#9 Manchester-by-the-sea (2016)
A man with a tormented past must care for his nephew after his brother's death. This is a moving and emotional portrayal of grief and the burden of responsibility, with Casey Affleck giving a great performance. The ending is a bit disappointing ... not sure if it's the conclusion I would have liked, but still a great piece of work.
(9/10)
#10 The Post (2017)
Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in this period piece that explores the Washington Post's involvement in the uncovering of military secrets, proving the US Government lied to the public about the war in Vietnam over several administrations. A fascinating insight into government corruption and the struggle for the media to exercise free speech, this is a hugely relevent story to today's 'fake news' hysteria.
(8/10)
#11 The Disaster Artist (2017)
Hilarious biopoic of actors Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero as they set out to make Wiseau's movie off their own backs only for it to become widely regarded as the worst movie ever made. It's a fairly standard underdog story (Wiseau's initial failure takes a volte-face as his movie becomes a cult hit), but the Franco brothers' performances are brilliant (especially James as Wiseau) and it's kind of inspiring for anyone out there who wants to pursue their dreams.
(8/10)
#12 Inside Out (2015)
Pixar's attempt at exploring the psyche of a child going through a traumatic experience, which is very clever and worthy but doesn't really make sense if you think it through hard enough. This is one of my least favourite Pixar movie's mainly because I think it tries too hard to be deep and thought-provoking. Even so, a bad Pixar film is still a decent movie which says a lot about the team behind it.
(6/10)
#13 Ready Player One (2018)
This is one of those movies I can't help watching over and over. It's a solid guilty pleasure that doesn't hold up logically under close scrutiny, but the plethora of pop culture references along with Spielberg's steady hand make up for it. Whether it will hold up in ten or twenty years time is anyone's guess – but you never know...
(8/10)
#14 Oceans 8 (2018)
Enjoyable sequel to the male-dominated Ocean franchise, this time with an all-female gang (led by Danny Ocean’s sister) attempting to steal a $150m Cartier diamond necklace. Doesn’t quite have the same laughs and wit as the previous films but worth watching nonetheless.
(7/10)
#15 How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
I have always been a big fan of the first Dragon film. It's funny, witty, inventive and moving in equal measure. The sequel was OK ... and so was this, the third in the trilogy. The first film is just so good, it's pretty much impossible to repeat its greatness. There are some minor interesting moments in this final Dragons movie, but thankfully it ends well. It's a definite conclusion to the series and gives a satisfying sign-off for the inhabitants of Berk.
(5.5/10)
#16 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
I’m watching these Marvel films in a pretty random order but it’s not too difficult to figure out what’s going on. Cap has to go underground when it’s revealed that Hydra has infiltrated the top levels of government. He also has to deal with his former best friend-turned-super-soldier-assassin who's out to kill him. Mindless fun.
(7/10)
#17 Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
With a bit of help from James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez brings the eponymous Manga comic book to life with some impressive CGI and several great set pieces. It's let down by the 'uncanny valley' feel of the effects (they're still not quite perfect), which I suspect suffered as a result of the 3D production process. Christoph Waltz seems half-hearted in his performance, but Rosa Salazar is great as the heroine. There's too much reliance on a follow-up sequel but this is definitely the way to do manga right on the big screen.
(7.5/10)
#18 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawntreader (2010)
The third (and last so far from this series) Narnia tale for the silver screen, it actually stands up quite well despite the fact that the previous two films were more superior. The diffculty is that CS Lewis' book is not particularly film-friendly and there is an obvious struggle to reconcile the two formats. Even so, it's a decent attempt – no doubt well-steered by Michael Apted's directing chops. Enjoyable Narnian fun.
(7.5/10)
#19 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
If there's ever a sequel that had a lot to live up to, it was this film. The Lego Movie was near-perfect (aside from the gratuitous product placement), and so doing a follow-up was never going to be easy. It does struggle at the beginning, but it finds its feet eventually with some catchy music and slew of expected cultural references – all tied up in a plot that involves going to the Sistar System and confronting an evil queen (or something). Oh, and there's some time travel involved too. When all is said and done, though, this is not the first Lego Movie. Enjoyable, but disappointing at the same time.
(6.5/10)
#20 Lady Bird (2017)
An excellent teen coming-of-age tale that manages to capture the female perspective remarkably well - with humour, sensitivity and emotion. It's 'period' setting (2002) is fascinating, as is the lives of youngsters on the cusp of the smartphone / internet revolution. Saoirse Ronan nails it as the plucky teenager grappling with her mum's controlling parenting style while pining for freedom and independence but also desperate for security and comfort in the place she grew up.
