Review: David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet

After originally being scheduled for release in April, it's time for the icon that is Sir David Attenborough to bring what he calls his 'witness statement' to the big screen.

For several decades, Attenborough has introduced many generations across the world to the wonders that the world has to offer. Whether it be largely unknown lands, obscure plants or unusual animals, it is usually accompanied by the calming tones of Attenborough's voice narrating what we're seeing on screen. Whether you know the name or not, you will most notably definitely know the voice.

His programmes have become must-watch events due to the striking imagery it has to offer whether it be the animal or locations. Sadly, Attenborough has recently turned his attention more to the fact of how we as a species are destroying the planets biodiversity to levels of causing a mass extinction event, and what we must do to stop this from happening.

There are some nice archive footage of the beginnings of his career along with some startling statistics that gradually change as the film goes on to a shocking degree. We also have the usual eye-pleasing footage of Earth's nature in all its glory that we all know so well from Attenborough's shows.

Then when we get to the more important part of the documentary. It honestly started to feel like I was watching a horror film with the amount of nightmarish imagery I was seeing. The level of shock was something I was not prepared for and I was very scared that I and many others in my screening could be living in a world that I'm seeing on screen that could wipe us out as a species.

This honestly did feel like Attenborough's last plea to the world before he leaves it, which I'm sure many of you agree is a sad thing to see from someone who has given so much. There were moments where you can see it in his face where he looked defeated in his attempts to get the world leaders to work together and begin the healing process. Those moments were really effective and it certainly sparked a few sniffling of noses in my screening.

But it does give the audience plenty of hope with examples of what could be done and what has been done in certain countries with already amazing results that I could not believe was achieve. This certainly gives us enough hard evidence to prove even the heaviest of non-believers his predictions to not being said with a tinfoil hat.

So while most of the content won't be nothing new to people up to date with Attenborough's shows and history as well as current news events, this still felt like an important piece of work that everyone needs to check out due to the global significance of its subject matter. I would happily show this to people of all ages as it is something everyone can get a grasp of and understand how this planet works and what we need to do for it to succeed and for our species to keep thriving without destroying our home planet in the process. It was highly informative, expectedly gorgeous to look at when it came to the nature content, scary at times to the levels of a high-quality horror film but also remained hopeful with some inspiring images of a possible future.

This documentary will be released on Netflix on October 4th if you missed out on its one-night only cinematic screening. After the credits, they did show a 30-minute interview with Attenborough by Michael Palin which I hope will be shown on Netflix as well, as it was a nice addition to end what was a memorable viewing experience.

Rating: 7/10

Review: I'm Thinking Of Ending Things

I'm always intrigued for a new Charlie Kaufman feature, as I know it's not going to be straightforward. But I am always cautious as I find some of his works a bit too convoluted and sometimes coming across as pretentious.

The latter only seems to be the case for me when he is directing as well as writing. But when he's just being the writer, his ideas seem to be held together better with someone else at the helm. That has given us some masterpieces such as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. His previous directed features such as 'Synecdoche, New York' and 'Anomalisa' has a style that doesn't quite work for me as well as characters I struggle to get engaged with.

His latest project has got me somewhere between the two, which was somewhat of a relief for me. It starts off seemingly and surprisingly conventional. But as you move on, I certainly got that feeling that something did not feel right. However, that feeling of unease still had me intrigued as to where the story was going. I was getting feelings of psychological horror, with a bit of fantasy maybe.

Then after witnessing a few surreal sequences, I think calling this a psychological drama fitted the description best. I was seeing themes of control, relationships, identity, memory and fear of aging. But long after seeing it, I also feel that themes of loneliness is also there.

So while there is a lot of points of discussion that would be ideal for a film class, I did not feel much from the characters to find it entertaining.

I'm not saying that the performances were bad. I just couldn't engage with them. They seemed more as a platform for the story's message rather than actual people I could invest in. That being said, Jessie Buckley is a great talent and continues to show in this that she can carry a film, has great range and has so much more to give to the industry. Same goes for Jesse Plemons, who I am pleased to see him broadening his range of genres. David Thewlis and especially Toni Colette contributed well and made their experience prove vital to the first and second acts.

From a production standpoint, it's really well made. The vibe I got from the sets and the accompanying camerawork was if I was in some sort of nightmare, which reminded me of Darren Aronofsky's 'Mother!' which is always a good thing in my book.

I may have got a lot from it. But its lack of emotion made me not care enough for it to see this film as more than just good. There is definitely an audience for this and they will eat this up. Like I said before, this would be an ideal addition for the curriculum of a film studies class. For general audiences, many heads will be scratched. But I feel if you're patient with it and give it a chance, you can find something from it to make it worth your time. This is probably my favourite of Kaufman's directed projects. However, I still feel he should stick to writing and let the director just pin his ideas down to make the film accessible and be financially profitable.

Rating: 7/10

10 Films That Helps You Learn About Racism

With everything that is going on right now. A lot of people are using this time to reflect, which is always important to do. It helps us understand what we have done, what we can do and prevent us making the same mistakes.

One thing people do when reflecting, is learning about history. Whether it be about the country you live in or elsewhere, history is very important. One historical topic that continues to be at the front of many peoples minds, is racism.

Learning about racism through film is a great eye-opener for people of all ages. I remember learning a lot about racism through films or TV shows being shown in school. Films such as Dances With Wolves and TV shows such as Roots gave me great building blocks in understanding the history of racism and how those moments in history are still around today in a more modern guise.

Below are 10 films that I have chosen that cover the themes of racism. I have tried to be as varied as possible and try and avoid going for the obvious choices. There are films that are based on true stories, some that are suitable for family viewing and hidden gems that got overlooked.

They won't be in any order of preference. But all 10 are ones that deserved to be watched. Some are ones that you may have seen. But there are some you might not have realised at the time that they were covering the topic of racism within its plot.

Remember The Titans - A Disney production that shows what sport can do to unite people even during a period a high racial tension in the early 1970's of Virginia.

It sees Denzel Washington play an aspiring American Football coach appointed head coach to a high school that has recently introduced racial integration.

It executes all the usual underdog sports tropes to a high-quality standard whilst making it a great platform for older kids to understand racism.

This film is available on Disney Plus.

Sami Blood - A Scandinavian coming-of-age drama that covers a part of history that very few people would have been aware of going into this film. It sees a young girl with roots from a group of indigenous people in northern Scandinavia become exposed to the ill treatment of her people.

It's poignant and profound vibe gives you a great hidden gem that shows the sacrifices people have made due to colonialism.

This film is available on Amazon Prime.

If Beale Street Could Talk - This well made romantic drama from 2018 really shows the fear of racism and being isolated.

Set in 1970's Harlem, while helping her husband seek justice for a crime he didn't commit, a pregnant woman is preparing for the next stage in her life.

It's beautifully paced, gorgeous to look at and contains strong performances.

This film is available on Amazon Prime.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution - A highly interesting film documentary about The Black Panther Party, one of the most fascinating and controversial organisations of the past several decades.

It's a fascinating insight on how people fought against racism and police brutality back in the 60's and 70's, and the similarities it has to today's issues.

This films is available on Amazon Prime.

Wind River - A tense and thrilling murder mystery that sees a veteran hunter and FBI agent investigate a murder in the Wyoming area inhabited by Native Americans.

The subtlety of covering the topics of the mistreatment of the Native Americans by the U.S government gives the film a surprising amount of emotional depth. It certainly made me think about a problem which doesn't get talked about enough.

This film is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Zootropolis - A Disney animation that shocked me in the best way possible.

While it is a fun mystery drama. It also manages to explain how discrimination and prejudice can effect society. Doing that in a family film I felt this was a really brave call.

A great choice if you want your kids to learn about societal issues at an early age.

This film is available on Disney Plus.

Fruitvale Station - A very powerful biographical drama about the death of African-American Oscar Grant.

It saw the directorial debut of Ryan Coogler and a breakthrough performance by Michael B. Jordan who collaborated a couple of years later to make Black Panther.

You can feel how much of a passion project this was for so many of the cast and crew as it pulls no punches. There is also a film that you should watch that was inspired by the same incident called 'The Hate U Giv'.

This film is available on Netflix.

Belle - A British period drama that is inspired by a 18th century painting shows the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle, a British heiress born into slavery.

With top performances, strong writing and the use of historical events at the time that contributed to slave abolition in the British Empire, this is an effective drama that covers themes such as social change, acceptance and justice.

This film is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Sweet Country - An Australian period piece that covers the severe racism in this country in the early 20th century as well as the country's after effects from World War I.

It tells the story of an Aboriginal man going on the run after shooting a white-man in self-defense.

