My 2015 in Movies #1

This is my first cinematographic reviews of 2015. I cannot believe I have watched around twenty films already, and it’s only been three months. Well, the holidays at the beginning of the year kinda helped me, because I had more free time – maybe too much, now that I think about it. And fortunately I have kept my new tradition of movie nights with friends on the weekends. After spending days and days studying, writing essays and reading dozens of articles, it feels really nice just to relax and watch some films. This is definitely one of the best things I can do in my free time. Bear in mind that some of these reviews were written before the Oscars, while others were written after the ceremony.

LOL – romantic comedies aren’t exactly my thing but this was quite enjoyable. The film is super cheesy sometimes, as usual, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’ll give it extra points for their soundtrack which as good. This film turned out to be way better than I ever expected.

Into the Woods – this is essentially a weird film. Well, at least its last part because until a certain point it’s quite normal actually. I really loved this film but I’ll still say it is a bit weird. When I saw it, I had no idea it was a musical but I kinda liked that aspect. It’s a different perspective of the old-fairy tales from Disney, but with a really weird twist at the end. I can’t say much without giving away the whole plot, but this new perspective was really well done. And this film is so funny – I haven’t laughed that much when seeing a film (maybe that’s because I haven’t seen many comedies lately).

The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring – I can’t remember the last time I saw this film, so it was like it was the first time ever seeing it. I do remember that this has been the only LOTR film that I could see from the beginning to the end, but I can’t figure out why. I guess I’ll have to watch the other two to understand that. The funny part about this film is that we know that it was praised for its visual effects and all but in our eyes now yet aren’t that good. Nevertheless, this film is absolutely amazing and the soundtrack continues to be one of the best parts of this trilogy (including now The Hobbit trilogy too).

The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers – and I still have no idea why I could only watch the first installment of this trilogy. These are seriously really good films – now I just have to watch the third one. Despite this being a somewhat old film (since they were all made in the early 2000s and much has happened in the cinematographic world), its visual effects are still incredibly amazing. And other thing that has always amazed me in these films was Legolas – the way they make him move (with the help of wires or a stunt; I don’t care which one because at the end it is bloody amazing).

The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King – this is so so good and amazing. I think this is pretty much how I could summarise the entire trilogy. It is bloody awesome and I wonder why I never watched this before. I know I watched the first one but I don’t know why I didn’t watch the other ones. These three films are really good but I believe this one is the best of them all. The acting continues to be perfect and everything, but what I find great about this film is its plot – the best of the three of them.

Despicable Me – I loved, loved, loved it. This film is so so god damn good and funny, mostly funny. Everything about this film was just pure perfection: the characters, their voices, the plot, the soundtrack; everything was absolutely amazing. Agnes became definitely my favourite character from the first second I saw her, and those minions are the most adorable thing in the world.

Despicable Me 2 – it is as funny and as amazing as the first instalment of this film series. Everything I wrote for the first film reflects this film too. I loved both of them and I couldn’t be more excited about the fact that they are going to do a third one. These films were completely made for children but I think that they suitable for everyone. I may not be a child anymore but I’ll always love these kind of films.

Matilda – still in the family cinematographic genre, this is another really good film. It is sweet, cute, funny and super enjoyable. At the end of the day, this is a children’s film but I would still recommed it to anyone.

Jumanji – another film for children and another really good one. It’s nothing extraordinary but enough for a boring weekend afternoon or evening.

Captain America: the Winter Soldier – finally I saw it, after wanting for like half a year to do it. This film is so so amazing, and really well done as the rest of the Marvel films. It’s not only the visual effects and the soundtrack, but also the storyline, which was well thought. That last scene was amazing. It really just makes me wanna beg them to give me Captain America 3. The only thing that I didn’t like was some of he fight scenes with Steve Rogers, at the very beginning of the film because they seemed a bit too over the top. I don’t know, they just didn’t feel natural at all. But apart from that, I don’t have any more flaws to point out.

