money and see what's what.

I remember this originally being scheduled for a summer release. Then it got pushed back to the winter. That immediately indicated it to be a possible Oscar contender. But with much stronger films coming out, it then got pushed even further back to February.

I knew bits about the story before going into it. I knew that the McDonald's brothers were effectively shunned out, and this Ray Kroc character made it what it is.

After watching it, I was quite amazed and heavily fascinated at what happened in the end. It moves alone at a nice pace and gives enough time to the important happenings of the birth of McDonald's becoming a franchise.

Michael Keaton plays his role very well. You first root for him, and the longer the film goes on for, the more you begin to not trust him at all. So he is definitely not your traditional protagonist.
Nick Offerman and and John Carroll Lynch as the McDonald's brothers were great. While none of it was flashy or awards worthy. They played their roles exactly how they should have done. It contributed well to the film and made it the interesting film that I ended up seeing.
I wish Laura Dern had more to do. Dern plays Kroc's wife, and I think more involvement in her character would have giving us more reason to see why someone as big as she is needed to be cast. But also, that is probably how Kroc's wife in real life was like at that time. Trying to get involved more.
Everyone else played their roles well. It was particularly nice to see Patrick Wilson and B.J. Novak make small appearances in this.

While you may hate the character in the end. It gives you some advice on how great businessman have to be in that world. You may to be a bit nasty and heavily persistent to get your own way. But that's what it has to take, to live your dream or take up something that you know will get you a lot of money.
It reminded me of the events in the 2010 film The Social Network, which explains how Facebook came about. Movie like that would be great to show business students, or even history students.

The negatives worth mentioning were only minor. The duration probably should have been a bit tighter. It lacked that bit of emotion to make you see this as a great film, rather than a good film.
Also, it told the story with broad strokes and some bits were a teeny bit under-the-nose.
But it was not enough to detract my enjoyment for the film.

It is a pretty good film that tells an important story of 20th Century America. The performances across the board contribute well to make this an entertaining watch. The script gives a decent amount of laughs at the right times.
I really liked the 1950's setting of it, you really do appreciate how revolutionary McDonald's was back in the 1950's and I was amazed at how dark it eventually got.

Whether or not the message at the end film was a bit unsure of itself, you will get hungry seeing this. It may not detract you from not going to McDonald's ever gain. But it will make you see it in a different light the next time you buy something from one of their chains.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Great Wall

This is something that I don't do that often, and that is going into a film that I expect to be not that good.

Then despite how I choose my films, why do it? Well, I'm going in hoping for a good time and most importantly for great visuals. This is because it is being directed by Yimou Zhang, who is probably the most famous Chinese directors. I have loved his imagery in some of his best films such as Hero and House Of Flying Daggers.

I was going into this expecting that it was not going to be good. That was mainly due to the story as how it was being marketed. However, I was hoping for amazing breath-taking visuals. I could just tell by the trailers, that it could be sub-par entertainment for a mainstream crowd. That is exactly what it was.

While it does have a big budget to work with. Sadly, it does not that amount to much. The first act moves along well, which included a pretty cool battle scene that reminded me of 'Ran' and 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers' and 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies'. Seeing that develop gave me hope that I could have a good time.
But while the action was still pleasing to the eye, the plot was slowly breaking up. By the time the finale came around, it did not feel that satisfying and got a bit ridiculous at times. I ended up not really caring by the end of it.

The performances were not that great. I was disappointed by Matt Damon. For someone that has such a big draw, you would expect him to be an integral part. For me, Damon felt wasted and just there to be the face to sell the film. He did not seem to show anything that made me feel that they needed someone of Damon's calibre to contribute. In the end he just felt boring and bland and I think he was just there for a pay cheque. The same goes for Pedro Pascal and Willem Dafoe. I honestly have no idea why Dafoe was in this. I don't have much criticism for Pascal as he has little experience in the movie industry as his success is television based. So I am glad that he is part of a film like this as I saw great potential in him from the Game Of Thrones TV series, and he could do well within movies.
The assortment of Asian actors were pretty solid and very committed to there work. It was great to see Andy Lau as I have liked him in anything that I have seen with him in it. Tian Jing was the best performance, she did a good job and it seems I will be seeing her more often as she is now involved with bigger projects.

