My Top 10: Cameron Diaz Films

It was only on the date of publishing this post, that I realised that Cameron Diaz had retired from acting back in 2014. So I thought it would be a good time to see what are my favourite films involving Cameron Diaz.

I think many of us will never forget the time Diaz made her debut, and since then she has always had that magical presence that can sell any film.

It's a shame that she retired early, as I feel there are still some great performances in her arsenal. But for now, lets just say it's not one of my strongest top 10 lists. But there some great pieces of work that Diaz was part of, including one of my all-time underrated films.

I must mention that I'm not counting Diaz's role in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. This is due to her screen-time on the film not being long enough for me to be part of this list.

Out of her 41 films, I have seen 22 of them.

22) Bad Teacher
21) The Counsellor
20) The Sweetest Thing

19) Knight And Day

18) What To Expect When You're Expecting
17) Sex Tape
16) Gambit
15) Annie
14) The Other Woman
13) Shrek The Third

12) The Holiday

11) Shrek Forever After

10) The Green Hornet - Just about alright as a film, and certainly better the ones that missed out on my top 10.

This latest version of this 1930's radio programme is a perfectly fine action-comedy that sees Diaz plays the secretary to Seth Rogan's main character.

It's nothing spectacular. But it passes the time well enough.

9) My Best Friend's Wedding - A rom-com that did enough to work for me. That is a very rare feat to accomplish.

When a women's (Julia Roberts) long-time best friend (Dermot Mulroney) reveals he's engaged, the sudden realisation of her love for him begins a mission to win him over just days before the wedding.

Diaz plays the women who is set out to get married Mulroney's character and does the job nicely.

8) The Mask - The popular 90's action comedy that sees Jim Carrey play lonely bank clerk whose life is turned around after discovering a mysterious mask.

Diaz plays the desirable Tina Carlyle, a singer at the newest night club who is also girlfriend to a mobster.

It's bonkers fun, action-packed and instantly quotable. As for Diaz, you will NEVER see a more better introduction in an actor's feature film debut. 

7) There's Something About Mary - A very popular and entertaining 90's rom-com, which includes one of the most popular moments in 90's pop culture.

After completely failing his initial date back in high school, a man has another chance to ask out his dream girl as grown-ups.

The comedy is insane and all the cast do a great job of making great entertainment, and Diaz is one of them.

6) My Sister's Keeper - This late 2000's tear-jerking drama really hits the spot and is certainly the most emotional project Diaz has been part of.

It sees a teenager sue their parents to earn the right to control her medical decisions who has previously been used as a donor for her leukemia stricken sister.

Diaz plays the mother, and everyone does a great job in this effective and moving drama.

5) Gangs Of New York - A period epic from Martin Scorsese that sees Diaz alongside acting titans Leonardo DiCapiro and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Set in 19th century New York, it sees a young Irish immigrant return from prison seeking revenge on his father's killer.

While Diaz for some people sticks out like a sore thumb. The sweeping spectacle of this feature can't be ignored.

4) Vanilla Sky - This underrated 2001 fantasy sees a vain wealthy businessman life turn upside-down after a vehicle accident.

It's a bit of a head-scratcher. But once everything clicks, it will be like nothing you've seen before.

While it sees Tom Cruise take the lead, Diaz goes out her comfort zone and plays a pretty psychotic woman. This may be the only I can recall being truly terrified of Diaz in a film.

3) Any Given Sunday - A really in-your-face sports drama about a struggling American Football team that is turned around by a reserve quaterback.

It may be over-the-top. But it's certainly a strong piece with many memorable performances.

That includes Diaz, who plays the team's owner who is heavily under pressure on continuing her family's legacy of ownership.

2) Shrek - A ground-breaker for the animation genre and still as popular as it was back on its 2001 release.

It sees an ogre set out on rescuing a princess for a lord that is aiming on exiling all fairy-tale creatures.

It's self-aware humor works really well and it contains many memorable characters such as Diaz who voices Princess Fiona.

1) Shrek 2 - Diaz returns as Princess Fiona as the gang travel to the Kingdom of Far Far Away to celebrate her marriage to Shrek.

However, certain people aim to stop this from this happening.

It's super fun, it expands the world beautifully with new characters and even more memorable scenes and gags.

My Top 10: Netflix Original Films

After initially becoming nothing more than a streaming service, Netflix are gradually becoming a major film distributor.
With a few exceptions, the early years saw Netflix as more of a distributor for films that feel as they don't feel good enough for a big screen release.

