It's getting to the end of the year, and that means it's time to reflect on the year that was 2015. Usually I do a Top Ten list but because I've seen more films this year than most others, I thought I'd try and challenge myself to rank my Top Fifty Films instead!
Now as a warning, I won't be able to put films such as Star Wars Episode VII into my Top Fifty, as I have calculated this from the films I have seen prior to December. But I'm going to review those as soon as January arrives!
Also whilst I have seen an amount of films that stands as a personal record, I still haven't managed to see every film, so if a personal favourite is not in the list, feel free to let me know in the comments below and I'll definitely make an effort to see it!
But anyway, let's cut the bull and get to the list! Starting at No. 50...
50. The Overnight
Plot
A couple meet some new neighbours
and attend a dinner party at their house, but then things start
getting weird...
Starring
Adam Scott (Parks and
Recreation), Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black), Jason
Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited)
Verdict
A subtle comedy where the less
you know about the plot, the better.
An interesting take on how
diverse and complicated relationships can be. Full of awkward cringe
moments but a surprising amount of heart, featuring a great cast as well.
Plot
Set ten years after Monsters, the alien life-forms have begun to wreak havoc in the Middle
East. American soldiers have to battle an insurgency from locals as
well as the extraterrestrials.
Starring
Johnny Harris (Snow White And The Huntsman), Sam Keeley (Burnt), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones)
Verdict
Nowhere near as good as Monsters but better than I had feared it would be.
A
heart-breaking tale of soldiers fighting a war they don't want to be
in, having to fight battles on the outside and inside.
A handful of
tense scenes plus some of the poignancy that made me love the first
Monsters so much.
Plot
A British high school teacher gets granted the ability to make anything happen with a flick of his wrist. But should he use it for good or for evil? The fate of the world depends on it.
Starring
Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), Kate Beckinsale (Underworld), the late Robin Williams (all my favourite childhood films)
Verdict
Essentially a British version of Bruce Almighty, and written by the Monty Python team, I did expect this to be the funniest film of the year.
Whilst it isn't that (just
wait a few weeks to find out what is!) the film is still packed full
of irreverent British wit and humour, definitely enough to pass The
Six Laughs Test.
I just wish Robin Williams' final film would have
been a bonafide classic.
Plot
A glorified secretary for the CIA goes undercover after the Secret Agent she's helping disappears. Hijinx ensue.
Starring
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Jason Statham (The Transporter), Rose Byrne (Bad Neighbours)
Verdict
McCarthy is back to doing what she does best; be large and fall over a lot.
But in between the
pratfalls, there are some half-decent jokes and a fantastic
performance by Jason Statham. His character truly pokes fun at the
genre as well as his history with it, and you can tell he's loving
every second of it.
The film is pretty standard fare, but worth it
for Statham and McCarthy.
Plot
Based on the BBC drama, disgraced MI5 Intelligence Chief Harry Pearce must track down an escaped terrorist leader before he can launch an attack on London.
Starring
Peter Firth ([spooks]), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Tuppence Middleton (Sense8)
Verdict
My first interaction with [spooks], which had been described to me as 'a British 24' and I can see where they are coming from.
An exciting plot full of twists and
turns, but very televisual as it didn't seem to embrace the new
medium well.
One for fans of the show.
45. Chappie
Plot
A South-African software developer manages to create a self-aware robot, Chappie. Initially childlike and innocent, the world begins to corrupt Chappie into using his robotic abilities for evil.
You seen Short Circuit? Yeah,
that.
Starring
Sharlto Copley (District 9), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine)
Verdict
Neill Blomkamp seems stuck in this repetitive cycle of trying to capture the magic of District 9; the brilliant mix of emotion as well as spectacle. With loads of guns and explosions thrown in.
Similar to Elysium, it is a fair
attempt but one that falls down in it's structure and character
development.
An entertaining watch, but not a mind-blower.
44. Legend
Plot
Recounting London under the rule of the notorious gangsters the Kray twins, Reggie and Ronnie. American mobsters want to muscle in on London, making it the Las Vegas of Europe. Reggie has to make sure that doesn't happen, all whilst keeping Ronnie, his psychotic brother, in check.
Starring
Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Emily Browning (SuckerPunch)
Verdict
The only reason this film is so high on my list is Mr Thomas Hardy.
His dual performance is
mesmerising throughout the running time, managing to make both twins
similar and yet complete opposites. It's a shame that the rest of
the film doesn't match in quality.
The direction is quite mundane,
the rest of the cast are pretty standard and ordinary, and the less
said about Emily Browning's corny and irritating voice-over, the
better.
Plot
The film adaptation of the Finnish cartoon centred around a family of talking hippopotami, as they go on holiday to the Riviera.
Russell Tovey (Him &
Her), Nathaniel Parker (Inspector Lynley Mysteries), Tracy Ann
Oberman (Eastenders)
Verdict
A charming little animation
that I watched mainly due to nostalgia of watching the television
series as a child. And I can see why I liked it as a child.
Very
lovely artistic design, the animation is beautiful and the writers
don't try to bombard many complicated ideas onto the audience. As an
adult though, whilst it was still charming, I nearly nodded off!
It's
a nice change to watch a film that doesn't require such an in-depth
story, but it kinda suffered because of it.
42. The Voices
Plot
A lonely but cheerful factory worker speaks to his pets, who constantly try to convince him to kill his co-workers.
Starring
Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern), Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans)
Verdict
I can't usually stand Ryan Reynolds. I personally like only one film he's been in so far; Just Friends (which is hilarious). However, here he plays against type, as well as providing the voices for the murderous cat and comforting dog.
The film toys with the idea of seeing things from
inside a damaged mind and it surprisingly works well. However it
falls down towards the conclusion of the film, but it isn't as bad as
a lot of people are saying.
Plus Anna Kendrick and Gemma Arterton
are brilliantly cast, and beautiful to boot!
41. Kill Your Friends
Plot
The music industry is a cut-throat business, more-so than you might think. An up-and-coming A&R man won't let his colleagues stand in his way of reaching the top.
Starring
Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road), James Corden (Gavin and Stacey), Edward Hogg (The Bunny and the Bull)
Verdict
Everyone has been comparing this to the magnificent American Psycho, and whilst this British version (English Nutter?) is quite similar in it's approach (narcissistic narrator, giving behind-the-scenes look at a lucrative industry, and killing co-workers due to petty squabbles) it doesn't come close to it.
An entertaining watch, with some witty one-liners
and a decent performance from Nicholas Hoult, providing more weight
to his future as a possible leading man in bigger films.
And that's the first ten down! Come back this time next week for the next instalment in my
Top Fifty Films of 2015
Until next time folks, thanks for reading!
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