Sadly there is some fairly strong negatives to comment on. The script is not good at all to be brutally honest. It did get me smirking on the odd occasion. But the over-amount of basic exposition and simplified speech really dumbed it down.
I was struggling to see what the film was focusing on the most. You would think it would be Damon's character as he is the big draw. But after seeing the film, I have no idea.
There was cheesiness and it was a bit too much for my liking, especially in the second half.

What this film has got going for it is the exciting battle scenes, the pretty good imagery and use of colour, the commitment of the Chinese actors and its extras and the impressive costume and set designs.
The score by the always great Ramin Djawadi was solid and romping enough to elevate the scenes well.
I'm glad that there was a lot of Chinese speech as I was expecting for everyone to talk English as films with subtitles usually don't fare well with the general audience.
As for the CGI, a lot of it was sadly noticeable, cartoony at times and not convincing for the most part. But I liked the amount of practical effects that were used, especially in the first battle sequence.

In the end it's just sub-par and recycled entertainment that seem to attract the majority of general cinema audiences again and again. After a solid first act, the rest just grinds down to something that I ended up not caring. It's spectacle, and very little story and character development.
It was a shame as I know how good Zhang has been. I think this is seen more of his way into mainstream cinema.
You should definitely check out Yimou Zhang's others works as the imagery is beautiful and the stories are really well told. If he can make one that is being marketed to a wider audience with the same quality of better work, then he could be someone that people would flock to see for high-quality entertainment.

For a film that needs to disband your disbelief, you can obviously let some things go. But not fundamental things to make a film entertaining. I love my fantasy and I am sucker for anything no matter how outrageous. But like everyone else, I have my limits. A bad script, not good enough performances, characters with next to no depth and an unsure message made not care for much by the end of it.

I have to mention that there is some controversy about this film being 'white-washed' as Damon was the star in a film about the Great Wall of China. I can safely say that the film explains why he, Pascal and Defoe's characters are here and it works perfectly fine. To be honest, the massive amount of Asian actors steal the show for me. Their commitment was strong and noticeable and our seen as the heroes of the film.

I really hope this film helps the Chinese market move forward and be a big part of the western world's film calendar. I have seen some of their best work and I know how good they can be.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Hidden Figures

There's always a few people that always make sure of seeing all of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars arrive. For me, this is the last one to see.

I have to mention that I was already going into the film with a sniffy approach. This was all due to the timing of this film being made.
After the 'Oscars-so-white' moment, there just so happens to be a film coming out about black women helping NASA in the space race.

Whether it's a true story or not, I just felt this was made because of how last years Oscars went down. But as filming began just after the Oscars, I will remain fairly confident on the reasoning for this being made.

But as always, I went into this film with an open mind. I obviously knew nothing about this story. But I was very interested as I am always in space stories, especially involving the 'space race'.

Now that I've seen it, I think my views would have been the same even the unsure feelings beforehand. Everything about it moves along at a soft and gentle pace and it is an all-round solid film.

The performances across the board are all pretty good. Taraji P. Henson holds the film really well, and I hope to see her in more films. She contributes heavily to my favourite scene in the film. I liked Janelle Monae's sassy style to her character. It was great seeing her at any given moment. Octavia Spencer is always good to watch, and she certainly contributes well in this.
Kevin Costner did a solid job, and it was nice Jim Parsons be in a serious role. Kirsten Dunst I felt was wasted in this. She played a bit of a generic character and did not seem to give anything that warranted a big star like herself to do. Another one that felt wasted was Mahershala Ali, but not as much as Dunst.
I was happy to see Glenn Powell be part of this as I have really enjoyed his roles in the last 12 months as his charm was certainly well used.