However, the last few years has seen the studio acquire more and more high-quality films that are getting a healthy amount of nominations for major awards.
While Netflix haven't quite won Best Picture at the Oscars yet, they have already bagged several Academy Awards since 2017.

So far, I have seen 27 Netflix originals.

Just missing out on my top 10 just deserves an honorable mention, is The Two Popes and Dolemite Is My Name. The former is an engaging performances of Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins gave us a surprisingly moving and funny comedy drama based on the transitional period between Pope's Benedict XVI and Franchis. Their chemistry really made a story that cold have been a real slog work. I can see this one surprising a lot of people. It managed to do that for me.

As for Dolemite Is My Name, it's an absolute return to form for Eddie Murphy as he portrays comedian Rudy Ray Moore who became a rap pioneers under the name of Dolemite.
It's a highly entertaining comedy drama with many memorable moments, including a showstopping performance by Wesley Snipes.
This is a lot of fun and makes you want to check out the real story.

Below are the ones that I have seen and are missing out, as well as a short review for each of my top 10. They are as follows:
Mute
The Lovebirds
The Cloverfield Paradox
Bird Box
High Flying Bird
Apostle
Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle
The Other Side Of The Wind
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
The Half Of It
The King
The Christmas Chronicles
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
Da 5 Bloods
The Kindergarten Teacher
Roma
The Two Popes
Dolemite Is My Name

10) The Irishman - While a 3hrs 30mins film isn't for everyone, the hook of it being a Martin Scorsese gangster epic will many people over.

I don't usually go nuts for Scorsese's gangster flicks. But the strength of the performances made it gripping viewing, and there's plenty of those to get your teeth into.

9) The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs - A really enjoyable western drama that contains six short stories about different ways of life int he Wild West.

Directed by the Coen Brothers, this has their magical style all over it.
It's certainly worth it for the pure gold opening story.

8) The Game Changers - A quite startling documentary that could show the beginnings of a new approach to what we eat.

While it can be bias and inconclusive at times with its findings, it's content is hard to ignore and could even attract the attention of the most hardcore of meat eaters.

This is a well presented documentary and is highly engaging.

7) Outlaw King - The true story of Robert The Bruce's attempt to defeat the English army was a great watch and I was gutted this never got the big screen release.

Chris Pine is great in the lead, you can feel the scale of this famous tale and the battle scenes are worth the watch alone.
A Braveheart for the next generation.

6) The Night Comes For Us - If you love 'The Raid' films, then you'll eat this one up.

It sees a tough gang member get caught in an uprising within this Triad family.

It has the most creative and jaw-dropping combat sequences with the most adventurous cinematography.

5) Annihilation - From the director of 'Ex Machina', we have a complex sci-fi drama that sees a group of science experts sign up for a dangerous mission in a place where the laws of nature are falling apart.

It's gorgeous to look at, it really messes with your mind and the level of imagination rewards us with many memorable sequences.

4) Klaus - When a postman gets reassigned to a remote town that is divided, he encounters an elderly toy-maker that could reunite their community.

The story as well as the characters are so rich, the animation is refreshingly old-school in its appearance and it's full of so much heart and joy.

Certainly the best Christmas film I have seen in a long time.

3) Uncut Gems - A constantly thrilling and anxiety inducing crime thriller that sees a career best performance from Adam Sandler.

He plays a New York jeweler discovering a precious items that could erase all his debts.

It's chaotic, out of control and left me exhausted after such a strong pay-off.

2) Marriage Story - This Oscar-winning romantic comedy-drama is like a modern day 'Kramer vs. Kramer' with a screwball comedy edge.

The performances of Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Laura Dern are nothing short of fantastic, and this film will really mess with your emotions in the most satisfying way.

1) Beasts Of No Nation - They say originals are always the best, and the first ever Netflix original is still top of the tree for me.

It sees a group of children soldiers take matters into their own hands during a civil war.

It's powerful, beautifully made and has a number of powerhouse performances.

My Top 10: Films Based Off A Video Game

Video games within the movie industry have had a rough history to say the least. For some people, they feel there are no good films that are based off video games.
I somewhat disagree. Yes, there are plenty that are not good, and some that are just pure trash. There are also the few exceptions that I feel are pretty decent features that do video games justice.

I may been the minority, but I would happily fight the corner of a few of these. I have seen 26 films that are based off video games. Below is my ranking for all of them, including a short review for each of my top 10.

