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...

Maleficent (2014) - Newest Live action Disney retelling

★★★☆☆

 

5 word summary:

Good, goes bad, goes good.

5 sentence review:

I was really excited for this film, especially because I love villains, but I was sadly disappointed when it turned out that they decided to give Maleficent a (rubbish) back-story and reasons behind what she does, and go even further to then try to reverse her bad way.

I was hoping that the bad plot decisions would be compensated for a beautiful film, but really it just looked obviously CGI, you could even clearly see how much make up was on some of the actor's faces (young Maleficent in particular) and that ruined things a little bit for me.

Aside from the bad points this was actually quite well cast, Jolie was perfect and I was really pleased to see Sharlto Copley and Sam Riley, who I've seen in other things and think they're very good; however Aurora and the fairies were not as strong, although I don't think it was the fairies fault,  I think that problem was down to bad scripting and bad CGI (again).

The magical creatures in this were very creative, with tree guards and crow-animals, and that was enjoyable to see someone's creativity coming out while still maintaining the original creatures (like Maleficent's crow and the dragon).

Overall, this film is worth seeing, but not necessarily paying for, maybe if it's on TV; just before there was a trailer for the original Sleeping Beauty and frankly it just made me wish I was watching the original rather than this remake.

5 good things:

1. Angelina Jolie looks amazing!

2. Sharlto Copley and Sam Riley were really good and I'm glad they're in such a big film.

3.  The crow wolf/horse/dragon looked awesome and were a good idea.

4. 'Once Upon A Dream' is amazingly redone (although not used in the film other than the end credits).

5.  Adorable cameos from Angelina Jolie's children.

5 bad things:

1. Why can't villains just be villainous? Why do they need reasons for everything?

2.  It seemed as though 90% of the cast were putting on accents, just hire people with the actual accents.

3.  Also, try to hire child actors who can act.

4. There were a lot of awkward close-ups of people staring or smiling.

5. The fairies were annoying and a little pointless, definitely not as good as the original three.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Latest film in the X-Men franchise

★★★★☆

 

5 word summary:

Let's just change everything, ok?


5 sentence review:

This film in currently very highly rated on both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, so I was expecting a lot, and wasn't disappointed.

It literally can't go wrong with characters because they have new faces, old faces, old old faces; a little something for everyone to keep you interested and happy but hopefully not overly confused (although I had no idea what most of the new characters' names where when I left the cinema).

The story is mildly confusing, especially because they jump between times occasionally, but a lot of the points where I was thinking, 'what?!' were then explained later in the film, so I think as long as you're paying attention and willing to occasionally look over any minor plot holes, then you'll be ok.

I must say the plot became slightly annoying, because it was repetitive, firstly the humans were against the mutants and then Magneto and Mystique were against the humans, and all this caused a whole lot of problems that everyone has seen before (in most of the X-Men films).

Despite some more minor gripes this was a very good film, superhero or otherwise, and it stretched itself beyond blockbuster into more complex social/psychological explorations, which all the best films do.

5 good things:

1. Amazing sentinels

2. Excellent new characters (particularly Quicksilver and Blink)

3.  Old characters/cast members returning.

4. There are moments that are genuinely funny.

5.  Peter Dinklage's hair/make up/costume/moustache/glasses

5 bad things:

1. I think (I'm not 100% sure) that the future part was only meant to be 50 years from the past part, but it looked much more futuristicly different than is possible (in my opinion).

2. Mystique's skin looked painted.

3.  Not enough focus on the amazing future time

4. Mystique and Magneto just being their same old, annoying, 'kill everyone, that'll sort everything out' ways.

5. Was Hugh Jackman too veiny when he first woke up in the past? It was worrying.

Godzilla (2014) - Film remake of various other films

★★★★☆

 

5 word summary:

Godzilla is the good guy!

5 sentence review:

I am judging this film based on the decision that it is very, very self-aware and pointing out that it is a remake/typical blockbuster because there were so many points that were so obvious that I feel they had to be poking fun at themselves.

You have, mad/obsessed scientist because he’s lost his love; children in a bus trapped on a bridge; the main woman is a nurse and the main man is a soldier; the government has been hiding secrets for ‘the greater good’ and it gets messed up; it rained during the final sequences.

These things can’t just be there accidentally, one or two clichés, yes, but almost every aspect must be tongue in cheek.

Mostly, the way Ken Watanabe said ‘Godzilla’ just screams that they knew what they were doing, and I so hope that they were aware of what they were doing.

This hasn’t been a review, but rather me trying to rationalise that this film is good but you need to be aware that it is aware (I’m now sounding as obsessed/odd as Bryan Cranston’s character) but I feel as though you could enjoy this film so much, if you think that every cliché is put there purposefully. 

5 good things:

1.  Despite clichéd points, there were some surprises

2.  Self awareness

3.  Parachuting/skydiving bit looked really amazing

4. The cast was good

5.  Some of the main people actually died

5 bad things:

1. The other monsters were kind of boring

2. The fight sequences seems to yield no wounds at all. One of the things had wings and they weren’t even punctured.

3.  Literally stole the ending from The Dark Knight Rises

4. It doesn’t really pass the Bechdel Test, which shouldn’t be allowed in a film that will undoubtedly be watched by millions.

5. Not enough of the main people died for it to be believable.