On Free Fire

This real time action comedy takes one location and several very talented actors and has a great time. It’s fun, incredibly well planned and, if at times a little repetitive, a smart script that makes sure the characters feel like only slightly exaggerated people and not just tropes to be knocked off one by one.

On Manchester by the Sea

In this study of loss and life, humanity is found in the detail and explored intricately through Lonergan’s direction and script. The former is steady when it needs to be and beautiful when the story allows. The shots on the sea are simple but framed wonderfully. The script is expert at finding the relatable in a story of family devastation. This is a film that rings far larger than its small story and echoes long after it finishes.

On The Death of Stalin

2009's In the Loop was a hilarious dissection of UK US relations that felt like a small British film because it was. Iannucci's big screen follow up is much bigger in scale and budget and topic. It is equally as fast paced and an audience have to be on their toes to get the most of it, however, it never quite reaches the hilarity levels of In the Loop.

On Blade Runner 2049

A pinocchio story for a digital age, Blade Runner 2049 moves in directions that are unexpected, takes it times and reaches a point of uncomfortable intensity, before ending with subtle beauty. It explores so much about our relationships with each other and with technology, as well as, and like the first film, about fathers and sons. Yes, there are questions to be asked about its treatment of women, but the feelings K has for his Joi are hard to brush aside as being purely pleasurable. This is also surely the best photographed film of the year.

On Call me by your Name

This is a beautiful film, of such depth that it will likely reach all who see it, on some level. The performances are subtle, intense and utterly captivating. In fact there is so much to admire about this film, but a closing scene between father and son is heartbreaking. Call me by your Name is a film to get lost in.

On Mudbound

It has not taken long for cinema to react to the campaign trail and subsequent presidency of Trump and the rise of white supremacy. Issues of race in America date back to the founding of America and it should be hoped that film continues to explore every inch of this shameful and complicated history. Mudbound takes the early 20th century leading up to the Second World War and focuses on two families, one white, one black, farming the same land. Characters at times disappear for too long, with more focus on those that become less significant in the final acts, but ultimately the message is one that needs to be seen and one that hopefully resonates.

On Thor: Ragnarok

Funny, colourful, escapist, but ultimately subject to the laws of Marvel and their predictable three act structure.

On Wind River

Taylor Sheridan is a mature, responsible, protest voice in an American cinematic landscape that is often more concerned with bombast and CGI. Wind River is a beautifully devastating film, told with a slight, but skilful touch and giving a voice to an issue and a people much in need of one. And he achieves all of this without sacrificing his desire to create mainstream cinema that will reach as many people as possible, for his films, whether he writes or writes and directs, should be seen be as many people as possible.

On Logan Lucky

Welcome back to film Steven Soderbergh. Logan Lucky combines the slightly impossible caper fun of Ocean's Eleven (2001) with the social commentary of white America's response to the financial crisis explored in Magic Mike (2012). It is a good as neither of these, but endlessly entertaining all the same.

On American Made

Fun and frivolous film about a real life event that was likely neither fun nor frivolous.

On Detroit

Documentary style filmmaking from Kathryn Bigelow focusing on the Detroit riots on the 1960s. Incredibly timely, impressive throughout and sadly not shocking in its conclusion that admonishes police brutality and reinforces the deep racism running within America.

On Dunkirk

There are films that use technology as a crutch to support weak stories, or to enhance their box office. Christopher Nolan has always understood that the future of cinematic technology lies in IMAX, but that the narrative must come first. Dunkirk's story is simple, but through narrative and editing trickery, told in a manner that attempts to reflect the confusion of war. Nolan's use of the 70mm feels utterly needed to properly tell the story he wants to. The extra space offered by the format makes Dunkirk immersive. It is as close to flying in a spitfire as almost all will experience.

On War for the Planet of the Apes

Entertaining third part to an impressive trilogy, in which the second film takes the crown. The special effects continue to set a high bar and this may be the first series of film where CGI characters are the most emotionally engaging. An ideal blockbuster.

