Top 15 Films of 2015 (Part 3)

I know, I know. Late again! I have been sick this week, the sort of sick that makes your brain go fuzzy. But here I am, ready to finally release the last part of my list. If you're still with me, thanks!

Also, this is my 100th blog! Hooray for me! I can't be bothered do a proper celebratory thing, I have other things I want to talk about! Let's get on with it.

5. A Royal Night Out

This was probably the most historically inaccurate film I saw this year! But it more than justified it's inaccuracies with the story that it wanted to tell. A Royal Night Out follows the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret as they go out to celebrate peace finally coming at the end of WW2. It's a very simple premise, but the film uses this idea to explore not only how the royal family were affected by the war, but also how the British public were affected, and the relationship between the two. It's a good exploration of British wartime mentality, whilst also being a critique on how the war infected every part of British life. And that's saying quite a lot for a film that also acts as a fish out of water comedy for some of Margaret's escapades. It's a fun film, that explores a part of modern history I'm particularly interested in, and while the story may not be even remotely accurate, the emotions that are explored about the end of WW2 certainly are.

4. Mad Max Fury Road

This film was epic! The chase scenes, the fight scenes, the cinematography, the characters! Everything was incredible! It's also so refreshing to see an action film were there are almost an equal amount of male and female roles, and also just to see an action film nominated for Best Picture. The whole internet has also talked about this film pretty much non-stop since this film came out, which is awesome (despite some comments not being that nice). I don't really know what else to add, other than this is just a fun and epic film to watch, and I really hope it wins at the Oscars this year!

3. Spy

I was not impressed when I first saw the trailer for this film, but being a big Miranda Hart fan I went to see it. Maybe it was because I had such low expectations, but this was the funniest film I saw all year. So funny in fact, that I saw it twice! I was so blown away by this film. All the actors were hilarious, and clearly having so much fun. Especially Jason Statham, who was playing up his thug persona, and Rose Byrne, who I've never seen so animated in a film before! Melissa McCarthy and Miranda Hart worked excellently off each other, and I really like that this was also an action film that prominently featured female characters who supported each other throughout the film. It was such a fun film, and my biggest laugh of the year!

2. Carol

This film is so beautiful! Every second of it could be framed and put on your wall. It's so awesome to see a lesbian romance filmed in such a gorgeous way. Of course, it's just nice to see such a mainstream lesbian romance for once. The way the story unfolds is almost flawless, you get swept up immediately in the love affair between Cate Blanchett's and Rooney Mara's characters, and the ending is perfect! We need more films like this. Films that are shot in a beautiful style that harks back to the 50s. Films with characters that break your heart. Films with acting that blow your mind. Films that revolve around romance, but are still intelligent and heart-warming. I saw this film on New Years Eve, and it was the best possible way to bring the new year in!

1. Phoenix

I'm not going to lie. I spent a long time puzzling over what film was going to be number one. But after looking over all of the ones that I'd seen, I realised that it had to be Phoenix. There wasn't another film that managed to homage old Hollywood dramas while also being completely original. No other film managed to have acting that was so naturalistic you didn't even know it was acting. No other film managed to keep me guessing right up until the gut punching ending. It's another film that deals with the immediate aftermath of WW2, but instead set in war torn Berlin. I don't really want to give any information about the plot, since it's better if you go in not knowing what happens, but I will say that it is a film that deals with how people managed to adjust back into some semblance of normal life. It also deals with how concentration camp survivors came back to find that everything they had known was gone. I can't really put into words how good this film was. It builds up slowly and brilliantly to an ending that leaves you reeling and also wanting more. This was the only film of the year where people actually clapped as the end credits started to roll. I hope more people go and see it, including myself again, and I hope they get as much out of it as I did.

I don't really know how to end this. That was 2015 for me in terms of films. Hopefully, when I've stopped being sick, I will be going to see a few more films this year than last year. But we'll see. I think my madcap days of going to see every possible film out have left me at last. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the list and feel free to disagree with me as much as you want. Until next time readers, keep your powder dry!

