My Top 10 Films of 2015

You've seen my favourite TV shows of the year, now it is time for the big one, my favourite films of 2015, this is a film blog after all! This year brought us some treats but also some slight disappointments, read on to see what were my favourite gems of the year, and for the first time since this blog began, there's not a Marvel movie in sight...

10. Inside Out

After a years hiatus, Pixar returned with Inside Out, their extremely clever and emotionally powerful film about emotions! Nobody can disagree that Pixar were even smarter than usual with this film and really proved that they are still capable of creating brilliant original content. It's smart, funny and touching, everything a Pixar film should be, an absolute delight of a film.

9. Jurrasic World

Jurrasic World divided audiences. It was like marmite, you either loved it or hated it. I loved it. This film brought me straight back to the first and had me feeling like a child again, fully invested in what was now a fully functioning dinosaur theme park. It's what you always wanted to see, or a least some of us anyway and it payed off in a big way at the end. I had huge amounts of fun with this film, so much so that I can forget the little gripes that people have made and just enjoy the hell out of it. Read my full review here.

8. Crimson Peak

I only recently saw this film but fell in love with it straight away. It's creepy and Gothic story has you invested from the get go. There are some superb performances from Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain who have you constantly second guessing the nature of their characters. Director Guillermo del Toro provides us with some of his most stunning and impressive imagery yet, that really allows the film to linger long after it has finished.

7. Legend

This was the year of Tom Hardy. If you didn't know his name beforehand, you do now! In Legend not only does he give one impressive performance, he gives two! Here he plays both Reggie and Ronnie though not you would think it was the same guy. Hardy makes each character their own and really helps elevate the film that is already really well done with its violent yet touching story. If you missed this one make sure to check it out, it's a brilliant film. Read my full review here.

6. The Overnight

The Overnight is one of those surprise films of the year. I hadn't heard anything about it before I saw it and that actually helped my enjoyment of film as it is an absolute head trip from start to finish. It's weird, trippy and hilarious. It twists and turns leaving you constantly guessing as to the outcome of the story. Want to know more? Don't, just go and watch it, you won't be disappointed! Or read my quick review of it here.

5. Dope

Dope is one of those films that when it starts it never slows down. I had seen the trailer and heard some buzz for this film when it screened at Sundance at the start of the year and since then I had been waiting patiently to watch it. The film is a lot of fun, it moves along swiftly and is constantly funny, much to the credit of the three main characters, who have brilliant chemistry together. It's an absolute blast of a film and inspired me as a screenwriter to write my own story in a similar pace and style.

4. Mad Max: Fury Road

Who didn't love Mad Max: Fury Road this year? The film is just balls to walls crazy. It's simple yet so elegantly executed. It was action like you had never seen it before, it's mix of practical and computer effects was incredibly stunning and the break neck pace of each set piece had you on the edge of your seat with nails digging in to the material. I was absolutely exhausted after watching this film, it's an experience that's for sure. Read my full review here.

3. The Martian

I am a sucker for sci-fi films. The Martian did not disappoint me, it was accessible nerdy sci-fi that has you hooked from the very beggining, feeling every emotion and struggle that all the characters involved had in survival and rescue. It's a powerful film and it looks amazing, It features a return to form for director Ridley Scott and an amazing script adaptation from Drew Goddard. It's one of those films that stays with you after you've seen it and really makes you happy to be part of the human race.  Matt Damon also gives an amazing performance considering he mainly has to act by himself. Read my full review here.

2. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl

A film about filmmaking and friendship, what is not to love? This film really makes an effort to set itself apart from others dealing with the difficult theme of terminal illness. It is sad, yes but it's also hilariously funny, moving and thought provoking throughout. It's three leads are superb and have great chemistry and comic timing in their well thought out and layered characters, and they are only elevated through the camerawork that is on display here; the camera is always moving and the film has some incredible shots. If you're a film person like me then you will love their throwbacks to classic cinema and be fully invested in the powerful and emotional story. This was very, very close to being number one,,, You can read my full review here.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I knew this film would make the list but it wasn't until the second viewing that it made number one. Is it perfect, no but all the problems I had with it seemed to disappear or at least I didn't care about them so much on round two. There's a lot of nostalgia at play here and the film really plays on that, it doesn't make it bad and in fact if anything it only heightens your experience of the film. It's very crowd pleasing and there is no doubt that each time I have seen it, I have gotten goosebumps and wanted to jump up and down with joy at what I was watching. We have some great new characters and an amazing new villain. It's a film that generates a lot of discussion and I love that because one of my favourite things to do is talk about film (hence a film blog)! Some may disagree with my placing of this film but if there is one experience of cinema I won't be forgetting from this year it is this one. I loved it, I still love it and I cannot wait for more Star Wars in the future! You can read my full review here.