What I liked about the most was just being told this wonderful true story. It is certainly a story that needed to be common knowledge and I am glad to have become aware of it.
However, as much as I liked the feel-good tone and family friendly content. I just think it was too safe, watered down and 'on the nose'. It is certainly the most accessible of all the Best Picture nominees. But I think it could have been more of challenging and profound viewing.

There was also a romantic sub-plot that I felt did not add anything to it. I think it was just done for the sake of it actually happening during those events.

Despite my criticism, I think it is a perfectly fine solid film and pleasant viewing. It's light-hearted and uplifting tone will please many audiences of varying ages. The performances are worth watching and I really liked the 1960's look.
Sadly for a film that has got many nominations in the major awards, I was expecting something more. With it not having any challenging to talk about, or having a more challenging script. It did not make me think this was an exceptional film.
I think this got the praise that it has on the story rather than the film. That's fine, as I think it is definitely a story that needs to be heard. I would definitely recommend families to show it to their kids if they of a suitable age, which I think is around 7 and above.

Rating: 7/10

Review: John Wick: Chapter 2

After the first John Wick being probably the biggest surprises of the last few years. It is now back for a much deserved sequel.

I foolishly ignored the first one when it came out in the cinemas, as the trailers and concept felt too generic for the genre.
But what made this such a success, was the high-quality action scenes, the beautiful cinematographer and the simplicity of it.

Now that the expectations are a lot higher, it is going to be tough to emulate that success.

It starts off strong and right where we left off. We begin to explore more of the mythology. That is key to making any sequel memorable of worthy of being made. Each act has a big set-piece that is just a privilege to watch. The build-up to the finale shows each departments biggest strength, and we end on something that sets us up nicely for the third chapter that has already been confirmed.

Keanu Reeves continues to be the action hero of the moment. You can see his dedication in his combat training and that makes you respect him even more for taking that risk in those action scenes. I will never get tired of the precise head-shots Reeves characters produces throughout.
Common was a nice surprise. He played the role well and he was as dedicated in the physical work as Reeves was.
Ian McShane was as cool as ever in his role as Winston. While his screen time is no different to the first one, he still manages to make enough impact to be a memorable character. Ruby Rose was pretty cool and bad-ass in her supporting role and I hope to see her in more action films.
Sadly, Riccardo Scamarcio was fairly unmemorable as the main villain. It would be interesting if you can get a big name in that role to see if this could improve the quality of the film.
There was a nice surprise appearance from a fairly well known actor in the second half that had no idea was being cast. I hope to see more of this character in the already confirmed Chapter 3.

The content that sells the film is the action scenes. The heavy use of hand-to-hand combat gives the film a lot of realism. It is amazing to watch it as it never goes for that over-the-top Hollywood moment. Everything is grounded, highly physical and very little of it that I could tell was done by stuntmen. You could see our main characters actually doing the work on-screen.
I loved one particular action scene that fulfilled a rumor from the first film. That made me and all the other cinema-goers in my screening go pretty much "woah!" in amazement.
What elevates them more is the slick looking cinematography. The colour scheme has not changed, and still or slow moving camerawork lets the action breathe and that you can actually tell whats going. Unlike the shaky-cam style that masks over the poor action.

Despite all the praise, I do have some negatives with the film that won't make it as good as the first one. While I liked the story being more in-depth and focused. There were moments that I think it was trying to be too complex for its own good towards the end.
The pacing sadly does grind to a halt too many times to make it go un-noticed. Something similar to that, was there were a fair amount of moments that seem to linger too much on what was going.

While I had a good time, I don't think it was as exciting or fast-paced as the first one. The motivations of John Wick did not feel as impactful. Plus, the surprise factor of the first one will be tough to ignore when seeing the sequel, as you now have expectations.
Most of it felt viscerally satisfying. The performances worked well and I am already looking forward to seeing what happens next.
This remains to be the best American action films that can actually compete with The Raid films in terms of their style of action scenes. I did enjoy the forever world building. It really interested me on what the laws are within this universe.
The technical side was pretty good. I forgot to mention the sound design as it stand-outs well, and I don't usually notice that in films.
What manages to make this work the most, is that it felt like a stand alone film as well as developing the events from the first installment. Bring on Chapter 3.

