Our Favourite Movies of 2015 (So Far!)

Jenna I don’t know about you but I nearly decided to not do this list. I’ve only seen about 30 of this year’s releases so far, but I figured a ‘Favourite Movies’ list of what we’ve seen so far will do for now, and we can revisit it again later in 2016 when we’ve seen more!

So without further ado…

I’m still riding the hype of Inside Out. Still looking at my Sadness and Bing Bong Pop figures (thanks Jenna!) full of optimism that it won’t get snubbed at the Oscars. Just give it 1 award and that’ll keep me happy.  The movies that I can relate to in some way are always my favourites, but never has a movie got inside my head quite like this one before. Yes yes yes! Fully agree, this was the best animation of the year and one of my favourite releases overall...this definitely made my Top Movies List.

I started 2015 as a non-believer. Would huff and switch off at the mere mention of Star Wars. Now? Well right now I’m writing this list in my stormtrooper pjs, drinking a cup of tea from my Kylo Ren mug. There’s a Death Star ornament on my Christmas tree to my right. Yup, The Force Awakens has fully converted me, and I reckon by the time this post is published, I’ll have seen it 3 times.  I have yet to see this, it is booked and I am working my way through the original trilogy in preparation!

You may have noticed from my review that I LOVED Legend, this may be my number 1 for the year.  Although, with the line-up I think it is nearly impossible to rate these in 1 to 10.  I can't really explain why I loved it so much as usually I am not the biggest fan of British films but this blew me away.  Honestly, can't wait to get it on DVD so I can watch it again. I really need to re-watch this! Tom Hardy's performances in this were a highlight of the year for me for sure, but I just didn't enjoy the movie itself as much as I had hoped.

Holy moly, I can’t even believe this was released in the UK in 2015. Juuust about. Like, 1st January just about I think. I watched Birdman because I was curious about it looking like 1 long take, and well, because Emma Stone, but I was truly awe-strucken by the end. In fact, nearly 12 months later, I still haven’t decided what my take on that ending is.  When I saw this in this post I couldn't believe it came out this year, it felt like AGES ago, so much so that I checked...twice!  As much as I loved this, I had other films that topped it for me!

There’s a running theme in my favourites list so far, and a lesson to be learnt for sure. I was dragged, kicking and screaming to the cinema to see this with my college gang on the opening weekend. I told them I didn’t understand the fascination, that everyone just looked crazy, but it was an amazing experience, and also gave 2015 one of the most badass woman around, Furiosa.  I caught this one really late (still haven't managed to review it!) but I was 100% sold on the series, I am now working on getting hold of the older ones and having a marathon.  Definitely makes my Best of 2015 list.

I heard the hype for The Martian quite a while before the movie came out, and vowed to read the book before it’s release, but obviously that never happened. In fact, I only just about caught it in the cinema. With no idea what would actually happen, I was really sucked into the whole story, and never again will I take a bottle of ketchup (red sauce) for granted again! I have just recently reviewed this one and to say I enjoyed it would be an understatement, it was thoroughly entertaining and possibly my top film of the year.  Now onto the book for both of us....

How could Everest not be in this list?  I absolutely loved the film, I was tense the whole way through and couldn't relax until the credits rolled.  The location was so incredible and the IMAX made it unbelievably intense and to top it all off it was a true story so I had lots more information to read about on the internet when it was finished. I feel all cold again just thinking about this movie! It would be in my favourites list for IMAX experiences, but I don't know if it'll have the same effect when watching it at home.

Also known as the most mis-marketed movie of 2015, I didn’t watch Kingsman: The Secret Service until its DVD release at Easter. I figured it was a teens movie, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. In fact, I’ve bought a few copies of this to give as presents throughout the year, seeings as everyone seemed to have the same impression as me from the trailers.  I have seen this film at least 5 times since I originally saw it in the cinema, I loved it and it never seems to get old, the more I watch it the more I enjoy it!  I can't recommend it highly enough to people.

