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| Ben Mendelsohn walking around being evil |
I have just seen this movie at the weekend so the
primacy effect might be going on here but I absolutely loved this film. There
is so much to enjoy in this. The first two thirds are interesting and fun but
the last part of the movie is genuinely amazing. Great cast from Felicity Jones
down but I’ve got to single out the go-to guy for dirtbag villains – Ben
Mendelsohn, someone I’ve liked since Animal Kingdom. The director handled any number of Easter eggs for fans with surprising lightness of touch and this can really
annoy me, for example the great Bond film Skyfall is marred by the inclusion of
a Bond spy car. Two fashion points –
someone high up on this film really wanted to bring mustaches back into fashion and
Ben Mendelson rocks a cape.
2. 2. The Nice Guys
Seeing Ryan Gosling being hilarious in a
film is a genuine treat for me (much like when Jon Hamm was funny in 30 Rock)
as it adds another string to his already nearly perfect bow. Another crime-comedy caper
from Shane Black of Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang fame and I really
enjoyed it. I already essentially love Ryan Gosling, and Russell Crowe was quite
likeable in this, which felt like something of a triumph in of itself. The criminal conspiracy at the heart of the film is refreshingly small stakes and is vaguely plausible within the characters' powers to solve.
3. 3, Spotlight
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| Budget cuts in decorating for Sterling Cooper |
Going back right to the beginning of the
year a film that made looking in old books dramatic and tense. Fantastic
ensemble cast but nice to see John Slattery
not playing a bastard for once. This film took a topic that is very
difficult to talk about and made it into a film that engrossed people.
4. 4. Hail Caesar!
You know, I used to really dislike Channing
Tatum, I had him pegged as someone with no acting talent and perhaps some
dancing talent, but after enjoying his performance in Haywire and his part in
Hail, Caesar! I’ve come round to him. The film is collection of stories set in
the golden age of Hollywood, from a communist kidnap plot to a star actress’s
unexpected pregnancy with lots of people putting in good performances – all tied
together by Josh Brolin’s studio fixer character- but Channing Tatum as the star of a new
musical is what I’ve remembered most. Oh and "Would that it were so simple".
5. 5. High Rise
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| Note to rich people - if you throw parties where you dress like 18th Century French aristocrats you've really only got yourself to blame for what happens next |
I’m not sure if “liked” or “enjoyed” are the right words to use with this film but it had a profound effect on me. It’s one of the most unsettling films I have ever seen and the rising sense of tension and just an awful feeling that something terrible was going to happen was almost unbearable. The film set it’s stall out in it’s first minute (apparently the book does this as well, the same awful act is the first line of the book) and then it showed you these civilised people ended up like this.
6 6.The Neon Demon
Another film that is hard to say I liked
but really stuck with me. I am a big fan of Nicolas Winding Refn (best known
for Drive) and didn’t even let the subject matter of the film – it’s about the
fashion industry – put me off. It’s a good film that is made brilliant in the
last twenty minutes which completely change everything about the film.
7. 7. Deadpool
The one good thing about the Wolverine
origins film was Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool and since then a Deadpool film
has been in the works. Ryan Reynolds was well suited to the constantly talking,
constantly joking, fourth wall breaking anti-hero and while the film was very funny with some good
action scenes what I really liked was the relationship between Wade Wilson and his
girlfriend played by Firefly alumnus Morena Baccarin, which was like nothing I'd seen before.
8. 8. The Jungle Book
I was very surprised by how good this film was.
Not only were comparisons to the Disney classic inevitable (the first film I
remember seeing in the cinema) but virtually everything in the movie apart from
Mowgli is CGI and that seemed like a recipe for disaster. Nevertheless the film was hugely entertaining and the realism of
the CGI animals is outstanding and they look completely, absolutely real.
9. 9. Triple 9
This thriller didn’t do terribly well but I
enjoyed it. There are three great scenes, the first, the one most apparent in
the trailer, is the getaway from a bank heist were red dye packs hidden amongst
the stolen loot exploded, the third not exactly a police car chase but a police
race to the scene of a crime where cop Woody Harrelson broke just about every traffic law going. The second is the best and most tense – a terrifying police
raid that upset the carefully laid plans set up by the protagonists. The basic
plot is crooked cops are forced to do an impossible heist, the only way to
succeed is do a “Triple 9” the police code for when a police officer is shot. The
film was directed by John Hillcoat who has previously made The Proposition, The
Road and Lawless and as I liked all of them and was impressed with the cast
I was well-disposed to like the film.
1 10. The Revenant
Again, a film from early in the year, I’ll
probably never watch this again but it was quite something. I’ve been a
big fan of Leonardo Di Caprio for a long time – since The Man In The Iron Mask
– and so was very glad he finally got his Oscar. Sometimes when you’re watching
a film based on real events, as this one is, you might sit and reflect about
how you couldn’t have gone through what the character did, you’re not tough
enough, not strong enough. Well I’m happy to admit that not only could I not have gone through what the character went through but I couldn’t have gone through what the actor went through for the film,
which sounded very unpleasant. I don’t like the theme in Oscars in rewarding
roles that required a lot of endurance on the part of the actor, rather than
acting ability, but it’s undeniable Di Capio went through a lot to finally get
his Oscar.
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