Just missing out on my top 10, and getting honorable mentions is Tomb Raider and the 2021 version of Mortal Kombat. I never played the Tomb Raider games. But I certainly was aware of its popularity throughout 90's culture.
This particular re-boot is certainly a better attempt then the Angelina Jolie versions. The almost Indiana Jones sense of adventure is there to be enjoyed and Alicia Vikander gives us a good portrayal of the modern day Lara Croft. I look forward to the sequel.

As for 2021's Mortal Kombat, while it is an improvement on the 90's original, the story still has flaws and a lack of character development.

However, they make up for it in the violence, general fun vibe it gives off and a few scene stealing characters. I would happily watch this again.

My list is as follows:

31) Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
30) Street Fighter
29) Mortal Kombat (1995)

28) Resident Evil: Retribution

27) Moshi Monsters
26) Resident Evil: Afterlife
25) Resident Evil: Extinction
24) Resident Evil: Apocalypse
23) Max Payne
22) Silent Hill
21) Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life
20) Hitman: Agent 47
19) Need For Speed
18) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

17) Resident Evil

16) Assassin's Creed

15) Doom

14) Pokemon: The First Movie

13) Uncharted

12) Tomb Raider

11) Mortal Kombat (2021)

10) The Angry Birds Movie - It may have been released a long while after the popularity surge of the video game. But it ended up being a solid family feature that will entertain people who have never even played it.

It might not break any new grounds. But it is perfectly fine story with workable gags and pleasing action.

9) Rampage - I bet fans of the video game never even expected a film adaptation to be even thought of, let alone created.

But anything with Dwayne Johnson in it, that project will be fulfilled.

It's surprisingly entertaining, mainly due to Johnson's charisma. It even did enough for me to accept the absurd parts of the story.

8) Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time - A perfectly fine and harmless fantasy adventure with enough old-fashioned swashbuckling action to make it a pleasing watch.

While I have heard of the video game, and can't see myself ever playing it. This is a nice alternative to explore its world.

7) Hitman - From someone who has never played the game, and therefore don't know the lore, I felt this was a solid action thriller.

Timothy Olyphant is a capable lead, the action is solid and any film can win me over with Olga Kurylenko involved.

6) The Super Mario Bros. Movie - The film that many have been waiting decades for finally got released.

While it lacks substance in its script and narrative, the amazing design it has as well as the fun vibe it gives off, there is enough passable entertainment to see the potential this has on being a successful franchise.

5) Super Mario Bros. - Yes, I get the hate and that it's not the Mario film we deserve. But I admire it's alternative live-action dystopian look and I still had fun with it.

Also, my nostalgia for it is too strong. I watched this loads of times as a kid.

It's got a solid cast, the production is pretty impressive and the vibe is vintage 90's fun. However, I'm still excited for that long-awaited Mario film that we expect from the video games.

4) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 - Despite its issues, the amount of crowd-pleasing fun makes this a solid watch in the end.

With Dr. Robotnik returning to Earth with a new ally, Sonic must confront his arch enemy once again. But with a new friend by his side.

3) Sonic The Hedgehog - After the much needed changes to the look of Sonic, it paid off for a fun and enjoyable feature.

The action is thrilling and they play with Sonic's abilities for the better. Plus, Jim Carrey steals the show as the evil Dr. Robotnik with vintage Carrey fun.

Also, the mid-credits scene makes me excited to see where they're going with this potential franchise.

2) Pokemon Detetice Pikachu - The premise sounded ridiculous to me. Especially, when this is a feature designed to begin a series of further installments.

It managed be a lot better then I ever expected. The mystery aspect gives it a refreshing edge to other family films, and there is a strong sense of fun. It also has content that will please hardcore and casuals fans as well as non-fans.

For many people, this is many peoples favourite of this particular list, and it's easy to see why.

1) Warcraft: The Beginning - Like a lot of others, I have never played a single minute of its games. But the little I knew of it, I could see a lot of potential with this.

While it might not quite have that epic spectacle, it certainly has a lot to be entertained by. The visual effects are dazzling, the score is great, there are rich characters and I love the world and lore that it introduces.

While the ending does leave it open for sequels. I sadly have a feeling this may be the only one we get.

Review: The Hunt

Being sold on a story-type that is ever growing can work for everyone. There are some stories that we just never get tired of different portrayals of. This new release contained something that I am always interested in, as I feel it always has huge potential in succeeding on many levels.

This managed to prove my theory, as it gave me something quite interesting. But only up to a point.
It starts off in a really effective way that films just don't even dare doing.
While it gives us a concept that is somewhat familiar yet one that I'm always up for, determining the main protagonist and antagonist made this a lot more enjoyable then it could have been.

That unpredictability factor was a smart move and saved this movie from being instantly forgettable and basically inferior to similar films before it. As the film moved on, the political satire tone of the film was working for me and the action was well executed.
The ending was a bit of a letdown. While there were a nice surprise in there, it just ended in an extremely conventional and almost too safe way.

The performance by Betty Galpin gives this film a lot of its strength. The way she handles herself in the action scenes gives her quite the physical presence, and should give her the breakthrough in being the next action film star. I was very impressed with her, and she deserves to be in future projects.

I was surprised to see this came from Craig Zobel, the same director as Compliance (a film which I absolutely hate, but that's another story).
As well as his regular tense and serious drama, the added comedy gave this film a similar vibe in portions to that of my most fun film of 2019, Ready Or Not.

I like that it wasn't afraid to satirise topics that could backfire badly in certain circles. It might not be smart enough to rattle any cages. But I feel it's done enough to entertain the masses.
However, this also has a negative side to it. While I did enjoy the comedy, it doesn't quite have the strength or edge to be the total package.

So I would say, overall it does enough to make it worth your time. There is originality in some aspects to keep the film moving along as well as keeping the viewer gripped. But I feel the formulaic and dare I say pedestrian paced ending kind of levelled out my enjoyment a bit.
It explores its ideas well in parts and there are strong performances in here, particularly Gilpin as mentioned before. It's no Battle Royale, but it managed to be a solid piece and another worthy addition to the human-hunting sub-genre.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Onward

Pixar's 22nd feature film, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The trailers looked liked something middle-of-the-road by their standard and there was very little that was hooking me in.

But as it's Pixar, I could not ignore a chance of their newest release.

It certainly ended up being a wise choice.
The story opens up well. You are presented to the world our characters live in as well as its history. That certainly helped me get invested and see where Pixar wanted to go with this. The rest of the story moves along pretty conventionally where enough laughs and creativity in there to keep it entertaining. A climatic ending that included a vintage Pixar tear-jerker moment gave the film a memorable pay-off that reminds us what this studio can do with our emotions.

It's got a world that is similar to Shrek that mixes in magic/fairytale history and real world lifestyle, which we know is something that can work. Up to a point, it does give us a world that is interesting and they play around with it with positive results.

The voice acting works rather well. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt give us characters that bounce off each other well, Octavia Spencer makes good use of her character and of course it was nice to hear John Ratzenberger makes his regular appearance.

So while it's enjoyable, it is certainly quite a way off Pixar's best. What makes this studio great is their simplicity in their story-telling and concepts. It therefore gives the writers time to give you an effective story that pushes your emotions to the limit.
This one comes across as if its trying to hard. It explains so much, in order to get something out of you and feel somewhat entertained.

You can feel their effort in explaining to the audience why all of this is happening. It therefore doesn't have enough time to give us strong characters and give us moments that will last a lifetime, like a lot of its predecessors.

Is it entertaining, yes. Did it make me laugh, yes. Would I watch it again, yes. But I know they can do better and have done better.
Basically all I'm saying is, don't expect an instant classic. I would say, expect a solidly entertaining fantasy adventure with some cool fun set-pieces and a good pay-off that sparks some magic that reminds you that you're watching a Pixar film.
If I was being harsh, I would call this 'filler' before their next project which is getting a lot of hype.

It's definitely bottom half in my ranking of the studios film. But it remains a good piece of work to be proud of, as I can see many people enjoying this.

I must mention, there is a Simpson short before it. Usually Pixar have put out their own latest short before a feature of theirs. But I guess to coincide with Disney's recent acquisition of Fox, they decided on this instead. It's a very funny and charming short with all the magic you expect from The Simpsons that will please people of all ages.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Invisible Man

After the disappointing failure of Universal's Dark Universe consisting of all their classic monsters, I was surprised to see this still getting a release.

But after reading that the studio was instead making them as individual stories instead of a franchise, as well as Leigh Whannell taking the reigns, that was a big hook for me.

Plus, I was surprised Elizabeth Moss was now part of this project. So that gave me curiosity that this might have some legs and make it worth my time, and not be a pointless re-make on a classic.

Strong early buzz had me excited to see what all the fuss is about this being seen as the first hit of 2020, and I was pretty impressed by the end of it.

It has an effective opening that prepares you for the tone and what the directors intentions are. After that, everything else fell into place and the revelation I had on the themes they were covering really surprised me. There were constant mind games that were brilliantly executed that reminded me a lot of Gone Girl.
All of what I have mentioned just made the tension and scares work to best of its abilities, and made the ending all the more satisfying.

