My Top Twenty One Films of 2017

OK yes I know, I haven’t kept up with this blog, but life has been complicated and a certain so called President of the United States has made wanting to write funny prose for the entertainment of who knows how many, seem pointless, but having survived the year, I have therefore determined to follow my friend Eva’s example and will be threatening to kick myself in the shins, (she doesn’t threaten to kick herself in the shins, she threatens mine), if I don’t do something, in this case write more. For a start here is my first submission, my annual Top Ten film list, with a couple of alterations. I have removed the Notable Mentions section; instead I will list my Top Twenty One Films. Why Twenty One you may ask, well I had a list of 20 to go and watched a film after that I wanted to add to it, and didn’t want to remove any of the others, so thought Fuck it, my List, my Rules, you lot will just have to get over it. Also just so you know the film I added last is not the last film on the list, you are welcome to guess what it was. I know there will be some who will be wondering why a certain film involving a stellar conflict did not make the list, to put you mind at ease, I have seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi, I thought it was OK, but preferred all the films on this list to it, there were in fact 3 or 4 other films that didn’t make this list that I preferred to it too. Please remember these are my personal Top Twenty One films from those I have seen. So if you think I have missed a great film out, then either I haven't had a chance to see it, or you are wrong. Message me and I will let you know which of the two it is. Also please be aware that this post will probably contain minor spoilers

The Top Twenty One

21) Lady Bird

A wonderful film directed by Greta Gerwig, following the titular character of Lady Bird, a young catholic girl, bored with her life in Sacramento California and yearning for some excitement. Lady Bird played by Saoirse Ronan has to deal with the usual pains of growing up, friendships, love, and of course her parents as she get ready to leave high school and move onto college and adulthood. Great performances by the entire cast, especially Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, who plays Lady Birds world weary mother.

20) Free Fire

Ben Wheatley the director of such gems as Sightseers, A field in England and High Rise, brings this brilliant action comedy film, set in Boston in the 1970’s and filmed in the Brighton area, The film follows an arms deal gone wrong between a South African arms dealer with his local hoodlums and the IRA with their local hoodlums. Essentially a shootout between the two groups in an abandoned warehouse, this is a funny action film with a fantastic cast including Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson and Sharlto Copley.

19) Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Based on the French science fiction comic series Valérian et Laureline, and bought to the screen by the vivid imagination of Luc Besson, this intergalactic adventure unfortunately was a failure at the box office, however is definitely worth a watch. Set in the 28^th century where humans and alien co-habitat on a large collection of space stations and ships combined to form Alpha. Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne play Valérian and Laureline two agents of Alpha, set on an adventurous mystery. Besson the man behind The Fifth Element brings his “A” game to the visual effects and Delevingne is excellent as the no nonsense Laureline.

18) Brigsby Bear

OK I’m going to say it; this is the best Mark Hamill film this year. This film follows James who was raised in an underground bunker, told by his parents the world outside was uninhabitable, only to find out this is all untrue, and that his parents are not his parents, but a couple that kidnapped him as a youngster. The film follows James as he tries to adapt to the outside world, his “new” family and living with the knowledge that the children’s adventure show he has obsessed over his entire life, was actually produced by his captors. For a film dealing with such a dark topic, this film is immensely joyful.

17) Blade of the Immortal

A really fantastic supernatural Samurai film. Following Manji an immortal Samurai, hired by a young lady to be her bodyguard, as she embarks on a journey of revenge against a group of warriors who have killed her mother and father. With an assortment of sword wielding characters, varied and fun enough to populate a 90’s style beat-em-up, and some truly remarkable (and sometimes funny and over the top) action  sequences, this is well worth a watch.

16) John Wick: Chapter 2

What can be said about this sequel to the Awesome 2014 Keanu Reeves action romp? It expands the universe built in the first film, including introducing a new hierarchy of the criminal underworld, the Roman branch of the Continental Hotel (run by Franco Nero’s Julius) and of course Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King. Reeves again plays the forlorn former assassin is forced to do job he really doesn’t want to, and then has to deal with betrayal. Great action and Reeves is really really good in the role and we finally get to see him kill people with a fuckin’ pencil!

15) Logan Lucky

Steven Soderbergh returned from his “retirement” to make this funny heist film. However unlike his previous forays into the genre, where we followed the ubercool Ocean’s gang, here, the heist is committed by a group of down on their luck everymen (and everywoman), played by Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Daniel Craig, et al. Fun and charming, my only complaint about this film would be what the fuck was it with Seth MacFarlane’s awful English (?) accent?

14) Spider-Man Homecoming

We were introduced to Tom Holland’s new Peter Parker/Spiderman in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and this is his first full outing. Setting and keeping Parker in High School this time, this has been referred to as a John Hughes film, set in the MCU, and I have to agree with that statement, (and considering it made this list I like it).  Having to deal with the usual high school dramas, as well as having to face off against supervillains, and having to keep his secret identity, well secret, fully rounds out this version of Parker/Spiderman, which is possibly the closet to the comic books that we have gotten so far on the big screen, played fantastically well by Holland; however the outstanding performance in the film is Michael Keaton as the Vulture, one of the MCU’s best villains.

13) The Lego Batman Movie
Even though Ben Affleck was really good as Bruce Wayne/Batman in this year’s Justice League, Will Arnett will go down as the best Batman of 2017. He played the character to his most ridiculous extremes, to truly comic effect. And as much as this is fun, colourful romp full of numerous characters, (DC and from other franchises), it is also a study in what sort of obsession it takes to be the Batman, as well as the immense loneliness. The voice cast was truly excellent.

12) Baby Driver

After Edgar Wright left Ant-man in 2014, I was curious what he would do next. He is a Director whose work I have loved since the TV show Spaced. This action crime thriller was fantastic, with oodles of style, a great cast, and an equally great soundtrack. Following Ansel Elgort’s (that’s not a real name) Baby, a getaway driver, under the thumb of Kevin Spacey’s Doc, wanting out but being pulled back into the criminal plans of Doc. Stand out performances from Jamie Fox and Jon Hamm.

11) I, Tonya
If you had told me at the beginning of the year, that one of my favourite films of the year would be a film about a sports incident involving figure skating from the 1990’s that I barely registered at the time, I would probably have laughed at you and then backed away from you very slowly. However this film does stay with you and is full of incredible performances especially from Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding and the always great Allison Janney as her overbearing mother. Funny and thought provoking, this is the rarest of thing a good movie, without a single likable character.

