Film Review Round-Up: Coco, The Commuter, Downsizing & Maze Runner: The Death Cure

It's been a busy week at the movies for me, with a lot of big new releases to watch. I've been to the cinema no less than four times this week, and so dear reader here at The Welsh Geek Reviews I'm bringing you another of my patented review round-ups: first up is Pixar's wonderful new animation Coco; secondly we go for a train ride with Liam Neeson in The Commuter; we follow that with Matt Damon's shrinking escapade Downsizing and finish this week with the conclusion to the really rather good teen action series Maze Runner: The Death Cure. Let's get to it!

Remember me . . .

Coco (PG)

Starring (voices): Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt

Directors: Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina

The Plot: Mexican youngster Miguel (Gonzalez) dreams of being a musician, but music has been banned in his family for generations, ever since his great-great-grandfather abandoned them to pursue a musical career. As his town begins to celebrate the Day of the Dead, Miguel has a falling out with his family and runs away. Learning that his great-great-grandfather was none other than his deceased musical idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Bratt), Miguel finds himself magically transported into the Land of the Dead. He teams up with downtrodden skeleton Hector (Bernal) to try and find de la Cruz, while his ancestors residing there desperately pursue him - if Miguel doesn't return to the land of the living after 24 hours, he'll be stuck there forever . . .

Pixar rarely falter, and they've weaved their magic once again with Coco and produced a truly wonderful film that's visually stunning and utterly absorbing. The bright, colourful visuals are wrapped around a story that's both beautiful and utterly heartbreaking - this is a very emotional tale about the importance of family and remembering the loved ones that you've lost, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a few manly tears while watching. You may be wondering about the title of the film - Coco is Miguel's ancient great-grandmother, and to explain why the film is named after her and the part she plays in the story would be too much of a spoiler. Pixar have gone to great lengths to produce a fantastical story that's respectful to Mexican culture, and the result is one of their very best films.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
A beautiful, moving and emotional story that celebrates both music and the bonds of family. Another triumph from Pixar.

Next stop . . .

The Commuter (15)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

The Plot: Michael MacCauley (Neeson) is an ex-cop who now works as an insurance salesman, commuting into New York City everyday on the same train. MacCauley is struggling financially, and is intrigued when, on the journey home, a mysterious woman (Farmiga) sits down with him and makes an unusual offer: he will be paid $100,000 in cash if he locates a person on the train who should not be there, who's due to get off at a specific stop. Initially sceptical, MacCauley is shocked to discover that the offer is not only real but deadly - the person he has to find is a murder witness, who the mysterious woman intends to kill, and she threatens his family. It's a race against time for MacCauley to find the witness, prevent their murder and protect his family . . .

If you come into this film expecting another in what has become a genre in itself, the "Liam Neeson Action Movie", you'll be pleasantly surprised. While there are some moments of action, this is actually a clever, suspenseful thriller that plays out as a long game of cat-and-mouse. Neeson's character isn't a complete badass and he spends the vast majority of the film in a situation that he has little control over, and the film does very well to keep you guessing what's going to happen next. It certainly isn't Oscar material, and it's a shame that the fantastic Farmiga doesn't get a great deal of screen time, but this is a far better film than I expected it to be. Well worth your time.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars

This twisting and turning thriller is a pleasant surprise and not at all what you'd expect it to be. Neeson is as watchable as always in a role that's not your typical ageing action hero. Good stuff.

Honey, I shrunk myself . . .

Downsizing (15)

Starring: Matt Damon, Christophe Waltz, Kristen Wiig

Director: Alexander Payne

The Plot: Norwegian scientists have created an irreversible procedure called "Downsizing", that shrinks any organic material (humans, animals, plants) to a few inches in size, and the procedure is marketed as a solution to the world's growing problem of overpopulation. Occupational therapist Paul Safranek (Damon) and his wife Audrey (Wiig), struggling financially, decide to undergo the procedure after being won over with the promise of their money translating into a fortune in the "small" world of Leisureland, however when Paul undergoes the procedure Audrey balks and remains "big", leaving Paul alone in his new tiny world, where he struggles to adapt to his new environment and find a new purpose in life . . .

Downsizing is a very original story idea that offers some clever social satire. The visual effects are excellent, particularly in the scenes where Paul (at his normal size) interacts with "small" people and then later the other way around, and while the story is largely a drama there are some funny moments. While the first half of the film is interesting and engaging, it unfortunately falters in the second half when Paul leaves his new "small" world and travels to Norway, and the film shifts away from social satire and into the contemplation of humanity's fate. The story loses all steam here and the change in Paul's character doesn't come across well. Damon is fine in the first half, and Christophe Waltz is entertaining as his neighbour (and smuggler) Dusan who befriends him, but it was a disappointing finish.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A very original story idea with great visual effects and touches of humour, that's unfortunately spoiled by a flat second half that moves away from the clever social satire of the first. Worth a watch, but don't make it a priority.

All good things . . .