It's a slow-burner. But that particular style is what makes it watchable as it gradually sucks you in. 

This film is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Loving - This 2016 biographical drama tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple living in 1960's Virginia who begin a landmark legal battle to save their marriage.

Director Jeff Nichols pacing is slow but rewarding and the performances by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga are engaging and very honest. 

This film is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Review: Bill & Ted Face The Music

When all hope looked to have been lost, it finally took almost 30 years before we saw a third Bill & Ted film.

I remember experiencing the first two Bill & Ted films as a kid, and found them to be rather enjoyable. The first installment (Excellent Adventure) was great fun and managed to make two seemingly dumb lead characters be weirdly endearing and engaging.

While I feel the sequel (Bogus Journey) wasn't as memorable. There was still fun to be had and the craziness of the story made it a welcomed addition to this crazy world of dudes, babes, time-travel, being excellent to each other and partying on.

I ended up coming out of this particular chapter to the franchise with mixed feelings. It gives us a nice little intro and an idea where Bill and Ted are in their lives both literally and spiritually. Once I could see where the story was going, I thought it was a well-drawn out structure. However, the execution or utilisation of the story fully worked. For a comedy, I didn't really laugh that much, it somewhat lacked that drive and the pacing seemed to lag. I was quite surprised by that for a feature that was just over 90mins. Plus, the ending felt really abrupt to me and surprised me in a "oh, that's it" moment.

It was great seeing both Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter return and get back in the saddle. They did it with ease as if Bogus Journey only happened yesterday. I was surprised with Winter especially as he doesn't to seem an active actor or filmmaker. Outside of Bill & Ted, there's very little other mainstream projects that he has been part of.

I was a bit unsure of Kristen Schaal and Samara Weaving's performance. While I feel Weaving was trying to make the performance her own, Schaal looked more like an impression then anything else.

Also, it was nice seeing William Sadler reprise his role with ease. One actor that could steal the show for audience members is Anthony Carrigan's character. He could very well draw the biggest laughs. I must finally mention on the acting side, is that there is the odd cameo or two that pleased me.

There's a good amount of visual effects in the film. Some of them worked well with some cool 90's effects. But there were moments that clearly looked like a green screen and made it look slightly tacky. The costumes were pretty good and even impressive in parts and could very well the films biggest positive.

So while there was nothing seriously wrong the film. There was just little to want me to see it again. However, there was enough content in the films tone and story that for me made it passable viewing. The feel-good and positive vibes it has, does make it the type of film we kind of need at the moment. Reeves and Winter feel like they've been playing Bill and Ted for decades. I feel it is well written, the story was perfectly functional and they balanced  the story that would please the fans as well as bring in a new generation of followers.

I must mention that there is a post-credits scene. It's a solid end note to the feature and is worth staying for if you were left wanting more when the credits began. Also, the credit aren't that long as the credits are pretty reasonable in length.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Mulan (2020)

I didn't grow up with the animated Mulan. Even though I was nine years old at the time of its release and I remember seeing the marketing on TV in the build-up. I just never saw it in cinemas.

When I did eventually get round to seeing in my early 20's, I thought it was a solid watch and had vintage 90's Disney fun. But some shifts in the tone didn't sit well with me. However, what I liked about it the most was it's potential. Seeing the scale of the story as well as its battle scenes had me feeling that this could be something special if it was done as a live-action feature instead.

So clearly, I was looking forward to seeing this as the trailers did suggest that we were going to see Mulan done in the way I was hoping for. That being a sweeping period epic filled with spectacle, some top quality battle scenes and a striking Chinese landscape as its backdrop.

We definitely get that to a certain degree.

From a production design point of view, it's spectacular to look at. They make the most of its locations and we get mountainous landscapes and beautiful Chinese architecture throughout. Also, the costumes are wonderfully detailed and contains striking colours that further enhance the pleasing imagery.

As for the story, this is where to have problems. Thankfully, it's nothing major. But it certainly prevented it from being the complete package. Even when we get introduced to our characters, one moment already has me questioning where we're going with this. Outside of that, the opening act is fairly solid and I was certainly enjoying the overall look.

But as the film went on, I was disappointed that the characters never felt that engaging. They were all doing a serviceable job. But I didn't feel anything for them. It might be to do with the writing. But actors can definitely make an average script come alive with their performances. These looked like they were going through the motions.