10) T2 Trainspotting
Probably the most unlikely sequel of the year. T2 sees Ewan McGregor’s Renton returns to Edinburgh 20 year (almost in real time), after leaving at the end of Trainspotting in 1996, trying to reconnect with his friends Jonny Lee Miller’s Sickboy and Ewen Bremner’s Spud, as well as trying evade Robert Carlyle’s psychotic Begbie. The original Trainspotting was a huge film at the time it came out, especially for those of us who were at university at the time, so it was heart-warming to see these characters back and seeing how the passage of time has affected each of them differently.

9) Atomic Blonde
This 80’s set action/espionage thriller was full of style, panache and had possibly the best hand to hand action sequence of the year, with Charlize Theron’s Lorraine Broughton maybe being the biggest badass of the year. Broughton is sent to Berlin on the cusp of the fall of the Berlin wall, to retrieve a list of undercover agents. Jumping between East and West Berlin, she fights through an array of enemies (from all sides), and investigates the murder of a fellow agent and the location of the list. Also features a great supporting performance by a very over the top James McAvoy

8) Get Out
I am not a huge fan of horror, but Get Out was so much more than a standard horror film, Jordon Peele pulls of a delicate trick by producing a subversive look at race relations in America, in the guise of a horror film. Kaluuya’s Chris Washington goes with white girlfriend to visit her parents for the first time. Once there it becomes clear that something strange is going on, and when it is revealed that Washington has been bought there to be auctioned off, so that he can have his body snatched. Very creepy, especially how black people are talked to and described the upper class white host and their guests.

7) Thor: Ragnarok
Now let’s be honest the previous two Thor MCU films have not been great. The cast has been great and the films themselves have been OK but not great. So Thor: Ragnarok didn’t have much to live up to. Which is possibly why Marvel, were OK with giving it to Taika Waititi, and allowing him the freedom to make the film he did. This is a great comedy film veiled as a cosmic action comic book film. It sees Asgard being taken over by the brilliant Cate Blanchett’s Hela, and Thor, Loki and a new team (The Revengers) fighting to get back to defeat her. An excellent ensemble all round, with Hemsworth shows immense comedy timing.

6) Wonder Woman
It is hard to believe but this was the first time Wonder Woman had appeared on the big screen in her own film, especially considering that she is one of the big three in the DC Comics and also because she has been around since 1941. It is also hard to believe that before Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot bought Princess Diana of the Amazons to the big screen, the best we had in regards to a female lead comic book film was Tank Girl.  The film gives us Diane’s origin and shows us the best parts of the character and why she has lasted so long. Gadot is sensational in the role and is easily the best hero in the DCEU or whatever they are calling it.

5) Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

This is a slow character piece from the creator of In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. Frances McDormand stars as a mother whose daughter was assaulted and killed a few months prior, who tired of the lack of progress on the case, rents the titular three billboards on the stretch of road that the crime took place, in attempt to shame the police.  This causes a variety of responses from the local, and hostility from the Sheriff (Woody Harrelson) and his Deputy (Sam Rockwell).

4) Dave Made A Maze

This film is Bonkers! Annie (Meera Rohit Kumbhani) returns home from a weekend away, to find a bunch of connected cardboard boxes on her living room floor, and inside them her boyfriend, (the eponymous Dave played by Nick Thune), telling her that he built a Labyrinth, but got lost inside it. Thinking he has gone mad, and not knowing what to do Annie calls on some friends to help, and then finally giving in enters the Labyrinth to get him out, only to enter a whole new world seemingly made of cardboard, however also full of death traps, and it’s own Minotaur. This film is funny, inventive and visually fantastic.

3) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

In the second Guardians of the Galaxy film, James Gunn expands on the fantastic Marvel cosmic universe that he introduced us to in the first one. We get to explore new worlds, seek out new civilisation and to boldly go where..... Oops wrong franchise. We do however get to see new worlds and alien civilization, there are brilliant comedy moment (I’m Mary Poppins y'all), breathtaking action sequences and of course a kickass soundtrack. However underneath that all is a story about fathers essentially, not only does Starlord get to meet his real father (Kurt Russell’s Ego), we explore his relationship with Yondu, the man that raised him. Also the film follows up on effect their “father” Thanos had on both Gamora and Nebula, and we see the fatherly (if unconventionally so) side of Drax with Mantis.

2) Logan

As cinematic goodbyes go this might be one of the best, Hugh Jackman has portrayed Logan/Wolverine in 9 different films, (including 2 cameos), and no matter how bad the films have been, (I’m looking at you Origins) he has  always been the best thing in them, and he has never been better than in this. Here we find a much older Logan in a world where no new Mutants have been born for 25 years, and most of the other X-Men were all killed off, by a Professor X accidently during a seizure. Logan whose healing factor is failing him, works as freelance chauffer and takes care of Professor X with his fellow mutant Caliban. Their quiet life is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a young mutant girl Laura/X-23, who is Logan’s clone, (played fantastically by newcomer Dafne Keen). This leads to a cross country chase, with the authorities hunting down Logan, Laura and Professor X. A western concealed as a comic book film, this shows how rewarding taking a risk and trying something new can be for a comic book film.

1) Blade Runner 2049

Actually this film might also be in with a shout for the most unlikely sequel of the year. Blade Runner (2019?) Is one of my favourite films ever, I love Ridley Scott’s world building, the noir atmosphere, the synth score by Vangelis and of course that fantastic Rutger Hauer soliloquy on the nature of life and memory. So this film had a lot to live up to. And Boy did it, Denis Villenueve takes everything from the first film and expands the world outwards. We see the world outside of the future LA, and how the world is devastated. Yet every shot of this film is gorgeous and precise. This time around we are following K a replicant Blade Runner, tasked with hunting down other replicants, who comes across evidence of the first replicant pregnancy and birth. Set to investigate K must come to terms with his own nature and memories. Great performances from the whole cast, especially Ryan Gosling’s K also a brilliant cameo by Dave Bautista, showing his serious acting chops. Yes I know people will and have complained that this film is very long, but they should just learn to relax and enjoy the atmosphere and visual delights this film has to offer.


And my worst film of the year for 2017 is.........

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Guy Richie’s take on Arthurian legend, isn’t the worst film ever made, any other year it would be nowhere near this category. However unfortunately there were no Transformers or really bad video game adaptation to save it this year, (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was dumb but fun), and of the three films I had down as possible for the category worst film I’ve seen this year, (the others being Pirates 5 and The Mummy) King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was the worse by a small margin. The idea of making Arthur a cockney wideboy seems laughable and in execution it is laughable. This is pretty much Lock, Stock and two smoking Barrels, minus the comedy and the charm, adding awful action sequences and setting it all in early 6^th century London, So not great.

My Most Anticipated Films Of 2017

OK so I did this last year and liked the idea so much I am doing it again. I’ve produced this list showing the top 20 films of the coming year that I am most looking forward to. Like last year it will be a top 20 in alphabetical order and at the end of the year we can compare it against those that make it into my top 10 list. In case you are wondering from last year’s list Captain America: Civil War, Hail, Caesar, Star Trek: Beyond and The Nice Guys made my top 10 list. Deadpool, Doctor Strange and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot were in my 5 honourable mentions

Alien: Covenant [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: May 18^th
Although much maligned Prometheus did have some things to recommend it, mainly Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace, luckily they will be the only thing carried forward into this next instalment of the franchise which promises to be more in the spirit of the original Alien.

Blade Runner 2049 [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: October 5^th                                                                                

Blade Runner is one of the greatest Science Fiction films of all time. When I heard there was going to be a sequel I was dubious, however the news I have heard so far, has me optimistic and I really liked the first trailer.

Coco [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: November 22^nd
An original Pixar film inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations. Why am I not watching this right now! Even though I love most of what Pixar has produced so far, hopefully this will be a bit darker than their normal fare, more in line with The Nightmare before Christmas and Coraline in spirit.

Dunkirk [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: July 20^th 
Directed by Christopher Nolan, about the failed attempt at an invasion of mainland Nazi occupied Europe by the British, and the somewhat successful evacuation of those troops. With a great director, a very good cast and a story not seen much on the screen before, this is certainly something to look forward to.

Ghost in the Shell [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: March 30^th
I loved this film when it was first released as an anime in 1995. And yes I know there is a huge controversy about casting of Scarlett Johansson in the lead role. However the trailer looks gorgeous and I can’t help be excited.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: May 4^th
The first Guardians of the Galaxy was a big surprise, it showed that a well-made film even of a little know franchise as this could be successful. The trailer for the sequel looks even better, especially baby Groot!

John Wick: Chapter 2 [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: February 23^rd
JOHN FUCKING WICK 2!!!!!!!! 😃

Justice League [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: November 16^th
OK fine so far the DC films in their extended universe have been well pretty bad, like atrocious, with the only bright spot being, Ben Affleck’s brilliant portrayal of both Bruce Wayne and Batman (well apart from all the killing), and I have no idea why they keep employing Zack “I think we should just deconstruct the comic book genre, make everything dark and make Superman a douche” Snyder. Though being ever the optimist, I live in hope of DC/ Warner Bros. getting their act together finally.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle [imdb]

Release Date: October 6^th
Kingsman: The Secret Service was my favourite film of 2015, so obviously I would be looking forward to the sequel, and with rumours abound of Colin Firth’s Harry Hart returning, along with a stellar cast including the always good Julianne Moore as the villain, I’m hoping for something really good, and hope a scene approaching the church scene from the first one.

Kong: Skull Island [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: March 9^th
A bunch of 1970’s American soldiers fighting monsters and a giant, (and I mean huge) King Kong on their jungle turf. Sounds like a fun time to me. Hopefully won’t be as boring and overlong as the Peter Jackson take on Kong. Fun fact the cast is a veritable who’s who of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you have Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Rhomann Dey (John C. Reilly) and Shea Whigham who played Roger Dooley in the brilliant  Agent Carter TV Series. Also in the mix though not in the MCU is Toby Kebbell who has played Doctor Doom.

Logan [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: March 2^nd 
Considering the popularity of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, his solo cinematic outings have been lacklustre to say the least. Origins was dire and The Wolverine was OK but nothing more. When I heard that this one was going to be based on the very popular miniseries Old Man Logan, I was excited but confused, that story line relies on a lot of characters that Fox do not have the rights to. From the look of the trailer this is a different beast altogether, but interesting looking none the less.

Murder on the Orient Express [imdb]

Release Date: November 22^nd
What can I say? I love adaptations of Agatha Christie’s stories, especially this one story. With Kenneth Branagh directing and leading a great cast as Poirot, I hope this one lives up the others I have seen. Also I’m really curious how Branagh will look with that moustache.

Spider-Man: Homecoming [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: July 6^th
With the exception of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, the rest of the Spider –Man films have not been great. I enjoyed the Andrew Garfield led Amazing Spider-Man series, but still they were not good enough for such an iconic character like Spider-Man. With Spider-Man somewhat back in the MCU fold, and Marvel Studios being involved in the production, hopefully we will finally get a great Spider Man Film. Also Robert Downey Jnr’s Tony Stark seems to have great chemistry with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.

Star Wars: Episode VIII [imdb]

Release Date: December 14^th
I enjoyed Episode VII; it was a fun return to the Galaxy Far Far Away, especially after the ghastly prequels. It did however leave me with a ton of questions. Hopefully at least some of them will be answered. Also it has to be remarked on that this could be the last appearance of Carrie Fisher’s Leia, in this universe following her passing last year.

T2: Trainspotting [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: February 16^th
The first Trainspotting was a touchstone film of my youth, (yes I’m that old), and though the actors involved have all moved on, I am really looking forward to seeing the gang back together to see what the characters have been up to in the last 20 years.

The Lego Batman Movie [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: February 9^th
The Lego movie from 2014 was a pleasant and funny surprise, and Will Arnett’s Batman was the funniest and best thing in the film. With a fantastic voice cast, and Zack Snyder not seeming to understand how comic book characters work, this could be the best film featuring Batman this year

Thor: Ragnarok [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: November 3^rd
Though Chris Hemsworth’s depiction of Thor has been pretty great; the two films in the series have been some of the weaker entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor: Ragnarok should hopefully change that. Director Taika Waititi is a unique talent and will hopefully bring something unique to the big screen with this world.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: July 20^th
This new film from the mercurial Luc Besson looks like The Fifth Element on Super Acid, so definitely worth a watch.

War for the Planet of the Apes [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: July 13^th
The previous two entries in this rebooted franchise so far have been excellent, With Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Caesar definitely being the highlight (are you listening Academy Awards), and with Woody Harrelson seemingly playing a Colonel Kurtz like antagonist, this could be the best of the series so far.

Wonder Woman [imdb] [trailer]

Release Date: June 1^st

Wonder Woman (along with Batman and Superman) is one of the Holy Trinity of DC comics, so it is ridiculous that until last year’s awful Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice we had not seen a live action version of her on the big screen (we did see an animated version of her in the Lego Movie). Hopefully this first solo outing will be worthy of this truly great comic book character.

