Top 10 Films of 2013

So here it is, my top 10 films of the year. This is probably the year I saw the most films, as you'll see below and I think I've got a pretty good range covered. The only rule for this list is that it had to have been released in UK cinemas in 2013. Whilst this means that some of the Oscar films from last year make the cut, it unfortunately means that I cannot include one of my favourite films of the year, Fruitvale Station, as it still hasn't received a UK release date. With that said, here are my top 10 films of 2013.

Top 10 Performances of 2013

Here's the next of my 2013 lists, my top 10 performances of 2013. Like I said in the previous list, all the films here were released in the UK in 2013 and I am also carrying on my rule of only one performance per film (with the exception of number 6). With that out of the way, let's get started.

Top 10 Scenes of 2013

Here's the next of my end of year lists, my top 10 film scenes of 2013. First of all, a reminder that all the films included are ones that received a UK release in 2013 so there are some films on here that got a US release last year. With that out the way, here are my 10 favourite film scenes of 2013.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films for 2014

Here's my first on the traditional end of year lists, a look forward to next year. Quick thing to say before I start, even though films like 12 Years a Slave and Wolf of Wall Street haven't been released in the UK yet I am not counting them in this list simply because there would be no room for films that are only being released in 2014. With that said, here are my 10 most anticipated films for 2014.

2014 Oscar Predictions

Since I didn't do it at the start of the year, I think it's about time for me to give my predictions for the 2014 Oscars. As per usual, at this point I will not include the short film awards. With that said, let's get started:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Review

Here it is, the next part of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy. As I stated last year, I really enjoyed An Unexpected Journey and was really looking forward to this film to see which parts of the book would be included and how the new additions to the film would work. Whilst I found the film to be entertaining as a whole, I don't think it works as well as An Unexpected Journey on a story level.

Nebraska Review

Sometimes, whenever there's a massive influx of big budget blockbusters all at once, you need something a lot smaller and more personal as a bit of a breather. In this current season of blockbusters that film is Alexander Payne's Nebraska. Honestly, when I heard the premise and saw the early trailers I wasn't really that interested, it just looked a bit boring to me but I decided to check it out based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews and I'm glad I did. Nebraska is a very funny, touching film with incredible acting, especially from Bruce Dern.

CineKatz Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap: Dredd Review

Very pleased to once again be taking part in the Cinematic Katzenjammer Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap. When I took part in the one in July, I was given quite possibly one of the most pretentious films I've ever seen with Wrong. It seems fitting then that for this one, after the initial film I was given being unavailable in the UK, I've been given the complete opposite, an extremely violent action film with Dredd. Now two things before I start, firstly I will not make an comparisons between this and either the Stallone Judge Dredd film or The Raid, seems pointless doing that, and secondly, I am not familiar with the character of Judge Dredd so I won't be able to say if this film does justice to the character seen in the comics, although hearing from fans of the comics, this film does do justice to the character. All that out of the way, let's dive in.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

I have gone on the record numerous times saying that I thought the first Hunger Games was the worst film I saw last year. There were so many problems with that film ranging from incompetent direction to poorly written characters to really heavy handed symbolism. So when I say that virtually all my problems with the first film have been fixed and Catching Fire is a really good film you know that it has nothing to do with the other film. A big reason for the success, well replacing Gary Ross with Francis Lawrence and getting Simon Beaufoy to write the script is a pretty big indicator.

Trailer Thoughts: Muppets Most Wanted

It's been a while since I've done a look at a trailer and so many great trailers have come out recently that I feel like I should talk about one of them and today 2 such trailers were released: the new trailers for Muppets Most Wanted.

Gravity Review

Ever since I started watching films I have always known how all the stuff behind the scenes was done. Be it miniatures or CGI, I've always known. There has not been a single film in which I genuinely do not know how it was made ... until now. Gravity is the first film I've seen where I am at a complete loss to explain how it was made. This brilliance in the visuals extends to the whole film making it one of the best films of the year.

Thor: The Dark World Review

Aside from The Avengers, the biggest risk for Marvel in their cinematic endeavours was Thor. Basing a big budget action film around a character people aren't familiar with and hiring Shakespearean director Kenneth Branagh to direct was a huge risk. That risk paid off and created a great universe for the Marvel films to explore. Thor: The Dark World takes full advantage of this universe and as such creates a much more satisfying film than the first.

Captain Phillips Review

This is a film that could have gone wrong incredibly easily. In the wrong hands, the story of Captain Richard Phillips being taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2009 could have been made into just another run of the mill, cathartic action film, hero-worshiping Phillips and demonising the pirates. Thankfully, this film is in the hands of Paul Greengrass, who turns the film into one of the most intense thrillers to be released this year.

Filth Review

There are very few films that come out now where the title is the perfect description of the film. Filth is one of those films. It's completely foul, repugnant, messed up and is basically taking the 18 rating as far as it can possibly go, and I really enjoyed it. This is a film where all the fucked up insanity helps add to the experience rather than taking the audience out of it and is a film that must be seen to be believed.

White House Down Review

There have been many different films this year that have very similar films out at the same time. These include This Is The End and The World's End, The Host and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Jack The Giant Slayer and Oz: The Great And Powerful and Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. However, the surprising one of these I've found has been the two Die Hard in the White House movies, Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down. Now Olympus Has Fallen took the incredibly goofy premise of the film completely seriously which led to a pretty boring film, despite the really well directed action scenes. Whit House Down on the other hand takes this premise and runs with it, producing one of the most gloriously stupid films of the year.

The Wipers Times Review

Something that I'm constantly surprised at with historical films and TV shows is how few of them focus on World War 1, at least compared to the hundreds that focus on World War 2, along with the fact that the best media interpretations of World War 1 are comedies (the best being Blackadder Goes Forth). Last week, the BBC drama The Wipers Times was released, a look at the satirical newspaper of the same name written by the soldiers in the trenches, the forerunner of websites like The Onion and newspapers like Private Eye, so it's no surprise to learn that Nick Newman, cartoonist for Private Eye, and Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye and panelist on Have I Got News For You, wrote it and their affection for this paper and its writers is clear throughout.

In A World Review

A big part of the cinematic experience for me has been the trailers before a film. Everything from the cheesy voice overs to the over-the-top ways some films are sold just makes me feel at home whilst watching a film. That's why it's always been surprising that there haven't been more films focusing on the trailer side of the film industry. Now though, with In A World, we get a great look at the trailer voice over industry in a film that really establishes Lake Bell as a writing/directing/acting talent to watch in the future.

LAMB Movie of the Month: Demolition Man Review

Ever since I joined the LAMB last year, I've wanted to do something for the Movie of the Month feature. However, since I joined I've either not had the time to get a post done or I've not been able to get hold of the movie in time. This month though, Jay Cluitt of Life vs. Film had his choice of Demolition Man win, which is a film that I already have and have seen a number of times so I can write about it. It also helps that I really enjoy this film.

Seriously Disney?

I think I've made it clear on this blog that I am really against people using phones/iPads in the cinema. It's incredibly distracting, insulting to the filmmaker through paying more attention to another device than the film and if I had my way, all these devices would have to be turned off before people go into the cinema. Then you get stuff like this:

Elysium Review

Ever since I first watched District 9 all the way through (it did take me 2 tries to watch District 9, just because of the fingernail bit) I've been waiting to see what Neill Blomkamp's next film would be. After hearing about the premise of Elysium, the ultimate sci-fi class warfare, I was even more excited to watch this film. Now that I've seen it, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong the film is great, but it feels watered down to make way for more action scenes.

Blackfish Review

Before I start the review I have to say this up front, I have never been to Seaworld. I've been to Florida a few times but I have never even wanted to go to Seaworld, something about the park always struck me as unpleasant. After watching Blackfish, I can now confirm that my initial thoughts about Seaworld were right. Since there isn't really much I can say about the film as a whole without ruining the experience, I'll keep this review short.

