The 20 films released in the UK during 2016 I'd save over all others.
Subject to change after some new year catch ups.
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
December 31, 2016 at 02:52PMSimple but quite charming animation which never reaches the greatness of The Snowman but also doesn't need the comparison.
December 31, 2016 at 01:47PM...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
December 31, 2016 at 12:52PMBeautiful animation which manages to be both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
December 31, 2016 at 12:24PMSelecting one film each week that should be worthy of your time.
Starting this with the New Year Day's releases.
Based on UK release dates.
It seems like Assasin's Creed is a bit of a dud but that still leaves a choice of this or Scorsese's Silence. This is likely to appeal to more people than Silence but I'm still worried it will be as bad as The Impossible.
The best films I saw in 2016 which have not been released in the UK. Most of these are coming out in 2017 but many still don't have a release date.
In alphabetical order.
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
December 30, 2016 at 11:44AMWatched on Thursday December 29, 2016.
December 29, 2016 at 11:37PMI really loved this when I first saw it but perhaps that was the magic of watching something so refreshingly different with a full appreciative audience in a (nearly at the time) 100 year old cinema. Somehow it had lost the magic when I watched it on TV. Perhaps it was the TV, or perhaps I've seen more silent films in the last five years so it didn't seem as special. This time it felt too long, stretching out the admittedly thin plot. I was also surprised that the music wasn't much stronger which may also be because over the last few years I've listened and appreciated to more film music. It was still enjoyable and wonderfully made, just lacking a lot of what made it so special when I first saw it.
December 29, 2016 at 11:32PMThe weakest of the three Indiana Jones but a lot better than I remember from the last time I saw it. It's a shame there's so much greenscreen/matte work that really dates the film.
December 29, 2016 at 11:21PMThe films of 2016 (based on UK releases apart from OJ which I'm not sure was released here) which I regret not seeing.
Alphabetical order.
December 29, 2016 at 11:55PMThe new films I saw during 2016 that disappointed me the most. I struggled to put this list together which is a good thing but I'e also been more selective about what I went to see.
December 28, 2016 at 01:03PMI thought I liked this more but in the 3 years since I last watched it a lot must have changed and I suspect the backlash, which has certainly become more apparent this year, will continue to grow. It's actually bad much more than it's good; creepy, sexist, objectifying women, body shaming and very little of it makes any practical sense. It's less of a shock that Curtis (who has always been a hero of mine) when out to make the rapey The Boat That Rocked.
I still kinda like Love Actually though.
December 28, 2016 at 12:41AMFor years I've seen this come up in American lists of the greatest Christmas films (as well as the odd Christmas quiz) and wondered why it wasn't really known in the UK. I've known about it for some time now and kept a look out and as far as I know it still hasn't been shown on British TV that much. At least now I know why; it's absolutely awful and perhaps the best example of an anti-Christmas Christmas film.
It's an awful story about an awful child. It's badly told, filmed, acted and narrated. Nearly everybody in the film behaves terribly I assumed that there was going to be a Scrooge-like lesson learnt when they all stopped being such insufferable little shits and learnt the value of Christmas. Instead they continue to lie, deceive, lust after guns, bully, fight, disrespect each other and generally be horrible to each other. There is one moment when the father reveals the present that actually feels magically but the kid really doesn't deserve it so even that's tainted. Just when you think it's all over it throw in a bit of casual racism in case you hadn't suffered enough.
An awful film and a terrible Christmas movie.
December 27, 2016 at 06:27PMWatched on Tuesday December 27, 2016.
December 27, 2016 at 06:18PMI enjoyed this a lot and it had a sense of authenticity which made all of the stories feel more powerful. All of the performances were strong and I'd like to have spent more time on all of them but as a 90 minute film it doesn't have any baggage.
December 27, 2016 at 06:14PMMost of these stories seemed to be Disney characters acting awfully (and out of character?) only to be redeemed by the magic of Christmas at the end. Awful use of music (especially in the Goofy story) and the CGI animation is just weird.
My recording was missing the last story but that may have been a good thing.
December 26, 2016 at 01:25PMWatched on Saturday December 24, 2016.
December 26, 2016 at 01:21PMWatched on Saturday December 24, 2016.
December 26, 2016 at 01:20PMWatched on Saturday December 24, 2016.
December 26, 2016 at 01:19PMA rewatch to see how this should be positioned in my end of year lists. I still agree with my original review but it's fallen down my list a few places.
December 24, 2016 at 08:58AMAn unexpected delight for the end of the year (I wasn't even aware this film existed). It's perhaps a bit too self indulgent when it spends too much time on the meal but recovers for a great ending.
December 24, 2016 at 08:49AM