So there we have it, my top ten of the year. It's been an odd year for cinema, I was very excited for it to begin with but am leaving it now with not as many gems as I thought we would be getting, the films above were some of the only ones that stood out to me. As I am living in the UK a few films have yet to been released over here that are out overseas, films that look like they could have chance on this list. I guess we'll never know but look out for more reviews from me next year which looks to be exciting and hopefully will not disappoint.

Stay tuned for my list of most anticipated films of 2016 but for now, have a Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading!

Quick Reviews #11

Three new(ish) films and one old one. It's another round of Quick Reviews! This time I review Mad Max: Fury Road, It Follows, Chappie and Jurassic Park. Read on and enjoy!

Mad Max: Fury Road

This film rocks! It's a visceral and physical experience from start to finish, I felt like I had spent the day at a theme park after leaving the cinema! For what is essentially a two hour car chase, it sure has a lot of heart and emotion. It's not feminist propaganda, it's a film which holds its male and female characters with care and equal standing, but yes, Charlize Theron's character, Furiosa, is the best. I absolutely loved it!

5/5

It Follows

I'm not usually a big horror film fan but I really enjoyed this film. It sets up its rules pretty early on and then just has fun with them. The film is shot in such a way, that like the main character, you are constantly on the look out for whatever it is that follows. The soundtrack was also great. I could have done with a more finalising ending. I hope this doesn't get turned into another endless franchise...

4/5

Chappie

Some of this film is great, some of it is not. Everything with A.I robot Chappie is awesome, he looks, sounds and acts amazing. I liked seeing a more baby-like approach to a new found A.I technology and the influence it's different 'parents' had on him. But even with all that, you still have the weird Der Antwoord couple being there in the film, and just messing with the tone of it all. Plus the fact that they couldn't act that well didn't help. Even Hugh Jackman is pretty rubbish. For what could be a great Sci-Fi film, it's just a bit of a mess.

3/5

Jurassic Park

I went back to my childhood and binged the Jurassic Park trilogy in time for Jurassic World. For now I'm just talking about the first film. It is the ultimate family film, with enough thrills, scares and dinosaurs to make anyone happy. They just don't make films like this anymore, it has so much heart, excitement and adventure. And it's pretty scary still! There haven't been enough films with dinosaurs in them recently. And it is incredible just how well the special effects hold up today!

5/5

Let me know in the comments what you thought of the films I have reviewed, or even give me some quick reviews of your own!

Thanks for reading!

Update On My Work

So after (nearly) three years of studying, today I handed in my final pieces of work, concluding my time at Falmouth University. It's a pretty big day, but I thought I would update you guys on what I'm hoping is going to happen next!

So after studying all this time, I have realised that screenwriting is the route for me. One of my final projects was a feature length screenplay, and that is what I will now be looking to sell. Obviously, that is just one screenplay, so I'm going to need to write some more! I have my house in Falmouth for the next couple months, so I will be doing a lot of writing work during my break, before looking for a part time job, so I can begin to have some income and pay off the annoyingly high student debt, as well as use the money to submit to festivals, competitions and what not.

So yeah, lots of screenwriting is about to begin, or has begun, because I have already developed another idea which I am about to write a first draft for!

The screenplay I have already written, and gone through a number of drafts with, is titled The Pursuit. And if any producers/agents/directors/managers out there are reading, then let me tell you, it is a Young Adult Sci-Fi film, which I would pitch as a cross between The Hunger Games and Moon.

The logline goes like this:

Born onto a mission to explore the stars, Lily only dreams of going home to Earth. What was once an impossible dream becomes suddenly more achievable when the ship regains a lost connection with Earth, and Lily becomes friends with a lonely technician named Bry on the other end. 

Sound like some something you might want to read/pursue further? Get in contact!! (alex-moppy@hotmail.com) 

Other shameless plugs on this post include; an article I wrote recently on Jay and Mark Duplass's TV show Togetherness  for Steam TV. You can read that one here.

Don't worry though, I'm not giving up the blog just yet! In fact I'm celebrating my hand in with a screening of Mad Max: Fury Road, because that's just what film students do. Keep an eye out for a review of that in the next few days!

