#but Chris pine is the all American boy we deserved

[frunkcastle]

Hot take: Chris Pine would have been a better captain American

#lol #I like stirring up the drama #but Chris pine is the all American boy we deserved #chris pine #chris evans #captain america #steve rogers #marvel #mcu cast #mcu #marvel cast #captain America cast #me talk

[popcorn-for-dinner]

Wakanda Forever: Finding Black Pride in Kings and Teenage Girls

“You don’t know what you were missing, till you have it”

There’s a particular scene in Wonder Woman that often gets referenced when the film is being discussed; the “No Man’s Land” scene. I had the pleasure of watching Wonder Woman alone (yeah, come at me) and at the time of watching, I had no reason to believe that this would become an iconic scene. To me, it was just another good action set piece. Granted, one that I applauded (metaphorically, of course. I’m not trying to validate those stereotypes), but still, just a well-done sequence.

I would soon come to realise the power of subjectivity.

In various discussions since leaving that theatre, I have listened to countless women, both in my real life and online, talk about the effect that the scene had on them. Their experiences of joy, pride and childlike glee, with many being brought to tears.

I am under no illusion that its star (Gal Gadot) and director (Patty Jenkins) were both aware of the importance of the scene they were constructing and the need for such a scene in this movie in today’s world. I quickly realised that this scene wasn’t (primarily) directed at me. Sure, I could appreciate it from a story or technical point-of-view, but it could never get me in my feels the way it did my female counterparts. Where I saw another hero blocking bullets, they saw a woman standing, against and for men, for what she knew was right. The largely underrepresented female, superhero-watching audience was finally seeing a woman exhibit such heroics on the big screen.

“Those who complain about representation, are the ones who’ve always been represented”.

Like most sane people, I love Will Smith. I grew up on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reruns, then came the Men in Blacks, Hitch, Hancock, I, Robot etc. He was a movie star, he did it all: action, drama, comedy, sci-fi. To me, he was the movie star. I would go on to, harshly, learn that he wasn’t the norm, but the exception.

I was now seeing the ubiquity of white movie and tv stars, I now noticed that beyond the handful of black movie stars, people with my skin colour were criminally underrepresented. This was weird because I was living in a country (Nigeria) where everyone had my skin colour. So, to a young boy who was falling in love with the arts, the idea quickly became, only white people get that shot and maybe a handful of Black Americans, but even then, they definitely still gotta tell the white man’s story.

Which brings us to 2018. A year in which I get to see an African King and a black teenage girl save the world. An African King and a Black Teenage Girl! Many have criticised the hype for Black Panther, with some stating that the importance of the movie is being overstated by its fans. “Y'all acting like this movie gonna solve racism”.

I do not think the importance of these movies can be overstated.

Black Panther is a big budget superhero film that focuses on an African nation, its king and citizens. It features an impressive, predominantly black (and beautiful) cast. This cast not only boasts talented actors with strong African backgrounds (Lupita Nyong'o, Daniel Kaluuya and Danai Gurira) but it also includes actors based in Africa, not least of whom is the South African legend, John Kani. Twenty years ago, a convergence of all these factors would have seemed nearly impossible.

A Wrinkle in Time, in its own right, conquers its own fair share of impossibilities. In keeping with a career that continually breaks new ground while affecting change, Ava DuVernay now brings a sci-fi, Disney, epic with a brown skinned girl as its heroine. Who would have thought? Even in a world where Katniss Everdeen and Hermione Granger became household names and shot their respective actresses to bona-fide movie star status, such a movie still seemed impossible.

Ava DuVernay has not shied away from the fact that this is new ground for everyone. I’ll admit that I am not familiar with the original 1963 novel and its ensuing legacy (it wasn’t high on our literary lists in Nigeria). But boy am I excited. In creating this film that will inevitably be a sea change moment, Miss DuVernay has surrounded herself with notable producers (Catherine Hand and Tendo Nagenda), the writer and co-director of Frozen, Jennifer Lee and a cast that includes Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Pena and Oprah Winfrey (playing an all-knowing being, because, duh) along with Chris Pine and Zach Galifianakis rounding out the cast.

As mentioned earlier, A Wrinkle in Time’s heroine is a brown skinned teenage girl. However, this was not always the case. In the original novel, Meg Murry is white. Here she is portrayed by newcomer Storm Reid. Miss DuVernay has continually referenced her desire to create new worlds and how, expectedly, these worlds would be different from what her white and male counterparts would envision. The effect such inclusion could possibly have cannot be overstated.

Really, is that not what we hope for? What we all want? That inclusivity. A world in which a young girl can look at a big budget Disney movie poster and see herself as the heroine.  A world in which we get Angela Bassett finally playing a queen. Where young brown and black skinned girls, and maybe just as importantly young boys, can see that girls can save the world too.  The same world where the great Forrest Whittaker admits to carrying out extensive research on the Yorubas in order to bring authenticity to his role. This world only has positives. It provides filmmakers with more diverse voices, from different backgrounds, the opportunity to share their visions. All sorts of stories are told in this world and everyone gets to be represented. Such inclusion can only lead to better, well-informed stories and more opportunities for people too often left in the fringes.

In their introductory scene from Captain America: Civil War, King T’Chaka (John Kani) and his son, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) speak “isiXhosa” (A South African language). This was not originally in the script, it was an input from John Kani. This input led to a scene in a Hollywood film in which two actors are speaking isiXhosa and neither of them is a warlord nor an internet scammer. It might not seem like much, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s huge.

It just goes to show that the inclusion of diverse voices behind and in front of the camera bleeds its benefits in such subtle and wide-ranging ways. Some of these benefits may not be visible to the lay man but they mean the world to those marginalized groups.

At the premiere of Black Panther, John Kani gushed about the “seriousness” of the movie and why he wanted to show Africa and its denizens in a different light. To deal with the myth that “if the white colonialists did not land in Africa, we’ll still be walking in skins…”. Frankly, that’s a cause we can all rally behind.

Now, no one is saying that things are automatically fixed or that change has happened, we are definitely still some ways off but it’s a hell of time to be alive. What we need to then do, is not falter but use these burgeoning changes as catalysts for a much larger attack on the status quo.

While the eventual quality of both Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time is not the driving force of this article, I would be remiss if I did not mention that in the hands of Ryan Coogler and Ava Duvernay, I feel little reason to fret about the outcome. They are two filmmakers that made instant splashes with their unique visions in Fruitvale Station and Creed (Coogler) and Selma and 13th (DuVernay). I’m not sure I trust any two people to better understand the importance of the positions they have been placed in and the need for success.  They are not only capable of delivering the goods, they are more than deserving of the opportunity. They, it seems, live their lives by that mantra that we, as minorities have stuck in our psyche.

Would it be a stretch to draw a line between the release and adoration of Wonder Woman and the rise of female empowerment (#MeToo, Time’s Up) in 2017? Probably. Could I make the argument to you after some shots of Vodka? Most likely. The point is that change starts from all sorts of weird places and all we can do is hope. Hope that the change is not stifled by its location but given the space and support to grow. So yes, I’ll be with my tickets opening weekends of Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time hoping that this is the beginning of some form of change in Hollywood that would hopefully grow and spread to the larger world.

Bankole Imoukhuede

#black panther #a wrinkle in time #ava duvernay #ryan coogler #marvel #disney #chadwick boseman #popcorn for dinner #black history month #film #marvel cinematic universe

[platoapproved]

okay you know what, you know what, the day has come, i woke up about 10 seconds ago and i guess i dreamt about a past life where i worked in a sodium factory because i am feeling salty and it’s time for me to talk about all the stuff i hated about wonder woman. if you’re not feeling that, please don’t click below

i get how badly people want canon bi representation but this movie was so not it. this movie wasn’t CLOSE to it.  diana was not shown having any sort of relationship with any kind of emotional depth much less equality with any other woman on themyscira. they all saw her as like, a beloved little niece, basically.  she barely interacted with anyone apart from her mother and aunt, for more than a line or two.

diana had no woman friends the whole movie

i’ve definitely seen (and not read, you better believe i scrolled on by with a scoff) people talking about the diversity of amazons on themyscira but like. giving diana a black nanny who goes running after her to show us what a mischievous scamp she is as a kid? that’s not progressive. having one of the only other black women be an unnamed warrior she fights against, whose only traits are that she’s the Silent Strong Unfeminine Bruiser Tank Lady? and we know that diana has become a true warrior when she can best The Butch One? super... just super DUPER not progressive.

having etta candy be this frumpy, fussy, ineffective suffragette whose only real function is to be exasperated by steve but also love him as a boss? and by extension make non-themysciran women look like silly side characters in the history of the world? ugh.

i saw a different post talking about how badass it was that etta noticed the spies first or something blah blah like. honestly. stop trying so hard. please stop trying to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse y’all. she was supposed to be the Funny Loyal Fat Side Character who gets a few chuckles out of the audience but has no depth whatsoever.

the entire film erases the efforts of women before and after wwi, both around combat, in government, socially, everything. like every time i think about the fact that diana doesn’t speak to another woman for 95% of the last half of the movie, and these board room dudes act like they’ve never heard of a woman ever DOING anything in their lives, i get hives and want to reread the section of the well of loneliness about women ambulance drivers in wwi. and also to have a shower.

women have ALWAYS been instrumental in their own liberation.

stop making jokes about victorian/edwardian dress being restrictive as if it’s the height of feminism. the history of women and their clothing and how it was liberating and repressive is so much more complex than a stupid joke about her tearing a dress.

like, as if there weren’t plenty of women by wwi who were dressing in “men’s” clothing, and changing the fashions as they saw fit

literally everything about dr. poison like, it’s such an UGLY portrait of so many things

making a women scientist seem Evil and unnatural

associating her disability with her desire to hurt people

making it seem like disabled women hate non-disabled women for being Pretty and Desirable, don’t act like that scene with Steve was meant to be anything other than “see, she’s really just pathetic and jealous because no man has ever wanted to kiss her, look at her”

she was nothing more than a pawn in the end. someone who was easy to manipulate because she was An Ugly Woman

stop saying the movie subverted the born sexy yesterday trope. stop it. every single one of you knows it was 100% that, and nothing but that.  diana talking with naive confidence about how she has read ye olde themysciran porn doesn’t undo that. in fact it only contributes to it because it’s setting her up as someone who knows about sex in ~theory but not ~practice

them giving the Racist Stereotype Side Characters one token line each that humanizes them does not make them fully fleshed out characters. stop talking about Drunk Loud Scottish dude as great representation of PTSD. stop applauding the line about wanting to be an actor but being the wrong color in a movie that is so. so. so white.

one line vaguely referencing white people’s horrific genocide against native americans, one that never comes back and has no repercussions on the story, is just not good enough. also, not gonna mention slavery or anything? not even a bit? ok.

also stop saying the movie subverted the male gaze, you guys saw diana’s outfit. i saw so much of gal gadot’s thighs. and i’m gay, my dudes, i was into it. i loved it. but it’s not like this movie didn’t objectify women. you know that it did. stop trying to make it not what it is.

also, stop saying the scene with steve was only ~the female gaze. i have less ground to stand on for this one because not an atom of my body has ever or will ever find anything about chris pine desirable but that scene was played in a way that would be appealing to certain men

ohhhh it’s a naive beautiful woman gazing at his penis and she’s ~never seen one before, and he just lets her look, like you know there are creep-ass dudes who were into that, and it was ultimately just one scene and he was fully modestly clothed the whole rest of the movie.

looovvveee is the only remedy against waaaaaarrrrrr someone fucking kill me.

i mean i’m a sap but “the answer was love all along” isn’t really a conclusion that flies for me in a movie dealing with a nonfictional war that happened for complicated economic political and social reasons involving nationalism and capitalist greed and all kind of shit, lots of actual people actually died, its’ not like OH NO WHY DIDN’T ONE OF THEM REMEMBER TO LOVE????

david thewlisface ares? stupid.  like using him in that flashback? not a good call.

those glasses steve got diana were so fucking LAUGHABLY not time period accurate like he just got those from warby parker a week ago it’s supposed to be 1918 or whenever the fuck at least try a goddamn little bit

diana’s costume should have been more colorful and the texture of her armor was weird and looked bad

i don’t know a whole lot about wonder woman but it’s 10000% rather go back and rewatch that two-parter from justice league where diana becomes Gal Pals with that princess who is about to marry vandal savage and has to rescue her, that was better in almost every conceivable way than this film

“maid of honor” season 2 look it up just sayin it’s on netflix

i’m really glad a lot of you found a lot of things to love and be happy about in this movie but honestly it’s exhausting seeing people on tumblr contorting themselves to talk about how it’s A Revolution, Never has there been Anything Like This About a Woman when yes, there has, and done better

love the movie if you want! i enjoyed it a lot! i saw it twice

but stop acting like part of the process of loving it is to say that it is diverse, or progressive, or any of this shit that it’s so. not. 

this article is great go read it. i don’t agree with ALL the points necessarily but damn. good and brutal.

please, like i’m begging you please. just go watch xena. shhhh. shhhh i know. the foley is cheesy the production values are really low on the first few seasons and yes it’s not like xena never fucks up on race stuff because hoooo boy. but like. xena is 7 seasons of a woman warrior kicking ass in a vaguely ancient greco-roman world, and it has 10000% more interaction BETWEEN women, and women who are campy villains not just because of disabilities, and there’s so much homoeroticism and heart and badass flipping and it’s just. it’s so good.

it will heal your heart. it will make you realize you deserve much much much much more than the crumbs that wonder woman gave you. go watch xena instead.

#/ #// #/// #//// #///// #negativtiy #like solid wall to wall negativity #wonder woman

[sleepynegress]

I'd love to hear your opinions on A Wrinkle in Time :)

OH BOY!!!!

