#65 Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Having seen this before, a repeat view a year later rendered the experience better than I'd anticipated. It's fairly predictable stuff, but Gru and co. manage to keep the 'Despicable' franchise alive and well (much moreso than the dreadful Minions Movie) with lots of nods to 80s nostalgia.
(7/10)
#66 Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
The Kingsman secret organisation is thrown into disarray when targeted by a clandestine drug overlord. After pretty much everything with the Kingsman name on it is destroyed, the surviving Eggsy and Galahad travel across the Atlantic to seek help from their American cousins, Statesman. An enjoyable yarn, with the familiar Kingsman gall and cockiness in plentiful supply.
(7/10)
#67 Nineteen eighty four (1984)
A captivating vision of an alternate Britain ruled by a totalitarian regime with 'Big Brother' watching every citizen from the insidious 'viewscreen'. Adapted from the revered book by George Orwell, its themes and social commentary are just as relevent today as they were in 1948. The squalor and hopelessness of a society crushed by its own structures and ideology is terrifying and yet all too familiar.
(9/10)
#68 Anon (2018)
No doubt inspired by the likes of 1984, Anon is set in a near-future where every citizen has a device implanted in their eye to record everything they see, accessible anytime by the authorities via the 'Ether'. Thus, crime is almost impossible to commit. And yet, a lone woman attracts a detective's attention when she appears to have no profile or presence in the Ether and is linked to a string of murders (that can't be solved by the usual methods). An interesting and compelling tale, the design and execution is solid – but doesn't quite have the garvitas of similar movies.
(7/10)
#69 Miracle Mile (1988)
Steve De Jarnatt's cold war drama is a quirky twist on the end-of-the-world scenario, with a boy and girl about to embark on a first date just as the Russians decide to nuke LA. When Harry takes a random call at a payphone (remember those?), he learns the terrible truth that the missles are on their way and a frantic chase ensues to find a way out of the city. Things decend into chaos as the rumour spreads and everything goes to hell. Dated in many ways, Miracle Mile still retains its 80s charm and is a refreshing indie flick to watch.
(8/10)
#70 Matilda (1996)
A fairly faithful adaptation of the Roal Dahl classic about a little girl with an advanced intellect and extraordinary powers. Its transference from mid-to-late century England to 90s America is slightly odd but once you get past that it's an inventive and moving film about a talented child up against horrible parents and even more horrible school (in the shape of the ghastly Ms Trunchbull). Great fun.
(8/10)
#71 Coco (2017)
The Mexican Day of the Dead gets the animated film treatment in this colourful and touching story about family and grief. Less action-y than previous Pixar films, but the visuals succeed at maintaining interest during the more mundane moments.
(7/10)
#72 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Having now given this a repeat viewing, I am more convinced that this film is a decent bit of filmmaking and doesn’t warrant any of the fan-hate in my opinion. Even some of the slightly questionable moments cease to be an issue second time round, and what emerges is a complex story about failure and loss in the midst of overwhelming odds. My only criticism is the length: 2.5 hours is a hefty runtime for a family blockbuster and I hope the next instalment aims to keep things trimmer
(8/10)
#73 The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
A bit pointless, given the excellent BBC radio play and TV series, but this blockbuster take on Douglas Adams' sci-fi comedy at least delivers on the visuals that only a hollywood movie can accomplish. It's a manic rush through a fairly complicated storyline, and there's a lot to cram in (and as a result, some quite noticeable omissions). My main gripe is Mos Def, who just seems to mumble his way through his lines – although he does looks good in his part as Ford Prefect.
(7/10)
#74 The Shape of Water (2017)
A love affair between a fish man and mute woman doesn't sound like the greatest of movie pitches, but Guillermo Del Toro's Oscar-winner surprises with a beautfiul and touching story set in Cold War America. Performances from all of the main actors are fantastic and the sets are up to Del Toro's usual standards.
#75 Man on the Moon (1999)
The legend of Andy Kaufman is explored in this biography that explores the enigmatic performer's life, cut all too short by lung cancer in 1984. Jim Carrey is mesmerising as Andy, bringing his own 'Carreyness' to the character. Whilst extremely faithful to Andy's legacy, the film seems to focus more on the negative aspects of his behaviour rather than the positive - which is maybe why it didn't do so well at the box office. Even so, an important film.
(7.5/10)
#76 The BFG (2016)
Two great storytellers, Spielberg and Dahl, collide in this strong adaptation of the beloved children's book. Mark Rylance's BFG is spellbinding, and newcomer Melissa Mathison is extremely likeable as the strong-willed but tender Sophie. Given some of the subject matter (ie giants eating children), it manages to steer clear of anything too horrific and give a touching tale of two lonely souls uniting to defeat evil.