Maze Runner: The Death Cure (12A)

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Director: Wes Ball

The Plot: Following the events of The Scorch Trials, Thomas (O'Brien), Newt (Brodie-Sangster) and the other remaining runners are in pursuit of their captured comrade Minho. They learn that the sinister group WCKD have moved him to the legendary Last City, a walled stronghold, and are experimenting on him in a last-ditch attempt to find a cure for the disease ravaging the world. Thomas devises a plan to break into the city and free Minho, but it will involve them capturing Teresa (Scodelario) - their former friend who betrayed them to work with WCKD, and who Thomas still has feelings for . . .

The Maze Runner series has been, for me, an underrated entry in the realm of teen-focused dystopian future films. The previous two films have been exciting, action-packed and with a likeable cast, and I'm happy to report that The Death Cure is a pleasing conclusion to the series that ramps up both the action and the runtime, clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes. Yes, it is very predictable, and you have to accept the fact this is aimed at a teenage audience and so isn't going to win any awards for acting or plot (which revolves around Thomas's blood being the key to creating a cure), but what you get is a solidly exciting film with lots of spectacle and features the return of Will "Motherfucker" Poulter. It's pretty much everything you could want from this type of film, and is well worth a watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An exciting conclusion to the Maze Runner series that's high on action and spectacle and wraps up the story well. It's a tad predictable and the acting isn't the greatest, but it doesn't spoil a great final chapter of a very underrated series. I dig it.

Film Review: The Post (2018)

Read all about it . . .

The Post (12A)

Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk

Director: Steven Spielberg

The Plot: Washington D.C., 1971. As the Vietnam War still rages, an insider leaks a classified government report on the war to the New York Times newspaper. The paper begins to publish it, exposing a great deal of lies, and the Nixon administration shuts them down, threatening legal action. When the smaller Washington Post paper also obtains the report, its editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) wants to publish it immediately, but its owner Kay Graham (Streep) is conflicted: doing so would not only open the paper to the same legal action as the Times, but also potentially ruin their float on the stock market, which the paper badly needs financially to continue. Weighing up the moral obligations to print against the risk to the paper, Graham faces the most difficult decision of her life . . .

Review: Steven Spielberg has been on a productive run of late. Following 2015's excellent thriller Bridge of Spies (which also featured Tom Hanks) and then 2016's family-oriented The BFG, he's now turned to a biographical drama with The Post and, in a few months, will return with geek-fest Ready Player One that I'm ridiculously excited for. The celebrated director isn't afraid to take on projects that tackle divisive subjects, and with The Post he deals with a subject that, while historical, still has relevance today.

The film is based on true events and deals with the rather important topic of the freedom of the press. Regardless of what your personal opinion may be about newspapers, whether you read broadsheets or tabloids or don't read them at all, I think it's fair to say that most people would agree that the right for the press to report on the news and deliver information that they believe to be true is very important for the public at large. Despite the film dealing with an incident that took place in 1971, it has great relevance for us today, particular in its target market of America where Trump is waging a war against the press. The story told here, of a small newspaper taking a stand against the US Government, is both interesting and compelling, especially when the obvious parallels are drawn to today. As you'd come to expect from Spielberg the direction is superb, and it's very well shot, with a lot of attention to detail paid to the sets and costumes to make this believably feel like 1971. The film is very much a dialogue-driven story: it's not propelled along at rapid-fire pace by sheer volume of dialogue, like Aaron Sorkin's Molly's Game from a few weeks ago, but rather it comes across almost like a play. As there's very little physical action that takes place, it's the job of the dialogue and the performances to drive the story forward. Fortunately, Spielberg has a stellar cast that's up to the task.

You don't need me to give you an explanation of who Meryl Streep is, or why she's one of the best actresses to grace the screen. She's a remarkably talented woman and it will come as no surprise to you to hear me say that she puts in an excellent performance here. What was most surprising was the character she's been given to play here: as the woman in charge of a newspaper that's been owned by her family for generations, you'd expect her to be a powerful, no-nonsense figure that's sure of herself and her decisions. In fact, Kay Graham is the opposite: she's a woman who's been thrust into power by personal tragedy (the suicide of her husband, the paper's previous owner), and who, while shown respect, struggles to make herself heard at points and is uncertain if she's making the right choices. It's a role perfect for Streep, who plays Graham with a quiet dignity but, come the story's conclusion, has found the steel needed to make the important decision.

Tom Hanks, likewise, needs no introduction. He's one of my personal favourite actors and here, as the Post's editor Ben Bradlee, he gets to play a character that's slightly abrasive but morally centred. Bradlee is shown to be a hard-driving man who believes in his reporters, and while his doesn't always agree with Kay, he respects her. It's when the Post obtains the report and Bradlee frantically organises everyone into getting a story ready for the paper's deadline that Hanks' performance really shines, as he delivers a number of passionate arguments to Kay and the other players at the paper about the importance to publish and hold the government accountable for their lies. It's another great performance from Hanks that makes the character completely believable.