In terms of the physical aspect of the performance, Liu Yifei did a good job. The way her character is written managed to make her less inspiring compared to her animated counterpart. Liu overall looked perfectly fine carrying the film. But I would like to see her in more projects to see what she can do with a strong character arch.

Gong Li was perfectly fine and had a great striking presence about her. It was great seeing many iconic Asian actors heavily involved such as Donnie Yen, Tzi Ma and Jet Li. One actor I was especially happy to see was Jason Scott Lee who you might remember from Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and the 1994 version of The Jungle Book, which interestingly was the first ever Disney live-action remake.

The final act did make the duration become noticeable. There is a sequence where you would expect the film to end. But then we get another scene that does feel like the film-makers are trying to stretch this feature out a bit more. So I think maybe cutting off about 20 minutes might have done the film some good.

That extended final act does involve two major characters interacting more than you might expect, that's when I realise they're giving their message a bit of a 2020 edge to it which felt a bit forced and unnatural. That made me end up appreciating the themes of the animated original a lot more.

Another aspect I wanted to mention was the score. I liked how composer Harry Gregson-Williams subtly incorporated the songs from the animated original into his score. It was nicely done whilst also being its own score which fitted the tone and landscape perfectly.

So on the whole, I would say this film is decent enough to get a respectable rating. But I did find a few disappointments. I love the way it looks and sounds. But it lacked in well written characters and a story with an inspiring message, which the animated film managed to deliver.

A part of me would say that this went down the same route most of the Disney live-action remakes did, which is play it safe. This seems to be what the majority of the Disney live-action remakes are doing, which is sad to see. Maybe as it was a major tentpole release for Disney, it does naturally restrict itself in order to still be family viewing and accessible as possible. But that still does not excuse not having strong and memorable characters.

Some integral scenes from the animation that we also see in this remake never felt as impactful. Plus, the battle scenes are solid and visually pleasing. But if we compared them with similar Asian period war epics such as Red Cliff, Ran, House Of Flying Daggers and Hero, then this was massively inferior.

It was such a shame that Disney resorted to release this on their streaming service. I understand why they did it. But it was clear to see how much of a cinematic quality the film had.

I'll end like I did with all the other previous live-action remakes, and answer whether it needed to be remade. Now that I've seen it, I think it kind of did. It's got the look, just not the substance. As I never went nuts for the animated original, I would say this is on a par with its predecessor.

Rating: 7/10

Why 'Return To Oz' is a forgotten and misunderstood masterpiece

A sequel to the 1939 bulletproof classic 'The Wizard Of Oz' is surely doomed from the start right?

Well it managed to take only 46 years before any sort of sequel was released. With the rights of the Oz books now a Disney property, taking the helm was Walter Murch on his directorial debut. This is a man known for being one of the best editors and sound mixers in the industry. So opening your directing account with the first Oz film since the MGM musical classic is quite a daunting task. With Murch now in his late 70's, it is likely for this to be the only film he was a director for, which for fans of this film like me is mind-boggling.

It's 1985 release saw critics and audiences slamming this film for not being a musical, nothing like its predecessor and being too dark and scary for kids. It was also a financial flop as it didn't even make up half of its budget in the box office sales. Apparently, the film did well in Japan. My guess would be for its visual style. 

So despite a decade that contained successful dark fantasy films such as Labyrinth, The NeverEnding Story and The Dark Crystal, this one just didn't seem to sit well with the majority of cinema-goers.

With the studio even firing Murch during production due to the darker tone he decided to go for, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that this was not the right move. But there was definitely a demographic for it. We just didn't quite know it yet. Murch did get reinstated during production, as it took several of his colleagues including close friends George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola to convince the studio.

I think my first encounter with this film was when I was about 8 or 9 years old, and my child-minder had a recording of it. Even though I could tell it was strange, scary and totally different from the original. The magic of the story and its characters drew me in for a fantasy adventure that I couldn't get tired of watching. Also during this time, the BBC showed it once or twice a year. I wasn't aware that this film was hard to find on VHS for a period of time, the recording I did from one of the BBC showings had me watching it multiple times throughout my childhood.

Those showings on the BBC looks to have been the gateway for the cult following it now has. As well as the emergence of the internet, having that gateway of discovering this feature has given it a second life. That cult following has gradually grown more and more as the years go on. Several fan-made documentaries have been made about their love for the film including the perfectly titled 'The Joy That Got Away'. More fan-made documentaries are still being made.