Juno – this is another film that I’ve been wanting to see for so long, by never actually did it. And I’ve just realised that I say this a lot of time. I’m really bad at keep up with new films and all that stuff, despite the fact that every year I always make these big lists of films to watch. About this film… It is really amazing. Seriously, it is really good and you all should see it, if you haven’t done it already. I loved Juno and Ellen Page couldn’t have been better chosen for that role. I really liked the storyline of this film and it actually did surprise me, but in a positive way (which unfortunately isn’t always what we find in these kind of films).

The Theory of Everything – this is really an extraordinary film, with an even more brilliant performance by Eddie Redmayne, whom I believe should win the oscar for Best Actor, this year. And Felicity Jones did such a phenomenal job too. Honestly, both of them deserve their own oscars. I know the year barely started but I also know for sure that this will be one of my favourite films this year. It is beyond amazing; I honestly don’t think any existing world is worth enough to explain how much I loved this film. It really should win the oscar for best film.

I Love You, Beth Cooper – this is such a big cheesy film, like really really cheesy. But cute nonetheless. As any other romantic comedy, especially between teenagers, this film is super predictable. However, if you’re down and need something to cheer you up, this will certainly do it because it has some really funny moments (totally cheesy though).

Identified Thief – also, if you’re feeling sad and need something to make you laugh, this film is a great choice. I think we can argue that it’s ending was somewhat not predictable. The really good thing about this film is that it really makes you laugh from the beginning until the end. Other good aspect is that is actually incorporates some character development along the way, something that some films fail to produce.

The Imitation Game – this is a historical detail that I don’t know much about, so I won’t comment on that. But this film is bloody amazing; so so good. It gives us an entirely different perspective on what the war must have been. Benedict Cumberbatch couldn’t have been better chosen to play the main character. I mean, the whole cast did an amazing job with their performances. Unfortunately, there is not enough room for every great film to be truly recognised by the Academy. Not related with the film itself but rather with the history behind it… If what they portray in this film is exactly what happened (aspects related with the war, not necessarily with Turin’s life), then just wow… It just left me a little bit puzzled right now.

Men, Women & Children – this film makes us think about life way more than I was expecting from it. It actually makes us realise how much people don’t actually communicate face-to-face these days. I don’t believe that this theme is completely new, but this film is really good. First conclusion about the plot, life and relationships very complicated and some people are really messed up too. It’s not amazing but it is a really good film. I recommend it.

A Million Ways to Die in the West – this film is funny, we gotta admit it, but it isn’t absolutely great. It is as cliché and predictable as any romantic comedy, and I think this shouldn’t be one of those cases. And at the end there’s a scene that I really didn’t like – it was a bit racist, if I’m to be totally honest about it. But the film is still perfectly watchable and entertaining.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb – despite the fact that this is the last instalment of this trilogy, you can actually watch each film individually. There’s a connection between them, that’s true, but you understand the film’s plot without even having watched the other two. It’s a funny movie, that’s for sure. If you wanna laugh, this is a good choice. But I don’t know. It’s funny but I think there’s something missing in it – not sure what though. At the end, there are two scenes with a monkey, and that’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

Dear White People – this film has a somehow weird (or at least different) format but it is a really good film. The film revolves around many stereotypes that our society has created over the years, and the producers did this brilliantly. There’s plenty to reflect on and discuss among the theme of this film, which is probably one of the best features of this film. Overall, this film just makes us realise that there’s still plenty to change in our society, and it just makes me question how hard is it to understand that we are all human beings. Either way, it is a really amazing film: you should all watch it.

The Riot Club – this film is really really good and amazing, but at the same time it is quite disturbing if we think that its plot is not exactly fiction. Considering that this club has actually a really bad reputation and that some of its members have been arrested in the past (and present), just makes me wonder what’s going on with this society. All the authors did amazing performances, especially Sam Claflin – really loved him in this film; he did indeed surprise me again for his brilliant performance.

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think about it?