Top 15 Films of 2015 (Part 2)

Well, I did have every intention of getting this out earlier, but some personal shit got in the way and I ended up lying on the sofa crying for the past two days. Not that that's important, just thought you should know.

Anyway, let's get on with part 2!

10. Birdman

I think Michael Keaton became one of my favourite actors because of this film. His performance is  excellent, as a B-movie actor who is trying to reclaim lost fame. But then everyone is this film is really excellent. Of course, the way it's shot is also interesting, and it helps highlight the backstage politics of the theatre while also seamlessly moving from scene to scene. But what I really like about this film is the many different ways in which it can be read and analysed, and I am so happy that such a strange film became Best Picture at last years Oscar's, especially against such high quality competition.

9. Love & Mercy

I don't think many people saw this film, which is a shame cause it's so good! Even if you're not the biggest fan of the Beach Boys, Love & Mercy is able to tell it's story without alienating it's audience. I also really like the way this film is structured, and how it talks about two periods of great importance in Brian Wilson's life, the creation of the Pet Sounds album in the 60s and his persecution under Eugene Landy in the 80s. Paul Dano and John Cusack both give fantastic performances of a vulnerable man pushed to breaking point, with Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Banks giving excellent supporting roles. As a biopic for one of musics greatest genius', you can't get any better than this.

8. The Bélier Family

So, fun story. I thought I'd missed this film, because the release date changed from April to Boxing Day down in Australia. I'm so glad I didn't! This is just a fun feel good film, that despite it's flaws, made me laugh and cry. Focusing on a teenage girl who is the only one of her family who isn't deaf, this coming of age story is a little weird in it's premise and a little heavy handed in it's execution, but I just loved it all the same. I think this has a lot to do with Louane Emera as Paula, a girl who is reluctant to leave her family and pursue a career in singing. There's something so awkward and un-Hollywood about her performance that it makes it feel real. And you know what, sometimes you just need a feel good film with some good singing.

7. Amy

Knowing what happened to Amy Winehouse only makes this documentary all the more heartbreaking. Because it could all have been prevented if she had the right support system. This was an interesting documentary, not only in what it told about Winehouse, but also how it was put together. I know that previously the director had made Senna using the same technique of solely using overlay and archival footage while interviews where played, but I haven't seen that. Yet. I also get the criticisms that this film garnered about how it focused on Amy's drug and alcohol abuse rather than her music, but I think that by knowing the extent of that abuse it makes her music now all the more poignant. By showing us what happened to Amy, we better understand her and her music, and how this tragedy came to be.

6. 99 Homes

Another film that is vastly underrated and more people need to see, about a man so desperate to save his family home that he will do anything to make money, even if it means working with the man who evicted him in the first place. I talk a lot about acting in these little synopsis', but I'm gonna stick my head and say right hear that the acting in 99 Homes is the most realistic that you will see all year. The fact that Andrew Garfield was not nominated for an Oscar is criminal. And this coming from someone who hadn't really been impressed by Garfield until seeing this film. Coming from a director who isn't afraid to show how reality destroys the American Dream, 99 Homes will have you on the edge of your seat as you watch our protagonist sink further and further. Michael Shannon is also great, and I am so excited to see him in Elvis and Nixon which will hopefully come out later this year. One of the best underrated films of the last year!

So, this part was kinda dominated by films about music. Believe me, I didn't plan that at all! Anyway, assuming nothing unforeseen happens (again!), I will get the final part out as soon as possible! Until next time readers, keep your powder dry.

Top 15 Films of 2015 (Part 1)

At last! I would've started this list earlier, but I went on a camp this past weekend and I have only just recovered. Never again, I hate tents. Anyway, welcome to part one of my favourite 15 films of last year! This is a very weird list, but I kinda like that. There are some films that people may not have heard of, some massive blockbusters, and some that might just be mediocre to others. But these are the films that have stayed with me throughout 2015, either because I enjoyed watching them so much or because I haven't been able to get them out of my head.