(8/10)
Having seen this before, a repeat view a year later rendered the experience better than I'd anticipated. It's fairly predictable stuff, but Gru and co. manage to keep the 'Despicable' franchise alive and well (much moreso than the dreadful Minions Movie) with lots of nods to 80s nostalgia.
(7/10)
#66 Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
The Kingsman secret organisation is thrown into disarray when targeted by a clandestine drug overlord. After pretty much everything with the Kingsman name on it is destroyed, the surviving Eggsy and Galahad travel across the Atlantic to seek help from their American cousins, Statesman. An enjoyable yarn, with the familiar Kingsman gall and cockiness in plentiful supply.
(7/10)
#67 Nineteen eighty four (1984)
A captivating vision of an alternate Britain ruled by a totalitarian regime with 'Big Brother' watching every citizen from the insidious 'viewscreen'. Adapted from the revered book by George Orwell, its themes and social commentary are just as relevent today as they were in 1948. The squalor and hopelessness of a society crushed by its own structures and ideology is terrifying and yet all too familiar.
(9/10)
#68 Anon (2018)
No doubt inspired by the likes of 1984, Anon is set in a near-future where every citizen has a device implanted in their eye to record everything they see, accessible anytime by the authorities via the 'Ether'. Thus, crime is almost impossible to commit. And yet, a lone woman attracts a detective's attention when she appears to have no profile or presence in the Ether and is linked to a string of murders (that can't be solved by the usual methods). An interesting and compelling tale, the design and execution is solid – but doesn't quite have the garvitas of similar movies.
(7/10)
#69 Miracle Mile (1988)
Steve De Jarnatt's cold war drama is a quirky twist on the end-of-the-world scenario, with a boy and girl about to embark on a first date just as the Russians decide to nuke LA. When Harry takes a random call at a payphone (remember those?), he learns the terrible truth that the missles are on their way and a frantic chase ensues to find a way out of the city. Things decend into chaos as the rumour spreads and everything goes to hell. Dated in many ways, Miracle Mile still retains its 80s charm and is a refreshing indie flick to watch.
(8/10)
#70 Matilda (1996)
A fairly faithful adaptation of the Roal Dahl classic about a little girl with an advanced intellect and extraordinary powers. Its transference from mid-to-late century England to 90s America is slightly odd but once you get past that it's an inventive and moving film about a talented child up against horrible parents and even more horrible school (in the shape of the ghastly Ms Trunchbull). Great fun.
(8/10)
#71 Coco (2017)
The Mexican Day of the Dead gets the animated film treatment in this colourful and touching story about family and grief. Less action-y than previous Pixar films, but the visuals succeed at maintaining interest during the more mundane moments.
(7/10)
#72 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Having now given this a repeat viewing, I am more convinced that this film is a decent bit of filmmaking and doesn’t warrant any of the fan-hate in my opinion. Even some of the slightly questionable moments cease to be an issue second time round, and what emerges is a complex story about failure and loss in the midst of overwhelming odds. My only criticism is the length: 2.5 hours is a hefty runtime for a family blockbuster and I hope the next instalment aims to keep things trimmer
(8/10)
#73 The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
A bit pointless, given the excellent BBC radio play and TV series, but this blockbuster take on Douglas Adams' sci-fi comedy at least delivers on the visuals that only a hollywood movie can accomplish. It's a manic rush through a fairly complicated storyline, and there's a lot to cram in (and as a result, some quite noticeable omissions). My main gripe is Mos Def, who just seems to mumble his way through his lines – although he does looks good in his part as Ford Prefect.
(7/10)
#74 The Shape of Water (2017)
A love affair between a fish man and mute woman doesn't sound like the greatest of movie pitches, but Guillermo Del Toro's Oscar-winner surprises with a beautfiul and touching story set in Cold War America. Performances from all of the main actors are fantastic and the sets are up to Del Toro's usual standards.
#75 Man on the Moon (1999)
The legend of Andy Kaufman is explored in this biography that explores the enigmatic performer's life, cut all too short by lung cancer in 1984. Jim Carrey is mesmerising as Andy, bringing his own 'Carreyness' to the character. Whilst extremely faithful to Andy's legacy, the film seems to focus more on the negative aspects of his behaviour rather than the positive - which is maybe why it didn't do so well at the box office. Even so, an important film.
(7.5/10)
#76 The BFG (2016)
Two great storytellers, Spielberg and Dahl, collide in this strong adaptation of the beloved children's book. Mark Rylance's BFG is spellbinding, and newcomer Melissa Mathison is extremely likeable as the strong-willed but tender Sophie. Given some of the subject matter (ie giants eating children), it manages to steer clear of anything too horrific and give a touching tale of two lonely souls uniting to defeat evil.
(8/10)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment