Film 2015

THE AWARD-WINNER

Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance (January 1^st)

Ever hear that one about the former superhero actor now washed up and trying to climb back to the top? Birdman, given its shorter title, narrates a story remarkably close to that of its leading man Michael Keaton: washed-up superhero actor attempts to restore his fame by writing/starring/appearing in an ill-fated Raymond Carver adaptation for Broadway.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s fifth feature is looking likely to be his most award-baiting, a meta-comedy epic shot (almost) in one long tracking shot, with outstanding, playing-against-type performances from Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts. And Michael Keaton finally plays what seems to be the role of his career: to say he was born to play this is perhaps pathetically romantic, but it could be said his whole career his built up to his point. And boy does it fly high. (SPOILER: Expect a review very soon.)

THE CULT

Inherent Vice (January 30^th)

The Big Lebowski is hands-down the best film of all time, and so when the trailer for P.T. Anderson’s Inherent Vice landed in my lap, depicting (according to IMDb) ‘drug-fueled Los Angeles detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend’, the comparison had to be made. And to see P.T. Anderson, one of the great auteurs of our generation, reunited with Joaquin Phoenix, legendary character actor, after their sterling collaboration on The Master, is nothing short of a cinematic blessing. Anderson returns to his comedy bones, a la Punch Drunk Love, following the brief albeit fantastic hiatus that brought us There Will Be Blood and The Master, and I simply cannot wait.

THE BLOCKBUSTER

Avengers: Age of Ultron (April 24^th)

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight franchise taught us that to make a good superhero film, you need to emphasise the humanity behind the mask: Joss Whedon, meanwhile, taught us that you need to make it funny. Perhaps the best ensemble superhero film of all time, 2012’s Avengers Assemble packed action and laughs in equal measure, and miraculously gave equal screen time to several of the biggest actors in Hollywood. Now eleven (yes, eleven) films into the franchise, Whedon reassembles 2012’s cast with star-children Aaron Johnston and Elizabeth Olsen, plus James Spader voicing big bad Ultron. Undoubtedly an absolute thrill ride – Whedon doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘disappointment’.

THE CONNOISSEUR'S CHOICE

Knight of Cups (2015, date unannounced)

Considering in the first 40 years of his career, Terrence Malick released only five films, his current rate of production is reaching terminal velocity: 2011’s The Tree of Life was quickly followed by To The Wonder, while an unexpected three films have been slated for a 2015/early 2016 release. One of these is the aforementioned Knight of Cups, about which we know little other than its almighty cast including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Natalie Portman, and a typically Malickian enigmatic trailer. With Malick, however, to know little about a project is not necessarily a bad thing: with a track record this good, we can know we’re expecting stunning visuals, a mystical screenplay, and the poetic quality attached to all of his films. This, combined with Blanchett straight off the back of an all-time great Oscar win, and Bale at the top of his game, is sure to be a formula for success.

THE REBOOT

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (December 18^th)

With a franchise this big, and a mythology this mighty, there really was only ever one man for the job: cue J.J. Abrams. Earning a name for himself as the greatest science-fiction director since Spielberg, Abrams career reads like sci-fi geeks dream: his Star Trek reboot truly reached new found territory, embracing old fans and new discoverers alike, while his original works, including Lost, Cloverfield, and Super 8, have all been met with great acclaim. As a self-professed Star Wars fanboy, the next stage of the franchise (following a somewhat questionable phase) will be sure to recreate the magic of the original, while bringing Abrams own unique charms to proceedings. Indeed, the fist-pumping reappearance of the Millenium Falcon in November’s trailer and the reunion of Hamill, Fisher, and Ford ensures some of Lucas’ original charm. With shaky-cam and lens-flare galore, this is sure to be, fingers-crossed, the much needed shot-in-the-arm of the sci-fi bible.

THE BEST-TIL-LAST 

The Hateful Eight (2015, date unannounced)

Never someone to be fucked with, Tarantino decidedly and whole-heartedly announced that, following the leak of his latest script, he would refuse to produce his next planned endeavor, The Hateful Eight. A somewhat legendary script reading, however, let forth a tidal wave of persuasion, and one which has led him to backtrack, and subsequently begin production on his 9^th feature film, a revenge western (as hinted by its title) in the vein of The Magnificent Seven. The Western has been a tried, tested, and proven formula for Quentin: pseudo-western Kill Bill enraptured audiences, while the somewhat controversial Django Unchained lovingly homaged Leone et al. And, out of the blue, Tarantino announced recently this was to be his penultimate film: so enjoy them while they last, there’s nothing quite like a Tarantino film.

2014: Year of the #Bandwagon

What a year it has been. The inevitable death of English football, the long-awaited War of Independence up north, and not to mention enough #neknominations, #nomakeupselfies and #icebucketchallenges to keep our over occupied social-media lives filled to the brim. Film-wise, it hasn’t been a bad one either: turns out Matthew McConnaughey, despite his best wishes 5 years ago, is going to go down as one of the acting greats, and that someone can make a good animation outside of Studios Pixar and Ghibli (see The Lego Movie if you haven’t already). So here I present to you, my hotly-anticipated, critically-definitive, and massively oversold Review of the Year (the film year, here, starting post-Oscar frenzy). Devour.

Male Performance of the Year: Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

Considering his glorious career of star-making performances, from Donnie Darko to Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain, Jake Gyllenhaal might just be earning a name for himself as the next DiCaprio: all applause and no awards. Gyllenhaal might just be breaking that curse here, with a character that’s equal parts petty thief as it is Patrick Bateman. Slightly autistic and near psychotic amateur cameraman Louis Bloom dominates the screen in this morally troubling neo-noir, spouting out regurgitated online business hints as he happily films families being murdered and car crash victims bleeding out. Mixing Gyllenhaal’s everyman charm with a chilling air of insanity, here we have perhaps the earliest frontrunner for the Oscars.