Streep and Hanks are ably supported by some other very talented actors. Most notable is Bob Odenkirk, most well known for his turn as slimy lawyer Saul Goodman in TV's Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Here he plays reporter Ben Bagdikian, who has a very important role in the story as he's the one who's able to obtain a copy of the report for the Post. I'm a fan of Odenkirk and he does very well here - it's great to see an actor of his quality in a big film like this. There are many other well-known faces in the supporting cast, but also look out for Alison Brie as Kay's daughter Lally and the great David Cross (under lots of prosthetics) as another reporter for the Post.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and I recommend it, but this certainly won't be for everyone. A story about a newspaper fighting government censorship isn't the most exciting of topics, after all, and the dialogue-driven nature of the story will probably be off-putting for some as well. However, if this is a story that does interest you, you'll find an entertaining and compelling film with strong performances from two of Hollywood's biggest stars. The film has arrived slap-bang in the middle of award season and, while it hasn't garnered any significant nominations so far, is certainly one that's worth your time.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An interesting true story that has great relevance to current events in America. Driven by strong performances from two of Hollywood's biggest stars, this is a well-shot and directed film that's another feather in the cap for Steven Spielberg. 

Film Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018)

Just a smalltown girl . . .

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (15)

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

Director: Martin McDonagh

The Plot: In the small town of Ebbing, Missouri it's been nine months since teenager Angela Hayes was raped and murdered. Her mother Mildred (McDormand), furious that the case hasn't been solved, rents three billboards outside the town and puts up messages condemning the police and its Chief, William Willoughby (Harrelson). This divides the town and fires up the police, but when dim-witted Deputy Dixon (Rockwell) gets involved he and Mildred start down a path of increasing violence . . .

Review: Writer/director Martin McDonagh is not known for shying away from laughs, violence or vulgarity. His previous films In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths have given us extremely funny displays of swearing and violence wrapped around dark cores; Three Billboards might be his funniest work to date but also his darkest, dealing with some very bleak story lines and themes. It's also one that I can see being very divisive, even amongst fans of this style of film. I firmly enjoyed it, as despite some flaws, the razor-sharp dialogue, dark humour and strong performances make this a real winner in my book.

At the time of writing, Three Billboards is riding quite a wave: it's just won four Golden Globes, including Best Picture (Drama) and Best Actress (Drama) for Frances McDormand, is nominated for multiple BAFTAs, and is almost certainly going to feature heavily at the Oscars as well. There's also some criticism present though, particularly in how the the racial aspect of the story is presented, or specifically the lack of it. I'll get into that later, but I thought it was worth pointing out how even at the highest critical level of the industry the reaction to the film is divided.

The story, as I mentioned, is a grim one. You could describe it as a crime drama, although "reaction-to-crime" drama might be more suitable as the story begins long after the tragic rape and murder of Mildred's daughter. The film also deals with such bright and sunny things like terminal illness, suicide and various kinds of prejudice, all wrapped up in a slice of life look at smalltown America. It needs humour, really, to make this level of bleakness palatable, and fortunately it has it by the bucketful. It's black humour, as black as it could possibly be, and Three Billboards is a hilarious film for it, but it's measured, in my view. The profanity of the characters and the comical nature of some of their actions is extremely funny, but it's not constant, allowing the serious moments the, well, seriousness they need. Just how funny the film is will be a matter of personal taste, of course, but I thought the balance was struck just right.

Frances McDormand needs no introduction, nor do I need to remind you of what a fantastic actress she is, but she dominates the film from start to finish. Mildred is a coverall-and-bandanna clad whirlwind of anger, grief and resentment, giver of zero fucks and one of the funniest but also most sympathetic characters brought to the screen recently. One moment she's barging her way into the police station, angrily addressing Dixon with "Hey fuckhead!", the next she's quietly breaking down as she tends to the flowers she's placed next to her billboards, which grimly are also the scene of her daughter's murder. She's a woman who's lost her daughter, whose husband has left her for a younger woman, who's constantly at odds with her son, and is clearly unwilling to take any more shit from the world. McDormand is wonderful throughout, whether she's fire-bombing a police station, kicking a teenage girl in the crotch or verbally abusing a reporter on live TV, and her performance is worth the price of admission alone.

Supporting her, both with impressive performances, are Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. The characters they play couldn't be more different: Chief Willoughby is not a perfect person by any means, shown as he is to have some of the same small-town prejudices affecting the other characters, but he's clearly sympathetic to Mildred's plight as a father himself. Deputy Dixon, on the other hand, is clearly not: an alcoholic mother's boy and stereotypically simple-minded, he objects strongly to the billboards and the bad impression they create for the police, and it's his clashes with Mildred that lead to the escalating violent acts as the story progresses. Both Willoughby and Dixon go on very different journeys: in one of the most bleak and effective moments of the film, Willoughby commits suicide during the second act, rather than face his final months of terminal cancer. Dixon manages to get himself fired from the force and badly burnt, but also is given a moment to show that there may be something of a decent man underneath his prejudices. Harrelson and Rockwell both do well, Rockwell especially.

A brief mention to the other supporting players - Peter Dinklage is fantastic in a cameo role as James, an admirer of Mildred ("I think a midget wants to get in my pants!" she says after returning home from a bar) who gives her an alibi when needed and just wants to take her out. He only appears in a few scenes but he's terrific, particularly when he emotionally breaks down during their ruined dinner. Lucas Hedges (who was excellent in last year's Manchester by the Sea) plays Mildred's teenage son Robbie, and while he also only has a few scenes, he does get what's possibly the best line of the film: in a flashback sequence, which incidentally is the only time we get to see Angela alive, Robbie's arguing with them both and calls Angela a cunt. "There'll be no more cunts in this house" Mildred says, chastising him, to which he retorts "Why, you moving out?"