Another movie I had to double check actually came out this year. I remember seeing a trailer for Whiplash a long time ago, and the audience in the cinema (myself included) did a little laugh at the attempt to sell us a movie about a kid playing the drums. What I certainly wasn’t expecting was one of the most intense movies I’ve ever watched. I think I held my breath for the entire final scene without realising.  I was on the edge of my seat for the whole film, it was so intense.  I have no idea how they made the idea of a drummer and his teacher so damn terrifying and gripping, a top contender for me.

I have recommended Big Hero 6 to countless people who has shrugged and said they are not really bothered but after watching it have raved about it.  I have all my nieces and nephews doing the Baymax fist bump and watching the movie on repeat (much to their parents dismay) and I just find it hilarious.  Plus I think it had one of the most surprising cameos at the end of credits scene that made me jump out of my seat. Noooo way was this 2015! Crickey. I forgot all about Big Hero 6! Loved this when I saw it.

Ah, the movie I’ll always remember from Jenna and I attempting to pronounce in the cinema lobby! Aww memories! Ex Machina was another I wasn’t expecting to love. It’s one of those where I thought I’d worked it all out within the first half an hour or so...and then it all turned darker than I expected. I’ve been trying to get a lot of family and friends to watch this one, with very little luck so far.  Now I remember wanting to see the film from the trailer but the film I saw was not what I expected, this was so much better.  The twists and turns in the plot were brilliant and so unpredictable, I still have to watch it again to see if I can spot any clues to the way it plays out.

I’m expecting this one to be an unpopular choice, but sometimes it’s the movies you don’t expect to be good that end up being your favourites. I spent about two thirds of 2015 scoffing about how silly The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and how on earth I’m even meant to say its name out loud, but when I finally sat down to give it a chance, I was really impressed! It was definitely the humour that did it for me.  I did love this film but I don't know whether I would have listed it here if I had done this first off, I did really enjoy it but I enjoyed others just that bit more.  Looking forward to a sequel though.

I should have learnt my lesson from Guardians of the Galaxy last year, but when the Ant-Man trailers started circulating my response was pretty ‘meh’. I’ll never miss a Marvel movie though, and I obviously fell in love with it when I finally saw it. I should have known Paul Rudd wouldn’t let me down! Michael Pena is still the highlight for me though!  100% agree with this one, absolutely loved it.  Can't wait to see more of Scott Lang and his army in the Marvel films to come, what a great casting choice with Paul Rudd.

I may need to watch all the Hunger Games films again to give them all a fair shot but as it stands at the moment Mockingjay Part 2 is my favourite of the four.  The action and emotion were played out perfectly and who doesn't love Jennifer Lawrence so she had to get at least one mention! I'm gutted they are all over but so glad I enjoyed the finale so much. I really did enjoy this one, but the series got dragged out so much I was kind of just glad it was finally over.

Review: Inside out (2015) TAKE TWO!!

How have I not written a review for this yet, I actually thought I had included my thoughts on Allie’s review but it seems not.  Being 30 sucks, my memory is shot!! I feel bad repeated a post that we have just done but I couldn't not review this.  However, I am finally putting together my thoughts on this, at the moment they feel like they are going to be a mass mess of mushy feels….

Pixars’s latest offering follows characters that are effectively emotions in peoples head Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black).  It’s mainly focused on Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) and the way she copes with moving house, a new school and growing up and how the emotions in her head are effected.  The changes lead Joy and Sadness on an adventure through Riley’s subconscious to get back to ‘HQ’ to stop her from running away from home.

Pixar tried something new and managed to absolutely knock it out of the park.  One of the key things my Dad has always said he loved about Disney/Pixar movies is that they don’t dumb down emotions for children.  In watching a Pixar and even some of the latest Dreamworks movies, the lead characters are actually dealing with real emotions.  This is something I know I said in my Toy Story 3 review and this film has just reiterated it so well.  The film is based on the emotions that Pixar isn’t afraid to shy away from.  There are some really clever ideas in the film that may be a little advanced for the younger audience but great for the parents and big kids like myself.  The idea that the short term memories are sent to ‘long term storage’ when Riley goes to sleep is in keeping with the theory that that is exactly what our brains do when we sleep. 

