Top 5 Movies of 2000-2004

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001/2002/2003)

Possibly the greatest fantasy films ever, I'm counting all three together because they are all from the same original story and are all released in this time period. It's so rare to have a cannon of films which all receive similar praise, even The Godfather trilogy has a fall with their third film, but all three of these films are deservedly considered incredibly. Along with all the best fantasy films Lord of the Rings has great acting, high tech CGI (although it's beginning to look a little dated), a good script and a wonderful soundtrack which combine to make great films but also realistic fantasy. It's rare for a fantasy film to get popular appeal and be recognised by the awards, this trilogy won 17 Oscars in total and get 8.8/8.9 on IMDb which shows that these films are successful in all possibly ways within this industry. Unfortunately The Hobbit films barely compare to Lord of the Rings, but I guess getting a good thing three times around is difficult, let alone trying to make it happen 6 times.



2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

These films keep rolling out but the first is still the best so they really need to stop making more. It's got a fantastic cast of characters from the memorable Jack Sparrow, to the kick-ass Elizabeth Swan but then also the bland Will Turner. Pirates are always fun, as long as they're the fictional swash-buckling kind, and this film creates a wonderfully fun and charming take on the pirate stereotype. It's one of those films where people of any age leave the cinema wanting to hop onto a ship and sail for treasure, and those are the bet kinds of films. You can't go wrong with this film, but you can go wrong with making too many pointless sequels (please stop).



3. Love Actually (2003)

The best rom-com ever, this is the rom-com to end all rom-coms, if you want to watch a rom-com this is the rom-com for you. It's got a great cast, is funny, has multiple plots for which ever type of love story you like, and it's set at Christmas time so there is always an excuse to watch it when the weather get a little cooler. I can't deny that I'm a fan of Richard Curtis, from his films to TV work he's excellent, and this is a good example of the kind of stuff he does, charming, funny and very British. This film also isn't overly sentimental, obviously there are a lot of cheesy moments, but there is also more alternative versions of love. If you want to watch a rom-com, this is the one to watch, whether for your first time or your 100th re-watch, watch Love Actually.



4. Belleville Rendezvous (2003)

A French animation with little/no dialogue but a very catchy song, what could be better? Everyone knows Pixar, Disney and Studio Ghibli but Sylvain Chomet should be another name that people who like animations are aware of. It is odd, be aware of that, there are Mafioso types who melt into each other, a tiny grandmother with uneven legs, and ageing singers who fish for frogs with bombs for their dinner. It's a typical French film where you just have to accept what you're seeing rather than questioning, because then you can enjoy it for what it is. If you're looking for a slight alternative to the more common animations, then this is amazing. 



5. Moulin Rouge (2001)

Not everyone's favourite musical, but as someone who really likes cover song and Baz Luhrmann  this is an amazing musical for me. It's a very pretty film with distracting costumes and colours if you don't like the rest of the film. It's a slightly flimsy plot, about misidentity and passionate love, but there is enough plot to keep you interested in between songs. Seeing Jim Broadbent singing Queen is one of the best thing you will see in the history of film. It's another film that you shouldn't take too seriously and just enjoy it for what it is, Jim Broadbent singing and a lot of bright colours. If you don't like musicals, maybe try this one, if you like musicals I assume you've already seen it.

Top 5 Movies of 2005-2009

So, I accidentally chose all 5 films from 2009 but I'm not going to change that because these were my favourite films. Obviously 2009 was a vintage year!



1. District 9 (2009)

The most under-rated sci-fi film, although the director, Neill Blomkamp, and the star, Sharlto Copley, are now getting more recognition with Blomkamp's larger budget Elysium and Copley being in Maleficent. For a relatively small budget the CG created aliens are amazing, especially because they're so intricate, and it's interesting to see aliens shown as neither the enemy or the friend but as complex characters. The film is in a mocumentary style and then falls away from that, I love mocumentaries and the fact Blomkamp doesn't stick too rigidly to it. The most disappointing thing about this film is that it feels incomplete and I am still hoping for sequel eventually. Worth watching even if you're not a fan of traditional sci-fi because it doesn't take place in space and deals with very human issues.


2. Up (2009)

With the greatest opening of a film ever, Up never gets boring even after re-watching it thousands of times. Up taps into a lot of basic human fears about living life to the fullest and achieving your goals, which is what makes this film so amazing for a wide range of people. It has an annoying but oddly loveable cast of characters, with the grumpy Carl, endlessly chatty Russel and desperately friendly Dug, and you want all of these characters to just be happy because they all suffer from loneliness, another very common feeling. Up is also a very beautiful because it is animated with such colour and vibrancy, one moment in particular was when the balloons filled a little girls room with multi colour lights is very memorable. It's a typical Pixar film, family friendly and with a lot of heart. 