 *jumps up and down excitedly*

A few sentences and then bullets, because they help organize my scattered thoughts…

Once upon a time around 11 years ago, I ran a rinky-dink blogger blog that was all about fangirling media …mostly films.

I can’t tell you how many posts I wrote about the need for not just basic representation, but expansive representation in entertainment.  

In other words, not just limited to comedy,  “black niche”, action, side-kicks, villains, and sitcoms… but period projects, where black characters weren’t slaves or servants (I specifically mentioned Dido Elizabeth Belle as a great possible subject and I got to see Belle happen!) and especially genre, LEADING roles in major tentpole projects, with the budget and cross-cultural/international push that has always typically gone to white-lead projects.

…And here I am, alive to see A Wrinkle in Time and Black Panther happen next year. :’)

So, here are my bulleted reasons why this is awesome, and why I shed actual tears just seeing the damn trailer…

Ava DuVernay, has the eye for not only filming resonant emotional intimacy on camera, but also to capture the beauty of color, not just backgrounds and sets, but skin.  …And so many so-called pros have failed in that.  So, I know I get to see those gorgeous gold/red/brown hues of the skin on people of color actually “glow” on the big screen…I have honestly, never seen Mindy Kaling’s skin look as radiant as those two seconds in the trailer

Meg!!!!! She’s played by an unknown young actor.  Storm Reid, who only had one other small, but resonant role in 12 Years a Slave.  Storm Reid, a black girl, a black child is being given the same “discovery” opportunity that so many fresh white actors have gotten over the years. And is the first to do so in such a high-budget tentpole fantasy production.

MIXED RACE LEADING FAMILY!! I reblogged a post earlier that asserted the existence of interracial relationships are not innately advancing. And that is absolutely true.  We would not have so many Black Americans and Black Latinos of various hues and mixes descended from enslavement if that were the case. And even today, people bring whatever racial baggage they have to ALL of their interactions. However, a mixed family existing in this particular context, being seen all over the world with regular human challenges and just being a family in a major international film is advancing. It exposes people to people; it embodies the idea of film and tv being an “empathy machine”.  …Allowing people to identify, possibly even against their will with ‘the other’ (see: the racist fan who ID’d with Uhura in Star Trek TOS who disavowed that hateful life because of it). It also means the world to the growing number of mixed-race families out there, reflecting us more accurately.

The women.  I’ve been a fan of Ms. Reese since Legally Blonde, even moreso, now because she has her own production company to specifically seek out works by women to produce.  Mindy Kaling, the dark-skinned Indian-American woman who has written her own show, becoming the first woman of her nationality and hue(!) to reach those heights in Hollywood, and Oprah… the epitome of black woman’s power. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the first black woman to gain the kind of power that so many before her have earned, directing this massively funded Disney blockbuster-name brand fantasy (hopefully) franchise. 

I remember seeing the TV movie A Wrinkle in Time, and I was assigned the book to read in grade school (I’ll admit, I only checked those SparkNotes).  It was a decent watch, but was visually small for the ideas presented.  This feels as expansive as the” fantasy science” deserves.

The best Chris is in this…  I guarantee Chris Pine begged his agent to do this movie because he was already a fan of Selma and wanted to work with Ava (most of us have seen him crying at the Academy Awards over the Selma presentation).  Chris has taste.  Also, given the reputation of more than a few self-indulgent and cruel, white male directors who somehow still keep getting work, I bet he was grateful to work with pros who weren’t like that (in Patti Jenkins and Ava Duvernay).

I am a woman who is a “genuine fan” of films in the genre, I’m talking everything from Krull to Howl’s Moving Castle. I was a black girl who always loved these films despite them lacking any semblance of my reflection (hey, that empathy machine!). And now, I’m a middle-aged black woman who finally gets to see that reflection, that child who loved this so much, exist as a lead in her favorite genre. :’)

#a wrinkle in time #meta #ask #also it's small but... reese's hair #it's fishtailed #this is how you do 'exotic' hair on white women in fantasy settings #without appropriating

[quotespicture]

https://quoteswithpicture.com/70-famous-movie-quotes-from-your-favorite-characters-2019/

70 Famous Movie Quotes From Your Favorite Characters (2019)

Our latest collection of famous movie quotes to help you see life through different perspectives.

Watching movies has many benefits. Movies provoke all kinds of emotions. Watching films can be a thrilling experience that makes you cry, smile, relax, and even help you become aware of your fears.

Besides the entertainment value they bring, movies also help create awareness about various issues in society such as religious animosities and political intolerance.

Moreover, movies can be a great educational resource for students. They’re great for visual learners and they allow students to see life through different perspectives.

After searching the web here are some of the famous movie quotes we could find! We hope you’re inspired, motivated and entertained! Enjoy!

Famous movie quotes from your favorite characters

1.) “Some people can’t believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first.” – Sean Maguire, Good Will Hunting

2.) “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” – Fight Club, Tyler Durden

3.) It is not our abilities that show what we truly are… it is our choices. – Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

4.) “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out? –  Movie “What a girl wants”

  5.) “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it.” – Rafiki, from The Lion King

6.) “I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I’ve ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. – The Notebook

7.) “The truth is… I gave my heart away a long time ago, my whole heart… and I never really got it back. – Reese Witherspoon, Sweet Home Alabama

8.) “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I’d hoped to give you forever. – Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

9.) “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. – From Moulin Rouge”

10.) “Do, or do not. There is no “”try””. – Yoda

Famous movie quotes that will get you fired up

11.) “I’m scared of everything. I’m scared of what I saw. I’m scared of what I did, of who I am…. and most of all, I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.” – “Baby” in Dirty Dancing”

12.) “Sometimes I wish I had never met you. Because then I could go to sleep at night not knowing there was someone like you out there. – Good Will Hunting

13.) “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. – Ferris, from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

14.) “Remember those posters that said, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”? Well, that’s true of every day but one…the day you die.” – American Beauty

15.) “You’re nothing to me until you’re everything.” – “American Hustle

16.) “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” – Braveheart

17.) “The truth is a matter of circumstances, it’s not all things to all people all the time.” – Captain America: The Winter Soldier

18.) “I believe whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you…stranger.” – The Dark Knight, The Joker

19.) “When you decide to be something, you can be it.” – Frank Costello, The Departed

20.) “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. But if you give him a mask, he will tell you the truth.” – The Fifth Estate, Julian Assange

Famous movie quotes that will brighten your day

21.) “Ideals are peaceful. History is violent.” – Don Collier, Fury

22.) “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it, always.” – Gandhi,  Gandhi (1982)

23.) “All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain.” – Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner

24.) “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Anthony Perkins, Psycho

25.) ““Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” – Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society

26.) “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”  – Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

27.) “Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it’s contained.” – President Snow, The Hunger Games

28.) “If you figure a way to live without serving a master, any master, then let the rest of us know, will you? For you’d be the first person in the history of the world.” – Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

29.) “Nobody’s perfect.” – Some Like It Hot

Famous movie quotes to help you see life through different perspectives

30.) “Now you’re looking for the secret, but you won’t find it, because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled.” – The Prestige

31.) “To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!” – A Fish Called Wanda

32.) “We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery.” –  Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator 

33.) “There’s no place like home.”  The Wizard of Oz

34.) “They may take our lives, but they will never take… our FREEDOM!” – Braveheart

35.) Do, or do not. There is no “try”. – Yoda, Star Wars

36.) Love cannot be found where it doesn’t exist, nor can it be hidden where it truly does. – David Schwimmer, Kissing a Fool

37.) Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want. – Heath Ledger, 10 Things I Hate About You

Famous movie quotes to entertain and educate

38.) I don’t regret the things I’ve done, but those I did not do. – Empire Records

39.) My momma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” – Forrest Gump

40.) Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something, not even me. Alright? You dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period. – Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness

41.) To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

42.) “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” – Gandalf, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

43.) “Great men are not born great, they grow great.” – Mario Puzo, The Godfather

Famous movie quotes to help you reach your full potential

44.) “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.” – Dory, Finding Nemo

45.) “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” – Maximus, Gladiator

46.) “Every man dies, but not every man really lives.” – William Wallace, Braveheart

47.) “I know what I have to do now. I’ve got to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?” – Cast Away

48.) “”Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” – Rocky, Rocky Balboa

Famous movie quotes from award winning films

49.) “You drilled a hole in the dentist?!” – Denise, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

50.) “If you were not so stubborn you would make a great queen.” “I would make a great queen because I am stubborn…if that is what I wanted.”—from an exchange between T’Challa and Nakia, Black Panther

51.) “Being human is a condition which requires an anesthetic.” – Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody

52.) “Dying for the right cause. It’s the most human thing we can do.” — Freysa, Blade Runner 2049

53.) “Fire. It is a reflection of our own mortality.” – Dean Armitage, Get Out

54.) “When will the lesson be learned! You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth!” – Winston Churchill, Darkest Hour

55.) “We Shall Never Surrender.” – Soldier, Dunkirk

56.) “All the courage in the world cannot alter fact.” — Niander Wallace, Blade Runner 2049

57.) “How many times do I have to teach you: just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.”—Shuri, Black Panther

58.) “So if I’m not black enough and if I’m not white enough, then tell me, Tony, what am I!?” – Don Shirley, Green Book

59.) “Favor is a breeze that shifts direction all the time.” – Harley, The Favourite

60.) “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong, First Man

More quotes from famous actors and actresses

61.) “Show me the money!” – Jerry Maguire

62.) “The only failure is not to try”  – George Clooney

63.) “Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s not the end of the world and in many ways it’s the first step toward learning something better and getting better at it” –Jon Hamm

64.) “After many years of self-flagellation, I’ve realized that beating myself up doesn’t get me anywhere”  – Chris Pine

65.) “Your regrets aren’t what you did, but what you didn’t do. So I take every opportunity”  – Cameron Diaz

66.) “I’ve come across many actors like me who didn’t have a backup. That drive & will made it work”  – Clive Owen

67.) “I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it”  – Denzel Washington

68.) “The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit”  – Morgan Freeman

69.) “I’m a big believer in ‘never say never’ ”  – Jim Parsons

70.) “Be so good they can’t ignore you” ~ Steve Martin

What were your favorite movie quotes?

Most of us watch films for enjoyment, but movies also have great health and educational value. You’ll find most films to be not only entertaining but also educative regardless of your social status.

Everyone has a favorite movie line. Hopefully, the above quotes will make your day better and motivate you to reach your full potential.

Did you enjoy these movie quotes? Which famous movie quote resonated with you best? Tell us in the comment section below. We would love to hear all about it.

#2019 #70 #Characters #Famous #Favorite #Movie #movie quotes #Quotes

[the-snl-llama]

My top 10 SNL sketches for Season 42

Hello, please keep in mind that this list is based on my personal opinion. You probably won’t agree with the selections and their order. Which is why I encourage YOU to also create your own top 10 list. Now after this truly unforgettable year, my favorite sketches were...

10. SWAT Recon- We’re going to start out goofy here. I was pretty unsure how comedic Chris Pine could be, but after this sketch I could tell he could get the laughs. It was sooo cute with Day and Pine totally committing to the snacking and dancing. Like Kenan said, the whole thing had an innocent vibe to it, and it was truly refreshing amidst a politics heavy season.

9. Election Night- I really wanted a sketch with comedic legend Dave Chappelle on this list, and with his buddy Chris Rock making a cameo I had to pick this one. Naturally things were intense as it was the first post-election show. Though without strong jokes (pun intended), I thought this sketch perfectly captured the fear gripping atmosphere from election night and the reactions of many Americans.

8. Post-Election Hillary Piano Cold Open- It’s safe to say that this was the last major Hillary Clinton that Kate had to do. I love this cold open because SNL is a variety show. And while we expect laughs, this performance really hit the emotions hard. The authentic tears and choking up at the end got the audience tearful as well, and the whole thing showcased Kate’s spectacular range.

7. Black Jeopardy- Yup, gotta have a game show. Not the first time Black Jeopardy was a sketch, but this was certainly the best by far. I fully expected for Tom Hanks to be the odd man out. But in a wonderful twist he ends up portraying the similarities between many Americans making this skit a sneaky political statement. Also Black Jeopardy is chock full of Kenan reacting so that’s major entertainment in itself right there.

6. Melanianade- Major props to the writers and editing department for this one. It’s hard enough parodying Beyonce, but holy heck did the do a superb job on this. They even got Sasheer involved as Omarosa! 

5. Crucible Cast Party- It amazes me that you could take something awkward like a high school cast party and turn it into such a bomb song. The close ups of Lin in braces killed me. But line of the year has to be “everybody comes but nobody nuts”. 

4. Celebrity Family Feud: Political Edition- Again, a game show.  Kenan provided some sick insults in between spot on impressions by Melissa and Cecily. The cherry on top is Bill Clinton leaving with Ivanka at the end of the whole thing.

3. Psycho KelleyAnne- I’m gonna quote a Youtube comment from darknightoftroy here. “ The blend of horror and comedy here is not only brilliant and unusual, but is somehow also an apt commentary on the current state of political affairs. Fantastic acting by all, but particularly Kate. Give her another Emmy. “

2. Wells for Boys- My personal favorite. The cutest kid ever paired up with Emma I-actually-wish-she-was-my-mother Stone had me dying with every.single.line. When the kid responded only after Emma whispered, I lost my sanity. It’s probably an under-the-radar sketch for most people, and if you don’t get why it’s high up here, it’s probably not be for you.

1. Totino’s- So my theory is that Vanessa left SNL because she realized that this sketch was her masterpiece and that there was no topping it. We were expecting a Totino’s SB commercial, we were expecting a plot twist because of the X-files reference from last season. But wowee did things get hilarious quickly. The lighting, close ups, soft music were all too perfect. It’s all made even more ludicrous when you find out it’s all happening only a few feet away from the oblivious men. Head writer Chris Kelly deserves major props for a sketch that had all of us completely losing it.