I thought there was a lot of feels in Toy Story 3 that made me well up and hide my face from my nieces and nephews every time I watched it but this was a whole new level.  I cried like a baby, it was genuinely heart-breaking and moving and you could easily forget you were watching an animation, I was just so caught up in it all.

Finally, I can’t post this review without mentioning the attention to detail.  The full scenes being played out within the memory balls (some of which I have since found out were Easter Eggs) plus how much of the way the brain works has been considered and accounted for inside Riley’s brain!  It’s far too complicated for any small child to understand but the bright colours and engaging characters will certainly keep them entertained, while the adults can ponder the deep and meaningfuls that continuously crop up (is it ok to be sad sometimes?).

Great for kids, even better for adults. Is anyone else a little bit concerned now about The Good Dinosaur between trying to follow this and the two How to Train your Dragon's we've already had, is it dead before it's even out?!

Priceless Parent's Guide Finds #1

Did you know every movie on IMDB has a Parent’s Guide? It’s a useful tool for parents to decide for themselves if a particular movie is suitable for their child(ren), and I use it a lot to help my Mum and 13 year-old brother. It’s also handy for me to find out if I’m going to be able to sit through any kind of horror movie.

There are categories for sex & nudity, violence & gore, profanity,alcohol/drugs/smoking and frightening/intense scenes, and users are able to fill these categories with scenes of note.

Well, as handy as the Parent’s Guide is, it defines movie moments in such clinical terms, that it’s actually hilarious, and I thought it would be fun to share some of these priceless finds with you all. No spoilers ahead, not to worry!

As Bill goes through a phone, he sees pictures that the owner took, all focusing on a woman's breasts. (Non-Stop)

A dog is briefly seen apparently cut by half during a nightmare sequence; the head end then chases the tail end. (Inside Out)

It is halloween, several characters are dressed up (vampire, skeletons). A man in a tight-fitting costume struggles to get it off in time to go to the bathroom. It later transpires he didn't make it in time. (They Came Together)

Champagne is seen (Flightplan)

A man walks into a couple (sex implied) - we see the other man's buttcheeks for a few seconds, hear a little moaning (no female nudity). (A.C.O.D.)

A man out of nervous anticipation quickly finishes a bottle of beer. (Her)

Insulting another man, a man makes crude, sexually explicit remarks about the other man's wife. (Run All Night)

The opening sequence has silhouettes of naked women. (Spectre)

We see Ilsa in a bikini as she gets out of a pool. (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation)

We hear eerie screeching coming from inside the walls of a maze. (The Maze Runner)

A man is punched in the face. (San Andreas)

Vlad mentions "boobies" (Hotel Transylvania 2)

A scene is shown where some men have to break into an employer's mother's house to delete an email that her daughter sent her by mistake. (The Intern) - note this is listed under Frightening/Intense scenes

A girl yells penis twice.  (Hot Pursuit)

Sexy dancing at a talent show. (Mean Girls)

Review: Inside Out (2015) & Lava (2015)

It’s taken me a long time to get my thoughts on Inside Out into words. Let’s just say I hold this film in a very special regard! It’s extremely rare for me to see a film in the cinema twice, but I saw this once with a close friend of mine on the day I found out that my very poorly Granny was terminal, and then again with my family just a few days after she died. 

From the original trailer, it was difficult to determine a plot for Inside Out, but it made the film a complete surprise which rarely happens now. Too often a trailer gives away so much of the plot it’s barely worth even investing the time at the cinema. So, the plot is simple in theory, a young girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) moves to San Francisco with her parents when her Dad gets a new job. Her emotions, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Bill Hader) struggle to cope with the move, a new school, new friends, and a difficult life at home.