For me personally, the biggest criticism I have of the film is that I'm not sure exactly what it's trying to say - if it is trying to say anything at all. While there are strong themes present, such as the effects of loss, the consequences of acting in anger, and the concept of there being more to people than what meets the eye, there isn't a distinct, overall message to be found and the film suffers for it a bit. We don't get a conclusion to Angela's case (despite a curve-ball towards the end when Dixon appears to catch the culprit), and we don't get a clear indicator of what the long-term effects are going to have on these characters. I mentioned earlier that there's criticism of how the racial aspect of the story is handled: there are several references to the police force of the town being racist to blacks, and specific references to Dixon having previously been caught beating a black suspect ("How's the nigger-torturing business?" Mildred asks him at one point). It was notable how little this impacted how the story plays out for Dixon, and again how you interpret this may vary, but given that the character is shown to be be beginning to grow by the end, I did find this a bit jarring.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Despite lacking a clear message, this is a darkly funny, bleak, violent tale of a woman pushed to her limits by anger and grief that I really enjoyed. Worth watching just for Frances McDormand's performance alone, this is a film that I'm sure will prove to be divisive but, if you're a fan of this kind of dark humour, is essential to watch.

Film Review Round-Up: Molly's Game & Hostiles

Well it's certainly been a strong start for cinema in 2018. I've watched two excellent films this week (and I've yet to see All the Money in the World), so I've decided to kick 2018 off here at The Welsh Geek Reviews with a review round-up - two short but hopefully sweet reviews for you. In the first, Jessica Chastain takes centre stage as poker entrepreneur Molly Bloom in Molly's Game for Aaron Sorkin, and in the second Christian Bale leads an impressive cast in Western Hostiles for director Scott Cooper, who he previously worked with on 2013's Out of the Furnace. So let's go!

Poker Face

Molly's Game (15)

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba

Director: Aaron Sorkin

The Plot: A drama based on the true story of Molly Bloom. After injury forces her retirement from a pro skiing career, Bloom (Chastain) moves to LA to attend law school. She takes two jobs: one as a cocktail waitress, the other as an assistant to a Hollywood mogul, who recruits her to run a private poker game for his high-profile friends and clients. Quickly learning the rules and seeing its potential, Molly breaks away and begins running her own poker games for rich and famous players, leading to great financial success - but ultimately also to her arrest by the FBI, accusing her of having ties to the Russian mafia. Molly hires top lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Elba) to defend her . . .

Review: Although they're both given top billing, this is really Jessica Chastain's film as she dominates the screen from start to finish in a powerhouse performance. She's one of my favourite actresses and I think she's perfectly suited for this kind of role. Director Aaron Sorkin (who also wrote the screenplay here) is known for his dialogue-heavy films and Molly's Game is no exception: there's enough dialogue here for two films, and there's a rarely a moment when Molly isn't on screen, speaking, or giving some kind of voice-over, rattling through dialogue and explanations of poker at a rapid pace. Chastain handles this superbly, assisted by the razor-sharp quality of the dialogue that audiences have come to expect from Sorkin, and it's a really meaty role for her to get in to, exploring the psyche of Molly and why she makes the decisions she does, including the impact that her domineering father/former coach (played by Kevin Costner) had on her. Elba is perfectly fine in his role, which includes a standout moment where he gives a passionate speech in Molly's defence, but he's not really being tested here in the same way that Chastain is. The direction and cinematography is excellent, but some viewers may be put off by the heavy inclusion of poker and the rapid-fire nature of the dialogue and exposition. It's also left up to you to figure out how you feel about Molly - she's a character in a very grey area, as she clearly does some illegal things, and Sorkin's script neither glorifies or criticises her in any significant way.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An excellent, dramatic story that's dominated by a phenomenal performance from Jessica Chastain. Deftly handling the sheer amount of dialogue, exposition and screen time that director Aaron Sorkin's script throws at her, she's ably supported by Idris Elba and Kevin Costner. The poker aspect and Sorkin's writing style might be off-putting to some, but this is worth seeing for Chastain's performance alone. 

Once upon a time in the West . . .

Hostiles (15)

Starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi

Director: Scott Cooper

The Plot: New Mexico, 1892. Joseph Blocker (Bale) is a captain in the United States Cavalry, and infamous for both his hatred of the Native American people and for his violent ways. Against his will, Blocker is ordered to escort the dying Chief Yellow Hawk (Studi), a Cheyenne with whom Blocker has a violent past, and his family to his homeland in Montana. The journey is a long and dangerous one, and they are joined on it by Rosalie Quaid (Pike), a woman whose family has just been brutally murdered by a group of Comanche . . .