Best Monologue- Lin Manuel Miranda  Most Iconic Sketch-  Haunted Elevator (with David S Pumpkins) Most Emotional Sketch-  To Sir With Love (Obama Tribute) Best Recurring Sketch- Sean Spicer Press Conferences

#Saturday Night Live #SNL liveblog #snl #snl bingo #top 10 sketches

[ryanmeft]

My Favorite Performances of 2016

These are the 15 movie roles this year I most felt deserved highlighting. Man, there were some great roles this year, introduction, introduction, introduction, how many words does this have to be? You don't care and I certainly don't. On to the list!(Note: except for the top two, this list is in no particular order).

Glen Powell (Everybody Wants Some!!) The entire cast of Richard Linklater’s spiritual follow-up to "Dazed and Confused" is one riotous bundle of joy (and a cure for the usually cliche portrayal of college kids), but Glen Powell's Finnegan is by far the standout. The scene that makes his character comes at a party for the "artsy fartsy" crowd when, after encouraging a freewheeling spirit of sex, booze, drugs and rock 'n' roll throughout the film, he actually gets for real hurt when his proteges crash his chances with a girl he happens to like. Finnegan is on the cusp of adulthood and leadership heading into one of the most tumultuous decades of American history, but he's not quite there yet...and it's the leftover, subtle vulnerabilities of the kid during his last days of youth that make him so unbelievably endearing. If there's any justice in the world, EWS!! will do for him what Dazed and Confused did for...well, most of the cast.

Tilda Swinton (A Bigger Splash) The (in my opinion, overblown) controversy over Swinton's Doctor Strange role sadly overshadowed her performance in this Fellini-esque story of beautiful people behaving in decidedly un-beautiful ways. Playing a major, David Bowie-esque popstar who has gone near-mute from the stress of living in public, Swinton has few lines but somehow manages to steal the show from a simmering Matthias Schoenaerts and a manic Ralph Fiennes. Being mostly robbed of the ability to speak, Swinton has to convey a massive range of emotions largely with body language---a task she accomplishes with all the skill you'd expect from one of the world's greatest actresses.

Natalie Portman (Jackie) Frail and tough, honest and veiled, open and censoring---Portman's portrayal of the most famous First Lady in American history is riddled with contradictions that, in her hands, become a coherent character. She can sink to the depths of unbearable anguish at a moment's notice, and five minutes later it is as if nothing very bad had happened. Yet, there's always something boiling under the surface...perhaps an understanding that history will forever place "JFK's wife" next to her name, whatever else she may do with her life. At times, Portman seems to barely hold it all in, yet when we leave the theater she is still a mystery. Maybe that's how it should be.

Joel Edgerton (Loving) Rarely does more go unsaid or understood than passes behind the face of Joel Egderton as Richard Loving, one half of the married couple whose simple wish to live in their home state of Virginia dealt a death blow to laws banning interracial marriage in the United States. Edgerton says little, and when he does it is in as few words as possible...every one of which speaks his entire mind. Key to the performance, though, are scenes of him simply sharing intimate moments with wife Mildred. At a time when the stereotype of the traditonal American husband and father of yesteryear is often held up for all the wrong reasons, Edgerton's performance is crucial.

Emma Stone (La La Land) Until near the end, the music is the driving force of La La Land. Then someone asks the character of Mia to "tell a story", and Emma Stone delivers one of the best scenes of her career. The strength of the "Audition" number redefines what has come before for the character, and solidifies her as both someone we can really root for, and the personification of dreamers, however hopeless they might be. The final look she gives Ryan Reynolds in the film speaks more than a page of dialogue ever could.

Viola Davis (Fences) Before the era of feminism, there was an unspoken agreement between married couples in the U.S.: a wife was to put up with her husband's shit, even when he was full to bursting with it. It was hard to pick one of the two main performances in "Fences" to single out, but ultimately Davis's simmering cauldron is the heart of the story, enabling her to both survive and love life with her deeply, deeply flawed husband. Unlike Denzel Washington, who gets to vomit forth an endless stream of anger throughout the film, Davis is tasked with saving her one great outburst for when it is most needed and has the most impact, creating a scene the trailers should not have featured; it should have been allowed to burst on audiences like water from a broken dam, rolling over everything in its path. Five minutes later, she's calm again, but she's also a different woman...or maybe just another woman who was hiding behind the first all along.

Sunny Pawar (Lion) The trailers all emphasize the adult Saroo's search for his home, but the bulk of the movie is taken up with a young Saroo getting lost in the first place, and Dev Patel is overshadowed by 8-year-old Sunny Pawar...not an easy feat. Like Quvenzhane Wallis and Jacob Tremblay, Pawar takes a role that could easily have been phoned in (since we have natural sympathy for kids) and makes little Saroo into an enormously relatable character, a lost boy whose stomping ground is no Neverland. It isn't any wonder the filmmakers keep coming back to him in flashbacks after his character is grown. He's the heart of the film.

Hailee Steinfeld (Edge of Seventeen) I swear, my generation moons over the era of John Hughes High School comedies so much they seem to forget that being awkward, out-of-place and unable to wait for the day after graduation day isn't unique to them. Every year we get a handful of largely unheralded comedies about that very topic, and Hailee Steinfeld's performance as a morbid, confused and, yes, aggressive (bad female! bad!) teen who openly discusses her sex life, alcohol habits and dark, dark, dark humor elevates "Edge of Seventeen" to the top of the pack. With acerbic wit, pinpoint aim, and unflinching pessimism, Nadine Franklin manages to skewer not just every aspect of High School life but many of life in general. The only target she routinely misses? Herself.

Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship) It is exceedingly rare that a woman in the movies can be aggressive and acidic at the same time. Kate Beckinsale's Lady Susan is such a character. It is impossible for all but the most ardent feminists to actually like her, and you'd never want to be drawn into her poisonous circle of rumor, manipulation, innuendo and life-destroying gossip, but you have to admire her for taking charge of her own life at a time when women were tasked with hosting guests, looking pretty and shutting up. These days, she'd almost certainly be described as a sociopath, wrecking lives for her whim and amusement, yet you can't look away. She's the year's best villain...or is she?

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) Chris Pine's well-meaning father is our anchor to this story of two desperate brothers in hard times, but Ben Foster is the anarchic, destructive force that keeps our eyes glued to the screen. Whereas Pine's dad doesn't think of himself as criminal and Jeff Bridges's sheriff has spent far too much time watching old westerns, Foster knows exactly what he is: a violent criminal whose psycopathy he might be able to turn to his brother's aid in one last blaze of glory. There's never really a question of him surviving the story; he's not a man, he's a storm, and he's here to rage harder than he ever has before blowing himself out.

Naomie Harris (Moonlight) Talk about embodying multiple people in one role. Harris plays mother to a young, gay black man at three different stages of his life, but she's not the kind of perfect mom the movies prefer. She's a drug addict at a time when the War on Drugs refused to treat such people with any sort of humanity, and she's got a temper to match the times; when she screams hurtful words at her own son, the decision to remove the audio from the scene makes her come off as near-demonic. Simplicity, though, isn't really what Moonlight deals in, and there are layers and regrets to her revealed as the film goes on. Her final scene asks a rather important question: should any time be too late to be forgiven?

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) For the most part, horror will forever be considered beneath the notice of those who hand out accolades, which means even if you turn in one of the most startling performances of the year, it doesn't really count if it's in this genre. That's a shame, because unless you count a tiny, uncredited role from 2014, Taylor-Joy makes the most impressive film debut of any actress this year. Called upon to do things involving animal blood and demonic possession that a more image-concerned person might spurn, she handles the role of a teenage girl whose family is being assailed by the forces of hell by taking it all absolutely seriously, which is essential; any hint that she thinks anything she's doing is silly, and the film falls apart. There's reason to question whether anything supernatural is really happening in the New England wilderness of the late 1600's, but no reason to doubt the strength of Taylor-Joy's performance.

Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) Not everything has to be so serious, something Deadpool would probably remind you of right before delivering a kick straight to your kibbles and bits. As the star, producer and driving force behind the hilariously raunchy R-rated superhero flick, Reynolds is the most eminently watchable and entertaining a comic hero has been outside the suit since Robert Downey Jr. swaggered into the Iron Man armor. Mel Brooks once famously described his films as rising below vulgarity, and whether Reynolds is taking time out to break the fourth wall or making incredibly lewd comments at his blind, elderly, female roommate, he's bringing the spirit of "Blazing Saddles" to a genre that sometimes really needs to get over itself. In a year where "Batman vs. Superman" took itself more seriously than a second heart attack, Reynolds's Merc with a Mouth is the filthy, over-the-top cure the doctor ordered.

And my top two performances, starting with my choice for Best Actress:

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)

In arguably the most challenging role this year, which comes in certainly the most challenging film, Huppert plays a woman who, after being raped, plays a cat-and-mouse game with the rapist. Whether she is trying to catch him or get caught again is another question. The role was turned down by multiple more well-known actresses, before being taken by Huppert, who deserves to be more well-known outside her native France. Key to her performance is that her character is not altogether very likable, and if she were not a victim of a heinous crime, you'd have a real difficult time feeling empathy for her. That takes far more guts, I think, than playing out brutal scenes of assault, since we tend to demand our heroines be pure as the driven snow.

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

He's been turning in the best work he possibly can in every role he's had, big or small, for two decades, always overshadowed in fame by his older brother, but this year is Casey's. Angry, violent, adrift and bereft, Lee Chandler is a man with no purpose in a world that demands every man have one, not that he grasps himself on that level: he's simply a man who has been struck over and over until nothing but armor remains. Forced to deal with the issue of custody for his nephew after his brother dies, he portrays a truth no man wants to face: not all of us are cut out for responsibility. Despite this, Affleck walks a fine line, making Lee simultaneously a jerk and someone you'd really like to see come out on top. Unfortunately, as Lee well knows, the world just isn't that simple.

Honorable mentions: I limited my list to 15, and even after expanding from ten it was still difficult. There are lots of great roles that didn't make the cut, and here are the ten that really gave the winners a run for their money, in one big list. If you don't see your favorite, remember: it doesn't necessarily mean they weren't good, just that I can't possibly list them all.

Kristen Stewart (Cafe Society) The Cast of Don't Think Twice Royalty Hightower (The Fits) Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins) Lou de Laage (The Innocents) Ruth Negga (Loving) Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) Jessica Chastain (Miss Sloane) Pretty much everybody in Moonlight (Moonlight) Katie Holmes (Touched With Fire)

#lou de laâge #katie holmes #Jessica Chastain #Meryl Streep #ruth negga #royalty hightower #kristen stewart #lucas hedges #isabelle huppert #casey affleck #The Innocents #manchester by the sea #touched with fire #cafe society #Don't Think Twice #the fits #florence foster jenkins #loving #miss sloane #Viola Davis #fences #denzel washington #deadpool #marvel #ryan reynolds #anya taylor-joy #the witch #emma stone #la la land #Naomie Harris

[thebiasedlens]

Race To The Oscars (Part 2)

Only two weeks are left for the Oscars. So here are two more reviews for movies nominated for Best Picture.

Hell or High Water - 4.5/5

Hell or High Water released in August, way before Oscar bait movies usually release. And I remember coming out of the theater loving it and thinking, man if only this movie had released around November/ December it would have had a shot at the Oscars. But to my pleasant surprise, despite it's early release, Hell or Hight Water managed to bag 4 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. And that right there is a win for good cinema. It almost made me forgive the Academy for not nominating Nocturnal Animals. Almost!

On surface Hell or High Water is a robbery movie. It has a very old western feel to it. But director David Mackenzie has managed to layer it up with every act. Hence, as the narrative progresses, layers peel off and we discover that the movie has more to offer. It is about brotherhood, revenge, humanity, and has a very current political stance on the banking industry. 

The cast is well selected and they all have delivered terrific performances. Though Jeff Bridges has, rightly so, bagged a nomination for the best supporting actor category, both Ben Foster and Chris Pine deserve recognition and accolades for their sublime performances as brothers in arms. 

The cinematography perfectly captures the loneliness of the Texas deserts with its wide arial shots. The emptiness of the vast land and a lone car driving through it symbolizes the loneliness of the characters. The chase scenes have been shot effectively and are emphasized by the long shots. 

With its Oscar nominations, the movie might see a re-release, and if it does, then you definitely should go with it if you haven’t already seen it.

Oscar Nominations - 4

Moonlight - 4.5/5

After watching Moonlight, I now know why everyone has been raving about it.

If you, like me, are a fan of Boyhood, then you will love Moonlight. It is honest, true, innocent, powerful, and brave. It's a coming of age movie like you have never seen before. 

It's a survival tale of a gay African-American growing up in a drug-ridden neighborhood and dealing with every curve ball life throws at him. Its narrated in three chapters of his life- boy, teen, and man. It is a journey about self discovery and self acceptance. Such a story, with this backdrop and this kind of treatment has never been attempted before. And by mixing these three significantly separate elements, director Barry Jenkins delivers a masterpiece that will resonate deep into your heart. 

At 1 hour 50 minutes, the editing is crisp and keeps the narrative moving forward. Skillfully direction and cinematography beautifully capture Miami like we have never seen before. The casting is impressive. All three actors playing the boy, the teen and the man are so raw and real. They deliver powerful performances that will make you empathize with them and their journey. 

But the cherry on the cake for me was Mahershala Ali as Juan. He probably has the smallest role in the movie, but man he knocks it out of the park in every frame. Hence proving once again, that it's not the length, but the substance of the role that matters. 

The direction has a very deliberate hand-held feel to it, that gives us the audience a sense of being right next to the characters. The camera moves along with the characters tightly and keeps you constantly invested in whats going on. 