So why would I and others consider this to be a masterpice?

Well, unlike the 1939 version where the studio changed a lot of what was in the books, this was more faithful. Murch and his team picked certain elements from two or three of L. Frank Baum's novels. The only thing that wasn't part of the books that Murch wanted to include in his story, was the ruby slippers. In the books, Dorothy had silver slippers. But to make the most of new Technicolor process, MGM thought ruby would give it a more striking look. So Disney paid a fee in order to use this for the 1985 sequel.

Speaking of Dorothy, the casting of this iconic character was given to a much younger actor than Judy Garland that was closer to the age of the Dorothy from the books. That introduces us to Fairuza Balk. Some of you may know that name from the late 90's fantasy horror The Craft. This was Balk's first ever role in a feature film and was only 10 years old during filming.

What's great about her performance is her level of maturity and sympathy that perfectly matches the tone. A lot of child actors can have come off as annoying, wooden or over-the-top. But Balk showed us  all she has great range and had wisdom far beyond her years.

Other performances that are worth mentioning, are Jean Marsh and Nicol Williamson. Marsh shows her experience in this film and is wonderfully haunting and is the cause for a scene in the film that still terrifies me to this day.

As for Williamson, he gives us a villain that like Thanos you can definitely relate or understand his motives. Williamson managed to incorporate a certain type of sinister humor to the role whilst also having the ability to completely switching to being pure evil if he doesn't get his way.

I will say that the character of Bilina who is Dorothy's animal companion from the real world can be annoying sometimes and is one of the few downfalls for me. But the importance of her in the story somewhat makes up for it.

It's clear to see that it was most definitely a brave decision for Murch to go for a more serious and dystopian view to the world of Oz. But just because the tone to a kids film is dark and bleak doesn't mean its bad. It's easy to forget that kids have been scared by the Wicked Witch and the flying monkeys in The Wizard Of Oz for decades. One perfect companion piece to this film would be Coraline. Yes, it's pretty dark and twisted. But it is a rich story full of engaging characters and wonderful imagination. Also, another film that came out in the late 2000's that would be another strong companion piece is Pan's Labyrinth. It's dark fantasy nature along with the mature themes could make another workable double bill.

It plays out in similar ways to The Wizard Of Oz. The land of Oz reflects Dorothy's emotions and situation, there are characters or objects we see in the opening act that are somewhat mirrored in Oz and the adventure structure of the story is almost identical. Plus, the way they executed the connections between the real world and Oz are very clever. Some are so subtle that I continue to discover more on multiple viewings.

It covers themes of PTSD, recovery and the struggles of growing up in an incredibly relatable way. Those themes are also utilised in a way that leaves parts of the story open for debate that you can definitely find a plausible explanation for both sides of the argument.

The strongest of all the film positives for me is David Shire's score. The style really brings out the sadness as well as the happiness of Oz during the film. The heavy use of strings makes it stand out and has become one of my favourite scores of all-time. The piece of music used for the very end always makes me sad knowing that the film is over and I have to go back to the real world.

The practical effects such as the animatronics and claymation are of very high quality, impressive to see on screen and looks as real as any other living thing. It's a shame that the studio have never cleaned it up for a remastered bluray version as seeing this aspect of the film is worth watching with a sharper and cleaner look.

This is film made with passion, with a lot of heart as well as emotion that is helped by the score to give it some extra weight. For a directorial debut, Murch does a fantastic job of keeping it together and never going off the rails. Also, his production crew give us a wonderful and imaginative visual style of the land of Oz.

Yes it's very dark and scary. But it's magical touch, well paced story, exciting action and strong characters make it a highly memorable watch and has become one of my top 100 films of all-time. When parents are criticizing family films being scary, don't forget, kids like to be scared to a certain degree. It helps with them understanding emotions when growing up and there are those demographics at whatever age that get a real adrenaline rush of being scared or being in anticipation of seeing something scary. Plus I feel the film does a good job of balancing the scariness with humor quickly after each moment to soften the blow.

If you're reading this and are tempted to discover or re-discover this film and see what all the fuss is about, then I have to say that I'm not expecting you to instantly see it as I do. If you discover it for the first time as an adult and fall in love with it, that's fantastic. But I feel seeing it as a slightly older kid is probably the perfect time to be introduced to this.

