- The Year of the Whodunit.
I'm back again!
Yes, it has been ages since I wrote anything here but I did my best to not break this yearly series where I rank the movies of the year that I have seen in my own preferred order.
This order is based on the following:
The movie's plot, how compelling it is, the wow/entertainment factor, whether or not it meets my expectations and how rewarding the viewing experience is.
So I saw 60 2019 movies this year and this is how they fare against one another.
The Year of the Whodunit and Black Actors Not Catching a
Break
60 to 51:
60. The Fanatic
Do.Not.Watch. A The Fan wannabe. John Travolta’s
career might just be dead and gone after this and following the abysmal performance
of last year’s Gotti.
59. Triple Frontier (Netflix)
This one pain me gaaan! A case of very good marketing but
for a poor product, albeit with great cinematography. An ensemble cast of TV/films’
fine, muscled B-actors were unable to lift the movie from off the ground for
me. I mean the level of greed displayed! And we are
supposed to believe that these guys were decorated professionals? Poor plot,
poor acting by Ben Affleck and co as the whole thing was very unconvincing.
58. Primal
I really wanted to give Nicholas Cage one more chance but no,
he didn’t want it. At this point we can agree that he is the king of B-movies. Primal
started quite well with a convincing premise but it all went to hell in the
second act. And honestly, I was too distracted by Famke Jansen’s face; I mean what
did she do to her beautiful face?
57. Rambo: The Last Blood
Sigh! I was really amped for this. John Rambo on the big
screen again?! Hell yeah! I’m willing to bet that every male between the ages
of 35 and 55 was as well. But I must say that Last Blood was a weak
movie with a poor script (co-written by Sylvester Stallone), poor props, poor
acting, poor everything!!! There are a thousand and one ways one could have written
a plausible script for another Rambo film and they came up with this?! However,
it made a profit at the box office thanks to the power of the franchise.
56. Us
I hate gimmicks in film more than anything and this was one.
Us was a huge letdown and I had great expectations for Jordan Peele’s
sophomore effort following 2017’s excellent Get Out (Ranked No. 1 in my
2017 list). It made no sense and seemed to come out of one of Mr. Peele’s
nightmares, you know the ones that don’t make any sense but are just all over
the place, albeit scary? Yes, it was one of those. The soundtrack and score were the only redeeming factor. I dislike Us.
PS: I am still waiting for someone to explain the film to
me.
55. Oh Ramona! (Netflix)
For me it is all about expectations and I did not expect so
much from this. I just wanted a laugh and I got one or two out of it. Shitty
ending and a waste of anyone’s time to be honest.
54. What Men Want
A role-reversal of the hit What Women Want, what
could go wrong? I mean in the era of #MeToo it was an opportunity to set things
straight in the workplace. But no, it was stupidly tepid, unintelligent, clichéd,
rather crude and not in a fun way. The scriptwriters should be pilloried. I
found Tracy Morgan’s acting distractingly subpar and Aldis Hodge (Leverage)
shows why the big screen is not for him. As for Taraji, I understand that good
roles and scripts are hard to come by but she really really really needs to be
more circumspect so her career does not take a hit. Erykah Badu did do well as
a weird “shawoman” whose potion Taraji’s sports agent drinks that eventually gives
her the mind reading powers.
53. Point Blank (Netflix)
Blink. Blink. I do not remember this film. Blink. Oh yeah! I
remember! The one with Falcon and Crossbones and where Falcon is a nurse whose pregnant
wife is kidnapped by Crossbones’ brother so that Falcon can help Crossbones do
some dangerous stuff to help clear his name and they all become friends along
the way or something like that. No. Frank Grillo, we understand but Anthony
Mackie needs to do better.
52. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
I was going to write some stuff but no need. Meh.
51. MA.
- Blumhouse Productions.
- Academy and Golden Globe Awards winner, Octavia Spencer.
- Hot-smoking Luke Evans (wink, wink).
- Fantastic actress Juliette Lewis.
- Great premise and story.
- Fell flat.
- Annoying at certain points.
- Huge disappointment
50 to 41:
50. Lionheart (Netflix)
The lowest ranked Nigerian movie on this list. Please read
my review
here.
49. Glass
Mscheeeew!!! We all got amped up for nothing. Midway through
it was obvious that Mr. Shyamalan was tired of the franchise and just wrote a
script to bring his “trilogy” to an end. Great acting again by James McAvoy as The
Horde but we fear the it was overshadowed by this meh movie.
48. Gemini Man
This movie belongs to the 1980s. Don’t believe me? Look at
the title again. The script co-written by Game of Thrones scriptwriter
(cough) David Benioff is another indication. The whole hullabaloo about waiting
for years until the technology was available before Gemini Man could be
made was just hogwash. Hello? CGI? De-aging effects? Jaden Smith? Ultimately when
both Ang Lee’s (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi, Hulk) and Will
Smith’s career stories are told, it will be a tale of swinging pendulums.
47. Hustlers
I don’t know what I was expecting but I really did not get
the hype. Hustlers was basic and it ranks this high as a result of it being
better than the ones below it.
46. X-Men: Dark Phoenix
I was warned but I just had to see it. Following X-Men: Apocalypse,
I steeled my mind to not be disappointed but Simon Kinberg took this beloved X-Men
story arc and burnt it to ash. Not even Sophie Turner’s rising star power could
help it. I almost feel sorry for Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer
Lawrence and co. because they do not deserve this. I really hope Disney reboots
this franchise as it is toe-for-toe a much better superhero team than the puny
Avengers.
PS: No one should blame Marvel/Disney for “changing” the
genre because it is not always about the budget; it is about a good storyline,
great execution and all-around entertainment. Just ask the guys at Sony who
made Venom.
45. Wonder Woman: Bloodlines
The only animated feature I saw this year but what is going
on at the animated movies division at Warner Bros? Once the envy of their peers,
the last few efforts have been horribly misguided and lukewarm… The Killing
Joke? Batman Samurai? One would think a Wonder Woman feature would
be untouchable but alas. I must confess I fast forwarded a few scenes.
44. 6 Underground
Anybody that says 6 underground is a good movie does
not know what a good movie is! I mean! Come on! Another case of false
advertising (I see you Netflix), it is a shoddy fest of explosions and lots of
loud talking by every member of the cast except maybe Corey Hawkins’ character.
I should have expected that a combination of Ryan Reynolds and Michael Bay would
be this explosive but not this terrible. The editor and props guys should not
have received a salary as the crash test dummies were clearly visible as stand
ins for the humans in every explosion scene. And please what was with the
disintegration of every car involved in a collision?!!! Small collision, BOOM!!!!!
the car must catch fire and explode!!! Ah ahn, they did not even fear God small.
Very unintelligent and insipid.
I don’t know what I was expecting but I really did not get
the hype. Hustlers was basic and it ranks this high as a result of it being
better than the ones below it.
43. Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel was boring and probably the worst Avengers film (certainly
in phase 3) ever made. It only made so much money at the box office ($1.1bn) because
it was pivotal to the events in Avengers: Endgame the most anticipated Marvel
movie of all time.
42. Hobbs and Shaw
This was a quick cash grab to be honest and for me, it did
nothing for the Fast and Furious franchise. Everything looked forced,
the banter among the characters, the effects, the feel-good family thing where Hobbs’
character goes back home, Idris Elba’s characters’ villainous reason for his “destroy
the world to save the world” mission, Ryan Reynolds (again?!), plus Kevin Hart?!!
Urgh!! Just shoot me now!
41. Zombieland: Double Tap
An unnecessary sequel in my opinion as there was absolutely
no value add to the storyline. It was very lazy thinking, writing and acting as
the great actors that featured in it could have done their scenes in their
sleep and with one arm tied behind their backs. Sony just wanted a few extra
bucks this year, that’s all. It was good to see Luke Wilson and the beautiful
Rosario Dawson again on the big screen though.
40 to 31...
40. Sextuplets
Marlon Wayans pulls an Eddie Murphy in this light hearted
fare. Soon-to-be father, Alan who was adopted seeks a reconnection with his
birth mother then finds out that he is part of a sextuplet separated at birth. He
goes on the road to find them resulting in sheer hilarity as his siblings are
as different from one another as possible. This was entertaining in a way only
Marlon Wayans can provide.