Just a word of warning before we start though. 2015 was a pretty good year for films. When I first started putting this list together, there were over 30 films on it. So, I had to cut back a lot. The films that didn't make the final list are still excellent films, but either I didn't connect with them as I did the actual films on this list, or I didn't think they were as good. But I do want to mention them briefly. So, the films that didn't make this list are The Imitation Game, Still Alice, Mr Holmes, Iris, Miss You Already, Legend, Spectre, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. All of them excellent films, and I would recommend all of them!

Anyway, on with the list!

15. London Road

This film has haunted me from the moment I saw it. It's beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and is probably the most original musical in the past five years. This is about the Ipswich Ripper murders from 2006, but instead of being about the murderer or the victims, it instead focuses on the inhabitants of the eponymous street where the killings took place. I think what I really like about this film, though, is the music. The writers interviewed the people of London Road, and then used those interviews to create the songs. And not just the lyrics. The melody was created through the speech patterns and intonations of the residents. Just to put it into perspective, the music in this film is harder to sing than Sondheim. The cast is excellent, led by the wonderful Olivia Colman, and featuring a cameo from Tom Hardy. If you're interested in something a little weird, but still full of character, then I would definitely recommend this. And the music, which is so hard to grasp onto, will somehow stay in your head and rest there, like it has mine.

14. Wild

Again, another film that haunted me but for different reasons. This time, it was mainly for the acting. Reese Witherspoon is one of my favourite actresses, and this is one of her greatest performances. The struggles that she goes through feel so raw, so real, that you really get swept up in the emotional journey that her character, Cheryl Strayed, goes through. The landscape is also beautiful, with excellent cinematography. And the music was also perfect for every scene, and considering I saw this in February last year and can still remember that, that's pretty impressive for a film. Maybe it's just because this reminded me so much of The Way, or maybe it's just because I like films about long treks through the wilderness. For whatever reason, this film has stuck with me, and I cannot wait to watch it again.

13. The Dressmaker

The last 15 minutes of this film are what pushed this onto the list. It is the second best ending of the year. It also helps that I saw this film twice, and found that most of the plot holes I noticed the first time round melted away during the second viewing. I love it when a film can surprise you with every repeated viewing! Kate Winslet is superb, and watching her and Judy Davis act it out on the big screen together was one of the greatest things I saw this year. Do I even need to mention the clothes? Seriously though, I want all the dresses in this film! (well, almost all!) But I think the greatest achievement is how this film twists and turns, you never know what's going to happen next. And I do think that Tilly Dunnage is one of my favourite characters of the year!

12. Kingsman: The Secret Service

I swear, action films are getting better! This was another film I saw twice, and again, got better the more times I watched it. But I still have the feeling of complete and utter shock that came when I first saw this film. The plot of this movie is insane, and you never know what is going to get thrown at you next. But if I could sum up this movie in one word, it would be cool. You've got Colin Firth as a gentleman spy. Cool. Samuel L. Jackson as a villain that is not one note. Cool. Kick-ass female characters (and I mean all the female characters, even the Princess). Fucking cool! The fight scenes were so slick, the acting was excellent. And it introduced the world to Taron Egerton, who I think is going to be the new big thing after this, Legend, and Eddie the Eagle which is coming out later this year. This film is not for the faint hearted. It will shock you, but it will also make you laugh, and gasp, and have fun! And what more could ask. 

