Josh!

38. Passing directed by: Rebecca Hall starring: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Bill Camp, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Alexander Skarsgård Never have I felt so uncomfortable nor squirmed so much as I did during the scene where Irene is introduced to Clare's husband for the first time. My stomach was in knots as he was explaining how he gave his wife her nickname. That was one of the scenes that will stick with me always, even if the rest of the film does not. It peaked with that really though, and then started to plod along a bit more than I had hoped. There was enough to keep me going and the acting on show was really glorious but there were a few inbetween scenes that were a bit on the boring side. All in all, a strong directorial debut from Hall too and I can't wait to see what she does next behind the camera - as well as in front of it. 37. The Lost Daughter directed by: Maggie Gyllenhaal starring: Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Domińczyk, Jack Farthing, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Peter Sarsgaard, Ed Harris What a performance from Olivia Colman! She played such an intricate character and the whole film really rested on her. She was so deeply flawed and unpredictable at times, yet you felt really sympathetic for her at others. She aced the emotional tearing up scenes especially. Those would make for some brilliant Oscar reels. The rest of the film had a few highs and lows. I thought the tension that was created between Leda and the dangerous family holidaying with her made for some very uncomfortable scenes where my stomach was really turning. However, I didn't really like any of the times we cut to the Jessie Buckley plot. I preferred when they were snappy flashbacks like at the beginning and it lost me a bit where it evolved into its own proper storyline with more fleshed out scenes. I just wanted to jump back to Colman and her masterclass performance immediately! 36. The United States vs. Billie Holiday directed by: Lee Daniels starring: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Leslie Jordan, Miss Lawrence, Adriane Lenox, Natasha Lyonne, Rob Morgan, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Evan Ross, Tyler James Williams Very glad to have watched this so I'm now aware of such an important story. I'd heard of Billie Holiday before but knew nothing of her involvement in civil rights activism and the struggles she faced because of that. It's one of those real life stories that you wish weren't so relevant over 50 years later, but still have so many parallels to situations happening across the world right now. Andra Day gave a brilliant performance too - giving moments of both light and shade - from her portrayal of Billie's outgoing, lively exterior to capturing some of her most incredibly raw & vulnerable moments too. 35. Cinderella directed by: Kay Cannon starring: Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Nicholas Galitzine, Billy Porter, Pierce Brosnan Ready to get hate for this but I had such a wild time with this, lmao. Couldn’t tell whether the film itself was in on the joke or not. 50% tragic but 50% iconic. Sometimes it felt like it was deliberate on the self-deprecating / fourth wall breaking jokes. The other half though, we were definitely laughing AT the film rather than with it. The jukebox musical of it all was a nice twist on a story we’ve seen more than enough. “Whatta Man” was the most fun, I think. It was like a fever dream, haha. Every girl in that scene was absolutely gorgeous too. I’d have happily watched an extended cut of that musical number, lol. Minnie Driver was my favourite surprisingly. Just loved her deadpan feminist Queen, should’ve made her rule at the end. Idina Menzel was a hoot too. Her belting “Material Girl” was a moment (in fact, her just belting absolutely anything at all possible times - hahahahr). 34. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions directed by: Adam Robitel starring: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Deborah Ann Woll The All Stars/Catching Fire of Escape Rooms. A fun romp, with some better characters than the first movie but I'd say slightly less enjoyable on the whole. I did really enjoy the subway train concept with the alphabetical pull handles. And the set design on the beach room was really cool, that got me most excited to look out for clues and easter eggs myself. I was almost a little TOO stressed watching it too. I feel like the first film had a bit more time to breathe, but this was just constant timers and countdowns that it almost ruined the pace. It almost just felt too impossible? Like how a single one of them even survived the subway train is a miracle. Nevermind work out that bank/safe room in less than 10 minutes! Indya Moore was a brilliant addition to the cast. Not sure if it's because I love Angel from Pose with my whole heart. Re-cap: 34. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions 35. Cinderella 36. The United States vs. Billie Holiday 37. The Lost Daughter 38. Passing 39. In the Heights 40. Jungle Cruise 41. Help 42. Dune 43. No Time to Die 44. Stillwater 45. Run 46. The Woman in the Window 47. Don't Look Up 48. Titane 49. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway 50. Single All the Way

Yeah, I think the second half of 'Titane' was the part where I started to really appreciate it. The mindless killings and automobile intercourse of the first half just had me thinking... eh?! I think I'm going to love Dune, Part 2 now that I actually know what I'm in for. I can massively appreciate it on a technical level still but I was wondering what was going on for the most part on my first viewing, haha. Yep, think I'm with you on that one. I think universal yet distinctive is a good way to describe his other stuff but this just felt like style over substance for the sake of it. I'm hoping he returns to form with the next project! Thanks Chez for your comments :)

