My Top 10 Films of 2016

With 2016 coming to a close in just a few short hours, it's time to look back at the year that was and recount my favourite films from the last twelve months. 

My Top 5 Worst Films of 2016

For the most part, my blog is all about discussing and celebrating awesome movies. Films that make you woop, cheer, punch the air, cry, gasp and grin with joy.

Inevitably, if you see as many movies as I do, there is going to be the occasional turkey. Every now and again, a film will come along that is just so utterly hopeless that it can't be ignored. This then is my Top 5 Worst Films of 2016.

My Top 5 TV Shows of 2016

Crikey, would you look at the date? 2016 is almost over and that can only mean one thing - it's time to recap the best and worst that popular culture had to offer throughout the year.

Film Review: Trolls

Based on those ugly ass dolls from the 80s, Trolls is the latest animation from Dreamworks that partners Anna Kendrick with Justin Timberlake for a colourful yet disposable time at the movies.

My 2016 Movie Soundtrack Playlist

"I want to write and feel the drama. Music is essentially an emotional language, so you want to feel something from the relationships and build music based on those feelings" - Howard Shore

Every December I take a look back at the year that was and cherry pick some musical highlights, whether they be soaring orchestral scores or licensed tracks that have been inserted into films to great effect.

This year has been a stellar year for film scores in my opinion; now more than ever, I find myself listening to film scores in my spare time instead of 'normal' music.

My personal favourites include Johann Johannsson's haunting ambiance for Arrival, Abel Korzeniowski's sweeping score in Nocturnal Animals and Dario Marianelli's fantastic oriental inspired strings in Kubo and the Two Strings. Flashing back to the beginning of the year, Howard Shore and Ennio Morricone both worked wonders in Spotlight and The Hateful Eight respectively. More recently, the original scores for La La Land and Moana have been swimming through my head - you'll discover a lot of tracks from each in the playlist below.

Film Review: Why Him?

Why Him? is an R-rated comedy starring James Franco, Bryan Cranston and Zoey Deutch that sees family friction once again threaten to ruin Christmas.

Film Review: La La Land

A struggling actress and an unemployed pianist find renewed purpose in one another while chasing stardom in Hollywood. This is Damien Chazelle's applauded musical La La Land...

What Happened to Quality Christmas Movies?

The saying goes that they don’t make them like they used to. And while this broad adage can be applied to practically anything, it’s certainly true of contemporary Christmas movies…

Film Review: Rogue One - A Star Wars Story

Rogue One sees director Gareth Edwards prove that the Star Wars series has legs outside of the central Skywalker drama.

Film Review: Moana

Set sail on Disney’s latest sweeping animated adventure with Moana.

Film Review: Sing

Illumination’s second talking animals movie of 2016 is best left for just the kids to enjoy.

Film Review: Underworld - Blood Wars

Underworld: Blood Wars is a whole lotta the same – for better and for worse.

Film Review: Morgan

Directed by Luke Scott, son of Ridley Scott, comes Morgan, a supposedly cerebral sci-fi thriller that seems to have left its brain at the door. 

Film Review: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Ang Lee paints a harsh picture of American excess in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

Rank the Films: Harry Potter

As any regular reader of this blog will know, I think 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 of bad to good.

To celebrate the release of the new Harry Potter movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I'm delving back into the Wizarding World and ranking all of the films from worst to best. Across 16 years, five directors and nine movies, the Harry Potter universe has soundtracked my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood - which means the series holds a lot of cherished memories for me, someone who grew up devouring all of the books and associated materials.

So pull on your Hogwarts robes and grab your Nimbus 2000 - these are my thoughts on every Potter picture to date; where does your favourite rank? Read on to find out...

Film Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Journey back to the JK Rowling's Wizarding World for a prequel spinoff that hopes to charm its way into our hearts. 

Film Review: Nocturnal Animals

Tom Ford's sophomore film Nocturnal Animals is a grim neo-Western that is beautiful and brutal in equal measure.

Film Review: Arrival

Arrival is the latest film from French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve; starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker, it's a tightly-packaged sci-fi that firmly places itself amongst the best that 2016 has to offer.

Film Review: The Accountant

Ben Affleck blends Jason Bourne with Rain Man for an action flick that doesn’t quite add up.

Film Review: A United Kingdom

A United Kingdom is a period biopic from director Amma Asante that follows a political upheaval in Botswana following the banishment of their King and his Caucasian wife by the British Empire in the 1950's.

Interview: Michael Caton-Jones

They say variety is the spice of life – an oft-repeated adage that Scottish filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones has found to be self-evident over a directorial career stretching nearly three decades.

Film Review: Hell or High Water

A bleak and authentic modern western that doesn't take crap from nobody - David Mackenzie's Hell or High Water is hands down one of the best films of 2016.

Film Review: The Light Between Oceans

Derek Cianfrance returns with a touching romance set in a 1920's lighthouse on Australia's windswept southwest coast.