Hopefully I will get to see all of these (of course I will) and you can too. Let me know if you disagree with any of my picks, or have something you think I should definitely have on my list, you will be wrong of course but I’ll still read you response and chuckle.

My Top Ten Films of 2016

Hello again you lovely, lovely, gorgeous lot. It is the beginning of the New Year (again) so I again bring you a list of my top films of the past year (again). You are again most welcome. See how good I am to you. Please remember these are my personal Top Ten films from those I have seen. So if you think I have missed a great film out, then either I haven't had a chance to see it, or you are wrong. Message me and I will let you know which of the two it is. Also please be aware that this post will probably contain minor spoilers

Notable mentions

These are the films which I really enjoyed and were the closest to being in my Top Ten:

Captain Fantastic – A lovely film that follows Viggo Mortensen’s Ben and his children as they deal with a tragic loss. Ben and his wife Leslie have decided to raise their six children away from the evil of modern life, teaching them to be freethinking, imaginative, artistic and self-reliant.  Their little piece of paradise is rocked when Leslie commits suicide at a mental health facility she has been staying at. The family have to venture out into modern society to attend her funeral and Ben has to face some uncomfortable home truths. Really good performances from everyone involved, with Mortensen on top form.

Deadpool – After the utterly awful depiction of the character of Wade Wilson (never referred to as Deadpool), in the utterly awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the long development hell that this film meandered around in afterwards, it was a miracle that we got this film at all, let alone a film this good and as faithful to the source material. All credit to the annoyingly handsome Ryan Reynolds and his team for working so hard to get this made. A funny, original and over the top comic book film, that shows that even without a huge budget, (the film was made for $58 million), and with the right attitude and people behind it, a comic book film can be successful.

Doctor Strange – This was one of the films I was most looking forward to this year. Being a comic book fan I was interested to see how Marvel would finally bring the concept of magic (real magic not that Thor science so advance that it looks like magic rubbish), into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how it would fit in. Also Doctor Strange though a very important character in the comics, doesn’t instantly come to mind when thinking about comic book characters to head a major motion picture. The film though not perfect did the job of bring this new concept into an established film universe well. Great performances all around though Rachel McAdams was seriously under used. Filled with really great special effects, that bought to mind the trippy comic book art of Steve Ditko.

The Jungle Book – This Live Action/CGI remake of the 1967 animated Disney classic was a nice surprise for me, I only went to see it as I had nothing else to do and had seen everything else out at the cinema already. I really enjoyed the film; it was funny, heart-warming and thrilling. The voice performances were mostly great especially Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba. The newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli was also very good, especially considering he was a lot of his acting was done against CG characters. Well worth a watch, though it may not be as suitable for younger children as the animated original as there seems to be a lot more menace.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – OK let us get this out of the way in the beginning, I have a huge crush on Tina Fey, I just can’t help it smart , Intelligent women are just very attractive to me. That is not the reason this film is in my notable mentions though. The film tells the story of real life journalist Kim Barker, and her experience moving from her comfortable desk job in the states, to becoming a rookie war journalist in Afghanistan. Though the film is essentially a comedy and has its fair share of funny moments, it still has a lot to say about the state of things in Afghanistan and the dangers faced by the journalists that risk their lives to report from there.

The Top Ten

10) Sing Street
A wonderful film from the writer and director of 2007’s Once. Set in 1985 Dublin, this film follows young Conor Lawlor, (newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), as he is forced due to financial problems, to move from his expensive private school to a state run school in the inner city. Where amidst the bullying from both fellow students and an overzealous priest who teaches at his school, Conor discovers the girl of his dreams, the enigmatic Raphina (played by Lucy Boyton), and in order to impress her, asks her to be in a music video for his band, the only problem being Conor is not in a band. What follows is a story of Conor trying to finding his own sound, through trying to emulate many different artists introduced to him by his older brother, from Duran Duran to David Bowie to the Cure. A great supporting cast throughout the film and a truly brilliant 1980’s soundtrack.

9) Eddie the Eagle
This film follows the real life exploits of British Ski Jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards as he fights against discrimination and the odds to become an Olympian. Mocked throughout for his lack of athleticism and the fact that Britain is not known for its ski jumping tradition, Eddie never the less preserves. This comedy-drama is directed by Dexter Fletcher and stars Taron Egerton in the title role and Hugh Jackman as his reluctant coach Bronson Peary (a fictional character added for the film); this film has a lot of heart and tells the underdog story very well. Interestingly the event of this film took place at the same Olympic Games, where the Jamaican Bob sledge team first competed, as shown in Cool Runnings, a film that this one, shares more than a slight passing resemblance to.

8) Star Trek Beyond
On the 50^th anniversary of Star Trek and after the slight mess that was Star Trek: Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond had to be something special, and it was a good return to form for the crew of the USS Enterprise. This was Star Trek in the best possible sense. We of course had the huge action set pieces that are now somewhat necessary in the modern blockbuster, but they were built on the solid foundation of story and character. We start off with Captain Kirk full of self-doubt, as is so with all good Star Trek Original Series  films, though when the chips are down we have him in full Kirk mode, (well without the romancing of the ladies part). We get extended team ups of Spock and McCoy, which is a joy to watch, and we get an excellent menacing villain (though they could have explained his transformations better). If I have one issue it would be that Zoe Saldana’s Uhura and John Cho’s Sulu are slightly left out in the cold. There are a lot of good nods to Star Trek history as well as tributes to the passing of both Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin.

7) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
OK Firstly I just want to say, I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan. I don’t have anything against the franchise; I just think I was a little too old when the books came out so never read them. I have seen all of the films though, and enjoyed most of them. I can see it’s a brilliantly created and filled out world and all credit to J. K. Rowling’s imagination. I’m just more of a Comic Book/Star Trek/Star Wars guy, and as there were films for all of the aforementioned coming out this year, I wasn’t even completely sure that I was going to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Luckily for me I did. As I mentioned I have seen all the films in the series before, so was familiar enough with the world not to need a lot of exposition, but the setting and story were different enough to keep me interested. It also didn’t hurt that Eddie Redmayne, played Newt Scamander like an introverted 11^th Doctor, (come to think of it, he even had box which was bigger on the inside). There are great performances throughout, especially from Redmayne as the aforementioned Newt, and Dan Fogler as an unsuspecting muggle/no-maj who gets caught up with Newt (somewhat like a companion).

