#1 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)
Plays out like an extended episode of Alan Partridge, but that’s no bad thing. A disgruntled employee holds everyone hostage at Alan’s radio station, and Alan is there to save the day using his trademark wit and charm (well, sort of). Hilarious.
(8/ 10)
#2 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2016)
Worthy sequel to the irreverent sci fi comedy, volume 2 has the Guardians meeting Starlord’s Dad - a ‘celestial’ with god-like powers. Throw in some space pirates and disgruntled alien superbeings for a bit of added mayhem and you have a colourful sci-fi fantasy with plenty of quips. It has problems, but the great characters and effects make up for it.
(8/10)
#3 Their Finest (2016)
British morale is suffering during World War Two, and the propaganda machine is desperate for a hit at the cinemas to raise the nation’s spirits. A young secretary is assigned to a film company to help make an rousing film based on events at Dunkirk. Facing sexism and prejudice, she manages against the odds to be integral to its success. Great acting with a good story (shame it wasn’t true though), this is quality British filmmaking.
(8/10)
#4 Life (2017)
A fresh take on the evil alien story, Life is set aboard the International Space Station where samples taken from Mars turn out to contain dormat nasties intent on killing all other life. A gripping thriller.
(7/10)
#5 T2:Trainspotting (2017)
Sequels that come 20 years after the original are worthy of suspicion. Do they actually have anything new to say - or are they merely cynical money-making efforts on behalf of the filmmakers? I suspect there's a little bit of the latter but actually on balance I feel this is a decent return for the drug addict, violent, sociopathic characters as they grapple with how Britain has changed over the last two decades (and what aging has done to them) – and how events of the first film still have repercussions for all of them. Worth a watch.
(7.5/10)
#6 Big Hero 6 (2014)
Not the first time I've seen this, but just as enjoyable watching it again. Strong characters, gorgeous CGI and great comedy combine with tense action pieces – all wrapped up in a positive message about grief, science and growing up. Great stuff.
(9/10)
#7 Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Francis Ford Coppola gives the camp and clichéd Prince of Darkness the auteur treatment in this mostly faithful adaptation of Stoker’s novel. Apart from Keanu Reeve’s wooden and stilted performance, the cast are clearly relishing their roles and doing a fine job in the process generating memorable moments and set pieces. I’m not a fan of horror but this doesn’t fail to do justice to the genre.
(9/10)
#8 Ghost in the shell (2017)
Scarlett Johanssen is the cyborg superspy ‘Major’ in this dystopian sci-fi flick that has impressive visuals but lacks any real depth. Not a bad movie by any means but the whitewashing is unfortunate whilst the plot and action feel underwhelming.
(6/10)
#9 The 5th Wave (2016)
Teen post-apocalyptic drama about a girl fighting to survive after aliens have invaded earth and have set about systematically eradicating mankind. A so-so film with reasonable performances, it is ruined by a daft plot point about how the aliens intend to finish off the remaining humans.
(4/10)
Plays out like an extended episode of Alan Partridge, but that’s no bad thing. A disgruntled employee holds everyone hostage at Alan’s radio station, and Alan is there to save the day using his trademark wit and charm (well, sort of). Hilarious.
(8/ 10)
#2 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2016)
Worthy sequel to the irreverent sci fi comedy, volume 2 has the Guardians meeting Starlord’s Dad - a ‘celestial’ with god-like powers. Throw in some space pirates and disgruntled alien superbeings for a bit of added mayhem and you have a colourful sci-fi fantasy with plenty of quips. It has problems, but the great characters and effects make up for it.
(8/10)
#3 Their Finest (2016)
British morale is suffering during World War Two, and the propaganda machine is desperate for a hit at the cinemas to raise the nation’s spirits. A young secretary is assigned to a film company to help make an rousing film based on events at Dunkirk. Facing sexism and prejudice, she manages against the odds to be integral to its success. Great acting with a good story (shame it wasn’t true though), this is quality British filmmaking.
(8/10)
#4 Life (2017)
A fresh take on the evil alien story, Life is set aboard the International Space Station where samples taken from Mars turn out to contain dormat nasties intent on killing all other life. A gripping thriller.
(7/10)
#5 T2:Trainspotting (2017)
Sequels that come 20 years after the original are worthy of suspicion. Do they actually have anything new to say - or are they merely cynical money-making efforts on behalf of the filmmakers? I suspect there's a little bit of the latter but actually on balance I feel this is a decent return for the drug addict, violent, sociopathic characters as they grapple with how Britain has changed over the last two decades (and what aging has done to them) – and how events of the first film still have repercussions for all of them. Worth a watch.
(7.5/10)
#6 Big Hero 6 (2014)
Not the first time I've seen this, but just as enjoyable watching it again. Strong characters, gorgeous CGI and great comedy combine with tense action pieces – all wrapped up in a positive message about grief, science and growing up. Great stuff.
(9/10)
#7 Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Francis Ford Coppola gives the camp and clichéd Prince of Darkness the auteur treatment in this mostly faithful adaptation of Stoker’s novel. Apart from Keanu Reeve’s wooden and stilted performance, the cast are clearly relishing their roles and doing a fine job in the process generating memorable moments and set pieces. I’m not a fan of horror but this doesn’t fail to do justice to the genre.
(9/10)
#8 Ghost in the shell (2017)
Scarlett Johanssen is the cyborg superspy ‘Major’ in this dystopian sci-fi flick that has impressive visuals but lacks any real depth. Not a bad movie by any means but the whitewashing is unfortunate whilst the plot and action feel underwhelming.
(6/10)
#9 The 5th Wave (2016)
Teen post-apocalyptic drama about a girl fighting to survive after aliens have invaded earth and have set about systematically eradicating mankind. A so-so film with reasonable performances, it is ruined by a daft plot point about how the aliens intend to finish off the remaining humans.
(4/10)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment