Five Movies To Watch To Kick Off 2020
1917
In Cinemas Jan 9
With the likes of Dunkirk forging the path, we seem to have entered a new era of great war films. The latest of which is 1917, a rare WWI movie. I guess because watching people sitting around getting trenchfoot doesn’t make for gripping storytelling. 1917 skirts this by letting us follow two runners, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) as they race to deliver a message that could save the lives of 1,600 men set to charge from the trenches into certain death.
Cut together to look like one continuous take, this movie draws you inexorably into the action. To say this is a masterpiece of cinema doesn’t feel cheesy to say. Director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) should be pleased, not in some small part that the film itself is based off a grain of a story his grandfather once told him.
The action is immediate and the suspence will creep up on you hard in places; you’re in for an experience. This is your must watch for the start of 2020. It’s going to get Oscar nominations, just you wait and see.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
In Cinemas Jan 23
Hollywood’s most loved actor, Tom Hanks plays the beloved children’s host Mr. Rogers. Rogers is being interviewed by a journalist who wants to find out what’s behind the icon, but instead finds out more about himself. Hanks does a stellar job in the role. Director Marielle Heller brings all the heart.
Underwater
In Cinemas Jan 23
Aliens was Jaws in space, now prepare for Alien in water. Things have come full circle and Kristen Stewart is our tough mechanic gal of the day.
Miles under the ocean’s surface, pressure is deadly, but what comes crawling out of the depths to terrorise the underwater base is even worse.
Beats
In Cinemas Feb 6
Beats is Trainspotting for the Scottish rave scene, and its accurate portrayal of the music and culture of the time makes it a movie that will get people who grew up in the early 90s their daily recommended intake of nostalgia. With banging tunes from the likes of Prodigy pushing it along, you’ll have a funny, but heartfelt watch.
Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn)
In Cinemas Feb 6
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn was the only part of Suicide Squad worth saving, and, sensing that even Jared Leto’s take on the Joker wasn’t going to fly, has left Harley in a sticky situation. So they broke up. Who needs that baggage, am I right?
Now she’s making her own way in the world, but still shaking things up. She’s gotten on the wrong side of Black Mask (Ewan McGregor) and falls in with a new tighter ensemble cast, featuring Marie Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and newbie, Ella Jay Basco. Collectively, they make up the titular Birds of Prey, an all-girl roster of heroes you’d only recognise if you read the comics.
After Joker completely demolished the box office, Warner Bros might not be so shy when it comes to giving a movie an R rating and there’s the expectation that’s exactly what Birds of Prey is going to get. Also I’m sorry, I was a little harsh on Suicide Squad, it’s getting a sequel in 2021
Which Weirdly Animated Movie Should You See
Based on a totally arbitrary scoring system
Sonic The Hedgehog
In cinemas 13 Feb 2020
Animation vastly improved over original Manhog design: +5
Fish out of water trope: -1
Jim Carrey: +2
James Marsden: -1
Story Still Made for Kids: -2
Final Score: 3
Cats
In cinemas 26 Dec 2019
God leaving us after seeing human-cat hybrid: -5
A tried and true stageshow: +2
But it’s a musical: -2
Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber: +1
Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen: +6
But the figures of those cat people are still kinda hot: +2
Awakening things inside me I didn’t want awakened: -1
Final Score: 3
(+10 if you’re a Furry)