Rating: 7/10

Nostalgic Review: John Wick

I know that it this is still a fairly recent film and calling this a nostalgic review does not sound right. But as I decided to give this one a miss at the cinemas in 2015, I have decided to check this one out before the sequel comes out, as I have heard good things.

When I first heard about John Wick, I immediately thought 'generic action film'. That usually sees me not bothering on paying money to see something that will be predictable, mildly enjoyable and will bring nothing new to the genre.

It seems that this film has won over with the audience and critics. On paper it sounds quite a surprise success, giving that the director is more known for his stunt work and the writer for doing a couple Dolph Lundgren straight to DVD flicks, and for some reason Eva Longoria is the producer.

While there is little on depth to the story, and realism to some extent is thrown out of the window or gets cartoony, the level of fun and excitement is so strong and of high-quality.
From the opening scene, you can already get the tone of the film. It hits you hard, and you are there for the ride for every minute. The opening act sets the story up nicely with a really heart-breaking moment. Then the rest of it is pure action that it would feel right at home in the 80's or 90's.

Keanu Reeves gives a great performance. For a guy that is 50 when this was being filmed, he still looks that he is just entering his 30's. People forget how much Reeves respects his audience, and does a lot of his own stunts.
It is great to see Michael Nyqvist in a film outside of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. He does the main villain role really well. Willem Dafoe certainly moments to shine on screen with great effect. Alfie Allen shows that his time on Game Of Thrones has landed some bigger film roles that is making the most of. Adrianne Palicki shows that she is one of the best physical female actors out there at the moment. My final mentions must go to Ian McShane and Joe Leguizamo. Despite the little screen-time, they fitted in well and I hope they are used in the sequel.

What it does really well, is set up a really interesting world of hit-men. I can totally understand why a sequel has been made, as you can definitely see many more installments being made without it being done because the money says so.

I will mention the lack of story again. The plot is really simplistic and there is little to think about. But there are probably films that I have rated much higher than this that I would less. The wonderful amount of fun this film is having, gives it great re-watchability.
Another thing that elevates the level of entertainment, is the surprising of comedy. It is in such a dry way that fitted into the tone really well.

It is beautifully shot and its night club style colour scheme is a feast for the eyes. The way the action is choreographed and shot, it reminded me a lot of The Raid. The fight scenes and stunt-work are really brutal, and unlike some that are usually too flashy. These look like they are performing proper fighting moves and they are beating the crap out of each other. Even the women have their moments of bad-assery.

Despite its negatives, I will still give this a high rating. It is clear to see that a detailed script is not on the film-makers minds. They play to their strengths well, and I cannot to see them make more films like this. It is great to see modern audiences see how great Reeves is. If any future sequels are to be made, then I hope the level quality is as good as this. Just imagine if they had a fairly well layered story.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

A brand new Ang Lee film, and yet it is hardly getting mentioned. Something is certainly amiss.

I am always excited to see what project Lee has gone for next. I really liked Sense And Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain and Life Of Pi. I don't even mind Hulk, even though the majority did not like it at all.

He certainly does some different and at times ground-breaking stuff with how his films are shot.

So with that mind, the big ground-breaking moment with this particular feature is that it is being shot at 120 frames per second. I remember Peter Jackson doing it with the first Hobbit film. I saw bits of it, and it just felt strange. It was like watching B-roll footage.

Sadly, I still find that process alienating and distracting to watch. What's even worse, is that the film is also not that good.
While this particular story is a work of fiction. It definitely portrays a story that seems to have happened to many people in recent years. It gets off to a promising start. But I could already see the frame rate effecting me trying to enjoy the film. But as the performances slowly get down-graded and some scenes going into weird tangents, my eyes were rolling at certain moments and I felt really unsure with everything that was happening by the end of it.