11. Suffragette

Can we take a moment to appreciate that this film was directed, produced, and written by women. And now can we take a moment to be completely enraged that it took until 2015 for their to be a mainstream film about the Suffragette movement! I know there are criticisms against this film, that it focuses on a fictional character, that it is racially insensitive. I get those criticisms and why they are valid, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of this film. It doesn't shy away from the terrible things that happened to the women of the Suffragette movement, from what they endured at home, at work, in the prisons they were sent to. I do think this an important film, that focuses on a specific time and place and people, and the acting is excellent. I think it succeeds in telling its story, and in spreading a message that unfortunately is still very prevalent in today's society. Maybe now we can have a biopic about the Pankhurst's led by Queen Meryl herself!

Wow, that got deep really quickly. Anyway, part one is over. I hope you can join for part two, which I hope to get up either tomorrow or Friday. Until next time, readers, keep your powder dry.

Worst Films of 2015

I hope that everyone is keeping cool on this ridiculously hot day. I thought that since I'm already annoyed by the heat, today might be a good day to get this list out of the way. And maybe my ranting will give someone a little chuckle while we try to survive this heat wave.

So, I did not see that many films last years mainly due to time constraints and personal shit going on in my life. Because of that, I was pretty selective about what I went to see. That's why there are only four films on this list. But it also means that the films that are on this list really pissed me off. Like these films aren't just bad, these films offended me on a deep personal level! I'll get into more detail with every film, and I'll try not to get too emotional. I'm not making any promises though.

4. Paper Planes

I love Aussie films. I will always try and go see them in the cinemas, because I want to support the Australian Film Industry. This film, though. Nothing could be gained by watching this film that you couldn't get from the trailer. The acting was phoned in from David Wenham and Sam Worthington, the plot was cliched as hell, and I felt nothing while watching it. It was just boring! And when you see so many excellent films, during a year, being boring is the worst thing you could be.

3. Pan

So, I did do a full review of this film where I said that I was undecided about whether or not I thought this film was good. I guess you can figure out how I made my mind up. If you want to know about my thoughts, then you can read my review here. But the reason it ended up on this list is because after thinking about it, I feel like this film just has no respect for the source material. And this is coming from someone who will defend the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland and the Maleficent movie. This film was just confused, in the worst way possible. I haven't even begun to write about the weirdly racist casting that happened, and it hurts my mind to even think about it. At least Tim Burton was just a little too enthusiastic in his adaptation!

2. Pitch Perfect 2

Dear Hollywood. When you create a musical comedy and want to make a sequel, I suggest that you actually put some musical numbers in it. It's also a good idea to not change characters personalities without any real reason, and why would add new characters when there are some that we haven't had the chance to get to know yet? While some people might disagree, it's generally not a good idea to make your villains more interesting and funny than the protagonists, it makes the audience want to root for the bad guys. And speaking of comedy, crude humour is very hard to make universally funny. Maybe you should study up on it before attempting it again. But most of all, Hollywood, you do not create one of the best and most positive plus size character since Tracy Turnblad only to fat shame her within the first five minutes of your shit pile of a sequel!

1. Knight of Cups

I doubt anyone has heard of this film, let alone seen it. Why would I put this indie art-house, Terence Malick film as the worst film I saw this year? Because to me this was the biggest waste of time of the year! After I left the cinema, it felt like I had wasted 2 hours of my life. This film was a boring mess. Things happened seemingly at random, and I can usually get behind that. But the film had this narration that was trying to be deep and meaningful, but none of it sunk in. It just washed over me in blur of boredom. Not even Christian Bale knew what was going on. And you can tell. So, for putting me almost to sleep, and making me wish that I hadn't wasted my time with this messy pile of pretentious waffle.

So, there we are. Not many bad films this year. And if people are wondering why Jupiter Ascending isn't on this list, let's just say it didn't make me as mad as these films did!

Best Kids Films of 2015

2015 was an excellent year for children's/family films. Almost all of the ones that I saw were excellent in one way or another. A lot of the time I find that a lot more effort is put into big blockbuster kids film than adult films, and I thought I would start this month of lists by talking about some of my favourite kids films that came out last year!

I know in my previous blog I said that there would be five films on this books, but there were six films that stood out, so I just thought I'd do six. Anyway, let's begin!

