thriller | Craig's Movie Report

Well dear readers, it’s finally here … following is a countdown of my Ten favourite movies I watched in 2015. Do take into consideration some may be older than the past twelve months…

Drum roll…

10.

John Wick

Keanu proved he still had it in the action movie stakes (and seemingly doesn’t age). A tongue-in cheek script and stylish direction proved a simple revenge thriller done very well indeed was all I needed also.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Studio Ghibli does it again, with a beautiful water-colour art style and an enchanting Japanese fable and heart warming characters.

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

Cruise can still do the seemingly impossible and with chases, gadgets and Simon Pegg, this made for the best summer event flick of the year for me.

Ex_Machina

There is still room for genuine science-fiction with this thought-provoking study of artificial intelligence. The sort of movie that would have made Stanley Kubrick proud.

American Sniper

Proving yet again he’s as good behind the camera as in front, Clint Eastwood delivers a powerful true story with a career best Bradley Cooper.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

grand-budapest-hotel feinnes

My introduction to Wes Anderson and one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen in a long while, and Ralph Fiennes is just sublime.

Interstellar

Mind-boggling it may be but Christopher Nolan’s space epic is full of wonder, awe and ideas that left me floored.

Star Wars The Force Awakens

It may deliver too much fan-service but sets up enough firm foundations of its own and captures the spirit of the movies missing since Jedi, that it’s difficult to fault.

Inside Out

Pixar bounce back, after slight stumbles and deliver a truly heart-warming, ideas-packed event of a movie that genuinely touched and surprised me.

Birdman

birdman

Not that director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu needed to prove his skill, yet this wondrously inventive and yet simple movie impressed and dazzled me with it’s concept and originality with a brilliant Michael Keaton as the icing on the cake. A movie for fans who truly love movies and movie-making.

Well that was my countdown for 2015. What were some of your favourites? Feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll see you all in 2016. Bye for now…

Craig.

I know this isn’t exactly movie related, but I felt I must say something about the tragic death of music legend Michael Jackson. When first hearing the news, late night here in the UK, I was at first shocked and then in denial that such an icon was no longer with us. I was unable to comprehend it. It didn’t seem real. Then after watching some of the news footage, I began to accept but not entirely understand that the king of pop was dead.

kop-album

This incredibly talented and very misunderstood man had a remarkable effect on me in my youth, especially during the eighties and early nineties. His music seemed so well put together with a professionalism few had seen since Elvis Presley, and such a comparison will surely be made in the coming weeks if not for years to come – his passing is definitely on the same level.

I am not ashamed to admit that it upset me, more this morning as the reality of the news sank in, and I played some of his music videos Smooth Criminal, Black or White, Thriller etc as a small tribute in my household. Just hearing him sing or seeing him dance (honestly, who else could move like him?) was a powerful moment, and it’s hard to believe we will never see his like again. Having passed on the eve of a 50 date tour of the UK is also a shame, as surely it would also have been a fitting end to a remarkable career. But then again, this is life, and it can be as cruel as it is wonderful.

So to close, I would like to think of Michael Jackson as probably the most unique and influential solo musician of our time, a controversial and mysterious figure who should be remembered for what he was, what we grew up loving him as, and that is one of the greatest entertainers of modern times.

Rest in peace, Michael.