On I am not your Negro

James Baldwin maybe one of the America's greatest ever authors. His ability to condense issues of great importance into beautiful prose is a rare one. This documentary, put together by Raoul Peck brings together fragments of Baldwin's last, incomplete writings and juxtaposes them with contemporary footage that highlights, sadly, the continuation of the issues Baldwin was exploring in the 60s and 70s as well as footage of the man himself. There is a lot going on here and because of that the film often feels difficult to settle into. However, the footage of Baldwin is fascinating, revealing the admirable man behind the eloquent words. I am not your Negro may not be the film that Baldwin deserves, but it remains fascinating nonetheless.

On The Disaster Artist

Whatever faults The Room (2003) has, the real life story that has blossomed as a result of reactions to the film is endearing. Strange, but endearing. Therefore it feels appropriate that The Disaster Artist approaches the story of Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero with balance and a desire to neither vilify nor blame. James Franco made this with Wiseau's backing and The Disaster Artist refuses to make any attempts at demystifying the myths the real Wiseau has built around himself. There are questions that beg to be answered about Wiseau, but he is entitled to his privacy and speculations are often cruel. The reality may be different than we know and than Franco's film explores and the book The Disaster Artist certainly paints a more unpleasant picture of Sestero (strange as he co-wrote it), but what the film achieves by not pushing too hard into these uncomfortable areas is life affirming cinema. The message is energising for anyone struggling in the creative industries. On top of this and a great irony, is that The Disaster Artist is an impressive film, replete with strong performances in front of and behind the camera. A film that may genuinely win an award about a film that desperately wanted one. 

On Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi

It is undeniable, for people of a certain age, that when the bold yellow lettering and orchestral blare kick in, a tingle shoots up the spine, the back is straightened, the chair gripped with excitement. Star Wars is here. And more than that, it is new Star Wars, unseen Star Wars and it’s going to include light sabres and Luke Skywalker. This alone is worth the price of admission and maybe, just maybe, this can disguise the faults that could lie within a Star Wars film; they can be overlooked because revisiting the galaxy, seeing another chapter in the never ending (now Disney have it) battle between good versus evil, will always be welcome.

Yet, for all of this welcome nostalgia, film theory and criticism and rules of narrative exist outside of the Star Wars universe and continue being relevant, disregarding rose tinted glasses and bearded Jedi Knights. There are many reasons that many people will enjoy The Last Jedi. There are also many, very legitimate reasons why this episode is one of the weakest in the entire saga. Yes, the acting and dialogue are far more accomplished than in the much derided episodes 1, 2 and 3, but the story here is weak, a long, slow car chase where the actions of two of the most significant characters have no bearing on the outcome whatsoever. In fact, if they had stayed in bed and done nothing, the end result would have been the same. In fact, it may have been better as their decisions are full of arrogance, risking lives rather than saving them. They are unlikeable, widely missing the roguish Han Solo charm being aimed for. Unforgiveable.

The tone here is never struck with certainty. It feels desperately like it wants to be the dark middle child, in the same way The Empire Strikes Back (1980) is, but is riddled with uncomfortable humour that removes any sense of danger or threat from characters who are meant to be dangerous and threatening. Grand Moff Tarkin would never have suffered the petty humiliations The Last Jedi puts General Hux through, a character who here lacks any presence. How are we to invest in a danger, consistent for the entire film, when it is centred around a man who fell for a phone prank? The deaths that follow become empty. Think back to the emotional resonance achieved in Rogue One (2016), a film which similarly sought to represent the crushing of the resistance and you quickly realise The Last Jedi never comes close to matching it.

When it comes to Skywalker it is hard to understand why his character has been taken in this direction. There are elements of him which feel organic; his isolation and reluctance to train Rey; his sacrifice at the end when his job is complete. But at the same time, he is also cocky and hesitant in his own convictions; he feels likes hypocrite and when he brushes dust of his shoulder in a final showdown, a whole cinema cringes.

There are some features to like about The Last Jedi. At times it is visually stunning and the relationship between Rey and Ben is interesting, although lacks anything that surprising and for some reason refuses to answer important questions about ancestry. Yet, too much here feels lazy and too reliant of the good will of fans of the saga. Light sabres and Skywalker are exciting, but fans are not idiots, blind to flaws because you flash lights at them, they deserve more respect than The Last Jedi gives them. There is work to be done to restore this new trilogy. Fortunately, J. J. Abrams is the man for the job.