Top Ten Films of 2016

For some reason, this year felt underwhelming, so much so that I thought that maybe this was a bad year for cinema with the amount of disappointments I've seen. However, we should not focus so much on the bad, as I found out when making my top ten list for 2016 there have been some great gems this year, more so than I thought, and that's without seeing some of the most critically acclaimed films like Arrival, La la Land and The Handmaiden (trust me, I really wanted to find time to watch them all). So read on and find out what I thought were the best 10 films I've seen this year.

10. Captain America: Civil War

After a shaky year in 2015, it's nice to see the two latest Marvel films break my top ten again. For me Civil War was the sequel to The Avengers we should have had. At times it felt a little bloated with the amount of characters on screen but it was none the less an excellent time at the cinema with a more thought provoking storyline than most other blockbusters this year. You can check out my full review here.

9. 13th

This was one of the last films I saw in 2016 but easily the best documentary I have seen all year and the one that left the biggest impression on me. This is a documentary that showcases a history that I knew little to nothing about and I have a feeling that a lot of people may be in the same boat. This film is so shocking and important that it needs to be seen by everyone. Read my full review here.

8. Zootopia

A lot of the fears we have about what the world is coming to after this year were played out in family friendly and relatable ways in Zootopia. A lot of animation panders to both the kids and adults of its audience but never have I seen one walk the line as well as this, whilst also delivering a very smart and timely story. If we can bring these kind of moralistic messages to all family films then the world would be a lot better place. Check out my full review here.

7. Sing Street

When music and film come together beautiful things can happen, this is one of the best examples. My family is big into 80's music, I was practically raised on it, therefore I have a lot of love for the era. Mix that with a love of filmmaking (obviously) and coming of age stories then this film is an absolute treat. I highly recommend to anyone (it's my Dad's number 1 film of the year!). Check out my full review here.

6. Doctor Strange

Out of the two Marvel films we got this year I did not expect this one to be my favourite. I also did not expect this one to be the most fun I had in the cinema all year. I had an absolute blast, it felt so unique and I loved how at every familiar trope was a twist ready to take you by surprise. It felt like its own thing and really did encapsulate the screenwriters saying; 'the same but different'. Credit to both director, writers and everyone involved for creating a brilliantly crafted story with lots of exciting spectacle. Read my full review here.

5. The Girl With All the Gifts

I haven't seen this film in any top tens this year and I'm not really sure why? Just as I thought I was done with the zombie genre, this film comes along and reaffirms my faith that new, different and unique stories can be told within the familiar apocalypse structure, plus it's an excellent and faithful adaptation of the equally good book. This film has a lot of style and elegance in the way it tells its story whilst also being accompanied by the best score of the year. One of the most original zombie films ever made. Read my full review here.

4. 10 Cloverfield Lane

I feel like this was one of the most perfectly executed films of the year. So many small elements are brought together and are paid off to create a really smart, original and interesting storyline. It's great to see Dan Trachtenberg, from YouTube video fame, now being hailed as one of the most exciting up and coming filmmakers. After this excellent debut feature film, I really can't wait to see what he does next. Read my full review here.

3. Morris From America

This film came out of nowhere and hit me in a very personal way. Maybe I'm biased to this film because I also grew up in Germany but I also think there is a lot going on here that makes this one of the best coming of age stories I have ever seen. Even if you haven't grown up somewhere alien to you then there are still a lot of similar themes you can relate to, as well as being able to watch two of the best performances of the year from Markees Christmas and Craig Robinson. This probably didn't register on everybody's radar in 2016 so I urge you to go out and watch this one. Read my full review here.

2. Swiss Army Man

It's become apparent with this film, that any premise, no matter how wild, crazy or stupid, if treated with enough love and care can be made into one of the most heartfelt, truly human stories of the year. Okay some audiences may not get the absurdity, but if you give it the time of day then I dare you not to moved by this film. An absolute win for creative filmmaking, one of a kind performances and the human spirit. Read my full review here.

1. Everybody Wants Some!!

Yes, Richard Linklater tops my list yet again. He truly is the most interesting director working right now. This film, marketed as the 'spiritual sequel' to Dazed and Confused, may not feature the most relatable characters ever but it really does capture a feeling, an atmosphere and the emotions of moving away from home. It's been a year since I graduated from University and this one really did hit me hard, the experiences depicted may not be universal but the overall journey of the film feels familiar. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me want to hug Richard Linklater for just getting it so right, and yet again making my favourite film of the year. Read my full review here.