Also what I loved about this movie was the director’s choice of using silence and music over heavy dialogues. It is a brave choice that helps him drive his message home. Moonlight is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Do not miss this one.

Oscar Nominations - 7

#oscars #hell or high water #moonlight #movie review

[spryfilm]

“Wonder Woman” (2017)

Thriller/Action

Running Time: 141 minutes

Written by: Allan Heinberg

Directed by: Patty Jenkins,

Featuring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen and Elena Anaya

Diana Prince: “The gods made the Amazons to restore peace to the world, and it’s what I’m going to do.”

Possibly one of the most anticipated super hero movies in recent history has arrived in the form of the Patty Jenkins directed, Gal Gadot starring “Wonder Woman” (2017), about an Amazonian warrior who after years of training as well as shunning the world of ‘man’ is drawn into World War I by her sometime beau Steve Trevor. If you have been following Wonder Woman’s journey to the big screen you will know that she first appeared in the terrible Zack Snyder directed “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) where she stole the show with her kick ass attitude as well as the fact she didn’t defer or wait for the boys – she got on with showing off almost all of her tools, the shield, the sword, the lasso, those bracelet’s and of course her battle hardiness. Now as every good super hero as well as possible new franchise needs is an origin story, not just any story but a great one – something Warner Bros./DC has finally learnt from Marvel. As with any good origin story this one is built around a solid character, with some moral unrest as well as a few friends to help out where needed. What also helps is a director that can handle a huge budget as well as the expectations from the studio and audience alike. What we get is a very mixed bag with a film that starts strong then plot contrivances combined a with a very weak as well as confusing third act lets this film down but is still a great ride.

Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, Diana meets an American pilot (Chris Pine) who tells her about the massive conflict that’s raging in the outside world. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her home for the first time. Fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars, she finally discovers her full powers and true destiny.

For me the first question that had to be answered was all to do with the director, that is, the hiring of a relative newcomer to direct what is potentially the blockbuster of the year as well the re-launching after a much publicized failure (thanks Zack Snyder) in 2016. I am happy to say that Patty Jenkins has done an outstanding job given all the inherent limitations as well as having a huge studio hovering in the background. It has been pretty obvious in the press as well as the marketing that Jenkins and star Gal Gadot have been on the same page right from the jump. Seeing a hero that is based in Greek mythology brought to life in three dimensions as well as it being done so competently is a real gift for audiences, one I hope they embrace with open arms. This film was always going to be directed by a woman, Warner Bros. had to beat Marvel at something and if they are unable to do so with the product or success, they at least could be first at something – having the first female led superhero movie as well as having a woman direct what is probably one of the largest budgeted superhero movie’s is a start. I think it is unfortunate that we do live in an age where this is seen as a step forward but women have been systemically cut out of this process.

The next step to get right was the casting and when Gal Gadot was cast as Wonder Woman for her debut many people had no clue who she was. However with a super strong marketing campaign as well as a few “Fast and Furious” films under her belt the public quickly became aware who was playing the Amazonian Princess – in fact this is a role if handled correctly could be the answer for Warner Bros. to have a face for the DC Universe that is 100% unique as well as being one of the three pillars of the DC Universe – giving those tired old warhorses Batman and Superman a well deserved break – is it me or are those two so last century. Gadot has embraced this character so well that she shines onscreen and even though the story may seem a little rehearsed, overblown and at times just like any other superhero origin, particularly a DC one – how can they still not get their endings right? Have you seen “Guardian’s of the Galaxy: Volume 2” (2017)? She seems above it all and able to handle anything.

The other two standouts for me are Chris Pine (Steve Trevor) and Lucy Davis (Etta Candy) – I was not sure how I would feel about seeing these two characters brought to life but like all great actors Pine and Davis are fully invested. I was invigorated to see Chris Pine take this role, as was it a sidekick role that has the job of showing Diana the ropes, so to speak. But Pine with his own franchise and after his own turn in last years excellent “Hell or High Water” (2016) it is obvious that this role required something special and real, so Pine is your man. After years of playing characters such as Dawn in the original “The Office” (2001 – 2003), Dianne in “Shaun of the Dead” (2004) and Emily in “Maron” (2015 – 2016) it is deserving she play Wonder Woman’s number 2 in the amazing Etta Candy – straight from the comics, she plays her wonderfully and threatens to steal the movie.

It was with some relief when I found the story shifting from Paradise Island to the ‘modern’ world that this was going to be set during World War I. The relief came from the fact that we were not going to be subjected to World War II and all the tropes that go along with it. In my mind it always seems to be a lazy way to move the plot as well as establishing a narrative as almost any fantasy or comic book film will use the Nazis as the ‘bad guys’ thereby negating the need to build three dimensional antagonists. With “Wonder Woman” however there was a need to establish a villain, the standout being Elena Anaya as Dr. Poison who I found to be extremely compelling and original, for a comic book villain that is. Unfortuabltey the same cannot be said of Danny Hustons whose idea of seeming evil is ywllng, a lot, as well as having no clue about what his motivations are, expet he is bad and just has to kill everyone else – really? That’s a villain in 2017, all he was missing was a moustache to twirl. However and no spoilers give it was about to get worse.

Once again we see with these high priced and still overblown superhero movies a massive reliance on CGI, which of course is the case with “Wonder Woman”, the difference with the better films is that this use of special effects is combined with great characters as well as interesting action moments that serve as one scene or moment. It could be with Jenkins background in independent movies, she directed Charlize Theron to a best actress Oscar for her only previous movie the serial killer biography “Monster” (2003), that she is able to take character first building around that to give a complete moment. Of course there are still third act issues with the big showdown that we have come to expect, but it is saved by the Gadot doing what she does best in with the character that is to stand up and not look back.

Unfortunately it has to be said the entire movie is ultimately let down by the ending as well as a final battle which I thought had ended with something akin to previous Marvel film. I also thought it was going to be a smarter ending which was hinted at in regard to the war, our place as humans in conflict and the fact that there is no easy answer. Boy was I ever wrong, it the film took a left turn, and suddenly I felt I was back at the end of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” – what a nightmare, please get me out. It was such a shame to see a film let me down this much.

I will not go into any real plot details as this movie is better left as a surprise even though the trailers have given away a few of the key points which is par for the course these days but this is a movie definitely worth seeing on the big screen and for my mind without a second watch is still in the top 15 comic book films produced to date. It is a true relasation of a property (again with a painful third act) that has gone through some turmoil over the past ten years with issues from medium, to directors, to writers to who would play the main part. But “Wonder Woman” is a fantastic watch for all ages and both genders, you should go and see. We should be thankful to have a Wonder Woman finally come to life.

“Wonder Woman” is out now only in cinemas.

Film review: “Wonder Woman” (2017) “Wonder Woman” (2017) Thriller/Action Running Time: 141 minutes Written by: Allan Heinberg Directed by: Patty Jenkins,

#chris pine #dc comics #dceu #film #Film review #film reviews #gal gadot #patty jenkins #Review #Reviews #wonder woman

[wavenetinfo]

Ever since Christopher Nolan’s last great Batman film, 2008’s The Dark Knight, DC has been in a pretty brutal big-screen slump. Watchmen. Jonah Hex. Green Lantern. Suicide Squad. The various Superman movies. Some of these films have managed to make a nice chunk of change at the box office. But they’re the kind of hits that exist more on a studio’s balance sheet than in the hearts and minds of moviegoers. Unlike its crosstown rival, Marvel, DC has had a hard time finding the right mix of darkness and light, seriousness and humor, gravitas and fun. They just haven’t been able to crack the magic nut. It would be insane to think that the suits at Warner Bros., the custodians of the DC celluloid franchise, weren’t getting twitchy and envious every time a new Marvel flick hit theaters. But now, with their latest superhero saga, they can finally stopping chewing their cuticles — if there are any left. Wonder Woman is smart, slick, and satisfying in all of the ways superhero films ought to be. How deliciously ironic that in a genre where the boys seem to have all the fun, a female hero and a female director are the ones to show the fellas how it’s done.

Ever since her comic-book debut in 1941, William Moulton Marston’s groundbreaking superheroine has been ahead of her time. A girl-power icon in a male-fantasy universe that rarely had much use for powerful women — just damsels looking to be undistressed. But Wonder Women always (or most of the time, anyways) refused to play by those rules. A demigod warrior-princess sculpted from clay by her Amazonian mother, Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman was a distaff badass with the courage, superpowers, and gee-whiz doodads to match her male peers: The Lasso of Truth, indestructible golden bracelets, and even a sword that could bring down the Gods. She used them all to shatter the superhero glass ceiling.

That’s the same protagonist we first meet in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman — a rollicking origin story with a clear and distinct feminist message that never bludgeons you with its gender politics. It’s far too assured and sly for that. The film opens on the island of Themyscira, an idyllic paradise with chalk-white cliffs and turquoise waters that was gifted to the Amazons by Zeus. Invisible to the rest of the world, the island is hidden by a protective atmospheric cloak. It’s like the Bermuda Triangle if the Bermuda Triangle were inhabited solely by a race of she-warriors living in harmony and training in combat under Robin Wright. Zeus created the Amazons to put love back into mankind’s hearts and restore peace. But under Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), they’ve remained in hiding, practicing the ancient martial arts in strappy gladiator sandals and on horseback while speaking in a thick Slavic goulash of accents that give you the impression that Themyscira might just be located somewhere near Transylvania. Hippolyta has a young daughter named Diana — a curious, rebellious, bullheaded little moppet eager to learn how to fight like her elders. She’s not like the others, though. There’s something special about her — a secret link to the Gods that no one told her about. But as Diana grows up to become Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, her gift reveals itself. And just in the nick of time, too.

When the plane of an American spy named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) pierces the island’s force-field whatzit and crashes into the ocean, Gadot’s Diana dives in and saves him. He’s the first man that she’s ever laid eyes on. The first man that any of the Amazons have laid eyes on. All of them want him to leave. But Diana is curious. Especially after he tells her about the horrific war that’s raging back in his world. It’s 1918 and it’s being called “The War to End All Wars”. Diana, raised on the Amazonian creed of peace and her people’s duty to fight against Ares, the God of War, sees his war as her war. She has found her destiny. World War I and the Allies have been Waiting for Gadot.

Clay Enos/Warner Bros

Gadot, an Israeli actress with piercing dark eyes, is probably best known for playing Gisele in several of the Fast & Furious movies. But there was nothing in those installments that hinted at the undeniable star power she gives off as Wonder Woman. Granted, the Fast & Furious movies aren’t exactly acting showcases, but still…. Her Diana is both awesomely fierce and surprisingly funny, especially when she arrives in war-torn London with Trevor and gets her first taste of 20th-century modernity. Whether she’s reacting to the unfamiliar sight of automobiles or constricting early 20th-century women’s fashions, she takes it all in like a fish-out-of-water naïf. When she has her first taste of ice cream, she swoons and enthusiastically tells the salesman, “You should be very proud,” as if he’s performed some kind of miracle. Gadot sells the innocence and humor in these moments every bit as convincingly as Daryl Hannah in Splash. Her chemistry with Pine is just as unexpected and electric. Catching him in the nude back on Themyscira, she takes a peek at him in the buff and asks: “Would you say you are a typical example of your sex?” He replies, “I am above average.” Screenwriter Allan Heinberg (Grey’s Anatomy) deserves as much of the credit for their sparks-filled duet as the stars.

As World War I seems to be winding down and an armistice is about to be signed, a holdout among the German high command, the evil Gen. Ludendorff (Danny Huston), is busy creating a poisonous biological super-weapon to turn German defeat into victory. His chief chemist, a disfigured sadist named Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya), is a vision of villainy right out of comic-book nightmares, wearing a prosthetic faceplate that hides her hideous scars. Diana, Trevor, and his trio of mercenary pals (Ewen Bremner, Said Taghmaoui, and Eugene Brave Rock) race to the Belgian front to stop Ludendorff and “Dr. Poison” before it’s too late. Some might wonder why a character who was first conceived in 1941 and who’s finally being brought to the big screen in 2017 has been plopped into 1918? But I’d argue that Wonder Woman’s time period is a pretty clever stealth weapon to explore some of the movies more progressive themes (more on that in a sec), not to mention the fact that it gives the film a retro-cool charge reminiscent of Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger. We’ve grown so accustomed to seeing superheroes flash their powers on screen that it’s refreshing to see people react with awe, like they’re witnessing miracles. The miracle of the movie — or at least the fantastic first two-thirds of it — is that the audience feels that same novel rush. As Diana deflects machine gun-fire with her bracelets, flips army tanks with one hand, and whips German soldiers around like ragdolls with her luminescent Lasso of Truth, we feel like we’re watching her feats with new eyes.

The setting also helps to make the film’s resonant feminist subtext feel more organic and less forced. At a time when women were still without the right to vote and were subjugated to a position of being seen and not heard, the fearsome Diana becomes a spokeswoman in word and deed of resistance and empowerment. She refuses to be treated like a second-class citizen by politicians and generals. No one puts Wonder Woman in a corner. On the battlefield in Belgium, she displays a martial courage that her brothers in arms (even including Pine) don’t possess. She’s completely fearless…not to mention a long way from Lynda Carter.