6) Captain America: Civil War
On paper this film could have been very problematic, the last Marvel team up in Avengers: Age of Ultron was not as well received as it could have been, basically accused of repeating the same formula as the first Avengers film, but with killer robots instead of killer aliens. Civil War not only had to bring back most of the Avengers (The Hulk and Nick Fury the only real absentees), it also had to bring the Winter Soldier and Ant-Man into the fold as well as Introducing a brand new Spiderman and Black Panther. I was also interested to see how they would bring this popular comic book arc to the big screen, in the comics the big contentious issue that causes the divide was the unmasking of superheroes and revealing of their secret identities for registration, and so far the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t have many masked heroes or secret identities (Ant-Man who is not really known, and Dare Devil on TV excluded). The film did deliver though, the story was compelling and interwove with the previous films well, it even made Age of Ultron essential, and with the exception of a few issues, the story made sense. It also introduced us to an interesting new villain in Zemo, who was changed a lot from his comic book counterpart; he was ruthless, smart and in the end ultimately successful, he even made you feel sympathy for him.

5) The Nice Guys
If there is one thing that Shane Black is really good at, it is writing great buddy cop films, even when the buddies involved are not actually cops, like in his 2005 masterpiece Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or like in his latest offering The Nice Guys, which follows Russell Crowe’s professional enforcer Jackson Healy and Ryan Gosling’s shifty private eye Holland March as they uncover a vast conspiracy involving the porn industry, the automotive industry and the Government in 1977 Los Angeles. Crowe and Gosling make a brilliant team, occasionally joined by then 14 year old Angourie Rice, playing March’s young daughter. Fantastic performances (who knew Ryan Gosling could be this funny, actually who thought that Russell Crowe could be this funny as well) throughout, all punctuated by a great script written by Black, filled with fleshed out characters and witty dialogue. An old fashioned noir set amongst the gaudy colours of the 70’s. It is a true shame that this didn’t do as well as it should have at the box office.

4) Hail, Caesar!

This is the Coen Brothers at their very best; they have produced a film full of wit and of delicious dark humour, and filled it full of the sort of quirky and interesting characters that have become their trademark. The film follows Josh Brolin’s Studio fixer Eddie Mannix in 1950’s Hollywood, as he spends his time between sorting out the mayhem created by the spoiled and half-witted celebrities of his studio, be it dealing with the unwanted pregnancy of a starlet (played by Scarlett Johansson at her sassy best) to the kidnapping of the leading man of his studio’s latest blockbuster by communists, and trying to decide if wants to give up on all this madness, for a more stress free and stable life. Filled with brilliant dialogue, delivered at breakneck speed and, with a fantastic supporting cast all the way through, the stand outs of which have to be George Clooney’s man-child actor Baird Whitlock and newcomer Alden Ehrenreich’s simple but sweet western film idol Hobie Doyle. Yet another example of why the Coen brothers are masters of their trade.

3) Arrival
A serious science fiction film that deals with the problems that may be faced when making first contact with an off world alien civilisation, without all the blowing up that tends to be associated with such films, (well OK some blowing up involved). This is a quiet film that looks at the issue through the eyes of Amy Adams’ linguist Louise Banks, as she is called up to help translate and communicate with the newly arrived aliens, who have turned up at 12 different locations around the world. Aliens who I may add are like nothing we have seen on the big screen before. The majority of the film is concerned with trying to teach the new arrivals the basics of our language so that we can learn there, just to find out why they have come to earth, while the wider world grows impatient waiting for answers and the governments of the other countries with the arrivals grow suspicious of each other and start to make plans on their own. Any mistake could have catastrophic results for entire planet. Atmospheric and moody, this film shows off Amy Adams’ talents to their fullest.

2) Hunt For The Wilderpeople

This film was going to be my number one until a few days ago and it would have been a worthy winner. Sam Neill is brilliant as a grumpy old man called Hec, who lives in a remote farm in the New Zealand wilderness with his lovely wife Bella, (the very good Rima Te Wiata). Bella (much to Hec’s chagrin) decides to foster a young delinquent Ricky Baker, played by relative newcomer Julian Dennison. Just as Ricky becomes close to Bella, she dies and faced with having to go back into the system, Ricky decides to fake his own death (in the most inept way possible) and runaway to the forest. Hec goes after him, and due to unforeseen circumstances (caused by Ricky), everyone assumes Hec has gone mad and kidnapped Ricky, a huge manhunt ensues with Hec and Ricky on the run. This is a very funny film that gets more and more ridiculous (in a good way) as it goes on. Neill and Dennison make a great duo, with Ricky constantly getting on Hec’s nerves, but Hec not able to abandon the naive Ricky. Taika Waititi brings his brand of offbeat humour and masterfully produces a true classic. I can’t wait to see what he will do with Thor next year. Watch out for a totally bonkers cameo by Rhys Darby.

1) Kubo and the Two Strings
I saw this film quite late in the year and was totally blown away by it. I had to watch it again and watch the Hunt for the Wilderpeople (up until then my then number one film of the year) again as well, to make sure that putting at it number one was not just  a knee-jerk reaction. From the studio that bought us the excellent Coraline in 2009, this stop-motion animated film, is not only beautiful to watch, but also provides us with a wonderful story filled with wonder, thrills and scares. Set in ancient Japan the story follows our young hero Kubo, who upon losing his mother has to go on a adventure to seeks out three pieces of mystical armour, so he can protect himself from the supernatural powers of his grandfather the Moon King and his two aunts, who want to take away his humanity and make him one of them. With two unusual companions by his side and his own growing powers (magic based on playing his shamisen which are a joy to watch), Kubo must go a classic heroes journey. There are some great action sequences, though what is at the heart of this story isn’t the great fights scenes (though those don’t disappoint), or even the tale of adventure itself, it is the story Kubo’s growth and his coming to terms with losing his parents. Filled with moment to make you laugh and to make you tear up, this film is a true delight.

 And my worst film of the year for 2016 is.........

Grimsby (AKA The Brothers Grimsby)
OK I owe this film my thanks, if it didn’t exist then Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice would have been my worst film of the year, and it would truly be a personal tragedy for me if a Batman film was to be the worst film of the year, I mean I’m lucky I wasn’t doing this when the cinematic toy commercial that was Batman and Robin came out. Any way Grimsby (AKA, The Brothers Grimsby) is truly awful in ways I don’t even want to think about. I’m a huge admirer of the work a lot of the actors in this have done before, so have no idea why they would agree to be in this dreadful piece of crap. Avoid at all costs

Another Internationals Women's Day In Paradise

Hello again. Now most of you will probably have some idea about who I am. I’m just your average brilliant, funny, great looking and of course humble genius. Another thing you might know about me is that I am a big believer in female equality. I have done blog posts in past years to celebrate International Women’s day. The first one celebrated the women in my life that I appreciate. Then last year I did a series on Women from history that should be better known. I was planning on doing one this year as well, on my favourite fictional women, but then realized while making up an initial list, this might make me look like a bigger chauvinist than Donald Trump.

