Tuesday 30 December 2014

My Top 10 Films of 2014



December is coming to a close, and as is the well-established tradition by now, that means it's time to put together a conclusive list of my Top 10 Films from the year.

2014 has been an absolutely stellar year for movies, with piles upon piles of thrilling, immersive and brilliant films landing on our screens across the year. Picking a personal Top 10 might seem a little redundant underneath the hundreds of other end-of-year lists, but I think it's fun and feels like a nice little way to round out the year.

So, what ten flicks made the cut?

Monday 29 December 2014

Film Review: Big Hero 6



Big Hero 6 is the latest feature-length animation from Disney, and it sees the Mouse House team-up with Marvel Studios for a comic-book adaptation that will appeal to kids and adults alike. 

Sunday 28 December 2014

Rank the Films: Tolkien's Middle Earth


As any regular reader of this blog will know, lists are pretty darn nifty. I have a profound appreciation for straight-up lists. This is the thinking behind Rank the Films, a regular feature that pulls apart the pros and cons of a series of films, ranking them in order from bad to good.

Across six movies, Peter Jackson has redefined fantasy story-telling through the Middle Earth saga, and this month I'm ranking them from worst to best - starting with 2001's Fellowship of the Ring to the recent finale The Battle of the Five Armies, Jackson's Middle Earth saga is one of the most popular and successful franchises in movie history - but which entry tops my list?

So, without further ado, let's dive straight in - where did your favourite Middle-Earth film come? Read on to find out...

Friday 26 December 2014

Film Review: The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies



"Will you follow me, one last time?"

Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lily, Christopher Lee
Runtime: 144 minutes

All good things must come to an end. After six films, over 1200 minutes of runtime and countless dead orcs, Peter Jackson's Middle Earth saga concludes in this final chapter, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Through tying together the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, The Hobbit trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies is a satisfying, if uneven and disjointed, sendoff for the iconic cinematic saga.

Saddle your warpig, and let the final battle commence...

Wednesday 24 December 2014

My Top 5 TV Shows of 2014



It might be an adage so often repeated it's lost all meaning, but right now really is a 'golden age' for TV. When else has there been such a wide-ranging variety of quality shows for viewers to pick and choose from, akin to a delectable buffet where the next engrossing treat is just waiting ti be discovered and gorged upon.

My year has been jam-packed with some amazing TV, so I decided to talk about five shows that stood out for me.

Sunday 21 December 2014

Film Review: St Vincent



St Vincent is a heart-warming tale about Vince, a retired curmudgeon who's life is given new purpose when he meets Oliver, an innocent school kid who lives next door. It stars Bill Murray in the lead role, with Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts in supporting roles.

Thursday 18 December 2014

Film Review: Locke



Losties despair! This isn't the long-awaited spin-off movie about John Locke, the stoic bald headed nutjob from Lost who regained the use of his legs. I'm sorry you have to hear the bad news from me.

The good news is, it's actually better than that! Instead, Locke a claustrophobic thriller that charts a fateful car ride for building site manager Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy). Buckle up, things are about to get a little tense.

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Film Review: Exodus - Gods and Kings



Holy moses Batman!

Ridley Scott, director of Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven, is back with another historical epic in Exodus: Gods and Kings. It sees Christian Bale play Moses, a prince/shepherd tasked by God with freeing the Hebrew people from their Egyptian slave-drivers and their tyrannical king, Rameses (Joel Edgerton).

Friday 12 December 2014

My Favourite Movie Posters from 2014



If you can't judge a book by its cover, then what the hell is it there for? The same goes for movie posters, and the purpose they serve. For me, a clever poster with some grabbing visuals and a great tagline is half the job when it comes to selling a movie.

For this post, I've put together a selection of the best movie posters to catch my eye this year. No rankings or 'Top 10', just a handful of those that made me sit up and take notice of an upcoming film. Be sure to let me know what you think, and tell me which 2014 posters you loved in the comments below!

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Quotes Corner - 2014 Edition



I have a regular feature called Quotes Corner (you'd be forgiven for not knowing given how irregularly I get round to posting one) where I collect together some of wittiest, snarkiest and most memorable lines from a recent film or TV show. In the past, I've covered Community, Modern Family and even Karl Pilkington. 

This December, I've been documenting every and anything that summarises 2014 in film - from a soundtrack playlist to my Top 5 Worst Films of the Year - and I decided it'd be cool to revive this past feature with a bumper edition jam-packed full of the most memorable (for better or for worst) lines from films this year.

So, without further ado, here are some of my favourite quotes from 2014!

Sunday 7 December 2014

My Top 5 Worst Films of 2014



For the most part, my blogging experience is for talking about and celebrating awesome movies. Films that make you woop, cheer, punch the air, cry, gasp and sing with joy.

And yet, there is the odd film that sticks out as being utter shite. Every now and again, a movie comes along that is just so bad, so completely crap it just has to be ripped apart. Welcome then, to my Top 5 Worst Films of 2014.

Thursday 4 December 2014

My 2014 Movie Soundtrack Playlist

Movies and music, a match made in heaven. 

For me, a big part of a film's entertainment factor comes from its score or soundtrack. Weave a half decent score through your movie, or throw in a few licensed tracks that compliment the action and you can bet your ass I'm heading straight to iTunes as soon as I get home from the theatre.

2014 has been no different, with a whole host of toe-tapping tracks pricking up my ears across the year - from Tegan and Sara's inescapable earworm 'Everything is Awesome' to Keira Knightley's wonderful vocals in John Carney's Begin Again soundtrack, there has been so much to jam along to over the last 12 months.

For me, the best soundtrack compilation of the year has got to be Guardians of the Galaxy - from August onwards, Awesome Mix Vol. 1 has pretty much been on an endless loop in my car. Another standout was Hans Zimmer's superb Interstellar soundtrack, as was Alexandre Desplat's compositions from The Imitation Game and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

I also really liked the meta-humour in The Muppets track, 'We're Doing A Sequel' - not many films would open with a musical number decrying it to be not as good as the previous movie, but they went there. Beware - it's super catchy.

I've thrown in a couple of TV tunes too - it's kind of cheating, but you know what? That doesn't matter, that's how awesome those tracks are. Fans of True Detective and Fargo rejoice!

As I've done in the past, I've put together a quick Spotify playlist to encapsulate the year, cherrypicking my favourite tracks from the soundtracks from X-Men, Walter Mitty, Godzilla and more. Check out the full playlist in the Spotify player below:


Tuesday 2 December 2014

Film Review: Nightcrawler



Set against the sprawling, neon-drenched backdrop of Los Angeles, Nightcrawler sees Jake Gyllehaal play Lou Bloom, an out-of-work thief who discovers a talent for capturing crime on film and selling it on to local news outlets. 

Sucked into the gritty LA underbelly, Lou soon becomes engrossed in finding the perfect crime to document, manipulating and hurting those around him in the process.

Monday 1 December 2014

Trailer Talk: The Force Awakens + more



Two trailers have awakened something within me this week - Star Wars, and Jurassic World. Here are my thoughts on the two mega teasers we were treated to this week. 


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