Runner Up: Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Wes Anderson is known for, among many other things, his ability to assemble casts of acting royalty, both a blessing and a curse: the curse being that impressive performances can often get lost in the mix. Here, Fiennes, as the flamboyant and sharp-tongued M Gustave, consistently steals the show, quite a feat when coming up against Bill Murray, Adrian Brody, Harvey Keitel, Tilda Swinton, et al. A wonderful mix of charm and scheming, Fiennes gives an outstandingly understated comic performance, perhaps the most memorable in all of Anderson’s backlog. 

Female Performance of the Year: Scarlett Johansson (Under The Skin)

Back in March, my excruciatingly over-excited piece on Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin tipped Scarlett Johansson’s central performance as an all time great, and nine months later I still stand by my brash statement. Johansson’s unnamed extra-terrestrial communicates an emptiness and coldness beyond human conception, one who unflinchingly seduces members of the public into her fatal ‘den’: as a character which speaks minimally throughout the film, Johansson’s predatorial eyes and steely expression consistently convinces as a hunter stalking the hunted.

Runner Up: Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Poor poor Rosamund Pike, for after this film undoubtedly any family or friends, were I in their shoes, ought to run for the hills. As the so-called ‘Amazing Amy’, the thrilling rollercoaster ride of the film is all pinned on the conniving and manipulative performance of Pike as the eponymous ‘gone girl’. Shout out for perhaps the most white-knuckle scene of the year as Amy appears to, er, change her mind about a possessive ex-boyfriend, played by Neil Patrick Harris.

Most Overrated: Locke

Tom Hardy seems hardly able to put a foot wrong these days, in a spate of films that has seen him in a scene-stealing role in Inception to full on supervillain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Here, unfortunately, he has been plonked in what might be considered the most boring film of the decade so far. The quantity of reviews along the line of ‘See how good Tom Hardy is when its just Tom Hardy being Tom Hardy in a car’, oh and ‘how good is his welsh accent?’. Well, Locke is a film which becomes increasingly claustrophobic, not on account of its thrilling suspense or superb cinematography, but simply because you are wondering how long of your life you have wasted this completely yawn-fest. Oh, and Hardy’s accent isn’t even that fantastic.

Most Underrated: Cheap Thrills

Sold as a cheap horror comedy and slipped under the radar in the early months of the year, this outstanding horror-comedy presents what is perhaps the most spot-on social commentary in years, to both hilarious and horrific results. Two out-of-work losers bump into each other after a number of years apart: their evening turns sour as David Koechner’s eccentric playboy propositions them with what seems like an easy money-making exercise, which quickly twists into possibly the worst evening of their lives. A spot-on commentary of consumerism and the extent one would go for money, especially at our lowest moments.

Top Five Films:

5) Frank (Lenny Abrahamson)

Possibly the weirdest film of the year, we follow experimental band Soronprfbs based loosely on Jon Ronson’s account of his time with Chris Sievey’s Oh Blimey Big Band on tour. Michael Fassbender excels as the half-genius half-mentally deranged Frank, despite being masked by an enormous papier-mache head for the majority. 

4) Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)

Christopher Nolan’s long awaited arrival in the science-fiction genre left heads itching for weeks to come. A space epic with stunning visuals, a mindblowing score, and a script that just might be too clever for its own good. Given all this, plus top-flight performances from Matthew McConnaughey and Anne Hathaway, this did by no means disappoint.

3) Boyhood (Richard Linklater)

To the hordes of critics saying Interstellar was the most ambitious film of the year, look no further: Boyhood, if you haven’t heard already, was filmed over the space of 12 years! 12 years! Passion projects don’t come bigger than this, as Richard Linklater not only pours vats-full of emotion into this, but in a beautiful way sums up his illustrious film career so far. Cameos of contemporary references, including the Gameboy, US elections, and a plethora of music which wonderfully encompass the year, make this particularly pleasing to an adolescent who has practically undergone the same thing.

2) Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)

Still the most thrilling alien invasion film in years, Jonathan Glazer strikes a chord that’s less Steven Spielberg and more The Old Firm. Glazer and Johansson plucked unknowing strangers off the streets of Glasgow, both fictionally and real life, to be devoured by unseen force. Mica Levi’s score echoes Close Encounter with heaps more suspense, a fantastic work of art in its own right. Prize for the most spine-chilling scene of the year, involving a trusting surfer, a baby, and the relentless power of the ocean.

1) Gone Girl (David Fincher)

Never before has a film left me unable to walk, let alone speak. David Fincher’s dissection of marriage twists, turns, and crashes like a rollercoaster that has fallen off its tracks. An analysis of the media, a redefinition of trust, a fresh perspective on love, and an incredibly unreliable narrator, Fincher leaves no ground untrodden. Gillian Flynn’s outstanding script is brought to life by Fincher’s characteristically shadowy cinematography, and at the centre a career-high performance from Ben Affleck, notable considering his recent directorial rebirth. Most certainly not for the faint hearted, and hard to describe as ‘enjoyment’, this is truly the full package, and certainly the most ‘on-the-money’ film of the year. Viewing compulsory, caution advised.

Best of the Rest

Album of the Year – Alt-J, This is All Yours

Song of the Year – Jungle, The Heat

TV Show of the Year – True Detective

Hero of the Year – Pope Francis

Villain of the Year – Nigel Farage/Russell Brand (joint winners)