I had therefore planned to not write a post for International Women’s Day this year. However then as things have a tendency to happen; a thing happened. This particular thing was the release of the new Ghostbusters trailer and the sexist vitriol that followed it. Now for those of you who are unaware later this year there will be a new Ghostbusters film released. This time however the Ghostbusters team lineup is completely female. For those of you even less aware Ghostbusters was a film from 1984 where the team of Ghostbusters was all male. Now the original 1984 film and the 1989 sequel are extremely beloved by the people that grew up watching them. The films were funny, the casting of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson as the Ghostbusters was brilliant, and the supporting cast was top notch.

Since 1989 there have been attempts to bring the Ghostbusters back to the big screen, all of which have failed at some point. Then in 2014 the film about to hit our screens later this year was announced, with Paul Feig as the director. Now Paul Feig is a director whose work I have really enjoyed over the last few years. Bridesmaids, The Heat and last year’s brilliant Spy are some of the funniest films I have seen in a while. So I was sure that he would make a really funny Ghostbusters film. Then in January 2015 he released a cast photo of the new team. As I have mentioned before they were all female and a lot of the internet seemed to lose its collective shit over this

.

Now the new cast includes Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, who are two of the most funny film stars I can think of, not the most funny female film stars, funniest film stars period. I don’t watch Saturday Night Live so am not familiar with Leslie Jones or Kate McKinnon, however they are on Saturday Night Live, so will probably know a thing or two about being funny. So I didn’t really have any concerns about the cast, unlike a lot of people apparently. There were of course comments at the time, and assuming that, though they were annoying and vile, the big babies making these comments would either grow up and/or find some other ridiculous thing to be offended by, I decided to ignore them. I I'm afraid to say was wrong. I know your mind just got blown. Though it is a very rare occurrence, I have been known to be wrong from time to time. Anyway I digress; we will have lots of time to talk about me at some future date, I promise.

Anyway the trailer for the film came out last week and the response on the YouTube comments dealt a near fatal blow to any vestige of hope for humanity I have. Now let’s get this out of the way the trailer isn’t great. It confuses about whether the film is a sequel to the originals or a remake and the tones differ throughout. However it’s OK and makes me want to probably go see it. What it doesn’t want me to do is become a knuckle dragging Neanderthal who needs to vent hate against an entire sex for fear that someone will realise that I have not known the pleasure of a woman, or a man if that is your thing. Now the following are some remarks that I have pulled from the over 120,000 comments on YouTube (The only place I looked for comments). Of course there have been some positive comments and people who have stood up against the aforementioned toad semen. Well done you. There have also been those that have negative about the film, but solely based on the way the trailer shows the film. The following comments are not in either of these camps. It should go without saying that I do not agree with or endorse in any way, any of these comments. I have divided the comments into three sections. First of all

The Generally Sexist
Red Dog 
This movie will suck ass! Women ARE NOT FUNNY!

Mehirishgamer 22 
Ghost Boobsters ?. lol.

Tired Asian Gamer 
I'm sorry if it's sexist, but the cast should of been all dudes. I feel like this is just a bunch of moms pretending to be Ghostbusters.

Blastur Audobot 
how can this be a reboot an mccarthy is not stay puft?

marquez godineaux 
If there's something strange in your neighborhood who you gonna call? Not these bitches

Harry Scrotes 
THE ONLY IDIOTS WHO WOULD PAY TO SEE THIS TRASH ARE THE SAME IDIOTS THAT WATCH "THE VIEW".

These I assume are written by little boys, who have no experience with women or the grown up world in general. That would also go a long way to explain why Mehirishgamer 22 finding the word boobs so funny also why Red Dog doesn’t know of any funny women and why Harry Scrotes seems to think he will get his pathetic little view across better using all capital letters. The second section is 

The Anti-Feminist/Lesbian group
Now I know that feminist and Lesbian does not mean the same thing, however the buffoons who wrote the following comments don’t seem to have grasped this simple fact, hence why they are grouped together.

Leon Reaper 
ofcourse the feminist lesbians like it, if the world had no men theyd be happy

Allu 
Why does there have to be these feminazi bitches

Ivan Anisimov 
is there any male actor? this movie is not about ghosts - it's about lame feminism. And it's totally not funny

Not Your Average Joe 
So Feminists decided to ruin something else besides video games. Great.

Mr Willis
Ellen take your Lesbians and GTFO

ColoqueNombreAqui 
Feminazis Ghostbusters? What is next? The Fight Club lesbo edition? :/

Alex McKenzie 
Feminist butch has no nostalgia for classics. Oh wait you're probably a over weight chick that's not gonna graduate high school.

Danny's Food and Beer 
Who you gonna call? .....Feminist retards!

These are obviously written by the sort of people that have never met a Feminist or a Lesbian or the types of scumbags that like to go into the woods with their other male friends, and play soldiers, while talking about how the government is the root of all evil and prepare for the end of the world by bulk buying guns. The sort of moron that doesn’t do irony because “it’s womans work” The sort of creep that can use the word feminazi without feeling utterly ashamed of themselves. I mean come on Not Your Average Joe how have Feminist ruined any video games? If anything the video game industry seems to ignore the feminism more than the Gotham PD ignore Batman. I mean have you played The Witcher 3? Alex McKenzie I have no idea who this Feminist Butch is that you are talking about, but his lack of nostalgia shouldn’t affect you in any way. And Mr Willis I assume you are talking about Ellen DeGeneres, who as far as I am aware doesn’t have anything to do with this film. After these dickheads comes the last group

The Over the Top brigade
mandeepsekhon 
OMG ITS A BITCH FLICK............. MY CHILDHOOD HAS BEEN RUINED FOREVER.

James Haro 
this is worst than cancer :(

Vanitas 
This wouldn't be happening if Hitler had won.

I probably could have found more for this category but I really didn’t feel like reading anymore comments. Let’s take them each one at a time. mandeepsekhon the original films still exists for your enjoyment, you can watch them when ever you like, and if this one trailer can ruin your childhood, it must have been a pretty shitty childhood to begin with. James Haro tell you what, I am going to try to get as many people as possible to pray that you get cancer and die quickly so you don’t have to watch this film or hear anybody talk about it. If anybody thinks I'm being a bit harsh or overly dramatic here, let me just remind you that we are talking about a man that has said this is worst than cancer :( about a film trailer for a film he doesn't have to go see. And Vanitas I really have no idea what that means, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Also if Hitler had won then there would be no original Ghostbusters as it was a) co-written by a Jewish man who also starred in it and b) directed by a Jewish man

Now obviously for legal reasons I can’t condone any form of violence against these assholes. However if you know any of them personally and were so inclined, to kick them in the balls repeatedly until they bleed, I would not judge you harshly. Anyway sorry about the ranting however this has really pissed me off and as a much wiser friend of mine earlier pointed out that you wouldn't get this sort of backlash if you remade Charlies Angels with a male cast.

