1. Steve Stickman How To Shoot Video That Doesn T Suck T
2. Steve Stickman How To Shoot Video That Doesn T Suck Commercial

Written by Steve Stockman, the director of 'Two Weeks' (2007), plus TV shows, music videos, and hundreds of commercials, 'How to Shoot Video That Doesn t Suck' explains in 74 short, pithy, insightful chapters how to tell a story and entertain your audience.

MADHERO: GOOOOOOOOLAZO! Oh I'm sorry, I'm just pre-occupied with the World Cup and not all too much with movies. It happens. Anyway, since Hollywood and America is general don't give a shit, they might as well get their dinosaur movie now: one that's been out here for weeks now. Don't see that very often.

LARRY: What cup? Do you put like worldly drinks in there?

STICKMAN: I am taking the ball and going home

MADHERO: Oh no, the ball is gone. Guess the World Cup is cancelled. Might as well get into some movie news for distraction.

STICKMAN: That's more liiiike it. HEERE WE GOOOO

NEWS

STAR WARS SPIN-OFFS REPORTEDLY ON HOLD AFTER DISAPPOINTING BOX OFFICE OF SOLO

Well this is an interesting turn of events. Even with the tumultuous production, I don't think anyone expected Solo: A Star Wars Story to outright bomb. After all, its Star Wars, and Star Wars is too big to fail. Welp, like Icarus, it flew too close to the sun and its wax wings melted. As it stands, Solo made 344 million in 4 weeks on a 250 million budget (a budget that ballooned thanks to extensive reshoots after the director shakeup). That may seem like a profit, but with added marketing costs, its pretty safe to say to call Solo a dud. What caused that is still up for debate, be it poor marketing, too much competition, or fatigue. Whatever it is, Disney seems to have gotten the memo, as Collider reports that all planned Star Wars spin-offs are on hold.

Disney themselves hasn't confirmed it, but they hadn't officially confirmed the films were in production either. The spin-offs included a Obi-Wan movie made by Stephen Daldry, and a Boba Fett movie with James Mangold and Simon Kinberg. This does not include the new trilogies at work by Rian Johnson and David Benihoff & DB Weiss. This is in all likelihood for the best. The A Star Wars Story branding always seemed like a good way to show the other parts of the universe, and not go back to characters that we already know. Rogue One, some characters aside, was much more separate and told its story with a different tone. As much as I'd like to see Ewan McGregor get his fair due as Obi Wan, I'd rather see something different, and not get a SW movie every year. Star Wars is not Marvel, and hopefully that's something Disney learns with this debacle.

STICKMAN: Star Wars is DEAD. Goodbye, so long.

LARRY: Okay but this hasn't been confirmed. So like, it's good news but we don't knowyet.

STICKMAN: THEY'RE DEAD, LARRY. Disney ain't gonna come out and announce they fucked up yo.

MADHERO: Guess we'll have to wait for that Last Jedi remake to fix everything

LARRY: I'm ALL for these one-offs getting canned. Just gotta wait and see.

MADHERO: I trust Collider on this. They tend to be a reliable source. Besides, Disney never confirmed these movies were in development officially, but they defnitely were

STICKMAN: I wanted Caravan of Courage 2. i'm honestly more interested in seeing Solo Star Han Solo Wars Story Solo A Han now it's this big mess, it doesn't sound like a bad film really.

LARRY: It's not bad, not at all. It's…. fine.

MADHERO: I think its ultimately for the best. Star Wars just isn't a franchise where releasing yearly like Marvel works, or maybe only once a year on December. I like Solo, but its not something you need to go out and see

LARRY: this only fulfills my core belief that the most important part of SW, no matter how you slice it, is the core trilogy and the main story being told.

STICKMAN: I still feel it's utterly crazy how poor it's done. I think we all knew it wouldn't do as well as previous ones..but sorta fail. Damn. Disney losing money on Star Wars is not something I expected this soon after they started.

LARRY: I'm not hankering for an Alden Han action figure, so properly supply the low demands..

MADHERO: I didn't think it would break the billion, but I'm shocked it genuinely bombed.

STICKMAN: That said, if it causes the necessary course correction? Glad to hear it. I could not deal with annual Star Wars marketing hype and eventual discourse. Let's keep it 2-3 years apart, chaps.

MADHERO: Rogue One made a billion, so there's something in here that made it not work. My main guess is that it didn't feel different enough. We'll see what happens to Obi and Boba, but they go through some retooling.

