The Films I Liked In 2017...

Better late than never - here is my annual list of films I saw and liked in 2017 (in no particular order):

1) T2: Trainspotting - was very pleased to once again enjoy the company of Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie et al. The film certainly didn't disappoint.

2) Hidden Figures - a fascinating story that I was unaware of. The film made me punch the air with joy one minute and make my blood boil the next.

3) Logan - a fitting swansong for Hugh Jackman's version of the character. I may have left the cinema with something in my eye. Special mention should also go to Dafne Keen's fantastic performance.

4) The Death Of Stalin - blackly comic, deeply fascinating (especially to me as I studied Modern History for GCSE and was aware of some of the story) and very enjoyable. A another fine piece of work from Armando Iannucci.

5) Paddington 2 - I saw the sequel to 2014's delightful movie on the same day as seeing 'The Death Of Stalin' it was just the antidote I needed. It left me with warm fuzzy feelings and a massive smile on my face. Already looking forward to the third film.

6) Thor: Ragnarok - finally a film to show off Chris Hemsworth's comedic talents (see his role in 2016's 'Ghostbuster's for further proof) and definitely my favourite of the Thor movies.

7) Okja - sweet, moving and funny. It will make you want your very own super pig.

8) Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 - those rascals were just as fun the second time round. Looking forward to how they fit into the Avengers movies.

Honorable mentions should go to 'The Lego Batman Movie' and 'Free Fire'.

The Films I Liked In 2016...

Here once again (in no particular order) are my personal cinematic treats of the year.

1) Room - this film deserved all the praise it received. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay definitely had me reaching for the hankies.

2) Deadpool - filthy and funny this was my favourite superhero movie of the year.

3) Hail, Caesar! - this might be Coens lite but it had me in stitiches. Particularly this scene between Hobie and the director Laurence Laurentz.

4) Spotlight - simply shot, but oh so powerful. Left me speechless as I made my way home from the cinema.

5) 10 Cloverfield Lane - has John Goodman ever been scarier on screen? Didn't no what to expect going in and was beyond entertained.

6) Love and Friendship - another witty delight from Whit Stillman. This time he took on Jane Austen and definitely won. A wonderful performance from Kate Beckinsale and I will never think of peas in quite the same way again.

7) Ghostbusters - a divisive film before the first trailer was released. Personally I came out of the cinema having been entertained and completely taken with Kate Mckinnon's Holzmann.

8) Doctor Strange - not the most original of origin stories but the trippy effects (best viewed in 3D) blew me away.

Honourable mentions go to 'The Danish Girl' (more hankies required by me) and 'Jason Bourne' (for that car chase in Las Vegas).

The Films I Liked In 2015...

Everybody else is doing it, so why can't I* tell you about my cinematic highlights of 2015? These are in no particular order:

1) Whiplash - I still wonder if I am rushing or dragging, but this film had me leaving the cinema punching the air in exhilaration.

2) The Duke Of Burgundy - a wonderfully mesmerizing watch. This was the S&M movie to watch in 2015!

3) Wild - possibly Reese Witherspoon's finest performance. Oh and I really enjoyed this parody of the trailer:

4) Still Alice - a difficult but rewarding watch, which may have caused some manly moisture around my eyes.

5) Ex Machina - a great, considered piece on man and AI, which goes nicely with this piece on 'The AI Revolution'.

6) Pitch Perfect 2 - not as good as the first one but it still had me leaving the cinema with a smile on my face.

7) Ant-Man - possibly my favorite Marvel movie yet because it was not about saving the world, but just about a man winning back his daughter.

8) The Martian - if only because since seeing the movie I have been saying "I'm going to have to science the shit out of this" as much as possible. (Also it was ace!)

9) Star Wars - The Force Awakens - because Star Wars!

10) Mad Max: Fury Road - Furiosa was just such an awesome character. Who would have thought that *the* action movie of 2015 would be directed by 70 year old George Miller?!

11) Gregory's Girl - a slight cheat (given that the film was originally released in 1981) but I saw a special screening followed by a Q&A with the cast, which delighted me no end.

12) Slow West - a wonderful meditative western.