Review: I like Westerns. There's something enduring about the genre and Hostiles can count itself as one of the best: this is a bleak and brutal tale that explores the themes of revenge, hatred, and most of all change, as the main characters undergo considerable transformations on the journey they share. As you'd expect given the setting and time period, it's beautifully shot with some wonderful cinematography on display throughout. It's also unflinching in it's brutality: it opens with Rosalie's family being gunned down, and the violent tone continues throughout. The film is slowly paced, but it's carried by three fantastic performances from the leads: Bale is terrific as Blocker; his character's hatred stems from the violence acts that he's seen the natives carry out and his initial opposition and reaction to his orders is superb. While predictable, his gradual change to the acceptance of Yellow Hawk as a friend and the need for the violence to end is extremely effective. Rosamund Pike's performance is a study in grief; her character is traumatised by the death of her family, and initially terrified by the presence of Yellow Hawk and his family, but she too undergoes a transformation and comes to not only accept them but form a connection with them and Blocker. Studi plays Yellow Hawk with a quiet dignity, having accepted his coming death and keen to put an end to the vendetta between them. How effective you find the overall message about the violence between the two peoples will vary, and some viewers may be put off by the slow pacing, but the both the story and the performances make this worth your time, even if you're not a fan of Westerns.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars
An excellent Western that tells a bleak story about revenge, grief and change. Brutally violent and beautifully shot, some viewers may be put off by its slow pacing and question it's overall commentary on the conflict, but three powerful performances from the leads drive a compelling story. Highly recommended.

Films of 2017: The Year in Review

2017 has turned out to be a pretty excellent year for films. I've watched a grand total of 97 of them at the cinema, which is a slow year for me. I've seen some brilliant ones, I've seen some awful ones, and compiling my top ten of the year was really, really difficult - a testament to the quantity of great films we've had this year.

This is, it's obvious to point out, entirely my own personal top ten. Everyone, quite rightly, has the right to say "what the fuck were you thinking?" Some entries in my top ten may surprise you by their inclusion, some might surprise you by not being there, but I hope you'll consider taking a look at any on the list that you haven't seen, as they're all worth your time.

So, without further ado . . .

1. Baby Driver

Everything about this film was just brilliant. The story, the performances, the direction, the cinematography, the car chases, and that soundtrack. The coolest cinema experience of the year and a triumph for director Edgar Wright, who's been trying to get this film made for years. Outstanding!

2. La La Land

A wonderful love letter to the musicals of the golden age of Hollywood, and one of the most heartbreaking romance stories to boot. Fantastic dramatic and musical performances from both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling help make this one of the best of the year - let's just try and forget the Oscars mix up . . .

3. Logan

Hugh Jackman's swansong as Wolverine was a triumph, not only one of his best performances ever but the best superhero film of the year. Dark, brutal and bloody, with an incredibly emotional core that hits you right in the gut. A fitting end for the character.

4. Wind River

Director/writer Taylor Sheridan continued to impress with this bleak tale of revenge and loss, beautifully shot against the frozen winter backdrop of Wyoming. A phenomenal performance from Jeremy Renner as a mourning father was the highlight of this excellent thriller.

5. Colossal

An absolute delight of a film that was incredibly funny and one of the most original story ideas I've seen in a long time. Anne Hathaway is fantastic as the alcoholic Gloria who, bizarrely, finds herself unwittingly controlling a kaiju monster attacking South Korea. Absolutely brilliant!

6. Manchester By The Sea

A heart wrenching, bleak story of family loss with brief touches of dark humour. Incredible performances from Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, and beautifully shot and directed.

7. Blade Runner 2049

The biggest surprise of the year for me was how much I enjoyed this film. A thrilling, absorbing work of science fiction that had me completely engrossed for its three-hour run time.

8. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Marvel's biggest success of the year was, for me, the triumphant return of Spidey to the MCU. Funny, action-packed and full of charm, with a fantastic supporting turn from Michael Keaton. Just brilliant.

9. The Disaster Artist

A film about one of the worst ever made, was one of the year's best for me. Hilarious, and brilliantly acted and directed by James Franco, this poked gentle fun at The Room but also celebrated the idea of two people taking a chance on their dream.

10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

You either loved it or hated it. I loved it. One of the best Star Wars films to date, and a magical third act that gives you an experience that no other film franchise can provide.

Honourable Mentions

Or, the other films that I thought were fantastic this year and didn't quite make my top ten:

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol.2

The return of the Guardians was just what we wanted - hilarious, and full of action and heart.

Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel completed their hat-trick of excellent films this year with this, the funniest tale of the Thunder God yet.

Loving

A true story about a couple overcoming racial boundaries, with fantastic performances from Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton.

Hidden Figures

A joy of a film, celebrating the important role that the largely unknown black women of NASA played in the US space programme.

Free Fire

A hilarious film from Ben Wheatley, revolving around a huge gunfight that occurs when a weapons deal goes wrong. The impressive cast includes Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer.

Wonder Woman

Finally, DC really got it right and brought us this fantastic, action-packed film - Diana kicks serious ass.

The Beguiled

A slow-burning, tense story set in the Civil War, from my favourite director Sophia Coppola.

IT

Pennywise is back and better than ever in this fantastic adaptation of the Stephen King story, with the impressive teenage cast forming the heart of the film.

A Ghost Story

An (excuse the pun) haunting tale of loss in an original concept, with brilliant performances from Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. 

And that's it for 2017! I hope you've enjoyed my reviews this year, there are already a lot of promising films coming our way in 2018 and I'm aiming to bring you at least one new review each week, along with reviews of video games - and hey, I may even start reviewing anime as well, like I intended to do. Cheers!