Monsters University Review

Out of all the Pixar films, the one that I most wanted to see a sequel to was Monsters Inc. I've always been interested in seeing the implications of Sully and Boo reuniting and how all the changes to the monster world have been accepted on a larger scale. I didn't expect a prequel with Mike and Sully meeting at uni though but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that a lot of comedic potential could be wrung out from that premise, plus the timing of this film couldn't be more perfect for me since I'm going to uni this year. So how was the film? Pretty good overall.

Kick-Ass 2 Review

Since it was first announced, Kick-Ass 2 has been one of my most anticipated films, with the only film I was looking forward more to than Kick-Ass 2 at the start of the year being The World's End. The first Kick-Ass was one of my favourite films from 2010 and the ending of the film left me heavily anticipating this film. So how was the film: not as good as the first film but still a great film.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Review

Anyone that lives in the UK will know the name Alan Partridge. This character, created by Steve Coogan and Armando Ianucci, has been a presence in the UK on TV and radio for the past 21 years and now the charms of Partridge's casual racism and sexism have been brought to the big screen with Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. One of the best comedies that has been made this year.

Politic-A-Thon: Top 15 West Wing Episodes

So to cap off the Politic-A-Thon, I decided to pay tribute to one of my favourite TV shows, The West Wing. I originally wanted to do my top 10 episodes but there are so many brilliant episodes that I couldn't limit it to just 10. So here are my top 15 episodes of The West Wing.

Politic-A-Thon: Game Change Review

When I first announced that I was going to do this blog-a-thon, I asked if anyone would like to contribute to it. Only one person has ended up contributing, Dan Heaton of Public Transportation Snob who has written up a review of Game Change on his site. I'm going to put a quote from the review below which will link to Dan's site.

"Game Change isn’t going to charm many hardcore conservatives, but it brings more nuance to the McCain campaign than you might expect ... The divisive political landscape has only grown nastier during the past five years. Movies like Game Change remind us that we haven’t been completely won over by celebrity in our politics. Even so, the chaos of 2008 may seem like an afterthought with another battle looming on the horizon."

I would give my own thoughts on the film but I haven't been able to see it. Game Change was shown on Sky Atlantic in the UK (a channel which I don't have) and hasn't received any kind of release on DVD or on LoveFilm Instant/Netflix since.

Politic-A-Thon: The Iron Lady Review

Most of the films I've done for this series have been ones I really like, so I think it's time for me to do a film I hate. Anyone who knows me knows that I think the worst thing to happen in British politics was the period when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister. Under her, the unions lost their power and the incredible advancements made by Clement Atlee's government with the welfare state and nationalisation of industry were gutted and led to millions being rendered unemployed and entire communities in the North decimated. It also didn't help that she openly supported General Pinochet whilst denying support for Nelson Mandela and was one of the people who supported a cover-up after Hillsborough. But I digress, it's not my hatred of Thatcher that makes me hate this film, it's that it doesn't do anything interesting to discuss Thatcher and her legacy.

Politic-A-Thon: The Ides of March Review

Going back to George Clooney today for his other major political film, the pretty underrated The Ides of March a film focusing on the perils of the election process, not for proper multi-party elections per say but for the Presidential Primaries for the Democrat Party, something that not many films have covered.

Politic-A-Thon: The Lives of Others Review

Seeing how I did The Baader-Meinhoff Complex yesterday, I think it's only fitting that I do a film about the GDR today and there is no better film related to the GDR that I could cover than The Lives of Others, a film focusing on the political oppression in the GDR, the Stasi.

Politic-A-Thon: The Baader-Meinhoff Complex Review

So for the next two days in the Politic-A-Thon I'll be covering films concerning Germany's political history during the Cold War with The Lives of Others for East Germany and today's review, The Baader-Meinhoff Complex, a brilliant film about the actions of the Baader-Meinhoff Gang from 1968 to 1977.

