Split
A good M. Night Shymalan movie! Those can still happen! I had to admit, when I heard about Split at first, I was suspicious, as this whole set-up, especially since it references a real mental condition, could have gone so wrong. Fortunately, while that slightly exploitative element is only avoided by making it clearly "the Hollywood version" of multiple personality disorder, the final result is something pretty special. It handles the atmosphere well, James McAvoy gives (a) performance(s) for the ages, and there are some superb tension building moments. And then there's that ending. We praised and then mocked Shymalan for his twists, but what he does in this one is an absolute blinder; with one shot of a character it reveals that the story we think we've been following all this time was something else entirely, he managed to smuggle something we never thought we'd get to see into cinemas. I really hope that the just wrapped sequel works as... :SPOILERS AHEAD, HIGHLIGHT TO READ:... finally getting a sequel to Unbreakable now makes ideal sense, as the whole world understands superhero tropes far better than we once did.
Power Rangers
To be clear, I am not saying that this was on the level of other films here; I am giving this a nod because it wasn't nearly terrible as I was expecting. Indeed, what worked here did so surprisingly well. The characters were an endearing bunch, helped by the actors having real chemistry; even without superheroics, it was fun to just spend time with them. When we got them properly being Power Rangers (eventually), those scenes were well done, especially the final Megazord fight. Plus, first openly queer and autistic superheroes in a major blockbuster, that earns it some major props, considering it pipped both DC and Marvel to that one. Oh there's still plenty wrong with it; tone's all over the place, it can't decide on the target age range, the ridiculous product placement (Anyone really fancy some Dunkin' Donuts?). But I say the good outweighs the bad. Biggest surprise? I enjoyed it more than Justice League. Even with my low expectations for JL, I didn't see that coming!
Life
Did you see Alien Covenant? I'm so, so sorry. However, we did get a great Alien movie this year, at least one that seemed to have learned all the right lessons from the original. Life, like the 1979 Alien, takes what is in many ways a tired idea, and finds all new ways to breath new... erm, life into it. From the Gravity style filming, to the way the storyline keeps going "What's the smart way of handling this?", to the almost EC Comics style final sting of an ending, this is what you never knew you wanted from a big budget monster movie. Throw in that miracle of making an all-CGI monster actually really scary and intimidating by the end, and you've got something that deserved way better than it got at the box office.
BTW, I should highlight that, as little as I liked Alien Covenant, I did get one good surprise from it; learning that Danny McBride can be really good doing a straight dramatic role. Who knew?
Fraud
This is something I got to see thanks to the Duke Mitchell Film Club this year. This almost defies all attempts to categorise it; found footage? Documentary? Whatever you call it, it's a very clever use of some literal found footage, turning a load of random camcorder clips into a very Trump-era crime story. It's worth seeking for a little glimpse of what one can do with no budget, some editing software, and bit of creativity.
Logan Lucky
We have been taking Daniel Craig for granted all these years! Who'd have thought he had a performance like this in him? Seriously, after Bond I'd say he'd have a pretty good career as an off-beat character actor from here on? He may steal the show, but he's far from the only thing to recommend this one; there's nothing more satisfying than seeing a well orchestrated heist plan work out, and Steven Soderbergh certainly has plenty of experience with those. I came out loving this NASCAR based caper way more than I thought I would, and not just for the Game of Thrones gag leaving me in near hysterics.
Top Knot Detective
Here's something from this year's Frightfest; one of the best bad-movie spoofs since Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. This tale of the non-existent making of Ronin Suirei Tentai (Deductive Reasoning Ronin), and it's use as an ego-trip for it's main writer/director/editor/star Takashi Takamoto, is a near pitch-perfect pastiche of tokusatsu/jidaigeki tropes, and how they can be abused. What helps is that it's clear that the real life creators have properly sat down and thought up a proper history for the series, including giving it a proper (if very weird) story-arc, when they could have just lent more on the Ed Wood-esque production values. But it even manages to pack a real dramatic weight to parts as well, in telling of Japanese corporate culture, control over public images, and even by the end murder most foul! This is a true one of a kind gem, I plead to everyone to see it and spread the word further, if only for the superb final gag at the end of the credits that again put me in agony through sheer laughing. DEDUCTIVVVVEEEEE REEEEEEEAASSONINNNNNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!
I am amazed by this film, not so much for the quality, but because I can't quite believe this... thing actually exists. Paramount actually paid money to Darren Aaronofsky to make a surrealist exploitation horror take on the Bible (guess he didn't get all that out of his system with Noah), both as an environmental allegory and a metaphor for his relationship with Jennifer Lawrence. I guess they were of mixed feelings about the investment afterwards, as it really split audiences like few other films have (some people in my screening were vocally turning against it by the end, I had to tell them to be quiet!). To be fair on that last point, I don't think the marketing sold the film at all, it made it look too standard horror, when it's anything but. It's far from the easiest watch here, but I have to say, it's an experience that has stuck with me since I saw it!
The Villainess
This mash-up of many a South Korean revenge movie trope and Nikita may not be the most original title on here, but I have to give it a special nod for having hands down some of the best action sequences of any movie this year. The opening alone is something that will leave you breathless and have you marvelling at the sheer technicality of it. There are several other utterly superb set-pieces across this one too that rival almost anything else out there. The film as a whole isn't quite as satisfying, partially down to a somewhat overstuffed storyline that tries to layer way too many levels of manipulation on top of each other, but it's worth it for some of the most balletic acts of bloodshed you're ever likely to see!
Gerald's Game
It (Chapter One) may have got all the attention, and certainly the box office, this year in terms of Stephen King movies, but for a far better adaptation, have a look on Netflix. Mike Flanagan is rapidly becoming a major name in the world of horror, and this will probably earn him a new legion of fans, successfully bringing to the screen something long thought unfilmable. Now this is probably the hardest watch of any of the films on this list, both in terms of subject matter and a show-stopping moment of gore towards the end. With the latter, most people viewing it on Netflix had it lucky; I got to see this on the big screen at the BFI, so that moment was about twenty foot tall, with a whole audience reacting with me! As I said, this is a hard watch, but a rewarding one, it's in many ways one of King's most mature stories, bought to life well, telling the story of a woman going through Hell, but overcoming a lot that's wrong about her life as a result. A pretty timely title too, come to think about it...
UPDATE: Literally as I was preparing this, an article was released discussing how there are a few other King stories Flanagan would like to tackle, one of which being Doctor Sleep, the sequel novel to The Shining. I enjoyed that book better than many, and personally I'd be all over this if it actually came to pass.
For a something a bit different, here's a fan film. The Friday the 13th franchise is something I have a lot of fondness for, while also acknowledging how awful most of it is. It's currently in an odd place, with a couple of different studios having stakes in it, and they keep trying to make one in time for a real world Friday the 13th, but they keep missing those. Admittedly they had the video game this year, but no proper film since the 2009 reboot. However, this year there came this little fan effort, that's not only good, I'd say it's way better than a big chunk of the real films (which isn't that much of an achievement, granted, but still!). At a lean running time, you get a very differently structured story, a likeable lead, great filming at an actual abandoned summer camp, and a true miracle; making Jason Voorhees scary again! It even has a little nod to the found footage angle the studios were looking at for a while, if only to go "see why this wouldn't work for the whole thing?". It says something that technically two studios (Warner Bros. and Paramount) can't figure out something to do with, let's face it, not that difficult a concept for a series, but a bunch of fans can! I hope this leads to good things for the team behind this, they deserve to get onto the big screen properly!
Oh, while on the topic of fan films, have a look at this thing, and tell me that a full length, serious version of this concept wouldn't work!
Happy Death Day
So we didn't get an official Friday the 13th movie this year, but we did get something a bit new in the world of slashers released on the 13th of October. This is one of those ideas that sounds like it should have been done ages ago, but somehow we never have had Groundhog Day done as a slasher before (although hilariously in The Monster Squad, they do watch one called that!). While this ultimately doesn't do anything that surprising with the premise, it's all executed very well, with a great lead, strong suspense scenes, dark comedy, a variety of set-piece murders (or should that be the same murder over and over?), and a very cool look for the killer. It's interesting this coming right now though, as slashers haven't really been the in thing for a while, so could this be a start for a new wave of interest in them? Given that this made $115 million on a budget of less than $5 million, I'd say at least a few people are thinking about it.
Also, if you like slashers, have a listen to the new Evolution of Horror podcast, where this year they discussed the development of the sub genre.
Better Watch Out
This came out just before Christmas, and I can see it becoming a bit of a new, alternative yuletide movie in the future. Now that trailer above; watch it at your own risk. This is one of those films where the less you know going in, the better. All that I can say is that it takes a lot of tropes from the likes of The Strangers, mixes them with a really evil version of Home Alone (with some direct shout-outs), to great effect. Seriously, find this however you can (legally though, let it make money, we want more like this!), don't look up any more details, just go find it!