The performances were a real mixed bag. Joe Alwyn plays the main character. Some bits were good, and the rest you can see the nervousness in his eyes. While Garrett Hedlund plays the stereotypical side of his character, he actually did a good job which was nice to see. Arturo Castro was probably the best of the supporting cast. It was nice to see Chris Tucker and Vin Diesel in this, and I thought they did surprisingly well. Possibly, the one that stole it for me was Kristen Stewart. It certainly felt the most believable performance out of everyone. However, Steve Martin did not feel right when on screen at all. As for Makenzie Leigh who plays a cheerleader in this, was pretty awkward to watch. She was ok at first, and by the end of it, there were some cringe-worthy moments of both acting and dialogue.
Despite all the criticism, I think the way it was shot effected my view on the acting on the whole. Like I said before, it was like watching rehearsals or the technology felt like you can see someone acting, and not a character.

While it is clear to see that the frame rate does not work. It only seemed to feel wrong with the internal moments. The external scenes actually worked really well, and they managed to be the only times where the film was at its strongest in every department. Those moments definitely give me hope for the technology. But for now,  I'm not sure if this style of filming will ever fully work.

In conclusion, I would normally say that Ang Lee dropped the ball with this one. But I don't think it needed to be caught or even thrown in the first place. I did not see the point in this film being made. I can see what Lee was going for in his message. But the execution just felt strange. It goes into some weird tangents that just made me think, what was the point of that.
If I wanted to see something with this similar message, then I would watch Flags Of Our Fathers or Born On The Fourth Of July.
I think what this was in the end was an experimental work for the technology.

It probably won't happen, but I would like to see this at a regular frame rate to see if it might make a single bit of difference.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Fences

Denzel Washington starring is one thing. But directing as well as starring is even better.

Not many people talk about Washington's skills as a director. It might be because he does not direct that often. But when he does, he seems to do really well critically. I sadly have to yet his two previous features (Antwone Fisher and The Great Debaters).

But after seeing Fences, I will certainly keep an eye out on his other two works on my radar. This is a quite powerful film, mainly thanks to the performances and the heavy amount of dialogue.
You get introduced to these characters with a pretty solid back for each of our main and supporting cast. Then as the film goes on, you see some hidden parts of their personalities starting to eek out, before we get a pretty tense and also spiritually moving final act.

The performances absolutely shine throughout. Denzel Washington is nothing short of phenomenal. While his character is not that well liked, quite despicable at times, you also managed to feel sympathy for him. It is not often that a famous face like Washington and make you see the character and not the actor. It is most certainly Oscar-worthy.
Another performance that deserves an award, is Viola Davis. She does a terrific job at competing with Washington's performance.
I also have to give plaudits to the rest of the main supporting cast, Stephen Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby and especially Mykelti Williamson.

With this previously being a stage play, the screenplay is integral to the film working. It is quite a piece of work that makes the film so watchable. Everything about it, gave every character a reason to be there and the level of depth and back story was perfectly done.

This is a really strong film that deserves the recognition it is getting in the major awards. Films that were originally stage plays usually do well for me as a film. This is no different. Whilst you can tell that it is stagy, it does not bother me at all as it still felt cinematic.
The performances and dialogue made this film feel so genuine, whilst also having some spiritual moments towards the end.

While nothing stands out in the technical side, there is nothing wrong with it. The period setting was spot on and done in a subtle way that it never overshadowing the main point of the film.

This is certainly a film that deserves to be seen on the big screen, especially if you like dialogue heavy films. Also Washington and Davis are worth your money.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Lego Batman Movie

It has been almost three years since The Lego Movie surprised us all.

Since then, the sky is the limit for many spin-off films, and we already have one with The Lego Movie's most memorable character.

Also the directors of The Lego Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are back. This time as producers. Instead, we have renowned animation comedy director Chris McKay, who is know for the Robot Chicken TV series.

There are always nerves with a comedy sequel. Will the jokes work again?

Thankfully, that is not the case at all. I had a complete blast with this. There's lots of high energy throughout this fun and exciting flick. From the start, you can dropped right into the action and it just does not stop.
It does follow a similar structure and tone to The Lego Movie, and I am completely fine with that as I am still riding the coat tails of the 2014 feature. So that mean that as expected, the visuals are fantastic, the sharp colour scheme makes the film look gorgeous and the movement of the characters look stop-motion even though you know it's CGI.

