Cinema – Anarchist Analysis

Top 5 Films – No.3. Aliens (1986)

At my 3rd favourite film of all time, I chose, what I believe to be, the greatest action film of all time. James Cameron’s 1986 sci-fi blockbuster Aliens, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien, proves that even old school action movies are better than about 90% of current ones.
Whilst the first film was a horror in space, the second decides to be an action. Debatably better than the first (it is), Aliens proves early on, in a time before installations, cinematic universes, reboots, remakes and cash grabs, that sequels do have the potential to be truly spellbinding.
Instead of rehashing the same plot – a trait most sequels to – James Cameron multiplies the aliens and the results show. Spliced with set pieces taking place with practical effects and great CGI for the time, Aliens is a timeless classic. It still manages to be gripping and monumental, even 30 years after its release.
Even the characters, who are only there to blow up xenomorphs, are memorable, thanks to whippy dialogue and great performances. Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, proves to be one of the fiercest in the film and, is arguably, the best heroine in cinematic history. She certainly shoves it to the ‘damsel in distress’ trope that was common for the time, which, along with perfect action and direction, makes it unforgettable.

14061999172_553d723177_b — Ripley (centre) surrounded by the marines, ready to kill all the Xenomorphs.

Top 5 Films – No.4. Sicario (2015)

Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 Mexican cartel drama Sicario takes the place of No.4 film on my lost simply due to its sheer tension and sleekness. It tells the story of the drug war between the U.S. and Mexican Cartels, and the mission undertaken to rid Mexico of one of its largest cartels. For me, Sicario excels due to 4 main elements: Cast, Cinematography, Score and Direction.

Comprised of 3 main players – Emily Blunt as the tough FBI agent set with the task of the mission, Benicio Del Toro’s silent but deadly insider and Josh Brolin as the radical special ops leader – the cast give their all in breathing life into characters in this chilling world.
Visually, Sicario is stunning. And that is all thanks to – recently Oscar winning – cinematographer Roger Deakins’ master eye. Ranging from wide pans of the Mexican Desert to haunting close up shots of our characters, Deakin’s manages to capture the fear and dread in wonderfully breath-taking shots.
The late great Jóhann Jóhannsson truly had a real talent for film scoring, and his finest was on display here. From the very first scene, Jóhannsson’s score hums with tension. Progressively through the film, the score bellows with thunder during some of the film’s finer action scenes. His symphonies are as integral to the films style as much as any of the other technical aspects.
Finally, Denis Villeneuve proves how incredible his directorial skills are. Spilling with assurance and style, Villeneuve proved that he is one of the finest directors working to date, by crafting a film so impossibly beautiful but haunting with tension.

21825092955_39333b0089_b — Emily Blunt & Daniel Kaluuya in the film’s chilling opening scene.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse (2018) Film Review

2018 has been a milestone year for Marvel’s friendly, neighborhood, resident boy-hero-spider. After being the one to break hearts in Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel (with the help of game developer Insomniac) later released Spider-Man‘s first video game for the PS4 – received with roaring praise. And now it was Sony’s turn to try.

Sony hasn’t had the favor of making a truly good Spider-Man movie for quite some time. Despite how well crafted last year’s Spider-man: Homecoming was, Kevin Feige had his hand in producing and all of the creative side was handled by Marvel. Sony’s most recent Spider-man outings were the disastrous The Amazing Spider-Man 1&2 and emo Peter Parker dancing in the street.

However, Spider-Man fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse is a triumph. As a comic book movie, its almost flawless. Spinning its own unique webs on the template of ‘Origin Stories’ – something the Spider-Man films haven’t been great at recently – with the creative team clearly understanding what Spider-Fans actually want to see in it.

But the film’s true uniqueness comes from its animation. An astonishing achievement is made for all involved when it comes to how it looks visually. In a world of Illumination or Pixar animation looking somewhat basic, Into the Spiderverse is a refreshing palette cleanser and reminder that animation is a medium where anything is possible. The attention to detail is unmatched, from the iconic Ben-Day dots to the design of the city.

With colours flying all over the place and with enough heart to match up to Pixar, Into the Spiderverse manages to be the best in 2 categories: one of the best animation styles in the past 10 years and arguably the most comic-book accurate film ever.

Spider-Man_Miles_Morales_Minimalist_Poster_descktop.png — Miles Morales is Spider-Man.