It’s only in the movie’s unnecessary final half-hour or so that Wonder Woman finally meets her match: the special-effects imperatives of contemporary blockbuster filmmaking against which even the Germans onscreen seem insignificant. When Diana realizes that the villain she’s been chasing all this time is, in fact, not the end but just the beginning to a line of villains to be trotted out, no doubt, in subsequent chapters, the movie turns into an eye-rolling digital smackdown that mirrors every other late-period DC (and, to be fair, Marvel) movie smackdown. It would be nice one of these days if some heroic editor just lopped off the last 30 minutes of all of these things. But it’s hard to quibble about what’s wrong with a movie that gets so much right, especially when it comes to Gadot’s revelatory portrayal of Wonder Woman. The wait is over, folks. The DC movie you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. A-

30 May 2017 | 4:00 am

Chris Nashawaty

Source : EW.com

>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>

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[jezfletcher]

Oscars 2017

It's Oscars time again, and before the great, grand anticlimax which is the actual ceremony, I'd like to take you through my regular wrap-up and count down of my favourite Oscar films of the year. Unlike recent years, where I've had ample opportunity to watch the best films periodically throughout the year, 2016 involved dedicating a large proportion of my spare time to helping keep a small human being alive. As a result, no I've not seen fewer films this year, but I have had to cram most of them into the space of the month between the end of Sydney Festival and the Oscars ceremony. In all, I saw 42 Oscar-nominated feature films this year, which is all but 5 of the total. Of those, I could have seen O.J.: Made In America, but its 4.5 hour running time made it a daunting prospect, and difficult to squeeze in amongst all the Keeping A Small Human Being Alive. So it's a pretty good hit-rate. Sadly, it means I'm missing out on some films with an excellent pedigree, though: Asghar Farhadi's films are always excellent, but The Salesman comes out in cinemas a couple of weeks after the Oscars. 20th Century Women is directed by Mike Mills, director of two very fine films I've seen—Beginners and Thumbsucker—and is up for Best Original Screenplay, one of my favourite categories. I'm also missing I Am Not Your Negro, another Best Documentary Feature nominee, and My Life As A Zucchini, up for Best Animated Feature. Anyway, without further preamble, here's my countdown of the films, from best to worst. My write-ups may well not be as detailed as previous years (due to, ahem, small human being alive keeping), but I'll try to dive more deeply into some of the ones which warrant it in particular.

1. 13th

A truly phenomenal, and utterly engaging documentary from Ava DuVernay (director of Selma), charting the fortunes of the black American population since the 13th Amendment to the constitution and the abolition of slavery. In it, she presents compelling arguments that, although the official abolition of slavery occurred a century and a half ago, the caste separation between the black and white populations continues. She charts this through various stages: the post civil-war continuation of slavery, which allowed slavery as a punishment for crime; the Jim Crow racial segregation laws; the war on drugs; and the present day practice of mass-incarceration. Through all of these, DuVernay shows how each of these disproportionately affects the black community, and posits persuasive arguments that these are merely a by-product of the exact same mentality that promoted slavery of black Americans in the first instance. Moreover, she promotes the theory that these laws are not just some kind of retribution, or covert racism, but an economic necessity for the white population to maintain its cultural advantages. Indeed, this is no different, DuVernay argues, than modern-day slavery itself. Disenfranchisment, subtle propaganda, racial stereotyping and profiling; these are all symptoms of the same illness. It was a truly remarkable documentary, and one which fortunately ended with a firm call to action, firmly rooted around the Black Lives Matter movement. It needed it, as a final note of optimism, because the argument she presents about how this has continues throughout history was utterly convincing.

2. Hell or High Water

A really fine film, with a great cast, and a sense of engagement throughout. You immediately empathise with everyone in this film, both the duo of bank-robbing brothers, and the law enforcement officers hunting them down. There's lovely bits of mystery to the tale that hook you from the start, and it makes for a really engaging film from start to finish. Jeff Bridges is great, and deserving of his Oscar Nomination, but the film wouldn't be successful without equally charismatic turns from Ben Foster and Chris Pine. They all work as an ensemble to tell this tale, and it's a rollicking ride. Definitely worth your time.

3. Land of Mine

After the second world war, Denmark's western coastline was filled with German landmines, left after a feared invasion via the country. The Danish army decided it would use its German prisoners of war to clear the mines. Enter Sergeant Rasmussen (Roland Møller), who commands a troop of around 20 young Germans, most not much out of adolescence, as they clear thousands of mines from a remote beach. This is a film filled with inherent tension. From very early in the piece, we're subjected to the heart-stopping thrill of defusing these mines, and it's made clear that the filmmakers are not shying away from the shock of them unexpectedly exploding. But the way this device is used in the film is where it gets its real power. Director Martin Zandvliet knows he can shock the audience at any point in the film. But he doesn't waste these opportunities. Instead, he plays on the anticipation, the stress and the audiences own fear to beautifully paint the situation these young men find themselves in. And from this, Zandvliet crafts a really quite emotional and human tale. There's a conflict inherent in the situation for these characters. Set at the time when the German's atrocities during the war were being discovered, there's the feeling punishment these German soldiers is warranted—they will face the crimes of their country. But we spend time with these boys (and they are boys), and we see the innocence and humanity in them. We see their simple dreams—one wants to be a bricklayer, one is going to work in a friend's factory, all dream of their mother's cooking—and are reminded that they too are victims of war. All of this is packaged into a film that's quite captivating and thrilling, due to that manipulation of its premise. It's a really well-constructed and very powerful film. I've not seen any other work by this director before, but I anticipate some fine things from Martin Zandvliet in the future.

4. The Lobster

(Written up in 2015 (!!)) I really loved Yorgos Lanthimos's breakthrough film Dogtooth, but was lukewarm to his follow-up effort Alps. Nevertheless, I was enthusiastic about seeing The Lobster, the director's first feature in (mostly) English. This film very much harks back to the aesthetic and devices of Dogtooth, however, which makes it a much more indulgent experience. David (Colin Farrell), is a recently single man, who arrives at the mysterious Hotel, where single people are ushered in order to force them to couple-up with other singles. They have forty-five days to do so, after which time, supposedly, they will get transformed instead into the animal of their choice. You have to accept the premise of the film, because it's Lanthimos, and he gives you no option otherwise. But once you do accept it, it's a really quite wonderful exploration of this near-future dystopia. Lanthimos explores this notion of singledom as a curse through the Hotel, and through the outcast Loners whom are routinely hunted by the Hotel's guests. Macabre but prosaic tableux are played out by Hotel staff illustrating the benefits of living life as a couple. Counterpointing this need to be coupled is the infeasibility of forming a perfect union—one in which your defining characteristic is shared by your partner: your limp, your near-sightedness, your singing voice. It makes the cruelty of this world plain in its beige reasonableness. Lanthimos has assembled an exceptional international cast here, filled with peripheral actors who provide comedy, tragedy and pathos. Besides Farrell, we have Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, Léa Sedoux, Ben Whishaw, John C. Reilly and Angeliki Papoulia (probably best known for her work in Lanthimos's previous films, especially Dogtooth). This ensemble provides for an exceptional range of talent, from comic to heart-felt. It is indeed, very, very funny—despite the traumatic unreality of the piece. There's something very disturbing in the film, but in a way that twists it towards the surreal rather than the truly upsetting. this is not to say that Lanthimos shies away from his trademark brutal depiction of cruelty and violence. This is here, and it serves its purpose. You're never going to escape one of his films completely unscathed. But overall, it forms a really genuinely impressive piece of work. My only criticism of The Lobster compared to Dogtooth is that there almost felt as though there had been nothing like Dogtooth before it, and this is not true of The Lobster: The Lobster was rather like Dogtooth. But at least if one is labelling a film as derivative, it being derivative of one of the most unique and idiosyncratic films of the past 20 years is no bad thing.

5. Nocturnal Animals

Tom Ford, fashion designer-cum-director, made an exquisitely and painfully beautiful film in 2009 called A Single Man, which showed off his visual chops and his rapport with his cast, but also tended towards fussiness, and an over-reliance on laboured perfection. I enjoyed it a good deal, but it's nothing compared to his sophomore effort Nocturnal Animals, which ends up being a truly remarkable film. In it, we see two parallel stories. In the first, a wealthy gallery owner (Amy Adams) receives an unpublished manuscript of her ex-husband's first novel. She becomes obsessed with it, as her current marriage falls apart around her. The second follows the plot of the novel, in which a man (Jake Gyllenhaal) loses his wife and daughter to kidnappers during a roadtrip in rural Texas. As the second plot weaves through the investigation of the crime by Detective Bobby Andes (Michael Shannon, in yet another incredible turn from one of my favourite actors), we start to perceive the connection between the novel and the lives intertwined in the real world—driven home by the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal also plays Amy Adams' ex-husband in reality. It's a conceit that's been down before in film, but it's done with such panache here, thanks to Tom Ford's not-insignificant talent as a director, and his flair for visual style. It makes for a really quite thrilling film, and one which engaged me throughout. It's also, in many ways, a much more ambitious film than his first: where A Single Man had to gleam with crystalline perfection, Nocturnal Animals is a rougher affair, and it's the better for it. Ford has a strong hand as a director, but here he knows when to let the story flail a little, and to let us see it in its unvarnished ugliness. It shows development and maturity. And so, much more than I felt with A Single Man, I'm now genuinely excited to see where Ford goes as a director. This film shows the true potential for future mastery, and maintains that sense of grand talent that was in his first film. Based on the current trajectory, his third film could be something utterly brilliant.

6. Arrival

This was the kind of film I was always going to like. From Denis Villeneuve, a director I've much admired in the past, It has the hard-edge of real science fiction to it. Alien spacecraft have appeared at various points around the world, and the film follows the efforts of a disaffected American linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams, again) to decipher their language, and provide a way for communication. On top of this story of scientific discovery is the global political turmoil, which is woven together in such a way to provide the conflict and tension of the film. Villeneuve has a knack for picking exceptional scripts, and he carefully places them in such context to get maximal emotional engagement from the audience. He also manages here, as he has in other films like Incendies to contrive an exceptional plot twist towards the end, which is in plain sight throughout the film. By the end, everything is so neatly packaged together that it's utterly satisfying, and the twist is so beautifully wrought that it warrants a second viewing. But mostly, it was just an engaging film throughout its length. I was rapt, and that's because it was so well crafted. There was nothing out of place, nothing superfluous. It was just great film-making; you didn't see the craft, just the story.

7. Captain Fantastic

I missed this film at the Sydney Film Festival this year, but I'm very pleased it ended up with a nod come Oscars season because otherwise I might well have missed it. It follows the tale of Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) and his children, who live isolated in the wilderness, learning survival skills, philosophy, hard sciences, critical thinking and a code of atheist ethics. The film opens soon after the death of the children's mother, who recently left their encampment to get better treatment. In order to attend her funeral, the family has to travel to New Mexico, and reintegrate into society. There's an odd seduction to the world Ben creates for his family. In particular, the sense of first trying to divorce yourself from all of the trappings of societal norms, and once that's done, to raise your children in the best possible way. The film, then, becomes an exploration of how that philosophy is in direct conflict with the rest of the world. It's engaging as a road-trip movie, but it's more of a philosophical exploration. Each of the encounters and small events on the journey present another facet to this conflict. Maybe it's just me and my lefty-leaning ways, but it was very easy to take Cash's side in the conflict, even as you could see the difficulties this presents for his children interacting with the people of the “real" world. Mortensen is exceptionally good in the lead, but it's really an ensemble piece. George McKay as Bodevan, Ben's eldest son is another stand-out. And there's ample support in the later pieces from Frank Langella as Ben's father-in-law. Overall, it was a really engaging, and extremely thought-provoking film. It didn't make me immediately want to drive my wife and son to the hills to start living the Cashes' existence, but it did raise some interesting thoughts about instilling values in your children. A film that can affect your world-view is a powerful one.

8. Manchester By The Sea

I think I'm spending too long on these films, so I might take it easy here. This is a fine film, and in the best tradition of a film just telling a story in such a good way that it gets propelled to the Oscars. There's nothing particularly Oscar-baiting about this film, but it is undoubtedly the kind of film that often gets Oscar nods. Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a custodian for a block of apartments in Boston, who gets called back to his hometown after his brother dies. Here he looks after his nephew (Lucas Hedges), and faces up to his past. It's a well-structured film, and everything is put in place very nicely. It's a good performance from Affleck (who I believe is still the front-runner to take out Best Actor), and Hedges provides a fine counterpoint. And the cinematography is particularly good: capturing very well the atmosphere of this seaside Massechusetts town. Definitely worth a look.

9. A Man Called Ove

I thought this film was going to be this year's bizarrely comic Scandinavian garbage (like The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared, which I hated). There is that sense of staid Swedish comic timing in the opening scenes, as we are introduced to Ove, a crotchety elderly resident of a Swedish housing estate. But while the film could have left him as an unsympathetic, blank mystery, it takes on the much more difficult task of showing us all the stories of his life that have brought him to this point. And in so doing, not only is there great empathy induced in us (to the point of great emotional upheaval), but the characterisation of the old man we see is perfectly wrought. Much of the success of the film comes from the performances, and both the old Ove (Rolf Lassgård) and the young Ove (Filip Berg) are excellent, with Berg putting in place all the sympathy we need for Lassgård's gravitas to drive home. It's a rare thing that a film so beautifully balances comedy and tragedy, but A Man Called Ove really manages it with finesse. Hannes Holm should take a bow.

10. Moonlight

A really great film, charting the life of a black man from childhood into early adulthood through three sections. In the first, the young Chiron (Alex Hibbert) is taken under the wing of a local drug dealer (Mahershala Ali), and provided with a kind of mentoring that has been missing from his life. In the second, the teenage Chiron (Ashton Sanders) struggles with bullying. And in the third, the now adult Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) reconnects with a friend from his past (Andre Holland). All of these vignettes are provided to explore an aspect of a young man's life, in particular highlighting the challenges faced by a person of colour. The fact that it doesn't go where you expect it to go, or where many genre films that look superficially the same would go, is where this film really stretches out into its own identity. It makes it feel warmly human and affecting in a way that many films fail. There are some elements of this film that I didn't like, however, which is why a film of this emotional power finds itself not at the very top of the list. For a start, the cinematography is done in the extremely offputting, shaky hand-held style, which proponents claim add immediacy, but which I think just makes for nausea and distraction. Indeed, in general there are a few things which seem to detract from the immersion of the film. Fortunately, it doesn't matter all that much due to the fact that the story is compelling enough in and of itself. So it's not without flaws, but it still stands tall as a truly excellent film. This must be seen as the front-runner to knock La La Land off for Best Picture, and while apparently the chances of this are sweet fuck-all, it is much, much more deserving of this honour.