Where Do I Start

Every once in a while something comes along which really makes me despair in the future of cinema. Today it this post by Hunter Walk.

http://t.co/yAALkuEmz3

Where do I begin.

Politic-A-Thon: Mr Smith Goes To Washington Review

Time to go a bit more old-school today with a review of the classic political film Mr Smith Goes To Washington. Now this film is actually ahead of it's time in regards to the presentation of the political world in DC and the big message of the film is still as relevant today as it was in the 1930's.

Politic-A-Thon: Black Mirror: The National Anthem Review

And now for something completely different politically. Yes, I'm going back to Black Mirror and what better episode to talk about in the Politic-a-Thon than The National Anthem, the episode involving the Prime Minister shagging a pig.

Despicable Me 2 Review

At the start of the year I wasn't really looking forward to Despicable Me 2. I hadn't seen the first film and the first few trailers for this one made it look like a film unappealing to me. However, a lot of critics I trust have given very positive reviews to the film so I decided to check the film out and it's pretty good, although there are a lot of problems with the film.

Politic-A-Thon: Good Night and Good Luck. Review

Going through all these political films I've realised that I've not covered a film based on political journalism so what better film to cover than George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck. This film brilliantly covers the war between Edward R Murrow and Senator Joe McCarthy during the peak of the Red Scare, when Murrow could have been arrested for what he said and the way the story is told by Clooney is excellent.

Politic-A-Thon: You've Been Trumped Review

I think it's about time to talk about a documentary in the Politic-a-Thon and the first documentary I've chosen is one that hasn't received nearly as much attention as it should get and is probably the film that has made me the most angry in recent years, simply through the subject of the film, Donald Trump's golf course in Aberdeen.

Politic-A-Thon: The Great Dictator Review

So continuing the Politic-A-Thon, I think it's time to cover a film focusing on the extremist politics of the 1930's and 40's and what better film to talk about than The Great Dictator.  Yes, Chaplin's extremely over-the-top satire of Nazism that even Chaplin admits wouldn't have been made had he known about The Holocaust. It's completely politically incorrect, and utterly hilarious.

Politic-A-Thon: A Royal Affair Review

Thought I'd do something a little bit different in this part of the Politic-A-Thon and go with a film looking at the older political struggles in a country and to that end I've chosen A Royal Affair. Now on the surface, A Royal Affair looks like a stuffy costume drama but when you watch it, you see a deeply political thriller based in the 18th Century Danish court and all of this works incredibly well in the film.

Politic-A-Thon: The Campaign Review

Continuing with the Politic-A-Thon, I think it's time to talk about a political comedy and I think I've chosen right. There are a lot of comedic possibilities that can be created from a US Congressional Election and The Campaign makes good use of these different elements. From baby kissing to Communist bashing, all aspects of a campaign are shown in this film. I only wish the film was funnier.

Politic-A-Thon: In The Loop Review

So to kick off my first blog-a-thon, I decided to do a film that I think deserves to be seen by much more people and is one of the best political films made, Armando Ianucci's In The Loop. Now I feel that this is one of the funniest films ever made but not enough people have seen it so I think it's time for me to introduce some more people to this film.

Wrong Review - CineKatz Not-So-Secret-Santa in July Project

So as part of the Cinematic Katzenjammer's Not-So-Secret-Santa project, I got assigned the film Wrong and boy is was hard to watch. There are 2 reasons why it was so hard, firstly, it was hard for me to actually find the film since it hasn't been released in the UK yet, this is probably the only time that I've had to watch a film on YouTube. Secondly is that the film is incredibly boring, trying to be all artsy but completely failing.

The World's End Review

Ever since it was announced I've been highly anticipating The World's End, hell at the start of the year I named it my most anticipated film over films like Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Kick-Ass 2, Pacific Rim and Elysium. Now it's been released and I can say that my anticipation was worth it, The World's End is a brilliant film and a fitting conclusion to the Three Colours Cornetto Trilogy.