43. No Time to Die directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga starring: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes I think I’ve come to the realisation that Bond just isn’t for me. I find it hard to pick any faults with this is a film, but it just sparks no enjoyment in me really. It’s the definition of style over substance in my eyes. Sure, there’s plenty of the fashion glamour that Bond is synonymous with - and that’s all absolutely impeccable. But a runtime of over 2 hours and 40 minutes, with barely three jokes spread across the entire thing is inexcusable, it just DRAGS! Lashana Lynch was a scene stealer right from the beginning, and was the reason behind pretty much all of my favourite scenes. The creators should make that ballsy movie properly and just have her as 007 going forward. That's the reason it earns such a high placing here really. 42. Dune directed by: Denis Villeneuve starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem I think I went into watching this a little too blind and therefore had not anticipated how many characters, worlds, beasts etc. that I'd be introduced too. There was so much lore to the world of Dune that I was finding it difficult to follow at times, and the confusion made it feel overlong. Some really, really awesome moments that I think will stand out as great cinema. It makes me wish I'd seen it in IMAX or on an even larger screen than an ordinary cinema showing. The first sandworm sequence was so intense and felt like the stakes were super high. I thought Sharon Duncan-Brewster had a standout role here too. I definitely see myself giving this a higher score on re-watch now I've read up on a bit more and have more of an idea what was going on. Bring on Part 2! 41. Help directed by: Marc Munden starring: Jodie Comer, Stephen Graham, Ian Hart, Sue Johnston, Lesley Sharp, Angela Griffin, David Hayman, Cathy Tyson Really devastating. Some knockout performances here from Comer & Graham - I just want the former to continue growing into a bigger and bigger star. The Liverpool setting & references to the NHS made it all feel so British which really made it hit home. Hearing about Covid statistics makes it feel removed in a sense from real people’s lives sometimes but this really drove home the huge impact on individuals who suffered from Covid and, even more so, the carers who risked their lives & mental health to be there for them. I did think the final act veered a bit into prime time television drama vibes, and felt not so realistic which was a bit unexpected. However there was some brilliant acting on show and some expertly written monologues. I felt so attached to the characters at this point that it didn’t derail the film too much for me. 40. Jungle Cruise directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti Pirates of the Caribbean-esque family fun … I’d watch a sequel but don’t think it’s the most exciting thing Disney are investing in at the moment. I was kinda surprised at how dark some scenes were. From the trailer I expected a lot of daylight jungle vibes but there were quite a lot of scenes in caves or at night which made it a bit harder to follow during all the action. Character wise; loved Emily Blunt as always - bit of a feminist icon. I love me some Jack Whitehall too so I appreciated him for some light relief. Could take or leave The Rock tbh but I’m not usually a fan either. The pet jaguar was gorgeous too, makes me want one myself. 39. In the Heights directed by: Jon M. Chu starring: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Jimmy Smits Wasn't sure what to expect from this as I am a huuuuge musical theatre fan but admittedly haven't seen this or listened to much of its soundtrack before. I was pleasantly surprised with all of the songs for sure, all of the rap style singing was really fun and the lyrics were so cheeky that it was impossible not to watch with a smile on the face. At its best, it's a really uplifting movie about the power of community and chosen family (with some brill songs too - my faves being the titular track, "96,000" and "Carnaval del Barrio"). The casting was brill too, you felt an attachment to all of the side characters no matter how large their roles were. I was hypnotised by Melissa Barrera as Vanessa Morales in the club dancing scenes. Plus, Anthony Ramos played an incredibly loveable lead. It's not hard to see why people were falling for him :') However, at its worst... it does feel a little on the long side at times & probably could've done without the Lin-Manuel Miranda cameos (his songs felt a bit out of place and didn't drive the plot forward one bit). Re-cap: 39. In the Heights 40. Jungle Cruise 41. Help 42. Dune 43. No Time to Die 44. Stillwater 45. Run 46. The Woman in the Window 47. Don't Look Up 48. Titane 49. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway 50. Single All the Way

48. Titane directed by: Julia Ducournau starring: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier, Laïs Salameh This was 50% disturbing and 50% extremely confusing yet I was absolutely hooked. I simultaneously didn't want to take my eyes off the screen but then couldn't help myself wincing and turning away every so often, lmao. The worst bit for myself was simply picturing what Alexia's baby would look like. To be fair, I think I'd made that worse in my head so it wasn't so bad in the end, aha. I thought it was going to be a mini gearstick or something. Certainly a ride from start to finish and one that'll stick with me for a long while yet. Overly gruesome in places perhaps (as soon as she started itching her pregnant belly, I was almost OUT) but it had its fair share of very interesting moments. I really did feel for the father, just looking for anyone to fit the hole left in his life by his son's disappearance. 47. Don't Look Up directed by: Adam McKay starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep The first half of the movie is definitely stronger than the second. It starts off really fun with some clever comedy, an interesting premise and some bonkers caricatures. I felt as though it lost its spark towards the middle and struggled to regain the same momentum. The jokes stopped landing and it felt a bit more disaster flick than a political tool. I loved Blanchett the most I think. Her role was stripped straight of 'The Morning Show' in the best possible way. It was nice to have Lawrence back on our screens after what feels like a quiet period too and she really made me the laugh. I love that she was the only right one throughout the entire movie but she just delivered everything in such an unhinged way, hahah. No wonder nobody believed her :') 46. The Woman in the Window directed by: Joe Wright starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Fred Hechinger, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julianne Moore I was expecting the literal worst from this but I thought it was pretty fun to be honest. Very silly and over-dramatic in places but it still had me hooked and loving every minute so I can't really complain. I love me some Amy Adams and I thought she did a pretty good job here of reeling me in. As a viewer, I was rooting for her! It was nice to see Julianne Moore pop up too, as I didn't realise how star studded the cast was when I started the film. 45. Run directed by: Aneesh Chaganty starring: Sarah Paulson, Keira Allen Entertaining enough... a fun rip-off, mash-up of 'Sharp Objects' & 'Misery' but without the originality or absurdity of either of those. Sarah Paulson plays unhinged as well as ever. To her credit, the film probably wouldn't have been so watchable without such a capable actress in the lead role. 44. Stillwater directed by: Tom McCarthy starring: Matt Damon, Camille Cottin, Abigail Breslin I was really quite dreading this after seeing the runtime but I was really pleasantly surprised with how gripping it was at times. It definitely did drag a bit in places, but I warmed a lot to the characters and there were some proper edge-of-the-seat sequences too. Maya has got to be one of the most adorable children characters in any film I've seen. I just wanted nothing bad to happen to her at all - my heart was in my mouth during the Marseille game when Akeem was spotted and you knew she was being dragged along and put in danger. Camille Cottin was lovely too but a bad bitch in all the right places too (loved it when she schooled the racist guy). Overall pretty decent & I liked that it kept you guessing on how truly innocent Abigail Breslin's character too. I've enjoyed educating myself after watching on the real-life Amanda Knox story this was loosely based on as well. Re-cap: 44. Stillwater 45. Run 46. The Woman in the Window 47. Don't Look Up 48. Titane 49. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway 50. Single All the Way

I was a bit conflicted on the ending. I did think it was rather beautiful... but at the same time, I was kind of cringing too much whilst watching it - haha. I was ready for it to end by then. Totally agree on Sound of Metal. The sound design was the most impressive thing about it for sure. But I was just clock-watching for the majority of the runtime, I thought it'd be far more gripping. Cheers Lewis It was better than the last Halloween instalment too, I think! Fingers crossed it continues that upwards trajectory - and then please end!! Honestly Kyle needs to be upgraded to main cast, sksksk. Thanks Jack!

53. Nobody directed by: Ilya Naishuller starring: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Christopher Lloyd Pretty fun action movie to be fair. I'm usually not the biggest fan of mindless action but this had plenty of gruesome shots and grizzly deaths that kept it entertaining enough. Some of the jokes were so over-the-top funny that they made me laugh too (The ongoing kitty cat gag was a good one. As well as the on-the-nose 'let's get a house with a basement' closer, lol). Hutch's dad was also iconic, watching him whip out a giant shotgun from underneath his blanket at the care home was such a wtf moment but it did make me chuckle. I just know I'm never going to remember a single thing about this movie in two years time but it was a good time whilst I was watching it and that's all matters for these types of movies, hahaha. Bob Odenkirk was kind of a daddy too? 52. Halloween Kills directed by: David Gordon Green starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Thomas Mann, Anthony Michael Hall, Kyle Richards I went in with really low expectations for this based on critic reviews and also the awful quality of the last movie but I actually kind of enjoyed it?!? It was just so over-the-top silly that I was having a good time with it mostly. I liked that it focused more on the old school actors and the 1978 original (including the 'new' footage we got with the flashbacks throughout). It was a nice nod to the legacy of Halloween and made me actually care about the characters - rather than those irrelevant teens who were so prominent in the last movie. Kyle Richards was iconic. She better be back in the next instalment. Disappointing end though. They're just running out of ways to keep this superhero villain alive. He should be dead a thousand times already!! I can take one more film but let's really hope 'Halloween Ends' lives up to its title and delivers on that promise. 51. The Colour Room directed by: Claire McCarthy starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Matthew Goode, Kerry Fox, David Morrissey, Darci Shaw, Luke Norris Nothing special really, but it had its moments and it was nice to see something so British (and not London history too, for a change!). The pottery on display was gorgeous and I enjoyed reading about the real-life trailblazer that Cliff was. It’s mad to see how much her original Bizzare pottery work sells for nowadays. A feminist icon that I’m glad I know about now thanks to this film. Phoebe Dynevor was really lovely. If this is her first major movie role then I can’t wait to see where she goes from here. She made for a really endearing leading lady 50. Single All the Way directed by: Michael Mayer starring: Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Luke Macfarlane, Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Robertson, Jennifer Coolidge, Kathy Najimy Aw, this was cute haha. Finally a decent Christmas classic for us gays. Everyone was so likeable in this that I didn't even mind which gay picked which - I'd have been happy either way, lol. I want my own Christmas Carole in the family. And how can we forget Aunt Sandy - what a scene stealer Coolidge is! The scene where the sister bumped into the potential date in an attempt to sabotage it was way funnier than it had any right to be. Blame Peter for global warming!! 49. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway directed by: Will Gluck starring: Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo, Elizabeth Debicki, Lennie James, Margot Robbie, James Corden Haven’t seen the first Peter Rabbit film so wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this but it was really rather charming. Rose Byrne being a central character was a little pleasant surprise, she’s always just so LOVELY and has great comedic timing here as always. The final act especially was just heaps of fun. Watching all the little rescue missions had me grinning from ear to ear. My favourite being the deer’s rescue from the hunting museum. I know we have to suspend belief a little as it is a kid’s movie after all... BUT I thought the humans suddenly being able to hear Peter speak halfway through the sequel to be a bit silly? There had been a whole farm yard full of different species talking right in front of humans all along and no one had batted an eyelid! Also, I’ve never known a town to be as hot on adopting animals the second they get put in the shop window as the town in this film, lmao. Re-cap: 49. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway 50. Single All the Way 51. The Colour Room 52. Halloween Kills 53. Nobody 54. King Richard 55. Ron's Gone Wrong 56. The Matrix Resurrections 57. The Green Knight 58. F9 59. The Croods: A New Age 60. Spencer 61. Those Who Wish Me Dead 62. Another Round 63. Sound of Metal 64. He's All That 65. Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard 66. Nomadland 67. Godzilla vs. Kong 68. The Guilty 69. The Addams Family 2 70. The King's Man 71. Pieces of a Woman 72. Gunpowder Milkshake 73. Supernova 74. Candyman 75. Dear Evan Hansen 76. Red Notice 77. A Boy Called Christmas 78. Respect 79. Don't Breathe 2 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

There are a couple of those still in the running,-ooop- but some I've not seen too. Sia's Music looked so problematic I couldn't bring myself to watch it, haha. Songbird was dreadful!! I'd forgotten all about it 'til now but WHAT a disappointment. It could make for a good movie idea in a couple of years if someone can tackle it a bit better, lol. Sing 2 is a 2022 movie here in the UK, so we'll see this time next year! :P Promising Young Woman is coming though, stay tuned x Thank you! I can confirm all three Disney/Pixar movies are yet to come but it's about time we disagreed Jack, haha. I did find it really charming but I just found myself clock-watching a bit in the final act. Cheers :heart:

58. F9 directed by: Justin Lin starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, Charlize Theron Probably would've enjoyed this even more if I wasn't absolutely exhausted after the vaccine but there was enough action to keep me entertained even when I was struggling to concentrate. Saying that, there was definitely 20 mins or so of footage that could've been cut out though. I couldn't have cared less about all the young Toretto back stories, and I find Vin Diesel a chore to watch as a lead. He has none of the charisma or leading man charm that Dwayne Johnson has but this has a far better supporting cast than the latter's spin-off had. The action scenes were, of course, the highlight. The Edinburgh chase seen was really fun to follow along as someone who has visited the city multiple times. The giant magnet machine had a lot of wow factor too, the shot of them using it to pull in Cena through buildings was wicked. The women were all cool as well and definitely my highlights of the movie. Emmanuel was hilarious when she was driving the truck for the first time but I also thought Brewster provided a lot of the heart behind the movie, and Rodriguez is always a badass. 57. The Green Knight directed by: David Lowery starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Ralph Ineson Gorgeous cinematography, that was my main take away from the movie really. I’ll take ten screen grabbed postcards please! The Green Knight character design & lore was super interesting & I loved the scenes that involved him. The threat of his return made me want to continue watching during the slower periods of the film. Side note: Alicia Vikander playing two characters just seemed unnecessarily confusing. I thought I’d missed something as to why it was the same actress but it seems not. Definitely would’ve been easier to follow if they’d just cast a separate actress for one of the roles?! 56. The Matrix Resurrections directed by: Lana Wachowski starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith A Matrix story I could actually somewhat follow, wahey! Definitely a return to form of sorts after the convoluted messy plot and CGI alien swarms of the third instalment. I’m a sucker for nostalgia anyway but Reeves and Moss are so damn good in their roles. It’s just so fun to have them back. That line at the end where Trinity said something along the lines of ‘don’t f***ing call me Tiffany’ is already iconic. In fact, Trinity’s whole character arc in the final act was women’s rights! She always was the star. I loved Niobe showing up in this as well actually. It reminded me a bit of General Organa in the Star Wars sequels. It was a nice sense of familiarity and to catch up with a character so many years on. On the bad side, I could take or leave the villains. The new Agent Smith didn’t have the same spark that Weaving has. And the more confusing parts were involving Neil Patrick Harris. The action was pretty plain Jane too until the final act. The bodies dropping from the skyscrapers as bombs was insane though! 55. Ron's Gone Wrong directed by: Sarah Smith, Jean-Philippe Vine, Octavio E. Rodriguez starring: Zach Galifianakis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Ed Helms, Justice Smith, Rob Delaney, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, Olivia Colman Awww man, Ron was SO cute. Top humour from him, hahah. I can’t decide whether I want a Ron more or a B-Bot - they were so cool!! It had a really nice message about friendship being a two-way street as well. Bit long for a kid’s film though like, lol. Feel like this would’ve struggled to keep my attention as a youngster. 54. King Richard directed by: Reinaldo Marcus Green starring: Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal I was a bit worried about the runtime of this one but it never really felt long like other similar biopics have in the past. Knowing the Williams' sisters grow to be SUCH sport icons really makes you root for them and want to know how it all began. Smith was the standout - and watching the real life archive footage of Richard Williams at the end helped to showcase his great work. It was almost like-for-like so props to him for getting so much of that down to a T. I'd like to give Saniyya Sidney a shout out too for acing (get it) her role. She was so watchable the entire time as Venus Williams. I had my heart in my mouth throughout the match in the final act. Re-cap: 54. King Richard 55. Ron's Gone Wrong 56. The Matrix Resurrections 57. The Green Knight 58. F9 59. The Croods: A New Age 60. Spencer 61. Those Who Wish Me Dead 62. Another Round 63. Sound of Metal 64. He's All That 65. Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard 66. Nomadland 67. Godzilla vs. Kong 68. The Guilty 69. The Addams Family 2 70. The King's Man 71. Pieces of a Woman 72. Gunpowder Milkshake 73. Supernova 74. Candyman 75. Dear Evan Hansen 76. Red Notice 77. A Boy Called Christmas 78. Respect 79. Don't Breathe 2 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

I'm not the biggest Nicolas Cage fan on the best of days either so maybe I was a bit biased. Have you seen that new film where he's playing himself, haha?! I saw a trailer at the cinema recently and was like wtf. 'Sincerely, Me'!! That was it. It was so fun hahah. The rest of the songs largely took themselves a bit seriously but that one was so camp. I bet that'd be so fun to see live in the stage show too. Kourtney Kardashian needs to be in more movies, lmaoooo. It was just so silly when she kept calling in, hahaha. Name one other actress who could play that role, huh. Thanks Sam : heart:

63. Sound of Metal directed by: Darius Marder starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci A solid movie but I did find it a bit of a slog at times (especially with the plot about the girlfriend). However, I was really impressed with how effective the use of sound was throughout. It helped to relay Ruben's frustration to the audience and I found a lot of the scenes with distorted audio or no sound whatsoever much more instantly gripping. Riz Ahmed pulled off a worthy performance but Paul Raci was my acting highlight. He had the most interesting character to me and completely stole the show in the scenes they shared in my opinion. I felt his wise and nurturing character left the biggest impact on me. 62. Another Round directed by: Thomas Vinterberg starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe An interesting view on the effects of alcohol, showcasing the whole spectrum of being drunk from when it can act as a social aide, to the devastating conclusions of over-drinking. The first half was really quite fun to watch and I found myself chuckling a fair bit. It was brill when they were all at a low level and just be vibing through the day, haha. I’m sure it’ll be very bittersweet if I were to re-watch though, after knowing what it leads to in the end for them. It did outstay its welcome a bit at the end though. I was hoping/expecting it to end a couple times before it actually did. I also thought the huge focus on the marriage at the end felt a little hollow considering the fact that the wife had been nothing more than a very minor side character for the rest of the film. 61. Those Who Wish Me Dead directed by: Taylor Sheridan starring: Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Medina Senghore, Jon Bernthal One of those C-list action thrillers that I'm happy to watch but glad I don't pay full price to see at the local Cineworld. I had higher expectations too based on it being written by Taylor Sheridan (after how intense 'Sicario' and 'Wind River' were) but I was left feeling just pretty 'whelmed'. Bernthal and his partner were the only characters I felt that I was really rooting for. I'd rather the movie have followed them as the central characters to be honest. The stakes always seemed much higher for them and they were both badass af too. I just wanted to get back to their storyline whenever the little boy was on screen, lol. Angelina Jolie is a queen too. One of those movie stars that could get me to watch a film no matter what. 60. Spencer directed by: Pablo Larraín starring: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing, Sean Harris, Sally Hawkins This felt like a longer version of one of the weaker episodes from the fourth season of The Crown. Meh! I enjoyed some of the juicy parts with the power dynamic between Diana, Charles, The Queen etc. but it ALWAYS reverts to her being miserable and mopey - that’s where it begins to be hard to sit through. I also thought that the recurring Anne Boleyn metaphor was messy and not particularly effective either. Stewart’s performance was really stand out! I thought she aced some of the raw emotional scenes, and the ongoing struggle with her eating disorders. I even preferred it to Emma Corrin’s recent portrayal of Di. (Shout out to the score and the cinematography as well. Hope it gets some awards attention in the technical aspects too). In hindsight, I appreciate it more looking at it as a work of fiction. Still can't really stand watching Diana but it was a creative way to tackle a based-on-true story that's already being covered on a high profile Netflix show. I do feel like two can live in a world side-by-side rather than this being made irrelevant by the other's existence. 59. The Croods: A New Age directed by: Joel Crawford starring: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, Kelly Marie Tran Definitely more of a proper kids film, with limited adult appeal really. Even so, I found myself really enjoying the final act. Especially once they got their tribe names and title cards, haha. My favourite bit was the animal design throughout… the Kangadillos & the land sharks were really cool. And of course, the punch monkeys (I loved their language, hahah. The sequence with subtitles made me laugh out loud). I absolutely loved the mother Betterman too. She was such an uptight queen but also was so iconic when she let her hair down. Literally! Re-cap: 59. The Croods: A New Age 60. Spencer 61. Those Who Wish Me Dead 62. Another Round 63. Sound of Metal 64. He's All That 65. Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard 66. Nomadland 67. Godzilla vs. Kong 68. The Guilty 69. The Addams Family 2 70. The King's Man 71. Pieces of a Woman 72. Gunpowder Milkshake 73. Supernova 74. Candyman 75. Dear Evan Hansen 76. Red Notice 77. A Boy Called Christmas 78. Respect 79. Don't Breathe 2 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

I completely agree with you on Nomadland. You should definitely watch 'The Father' though, it was so impressive. That's certainly yet to come here. One of the few movies I watched twice at the cinema this year! Fun yet forgettable sums up Gunpowder Milkshake pretty well. The only memorable bit really was Gillan's moody acting hahahah, bless her :') Thanks for the comments Lewis :) It's the sort of thing I'd recommend to watch once, but then I'd never watch it again myself. It feels long even 1h 45m runtime, hahaha. Frances McDormand was insufferable last awards season too, lmao. Cheers Jack!