Beyond Skyline
To finish, perhaps my biggest surprise of the entire year. When I first heard they were doing a sequel to Skyline, I thought "really? That thing is constantly in bargain buckets, and it made enough for a sequel?". Well blow me away, this is better on every single level! The storyline is better, the body horror angle is better, the portrayal of the alien tech is better, the action is way better, the characters and acting are better, it is a huge leap. You don't even need to have seen or remember the original to dig this one; while there are some characters from the first that turn up, the film gets up to speed with great efficiency. Look, it has the team from The Raid fighting off the brain harvesting aliens with a mixture of Silat martial arts and guerrilla warfare, while a kaiju battle happens at the climax! You need this at your next drunken video night. Also, big studios, have a look at what writer/director Liam O'Donnell pulled off with less than $20 million, and give him a proper blockbuster.
Well, that was fun to put together, definitely doing this again next year. Tomorrow, it's my proper top ten of 2017.
Never Hike Alone
For a something a bit different, here's a fan film. The Friday the 13th franchise is something I have a lot of fondness for, while also acknowledging how awful most of it is. It's currently in an odd place, with a couple of different studios having stakes in it, and they keep trying to make one in time for a real world Friday the 13th, but they keep missing those. Admittedly they had the video game this year, but no proper film since the 2009 reboot. However, this year there came this little fan effort, that's not only good, I'd say it's way better than a big chunk of the real films (which isn't that much of an achievement, granted, but still!). At a lean running time, you get a very differently structured story, a likeable lead, great filming at an actual abandoned summer camp, and a true miracle; making Jason Voorhees scary again! It even has a little nod to the found footage angle the studios were looking at for a while, if only to go "see why this wouldn't work for the whole thing?". It says something that technically two studios (Warner Bros. and Paramount) can't figure out something to do with, let's face it, not that difficult a concept for a series, but a bunch of fans can! I hope this leads to good things for the team behind this, they deserve to get onto the big screen properly!
Oh, while on the topic of fan films, have a look at this thing, and tell me that a full length, serious version of this concept wouldn't work!
Happy Death Day
So we didn't get an official Friday the 13th movie this year, but we did get something a bit new in the world of slashers released on the 13th of October. This is one of those ideas that sounds like it should have been done ages ago, but somehow we never have had Groundhog Day done as a slasher before (although hilariously in The Monster Squad, they do watch one called that!). While this ultimately doesn't do anything that surprising with the premise, it's all executed very well, with a great lead, strong suspense scenes, dark comedy, a variety of set-piece murders (or should that be the same murder over and over?), and a very cool look for the killer. It's interesting this coming right now though, as slashers haven't really been the in thing for a while, so could this be a start for a new wave of interest in them? Given that this made $115 million on a budget of less than $5 million, I'd say at least a few people are thinking about it.
Also, if you like slashers, have a listen to the new Evolution of Horror podcast, where this year they discussed the development of the sub genre.
Better Watch Out
This came out just before Christmas, and I can see it becoming a bit of a new, alternative yuletide movie in the future. Now that trailer above; watch it at your own risk. This is one of those films where the less you know going in, the better. All that I can say is that it takes a lot of tropes from the likes of The Strangers, mixes them with a really evil version of Home Alone (with some direct shout-outs), to great effect. Seriously, find this however you can (legally though, let it make money, we want more like this!), don't look up any more details, just go find it!
Beyond Skyline
To finish, perhaps my biggest surprise of the entire year. When I first heard they were doing a sequel to Skyline, I thought "really? That thing is constantly in bargain buckets, and it made enough for a sequel?". Well blow me away, this is better on every single level! The storyline is better, the body horror angle is better, the portrayal of the alien tech is better, the action is way better, the characters and acting are better, it is a huge leap. You don't even need to have seen or remember the original to dig this one; while there are some characters from the first that turn up, the film gets up to speed with great efficiency. Look, it has the team from The Raid fighting off the brain harvesting aliens with a mixture of Silat martial arts and guerrilla warfare, while a kaiju battle happens at the climax! You need this at your next drunken video night. Also, big studios, have a look at what writer/director Liam O'Donnell pulled off with less than $20 million, and give him a proper blockbuster.
Well, that was fun to put together, definitely doing this again next year. Tomorrow, it's my proper top ten of 2017.
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