LARRY: If anything, this just means more NEW stories in a galaxy far, far away. New, original shit. And I'm all here for THAT.

STICKMAN: I want a gritty R rated seedy bounty hunter film. Something completely detached. That, or Caravan of Courage 2. Good luck remaking Last Jedi, you fucking stupid losers.

MADHERO: Maybe someday. For now the only confirmed movie is Episode IX on December 2019. We'll just have to wait for that. Moving on

PETE DOCTER AND JENNIFER LEE TAKE OVER FROM JOHN LASSETER AS HEAD OF PIXAR AND DISNEY ANIMATION RESPECTIVELY

Although it seems like a long time away just how game-changing the momentum of the #MeToo movement was, it actually isn't that long ago since John Lasseter, co-founder of Pixar and face of modern Disney animation was outed by a lot of staff as a bit of a massive creep. Being overly touchy feely and obscene with practically all of his female co-workers, he was asked to take a 'six month sabbatical' to reflect on his actions and allow Disney as a company to mull over his future with the studios.

As it stands, The future lies in the hands of others, because he's not getting his job back. Disney've decided to give the two separate roles to long-term, proven members of the company. Pixar's new lead will be Pete Docter , the director of some of Pixars most well known films such as Monsters Inc, Up and Inside Out. Meanwhile Disney Animation's new head will be Jennifer Lee, who co-directed and wrote their biggest most recent hit, Frozen, in addition to writing the story for Zootopia and Wreck it Ralph. These both seem like good choices for the future of the two biggest animation studios in the business, so hopefully they can maintain, or improve upon the quality of what Disney and Pixar are outputting. Given Pixar's most recent release, The Incredibles 2 easily took the mantle of Best Opening for an Animated Movie in the US this weekend, it doesn't seem like Pixar at least, have much to worry about.

MADHERO: It was always going to be interesting what they'd do next, cause Lasseter returning seemed like it would create a ton of backlash, but they nailed it on both accounts.

LARRY: Yeah, these are two solid picks. I personally like Docter's work a LOT more than Lee, but both are confident filmmakers and know how to tell stories that resonate with people.

STICKMAN: I think most people prefer Pixar to Disney animation in general honestly. Unless it's Cars.

MADHERO: Docter has been a part of Pixar since the very beginning. It only makes sense that he was one of the guys in line for the role. Lee hasn't been around as long, but has shown her skill

LARRY: Well when you make FROZEN, you got cred.

STICKMAN: I kinda thought Unkrich might be the guy, since he worked with Lasseter a lot and then did Coco, BUT..this is good too. Now how about canceling that Toy Story 4, eh? EHHH?

MADHERO: Also, while we're at it: dammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmn, Incredibles 2 made some moolah

LARRY: It deserves it honestly. It's a worthy sequel by a talented filmmaker.

MADHERO: The highest grossing opening for a non PG-13 movie is nothing to sniff at.

STICKMAN: I hear Bao is the real star tho. Clearly.

WONDER WOMAN SEQUEL NAMED WONDER WOMAN ’84. CHRIS PINE RETURNS AS STEVE TREVOR

So, as we've all known for a little while now, Diana and co. are coming BACK for another adventure in a sequel to the smash hit Wonder Woman film. Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot are set to return, and Kristin Wiig will be playing Cheetah, but besides for that, we haven't heard much about this follow-up. Well, recently we've learned some new details, some cool, some JUICY.

First off, it's official title, 'Wonder Woman 1984,' confirms that it will be taking place during the 80s, and it is currently in production. However, what shocked many fans was an official set photo revealing that Chris Pine will be returning as Steve Trevor..but nobody really knows how exactly. Did they resurrect him? Is the photo just a flashback? Is it a young relative of Trevor? Needless to say, speculation is high. And as if that weren't enough, another set photo has revealed that WW's famous invisible jet may jussssst be making an appearance as well, though this has yet to be confirmed. We'll probably find out soon enough though, as we will be getting a teaser this coming Comic-Con.

MADHERO: Chris Pine with a fanny pack is my new aesthetic.

LARRY: Okay butttttttt it does kinda undermine his death scene.

STICKMAN: Gimme that Invisible Jet boys.

MADHERO: The Inivisible Jet is only something that can be done if you're confident, and I guess that's the case what with Wonder Woman doing so damn well.

STICKMAN: It sure does, Larry. It suuuuure does. It's like they're bringing him back because he was liked and not because it does anything good for the stoooory.

LARRY: I'm kinda hoping its a flashback..

STICKMAN: He's got a dang fanny pack dude.

MADHERO: Lets be clear: we still don't really know what the story is here. Its probably Steve Trevor...OR IS IT?! Could it be a red herring? We can only speculate

LARRY: I reeeeeeally hope it's a red herring. Like a dream sequence or something. I just love that scene from the first WW and this desecrates it.

STICKMAN: I hope this is a more confident sequel now we've laid the groundwork. The first film has some great moments but was on a whole kinda eh, I feel. That final boss fight was grade A shit, for instance.

MADHERO: My guess is that he's a bigger part of the story. Maybe something with the space time continuum because that tends to happen in superhero stuff. Out of all DCEU movies, I worry least about Wonder Woman

LARRY: Yeah let's hope Jenkins can just go all out and not have to stick to trope.

WARNER BROS AND MGM RELEASES FIRST TEASER TRAILER FOR CREED II

Its been three years now since Creed came out, and I feel we almost forgot how much of an achievement it really was. It seemed like such a dumb idea to contiue the Rocky series, which had a perfect ending with 2006's Rocky Balboa, and to have it be about Apollo Creed's son, but somehow it all came together, thanks to a great performance from Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone (who really should've won the Oscar) as well as Ryan Coogler, who brought a realism and humanity to the series that felt lost. That said, depsite all that, the sequel has been met with trepedation, with the biggest reason being Coogler not returning, with Stallone initially directing before backing down and giving it to relative unknown Steven Caple Jr, and co-writing Cheo Hodari Coker (Luke Cage).

Despite that, the premise had always remained the same: Adonis fighting the son of Ivan Drago, the man who killed his father in Rocky IV. Despite that premise, we actually don't get to see Dolph Lundgren in this teaser. Much of it is on Creed, focusing on his need for revenge and Rocky and his girlfriend Bianca trying to back him down from it. We get some training montage moments, including a reference to Muhammed Ali's pool photo, as well as plenty of teases of Ivan Drago's Large Adult Son Viktor, who as it turns out, is an absolute unit that might not be easy to take down. Besides that, there isn't enough there to judge based on this trailer, which is very much in teaser mode. I hope its good, but I continue to have my doubts about whether this will succeed.

STICKMAN: Glad Assassin's Creed got a sequel.

MADHERO: They definitely changed a lot with this sequel. Guess the reception got to them loud and clear.

STICKMAN: Gotta rollll..WITH THE PUNCHES. WAKKA WAKKKAAA.

LARRY: That underwater boxing shot tho. Shot of the YEAR

MADHERO: Guess now we know where Michael B. Jordan got his profile pic from. Also I feel so bad for the girl who's retainer broke after seeing him in Black Panther. Her teeth are gonna break from this movie.

STICKMAN: I ain't seen Rocky 1 2 3 4 or Creed. So I'm..here I guess. Hellooo.

MADHERO: You only need to see 1 and 4 to get Creed, but you don't need to. Helps with the legacy part, but it feels surprisingly separate. Its also a great movie.

LARRY: Creed I was awesome. Let's hope Creed II is even better! SON OF DRAGO

MADHERO: I've seen the actor in question and holy fuck. I'm in awe of the size of that lad.

LARRY: It's nuts, I'm so ready for that long take.

STICKMAN: I'd take that long..drago? Let's move on.

DISNEY RELEASES FIRST TEASER TRAILER FOR THEIR NEW LIVE ACTION REMAKE OF DUMBO

When most people hear Tim Burton, the last thing they probably would associate him with is Dumbo, the classic Disney animated film about a big-eared circus elephant. Well, turns out Disney isn't most people, as a while back Burton signed on to direct a live-action remake of that very film, and we have recently gotten our first look at the latest Disney live-action reboot via a teaser trailer.

And..yeah, it has a bunch of things you'd expect from Dumbo by Burton. An eery yet childlike cover of a well-known song (this one being Baby Mine, a lullaby that originated from the original film), a CGI elephant with some big ol' peepers, not to mention Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito in the same film! Honestly, it looks fine, sorta channeling the more neutral element of Burton's direction. It's kinda as if they just got rid of the weird, dark, cooky crap and kept the whimsy. I'm just hoping Pink Elephants on Parade is as much of an acid trip as it was in the original, cuz sometimes ya just gotta scare the kiddies. Anyway, this is happening, suck it up Sticky.

STICKMAN: AAAGGHH. I CAN'T SUCK UP ANY MORE DISNEY LIVE ACTION REMAKE BULLSHIT.