67. Godzilla vs. Kong directed by: Adam Wingard starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Lance Reddick, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir Needed more monsters and less humans. The storyline with the Kong human team wasn't too bad - the characters were fun to root for and at least they were side by side with Kong the whole time. The Godzilla human team were all various levels of very irritating and they could've been removed from the film without consequence really. Saying that, the actions scenes were very fun. My personal favourite scene being the three way fight with Mechagodzilla (I was cheering on Kong, of course). Actual Godzilla burning a hole right through to the centre of the Earth was also pretty damn cool. A film of two halves. One side being an action-packed CGI spectacle and the other being an unnecessary and rather irritating human side story. 66. Nomadland directed by: Chloe Zhao starring: Frances McDormand, Peter Spears A very beautiful film, and a very insightful one too. By capturing those small interactions, it allows you to understand a lifestyle that isn't often covered in popular media. In terms of pure enjoyment - I would say the film was a bit too slow and quiet for my liking but I'm still glad I watched it at the end of the day. Although not my favourite of this year's performances, McDormand was well worthy of her Oscar for portraying a 'nomad' with such credibility that you wouldn't know she was the only actress in the film unless you were told. 65. Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard directed by: Patrick Hughes starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Frank Grillo, Richard E. Grant, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman Salma Hayek carries this film really. Completely steals the show from the moment she lands on screen and has all the funniest moments to herself (even if her crudeness did wear a bit thin towards the end). Ryan Reynolds was as loveable as ever too. This film wouldn’t be half as good without the cast it has to be honest. The action itself is very seen it all before and done better. Lots of very quick shots & difficult to follow the shots & punches at times. The humour injected into the fight scenes is what keep things most interesting but I’m not sure it’d hold up on rewatch now I’ve heard all the jokes once. I’d watch a sequel though if I wanted a good time, and fingers crossed all of the main cast would return - it wouldn’t be the same without. 64. He's All That directed by: Mark Waters starring: Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, Madison Pettis, Peyton Meyer, Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard So cheesy but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time. It has all the beats of your ordinary rom-com which meant it was so predictable every step of the way but I still had a nice time and a smile on my face by the end. Kourtney Kardashian was actually so iconic, lmao. I was gutted when Padgett hung up on her at the end, I just wanted more scenes of her !! Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer is such a lovely song too. Its use in the final act reminded me of how lush that song is. A swoon worthy gentleman riding in on horseback only made it even more of a moment :’) Teenage me would be obsessed with this move/him. Re-cap: 64. He's All That 65. Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard 66. Nomadland 67. Godzilla vs. Kong 68. The Guilty 69. The Addams Family 2 70. The King's Man 71. Pieces of a Woman 72. Gunpowder Milkshake 73. Supernova 74. Candyman 75. Dear Evan Hansen 76. Red Notice 77. A Boy Called Christmas 78. Respect 79. Don't Breathe 2 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

71. Pieces of a Woman directed by: Kornél Mundruczó starring: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Jimmie Fails, Ellen Burstyn The main fault of this movie is that it is just soo slow. I guess it's not made to be entertaining in that sense but it was quite the chore to get through. I stuck it out though as I loved Vanessa Kirby in 'The Crown' and she was just as good in this, if not better. I'm glad we can say she's an Oscar-nominated actress now! The only thing that's really stuck with me from this was that long opening scene where Kirby gives birth. That was really heart-breaking and you even felt exhausted/devastated yourself as a viewer once it was finally over. Could've done without the rest of the film after that moment though, haha. 70. The King's Man directed by: Matthew Vaughn starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance Ah, the detour from Eggsy & Co. that absolutely nobody asked for. It’s the sequel we neither wanted nor deserved. I hope they get back on track with the characters we know and love sooner rather than later. My knowledge of WWI is pretty limited which I think dampened my enjoyment of this movie more than anything. I guess I only have myself to blame as I can only assume I’d enjoy this re-telling of events if I knew more about the factual history of it all in the first place. Despite that, the scene where Conrad dies was so impactful and really took me aback. I can imagine the spy paranoia at the time really would’ve lead to something like that happening. The whole segment involving Rasputin was wild in the best way too. I loved his fight style especially - it was almost like Yoda from the Star Wars prequels, haha. Every single blow he dealt was preceded by a triple pirouette, lmaoo. (Extra half star for FKA twigs’ absolute stomper of a credits song) 69. The Addams Family 2 directed by: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Javon Walton, Nick Kroll, Wallace Shawn, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, Bill Hader About on par with the first one really. Still love the characters but these are definitely made for kids primarily. A few really fun scenes and gags though. Loved the Pugsley voodoo doll being chucked off the waterfall. And the one liner with Thing have a ‘shower’ underneath a hand sanitiser pump, hahah. It peaks when it has little adult jokes like that. The final boss battle was kind of iconic too. Wasn’t expecting this big Kaiju-esque finale do that came as a pleasant surprise. The hybrid human-animal monsters had cool designs, for sure! 68. The Guilty directed by: Antoine Fuqua starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker, David Litvak, Gary Michael Walters, David Haring Juicy enough to keep me invested but it felt so far from reality that it ventured into silly OTT drama. The level of Joe’s unprofessionalism?! Far too much. Re-cap: 68. The Guilty 69. The Addams Family 2 70. The King's Man 71. Pieces of a Woman 72. Gunpowder Milkshake 73. Supernova 74. Candyman 75. Dear Evan Hansen 76. Red Notice 77. A Boy Called Christmas 78. Respect 79. Don't Breathe 2 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

Exactly the same as you about Candyman, Jack. Jordan Peele has been on such form and made so many clever horrors in recent years that his name attached had got me so excited for this. But so forgettable. A shame after the long wait for it to come out with Covid too :( Thanks for the comments Jack! Haha, I've only seen three of the five you've seen! 'Army of the Dead' and 'To All the Boys' won't be appearing. How were they? Wow at the HSM representation too. They never get old!! 'Gotta Go My Own Way' still slaps. Cheers Jay :heart:

75. Dear Evan Hansen directed by: Stephen Chbosky starring: Ben Platt, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani, Colton Ryan, Danny Pino, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams This was a very mixed bag but veered more towards the bad. At times it had some really inspirational moments with its ‘you’re not alone’ mental health message. But then the lead character was so wholly unlikeable and questionable in his decisions that so much of it was contradicted. The good: Amy Adams- poor woman went through the wringer, and back. But was still so lovely throughout and rose above all of Evan’s bullshit. Queen! Some lovely songs too. I loved the one where they were fabricating the e-mails and injecting random bits of personality into Connor. That was proper musical theatre fun that. And Julianne Moore’s musical number was lush too (it gave me “Slipping Through My Fingers” vibes) - very touching. The bad: Evan Hansen. Just so horrible and basically has no repercussions for his string of selfish decisions. Trash!! Genuinely the hardest lead character to root for ever tbh. (P.S. What was in Adams’ brown envelope, haha. A post-it note with a link to a Dropbox file?! We MacBook users would never have the luxury of a USB port, lmao!) 74. Candyman directed by: Nia DaCosta starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Kyle Kaminsky, Vanessa Williams Entertaining and never boring but it did feel very run-of-the-mill despite the hype. It began to fall apart when you look deeper into the plot as well. The good: The character design for the Candyman was pretty terrifying and equally gruesome too. The skin transformation should've come with a f***ing trypophobia warning. Teyonah Parris was also just a delight to watch, she's gorgeous! The bad: Ended very abruptly? I thought it was just getting pretty good and then the title card came out of nowhere. But now I'm not invested enough for a sequel so I'm not sure it did enough there... 73. Supernova directed by: Harry Macqueen starring: Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci Aw, my heart. The scene where the audio recording of the suicide note is played out loud was such a hard-hitting moment. The final moment of Sam playing the concert alone knowing what has happened off-screen was also very touching. Some brill acting on showcase here too - I do love myself some Colin Firth (acting king!) On the other hand, it was a bit dull throughout to be honest. Definitely felt longer than it’s run time. It felt like something that could’ve been wrapped up equally well in a short film if you just cut out the scenic road trip shots & the fairly irrelevant side characters. 72. Gunpowder Milkshake directed by: Navot Papushado starring: Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Chloe Coleman, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, Paul Giamatti I’m usually very meh about guns and violence action movies but I enjoyed this slightly more than I usually do. The female lineup probably helped things but there it was pretty entertaining too, up until the very end where I felt it dragged a bit as they tied up all the loose ends with Giamatti etc. I think the action scenes in general were the main highlight. Gillan’s paralysed arms swinging about had me chuckling especially. The over-the-top bloody stylised fight sequences were fun to watch too (who doesn’t love a forklift truck slicing off a head… or a classic American milkshake slamming into someone’s face and breaking into shards). I bloody love Karen Gillan and will watch her in pretty much anything but she was a struggle to watch here. She was doing the absolute most to seem menacing and dark and brooding but it just came off a bit cringey in all honesty. Re-cap: 72. Gunpowder Milkshake 73. Supernova 74. Candyman 75. Dear Evan Hansen 76. Red Notice 77. A Boy Called Christmas 78. Respect 79. Don't Breathe 2 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

It really was this. It was uncomfortable from the get-go & then the movie was shit too :lol: No redeeming features really. You certainly didn't miss out. I recall being a bigger fan of Grand Budapest Hotel, for sure. I've been meaning to check out his Fantastic Mr. Fox for years too but I've never got round to it yet. Would you still rank it as one of your least faves of his even though you did like it? Yeah, Red Notice was super generic. But these things rake in millions of views so I guess they'd be mad not to make them. It was a let-down though because it was soooo generic that it even stripped the like-ability away from some really charismatic actors, eek.

79. Don't Breathe 2 directed by: Rodo Sayagues starring: Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III, Madelyn Grace One of the most disappointing sequels ever I think. Much weaker than the first one. The first worked much better as a home invasion movie where the intensity was really built up. This one felt much messier and harder to follow. The film felt unnecessarily gory at times too. Like why was the girl chopping off the arm? To avoid dropping two metres into an empty pool!?!? But then she fell anyway… eh. The film peaked at the superglue suffocation (that was gruesome in the best way). Also found it really hard to root for anyone at all which made it hard to enjoy. The blind man having a redemption arc didn’t really sit well with me. He was such a despicable monster in the first film that the most scary thing to happen in this one is that he was actually solely responsible for a young child. Now that was terrifying. 78. Respect directed by: Liesl Tommy starring: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Mary J. Blige What a slog! Sorry bout it but nothing this run-of-the-mill should be nearing 2 hrs & 30 minutes. The only saving grace was J-Hud’s powerhouse vocal performance on some absolute classics. She put in a solid acting job too but didn’t have much to do aside from sing until the final act. The story was just so over-complicated and introduced so many themes, of which none were covered in depth. I feel like the scenes flitted at random from tumultuous relationship, to religion, to alcoholism, to flashbacks of a pained childhood, to music label issues - it was hard to keep up. Yet none of the above were even slightly fleshed out enough to make yourself care, or take an interest in any of the side characters. A shame :( 77. A Boy Called Christmas directed by: Gil Kenan starring: Henry Lawfull, Toby Jones, Sally Hawkins, Kristen Wiig, Michiel Huisman, Zoe Colletti, Stephen Merchant, Jim Broadbent, Maggie Smith Decent enough Xmas movie but don't think it'll be a future classic in my household. Saying that, I could honestly listen to Maggie Smith narrate the phone book. What a legend. Her little comedic remarks and interjections never get old no matter what character she’s playing. I wasn’t really enjoying the main Nikolas plot most of the time though tbh. It was kinda dull and he was pretty annoying too. It picked up at the end though as the loose ends started to wrap up nicely and it all ended with Christmas being born. This movie is to Christmas, what Wicked is to Wizard of Oz. Also, why cast Sally Hawkins if she’s not going to be the loveable matriarchal character that brings a tear to your eye?! Wasted opportunity by NOT continuing to typecast her, haha. 76. Red Notice directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Ritu Arya, Chris Diamantopoulos Totally fine action movie. It was so by the numbers that there was no excitement whilst watching it whatsoever… but it did what it said on the tin. To be honest, I remember very little about this already. Ryan Reynolds was the cast member I was most looking forward to seeing here but he wasn’t as funny as he normally is. I think he got a chuckle or two from me but he’s been on such top form in recent years and this wasn’t one of his standout roles. Gal Gadot was fine - she looked gorgeous! Never liked The Rock and he didn’t shine here either. The final 20 mins or so were quite juicy and I didn’t see the twist coming so props to the film there. The cameo was probably the highlight too. I loved the Egyptian princess completely ignoring the eggs and screaming instead, haha. The set up ending for a Red Notice 2 does not excite me. Re-cap: 76. Red Notice 77. A Boy Called Christmas 78. Respect 79. Don't Breathe 2 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