3. 500 Days of Summer (2009)

This is such a lovely, charming film and it does make you fall in love with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Tom but unfortunately a lot of people hate Summer because she is the one who breaks Tom's heart. This is quite a misinterpreted film, I'm not sure how it's meant to be interpreted but it's not meant to be a pure love story and yet everyone thinks of it as such, it's almost more of a cautionary tale about falling in love too quickly. Aside from the story, the film is created beautifully, with Marc Webb incorporating interesting techniques like an Expectation vs. Reality split screen or a shot which is transformed into a sketch. It's one of the better rom-coms because it doesn't deal with The One, but rather shows a realistic portrays of a transitional relationship, which is rare to see. Along with being a cute but realistic film, it's also funny, so it's a good film for a date night (maybe) because hopefully everyone can enjoy it.



4. Inglorious Bastards (2009)

Everyone loves a bit of Quentin Tarantino and this is one of his most approachable films because it isn't quite so abstract and stylised as Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction, and deals with a very common filmic topic of WWII. It's wonderful to see a big Hollywood film filled with European or bilingual actors who can actually speak the languages, Tarantino even makes fun of the American actors trying to speak Italian, and it is nice for a Hollywood film to actually cast people correctly rather than just getting big stars and trying to train them to speak in certain languages or accents. Everything about this film is masterful, from cinematography to script to acting, and this makes for an enjoyable watch for the casual viewer and film buffs. It's also funny, bloody and fast paced (for a 153 minute film) so you don't get bored, despite the length. It's just a very good, well made and fun film, so I find very little reason that it shouldn't be on this list.



5. Star Trek (2009)

I haven't seen anything else in the Star Trek cannon but this film creates an exciting alternate universe from the originals to introduce a new generation to the franchise. It's a good sci-fi action film that introduces the characters and world really well, which allows the old fans to understand the differences between this version and the previous ones, as well as new fans to get a grasp on everything. The story was really interesting, because it's about parallel universes and time jumps, etc. which I think is a popular subject for most sci-fi fans because it's so interesting, and this also allows these films to head off into a different direction than the earlier version. It's brave to remake a very popular franchise, because although you will definitely make money you will also suffer from fan-boy hate, however this film's popularity is testament to the skill and care of its creators. For a fan of sci-fi, you can't go far wrong with Star Trek.

Top 5 Movies of 2010-2014

This will be a 5 part series where I pick my 5 favourite films within 5 year time periods, enjoy :)


1. Life of Pi (2012)

This is one of the greatest films ever, not just of this time period, because it is visually flawless but also manages to make the story of a boy in a boat fascinating (something that I felt that the book didn't do). Also, any film that shows animals in such a positive, respectful and realistic light makes me happy. The veteran director Ang Lee creates another stellar film but doesn't rest on famous actors, instead casting the unknown Suraj Sharma in the lead, which shows the strength of his conviction in his film not needing big names to draw in the audiences. You could watch this film with the sound off and just enjoy how beautiful it is and the superior CGI, however I do feel that it will begin to look dated as a lot of films do because technology is constantly advancing and we become more aware. Life of Pi is a film that I not only enjoyed but I believe is a master-class of film-making and I hope that it is one of those enduring films in the future.



2. Inception (2010)

Confusing to some but enjoyable for all, with an amazing cast, director and writer this film couldn't really fail and certainly didn't disappoint. The film was advertised in such an odd way that I remember going to the cinema without a clue of what will happen and, to be honest, throughout the film I was a little confused, but after millions of re-watches it actually makes sense. It's a typical Nolan film with a lot of complexities and subtleties, so if you like Nolan's style then this will be for you, and if you don't watch it anyway! This film is dripping with stars, worthy of their fame, and carries Nolan's name which is possibly a reason for its initially success, however the film itself that has made it endure. The best thing about this film was that everyone walked out excited, thinking and discussing which is what a film should make its audience do.



3. Toy Story 3 (2010)

I am a major Pixar fan girl, so obviously Pixar will appear on some of these lists, and the Toy Story trilogy are three equally amazing films and an incredible trilogy. Toy Story 3 does what the other two did, introduces amazing new characters, makes you fall in love with the old ones again, and spends 100 minutes focusing on a charming story. The first film came out 15 years before this, and this means that many of the little ones who watched the first were grown and therefore the emotional kick behind this narrative hit home for a lot of people. It has the Pixar heart of humour mixed with emotion and works so well for children and adults. This film is one of the most emotive Pixar films, making most people cry at some point, and would be a fitting end to the trilogy, although I think (and hope) it will become a tetralogy.



4. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Although this is a recent discovery, it is a great one, because this film is so charming, witty and beautiful that it jut makes me smile. Similar to Inception because it has a big cast and very famous director, so it was going to successful but, again, the actual film lived up to expectations and quickly became my favourite of this year so far. It's another beautiful film and focuses on every little detail to ensure that each shot is perfected. The plot was good, although when writing this review I forgot what it was so clearly the film focuses less on the major plot but rather focuses on the more minor details, which is fine because you never lose the point of the film, you just don't focus on it. Sometimes Wes Anderson films go over my head but this one was perfect, so even if you're not a Wes Anderson fan you could try this film to ease yourself in; I think the main tip is to just go along with everything that happens without quetioning it.



5. The Intouchables (2011)

I do like a good French film but rarely find films in foreign languages funny because there is a barrier because of the reading and linguistic nuances, but this film was laugh-out-loud funny. I'm surprised it didn't get more Oscar attention, but I suppose the 'foreign language' film award is generally given to more emotive films. Despite being overlooked by the American awards this film is an impressive balance of humour and emotion so that you care about the characters and like them. It's one of the few French films that I've seen but if more are like this I hope French films become more commonly shown in England. Both actors are going on to do more English/American films and I would love to see the writers/directors to also do a film in English, just so that I can fully appreciate one of their films (especially with my lazy nature).

Orange is the New Black - TV programme for Netflix

★★★★★

5 word summary:

Shawshank with women (and better)

5 sentence review:

I started watching this because Netflix wouldn't stop promoting it and I had seen a lot of positive things about it online so I caved, and I'm so glad I did because now I'm re-watching it because it was so good.

It has a lot of obvious positive traits, such as a large female cast  (of different shapes, sizes and races), gay characters, social commentary, transgender character, etc. and this is actually  what made me hesitant to watch it in the first place because I though that was what everyone loved, rather than the programme itself.

I was pleasantly surprised that not only were there diverse female characters, but well written ones; storylines were interesting and heartfelt; the humour is on point; and everything about the programme draws you into their world and the characters' lives so that you care and are interested. 

The plots are slightly extreme to add to the humour and drama, such as the chicken story, however they never go too far into the realms of the unbelievable that you disengage (I now really want to read the book to see how close to the original authors version it is).

I couldn't really recommend this programme enough, because there is a little something for everyone and it's only 26 hour in total (2 seasons with 13 episodes) so if you're really committed you can watch it in just over a day (although it took me 5 I think).

5 good things:

1. The characters (my favourites are Nichols, Morello and Poussey) 

2.  It's funny

3. Hair and costuming is amazing (looking at how the prisoners look outside of the show)

4. Most of the back stories are so good and well integrated within the main storyline (I normally don't like dual narratives but they make this work very well)

5. 'Scatter the nuns!' - my favourite quote

5 bad thing:

1.  Not enough of Nichol's back story (I forgot it had even happened until I re-watched the programme)

2.  Some of the lines are incredibly cheesy and overly metaphorical

3.  Vee was quite cliché, pantomime villain, compared to all the other nuanced character she stood out a bit.

4.  I don't think many people care what is happening outside of the prison, and yet they keep showing us and making big stories happen outside.

5.   This kind of makes me want to go to prison....

22 Jump Street (2014) - Sequel to 21 Jump Street

★★★★☆

5 word summary:

Better than the first one.

5 sentence review:

I wasn't expecting much from the first film but was presently surprised, and the same happened with this one; they really stepped up their game and managed to improve on an already good thing.

The new characters we all really good, especially of Zook and Maya, and they added to the humour of the film without trying to overshadow Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill's characters, and replaced Dave Franco without making me miss him.

The plot was definitely put aside in favour of the comedy, but that is ok because they delivered on the laughs and part of the joke was that the film was a little repetitive, clichéd and excessive, so everything worked really well.

It's difficult to analyse this film because the basics are: if you want to laugh this is a good film for you, it's especially good for people (like me) who want to de-stress after their uni exams.

I hope that there is a third because the films definitely don't disappoint, however I am wondering where they would go next.

5 good things:

1.  It's actually funny.

2.  So self aware and so amazing, 'it's looks just like an ice cube!'


3. Good use of new/old characters.

4. Despite being quite long for a comedy, it didn't feel long.

5. The credits were very clever.

5 bad things:

1. College is just not how it's portrayed in films

2. There seems to be a suggestion that they don't want to do another one (although with all the good reviews about this, I'm sure there will be a third)

3.  Why does Jonah Hill always get the girl? And the incredibly pretty girls at that.

4. The villains/twist wasn't great, although it was quite redundant anyway because the jokes are more important than the plot.

5. Struggling to think of any more...