In terms of the performances, this is all about Elizabeth Moss. Her talent and screen presence sees her totally control this film in all of its aspects. That genuine look of terror throughout really made this work the longer the film went. It reminded me a lot of Linda Hamilton in the first two Terminator films.
Everyone was pretty much a minor role. I thought Oliver Jackson-Cohen did a good job in delivering a character that we only heard about for the majority of the film. He managed to match that description with devastating effect.
Michael Dorman added to the film well with his characters creepiness, and Aldis Hodge and Storm Reid did a fine job in supporting Moss.

Along with Moss, the strength of its technical aspects are the main recipes for its success. The cinematography by Stefan Duscio who Whannell used for Upgrade, showed a similar style here. With the additional camerawork putting you on the edge by panning around to make you believe that there is a presence in the room during particular scenes just added to the effectiveness of the scares.

Also, the score by Benjamin Wallfisch played its part well and certainly had pieces that I would listen to again.

This an early contender for surprise of the year, and I am really pleased to see Universal Studios make the right choices with its failed franchise. This gave us a memorable piece of work that made me want to revisit it instantly.
Making you believe that this world can have a realistic invisible man is a tough task to achieve in this day and age. They managed to make it look effortless.

Whannell and his team made some really smart decisions with this project. There is a very clever twist on the themes that especially relate to domestic abuse. Giving it that relatable modern day edge surprised me and had me give Whannell much more respect in wanting to do something different and effective with it. If you feel the same way in regards to the themes, then I would recommend checking out the 1944 classic Gaslight, as that would make a strong companion piece.
Along with this and Upgrade, Whannell seems to have found his style after over 10 years as a writer. It's certainly a style I can get on board with, and he is certainly on course on being the horror director of this generation. While we look forward to his next installment, lets give this the credit it deserves.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Call Of The Wild

Despite there being several versions of this classic story spanning almost 100 years, this will be my first venture.

Going into it, I was imagining something similar to White Fang.

While I don't think it was as effective or dramatic as aforementioned film, this was still a solid fun time.

It opened up nicely, laid the foundations fora promising story that reminded me a lot of Black Beauty. There was a feel-good tone with a mythical edge that I was enjoying whilst also having a mature sense of story-telling that you don't often find in a family film.
The second half does slow down sadly and while the content was still working for me, the pacing just lost some form of momentum.

The cast I felt all did a good job and fitted the tone nicely. Harrison Ford was a pleasant screen presence and seems to be comfortable in this character type as that it was he seems to be doing for the last few years.
Omar Sy is on a bit of a role at the moment with his recent projects, and this was another successes. His smile alone is worth the admission fee he had a strong sense of fun, and his portion of the film was certainly the best part. Also, Cara Gee's chemistry with Sy made it all the more enjoyable.
While I do like Dan Stevens and Karen Gillan, both of their performances felt rather over-the-top as well as unnecessary.

There were some minor negatives I had with it elsewhere.
I wasn't too into the choice of the dogs being CGI as the movement never felt natural. But I think it was needed due to certain action scenes to be fulfilled as well as the human element of the character to be added. So I guess I somewhat let them off. But there were parts of it that you just could not ignore and partly took me out of the film.
Also, it does contains small doses of cheese and corniness. But I think that was due to its old-fashioned vibe it was giving, which also made it somewhat refreshing at the same time.

So while it most definitely has its problems, I still had a solid time watching this. It's good fun, the story is well told, I like the mythology angle, it has mature themes which is rare for a family time and is not afraid to be scary or dark at the right time. I liked it for the fact that you just don't get films like this anymore, especially one that is suitable for family viewing.
Oh and of course if you like dogs, then this can comfortably win you over.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Sonic The Hedgehog

I was never a regular player of the Sonic video games, as I never had a Sega. I was always a Nintendo purchaser.

But I certainly played a bit of it, and watched enough of the 90's animated series to understand the world and its characters.

I was certainly up for seeing a film. But when the initial trailer came out, I was certainly part of the large group that was not impressed by the look of Sonic.
So fair play to the film-makers, who answered our call and worked their backsides off, to get the Sonic we deserve. It was much more pleasing, and as close as you can get the actual look of Sonic.

So I felt at the very least, it was only natural to pay good money and check this out, as a way of thanks for the amendments from their visual effects team.

It ended up to be quite a blast. Even though you could see where this film was heading, it was making me laugh pretty consistently, it was moving along at a solid pace, the action was exciting and the characters were very engaging.