It's biggest strengths is the comedy. The amount of references, self-referential jokes, sarcastic and ironic humor is ridiculous. Everything seems packed with so many jokes a minute.
However, I must mention that it's greatest success, can also be its weakness at times. It does get a little frenetic at times, and it is hard to keep up with the gags. There are moments, where you feel so exhausted that you can't laugh at all of them. That is a very minor criticism, as you can't really put that down as a real negative.

I also really enjoyed the cameos by other characters that have been turned into Lego form. The amount is off the scale. Seeing the different franchises involved really opens the door to an infinite amount of Lego movies that have been to been made.

Will Arnett continues to be brilliant as the voice of Batman. He has really made it his own, and it is certainly one of the most memorable animated characters in the last 10 years.
Zach Galifiniakis did a great job as the voice of The Joker, and like Arnett, he is a welcomed addition to the list of other iconic performances of this character. I also have to credit to Michael Cera (which is not often), Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes.
The notable voice performances from the cameos are Mariah Carey, Billy Dee Williams, Conan O'Brien, Zoe Kravitz, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Eddie Izzard and Seth Green.

The only other negative that I care to mention apart from the gag over-usage, is the one slow moment. It completely changes the pacing, felt out of place and felt more like a time for you to rest and get ready for the rest of the remaining gags.

Apart from that, I had a great time. I don't think it's as clever as The Lego Movie. But I think it's consistently more fun. Huge props to the great talents of director Chris McKay and producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. This Lego movie franchise could be our best chance for a series of really good spoof movies. I don't think I could ever get tired of the tone that these films are going for.
The film-makers knew what to make fun from previous Batman features and what to exploit. It came out great. It's constantly witty and sharp both in its visuals and writing.
If they just harnessed the jokes and made the structure a little bit more free-flowing, this could have been something special. Also, it would be interesting to see if kids will like this as much as the adults, as the jokes may not get much of a reaction from the younger viewers.

I wasn't expecting this, but there was a Lego short before the film. It was rather funny and it is a nice teaser before Lego's next feature later this year.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Loving

Ever so slowly, writer and director Jeff Nichols has become a film-maker to look out for.

All the films I have seen from his back catalogue so far managed to be a lot better then I thought they would.

What I like about Nichols' films, is how beautiful it is shot by regular cinematographer Adam Stone and how I manage to really enjoy them the longer I watch them. His style of film-making is the very definition of slow-burners.

With all of his films being very well received by the critics, it is only until his latest release that he has got his first nominations in the major awards.

That award recognition is being given to the two leads, Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton. I must say that they are getting well deserved plaudits and nominations in the major awards. You believe that they are together and really feel for their struggle within this time period in America.
While Negga got the Oscar nod, for me it is Edgerton that shines the most. It might not be as bigger transformation then his roles in Smokin' Aces, The Great Gatsby. But you definitely felt like you were watching a character and not Joel Edgerton.
One of Nichols' regular cast members who is the always great, is Michael Shannon. He plays a pretty small role in this one. But his short screen-time is highly memorable. Sadly, I do have some criticism for the role played by Nick Kroll and Jon Bass. Their moments together felt so forced with nothing but exposition.

It comes to no surprise, that it only took me until the second half where I was really liking it. While the first half is solid, the levels of emotion felt restrained. I know Nichols likes to do small stories. But I think if it elevated its emotion levels to the right amount, this could have been something special.

This is definitely a movie with an important story that I can see being shown in history classes. While I usually just appreciate films being labelled as important, I can honestly see myself wanting to see this again.
Nichols manages to win me over once again. Negga and Edgerton are terrific together and as the film goes on, you can really gripped with their struggles. Like all of Nichols films, it is looks gorgeous, the score is effective when needed. Whilst giving it high praise, I think the general slowness of it all will struggle to transcend well with mainstream audiences.
But there are fans of slow-burners out there, and this is another great to check out, if not for Negga and Edgerton's chemistry alone.

Rating: 8/10