11. Lion

A much more rigidly structured film than Moonlight, much more Oscar-baity, and nonetheless in some senses more enjoyable, Lion tells the remarkable true story of a young Indian boy separated from his family, who finds himself adopted by an Australian couple. The tale is told in two parts: first the young Saroo (Sunny Pawar) as he struggles to survive in Calcutta. Secondly, Saroo as a young man in Australia (Dev Patel) trying to search again for his birth family in India. Both parts are strong, but I found the first section particularly good, and the performance from young Sunny Pawar surprisingly mature. Patel is also good in the second part (and he does a surprisingly passable Australian accent), but the story of his life in Australia (especially his relationship with his girlfriend (Rooney Mara)) is less compelling, meaning that in the third quarter the film regresses to a simmer. I always find Nicole Kidman surprisingly inoffensive in film, given I don't think of her as an actress I particularly like, but I think here her Oscar nomination is a bit of a stretch. But in general, it's a very entertaining and genuinely crowd-pleasing film. It's in some ways a very safe film, which means that it never has the opportunities to really transcend its genesis. But it's a fine story, and it's put competently on screen by first-time director Garth Davis. A very long shot for Best Picture, but it would be a more worthy winner than others.

12. Hidden Figures

If there was an award for biggest Oscar-bait of the year, and La La Land wasn't for some reason in vogue, then Hidden Figures might well clean up. This is a very obviously structured film, but one with a great story to tell, and put together with enough verve to make up for its shortcomings. It tells the story of three black women working as mathematicians in NASA's offices in Virginia in the lead up to John Glenn's first orbit of Earth. This, at a time when racial segregation was still in place in the southern United States, Virginia included. The heart of this film lies in the performances from the three leads, Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae and Octavia Spencer. Spencer is as good as always, and Henson competently provides a worthy central protagonist. But I found Janelle Monae to be the most compelling presence, and I think she can feel slighted not to get a nod for Best Supporting Actress. It's a fine film though, and it was thoroughly enjoyable throughout. Again, like Lion it was rather safe, but it did a good job with what it was attempting.

13. Sully

This should by all rights have been much lower on this list, but I genuinely found it enthralling, moving and very enjoyable, and a surprising return to form for Clint Eastwood, who has been in my bad books for his last few films. At the Oscars, it's only up for Best Sound Editing, however, but it's a good enough excuse to go watch what's a really good film anyway. It helps that, unlike a seemingly large swathe of film critics nowadays, I do rather like Tom Hanks, who is as solid and reassuring an actor as Chesley Sullenberger is a pilot. Here, he doesn't have to show the emotional range that he did in Captain Philips, but it's a very capable performance nonetheless, and no less entertaining for its subtlety. But the main attraction is the story: both Sully's amazing achievement in landing a plane in the Hudson River with no casualties, but the subsequent investigation. Both of these, Eastwood puts on the screen with consummate skill, in such a way that there's always tension and intrigue. It's something of a wonder to see, given I'd largely written off Eastwood after American Sniper. I'm pleased to see that he at least had a Sully left in him.

14. Zootopia

A very enjoyable animated film, with a solid political message under the surface. It follows the tale in the eponymous city of Zootopia of a young rabbit police officer (Ginnifer Goodwin) who teams up with a petty criminal fox (Jason Bateman) to unlock a city-wide conspiracy. The story is not the film's strength though, and neither is the visual style, which relies a little too much on a kind of jukebox/spin-the-wheel backdrop presto-chango that sees the protagonists traverse through a sequence of environments just as an excuse to give the latest snow or jungle foliage rendering a whirl. But where it is better is in the depiction of the threat of dictatorial tyrrany (sadly, something we need more than ever nowadays). The undertones of the film are much stronger than the colourful surface package, and that's the best part of the film. Where it has to rely on plot to progress the film though, it ends up being more of a disappointment.

15. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

A decent follow-up to the excellent Force Awakens, Rogue One details the events immediately preceding A New Hope, in particular, the efforts taken to obtain the stolen plans of the Death Star. This could easily have been done quite poorly in many ways, and could have felt superfluous or self-indulgent, so it's something of an achievement that it's as successful as it is. But the story is only so good, especially once you know where it's going (and you should, at least to some extent). There's a lot of tacked on plot-lines about the remnants of a Jedi subculture which perhaps broaden the canonical Star Wars universe, but which do little to help this particular film. But the ending had some clout, and adds additional gravitas to the original saga in a rather pleasing way. The characters are generally reasonably good, although the main character Jyn (Felicity Jones) is numbingly bland—to the extent that I honestly remember the film with a kind of blanked-out blind spot in the centre of it. Better is the support, in particular Diego Luna as Jyn's eventual offsider, and the always excellent Ben Mendelsohn. I didn't even mind Alan Tudyk's motion-capture turn as a reprogrammed Imperial droid, which others certainly did. The CGI Peter Cushing though is pure uncanny valley, and every moment he was on screen was slightly unnerving. Overall, I definitely enjoyed it. Moreover, it's a film with enough clout to ensure that the revamped Star Wars universe has momentum leading up to Episode VIII. And I'm certainly looking forward to that.

16. Doctor Strange

Another film that has absolutely no business being as high as this is Doctor Strange, which I found to be a really entertaining outing from the Marvel stable. The concept goes like this: a gifted but egotistical neurosurgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch) has a horrific (self-inflicted) car crash, and loses the ability to use his hands. In search of ever more esoteric cures for his injuries, he finds the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who uses “magic" to protect the world from the non-physical threats, “in the same way the Avengers protect the world from physical threats". OK, nice way to weave this into the same universe at least. What this film is, first and foremost, is a visual spectacle. There's a reason this is up for Best Visual Effects at the Oscars. It's because the effects are genuinely a cut above almost everything else this year. Not only are they beautifully crafted, but they're visually inventive, in a way that makes you remember the spectacle of really good special effects before everything was just how many CPU cycles were used to render each strand of a character's hair. It helps as well that this film manages to assemble the likes of Cumberbatch, Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen. It adds weight to a film that doesn't need it (and possibly doesn't warrant it), and yet you end up with this rare treat in having them all present for it. Overall, it's not a heavy-hitting film in terms of story or cultural impact, but it's hard to deny that it's a very successful one for a blockbuster comic book adaptation.

17. Toni Erdmann

Up for Best Foreign Language Film, Toni Erdmann revolves around a German woman Ines (Sandra Hüller) working as an executive in Romania, and the attempts by her estranged father (Peter Simonischek) to reconnect with her. When their initial time together is awkward and frosty, the father returns as his alter ego Toni Erdmann—complete with false overbite, bad wig and outgoing personality. Posing as a life coach for Ines's CEO boss, tacitly accepted as such by Ines, the two manage something of a shaky relationship as Ines struggles with the pressures of her job. It's an awkward film in many ways, but an intriguing one. Despite the rather comic premise, it's deeply depressing for large tracts of the film—and in particular, Ines's life is achingly unfulfilling. Early sequences between her and her father are also filled with that kind of teeth-clenching embarrassment that makes a film hard to sit through. Depending on which character you most identify with, it's likely either a similarly squirm-inducing experience, or a rollicking comic deconstruction of the business world. All of this is for a purpose though, and the ending is surprisingly and genuinely quite cathartic. It makes the rest of the film seem like it was worthwhile, even though I remembered the bulk of it as being rather unsettling to sit through. Due to the discomfort, I'm certainly less enthusiastic about the film as a whole, but by the end I could certainly see it as a worthwhile piece of cinema.

18. Allies

I'm going to skim this one. It wasn't a bad film, but it was done a deep disservice by the trailer, which gave away the major plot point of the film (which happens about 40m before the end, and sets up the great climax). The opening scenes were good though, but because we knew where it was going to end up, there's a little bit of “when are they going to get to the fireworks factory" to it. Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt are serviceable enough to drive the film forward, and the production design and costuming is good (which is what it's up for at the Oscars). Not a huge standout though—it would have been better if I'd seen the trailer.

19. Fences

Denzel Washington's third film as director sees him square in front of the camera as well, as a blue-collar working man and the life he's carved out for himself and his wife (Viola Davis) in suburban Pittburgh. He seems a devoted husband and father, albeit one who drinks too much, and who seems to keep secrets. This film suffers severely from the fact that it's so obviously based on a stage play. It comes to the screen in such a way that's not nearly divorced enough from its genesis, so it feels rather like you're just watching a static stage from a series of different angles. Most of the action happens in the small, unfenced back yard of their home, and you can almost exactly see the way the set is constructed on the stage. It's also monumentally too long for what it is—running at well over two hours it feels every minute. And it's particularly galling at what's obviously the Act break in the stage production (where a nice drink in the lobby would have been very pleasant). But there's undeniably good things about this film. The two lead performances from Washington and Davis are superb, and they are both rightful nominees in their categories. Washington has a lot of dialogue in the film, and it's a hard-working effort even to put it on screen, but Viola Davis's character has a much better emotional journey, and she evokes a level of empathy that makes this really quite compelling. In the end, it's something of a product of its genesis. It's well done, but maybe it couldn't have really been done any differently without significantly changing the purpose and drive of the film. I'm not overly insulted that this has a Best Picture nomination, but I am a little surprised at it.

20. Kubo and the Two Strings

The studio that produced Kubo has done some good things recently, in particular Boxtrolls, which was my pick of Best Animated feature two years ago. And there's a reason why they're getting kudos, because films like that and Kubo and the Two Strings are good films which break out of the mould of the common animated fare. In Kubo, a young boy sets out on a mission to find his missing samurai father and defeat the evil spirit of the Moon King. It's all a bit Mystical Ethos for large parts, but it's a visual treat, both for the stop-motion animation and the fine integration of CG imagery. It's also inventive in a similar way to Doctor Strange, meaning that the visual effects are not just “a slightly better iteration of what we've seen before". With all of this, it can be something of a treat. While the main plot is not necessarily all that engaging, the emotional engagement of the characters is well-drawn, and it can be affecting at times. That's rare enough in this kind of film, and adds some much needed gravitas. Overall, it was decent enough as a film. I could easily believe that it might end up pipping Zootopia to my nod for Best Animated Feature (despite the fact it's lower on the list), due to its coherence as a package.

21. Star Trek Beyond

Eh. I'm going to skim review this one as well. It's another Star Trek film, but noticeably better than the second one at least. I feel this is at least partially due to the fact that Simon Pegg co-wrote this, and there's a level of knowing comedy that elevates this to some degree. It's entertaining, and there's something now comforting about this crew of the Enterprise in a way that the first one felt jarring and inappropriate.

22. Loving

Here's perhaps the first film on this list that was something of a disappointment to me. This is by no means a bad film, as it strings together the tale of Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), and interracial couple who became the test case for mixed-race marriage in the United States. But it's also a film by Jeff Nichols, who has done phenomenal work in the past, and who doesn't match that with this rather staid and understated film. To some extent, however, Loving is specifically designed to be staid and understated. This is, after all, just a story of two regular people who are in love and who want to live, married, in peace. The film becomes a study in this regular life—there's nothing extraordinary about that. But once you get that message, it leaves the film itself underwhelming as well. Ruth Negga, however, is a real bright spot. Understated as the film demands, her portrayal of Mildred Loving is careful, particular and strong. Edgerton is serviceable, but can't match Negga, and it shows to some extent. But it's a good film all up. There's just something so flat about it that it has a hard time really attracting attention to itself, and by the end of the film I could say with absolute certainty “that was a good film". I just could muster much passion for doing so.

23. Moana

I'll skim this film, if you don't mind. It's a fine Disney film, and put together with really quite pleasing visuals. In particular, they've clearly put a lot of CPU cycles into the rendering of water, given the large proportion of this film is set on the ocean. And the songs are decent enough, composed as they are by Lin-Manuel Miranda. He may we get (and may well deserve) his EGOT for this film. Overall, it was only so good in the end, but it wasn't offensive or otherwise underwhelming.

24. Deepwater Horizon

I'm going to skim this one too, although it's not a bad film, encompassing the events leading up to the explosion and eventual leak of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. There's something quite engaging about the early scenes as we watch with a sense of impending doom all of the complex, finely-tuned machinery, knowing what will eventually happen. It's less interesting later once the explosion happens and it becomes something like Titanic-but-with-more-oil-fires. But in the end, it's a relatively coherent tale, that's also interesting intrinsically.

25. The Jungle Book

A decent enough, but very lightweight excursion in turning Disney's classic animated feature into a green-screen affair. There's something a little bit bizarre about moving the canonically cartoonish animal characters into the realm of the hyper-real, especially as an outwardly convincing bear character starts crooning along to “The Bare Necessities". The lead actor is strong enough to largely carry the film at least. And the visual effects were relatively well done (at least to the extent that they didn't include a creepy CGI Peter Cushing), which is what it's up for. So kudos for that.