Anyway a Happy International Womens day to you all.

My Most Anticipated Films Of 2016

Those of you who have the good taste to read my blog post regularly (no matter how irregular that might be), know that I produce a top 10 films of the year post every year. I've decided to do another one listing the top 20 films of the coming year, that I am most looking forward to. It was going to be a top 10 but, there are just so many. At the end of the year or start of the next one, we can then compare and see how many made the top 10 list.

The films in alphabetical order are:

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice [imdb] [trailer]
It's Batman taking on Superman, with the first big screen appearance of Wonder Woman (if you discount the Lego Movie). Enough said

Captain America: Civil War [imdb] [trailer]
Based on the Marvel Crossover event, it will be interesting to see how the MCU Captain America and Iron Man deal with the conflict. Also should include a first look at Tom Holland's Spiderman.

Deadpool [imdb] [trailer]
After his awful appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Deadpool finally gets a chance to shine, at his filthiest best.

Doctor Strange [imdb]
With this Benedict Cumberbatch (great casting by the way) vehicle hopefully Magic will finally push it's way into the MCU. 

Gambit [imdb]
OK I'll admit it. The only reason this makes my list is that Gambit is my favourite X-Men character. Hopefully this will be good.

Genius [imdb]
A biographically film about literary editor Max Perkins (Colin Firth) whose work put him in touch with some of the 20th centuries greatest writers.

Going in Style [imdb]
OK I'm going to admit that I am a Zach Braff fan. I thought he was brilliant in Scrubs, and I have enjoyed all his films since, especially Garden State. Looking forward to his take on 70's original.

Hail, Caesar! [imdb] [trailer]
The Coen Brothers with an all star cast, do a comedy set in the world of a 1950's Hollywood Movie studio. Can't wait.

I Saw the Light [imdb] [trailer]
Tom Hiddlestone gets another chance to display his more that impressive acting chops, this time playing Country and Western Legend Hank Williams.

Independence Day: Resurgence [imdb] [trailer]
20 years after the first film we get this sequel to the huge blockbuster of 1996. No Will Smith, but that's OK we get Jeff 'The Legend' Goldblum back.

Now You See Me 2 [imdb] [trailer]
I loved the first film. Lots of people didn't but they are obviously wrong. Here's hoping for all the fun of the first one.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [imdb]
It's a Star Wars film! Of course it made this list

Star Trek: Beyond [imdb] [trailer]
Love Star Trek. Loved the 2009 reboot, enjoyed Into Darkness, though I had some issues with it. Hoping for a lot more fun from this Simon Pegg script.

Suicide Squad [imdb] [trailer]
When DC decided to finally compete with the MCU juggernaut, this is not a property that most people would have thought would be among the first films produced. Focusing on a team of DC villains forced to work for the government. Also interesting as it will be the first live action appearance of Harley Quinn and the first look at the new Joker.

The BFG [imdb] [trailer]
Steven Spielberg brings a Roald Dahl classic to the big screen.

The Magnificent Seven [imdb]
A remake of the 1960 Western Classic (itself a remake of the fantastic Seven Samurai), Denzil Washington leads an impressive cast.

The Nice Guys [imdb] [trailer]
Shane Black is back with a Buddy Action Comedy, this time set in the 70's and this time starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Fun time to be had.

Untitled fifth Bourne film [imdb]
Bourne is back. Bringing Matt Damon and the director Paul Greengrass back with him.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot [imdb] [trailer]
OK I'm going to say it. Tina Fey is probably the funniest smart person in the world right now (sorry John Oliver), and I might have a crush on her. That shouldn't subtract from the fact that this film looks great.

X-Men: Apocalypse [imdb] [trailer]
The X-Men film series is filled with plot inconsistencies and confusion, but Bryan Singer seems to have not cared and decided instead to craft a good story in his last outing, Days Of Future Past. Hopefully the same will apply as the X-Men take on, one of their truly Big Bads Apocalypse.

Hopefully I will get to see all of these (of course I will) and you can too. Let me know if you disagree with any of my picks or have something you think I should definitely have on my list.

My Top Ten Films of 2015

Hello again you lovely, lovely, gorgeous lot It is the beginning of the new year so I again bring you a list of my top films of the past year. You are again most welcome. Please remember these are my personal Top Ten films from those I have seen. So if you think I have missed a great film out, then either I haven't had a chance to see it, or you are wrong. Message me and I will let you know which one it is. Also please be aware that this post will probably contain spoilers

Notable mentions

These are the films which I really enjoyed and were the closest to being in my Top Ten:

Creed – A couple of years ago we had the much underrated Rocky Balboa come out, and we thought that was that was it for perennial underdog Rocky. However he is back. Not fighting in the ring himself this time, but taking on the role of mentor for Adonis Creed, the son of his friend (Guess which one). Like the first Rocky and the aforementioned Rocky Balboa, Creed is more of a character piece with both Micheal B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone in excellent form.

Danny Collins – This is one of those films which you might have missed. However you should catch it if you can, as it is full of fantastic performances from brilliant actors. Al Pacino plays the titular Danny Collins, an aging hard living rocker, who upon receiving a letter sent to him from John Lennon, about 40 years after it was sent, starts to take stock of his life and what could and maybe should have been. 

Mission Impossible V: Rogue Nation – Almost on par with the previous film in the series Ghost Protocol (the best of the bunch in my not so humble opinion). There's not much I can say about this one. Tom Cruise and his gang are back. Tom Cruise is charming, Simon Pegg is very funny, Rebecca Ferguson is mysterious, and Sean Harris is menacing as fuck. Everyone is fantastic in their roles. Lots of action and lots of fun.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Yes I can almost hear the audible gasp and feel the exasperation in the air from certain quarters, at this particular film not being in my top ten. Let me just say I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to what happens next with the new characters, all of whom were great. However if I am honest with myself and I usually am, there were a few things in the film that didn't sit well with me. It was a great way to kick off a new trilogy though. 