39.Juanita (Netflix)
We all want Alfre Woodard to win an Academy Award and Juanita
showed a bit of why we think she is deserving. A middle-aged mother of three
grown kids, whose dreams consist of shenanigans with Blair Underwood, picks up
her bags and relocates to Montana to try to live her best life. I liked the
characters and its earthiness.
38. Living in Bondage: Breaking Free
Loads of hype as only Nigerians can. Marking Ramsey Nuoah’s directorial
debut, the sequel to the classic Nollywood film was very well done with respect
to pacing, cinematography, editing, props etc. but for me the story and its
believability were not very well translated to the big screen. I had challenges
with feeling whatever conflict that the characters were supposedly feeling. Were
they really “living in bondage”? Really? However, I did like the twists at the
end of the film and maybe a different ending would have been better. Now, I
wonder if they considered letting Nnamdi die? Did they test different audiences?
We may never know.
37. I Am Mother
AI voices will always be a thing for me. A mind game that
keeps you guessing as you follow the happenings in the bunker. It reminded me
of Tau. Watch alone, at night, with the lights off. :D
36. Angel Has Fallen
You know I really loved Olympus and London but
Angel was the worst. So Secret Service dude that saved the life of the
previous president on THREE occasions against impossible odds, is now the main
suspect in the attempted assassination of the new president/former vice president.
Why and how everyone readily believes that Mike Bannon is guilty without an iota
of doubt, beat me the entire time I watched the movie. It had a great opening
i.e. the assassination attempt but after that it just went into clichéd false
accusation, man on the run trope. My love for Gerard Butler (as some of you might
know) is what makes it rank this high.
35. Knives Out
Captain von Trapp, James Bond, Captain America and General
Zod all live in the same village as Miss Marple. I LOVE WHODUNITS, I love Daniel
Craig, I love Chris Evans. So, Knives Out started great looking all Victorian
in modern America and ish, then I hear Daniel Craig speak as his character
Benoit Blanc (a Hercule Poirot-esque detective) and lose it! I lose it and I
don’t get it back the entirety of the movie. That accent was very distracting
and affected my assimilation of what was going on. In the end, despite the
ensemble cast’s (Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni
Collette, Daniel Craig, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans), great acting, this
murder mystery has the least satisfying reveal I have ever come across. Even Matlock
reveals were loads better! I don’t think that it made sense and Marta’s vomiting
was always going to be some sort of deus ex machina. Although Knives Out
is critically acclaimed, I think Rian Johnson could have done a better job.
34. Line of Duty
I like Aaron Eckhart as he seems like such a trooper to me! Line
of Duty is the trope of all tropes: fallen cop has to race against time with
smart talking civilian in tow to thwart the murderous intentions of a crazy
domestic terrorist who has kidnapped the police chief’s daughter and buried her
somewhere in a timed water tomb to avenge the death of someone close to him. I’m
sure you got that. But what I also like about the film is the spotlight on
social media, trending and citizen journalism. A feel-good watch.
33. Your Excellency
Funke Akindele’s directorial debut was a delightful watch. It
was a simple but well portrayed spoof of the recent and current Nigerian socio-political
and media landscape. It takes hearty and open digs at political party chieftains,
dancing senators, perennial contestants, the not-too-young-to-run candidates, bloggers,
slay queens, one-hit singers/musicians, reality TV shows and even Donald Trump!!
It is a movie with heart and one thing I particular liked about it was how it was
able to handle scale in a believable manner i.e. the world building and its believability,
the national fervor was believable, the party rallies, the social media effect
and more. A feel-good holiday movie if there ever was one.
32. Jumanji: The Next Level
Enjoyable but the “sequel” was not as good as the first one.
Still kudos to Jack Black as he constantly amazes me with his acting skills.
31. The Bling Lagosians
I was expecting a mess with that title but I was delightfully
surprised! I was entertained and impressed with the story, the acting, particularly
Elvina Ibru’s acting. This Bolanle Austen-Peters vehicle, through the Holloways,
tries to show us that the rich do also cry and have their struggles whether
real or imagined, in fact they are just like the rest of us with fake friends,
business downturns, infidelity, vanity and just plain old bad luck. I felt
everything and it was a fun and warm ride.
Halfway mark is:
30. Always Be My Maybe
Now the Top 20s!
29. Alita Battle Angel
I’m torn by Alita as it had a great premise based on the manga
but it was not as satisfying as one would have liked.
28. Terminator: Dark Fate
The return of Sarah Connor! Dark Fate explores an
alternate timeline of events taking off from Judgement Day. We see a
refreshing return to the first two films in the franchise, with director Tim
Miller (Deadpool) at the helm and James Cameron producing. Featuring three
strong female leads, one of whom is a minority, the hunt is on in form of a Rev-9,
a new advanced Terminator who is sent back in time to kill a new target,
Daniella Ramos who replaces John Connor as the new hope in the future, ably
defended by Grace, a human cyborg also from the future and an aged Sarah Connor
who is still as bad ass as she was in T2. I loved the action sequences,
the effects, the plot etc. However, Dark Fate sadly bombed at the box
office and I suspect it had something to do with franchise fatigue, the retcon of
John Connor in favour
of a minority female, its strong female leads and the guns… loads of them.
Also, the reason to protect Dani is not as strong as I would have liked it to
be. But I need the team to not be discouraged because some of us need the
franchise to live on!
27. ANNA
Luc Beeson is back beeeches!!! Hehehe! A bit similar to 2018’s
Red Sparrow, Anna is a model by day and a KGB assassin by night having
been made an offer she could not refuse. She is then used as a pawn between the
sparring American CIA and her KGB bosses to one-up the other. Everyone falls in
love with her along the way, her handlers, her targets and the audience. Anna
stars Sasha Luss, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy and the lovely Helen Mirren.
26. The Irishman (Netflix)
Acclaimed director, Martin Scorsese does what he knows how
to do best. The Irishman (I Heard You Paint Houses) based on a
supposedly true story of truck driver Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), his rise
through the workers’ union and his involvement in organized crime, told through
his meeting and eventual strong relationships with mob boss Russell Bufalino
(Joe Pesci) and the legendary Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Strong acting everywhere
and my only serious grouse with the movie is its length coming in at 3 hours,
30 mins.
Fun Facts: Al Pacino had never featured in a Martin Scorsese
film until The Irishman. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have appeared in 4
movies together, 3 if we are being technically correct. Joe Pesci and Robert De
Niro have appeared in 7 movies together, 4 of them directed by Martin Scorsese.
25. Midway
The Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day
After Tomorrow, 2012) film, with an ensemble cast of square jawed white Americans
among others, captures the unbelievable odds, intelligence, daring, spirit,
losses and crazy luck that characterized America’s entry into World War 2,
following the attack on Pearl Harbour by the Japanese and their first major
battle in the Pacific theatre. Realistic and one gets a glimpse of the origins
of why America had to become a world power.
24. Crawl
A hurricane. Florida. Trapped. 50 CGI alligators. What’s not
to love in this B-looking movie?
23. Luce
Luce. Luce. Luce. I am still struggling with this movie and what
it is trying to say. I am also still trying to figure out who was lying and who
was telling the truth in very specific situations and in general. Luce
is the story of an Eritrean boy who is adopted by loving American couple, his
translation into a poster teenager for black boys in white America and whether
or not he really is what he seems to be. A must watch with Octavia Spencer, Naomi
Watts, Tim Roth and Kelvin Harrison Jr.
22. American Son
I knew this was originally a play (Christopher Demos-Brown) from
the very first minute. The entire film is a series of conversations between and
among the characters and speaks to what it is like for a young black man in
America and their parents. So, Kerry Washington’s bi-racial son (read: black) many
hours earlier has stormed off into the night and she reports this at their local
police station and is treated in a very patronizing manner by the on-duty
officer who thinks she is overreacting. After a series of Q&As she resists
the officer’s attempts to profile her and her son as she is a psychology professor
as well. Her husband who incidentally is an FBI agent turns up and the drama continues
and we get a glimpse into their strained relationship. In the end, the
objective is to locate their son safely given the danger that comes with being
a black boy in America. Lots of lip quivering by Kerry Washington but the
delivery is on point and all the actors find the balance between stage and
screen and we are moved.
21. The Laundromat (Netflix)
Based on the real events of the Panama Papers scandal, The
Laundromat is a series of quirky, lighthearted, interconnected tales that
try to highlight how international money laundering through the establishment of
shell companies is carried out by law firms, in this case, Mossack Fonseca.
Featuring an ensemble cast of Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Meryl Streep, Jeffrey
Wright, David Schwimmer, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sharon Stone, James Cromwell,
Robert Patrick and Rosalind Chao.
20. Fractured
Shutter Island meets Abandoned. Fractured
was thrilling enough for me, not so much of a gimmick and kept me guessing right
until the very end. Sam Worthington gives a great performance and although this
has been done in one form or the other it was still worth my time and another
watch.
The Golden Teens:
19. Uncut Gems
Adam Sandler tries his hands at yet another drama. I will
give credit where it is due and yes Mr. Sandler can act. Some comedians eventually
make great drama actors and he is well on his way. A series of unfortunate events
plague a New York jeweller who seems to be having a midlife crisis: his wife is
about to leave him; he owes a lot of money to his brother in law and other loan
sharks and has a serious gambling problem. A rare black opal is the key to his redemption
and if he can manipulate one or two people, he will be fine, or will he?
If you can get past the very annoying score and music, Uncut
Gems is a good watch.
18. High Flying Bird (Netflix)
Great everything: cinematography, script, dialogue, acting,
directing and editing. I think this should be a new genre of filmmaking or something.
It was too neat. High Flying Bird is the story of New York sports agent
(again?) Ray who is in the middle of a lock out; with him and his agency losing
clients and money he turns the game on its head in a bid to survive. High Flying
Bird stars Andre Holland, Zazie Beets, Zachary Quinto and the legendary
Bill Duke.
Fun fact: Multiple award-winning director, Steven Soderbergh
shot this using an iPhone 8.
17. Jexi
Literally the last 2019 movie I watched. Featuring a virtual
assistant gone slightly rogue, Jexi was a load of laughs. The premise although
not entirely original, is apt for this age of smart phone addiction and dependence
on virtual assistants. There are similarities between it and the “Marti”
episode of anthology horror series Creeped Out. Adam DeVine (who reminds
me a lot of Jack Black) as Phil delivers with just the right amounts of
everything in his acting and makes us like him without overdoing it. Michael
Pena nailed it as Phil’s millennial boss and Wanda Sykes gave me joy.
16. Highway Men (Netflix)
Gruff, taciturn ex-Texas Ranger, Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner)
is called back out of retirement to hunt the serial killing duo, Bonnie and
Clyde. He recruits his former deputy Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) to help him
on this painstaking and deadly mission. Based on a true story.
Fun fact: Kevin Costner has now played two characters named
Frank – Farmer and Hamer.
15. Murder Mystery (Netflix)
Someone should let Rain Johnson know that this is how you
write a proper whodunit! Thank you, James Vanderbilt. Murder Mystery is a load of laughs and
the duo of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston show us why they are consistently
one of comedy’s top talents and with the right script, can shine brightly. Murder
Mystery has its own ensemble cast featuring Luke Evans, Terrence Stamp
(General Zod again?!!), Gemma Arteton, John Kani and more.
Fun Fact: Murder Mystery was one of the top streamed
movies for 2019 on Netflix across several regions. Can’t wait for the
inevitable sequel.
14. Escape Room
One of the surprise hits of 2019, making $155m on a budget
of $9m, Escape Room is a psychological thriller/horror story that shows
us the experiences of six strangers who answer the call to take part in a fun
game where puzzles are solved in order to escape from a room they have been
trapped in. Well, it is all fun and games until they realize that they are
playing for real i.e. life and death and will surely die should they not figure
out how to escape the series of rooms set up for them. One by one they drop off
but the real mystery is why they were invited in the first place and who is
behind it all.
13. Long Shot
Years later, a teenage boy’s babysitter is the US secretary
of state. Teenage boy quits his job as a columnist as his views are not in line
with those of the owner of the media group that has just acquired his employer.
He reunites with his babysitter at an event and eventually lands a job as her speech
writer as she thinks his honest earnest views will help her as she runs for president,
or will they?
This is one Seth Rogen film that I really like. It is not
the usual Rogen fare, it is smart, honest and the best 2019 comedy that I saw. The
on-screen chemistry with Charlize Theron? Gold. Other stars include O’Shea Jackson Jr., Bob
Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgard and Lisa Kudrow.
12. Marriage Story
Written, produced and directed by Noah Baumbach, Marriage
Story is the story of a Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson)
Barber’s divorce. From counselling to mediation to divorce lawyers, this East
Coast vs. West Coast battle rages on with their son and Nicole’s family caught
in the middle, both parties unravelling despite their seeming appreciation of
each other. Charlie does not understand why and Nicole does not understand why
Charlie does not understand why. Featuring a great monologue by Nicole’s lawyer
played by Laura Dern and another not-so-silly dialogue between Kylo Ren and
Black Widow Charlie and Nicole. A solid film.
11. The Professor
Johnny Depp delivers in this smart, mature and simple comedy
drama about a college English professor, who upon learning that he has terminal
cancer changes small things about his already cliched life on campus. You will
fall in love with Mr. Depp all over again, forget what the critics say.
10. Dolemite is My Name (Netflix)
Eddie Murphy is back like he never left! Based on the true
story of black American pop culture icon and phenomenon, Rudy Ray Moore, Dolemite
is My Name captures Rudy’s somewhat late entry into the world of comedy circuits
and the blaxploitation big screen told in an efficient manner. This has the
best pacing of any film I have seen this year and its near 2 hour run time is
quite enjoyable. Kudos to director, Craig Brewer. Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy,
Keehan-Michael Key, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Craig Robinson, Wesley Snipes and co.
show us that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself and chase your dreams.
9. Polar (Netflix)
Duncan Vizla aka The Black Kaiser, a professional
hitman is 14 days away from retirement and winding down when he is ostensibly
called in for one last job by his employer – Damocles – who in reality want to
kill him in order not to pay him his pensions benefits thus saving cost (yes,
you read that right!) However, the team of colourful, young assassins sent in
by Damocles CEO, Mr. Blut, to kill Duncan are having a hard time tracking him
down as he lives a quiet life in an undisclosed snowy town.
Polar’s plot was great, pacing very good and though
all the colourful characters might be a bit outlandish for some, it is all
rather solid and finds sound footing between camp, entertainment and what
movies adapted from comics can be.
You can read my review of
Polar here.
8. Avengers: EndGame
A somewhat fitting end to the third phase of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, MCU. We waited for it for a whole year and we were very well
rewarded, although the time travel plot shenanigans were a stretch it was a
great joy to see everyone back from the Blip and take on the mighty philosopher
Thanos. Every major character had their time in the spotlight (except The Hulk
once again) and the take-ons between Thanos, Iron Man, Cap, Thor and the other
Cap (whom we expected a whole lot more from) were worth waiting for and excellently
delivered. A sad and teary farewell to the man that begun the franchise was apt
and the series was ably put to bed. Thank you, Kevin Feige, Messrs. Russo et al
for a wonderful and mostly excellent experience. EndGame made $2.79bn at the
box office.
7. Ford v Ferrari
In the current world of comic book based cinematic blockbusters,
I find that good dramas have to be either very excellent, backed by some big
bucks, great actors or released on non-competitive weekends to thrive. Ford v
Ferrari is great dramatic cinema. Period. Well told, well expressed, fantastically
acted and with the right kind of near larger-than-life characters of men who
were men. I swear, I could recognize mirrors of people I have met in corporate
Nigeria. Christian Bale in my opinion is the best dramatic actor of his generation
and he shines and smells like burning rubber in this biopic retelling of the competition
between Ford and Ferrari and the men that helped Ford take a seat at the table
of race car manufacturers.