6. Cinderella

This was such a beautiful film! The costumes, the setting, the music. All so pretty! The acting was also pretty good, with Cate Blanchett chewing scenery with gusto and being deliciously evil to Lily James' hopeful innocence. It is really hard to adapt something like Cinderella, given that there had been so many other adaptations that people know and love. But I think the writers came up with something stands up well on its own, while also paying homage to the Disney version of the story as well.

5. Inside Out

I think I admire the idea of this film better than the execution. There are some problems with the pacing and plot, but I can overlook them for what this film is trying to do. This film is telling children that it's okay to be sad, and it's okay to feel overwhelmed by change. And I think that makes this the most admirable film to come out this year. I also really like the characters, especially Sadness, and I really like how imaginative the world in Riley's head was. There was a lot of thought put into this film, and it shows. The animation is also so beautiful, making it one of Pixar's best films to date.

4. Bill

Horrible Histories does Shakespeare. Does anything else need to be said? This film is just pure fun, from start to finish! The plot follows young Bill (Matthew Baynton) as he tries to make it big in first Stratford-upon-Avon and then London. It also follows the attempts of Philip II of Spain (Ben Willbond) to assassinate Queen Elizabeth (Helen McCrory) and take over the English throne. So much silly stuff is in this film, it's ridiculous. The cast of the Horrible Histories TV show do an excellent job of adapting their humour to a feature length story, and Helen McCrory as Queen Elizabeth is brilliantly batty! It's also the only film about Shakespeare I've seen that actually has Anne Hathaway as a character, which is awesome and needs to happen more.

3. Oddball

One of he best reviews I read for this film said that the only thing bad about it was that there was too much Shane Jacobson and not enough of the cute dog and penguins. I almost agree, but then again, everyone could use more penguins in their life. I adore this film, because you can tell while watching it that the subject matter was very close to the filmmakers heart. We haven't had a really good animal movie in a long time, and this more than makes up for it. Again, there is some excellent acting from some familiar Aussie faces, like Sarah Snook, Deborah Mailman, and Frank Woodley. Alan Tudyk is exceptional, like always, and the story is simple, but heartfelt. A lot of love went into this film, and you can feel it in every scene.

2. The Book of Life

An animated children's film about the Day of the Dead festival. Why has this not happened before? I love the animation of this film where everyone looks like puppets. I love the music, that includes new songs from Us the Duo and Radiohead covers. I love the plot and how it makes fun of stereotypical kids films tropes, I love the characters and how they feel like real people who make mistakes all the time. I just love this film to death. This film doesn't talk down to kids about deep subject matters, and it isn't afraid to show that sometimes you have to work hard and stick to your own instincts if you want to be a hero. I hope more people see this film, and more people love it as much as I do.

1. Shaun the Sheep Movie

So, when I first heard that this film was coming out, I was a little skeptical. I mean, it's a film based on a five minute TV series, that was a spin off of the original Wallace and Gromit short films. I thought that this was going to be mediocre at best. I was wrong. One of the things I was worried about was whether or not the animals were going to speak and spoil all the humour of the TV series. They didn't speak. In fact, no one really spoke in this film. It's pretty much a silent film, which is really brave in this day and age where exposition rules Hollywood films with an iron fist. I was also scared the jokes were going to get old really quickly, but they didn't. The jokes moved with the plot, and nothing really felt forced or awkward. This film is exceptional. The animation is awesome, the music is really good. The plot, while simple, makes sense in this world. If you haven't seen this film, give it a chance. You might just love it as much as I did.

So, that's the first of the lists done. I'll probably be getting up the worst films list by next week at the latest. I'm still working out the order for my best films list. This year is actually quite hard to rank, and I've already had to leave off a couple of the more popular films that people are expecting. But I'll talk more about that when I finally come to putting the list up.

As always, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little list, I definitely enjoyed putting it together. Until next time, readers.