So there you go folks, my favourite films of the year. I should probably give shout outs to films that were very close to making this list such as The Nice Guys, The Green Room, The Fits and The Witch. There was some good to 2016, I am however very excited to see what the new year brings.

Let me know what were your favourite films of the year in the comments below.

Happy New Year everyone and thanks for reading!

Boyhood

As you may have heard, Richard Linklater's latest film is something special. For the last 12 years the director has been filming a young boy as he grows up, making a film around him in an attempt to capture the essence of childhood. Linklater is one of my favourite directors and yet again he has not disappointed. Boyhood perfectly captures a period of time of someones life, it is a truly epic piece of cinema.

The vision alone is enough to commend this film, but the fact that Richard Linklater has pulled it off so eloquently, seaming every year of the young boy Mason's life into a three hour film. Casting of Ellar Coltrane to play the boy Mason was a decision that paid off very well. We are invested in every part of his story and his transition into adulthood and at times it feels like we could be watching a documentary, his acting is so spot on. It felt like I had been on a journey with Mason throughout his life and felt sad when I had to leave him at the end of the film. To accompany Coltrane on his time lapse is the brilliant cast including Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater. Although this is mainly Mason's story it is also intertwined with rest of his family giving us a look into the lives of three very different characters over 12 years.  

Not one point of the film seems rushed or incomplete, the snapshot in time is something of pure cinematic brilliance that was incredible to experience. It is a very personal film, I don't think anybody could watch it without connecting to Mason's experiences in one way or another. Not everybodys childhood will be the same but there will be definite similarities, Mason is pretty much the same age as myself presently, so I spent a lot of the film thinking 'was I that small when that song came out?' or just becoming nostalgic at certain aspects of the film that were similar to my own life.

As with any Linklater the film, the soundtrack is brilliant. It is also used very effectively throughout the film to help set the period as you are never told throughout what the year is, you just have to look at the misc-en-scene and listen to background music to figure it out. And there are some great tunes to listen out for.

To add to what is already a well written, perfectly edited and amazing snapshot of life, is that the film is also beautifully shot. The cinematography is great and the film looks brilliant throughout and is never let down during its 12 years worth of footage.

I can't think of anything wrong with this film, it may have a long running time but not at one point does it drag or get boring. I was fully invested in Linklater's masterpiece throughout and it truly is an achievement in film and cinema as well as being one of the best films this year has had to offer so far. I am giving Boyhood a rating of 5/5. So put down your Transformers tickets and go spend your money on a movie that deserves everybodys attention! 

What did you think of Boyhood? Did you love it as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight Survey

If you have ever seen all or just one or two of Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight Trilogy it would be great if you could take a couple of minutes to fill out this survey for a study I am doing for my university degree.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thank you.

Teacher & My New Project

Tomorrow I start shooting for my new short film so I thought it was about time that I finally released my last short film Teacher on the Internet for all you lovely people to watch. I had written about this short that I was making in a couple of production posts earlier this year so if you want to check them out before viewing you can read them here and here. After you have watched the short you can find out about my new project below.

On to my next project now, which I am very excited to film tomorrow! Now this project is quite different in tone and I have taken a lot of influence from the films of Richard Linklater and Kevin Smith whilst producing this one. This is a solo project that started off unrelated to my film course until I saw how I could tie it into my philosophy module. I have written the script and will be directing and editing it as well. The film follows two 'slacker' esque characters who are smoking a cigarette against a wall. They are both strangers but spark up conversation after one of them has just witnessed a suicide. The film looks at the contradiction of morality and the two opposing views of the characters on the suicide and taking a life in general. I've always loved 'Generation X' films from American independent cinema in the 90's and have tried to incorporate this into the pre-production process as well as trying to modernise it for present day England. I haven't really got anything to show you guys just yet but when I got in touch with my brilliant casting director Ashton Snow I sent her a mood board of the piece so she could help find my two awesome actors. So I thought I could show you that to give you a kind of idea of where I'm going with this short.

There will be more updates to come on this film but this is all I've got so far! Anyway I hope this has caught your interest so make sure you keep updated with my blog and twitter for all the latest news on this project.

So what do you think of Teacher and my new project? Let me know in the comments below.