It will be hard for some people to get into a film that is totally different from the 1939 original that practically everyone has grown up with. But I and a growing number of others strongly feel that Return To Oz deserves that second look.

My Top 10: Christopher Nolan Films

He may have been in the industry for over 30 years. But it was only until the early 2000's as a director when people started to take notice of the achievements of Christopher Nolan.

Since then, Nolan's obsession with time has created several mind-bending cinematic wonders that have changed the way we think when watching films. Nowadays, a new Nolan film is seen more as an event rather than just another new release. His belief that the future of cinema is IMAX has given us imagery that has become iconic, and his regular music collaborator Hans Zimmer has created some of the most heart-pounding score's of all-time.

When you watch a Nolan, you are going to see something different and your intelligence tested to its fullest. His dedicated following of fans shows that the best place of watching any film is at the cinema. I have seen all of his current 12 features. So therefore the films unfortunately missing out are Tenet and Insomnia. 

Tenet may be bottom of my list. But there is definitely enough to like this. It sees a secret agent assigned to a task involves bending time to prevent a global war. While it may lack in character development and have a concept that can feel a bit too ambitious, the action set-pieces need to be seen to be believed on the biggest screen possible. Multiple viewings may see this film shine best.

As for Insonnia, it's an effective mystery thriller that perfectly absorbs you into the world our characters are in. It sees two homicide detectives get assigned to a case that takes place in a town where the sun never sets. The performances of Al Pacino and Robin Williams gives this a modern film-noir edge and Nolan's styles draws you in more and more.

Below is my top 10:

12) Tenet

11) Insomnia

10) Dunkirk - Nolan moves to a the war genre as he portrays the events of Dunkirk that lead to the Battle Of Britain.

With stories taking place over land, sea and air taking place in different duration's, Nolan expectedly messes with the structure to make it stand out over most War films. 

It's very impactful and has imagery that will stay with you.

9) Following - Nolan's directorial debut is about a young man who likes to follow strangers. But one encounter sees him take the next step of his obsession.

You can already see Nolan's style starting to flourish. But the additional film-noir and French new wave styles gave us a cool mystery thriller with a strong pay-off.

Its ridiculously small budget really shows that you can still make a successful film despite the lack of support.

8) Oppenheimer - Nolan's latest feature gives the story of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and how he and his team developed the atomic bomb.

It's a gripping character study full of strong performances and contains that vintage Nolan spectacle that makes it another memorable viewing experience.

7) Batman Begins - With the last couple of Batman films not having a positive general consensus, this 2005 feature brought Nolan into the mainstream world.

With the story-telling style of an arthouse film mixed with the budget of a summer blockbuster, we saw the superhero genre get elevated in ways we never thought possible.

It's a deep character study along with impressive imagery, action set-pieces and thumping score.

6) Interstellar - We now see Nolan venture to the stars, as a team of explorers travel into space through a wormhole to find the key to saving the human race from dying of starvation.

The unreal imagery and accompanying score make it a joy for the senses and the stellar cast give us some memorable characters.

However, the ending is pretty divisive.

5) The Dark Knight Rises - The final part of the Dark Knight trilogy sees Batman come out of his exile to take on a terrorist group looking to destroy Gotham City.

It was always going to be a tough task to match the achievement of its predecessor. But it ended up being a thrilling conclusion with that usual Nolan magic.

Tom Hardy also does a great job as the villianous Bane.

4) The Prestige - A masterfully told mystery drama about two rival magicians in Victorian England always looking to outdo each other.

Nolan's vintage non-linear story structure is best utilised in this feature that shocked me with its twists and turns.

This has a strong cast, tip-top production and a story that goes places you never thought of has it by many as one of the greatest films of all-time.

3) The Dark Knight - Seen by many as the peak of the superhero genre and the best film of the 2000's, the sequel from Batman Begins expands the scale of the trilogy in more ways than one.

Winner of two Oscars, including for me the greatest supporting performance of all-time, this is definitely a film that has pleased many demographics and just fans of the superhero genre.

2) Memento - Nolan's breakthrough feature that made everyone take one of this unique story-teller.

The plot of a man with short-term memory loss tracking down his wife's murderer sounds simple enough. But the unique and groundbreaking narrative structure showed us a totally new way telling stories through the medium of film.

An absolute landmark.

1) Inception - For me and many others, this is Nolan's masterpiece.