Honorable mentions to 'The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay - Part 2' ( a decent end to the series), 'Far From The Madding Crowd', 'Good Kill' and 'Selma'.
*With apologies to The Cranberries.

The Films I Liked In 2014...

Please indulge me with my cinematic highlights of 2014 (as always in no particular order):

1) Locke - who would have thought that a film set almost entirely on a car journey with conversations held entirely over the phone, would be so tense and so good, but 'Locke' is just that.

2) Under The Skin - that title is so apt as the film 'does what it says on the tin': eerie, creepy and moving with a cracking score and a brilliant turn by Adam Pearson. 'Under The Skin' is all these things and more.

3) We Are The Best - a 'coming of age' film for the teen punk in all of us. Who knew 80s Swedish punk songs were so cool?

4) Frank - this is the second musical film in my list. 'Frank' was weird but very moving and who doesn't like Frank's 'Most Likeable Song Ever'?

5) Begin Again - another musical based film in my list. Whilst not quite as good as 'Once' it still made me leave the cinema with a smile and I like Keira Knightley's singing voice.

6) Boyhood - the experiment that worked. As a Linklater fan I was probably pre-disposed to liking this but it exceeded my expectations. Funny, moving and reflective. Just remember "Life doesn't give you bumpers."

7) Two Days, One Night - a wonderful film about the local effect of globalization. Marion Cotillard might never have been better. Plus the film taught me that Petula Clark did an awesome cover of 'Needles And Pins' in French.

8) The Babadook - a cracking psychological chiller about loss and grief with standout performances by Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman. Don't think I will be purchasing the book though.

9) Northern Soul - another film that gave me the 'warm and fuzzies'. I'm so glad Elaine Constantine was able to bring her vision to the screen.

10) God Help The Girl - yet another musical movie and another one to give me those 'warm and fuzzies'. Plus I can't stop humming songs from this quirky delight.

11) Ida - I know I'm not alone in praising this movie but it's totally deserved. Really hoping it gets nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars.

12) Paddington - a late entry but one that totally charmed me and definitely ranks high on the 'warm and fuzzy' scale (and I don't mean Paddington's awesome CGI fur).

Honorable mentions to 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' (paranoia, seedy governments and Robert Redford!), 'Nightcrawler' (has Gyllenhaal been better?), 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' (a worthy entry to the series) and 'The LEGO Movie' (everything about it is indeed awesome).

Generation Extra-Wide Gap

I never really thought about generation gaps when I was younger. I knew that there were people older than me, who had different experiences, but it didn't seem to matter. I guess this was because at school, university and when I started working the people I most associated with were of a similar age to me. Many of the people who joined the company I work for at the same time as me moved on but I stayed (what can I say, I am a creature of habit) and the faces in the office started to look younger and younger. Then someone from my place of work told me that they were born in 1990 and (after picking my jaw up from the floor) I started wondering if this bothered me.

The more I thought about it the more I realised that there were people who didn't have the same cultural touchstones as me: growing-up with the teen movies of John Hughes, the fall of the Berlin Wall, 'Danger Mouse'. Furthermore I would make a reference from the 80s or early 90s and, due to being faced with a blank expression, after explaining said reference the response would be along the lines of "Yeah, I wasn't born then."

I should have taken the hint that a reference to Ollie North and the 'Iran-Contra Hearings' was perhaps a little too specific.

This isn't to say that I can't have conversations with Millennials: as a self-diagnosed 'pop culture junkie' I like to think I have my finger on the pulse (although I have only just learnt that Iggy Azalea isn't a new species of plant), but our cultural touchstones are different and this affects the way we see things. I thought this might mean I couldn't be good friends with someone of a different generation.

However I am now seeing someone who was not only born in the mid-80s but grew-up in South Africa, so her touchstones are even more out of whack with my own, but so far this doesn't seem to matter. Oh and we watched 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' recently and she really enjoyed it.

The Films I Liked In 2013...

Since everybody else is doing it, why can't I (with apologies to 'The Cranberries')? So here, in no particular order, are my top ten films of 2013.