Tomorrowland – OK I know that this film was seen as somewhat of a failure and not a lot of people may have seen it. I don't care! I liked it and the positive optimistic message it sent out. I liked all the actors in it and I really loved the retro-future look of Tomorrowland. Not everything needs to be dark and brooding People, and that's me saying that, I'm the Prince of Dark and Brooding, with Batman being the King obviously.

The Top Ten

10) Ex Machina
Domhnall Gleeson has had a fantastic year as an actor, there were his great performances as General Hux in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and as the honourable but out of his depth Captain Andrew Henry in the Revenant (more on that later). He still has his awesome red hair, and then there was his performance in Ex Machina. Gleeson plays Caleb Smith a programmer set the task, (by his enigmatic boss) of testing a new A.I. to see if it can pass the Turning test. Arguably the stand out of the film is Alicia Vikander as said A.I. Ava. However I see it as more of a two-hander with Oscar Issac's Nathans presence ever looming in the background.

9) American Ultra
OK straight off let me mention, that I am aware that there is a lot of negativity and ill feeling towards Kristen Stewart out there. Whether she deserves it or not I have no idea. I have only seen her in two films (I think) and in both she has been very good. Also in both this one and Adventureland she has acted along side Jesse Eisenberg (coincidence? who knows). Anyway this was a really fun film, filled with comic book violence, with Eisenberg playing a lovable loser, who secretly unbeknownst to himself is a highly trained CIA operative. It's Clerks meets the Bourne Identity in the best way possible, and I love both of those films.

8) Bridge of Spies
Now lets get a few things out of the way, first of all Steven Spielberg is a true master of his craft, who with the exception of a certain film involving Crystal Skulls rarely puts a foot wrong. Second Tom Hanks is an amazing actor who I could watch in almost any role. So when you put these two story telling maestros together to the tell a compelling tale (based on true events ) involving the Cold War, Spies and a good man stuck in the middle, you have something that is worth watching. 

7) Inside Out
Another unbelievably good film from Pixar studios. This one takes us in to the mind and emotional control room (run by avatars of her emotions Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust) of a young girl from her birth to an emotionally turbulent time in her life at the age of 11, when she and her family relocate to a new city, leaving the only life she has known behind. All the voice talent are amazing especially the avatars. And like all the films from Pixar this one has something for all age groups. 

6) The Martian
Based on the best selling book, this is film has been heralded as something of a return to form for Ridley Scott after a number of lets say false steps. The film tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), who is left behind on Mars on his own, when the rest of his crew think he has perished, during an emergency evacuation. He must in the words of the character "science the shit out of this" to survive until a rescue mission can come pick him up (in 4 years time). The other parts of the story are back on Earth at NASA as they discover that Watney is alive and then attempt to help him, and a smaller part on the ship bringing Watneys crew back. A great cast but Damon is the stand out. 

5) Spy
This was without a doubt in my mind the funniest film I saw last year. Melissa McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a CIA agent, who usually stays back at the office to help guide and support her partner Bradley Fine (Jude Law) while he does the usual spy James Bond thing. Susan is however thrust into the field when Fine is killed and the names of the other agents are made known to the illegal arms dealer Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). Armed with various aliases each more ridiculous then the last. Susan must try and retrieve a portable nuclear weapon that Rayna is trying to sell before it falls into the wrong hands. McCarthy is as funny as usually, however the real hilarity is bought about by Rose Byrne and Jason Statham as the super extreme spy Rick Ford

4) Ant-Man
Ant-Man is a film that was in production a very long time. Marvel hired Edgar Wright in 2006 to write and direct an Ant-Man, with the plan being that it would be part of Phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 9 years later we finally got an Ant-Man film. However it was not the Ant-Man we might originally have thought we would get. Those of you familiar with the comic books will know that traditionally Hank Pym is the alter ego most associated with Ant-Man, however the character of Hank Pym comes with a whole lot of issues in the comic. Those of course could have been retconned for the film, however instead they decided to make Scott Lang (the second Ant-Man) the main focus of this film. Paul Rudd as Scott Lang is his usual, charming, funny self, the rest of the cast are all great, especially Michael Douglas as the now older Hank Pym and Michael Pena as Scott Langs ex-cellmate. The film as a whole is great fun with some imaginative actions sequences.

3) Mad Max: Fury Road
OK I have to admit this film is not very heavy on plot, but for non stop balls to the wall action and great effects work I don't think you will find a better film from 2015. Tom Hardy takes over the role of Max Rockatansky originally portrayed by Mel Gibson in the previous 3 films, and though he does a great job in the part, the films anchor is Charlize Therons awesomely named Imperator Furiosa. She is the heart of the film as well as the catalyst for the action, Max is just along for the ride. This film has been criticized in some quarters (I won't name them as they don't deserve it) for pushing the feminist agenda and trying to destroy manliness or some other bullshit. To them I say stop being dickheads and also Mad Max is not an American Icon he's Australian.

2) The Revenant

I was discussing this with a friend of mine earlier today, if Leonardo DiCaprio isn't given his overdue academy award for this film, then there is some sort of conspiracy against the poor man. I mean what does the man have to do. Completely shot in natural light with apparently little to no CGI, this is a gorgeously looking film. Full of great performance all through the cast. It is the story of hunter Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) in 1823, who after a disastrous  expedition, where his hunting party is attacked by the native Arikaras, is mauled by a bear. Then left for dead by a fellow hunter (Tom Hardy) who also kills Glass's half Pawnee son. This is a classic if slow chase film, as Glass pulls himself out of his shallow grave and goes after the man that did him wrong. There will be a reckoning.

1) Kingsmen: The Secret Service 
Kingsmen: The Secret Service came along very early in the year so many of you might have forgotten all about it. Colin Firth plays Harry Hart a secret agent of the independent security agency The Kingsmen. Smart, Suave and deadly the agents are all code-named after the knights of the round table, under the supervision of their leader Arthur (of course) played by Sir Michael Caine. When one of their number (Lancelot) is killed in action, the agents all have to submit a possible recruit to replace him. Harry (code-named Galahad) picks a young man from the wrong side of the tracks (Taron Egerton). All this as a new threat to the world arises. This is a great comedy action spy film. The scene in the Southern hate-mongering church was just magnificent, why has no one put Colin Firth in an action movie before? Over the top fun, definitely worth a watch.

And my worst film of the year for 2015 is.........

Fantastic Four
OK this year has been a pretty good year for films for me, so I haven't really seen that many bad films in 2015. The Fantastic Four reboot wins? lets say claims the dubious honour of being my worst film for the year, just for the fact that it wasted a very talented cast, and also the fact that this is a comic book film without any fun and very little action. And it made me miss the Tim Story, Fantastic Four films from about a decade ago.