A master thief is assigned to planting an idea in the mind of a C.E.O with the use of dream-sharing technology.

The complex ideas involved is perfectly executed without ever feeling insulting to the audiences intelligence and the amazing practical action set-pieces will please any demographic.

This is the ultimate summer blockbuster.

My Top 10: Disney Live-Action Remakes

With a few exceptions, the last 10 years has seen remakes of Disney classics quickly become a regular sight to see in cinemas. Some may call it a lazy cash-grab, others may call it an opportunity to make changes to some of their beloved stories for a new generation.

While I may be more in the former, you do get the odd remake that actually does what its supposed to do. Which is improve the original whilst keeping the idea from the original concept.

I do remained excited however as to what other animation features Disney are willing to remake. There are definitely Disney animations that didn't quite work as a financial success, but has a concept or idea that has great potential to succeed. I do hope to see remakes of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet and maybe a new Fantasia.

Just missing out on my top 10 and deserving an honorable mention is Maleficent. Disney's attempt to show a classic story from the villains point of view. With the perfect casting of Angelina Jolie, they manage to give us a solid piece of entertainment. It may somewhat tarnish the point of a villain. But it's definitely something different.

I have seen all 20 of Disney's live-action remakes. The following is my full ranking including a short review for each of my top 10:

20) 102 Dalmatians

19) Alice Through The Looking Glass

18) Peter Pan & Wendy

17) Pinocchio (2022)

16) 101 Dalmatians (1996)

15) Dumbo (2019)

14) Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil

13) Lady And The Tramp (2019)

12) Maleficent

11) The Lion King (2019)

10) Mulan (2020) - While it does make changes that I have been wanting for this story, it does forget what made the animated original so beloved.

It has the sweeping landscapes, great production, wonderful costumes and well suited score. But it's lack of strong characters and themes that go astray makes this decent at best.

9) The Little Mermaid (2023) - Disney's latest remake and did what most of them have done.

It contains some admirable changes, but not enough to justify its existence. The romance between the main characters feels better developed and the 'on land' sequences are a highlight.

8) Beauty And The Beast (2017) - Another remake that plays to its strengths. But this time, it has some decent additions and changes to give a somewhat different view of the tale.

The cast is stellar and they all do a good job.

While it was a fun watch. It just made me want to watch the animated original again.

7) Alice In Wonderland (2010) - The first of this current era of remakes and while it may not have matched the hype, Tim Burton's style still gave us a decent portrayal.

His vintage gothic tone worked for me for this story. Some bits of the film didn't quite hit the mark. But you can't help but get drawn in by the world and its iconic characters.

6) The Jungle Book (1994) - Now I wonder how many of you know of this remake? By the definition of a live-action remake, this is the first one from Disney.

I remember seeing this as a kid. It's brave decision to be more like the Rudyard Kipling novel gave us a fun and surprisingly tense adventure story with wonderful exotic locations as its backdrop.

Also, its use of real animals gave the whole film great authenticity.

5) Cruella - This was a lot better than I felt it had any right to be.

This bold, brave and rebellious look at the origins of Cruella de Vil was a fun watch. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson were big highlights, the costumes are amazing and it has a surprisingly nasty tone to it. A nice surprise.

4) Aladdin (2019) - After being rather nervous about the choice of remaking this classic. I ended up being proved wrong in the best possible way.

It's feel-good vibe and well executed and worthy changes gave us a new approach on how we see the characters.

The music set-pieces were great to see in this format and Will Smith as the genie lit up the screen throughout.

3) Cinderella (2015) - The first Disney remake that had me feeling it could compete with its animation counterpart.

Director Kenneth Branagh gave us a wonderful magical world that had that real sense of Disney princess magic.

The cast fit the roles perfectly, the sets and costumes are amazing and the script added intriguing depth to supporting characters that the original never did. 

2) Christopher Robin - A charming and moving tale that takes on the approach of Steven Spielberg's Hook and looks at the themes of forgetting nostalgia and rediscovering your inner-child.

Ewan McGregor's chemistry with Pooh was a joy to watch and for me managed to be the best Winnie The Pooh film.

1) The Jungle Book (2016) - A thrilling and magical adventure that saw director Jon Favreau pull off an amazing CGI filled jungle that for many surpassed an animated original that hasn't aged well.

It pays perfect homage to the animated version whilst doing its own thing.

It will take a lot to top this remake.