Video Game Review: Life is Strange: Before the Storm (2017)

Arcadia Baes

Life is Strange: Before The Storm (2017)

Format: PS4/Xbox One/PC (Reviewed on PS4)

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: Deck Nine

What is it: A story-driven graphic adventure game and prequel to the cult hit Life is Strange. Set three years before the events of the original game, and once again in the town of Arcadia Bay, players take control of fan-favourite character Chloe Price. Chloe is sixteen and at a difficult time in her life, still dealing with both the death of her beloved father and the loss of her best friend Max, who has moved away. As she takes the first steps towards the rebellious character players know from Life is Strange, Chloe meets Rachel Amber, the most popular girl at school, and the two form an instant connection - one that will be tested as you guide Chloe through a story that sees a dangerous element of Rachel's family make itself known.

Review: Before I even begin to start talking about Before the Storm, I need to talk a bit about Life is Strange. And I need to restrain myself as I could talk about it for hours - I absolutely adore Life is Strange. I fell in love with the game when it came out on console last year; it could easily be criticised for having a hipster vibe, which it does, but the story (with it's sci-fi twist) and the relationship between the central characters Max and Chloe had me emotionally invested in a way I haven't been since The Last of Us, and it introduced me to the word "hella". There may be some of you who don't play video games but have been kind enough to read this anyway, who are now thinking "emotionally invested? In a video game?" - yes, really. Storytelling isn't just limited to books and films and other mediums these days. Video games are capable of telling rich, emotional stories that affect you deeply. So, before we dive in to Before the Storm, allow me if you will to give you a brief outline of the original game's story, as it really helps to understand where this prequel fits in and what it's about:

In the original Life is Strange you play Max Caulfield who, at 18, has returned to her hometown of Arcadia Bay after moving away to Seattle five years earlier. Max feels incredibly guilty for losing touch with Chloe Price, her former best friend, and when she sees a strange blue-haired girl being shot Max discovers she has the power to rewind time. She uses it to save the girl, who turns out to be none other than Chloe - after initial awkwardness, Chloe forgives Max and the two rekindle their friendship, discovering their deep bond is still there. Chloe is frantically searching for Rachel Amber, who has been missing for several months, and Max learns Rachel became Chloe's best friend - and possibly more - during her absence. Max uses her new powers to help Chloe find out what happened to Rachel, but it leads them to a very dark and dangerous place, and the more she uses her powers the more Max has visions of a deadly tornado destroying Arcadia Bay, leading her to the most difficult decision of her life.

When Before the Storm was first announced, fans of Life is Strange had concerns: first, that it was a new developer taking the helm (Deck Nine, compared to Dontnod for the original), and second, that due to the SAG-AFTRA strike during the time of development, original voice actor Ashly Burch wasn't able to return to voice Chloe again - instead she would be voiced by Rhianna DeVries. I'm happy to say that any concerns have been dispelled, as Deck Nine have done a wonderful job in creating a worthy addition to the series that captures the feel of the original, and DeVries does a fine job voicing Chloe. Ashly Burch was, wisely, hired by Deck Nine as a story consultant for the game and had a lot of input into how Chloe is portrayed here. From a visual point of view Deck Nine have absolutely nailed it, perfectly recapturing the graphics and general aesthetic of the original, which really helps returning fans get right back into this world.

So let's talk about the actual mechanics of the game first. The game is episodic, just like the original (albeit three chapters compared to Life is Strange's five) - the first episode came out in September, but I held off reviewing it until the third chapter was released this month. If you've played the original you'll feel instantly at home, as Deck Nine have recreated it to a tee: it's played from a third-person perspective and you move Chloe around, interacting with objects and people to advance the story. When you speak to people there are multiple dialogue choices and, just like the original, the dialogue you choose or actions you take directly impact how the story plays out, meaning that several playthroughs of the game are possible with different endings available. Anytime you're faced with a decision that effects the story you're warned with the same visual and audio moments that fans of the original will recognise:

Bringing up the pause menu brings up a familiar set of screens from the original, here altered to fit Chloe: her phone, where text messages that you receive from characters frequently throughout the story can be viewed; a journal where Chloe recaps what's happened in the story so far along with her thoughts in it, this time in the format of letters to Max that she never sends; a photo album of characters in the story, each of which can be selected to view a bio of them written from Chloe's perspective, and finally a screen that records all of your graffiti - this is a new feature introduced for the game. In the original, Max could take optional photographs (many of which you had to seek out and find the right prompt for) which acted as collectibles for the game. Chloe isn't into photography like Max, but she does like graffiti, so in this game you can seek out areas and things for Chloe to leave her mark on, and just like the original some of these are not visually obvious and need to be found. Another new feature for the game is called backtalk: these are moments where Chloe can engage in verbal sparring with another character to get the result she wants - as the player, you have a short amount of time to read each response you get and choose the most suitable verbal attack. It's a cool addition that reflects Chloe's growing rebellious nature and provides an additional challenge.