The cast did a solid job and fitted the tone really well. Ben Schwartz voicework as Sonic really showed his characters playfulness and brought a great amount of energy throughout.
James Marsden to continues to show how good of an actor he is. He helped carry the film, had strong chemistry with Sonic and played to his strengths as his presence always works with family films.
Jim Carrey did as Jim Carrey does, and that is never under-playing role and having an absolute blast playing the villain. It felt like vintage Carrey. Wonderful execution of the gags, having all the best lines, and giving an easy villain to hate whilst also finding him hugely entertaining. So much so, that he easily steals the show away from the lovable hedgehog.

I think what I think is its biggest positive, is how I feel it can work with the fans as well as the non-fans. It helps give you an understanding on the character, his world and the vibe it gives you when seeing a Sonic adventure.

Were the changes worth it? Absolutely. It put me at ease, and just gave me more time to enjoy the story and have fun with the characters.
Having no real expectations helped, as I found it to be a surprisingly fun time. Yes, the story is pretty simple and nothing we've seen before. But the enjoyable characters, the rampant pacing, funny gags and the way they played around with Sonic's abilities made this worth my time and give it strong rewatchability.
It made me want more, and we could get more, as I must mention that there is mid-credit scene that will please the Sonic fans in particular. It certainly made me excited for where they are going with this, if indeed there is a sequel. Fingers crossed we can finally a video game film franchise that we deserve.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Emma.

I have to mention that I never liked the character of Emma. A spoiled brat that interfered with other peoples lives and was given everything to her on a silver platter. It was even worse with the Clueless portrayal for me.

I know that aforementioned film is much loved by certain people of my generation. I'm sorry, but it just infuriated me throughout and I never wanted that character to succeed.

So you're probably wondering why I'm investing time in checking this latest portrayal?

Well, the casting choices and the strong vibe the trailer gave certainly had my attention. I can thankfully say that I rather enjoyed this and it may be the Emma that I have been waiting for.

What I think what made it work the most from director Autumn De Wilde and her team, was that I felt they humanised the character of Emma and showcased her flaws to make it essential to the story.
Whatever decision she made never brought the same feelings from previous versions. It always felt integral and meaningful, and the development of the story felt Emma feel like a flawed lost soul that you can sympathise with.

That was partly thanks to Anya Taylor-Joy. Since her breakthrough in 'The Witch' back in 2015, Taylor-Joy has been a great young talent and this particular performance just further expands her range. She carried the film well, and as I said before gave us an Emma that I feel will convert many more haters of this character like myself.
I felt both Mia Goth and Johnny Flynn did a really good job with their respective roles and also supported Taylor-Joy well. They both had memorable moments on screen and showed great passion to further enhance the story. Especially Goth, who showed great innocence in her character that made her the most engaging character out of everyone else.
Much like Taylor-Joy, Josh O'Connor did something I've not seen them do before and gave solid comedic relief.
Final mentions go to Bill Nighy, who basically played himself with an effective running gag, and Miranda Hart, who surprised me. I'm definitely not a fan of Hart, but she managed to fit in nicely with the story whilst also performing the usual shtick.

It was from quite early on into the film that I was in complete shock as to how much I was enjoying pretty much everything about it.
While the character of Emma is still as unlikable as Jane Austen's intentions. The way she is written and portrayed still manages to make her engaging. You could feel her cruelty underneath the surface. Then as it projects out, you can genuinely feel that shock when her subconscious feelings manifest.

Also in regards to the writing, the comedy works and mixes in with the drama nicely. The production and costume design were fantastic and the cinematography perfectly showed those off. There are also some great dance sequences that for me was the film at its peak.

So while I enjoyed a lot of it, it never quite jumped onto the level of 'great' for me. It might be because I already knew the story. But everything was just 'good', and considering my history with this story, this is a big positive.
This was a very entertaining piece of work with a pleasing style and look throughout along with memorable performances. I was really happy that the character of Emma worked for me, and I can see other finding her engaging as well.
I was happy to see the ensemble cast, particular the youngsters. This was a great project to show off many young talents, and they all capitalised on their opportunities.

I hope this works for a large number of demographics. I know a period drama isn't everyone's cup of tea. But I feel this particular one can win people over.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 100: Films Of The 2010's

With 2019 now in the books, the decade is also complete. Constructing a top 100 list for the decade is never easy.

However, it can certainly paint a picture on how the film industry changed shape during these past 10 years.

In terms of box office, the majority of the charts was either owned by Disney or a superhero film. Further acquisitions by Disney has made them now own several major franchises including Marvel and Star Wars.