Film Review: Hacksaw Ridge

Mel Gibson’s 2016 renaissance continues with his first directorial effort in a decade – and it’s up there with his best.

Film Review: Ouija - Origin of Evil

Ouija: Origin of Evil is another horror movie about ancient spirits and creepy kids speaking in tongues - but wait a second, could this one actually be good?

Film Review: The Neon Demon

Nicolas Winding-Refn returns with another exercise in style over substance – and I kinda loved it.

Film Review: Doctor Strange

Things are about to get...strange. The fourteenth film in Marvel's titanic Cinematic Universe sees Benedict Cumberbatch grappling with magic and the ethereal as Doctor Strange.

Rank the Films: Mission Impossible

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 of bad to good.

To celebrate the release of Tom Cruise's new movie Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the series under the microscope this month is Mission Impossible. From 1996 to present, the Mission Impossible series has covered five films and five directors, all with one indisputable star at the centre - Tom Cruise's daredevil hero Ethan Hunt.

So pull on your prosthetic mask and cling to the 40th floor of the nearest skyscraper as I list the series down from best to worst; where does your favourite rank? Give my list a read to find out...

Film Review: Jack Reacher - Never Go Back

The second Jack Reacher movie reaches for and fails to grasp greatness.

Oscars 2017: 9 Films To Look Out For

With Christmas and New Year fast approaching, it’s time to take a look at which prestige pictures are tipped to characterise awards season.

Ah, awards season – the time of year when everyone becomes an armchair expert on red carpet dresses and pretends to know the difference between sound mixing and sound design (don’t @ me).

All kidding aside, the latter quarter of 2016 and early 2017 promise to enthral us with some particularly juicy cinematic gems, and to help demonstrate we’ve picked nine buzzed about movies that you should keep your eyes peeled for over the next few months.

Film Review: Deepwater Horizon

Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg reteam for another true tale of survival in Deepwater Horizon, a film that is centred around the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the titanic drilling rig explosion that proceeded it.

Film Review: Keeping Up with the Joneses

Forget trying to keep up with the Joneses - just avoid them like the damn plague.

Film Review: Café Society

There’s a lot to love in Woody Allen’s rose-tinted love letter to Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Film Review: Inferno

It’s been eight years since Ron Howard and Tom Hanks adapted a Dan Brown novel – question is, should you still care?

Is Tom Cruise Hollywood's Last Action Hero? (VOR)

I have something to get off my chest concerning Tom Cruise and haters ain't gonna like it.

Film Review: The Girl on the Train

Billed as the book that shocked the world in 2015, Paula Hawkins' thriller The Girl on the Train makes the transition to the silver screen courtesy of director Tate Taylor.

Film Review: Top Knot Detective

Dive into the weird and wonderful world of Top Knot Detective in this hilarious Aussie mockumentary.

Film Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Tim Burton delves into peculiar territory for an adaptation of Ransom Riggs' YA novel Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Film Review: Captain Fantastic

Captain Fantastic is a feel-good indie about family that doesn't get lost in mawkishness.

Film Review: The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven ride again in Antoine Fuqua's rootin' tootin' reboot that revives the classic Western for a new generation.

Can Netflix Beat Hollywood at Their Own Game? (VOR)

Netflix and Amazon are drastically changing the film distribution system - and it could spell disaster for the old guard.

Film Review: Sully

Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks' Sully is one of the sleeper hits in a rather sleepy September at the cinema.

Film Review: Snowden

Oliver Stone’s portrait of a 21st Century whistle-blower is an overlong affair with brief flashes of brilliance throughout. 

Film Review: Perfect Strangers

Paolo Genovese’s Perfect Strangers is the film equivalent of a rich Italian lasagne; a delectable mixture of piping hot performances, tasty flavours and multiple layers of character-driven drama pressing them together.

Film Review: The Secret Life of Pets

Illumination’s latest family-friendly offering is all bark and no bite.

Film Review: Nerve

Have you got what it takes to play Nerve? Emma Roberts and Dave Franco play double dog dare with their phones on the streets of Manhattan.

Film Review: Don't Breathe

Don't breathe. Breathe and you're dead. He is fast, faster than you can believe. Don't make a sound. Don't turn and run. And don't breathe. Good luck...

Film Review: Girl Asleep

Having taken the independent film festival circuit by storm both back home and overseas, Rosemary Myers' Girl Asleep sets fire to Australian cinema screens today.

7 Movies Still To Come in 2016

Blockbuster season may be done and dusted, but that doesn't mean we're short on movies to look forward to. Spring has sprung and that can only mean one thing - awards season is kicking into gear! 

So whilst we're all looking forward to films like Doctor Strange, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and Rogue One, I thought I'd preview some of the smaller, more Oscar-centric films from the next four months that I'm excited for.

Which spring flicks are you pumped to see? Let me know in the comments section down below!

Film Review: David Brent - Life on the Road

Brent is back! Ricky Gervais revives his most famous comedy character for one final victory lap in David Brent: Life on the Road.