Games with a format like this need a strong story to drive it, and I'm happy to report that Before the Storm delivers a fantastic one that's rich with emotion and feels perfectly in place as a precursor to Life is Strange. I'm not going to go in to any spoilers as to what happens in it, in case anyone reading this decides to get the game - which I absolutely recommend you do - but I will say that it's well paced, multi-layered and captures the feel of the original. Life is Strange had an element of sci-fi to it's story, what with Max's time powers, which Before the Storm doesn't for the obvious reason that Max isn't there; instead it has a more realistic story dealing with things like grief from the loss of a loved one, first love, and betrayal from those most close to you. These are all things that anyone can relate to, no matter who you are - hell, I'm a thirty-six year-old man, and at times I was teary-eyed as this story of two teenage girls unfolded. The biggest compliment I can give the story is that I found Chloe and Rachel's relationship just as compelling as Chloe and Max's: the two can have a purely platonic relationship or a romantic one, depending upon your choices - I went for romantic, as that's what Life is Strange implied, and let me tell you there were some hella feels in some scenes - but either choice feels completely real and believable, and the voice acting from both Rhianna DeVries as Chloe and Kylie Brown as Rachel is fantastic. Brown was nominated for a 2017 Golden Joystick award (the gaming equivalent of the Oscars) for her performance. There's a sequence in the second episode of the game where Rachel manages to convince Chloe to be a last-minute stand-in for Ariel in their school production of The Tempest, in which Rachel is playing Prospero, and the whole scene is an absolute joy, both hilarious and emotional as Rachel cleverly alters the dialogue to convey a message (and a promise) to Chloe about their plans together. It was wonderful and the best moment of the game for me.

As a fan of the original game, it was also really interesting to see these characters at this point in time, knowing what's in store for them. In Life is Strange Chloe is blue-haired, tattooed and a legitimate bad ass, not giving a single fuck about anything. In Before the Storm she's taking her first steps towards this, smoking weed, sneaking out to rock clubs and mouthing off at people, but we get to see just how vulnerable she really is: she's still deeply affected by the death of her father William, the hurt still fresh and portrayed through several effective dream sequences where she interacts with him; she's deeply angry at the arrival of David, her mother's new boyfriend (who, as players of the original will know, ends up becoming her stepfather) who she sees as a stranger violating her home; and most of all she's lonely, still deeply upset by the disappearance of Max, the best friend she thought she'd have forever. It makes the appearance of Rachel and the impact she has on Chloe all the more believable.

Rachel was something of an enigma in the original game - we never got to meet her, only seeing her face on a missing person poster and learning about her through what Chloe and other characters told us. Here we get to learn about her properly: on the surface a model student, the most beautiful and popular girl in school, but it's all a facade for her true rebellious personality underneath, one that instantly connects with Chloe on a deep level. She's a vibrant character that undergoes a journey of her own as a skeleton in her family's closet comes out and, knowing the tragic fate waiting for her in Life is Strange, it makes the time we spend with her here a bittersweet one.

By now you're probably sick of me mentioning "the original", especially if you haven't played it. Well, sorry - it's very relevant to keep alluding to it. Deck Nine have, to their credit, gone to great lengths to ensure that Before the Storm has strong links to Life is Strange, not just in the visuals and story. There are lots of little things for fans to find, including some very deep cuts. Here are just a few of them:

• Rachel's outfit featuring the red plaid shirt is both worn by her, and one of the ones she gives to Chloe, and players can put it on in episode three. This is the same outfit that Max borrows in Life is Strange, which Chloe reacts noticeably to upon seeing her in it
• In the first episode where the two girls are getting to know each other on the train, Rachel says rather cryptically to Chloe "Don't be surprised if you wake up one day and I'm gone" which, as it turns out, is exactly what's going to happen in the future
• While exploring Chloe's room, opening a drawer of her dresser will find a mix CD given to her by Max featuring two cartoon versions of them as pirates on the cover - this is the exact cover of the soundtrack CD for Life is Strange
• Even though she's not physically in the game, Max is everywhere - there are far too many instances to mention here, but there's her pirate hat on Chloe's mirror, a picture of the two of them on the wall of the Price living room that players can also see in Life is Strange, and Chloe finds her father's old camera in the garage and comments on how Max would probably find use for it, which she does

A brief mention, before I wrap things up here, to the music. The soundtrack/score is composed by Daughter, and it's absolutely fantastic - it's a mixture of vocal and instrumental tracks, with the vocal tracks directly referencing key points and themes of the story, and it makes for a perfect accompaniment to it. Daughter's ambient/electronica style suits the score really well, and if you haven't heard of them before I encourage you to check them out here.

If you've made it this far, congratulations and thanks for sticking with me. In what must be incredibly obvious by now, I absolutely loved Before the Storm. In fact, it's my official Game Of The Year (TM) for 2017. I loved everything about it, especially being such a huge fan of the original Life is Strange, but it all boils down to the story: this is a wonderful tale of loss and love featuring two incredibly well-acted and fleshed out characters. You do need to be a fan of this style of narrative-driven story games to enjoy it, as if you're not then this really won't be for you, but if you are then this is an absolute gem of a game that, for all my mentions of the original, you don't need to have played to appreciate or enjoy.

One final aside - there's an additional bonus chapter of Before the Storm coming in early 2018, where players will get to be Max again. We're going back further in time to the point when she leaves for Seattle and has to say goodbye to Chloe, and both Hannah Telle and Ashly Burch have come back to voice Max and Chloe again. There will be hella feels. I don't know if I'll survive.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I don't need to say anything else. Go and buy this game.