To begin with, let me quickly mention the short played before Inside Out, Lava. As a Disney fan, I get just as excited for the short as I do for the feature film, and although nothing will be able to top Feast for me, Lava was beautiful. Told in song, Lava is about a volcano in Hawaii who is lonely, and wishes he has someone to love just like everything else around him. This song is absolutely making it onto the wedding playlist somewhere my fiance won’t notice, ha.

Back to Inside Out, and one thing I can’t get over is how complex the whole thing is, but also how simple it is at the same time. I mean, any small child would love this. It’s bright, it’s colourful, it has plenty of funny moments, but as a grown up going through some stuff, this film really spoke to me. Riley has ‘personality islands’ which represent her core beliefs and loves, and I spent the car ride home trying to work out what my own islands would be. I’d have a blogging island, for sure!

Everything to do with your mind and thoughts are in this film. There’s a thought train, which is literally a train, and subconsciousness which is scary as hell. Down in long term memory are little workers who dispose of all the memories that have been disused for so long, they’re deemed no longer needed. That’s why I’ve forgotten nearly everything I was taught in Math class I reckon!

The casting for the main emotions was perfect, too. I know Amy Poehler from Parks & Recreation and she just buzzes with Joy. Phyllis Smith as Sadness was a great choice, too. If you’ve seen her in anything else you’ll know that she doesn’t put on any other kind of voice for Inside Out, that’s just her and she portrays it perfectly.

It was the lesson of the film that hit me the hardest. The fact that sometimes, we need to feel sadness to become happy again was something I’d forgotten all about, and it’s so true. Going to see this with my family whilst we all felt so sad was difficult, but we all said we couldn’t remember the last time we all went to see a film together. In fact, we weren’t even sure it had ever happened, and so that night will be a happy memory of mine forever.

Looking Forward to Seeing at the Cinema: July 2015

I’ve learnt my lesson from last month. I’m going to stop trying to read Jenna’s mind and picking her films for her.  What I will do however is sneak in and start this post before she can! Although you can guarantee I’ll have pinched her choice now...sigh! No you haven't although after we discussed this in the cinema and I have completely forgotten my choice - damn it!! *heads off to Google movies released in July* - Ok got it.....

Honestly, I still don’t know what to pick this month. After a couple of months this year so far where I couldn’t think of anything I really wanted to see, I’m spoilt for choice in July! How do I pick between Magic Mike XXL, Ted 2, Ant-Man, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Ryan Reynold’s news film, Self/Less?! I’m not even going to have time to see them all!  I had planned to offer a special mention to Magic Mike XXL (mmmmm!), Ted 2 and Ant-Man as well so we are going to be spending a lot of time at the cinema this month I reckon!

However, there is a film I haven’t mentioned yet that I’ve been quietly excited about for a while…

Disney Pixar’s latest animation, Inside Out caught my attention when I first saw a teaser trailer at the cinema when Cinderella was on. I’m a sucker for animation anyway, but Inside Out is all about emotions, and although I know very little about the film right now, I think it’s quite a difficult topic to tackle in a family film! I’m hoping it lives up to my expectations.

Inside Out will be released in UK cinemas on 24th July, 2015.

When I went on holiday last year I ordered a shed load of books to my Kindle to make sure I didn't run out.  What actually happened was I read a John Green novel and everything else I downloaded went out of the window and I found Wi-Fi specifically to download the rest of his books.  Although Paper Towns wasn't my favourite of his (still waiting on Looking for Alaska to be picked up for the Tinseltown treatment!). 

I had forgotten entirely that this was being made so when I saw the trailer last week I was thrilled.  Downside is that it is coming out when (as you can see from the list above) we already have A LOT to see and this will probably slip through the net because I don't know anyone else that has read it and my Dad would hate it!

However, I am still ridiculously excited to see it and intrigued as to whether Cara Delvigne actually has any acting talent - if not I am going to be very annoyed that a Hollywood fad has ruined what could have been a great adaptation!

Paper Towns will be released in UK cinemas on 24th July, 2015.