Fruitvale Station Review

Last week, I went to Washington DC on holiday (had a great time by the way) and I decided to go and see a film that probably wouldn't be released in the UK for a while. After hearing some good things about it I decided to go and see Fruitvale Station, then the George Zimmerman verdict happened and suddenly this film became incredibly timely and a big cultural event. Outside of the relevance though, what did I think of Fruitvale Station? It is a masterpiece.

Finally

Today, it has been announced by Robin Hardy that the original print of The Wicker Man, which many though to be lost and which StudioCanal has been trying to find for the past year, has now been found and is being restored for a UK cinema release followed by a DVD/BluRay release. Considering that The Wicker Man is one of my all time favourite films, I am eagerly awaiting this restoration so I can see what stuff has not been released before. Remember, the last time The Wicker Man was restored, a number of songs were restored which helped contribute to the brilliantly creepy atmosphere of the film. I really hope that more stuff like that will be in this new restoration.

Pacific Rim Review

For the past few months I've really been looking forward to Pacific Rim. Guillermo Del Toro is one of the best directors currently working and seeing him just go all out in a robots v. monsters film just sounds amazing. Good to report then that Pacific Rim more than meets the extremely high expectations I had and that I think it's the best pure action film released this year.

This Is The End Review

On the surface I should hate This Is The End, a stoner apocalypse comedy about a group of actors all playing themselves trying to ride it out. It shouldn't work but it does, This Is The End is a really funny film because of just how insane everything gets and how far the film takes the premise of all the actors stuck together.

Best of 2013 Halfway Through The Year

It's that time of year again where I give my brief thoughts on all the films I've seen halfway through the year in the traditional categories of best films, performances and scenes, along with stating what my most anticipated films for the rest of the year are, all of this based on the UK release dates for films so expect to see some films in the lists that you would have seen in best of lists from the end of last year. Let's start these multiple lists off with:

More Dragons

When it was first released, How To Train Your Dragon was one of the biggest surprises from 2010. I went in expecting to have just a fun little time and came out having seen a really heartfelt, action-packed and, especially during the flying scenes, beautiful film. Now the teaser trailer for the sequel has been released and I'm really excited.

Now You See Me Review

When the year started, I hadn't heard of Now You See Me, had no intention of watching it, wasn't even interested. A few weeks ago though, I watched a trailer for the film and I got intrigued, I'm interested in the whole magic scene and it has a brilliant cast. My thoughts on the film, I really enjoyed it, but there are some flaws.

A Field In England Review

Now this is a hard one. This film is so insane and messed up that I don't know if I will be able to properly review it without spoiling a few important elements of the film so consider this a spoiler warning. Now I've been looking forward to A Field In England for a while now for 2 reasons. Firstly, Ben Wheatley directing as I'm really interested in seeing what this guy would do after the brilliance of last years Sightseers. Secondly is the release of the film, this is the first film to be released in cinemas, on DVD/Blu-Ray, on VOD and shown on TV at the same time (by the way, I watched this film on TV). After watching the film, I have no idea what to think about it.

The East Review

At the start of the year I had not heard of this film, had no idea what it was about and had no intention of seeing it. A few weeks ago though, when I went to see The Iceman, there was a trailer for The East before the film and I was amazed that I hadn't heard about this film earlier. I mean it's a thriller about a group of terrorists punishing companies for their crimes against the environment, it is my ideal film and the film itself really impressed me with just how smart it was, making me feel stupid for having not heard about it earlier.

Behind The Candelabra Review

This is a film in which I knew nothing about it before I went in. I don't mean in terms of the trailers, I mean in terms of what the film's about. I have never really heard of Liberace before the film and I haven't seen a Steven Soderbergh film before and I think that it's fitting that the first Soderbergh film I watch is his potentially last film. With that said, all these elements of the film I wasn't familiar with beforehand, I want to be more familiar with now. This was an incredible film.

