Parasite

 

Ever since Parasite was awarded the Palme D’or back in May 2019, it had become the film to see. Rave reviews, excited buzz and Oscar nominations led to Parasite become the first ever film not in the English language to win the Best Picture. Even before this historical moment, the screening I went to was packed, save for the first few rows, and the audience gasped at the right moments, laughed at the right moments and seemed to be genuinely into the film with one remarking “that was intense”. I, obviously, don’t know how often the patrons attend screenings of foreign movies, but Parasite’s incredible victory may inspire them and others to see other foreign films if the likes of Vue and Odeon show them outside London.

JoJo Rabbit

 

Ever since the 1940s Hitler has been a source of comedy, notable early films include Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and the more broad comedy Let George do It (To Hell with Hitler) where George Forby punches Hitler in the face (something similar happens in JoJo Rabbit). Therefore, it’s slightly disappointing that Taika Waititi's film is more like Forby’s broad comedy rather than the biting satire of Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. 

Little Women

 

I can’t say I knew too much about the story of Little Women except it was based on the lives of four sisters in and round the American Civil War. Going in fresh in one of the most widely read and frequently adapted novels probably put me in the minority but going in fresh meant I could enjoy the story with no prior knowledge.

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

I didn’t like The Last Jedi. Not because of the narrative or any risks taken by the director, but the fact that the film treated its villains with such a lack of respect that the supposedly diabolical First Order looked like it was run at a bunch of buffoons, especially General Hux. When the evil force is one big joke, how are we supposed to take the threat they pose seriously? There were, of course other flaws but the main problem was the lack of threat posed by The First Order. 

Black Christmas

This year’s Black Christmas is the second remake of the original film from 1974. Where the 1974 original film used the slasher blueprint effectivly, long before John Carpenter’s Halloween, the 2006 remake was pretty forgettable and generic slasher flick. The 2019 is a different beast, it tries to step away from the generic slasher and bring in a more modern take by dealing with topical themes of sexism, assault and female empowerment. 

Knives Out

 Many of the Poirot movies always end up with him, played by a Brit with an exaggerated French-Belgian accent (think David Suchet and Peter Urnistov), magically reaching his eureka moment and solving the most impossible of crimes. A strangely cherished childhood memory is one where, on a wet, rainy day in Wales, I watched Evil Under the Sun on ITV and the image of a man in black speedos is implanted in my memory that it’s the only thing I really remember. about the film. 

Ford Vs Ferarri

 For the uninitiated, Le Mans is a pretty big deal. It makes up one of the races you have to win to earn the Triple Crown of Motorsport (Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 make up the other two) of which only one driver, Graham Hill, has ever won. The film is centred around the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, focusing on Ford’s on track and off-track battle with super car company Ferrari (who had previously won the past five races at Le Mans). In a bid to put a halt to the fledging sales, Ford decide to bring in Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) to help them build a car that will beat Ferrari at Le Mans and he knows just the guy who could win it for them, only problem is this guy, Ken Miles (Christian Bale), isn’t Ford material.