Right? At least critics didn't exactly give it favourable reviews either. I feel like I can still appreciate art that sometimes goes over my head, especially when I go and read other interpretations on it online etc., but this one was just poor on all fronts for me (aside from looking really nice as you say! :P).

82. The French Dispatch directed by: Wes Anderson starring: Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Christoph Waltz, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston Guess it’s time that I realise that Wes Anderson films are not for me. They just reek of pretentiousness and are the definition of style over substance. For a ’comedy’, my face didn’t even twitch once through the entire runtime. The individual stories were less good as they went along to be honest. The first one was decent enough and I liked the trick that Del Toro’s character pulled. However, I was fully mentally checked out by the food and drinks one. It gets one star for the gorgeous cinematography. I’d fully support it getting one Oscar nomination in that category. Another half star for the unique magazine structure and the title cards. It was something a bit different and I liked the way it worked as a movie structure. 81. Pig directed by: Michael Sarnoski starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin Not sure what I was expecting really, but seemed like a lot of unnecessary aggro for a pig. Struggled to keep my attention & by the end I was barely following what was going on. I was grateful tbh when the end credits suddenly started to roll quite surprisingly. I felt like we were introduced to loads of random side characters that we were just expected to know their back story, but then they weren’t even explained (like the baguette lady, and the underground fighting guy) A few humorous moments which means it wasn’t a total waste of time. I chuckled when the chef was like… ‘do you need medical attention first of all?’, lol. I liked the companionship between Wolff and Cage too. 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins directed by: Robert Schwentke starring: Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, Iko Uwaisn Just couldn't care less about these C-list action movies anymore. I probably shouldn't have gone in expecting to be bored, but I ended up even more bored still. There were some bits that made it worth staying awake for. Henry Golding was a charming enough leading man. The old lady leader of the organisation was a queen and had iconic fan-ography. And the action was entertaining at times with the swords, flips, giant snakes etc. Plot wise, I just couldn't care enough about any character to even bother keeping up. The whole film really was at a disadvantage being released in close proximity to the far superior, but similarly themed Shang-Chi. Re-cap: 80. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins 81. Pig 82. The French Dispatch

If you’ve not been watching High School Musical: The Musical - The Series then you’ve been missing out! :lol:

Hi Sergej Nice to see The Weeknd creep into the top 40. I really liked TMB so it was a shame to see it be a relative commercial disappointment when his other songs have been ubiquitous nightmares. Hope the new album can live up to expectations come Friday! Night Crawling was SUCH a banger too. Miley really found her lane last year and now I'm so hungry for me. I even love that little song she sings on the Gucci advert that's always on, haha. Release that in the meantime to keep us stans quenched!! Loving it so far :)

Always enjoy your write-ups Jordan, they're a pleasure! Looking forward to seeing what appears.

Hi Lewis 2021 was the year of Maisie Peters for me!! She was my biggest discovery without doubt. It was nice to see her breakthrough into the mainstream a bit with 'Psycho' and the album too. Can't wait to see where she goes from here. I'm with you where there was just something about 'Love (Sweet Love)' that didn't click and I'm not even sure what it was really. I love a good female vocal moment and Perrie is doing the most on the track so it'd normally be the sort of thing I love. Saying that, I loved 'No' and it was even more of a flop so oh well.

Hi Pete I love what you said about Sigrid's 'Mirror'. It really does have that addictive quality to it where you could easily listen to it again and again. Shame it didn't quite break through to be a top 40 hit. I thought 'Burning Bridges' was even more additive. I hope that's not the last we see of her in the charts! Looking forward to the rest.

Hi Ansel, love the effort you've put into doing chart histories and everything. I remember the days of having such dedication! Super cool stuff. Totally agree with you with your comment that Avril should be smashing like good 4 u has. I feel like she has so much nostalgic goodwill towards her but I'd love it to turn into a bit of a hit!! Can't wait for the album if it's as fun as this. Nice to see you give CHVRCHES such nice comments too. Although 'Violent Delights' is noticeably missing from your commentary. Are you not a fan? It's the album highlight for me!