1) Safety Not Guaranteed - yes it may have opened on Boxing Day 2012, but I didn't get to see it until February and it was the first film of  the year to leave me with a smile on my face.

2) Zero Dark Thirty - it may have been controversial, but the spectacular raid on Osama's compound and Jessica Chastain's fascinating central performance added-up for me to a great watch.

3) The Place Beyond The Pines - any film that (SPOILER) does away with Ryan Gosling part way into it is brave in my book and, after that, this study of 'the sins of the father are visited on the sons' tale was still a great watch.

4) Before Midnight - I have grown-up with and loved the story of Jesse and Celine and when I heard that a third movie was on the cards I could not wait to see it. Whilst this one is sadder than the previous two, it was still a wonderful watch. I just can't decide if I want another one in nine years time.

5) The Way Way Back - another film that gave me the 'warm and fuzzies' and left me with a huge smile on my face. This was my film of the summer.

6) Iron Man 3 - I was disappointed by 'Iron Man 2', but with Shane Black at the helm this movie put the fun back into superhero movies. Plus it has one(?) of the best gags ever about Croydon.

7) Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa - Alan Partidge on the big screen thankfully worked a treat, plus I will never think of Roachford in quite the same way again.

8) Wadjda - a very simple story about a girl in Saudi Arabia wanting a bike adds up to a fascinating look at women and their rights in that country.

9) Enough Said - Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini were simply wonderful in this small movie. Nicole Holofcener has done it again.

10) All Is Lost - whilst 'Gravity' was a cracking thrill ride of a movie with some spectacular effects (and I really enjoyed it at the time) I was more emotionally involved by this story of Robert Redford as a lone sailor lost at sea. The lack of dialogue just added to the experience.

Honorable mentions should go to 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' (bring-on 'Mockingjay'), 'The Kings Of Summer', 'Sunshine On Leith', 'Frances Ha', 'Much A Do About Nothing' and 'Robot And Frank'.

My Film Highlights Of 2012...

I was just going through my ticket stubs and reflecting on the films I enjoyed at the cinema last year. So here is a list of my film highlights from 2012 (in no particular order).

1) 'Moonrise Kingdom' - some of the films I enjoyed the most last year gave me the 'warm and fuzzies' and 'Moonrise Kingdom' certainly hit that spot.

2) 'The Muppets' - yes I probably enjoyed it because the Muppets were a part of  my childhood but it was still a fun film and 'Man or Muppet' is a great number.

3) 'Money Ball' - who would have thought that a film about baseball and maths would be such a great watch? Well with a Sorkin polished script it was a fascinating film.

4) 'The Hunger Games' - last year was definitely the year of Jennifer Lawrence with good reason. I really enjoyed 'The Hunger Games' even more than I was expecting to, so am looking forward to 'Catching Fire' towards the end of 2013.

5) 'Avengers Assemble' or 'The Avengers' - given that it was a film stuffed full of Hollywood egos (none bigger than Robert Downey Jr's by all accounts) this film worked surprisingly well under the guidance of Joss Whedon. It was a popcorn flick but great fun and well deserved its box office bonanza.

6) 'Damsels In Distress' - being a Whit Stillman fan I was really looking forward to this film and for me it was a quirky delight that again gave me the 'warm and fuzzies'. Although I still can't dance the Sambola!

7) 'Take This Waltz' - a moving, quirky, funny and interesting film that should have got more attention. Plus it has probably the best use ever in a film of The Buggles 'Video Killed The Radio Star'.

And great use of a cover of 'Closing Time' by Feist.

8) 'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' - again a great film to give you the 'warm and fuzzies' with an amazing performance from Quvenzhané Wallis as Hushpuppy.

9) 'Silver Linings Playbook' - Jennifer Lawrence ended the year with another great performance and well deserved Oscar buzz. Another film that had me smiling as I left the cinema.

10) 'Pitch Perfect' - great fun, great singing and Rebel Wilson's improvised dialogue is awesome.

Honourable mentions should go to George Clooney in 'The Descendents', 'We Bought A Zoo', 'Jeff Who Lives At Home', 'Your Sister's Sister' and the bonkers 'Iron Sky'.