21 Jun

Half the year has come and gone. It's brought many cinematic delights, and more than a handful of horrendous disappointments. Let's keep it positive and take a look back at the ten best films of 2016 so far. I've kept it brief and kept them alphabetical, so as to not waste/spoil all my best material before my annual end of year top 10 where several of these films will no doubt make another appearance. So, have we seen the best film of the year yet? Time will tell...

20:08 / Opinion / Reviews
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19 Jun

Given it has been 13 long years, it may be easy to forget the cultural impact Finding Nemo had on the zeitgeist of the early 2000s. Instantly adored, the film not only dominated the box-office (highest grossing animated film, at that point), but it stood (and still stands) as one of the best reviewed animated films there has ever been. It's little wonder it has taken Pixar and Disney this long to deliver the sequel. Given their hit-and-miss history with sequels (Cars 2, anyone?), how do you possibly top such a cinematic...

16:16 / Opinion / Reviews
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30 May

For a studio experiencing an impressive dream-run lately, Disney takes its first major misstep in months with Alice Through the Looking Glass; a film that improves on the previous chapter, but given that chapter was an insufferable bore, that's not really saying a whole lot. Following the well-worn "nobody really asked for this sequel, but the original made too much money not to make one" path, similarly paved earlier this year by Huntsman: Winter's War, James Bobin's Alice Through the Looking Glass unfortunately suffers from the same disappointing problem as Tim Burton's original film - visually impressive but narratively...

12:19 / Opinion / Reviews
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23 May

Perhaps the most awkwardly ironic moment during the over-bloated mess that is X-Men: Apocalypse, Bryan Singer's latest chapter in the X-Men reboot trilogy, takes place after several characters leave a cinema showing Return of the Jedi. In an obviously snarky stab at X-Men: The Last Stand, one character is heard to remark something along the lines of "We all know the third movie is always the worst." Pot, meet kettle...

14:28 / Opinion / Reviews
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28 Mar

With a movie as grandiose (and that's putting it lightly) as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I always think it's best to wait a few days to let it all sink in before sharing my thoughts and feelings. Too often people share their initial reaction, be it positive or negative. I'm not saying that's wrong. Sometimes your gut reaction is spot on. But with so much crammed into one film (more on that later), it's impossible to really know how one felt without proper time for reflection. Now I've seen...

09:54 / Reviews
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02 Mar

The madness is all over for another year. Am I the only one a little glad for that? I cannot remember a previous Oscar race that genuinely exhausted me as much as this year. It was fun. It was surprising. But with so many twists and turns, I started to miss the days where one film sweeps the entire season. I say that now, but the next time it happens, I know I'll moan about how boring an unpredictable race is. Ah, being an Oscar watcher is a...

00:32 / Awards Season
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29 Feb

The most exhaustive and confusing Oscar season finally comes to an end today. We've had frontrunners come and go (remember when it was finally going to be Johnny Depp's year?). We've had the precursor awards be even more unreliable than usual. We've had shocks, snubs and surprises. We've had the Academy facing the worst (and deserved) press it's ever received. And going into the ceremony, we still have no solid prediction as to what will walk away with Best Picture and a handful of other categories. You may...

03:25 / Awards Season / Reviews
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28 Feb

It sucks to be the early frontrunner. Just ask Boyhood, Lincoln or The Social Network. Taking the lead early in awards season often means that film will ultimately lose. So does that mean it's all over for Spotlight? Hold your horses. There's still light at the end of the tunnel. Let's take a look at why it still may win and why it's destined to lose. For: The actor vote. If nothing else, Spotlight is a true ensemble film and a true actor's piece. Even though Ruffalo and McAdams have been singled out, it...

10:40 / Awards Season
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27 Feb

With his follow-up to last year's Best Picture winner, Birdman, Alejandro Inarritu has done it again. What was at first assumed to just be a vehicle for Leo to finally win an Oscar (and put an end to all those fucking memes) has quickly turned into a serious contender to sweep the whole damn ceremony. But The Revenant still has some obstacles to overcome, if it wants to follow the path of Birdman. Let's take a closer look. For: The last frontrunner takes it. It's an almost irrefutable fact the film with the most buzz...

23:56 / Awards Season
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26 Feb

A few months before awards season began, The Big Short wasn't even on anyone's radar. But due to Paramount's shrewd decision to surprise us all and give the film a December release, it has come from nowhere to be a serious awards contender. Does it have the power to continue to surprise and take the big prize of Best Picture? Let's take a look at the case for and against The Big Short. For: That "surprise" PGA win. I put surprise in inverted commas because it wasn't a surprise to yours...

09:04 / Awards Season
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