Much Ado About Nothing Review

Ever since I heard that Joss Whedon was going to be doing an adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing I've been heavily anticipating it. I mean, the sharp wit of the play matches perfectly with Whedon's style and many of the cast members he's recruited sound perfect for the role, mainly Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. After watching the film, my anticipation was worth it, this is one of the finest adaptations of Shakespeare I have seen.

Wreck It Ralph Review

Being both a fan of films and a fan of games I've been looking forward to Wreck-It Ralph for a while. The basic premise of the world (Toy Story but for games) is one that I'm really surprised wasn't done already and the sight of all these different game characters all being of the same screen as each other was really exciting to me. Having watched the film, all this stuff was really good with some elements of the film that are really excellent but there are other areas in which the film is a bit lackluster.

Man Of Steel Review

I've been cautiously optimistic over Man of Steel for a while now. Having never really been interested in the Superman character I've been interested to see how the film will introduce the character to both a new generation of audiences and to those who were never interested in the character like me. On the one hand, I like the idea of seeing a more serious interpretation of Superman but with Zack Snyder directing I honestly didn't know how the film would pan out. Would it be a pretty good attempt like Watchmen or a complete crash-and-burn like Sucker Punch. Having watched the film, I can say that it is a really good film, despite there being a few problematic elements that prevent it from becoming a truly great comic book film.

Zero Dark Thirty Review (Contains Spoilers)

Ever since Osama Bin Laden was killed on 2nd May 2011, I knew that there was going to be a major film made about the event. What I didn't expect though is that the film would be a thoughtful, introspective piece about the whole nature of the American intelligence operation to find Bin Laden that ultimately shows how hollow the death of Bin Laden actually is and that the film itself would be a brilliant piece of work but that is exactly what Zero Dark Thirty is.

The Iceman Review

Over the past few weeks, I've started to get quite interested in Mafia films having recently watched The Godfather and Goodfellas and as such when I heard about The Iceman, I was interested and when I saw that Michael Shannon was the lead, well that just confirmed to me that I had to see it. So how was it, pretty good if a bit problematic.

Politic-Blog-A-Thon

Over the past few months, I've been thinking about starting up a blog-a-thon on this site for a select group of films that I like and I've now come to my decision: Political films. But hey, I know everyone has different political beliefs so I'm opening this to anyone who wants to write something about a political film of their choice.

Anyone who wants to contribute, email me at coogsreviews@gmail.com telling me which film you want to cover, your website and Twitter name so that I can properly credit everyone involved and keep checking back here for a list of all contributors and the films they will cover.

To allow enough time for stuff to be written, the blog-a-thon will start on July 27th with my review on In The Loop and end on August 8th with my Top 15 favourite episodes of The West Wing. I hope that this'll be a great way to kick off the first of what I want to be many blog-a-thons.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Dan Heaton - Public Transportation Snob - Game Change

Star Trek Into Darkness Review

This is a film that I have been looking forward to for 4 years. Ever since the first JJ Abrams Star Trek was released in 2009 I was really looking forward to the sequel and I'm a bit surprised that it took this long for the sequel. After watching it, I can see why it took 4 years, they wanted to make this sequel as good as possible and it works. Star Trek Into Darkness is a blast. Now this review will be spoiler free as I don't want to give away the film unlike some other websites (looking at you iMDB) so rest assured, the major plot points in this film will be unspoiled.

The World's End Trailer

When I was thinking about my most anticipated films for 2013, the only film that I could think of that could possibly go at number one was the final part of the Three Colour's Cornetto Trilogy: The World's End. Now, the first trailer for the film has been released and it looks like my anticipation has been worth it.

RIP Ray Harryhausen

Today, one of the people who had the most long lasting effects on the film industry, Ray Harryhausen has passed away. The work Harryhausen did to pioneer stop-motion animation has entered the iconography of our culture in a way that no other special effects artist has managed and his work will be seen by generations to come. A few years ago, I went to see an exhibit dedicated to Harryhausen at the London Film Museum and I was amazed by the incredible levels of detail that he put into all of his models and seeing those models up close is just awe inspiring. After the jump are a few scenes to highlight his incredible career. Ray Harryhausen: you shall be missed.