Thanks for reading!

SDCC Thoughts #4

Fourth and possibly last of my post about the latest from Comic Con. Don't hold me to that but I might not get chance to do another as I am on my way to Calafornia itself tomorrow, a weekend too late however... This post features big news from Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Mad Max: Fury Road.

So the big panel at the con last night was Marvel's which included a first look at footage from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Unfortunately footage will not be officialy online for quite some while but here is a detailed description of it from Io9. And next to the footage in the now fully formed concept art poster of our heroes in action.

We see the Avengers sitting around trying to untangle the "whosoever is worthy" thing, regarding who gets to hold Thor's hammer. And they all think it's a trick, or a circus sideshow. "If I lift it, do I get to rule Asgard?" Tony asks. And Thor says yes. Tony says he will be fair but firm, and maybe work out the "wench clause." Tony can't lift it — even after he puts on an Iron Man glove and gets Rhodey to help him. Soon everybody is trying to lift it — including Bruce Banner, who gets kinda upset — and only Steve Rogers even comes close. Black Widow doesn't even want to try lifting it, because "That's not a question I need answering." Tony guess it's keyed to Thor's finger prints, or some other biometric, but Thor says the answer is simpler: "You're all not worthy." Then there's a ringing sound and they're all deafened, and Ultron strides into the room, with a crude Avengers logo painted on his slightly misshapen chest. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers," Ultron says. "You want to protect the world, but you don't want to it to change. There's only one path to peace: your extinction." Then a shit ton of robots burst through the wall and attack all of the Avengers, plus Maria Hill.

Then we hear Ultron's voiceover saying he had a vision of the whole world screaming for mercy, and everybody tangled in it. And we see glimpses of some city in what looks like Africa being reduced to rubble by an attack. There's a closeup of Loki's staff, and everybody looking freaked out on the Quinjet — most of all Bruce Banner, who is holding himself and shaking with a terrified look on his face. People are running everywhere, and the debris is flying like crazy. Ultron gives a menacing look, as he surveys all the destruction. Then there are some hero moments: Captain America enters a place shooting some guns. Stuff is blowing up. Banner staggers to his knees in a snowy forest, looking sickly. Thor uses his hammer to smash a tank. Black Widow is in a medical bay, reaching for some surgical tools. We glimpse Nick Fury looking the way he did at the end of Winter Soldier. And Scarlet Witch is on a bus, approaching some people at the back of the bus with magic in one hand. Tony Stark is looking forlorn and guilty. "It's the end, the end of a path I started us on," he tells Black Widow, who says everything ends. Scarlet witch sinks to her knees shouting. And there are more shots of Scarlet Witch using her powers, just quick glimpses of her projecting magical energy.

At this point, the trailer strts playing the clasic song "I've Got No Strings." Tony, in Hulbuster armor, confronts Hulk on a city street, and there are several shots of them brawling and Tony getting the shit beat out of him. Quicksilver runs through a crowded room that seems to be standing still. Captain America is fighting someone in what looks like a knock-down brawl. And because this is Joss Whedon, there's a glimpse of girls doing ballet. Then we're back to Black Widow shooting shotguns, and more of the Hulk/Hulkbuster brawl. Thor grabs Tony Stark's throat and lifts him off the ground. Captain America is riding a motorcycle and then running. Cars are tumbling in mid air. Black Widow touches her hand to the Hulk's massive green hand, like she's calming him down. We glimpse a confrontation between Black Widow and Scarlet Witch. And then Ultron finishes the song saying, "There are no strings on me," clenching a fist as he celebrates that he's no longer a puppet. And we go a shot of Captain America's shield — shattered to fragments. We pull back, and all of the Avengers are lying prone, apparently dead, in the rubble. Tony is leaning over them, and he looks totlaly horrified and ashamed.
Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=104583#kHxQGzdFT5HaQiiK.99

Other big news included Josh Brolin being confirmed as Thanos and the announcemnet that Guardians Of The Galaxy will be getting a sequel in 2017!

Ant-Man confirmed that Evangaline Lily will indeed be in the film and will be the daughter of Hank Pym, Hope Van Dyne or Hope Pym if you will. Corey Stoll was also confirmed as the villain of the piece Yellow Jacket!

Finally a look at the trailer for the next installment of the Mad Max with Tom Hardy in the front seat this time. It definitely looks very cool, check it out below:

It's been a good Comic Con yet again, even if I am sitting at home experiencing it!

Thanks for reading!