6. The Good Liar
I love Dame Helen Mirren and I want to marry her. She shines
alongside Sir Ian McKellen as this legendary English acting duo slowly take a
simple movie about an old conman looking for a final score to heights of
dramatic tension. Will Roy Courtnay succeed in conning unassuming widow, Betty
of her money? Is Betty really oblivious to the old geezer’s true intentions?
Watch and discover the twist at the end of the tale. Also starring Russel
Tovey, Jim Carter, Mark Lewis Jones and Johannes Hauker Johannesson.
5. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
John Wick Baby!!!! Baba Yiga is back with a vengeance…sorry
he is really just trying to survive a $14million bounty placed on his head by The
High Table. Discover the origins of Jonathan Wick, born Jardani Jovonovich and
take a ride through the streets and gutters of New York (who knew New York was the
world’s capital of assassins?!!), the sands of Morocco and then back to the
rooftops and tunnels of New York. John Wick 3’s one flaw is its timeline: I
mean how quickly can a boat get to Casablanca from New York and back? And we
all laughed at The Dark Knight Rises. Smh. But hey, this is John Wick we’re
talking about here. The action is over the top and we love it! Attack Dobermans,
human pincushions, broken bones, knives and guns everywhere!!! We screamed in
shock, horror, hilarity and ecstasy with every subsequent shot. This is why cinema
theatres were created and we cannot wait for part 4!
4. Parasite
Meet the poor Kims, who systematically and wickedly supplant
and then ingratiate better or fraudulent versions of themselves into the
service of the wealthy Parks. Things go well for a while and then they don’t.
What can one say about Parasite? Hmmm! This thought-provoking
Korean tale of supplanting and domestic fraud explores themes of classism, cycle
of poverty, impostor syndrome and domesticity. As per usual, the cinematography
is perfect, the acting operatic and the story is just bananas. I have never
seen a dull Korean film; they are very tastefully made as a serious and
deliberate art form.
Parasite is the first Korean film to win the coveted Palme
d'Or, and with a unanimous vote at that. It is also lined up to win the Best
International Feature Film at the upcoming Academy Awards.
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Brilliant, balanced, smart, fun, and the most entertaining (comic-book)
film of the year, Far from Home reminded us of what Spider-Man means to
us all. A far better outing for Tom Holland than Homecoming, this might
be the best Spider-Man film since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. The Tony Stark/Iron
Man adoration got on my nerves a little bit but I got over it. Jake Gyllenhaal
as Mysterio was perfect. I think the EU needs to pay Marvel Studios some hard
Euros for this.
2. When They See Us
I started crying 30 minutes into it, the first of many tears
shed. And yes, When They See Us gets to be on this list. If you have watched it,
you will understand why it is ranked No. 2 on my list. If you have not, go see
it, it is available on Netflix.
Great work by Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro
and the other producers, fantastic acting by everyone especially Jharrel Jerome
(Moonlight) as Korey Wise one of the Central Park Five.
1.
Joker
When I heard that a Joker origin film was being made, I had little
or no expectations. I mean, in the comic-book movies sector and indeed outside
of it, Marvel was the juggernaut king with the last few efforts of DC, save for
Wonder Woman, falling flat. A Joker movie and not the promised Batfleck series?
Ok oh.
In addition, fears were springing up that the movie’s
premise and plot was an apology for and would embolden certain young men
towards carrying out crimes so I was not holding my breath. But the reviews rolled in and the near consensus
that this was a brilliant piece of film making reached me so I decided to check
it out. My God!!! Joker is a simple masterclass in storytelling using film as
its medium. Forget all you know about Joker’s origins, forget all you have read
for Joker is a perfect character study as I have ever seen. It skims, it
circles, it dives off a cliff in a perfect 10.
PS: Joaquin Phoenix is a beast of an actor and deserves an Oscar for this. If he does not get one, we are going to riot.
PSS: Todd Phillips also deserves an Oscar for best
screenplay or directing. If he does not get one, we are going to riot.
So that's it! Agree or disagree? Leave a comment and please
share if it has been worth your while.
May 2020 bring with it a cinematic year like never before!