2,500 Tons of Awesome

I think that's a pretty accurate description of Pacific Rim.

Iron Man 3 Review

After watching Avengers Assemble last year, one of my thoughts coming out of the film was wondering how Marvel would be able to top itself and with Iron Man 3 they had the perfect answer. Strip Iron Man to the bare bones and get Shane Black to direct. And you know what? It really works and Iron Man 3 is a great follow up to Avengers Assemble and a great start for Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Double Dose of Shakespeare

This year, there are going to be 2 highly hyped, major event adaptations of Shakespeare plays. Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing and Carlo Carlei/Julian Fellowes' Romeo and Juliet. Now that the trailer for Romeo and Juliet has been released, I feel like I should give my thoughts on the trailers for both films, starting off with Much Ado About Nothing.

RIP Roger Ebert

Today, after a long battle with cancer, Roger Ebert, arguably the most important and influential film critic to have ever lived has died. Speaking from the UK, I have very little direct experience of Ebert but through reading his reviews online and watching old Siskel and Ebert clips on YouTube you see a man who adored films in every way, shape and form and not even having the bottom of his jaw removed would prevent him from sharing his film knowledge with the world. After the jump are a few of my personal favourite Ebert reviews on Siskel and Ebert along with an excellent tribute to him done by Doug 'Nostalgia Critic' Walker.

Roger Ebert: you shall be missed.

Trance Review

Now this is a hard one. This is one of the films that comes along every once in a while where it's really hard for me to review. I'm getting ahead of myself though. I think it's best to start off with my thoughts on Danny Boyle and, of course, I think he's brilliant. Trainspotting, Sunshine and Slumdog Millionaire are my personal favourites but you can't really go wrong with any of his work and since the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, Boyle became one of the most important cultural icons of British history. His new film Trance is about as far away from the immense patriotism of the Olympic Opening Ceremony as possible, and it feels like he is having fun directing something again. Again, this is a hard film to review so there may be spoilers so I recommend watching Trance before reading my review.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Trailer

Whenever a comedy TV show from the UK gets adapted for a film one of two things happens. It can either be regarded as a comedy classic (see In The Loop) or an absolute disaster which could be regarded as one of the worst films ever made (see Keith Lemon: The Film). The next character to make the leap to the big screen is Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Kick-Ass 2 Trailer

For a long time now I've been really looking forward to seeing Kick-Ass 2. Everything looked to be falling into place, the main cast members were back, Matthew Vaughn was still going to be involved (even if it wasn't as director) and the new cast members added looked really interesting. Now the first trailer has been released and it looks like my anticipation was justified.

Oz: The Great and Powerful Review

I have a bit of a strange relationship with The Wizard of Oz. I remember liking it when I was younger but I haven't seen it fully for a few years so when I heard about this film, I was hoping that my interest in The Wizard of Oz would be renewed and thankfully, it has. This film was a blast to watch and a really good family film, though there are some problems.

Iron Man 3 Trailer

I was already really excited for Iron Man 3, now my excitement has reached its peak due to this trailer. I mean just watch that ending.

Black Mirror: The Waldo Moment Review

So here it is, the final episode from series 2 of Black Mirror, and, in my opinion, it's probably the weakest episode of Black Mirror. Don't get me wrong, it's still brilliant but compared to masterpiece episodes like 15 Million Merits and Be Right Back, it is easily the weakest. So why do I think this is the weakest Black Mirror, let's find out.

Cloud Atlas Review

For a while now I've been really looking forward to watching Cloud Atlas, I was intrigued to see just how the different story beats would work and how they would all connect with each other. When I finally watched the film, not only was I surprised at how well it all worked, but I am prepared to say that it is one of the best films I've ever seen.