(9/10)
A man with a tormented past must care for his nephew after his brother's death. This is a moving and emotional portrayal of grief and the burden of responsibility, with Casey Affleck giving a great performance. The ending is a bit disappointing ... not sure if it's the conclusion I would have liked, but still a great piece of work.
(9/10)
#10 The Post (2017)
Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in this period piece that explores the Washington Post's involvement in the uncovering of military secrets, proving the US Government lied to the public about the war in Vietnam over several administrations. A fascinating insight into government corruption and the struggle for the media to exercise free speech, this is a hugely relevent story to today's 'fake news' hysteria.
(8/10)
#11 The Disaster Artist (2017)
Hilarious biopoic of actors Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero as they set out to make Wiseau's movie off their own backs only for it to become widely regarded as the worst movie ever made. It's a fairly standard underdog story (Wiseau's initial failure takes a volte-face as his movie becomes a cult hit), but the Franco brothers' performances are brilliant (especially James as Wiseau) and it's kind of inspiring for anyone out there who wants to pursue their dreams.
(8/10)
#12 Inside Out (2015)
Pixar's attempt at exploring the psyche of a child going through a traumatic experience, which is very clever and worthy but doesn't really make sense if you think it through hard enough. This is one of my least favourite Pixar movie's mainly because I think it tries too hard to be deep and thought-provoking. Even so, a bad Pixar film is still a decent movie which says a lot about the team behind it.
(6/10)
#13 Ready Player One (2018)
This is one of those movies I can't help watching over and over. It's a solid guilty pleasure that doesn't hold up logically under close scrutiny, but the plethora of pop culture references along with Spielberg's steady hand make up for it. Whether it will hold up in ten or twenty years time is anyone's guess – but you never know...
(8/10)
#14 Oceans 8 (2018)
Enjoyable sequel to the male-dominated Ocean franchise, this time with an all-female gang (led by Danny Ocean’s sister) attempting to steal a $150m Cartier diamond necklace. Doesn’t quite have the same laughs and wit as the previous films but worth watching nonetheless.
(7/10)
#15 How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
I have always been a big fan of the first Dragon film. It's funny, witty, inventive and moving in equal measure. The sequel was OK ... and so was this, the third in the trilogy. The first film is just so good, it's pretty much impossible to repeat its greatness. There are some minor interesting moments in this final Dragons movie, but thankfully it ends well. It's a definite conclusion to the series and gives a satisfying sign-off for the inhabitants of Berk.
(5.5/10)
#16 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
I’m watching these Marvel films in a pretty random order but it’s not too difficult to figure out what’s going on. Cap has to go underground when it’s revealed that Hydra has infiltrated the top levels of government. He also has to deal with his former best friend-turned-super-soldier-assassin who's out to kill him. Mindless fun.
(7/10)
#17 Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
With a bit of help from James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez brings the eponymous Manga comic book to life with some impressive CGI and several great set pieces. It's let down by the 'uncanny valley' feel of the effects (they're still not quite perfect), which I suspect suffered as a result of the 3D production process. Christoph Waltz seems half-hearted in his performance, but Rosa Salazar is great as the heroine. There's too much reliance on a follow-up sequel but this is definitely the way to do manga right on the big screen.
(7.5/10)
#18 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawntreader (2010)
The third (and last so far from this series) Narnia tale for the silver screen, it actually stands up quite well despite the fact that the previous two films were more superior. The diffculty is that CS Lewis' book is not particularly film-friendly and there is an obvious struggle to reconcile the two formats. Even so, it's a decent attempt – no doubt well-steered by Michael Apted's directing chops. Enjoyable Narnian fun.
(7.5/10)
#19 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
If there's ever a sequel that had a lot to live up to, it was this film. The Lego Movie was near-perfect (aside from the gratuitous product placement), and so doing a follow-up was never going to be easy. It does struggle at the beginning, but it finds its feet eventually with some catchy music and slew of expected cultural references – all tied up in a plot that involves going to the Sistar System and confronting an evil queen (or something). Oh, and there's some time travel involved too. When all is said and done, though, this is not the first Lego Movie. Enjoyable, but disappointing at the same time.
(6.5/10)
#20 Lady Bird (2017)
An excellent teen coming-of-age tale that manages to capture the female perspective remarkably well - with humour, sensitivity and emotion. It's 'period' setting (2002) is fascinating, as is the lives of youngsters on the cusp of the smartphone / internet revolution. Saoirse Ronan nails it as the plucky teenager grappling with her mum's controlling parenting style while pining for freedom and independence but also desperate for security and comfort in the place she grew up.
(9/10)
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