26. Passengers

By all rights, this should be well lower down on the list than this. Because this is a film with a deep, horrifically troubling flaw in its central concept. I'd heard the concept of this film, and had taken it this way: Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence awake from hibernation far too early on what should be a hundred year journey to another star system. As they try to work out what to do with themselves, and to discover why they were mistakenly awakened early it becomes clear that in fact Pratt's character woke up first, and then purposely awoke Lawrence's character thereby condemning her to a life of isolation as well. Indeed, the fact that I knew this made me feel as though I'd effectively been spoiled for the big plot twist. So much to my dismay and horror, I discovered that in fact, Pratt is the protagonist of the film, and we are meant to feel for him to such a degree that we empathise with his decision to destroy another life. It's a mind-bogglingly stupid conceit for the film, and it makes much of the main plot actively offensive. So why is it not lower? It's because so very many of the aspects of this film otherwise are extremely good. The world-building of the universe in which they live is done with extreme care, and to such an extent that it's thoroughly engaging. The production design is beautiful and incorporates little details so well to create a sense of immersive atmosphere. The score is brilliantly evocative, capturing both the isolation and the scope of being alone in space. It's as though some idiot came up with a plot, more idiots jumped on board to produce it, and get it an impressive budget, and then every single one of the creatives decided they were going to pour their heart and soul into the film, even though it didn't warrant it. This is the sort of film that a production designer should be proud to have on their resume, and the sort of film a producer might stare back on years later with bleary eyes and go “what was I thinking?".

27. Hacksaw Ridge

I'm actually pretty surprised that this is up for so many awards. I feel like it doesn't pleasantly fit into a niche, and not in the way that a transgressive film can push the boundaries. It's a war film, but it's also a film filled with religious zealotry. And it overdoses on both elements to such an extent that I can feel as though it alienates a large proportion of the people who might otherwise enjoy it. Because it's really quite gruesome, and shows the horrors of war to such an extent that it starts to feel exploitative. But it's also sancitmonious to such a degree that it almost makes you want to vomit. It tells of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a conscientious objector in the Second World War, who refuses to carry a weapon due to his Seventh-Day Adventist faith, but manages to become a hero in the battle of Hacksaw Ridge nonetheless. Andrew Garfield is convincing in his role, but this largely just means that you're convinced you want to punch this guy in the head. I was put offside early enough that by the time he started his selfless attempts to rescue his wounded comrades, it felt more self-indulgent to me. Gibson's direction is partially to blame for all of this. There's a dichotomous nature to the film which is never reconciled, and it makes the whole film feel extremely awkward and unsettling. The fact that he's up for Best Director is perhaps one of the biggest reasons to raise an eyebrow this year. So, I'm not a fan, in short.

28. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Yeah, I'll skim this one too. It was fine, and it had a nice sense of place, and a nice sense that it was expanding the Harry Potter universe, which I have no problem with. But I hate Eddie Redmayne, and this has him at his peak. It also had a little bit too much of J. K. Rowling's “oh This Thing feels like a cute concept so I'll put it in without at all thinking through any of the implications of This Thing existing in the wizarding universe". So… eh.

29. Elle

Elle tells the tale of a video game company executive (Isabelle Huppert), who, in the opening scene, we see brutally raped, and who then appears to just get on with her life as though nothing has happened. It's a hard sell as a film, but at the very least we know from the very beginning what we're getting ourselves in for. In this film, we see Paul Verhoeven (of Starship Troopers fame) in his very best impersonation of Michael Haneke, and falling very much short of a plausible caricature. Because there's something genuinely nasty in this film, in a way that feels a little bit like Verhoeven is getting his jollies from making us watch this. There's a severity and a satire to even the most exploitative elements of Haneke's oeuvre which is entirely absent here, and it makes the film feel deeply unpleasant. Huppert (up for Best Actress) is good enough in the role, but she feels very much as though she's just doing a reprisal of The Piano Teacher without the guidance of Haneke, and fails to sell this as a tale of transgressive sexuality. She does well to rein in her performance as much as she does, but not enough to warrant an Oscar nomination here. In the end, this was really just quite a mess, and it feels more like an ego trip for Verhoeven. Hi might be thinking he's doing a prestige film, but in reality, it's Basic Instinct with the chocks off, and guided into the realm of the unpleasantly perverse.

30. Florence Foster Jenkins

A solid-enough bio-pic, with enough of a surprising edge to give it some frank comedy. Telling the story of the titular wealthy patroness to the arts (Meryl Streep), and her oblivious attempts at performing opera, there's plenty of scope for a very reasonable period piece. And it delivers there. It's decent, and it does what it promises. There's some interesting ensemble support, in particular from Hugh Grant as Jenkins' husband-or-is-he, and Simon Helberg as her accompanist. Helberg in particular is great in a character role, and fits in beautifully into the film. But the film as a whole is almost exactly what you should expect. There's no corners at all, no unexpected digressions or characterisations, and as a result it feels a little bland as a whole. It's also getting tiresome that Meryl Streep gets an Oscar nomination for just showing up on time. Yes, she's a good actress. We get it. This particular performance from her though is nothing out of the ordinary. So overall, I'm mixed. It's not a bad film, but it's also not an exceptional film either. That seems to be what we get from Streep, nowadays.

31. Life, Animated

A thoroughly underwhelming documentary about a subject that genuinely could have been terribly engaging. It follows the story of Owen Suskind, diagnosed with severe autism at age 3, who learns to interact with the world through his love of Disney animated films. The main issue with this film is that it has almost no structure or drive to it. It picks up at a seemingly arbitrary point in Owen's life, as he's preparing to leave school and branch out into the wider world. But it also looks backwards at his story so far in a kind of haphazard way. The emotional impact of the film is lost to a large extent due to this lack of focus. It's a shame because there's considerable promise in the subject matter, and Owen himself is a fascinating and genuinely engaging character. I was more disappointed than anything in the fact that the film squanders its opportunities.

32. La La Land

Oh Damien Chazelle. I'm so disappointed in you. Whiplash was my very top film of 2014, and I honestly couldn't wait to see what he did next. And it's such a shame that what he chose to do with all the skill clearly at his disposal is a very weak attempt to revamp the classic Hollywood musical. Now don't get me wrong, I don't at all mind a good musical. But the thing about seeing someone like Gene Kelly or Ginger Rogers on screen is that they're good at what they do. They're singers, they're dancers, they're entertainers. Ryan Gosling is a fine actor, but he's no singer, and and even less a dancer. Emma Stone is a passable actor, marginally better at singing than Gosling, and severely hampered in her dancing by her partner. It doesn't matter what the story is (although it's weak), this is a film that must live and die on its musical numbers, and they are just not good enough (with the exception being the opening sequence on the LA highways—which, surprise surprise, Gosling and Stone are not part of). As a result, the whole film feels pointless—if you're going to revamp the musical, do it right. This was, honestly, just a waste of potential from all fronts. My only hope is that this pulls an American Hustle, and by the time the voting has been done, everyone in the Academy pulls their head out of their ass and realises what they've done wrong in nominating this for so many awards.

33. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

When I was sorting this list, I genuinely came up against the very difficult task of separating this film and Oscars frontrunner La La Land. That says much more about La La Land than it does about this film, which was always going to be something of a struggle. Telling the story of the attacks on the US Consulate and CIA base in Benghazi, Libya (a favoured topic of attack by Republicans against Hillary Clinton), and directed by noted Hollywood dildo Michael Bay, this was a firm candidate to be my worst film of the year. And yet here it is, dangling some 10 places above the bottom spot. How did it get up here? Mostly, it comes from the fact that there's a persistent sense of energy in this film. From the start to the end, if there's not action on screen, there's the tension of potential action. There's the feeling that something is about to happen—maybe it's a lull in the battle, maybe it's a feeling of electricity between the Libyan locals and the US security contractors, or maybe it's the tension between the C.I.A. operatives trying to do their jobs and the personnel trying to protect their safety. It makes for a visceral experience at the very least. However, it will never cease to amaze me how easy it seems to be for Michael Bay to make films exceptionally boring. While the action sequences are well handled, and the mood of impending doom is maintained throughout the picture, there's almost no sense of plot that takes hold at all. It means that I wasn't engaged in what was happening to these characters at all (indeed, it doesn't help that all of the muscle-bound security personnel are almost identical). So in the end, while this was probably better than I was expecting, there was also just too much of the bad elements to truly transcend its genesis.

34. Tanna

There isn't a huge amount to say or to unpack from this film. Set and filmed on a Vanuatuan island, and scripted in the native language, it follows the tale of two star-crossed lovers who are arranged to be married to others in different tribes. When they try to go against the traditions of their people it causes turmoil. It's an underwhelming film in many ways, and relies almost entirely on the fact that it's filmed with members of the native tribes and in the native language for its novelty. As such, it feels more like a gimmick than anything else, especially because there's not much to the story. I will say at least that it's novel to have an Australian film nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars, but thats about as far as my love of Tanna goes.

35. Fire At Sea

An extremely underwhelming documentary, that loses focus due to attempting to conflate two prongs of a story that aren't all that connected in a narrative sense. It follows life on a small Italian island, and in particular, focuses on the young children who call it home, and contrasts this with the lives of refugees rescued from boats by the local authorities offshore. In theory it should be an interesting proposition, but the film is really lacking in substance, and showing the plight of the refugees, as terrible as it is, is not itself enough to carry the film. By contrast, the lives on the island seem banal, obviously intended as a poignant counterpoint—but given the film itself is already lacking in interest, it just feels as though these additional scenes drag out the film to longer and more extreme lengths of ennui. I didn't much enjoy this when I saw it at the Sydney Film Festival this year, and lo and behold, it's languishing near the bottom of the ratings in my Oscars write-up. The fact that it got to the Oscars at all is probably the thing that puzzles me.

36. Trolls

Meh. Going to skim this one for sure. An animated film, not up for Best Animated Feature, which is not a good sign. It's also rather cynically built around a line of toys, without the joy that came with the Lego Movie. It's up for Best Song, and perhaps only because the song was co-written by Justin Timberlake. But all the songs have a similar, over-produced pop vibe to them, which feels like the story stringing them all together is peripheral at best. Not a pick.

37. The Red Turtle

This one is up for Best Animated Feature, and it's genuinely pretty dull. It tells the tale of a shipwrecked sailor and the life he makes for himself on an island. It's produced by Studio Ghibli (although directed by a Dutch director), which of course means that it's beautifully animated. But in the tradition of certain Ghibli films, it can be excessively dull as well. The beauty doesn't save it, and the dialogue-free story has only enough interest to perhaps warrant a 20 minute short animation. Again, this is one that tested my patience to some degree.

38. Hail, Caesar!

This film was a monumental mess—a grab bag of different cast members and storylines that came together to make nothing more coherent than three different meals thrown in a pile on the floor. Ostensibly about the star of a Ben Hur-esque epic (George Clooney) being kidnapped and held for ransom to the studio, it's actually about 8 different interleaved plots of various value, and a wide-ranging cast that look like they don't much know what they're doing. The Coen brothers have done some good things in their career, but this is not one of them. I'll admit, however, that I'm often out of step with the consensus on Coen Brothers films. No Country For Old Men is also one of their weaker efforts as far as I'm concerned, and others I find certainly underrated (like Burn After Reading and Inside Llewyn Davis). So it's entirely possible that someone else found something to enjoy in this (beside Channing Tatum's dance sequence, which, while good, just further underlined the fact that the film as a whole was incoherent). For me, I'm deeply unimpressed, and I'll head to the next Coen Brothers film with a sense of trepidation. Fortunately, it's time for another darker turn from the duo, and that's often where the good stuff lies.

39. Silence

Monumentally too long, morally questionable and rife with glorification of Western imperialism, Silence was a genuinely pretty awful film. Running at almost three hours in length, we're treated to a hefty discourse on the barbarism of the Japanese meted out on the Portuguese missionaries proselytising Christianity in the 17th century. It follows two missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver), who attempt to find their former mentor and priest (Liam Neeson), who rumour has it has renounced Christianity and now lives as a Japanese. Along the way, we're treated to the honour in which Christian priests are bestowed by the (now hidden and secretive) Christian populations of Japan, in a bizarre sense of justifying what was in essence an attempt at cultural genocide. It's all to easy to try to read another meaning into Martin Scorsese's work here. To look for the parallels, perhaps, in the way Western countries are now spurning multiculturalism. But I think it's equally easy to see this as a film of faith for Scorsese, and in that way it becomes really quite troubling. The story, such that it is, is also not that good, and has about enough content for a 90 minute film. Indeed, much of the film, especially in the early segments, seems to underline the idea that this is a film vaunting Christianity, rather than questioning its presence in late feudal Japan. In all, I found this a genuinely unpleasant film in many ways, and not least because of the fact that it was 161 minutes of numbing boredom.

40. Jim: The James Foley Story

Another documentary, but this one up for the always wacky category of Best Song. Jim follows the story of James Foley, famous for being the first western journalist executed by Daesh/ISIS. It investigates his life leading to him becoming a freelance journalist, and the decisions he made in going to Syria that led to his eventual capture. It's an extremely partisan documentary—which here we can forgive to some extent because the other side is the world's leading terrorist organisation—that canonises Foley before we're given the chance to really form an opinion ourselves. It might be just me, but that really makes me resistant in the first place, but it becomes clear as the film continues that Foley was something of a fool, taking unnecessary risks and justifying them as some great necessity in the pursuit of journalistic truth. Part of this bias comes from the fact that most of the story is told by Foley's family members, who certainly put a sympathetic angle on the tale. This is followed up be fellow freelance journalists, who routinely take similar risks, and his fellow captors who ended up being released from an ISIS prison camp. Towards the end of the film, there's a half-hearted attempt to piece together an investigation into whether the US did enough to secure Foley's release—but the investigation, like the negotiations, it seems, stalled, leaving an unsatisfying number of unanswered questions. All up, it's not a good documentary by a long shot. And the song (which I note is only used over the credits) is mediocre fare from Sting. I'm disappointed on both fronts that it was nominated for an Oscar, both for the song, and for the fact that it meant I felt compelled to watch the documentary as a result.

41. Jackie

Honestly, this film was just utterly, utterly boring. And when it wasn't boring, it was only because there was a kind of horrified fascination with Natalie Portman's caricatured portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the period following her husband assassination. Although, it's not just set in that period. It plays free with time, jumping around wherever it sees fit, loosely connected by a rather bizarre restaging of a television special Jackie Kennedy did showing the audience around the internals of the White House. It's structurally unsound, and there was always the feeling the whole superstructure could come crashing down at any moment. There were some good things in the film: the score was otherworldly on its own, and made for a really fine set of music that just had no place in this film. And the production design, costuming and the sense of time and place was well created. It's something that director Pablo Larraín has done to much better effect in his breakthrough film No, though. Now it feels a little like it's just been rehashed. But mostly, I just found the film to be excessively dull. I cared not a fig for anyone in the film, even as far as seeing them as interesting characters. They were dull cutouts, lacking in warmth and humanity, and even if there was a story, it was so completely fractured and sliced into pieces as to lack all coherence. A worthy spot in second bottom place.

42. Suicide Squad

I see a lot of films. Quite aside from my perennial Oscars binge, I make an effort to see a large volume of contemporary films, films from the cinema parthenon, classics and trash, the good and the bad. It's a hobby that I dive into with my trademark obsessive zeal. So keep all of this in mind when I say that of all the films I have ever seen in my entire life, Suicide Squad is the worst. That's hopefully quite a statement, and I intend it to be, but it requires some backing up. What is it that makes this film worse than any other? After all, I've seen abominations like Tommy Wiseau's anti-classic The Room. And the answer is manifold. For a start, it's an absolute train-wreck of a mess concept-wise. It lacks coherence in even its basic premise, which revolves around a group of criminals with superpowers somehow becoming the United States' first line of defense against Superman. Viola Davis (what the absolute shit is she doing in this movie?) plays a government something who convinces some other government something that this is a good idea. We're introduced, in slapdash, comic-book style, to about three of these criminals, and they're assembled, along with maybe two or three others who appear from nowhere without any explanation. Oh, and then there's a samurai woman who appears, and is meant to be keeping an eye on the criminals. But it's not really explained what she's doing there at all. All of the members of the squad (I don't think they're ever referred to by the title of the film, but I can imagine Harley Quinn doing a sneaky wink at the camera as she says the name of the film, so maybe they are) are kept in check by having an explosive planted in their brain, necessitating some dude following them into battle holding a laptop so he can blow them up if they get out of line. And then, for no apparent reason at all, there's the Joker. Famously played by a peak-Method Jared Leto (who reportedly spent the shoot sending used condoms to his fellow cast members), he's laughably un-sinister and incessantly banal. He's not part of any discernible plot at all, and seems to be merely a cynical exercise in setting up some future Affleck-fronted Batman film. Or something. Even that is perhaps putting too much credit on whoever vomited up the concept of this film. There's a weird sense that they made the film, realised it was too dark, and tried to lighten it up, with awkwardly delivered one-liners ejactulated onto the screen between scenes of utter banality. It made me laugh in incredulity, which is probably not what they were going for—although who knows what the producers of this film were going for. Certainly not the producers of this film. The fight scenes are utterly incoherent, and there's a weird obsession with filling them with a kind of strafing pink tracer fire which almost sent me into sensory shock (perhaps that would have been preferable to sitting through them). And they're so mind-numbingly over complicated that I honestly can't even recall what most of the characters superpowers were meant to be. Will Smith was in this film, and I think he was good at guns. Some other dude had a magical boomerang. One character could urinate lemonade or something. I swear this movie made me stupider. I could go on—but much as I want to dedicate my life to eviscerating this… thing… whatever it was, I've already wasted enough time and energy on it. Suffice it to say: what the absolute fuck were you thinking Everyone Involved In The Making Of This Film. There is absolutely no way anyone could have seen the finished product and said “Good, that's what we wanted". I can only believe they just got to the point where they were so completely sick of dealing with it any more that they just went “screw it: release it, do something to it, just get it the fuck away from me." But please keep it the fuck away from me as well.

For the record, Jackie, my second bottom film of the Oscars was at least 10 times better than Suicide Squad. In general, the standard was good this year. Or at least, good if you exclude Suicide Squad which has the unfortunate property of dragging everything else in its vicinity down with it. I also this year watched all but one of the short films. This is always a thoroughly worthwhile experience, and this year continued the trend. I'm not going to write them up, but in order, this is how they would rank for me:

Timecode (Live Action)

Pear Cider & Cigarettes (Animated)

Silent Nights (Live Action)

Pearl (Animated)

Joe's Violin (Documentary)

Mindenki (Sing) (Live Action)

Extremis (Documentary)

Piper (Animated)

Borrowed Time (Animated)

Enemies Within (Live Action)

The White Helmets (Documentary)

4.1 Miles (Documentary)

Le Femme et le TGV (Live Action)

All of these were worth watching, and I thoroughly recommend that you do. Watching the short films is honestly one of the most fulfilling parts of my Oscars project each year. All that's left now is for me to cast my ballot. Sadly, although I'm now a full voting member of the Academy, I believe I probably had to have these votes in a long time ago, and probably in a more official form than jezfletcher.tumblr.com. So it's likely that these votes won't count: Best Picture: Hell or High Water Best Director: Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) Best Actor: Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea) Best Actress: Ruth Negga (Loving) Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals) Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis (Fences) Best Original Screenplay: The Lobster Best Adapted Screenplay: Arrival Best Animated Feature: Kubo & The Two Strings Best Foreign Language Film: Land of Mine Best Documentary Feature: 13th Best Documentary Short: Joe's Violin Best Animated Short: Pear Cider & Cigarettes Best Live Action Short: Timecode Best Original Score: Jackie Best Original Song: "How Far I'll Go" from Moana Best Sound Editing: Arrival Best Sound Mixing: Arrival Best Production Design: Passengers Best Cinematography: Arrival Best Makeup & Hairstyling: Star Trek Beyond Best Costume Design: Jackie Best Film Editing: Hell or High Water Best Visual Effects: Doctor Strange And would you know my second bottom film gets two votes. How about that.

[oijio]

My Favorite New Shows of 2016

2016 was packed with great, new television on several different platforms, from online, to streaming, cable and network. Netflix seemed like it was releasing new shows every week, add that to all the great content on cable and network, there was just so much television out there, from all over the world that there just isn't enough time to consume everything, and 2017 doesn't seem to be slowing it down (here’s a link to the 2015 list). Before continuing on to the New Year, let's look back on the shows which made their debuts in 2016 that I just loved watching. This isn't even a comprehensive list. When there's hours of British TV I just didn't get to watch, and Netflix now releasing supposedly great TV shows from places like Israel, Brazil, and Spain among their original content, you just don't have enough hours in the day to watch it all. Oh well, one day!

Before we get to my top 10 favorite new shows of 2016, let's take a peek at the continuing growth of Peak TV this past year and which shows I think deserve an honorable mention:

The reboot of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life isn't a new show per se, but still worth a look

Same goes with the retooled Black Mirror

Comedies like Better Things, American Housewife, and Fleabag

Netflix' other good new shows like Love, Trollhunters, and Easy

Cheesy summer horror-thrillers like American Gothic, Braindead (also a comedy), Dead of Summer, and Channel Zero

Riveting cable TV like Preacher, The Night Of, Outcast, and Animal Kingdom

And a range of miniseries from War & Peace to The Time Traveling Bong

Onto the Top 10 New Shows of 2016, which this year includes miniserieses because they're anthologies or may have future episodes anyway!

10. Westworld (HBO)

Classic or popular movies being rebooted into TV shows seem to be all the rage these past few years, and HBO got in on it with this updated version of the 1973 Western classic. Westworld is as exquisitely, expertly crafted as the robots within the show, with two interweaving storylines set decades apart, and so many mysteries surrounding all the characters. While sometimes it can be more mystery than story, Westworld has built a great base for something more engaging in the future.

9. Speechless (ABC)

There are way too many similar family comedies on TV nowadays that when something different comes along, like ABC's Speechless, it's sure to grab attention. This one has a not-so-well-to-do family, with a son who has cerebral palsy. The latter, while it might be the focal point in the pilot and is used for an emotional moment or two in some episodes, it is never exploitative or cheesy. For the most part, they just hired an actor who happened to have cerebral palsy to play the older teen boy role. Minnie Driver is also great.

8. Atlanta (FX)

Donald Glover has always seemed like someone that was just waiting for the right time to break through on his own. Kind of like Chris Pratt or Aziz Ansari from Parks & Rec. Enter Atlanta, a dramatic comedy about a couple of cousins working the rap scene in Atlanta. Smart, subversive, and sleek, Atlanta was the “cool” show of the year that featured a black Justin Bieber! Not someone who was like Justin Bieber, in Atlanta's world, Justin Bieber was black. It was better than it sounds, I promise.

7. Queen Sugar (OWN)

I wasn't sure about catching a soap-ish drama on Oprah's network, but Queen Sugar is a show created, produced, and directed by Ava DuVernay, the extremely talented director of films like Selma, Middle of Nowhere, and the documentary 13th. I had to see her first real foray into TV, and it did not disappoint. Queen Sugar, about three siblings who inherit their father's sugar cane fields, has soap opera elements to it (like Charley's main NBA wife storyline) but it's done in a really classy way and written intelligently. Charley's story is the best, too, thanks to Dawn-Lyen Gardner's terrific performance.

6. The Crown (Netflix)

Netflix had a really good year, with two shows on my top 10 new shows, and then the reboots of Black Mirror and Gilmore Girls among many others that premiered. Their most high-profile new show though has got to be The Crown, famously noted as the streaming site's most expensive show yet. Detailing the life of Queen Elizabeth II beginning with right before she took hold of the crown, and the show hopes to take it all the way through her over 60-year reign. Beautifully made, with great performances all around from the likes of Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and John Lithgow, The Crown is royalty TV.

5. This is Us (NBC)

Recently, Dan Fogelman has been creating silly, absurd comedies like The Neighbors and Galavant, so to see him tackle something as dramatic as This is Us, a touching family drama that will make you cry almost every episode. Starring Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore, we find four people all celebrating their 30th birthday on the same day, each with their own issues to deal with, like one finding his real father, one dealing with weight problems, and another about to welcome his first kids into the world. Simple, but effective, This is Us is the twist-filled drama that won't make your head hurt, but will make your eyes weep.

4. The Good Place (NBC)

Sitcoms this past year have stuck to formula with a twist, because it works perfectly fine, but The Good Place is unlike any other sitcom this past year. Taking a more serialized approach, and not holding back on the absurd, The Good Place is the newest sitcom from Mike Schur, co-creator of Brooklyn Nine Nine, The Office (US), and Parks and Recreation. In it, Eleanor (a perfectly cast Kristen Bell) dies and is sent to “The Good Place”, a kind of Heaven-like place where all the good people go. Unfortunately, Eleanor is not a good person – she's a terrible one and because of a mix-up, she was sent to the Good Place instead of “the Bad Place”. She tries her best to be nice, but her being in the wrong place causes craziness in The Good Place. Enjoy this high concept sitcom that's incredibly funny, entertaining, and different.

3. The Night Manager (BBC/AMC)

Gorgeous scenery, heart-racing tension, and incredible performances all around from Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Debicki, Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander, and Hugh Laurie, this exciting, beautifully made miniseries is based off John le Carre's novel and is like James Bond for TV. Danish film director Susanne Bier, who's done things like In a Better World and After the Wedding, and screenwriter David Farr adapt le Carre's novel to the present day with tautness and thrill. Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, a former soldier and now hotel night manager that gets entangled in a nefarious plot involving arms dealing that takes him on a globe-trotting adventure from Egypt to Switzerland to Spain.

2. Stranger Things (Netflix)

Who knew this little show released by Netflix randomly during the middle of the year would become one of its biggest hits and one of the most talked about shows of 2016? Stranger Things, an 80s throwback fantasy series in the vein of E.T., The Goonies, and other 80s classics swept the pop culture nation by storm. Stranger Things had some exciting storytelling, a haunting atmosphere, a terrific soundtrack, and a winning cast. Featuring a band of young kids, their powerful new friend, unreliable adults, and a monster, this was the perfect throwback to the 80s while also being a great show for today.

1. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)

Ryan Murphy loves his anthologies, and his new one, American Crime Story, hopes to focus on different “true crimes” every season. The first one just happened to be golden, focusing on the trial of OJ Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Focusing on heavy themes such as the problems of the US justice system, fame, and race, while at the same time telling in fresh, compelling detail a story that most people already know makes The People v. O.J. such important viewing. Add a brilliant cast that included the likes of Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, and Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, and The People v. O.J. was the best new thing on TV in 2016.

To recap:

10. Westworld (HBO) 9. Speechless (ABC) 8. Atlanta (FX) 7. Queen Sugar (OWN) 6. The Crown (Netflix) 5. This is Us (NBC) 4. The Good Place (NBC) 3. The Night Manager (BBC/AMC) 2. Stranger Things (Netflix) 1. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)

These shows are solid TV, and three of them made their way into my overall Top 10 favorite shows, two of which are 3 and 4! Another, a reboot, made its way into the Top 10 as well. So great. Even if Game of Thrones returned to form this past year, The Americans just happened to raise their game even higher. Here's to the great TV this 2016!

10. Broad City (last year: 9) 9. You're the Worst (last year: 7) 8. Black Mirror (NEW) 7. Bates Motel (last year: 2) 6. The Night Manager (NEW) 5. Veep (last year: 5) 4. Stranger Things (NEW) 3. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (NEW) 2. Game of Thrones (last year: 4) 1. The Americans (last year: 1)

2017's already off to a cracking start with Netflix shows One Day at a Time and A Series of Unfortunate Events, then you have FX's Taboo starring Tom Hardy. And that's just the first couple weeks of January! TV is only getting bigger and sometimes, better! 2017, here we go. Find the show you like or love, and watch! Let me know if there's anything you like as well!

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