Film Review: The Greatest Showman (2017)

Not quite the greatest show on Earth . . .

The Greatest Showman (PG)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya

Director: Michael Gracey

The Plot: A musical drama set in the mid-1800s, based (very loosely) on the life of P.T.Barnum and the creation of his famous circus. As a boy he dreamed of entertaining the masses, but now as an adult Barnum (Jackman) works a mundane job in New York City and feels he is letting down his wife Charity (Williams) and their daughters as they live in poverty. Barnum comes up with a plan to stage a show featuring musical performers, acrobats and freak show oddities, which initially has great success and leads to him partnering with playwright Phillip Carlyle (Efron) to expand its appeal. However, as an increasingly hostile public begins to turn on the stars of the show, Barnum becomes distracted by his promotion of a famous opera singer . . .

Review: The fact that I've already mentioned this film is a musical will probably be enough for many to decide if they're going to see it or not. You either like musicals, or you don't, and there's nothing wrong with that. I like them (there, I said it), and if you like musicals there's a good chance you'll like The Greatest Showman. It has all the ingredients for what you want from both a musical and a big Christmas release - it's high on spectacle, and the genuinely talented Hugh Jackman is perfect for this kind of role, but weakness in the story prevents it from shining.

The film has spent a long time in production - Jackman was first attached to the project way back in 2009, and in an interview has stated that the creation of the original music for the film played a big part in its delay. The songs were composed by the duo of Pasek and Paul, who most recently won acclaim for their work on La La Land and a Golden Globe for its song "City of Stars", and it turns out the delay was worth it as the music and songs are one of the film's high points. You may have noticed that in the plot section I used the term "very loosely" - the film features about as much creative licence as you could possibly take with Barnum's life. While it does advertise itself as "inspired by the imagination of P.T.Barnum", if you're knowledgeable about Barnum's life or the history of his circus you may take some serious issue with what's on display here. I certainly wasn't, and didn't.

The musical aspect of the film is what it gets absolutely right. Despite what seems like a small budget for a film of this nature (approx $84million), the musical numbers are incredibly lavish and the sheer spectacle on display during them is fantastic. The standout is a number between Efron and Zendaya (as Anne, an acrobat in the show and Carlyle's love interest) that sees them both soaring around the stage as they sing, which is really terrific. The cinematography is actually excellent throughout the film, not just during the numbers, with Anne's slow-motion first glimpse of Carlyle as she swings up to him on the trapeze (used heavily in the trailers and promotion for the film) particularly effective. The songs are well-written, all with an emotional core and having meaning to specific points in the story, and the characters transition into and out of them with ease.

Hugh Jackman quite literally takes centre stage with his performance as Barnum, who not only forms the show but acts as its ringmaster and leader. You won't be surprised to hear that the Tony-winning actor does really well with both the songs and the dance numbers, but for the dramatic part of the role he's let down by the script (which I'll get to in a moment). While he does his best to put across both Barnum's bravado and his fears, he isn't really given enough to work with. He does, however, have good chemistry with both Williams and Rebecca Ferguson, who plays the opera singer Jenny Lind that Barnum becomes distracted by.

Of the other notable cast, Michelle Williams is perfectly fine as Barnum's wife Charity and does well with the vocal performances, including a solo number late in the film. She too, however, is let down by the script, never really given anything juicy enough for an actor of her talent to work with. Zac Efron proved early in his career that he could sing and dance, as did Zendaya, and they both are excellent here in that regard. Also, there are a number of moments for both of them (mostly Zendaya, who spends the most time on it) when it's clearly them on the trapeze, not a double, so kudos must be given for the physical performances as well. But again, they are also let down by the script.

The script is the film's weakest link and has a number of problems. The first is it's sheer predictability - it's incredibly easy to see where the story is going at all times, so virtually nothing is a surprise. It also struggles with pacing: the film clocks in at 1 hour 45 minutes, and because of this the story moves along at a brisk pace. This in turn causes the problems I mentioned when talking about the performances - none of the main cast are given any significant time for the dramatic parts of the story. In the case of Barnum, not enough exploration is given to his character's need to prove himself, or the physical temptation of Jenny Lind. For Carlyle and Anne, there's not enough bite in the racial tensions of society that impacts their relationship, particularly in the short scene involving his parents. The pacing of the story also means that the other stars of the show, the freaks, are given short drift - we only learn a few of their names, despite the importance they play in the lesson that Barnum eventually learns about knowing that it's only the approval of those you love that matters.

Now, to be fair, in musicals the dramatic aspect is not normally why you go to see them, so you could argue that the criticisms I have about the plot aren't that important when the musical numbers and visuals are as impressive as they are here. I'm not saying that the weaknesses in the script make this a bad film, far from it, but they do prevent the film from being really great. As it stands, it's just a good one.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

An entertaining musical that's high on spectacle but lacking in dramatic bite. The songs are great, the numbers lavish and the performances are excellent, but the film suffers from being predictable and not having enough time to flesh out the dramatic story threads. Still, it's very enjoyable and recommended if you like musicals.