As the year comes to a close I feel like its only fitting to talk about this years films. If you were to compare this years films to last years you would notice there is a lack of major releases. This is due to a multitude of reasons one being that the amount of strikes in the industry pushed a lot of development of films be pushed back. However with this being said there has been some great films released here in the UK and in this post I’m going to talk about the highs and low of this year.
The Highs
challengers
I’m sure I’m not the only person who has challengers at number one of this year. This film was a world wide phenomenon with anyone into film being able to recognize the scene above. If you haven’t seen the film let me give you a quick run through of the plot: Tennis player turned coach Tashi has taken her husband Art, and transformed him into a world-famous major champion. To jolt him out of his recent loosing streak, she signs him up for a “challenger” event - close to the lowest level of pro tournament - where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friends and Tashi’s former boyfriend. This film has the most stunning cinematography of the year not the best but is still extraordinary. The plot features a lot of time jumps, jumping to different periods of the characters past and continues to go to the present. This is my personal favorite film of the year by far
The Holdovers
This film did release in America back in December but us in the UK didn’t get this film until January which was unfortunate due to this film being a Christmas film but it still held up and has already cemented itself in becoming a Christmas classic that I’m sure will become a yearly rewatch for a lot of people. The plot follows A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them a damaged brainy troublemaker and with the schools head cook. This film has become a comfort watch for many people and has already stapled itself as one of the best films of the decade
Dune Part 2
we cant talk about the best films of the year without mentioning Dune part 2. This film has been the top of every persons ranking for this year and its well deserved. This film has some of the best cinematography of the year which is no surprise with Denis Villeneuve directing the film. This is a part to the first Dune which came out in 2021 which ended up getting a best picture nomination at the Oscars. It would be no surprise to anyone if this film got nominated and won.
Sing Sing
This is one of the most underrated films of the year. Being distributed by A24 and being produced by the company its no shock to anyone this film is good. However a downfall to being distributed by A24 was that a lot of cinemas were not showing the film. I unfortunately had to wait for this film to come out on streaming due to none of my local cinemas showing the film. This film follows Divine G who was imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit who finds a purpose by acting in a theatre group with other incarcerated men. This film is full of emotion and will tug at the heart strings of those watching. I wouldn’t be shocked if this film was nominated for a best picture nomination however with how poorly this film was distributed it might not be able to get a nomination.
Small Things Like These
Small things like these released this November staring now academy award winner Cillian Murphy in his first film since Oppenheimer. This film has very mixed reviews with people saying that the film is boring and that nothing happens. The film follows Coal merchant Bill Furlong who discovers a disturbing secret kept by the local convent. He’s forced to confront his past and the complicit silence of the small Irish town controlled by the Catholic church. I would implore everyone to research about the Magdalene laundries to get a full understanding of the film
Lows
Borderlands
This film in my opinion was the worst film of the year, there is no real redeeming qualities of the film which is based on the game with the same title is a dull and predictable film. The film follows a bunch of misfits who embark on a mission to save a girl who holds the key to unimaginable power. This film tries so hard to have a plot twist just for it to be extremely predictable that I was able to guess it in the first 20 minuets of the film
Madame Web
we can’t talk about the worst films of the year without bringing up Madame web which released this February in cinema. This film while still being enjoyable because of how rubbish it is, is a rushed together film with poor pacing and poor plot. There is a really weird voice over of the antagonist so when he says words it doesn’t line up with his mouth. With this being said this film is fun to watch because of how bad it is.
Uglies
This Netflix original is based on the book with the same title that released in 2005 and was one of the original dystopian films even before the Hunger games. This film is set in a world which enforces beauty standard on teens until they reach a certain age where they have to have mandatory surgery to look good and go to the city. This film fails to do justice to the dystopian genre and also feels like it is cheaply made. This film could have been good if they do better if they had a better script and have a better pacing
Imaginary
This film had so much potential but unfortunately failed to use it. The film follows Jessica who moves back into her childhood home with her family. Her youngest stepdaughter develops an attachment to a stuffed bear who starts playing games with her. This film being produced by Blumhouse says everything you need to know. It had the potential but it failed to use all of it. The “twist” is extremely predictable and the script is poorly written. It however is so bad that its genuinely funny.
The Strangers: Chapter 1
This film is a revival of the 2008 film called the strangers. This film tries to make its self scary with cheap “jump scares” and dark lighting. The film follows a young couple who’s car breaks down in a small town and are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin where they are terrorized by 3 masked strangers. This film had the opportunity to be good and had potential to be a good horror film. However this film felt extremely sloppy and dragged out while also trying to rush the film.
Overall this was actually a good year for film with some other great films that I have yet to watch such as Anora and Queer. So lets hope that next year is a good year for film with things like 28 years later, which is my most anticipated for next year, and mickey 17.