As for the superhero genre, they have become the modern equivalent of the Westerns in terms of regular circulation. This genre has revolutionised the way of constructing a franchise and have certainly created a large amount of pop culture for this decade.

How many made my top 100? Click on the video link below and find out. I hope you enjoy this list as I felt there was a nice mix of mainstream blockbusters and hidden gems that you have to check out. Let me know if any of your favourites made it, and what your list would be (doesn't have to be top 100). Enjoy.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7t9pe7

Review: Dolittle

A lot of people may not know this, but this is actually the seventh Dr. Dolittle film.
You have the Rex Harrison one in 1967 which was decent enough.
Then it was the Eddie Murphy version in 1998. It was one of the first films I saw at the cinema, and remember having fun with it. As an adult, it has it's charm. But ultimately, it's a kids film.

Then came the four (yes, four) sequels where Murphy was only part of one of them. While I have only seen the second and third installments, I can only imagine Tail To The Chief and Million Dollar Mutts weren't any better.
Now comes a 2020 reimagining, with Robert Downey Jnr. playing the titular character in his first role since his eleven years tenure as Iron Man.

There was some early promise. I was fine with the set-up and the style and story it was going for. But I think once I heard the chosen accent of Downey Jnr. for Dolittle, I was beginning to lose faith. Robert Downey Jnr's randomly chosen Welsh accent was consistently off-putting. I think iit felt that way, as it sounded like it was dubbed. It just felt seperate to how Downey Jnr's mouth movements. Plus, I'm don't know the reasoning behind the Welsh accent. Either way, it wasn't good at all.

After that, almost every aspect was just getting progressively worse. The plot was getting rather dull and the jokes fell completely flat every time. Only positive from that is there is some humor that younger kids might get a kick out of.

Thankfully, there was one aspect that I think worked really well, and that was Michael Sheen's performance. He was by far the best part of the film and felt like the only one that knew exactly what the directors intentions were for the tone. It was that fine line of silliness, but fully committing to the spirit of the story, whilst also showing everyone how to actually do accents.

It's a shame this didn't work, as the source material can create some family magic. But not even the high calibre cast could save this, despite most of the voice-work being pretty solid. Honestly check the cast list, it's really impressive.

It's saving graces were Sheen, the voice performance, the pleasing production design and visual effects and the appeal I could see for younger kids. So while it was not quite complete trash, I cannot recommend this.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Birds Of Prey

The eighth film of a DC Extended Universe that I am still not feeling an actual vision of where it is heading.

The inconsistency and missed opportunities is there for all to see. But thankfully, there have been some successes such as Wonder Woman, Shazam! and partly Man Of Steel and Aquaman.
So I went in to the screening with everything firmly crossed hoping for a fun time.

Did I have fun? Yes. It's style and energy made it feel similar to a theme park. There's loud noises, colourful attractions and it has a few sugar rushes along the way.
I was enjoying how our heroes were being introduced, they gave enough development and understanding as to why they are there and I was impressed to see an antagonist that was more then a worthy adversary.

While I still believe Margot Robbie is the perfect choice to play Harley Quinn, I know she can do so much better then what I have currently seen in her two outings. It might more to do with the writing, but I am just not feeling the full package. The dialogue just does not seem smart enough to make me believe I am witnessing someone who is highly educated, but also a total nut-job.
Ewan McGregor fitted the tone well for the most part. His experience gave us a solid character with several memorable moments and overall a worthy antagonist.
Both Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Mary Elizabeth Winstead gave good physical performances and made me believe they were genuinely tough. They never felt like a liability and certainly made good use of their screen-time.
I don't often see Rosie Perez, but I feel this is the most screen-time she has been given. I felt she played to her strengths well and helped the younger colleagues well in certain scenes.
As for Ella Jay Basco, I have to give big props to this youngster who made her feature film debut. Her entrance was strong and her chemistry with Robbie was great throughout. Basco really showcased her talent and I look forward to see her future projects.

As mentioned before, I enjoyed the style. It felt ideal for the character of Harley Quinn. It felt unhinged, designed to unsettle you and a bit of a fever trip. In fact, the whole style had that craziness of Gotham that I have seen in previous guises that I am always up for.

Sadly, the executed of those aspects were not of a high quality in my opinion. It lacked that lasting impact that you want, it still left me somewhat disappointed and therefore never felt fully fledged to me. Much like Robbie's performance, I know this can be so much better.

So while I did feel it never reached its full potential, the film itself is still perfectly fine. There's plenty of positive aspects to get involved with. The story kept me engaged, McGregor plays a worthy antagonist, I liked its style, there is that sense of fun and it left me intrigued as to how they use this particular group in future films.