Stupid Casting 101

To anyone who doesn't know, I'm not a fan of Megan Fox. Scratch that, I think she is the worst actress to ever hit it big, she cannot act to save her life and the only good film she's ever done is How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, although she was still terrible in that, Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst are the ones who make the film worth watching. After her lack of films since Transformers 2, I thought that she would finally be gone from the film world. Then this happens:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=36580

Hitchcock Review

Before I start this review, I have to say that I have not seen that many Hitchcock films, the only ones I've seen are Rear Window and Vertigo, both of which are brilliant films. I'm saying this to let you know how much experience I have with the films of Hitchcock before I went to see this film. That said though, I really enjoyed Hitchcock on the whole. Now I won't be making many comparisons to The Girl which was on BBC 2 over Christmas, the only thing I'll say is, whilst Hitchcock is the better film, despite how good Anthony Hopkins is, which I will talk about later, I thought Toby Jones gave the better performance as Hitchcock but The Girl was an inferior film on a whole, mainly due to the obvious limitations from being a TV Movie and a pretty average script. With that lone bit of comparison out of the way, let's get into my review of Hitchcock.

Black Mirror: White Bear Review

Damn. I thought I knew where this episode was going but then that ending came. This is why I like Charlie Brooker's writing so much, just when you think you know what is going to happen, the exact opposite happens. It worked wonders last week with Be Right Back and it's work brilliantly again with White Bear. Now in order for me to give my full thoughts on this episode I will need to spoil the ending. For warning, the first two paragraphs will talk about the episode prior to the ending and there will be a nice long gap before I talk about the ending. That said, if you don't want this episode spoilt for you I suggest you go and watch this episode as soon as possible, although that may take a while if you're not British. With that set up, here's my review of White Bear.

Black Mirror: Be Right Back Review

Ever since it first came on in 2011, I've been a massive supporter for Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror. Not only was it some of the best TV written in the past few years but each episode made a brilliant statement about the current, technology heavy world. Now it feels like Black Mirror is getting the recognition it deserves, not only is there a second series currently out but Robert Downey Jr has bought the rights to the third episode from the first series, The Entire History of You, to adapt to the big screen. To celebrate this, I will be reviewing all the episodes from series 2 of Black Mirror, starting off with the insane love story of Be Right Back.

Django Unchained Review

It won't be surprising for anyone to hear that I am a massive fan of Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are in my top 20 favourite films and I don't think I've seen a bad film of his. With that said, what did I think of Django Unchained? It's his best work since Pulp Fiction, even better than I thought it was going to be.

Lincoln Review

When you think of Steven Spielberg doing a biopic of Abraham Lincoln, you immediately expect to see loads of overly sentimental nonsense. Lincoln is not that film, think of it less as a biopic of Lincoln and more of what if they did The West Wing with Lincoln, and it's even better than it sounds.

Live Long and May the Force Be With You

Yesterday, news came out that JJ Abrams is being hired by Disney to be the director of Star Wars Episode 7. If this news is true, allow me to say that this is brilliant news.

Les Miserables Review

When it was revealed that a Les Miserables musical movie was being made, I was excited to see how the songs and the overall feel of the play could translate to screen. Everything I heard about the film made it sound better and better. An excellent cast, live singing and Oscar winning director Tom Hooper at the helm. I was really looking forward to seeing how this could compete with my all time favourite movie musical, Across the Universe. Well today I went to see the film and it was okay, just okay.

My Thoughts on the 2013 Oscar Nominations

So that was a mixed bag. I honestly don't know what to make of these nominations. There were some great nominations but some very obvious snubs (looking at the complete snub of The Dark Knight Rises in particular). So, with my usual categories and discounting the short films, I dive into the 2013 Oscar Nominations:

My Thoughts on the 2013 BAFTA nominations

So it's that time of year again to give my thoughts on the BAFTA nominations released. As usual, my thoughts will be shown in the Will Win, Should Win and Missing sections and I will be discounting the short film nominations. With that out the way, let's dive in.