To rank it within the rest of the DCEU, I would probably put it somewhere in the middle. While I don't think the films best parts aren't quite up there with the biggest positives of the franchise, it's stability makes it much more held together.

There is only one other upcoming 2020 release within this franchise in the form of 'Wonder Woman 1984'. I'll be looking forward to that and like many others, I hope for the momentum to carry on from its predecessor.

Rating: 7/10

The 2020 'DG Movies' Awards

A bit later than planned, but the 5th annual 'DG Movies' awards is finally going to be announced.

Once again, there are no new categories this year, as I still haven't felt the need to add another one that I have enough knowledge of to give my view on it.

As usual, my eligablility of films for a particular year is done how IMDB do it. Basically, that means the first release of a film anywhere in the world in 2019 that is accessible to the public. That includes premieres and film festivals.

Here is a full list of the winners and nominees (winners being in bold). Let me know what you think of them, and what yours would be:

BEST EDITING:
Bait
La Belle Epoque
Parasite
The Personal History Of David Copperfield
Uncut Gems

BEST COSTUME DESIGN & MAKEUP:
Aladdin
Little Women
Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
Rocketman
The Personal History Of David Copperfield

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:
1917
La Belle Epoque
Midsommar
Motherless Brooklyn
The Lighthouse

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Avengers: Endgame
Blood Machines
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
The Lion King

BEST SCORE & SOUNDTRACK:
Avengers: Endgame

Blood Machines
Frozen II
Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
Rocketman











BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
1917
A Hidden Life
Bait
Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
The Painted Bird

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Booksmart
La Belle Epoque
Little Women
Marriage Story
The Personal History Of David Copperfield

BEST POSTER:
Avengers: Endgame
Glass
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
Us

BEST TRAILER:
Aladdin
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters
Rocketman
The Lion King
Us

BEST SCENE/MOMENT:
Entering Ecoust - 1917
Assemble - Avengers: Endgame
The Horde's Attempt To Escape - Glass
Knife Fight - John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
Taking Mr. Ford For A Spin - Le Mans' 66

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE:
Booksmart
La Belle Epoque
Little Women
The Personal History Of David Copperfield
Uncut Gems

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE:
Jennifer Lopez - Hustlers
Doria Tillier - La Belle Epoque
Florence Pugh - Little Women
Laura Dern - Marriage Story
Shuzhen Zhao - The Farewell

BEST SUPPORTING MALE:
Christian Bale - Le Mans' 66
Brad Pitt - Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
Albrecht Schuch - System Crasher
Al Pacino - The Irishman
Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse

BEST LEADING FEMALE:
Beanie Feldstein - Booksmart
Kaitlyn Dever - Booksmart
Glenda Jackson - Elizabeth Is Missing
Sally Hawkins - Eternal Beauty
Helena Zengel - System Crasher

BEST LEADING MALE:
Lorn Macdonald - Beats
Cosmo Jarvis - Calm With Horses
James McAvoy - Glass
Adam Driver - Marriage Story
Adam Sandler - Uncut Gems

BEST DIRECTOR:
Anthony Russo & Joe Russo - Avengers: Endgame
Olivia Wilde - Booksmart
Bong Joon Ho - Parasite
Robert Eggers - The Lighthouse
Benny & Josh Safdie - Uncut Gems

BEST FILM:
1917
Apollo 11
Avengers: Endgame
Beats
Booksmart
Klaus
Marriage Story
Shazam!
Toy Story 4
Uncut Gems

Total list of winners
3 - Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
2 - Booksmart
     The Lighthouse
1 - Avengers: Endgame
     Glass
     Godzilla: King Of Monsters
     La Belle Epoque
     Parasite
     System Crasher
     The Farewell
     The Lion King
     Toy Story 4
     Us

Total list of nominations
6   - Avengers: Endgame
       Booksmart
5   - La Belle Epoque
       Little Women
       Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood
       Uncut Gems
4   - 1917
       Marriage Story
       The Personal History Of David Copperfield
3   - Glass
       Rocketman
       The Lighthouse
2   - Aladdin
       Bait
       Beats

       Blood Machines
       Godzilla: King Of The Monsters
       John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
       Le Mans '66

       Parasite
       System Crasher
       The Lion King
       Us
1   - A Hidden Life
       Apollo 11
       Calm With Horses

       Eternal Beauty
       Frozen II
       Hustlers
       Klaus
       Midsommar
       Motherless Brooklyn
       Shazam!
       Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
       The Farewell
       The Irishman
       The Painted Bird
       Toy Story 4