MADHERO: Is it weird that this looks restrained for a Tim Burton movie despite having Danny Devito with a large hat?

LARRY: I mean, Nobody's gonna go see a dark Dumbo. You HAVE to restrain Burton.

STICKMAN: Tim Burton should be locked up and given a haircut.

LARRY: I certainly agree with one of those things.

MADHERO: Definitely feels more like Big Fish Tim Burton than Alice in Wonderland Tim Burton. The movie already looks a lot different than the movie, which was only an hour long. For one thing, no racist crows so that's a good start

LARRY: Yeah..though I love the song they sing. DANNY DEVITO SHOULD SING IT.

STICKMAN: I think it looks god awful but what else is new. People'l still go to see this in droves and make Disney another billion they can spend absorbing the entire entertainment industry instead of MAKING TRON 3.

MADHERO: Michael Keaton with longer hair looks weird these days

LARRY: And like..combed and slick? It's odd.

STICKMAN: Tim Burton's hair merged with Michael Keaton's, forming a superhair.

MADHERO: What like in Dragonball Z?

STICKMAN: Sure Mad, like in Dragonball Z. I'm gonna address the..ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM..Dumbo looks ugly as fuck, y'all.

LARRY: Why exactly did they make him CGI? Take an actual elephant and give him big ears.

STICKMAN: Ain't gonna use a real elephant, sun. That's animal cruelty mister.

LARRY: Make it hybrid. Plenty of films have done hybrid shit like this successfully.

MADHERO: What like in Fullmetal Alchemist? I'm not sure why I keep referencing anime. We should probably move on

STICKMAN: That dog deserved better.

ROBERT ZEMECKIS TO MAKE A NEW ADAPTATION OF ROALD DAHL’S THE WITCHES. ALFONSO CUARON AND GUILLERMO DEL TORO INVOLVED

Another day, another Roald Dahl movie remake, huh? Robert Zemeckis, director of oh so many films, including a little known franchise called Back to the Future, who's latest film 'Welcome to Marwen' got its first, fucking weird as hell look via a trailer this week, is in final negotiations to remake The Witches. A dark fantasy book released in 1983, with a creepy-ass, not all that great film released in the early 90s, The Witches is a story about a recently orphaned boy and his grandma, who just so happens to be a former witch-hunter, staying in a hotel, where the boy gets on the wrong side of a witch meeting, and ends up turned into a mouse.

What happens next is a mixture of silly and also kinda tragic. The original story is very dark, whilst the film is a bit more campy, infamously scary witch make-up aside. A dark childrens film with a lot of potential for uncanny valley SFX seems pretty suited to Zemeckis, who previously directed the gross looking Polar Express, Christmas Carol, and then produced the disaster of Mars Needs Moms, which got his animation studio shut down.With the promise of a narrative more in keeping with the book this time, it seems like this film will rustle some jimmies when it releases..at some point in the future.

LARRY: God I love this. Can't wait for more Zemeckis Uncanny-Valley CGI.

STICKMAN: Stuart Little prequel got dark yo.

MADHERO: The most interesting thing about this project is the involvement of Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro. That seems like it could make for an interesting vision along with Zemeckis

LARRY: I mean, it's totally called for. The Witches are like..mouse-like demons.

STICKMAN: Guillermo del Toro could take a shit on the floor and I'd still pay to see the visual mastery of it.

MADHERO: The 90's movie's make up was W I L D

LARRY: It really was a marvel. Let's hope that tradition continues

STICKMAN: Can't believe they really turned a boy into a mouse, that was dedication to practical effects that you just don't see these days.

MADHERO: Don't see that make up magic these days. No wonder Rick Baker retired. Its been a while since Zemeckis has done anything for kids. I guess the last thing was his motion capture stuff and that died an ultimately deserving death

STICKMAN: It's been a while since Zemeckis did anything for anyone, FRANKLY. STEP YOUR GAME UP BOY. DON'T GIVE ME THAT WIRE SHIT. Steve Carell as an army man? Shiieeet.

LARRY: I mean..Zemeckis has another animated mo-cap movie coming out soon.

STICKMAN: Never forget Mars needs Moms.

LARRY: *shivers*

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MADHERO: Alright, that's it for the news. Now its time to talk some DINOSAAAAAAAURS! Yes, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the sequel to the mindblowingly successfull 2015 film is here to blow up the island once and for all. Now the movie has been out for a while in Urop, which gave me plenty of time to...not see it. But hey, Stickman did at least, and with the US release now here, Larry did as well.

STICKMAN: It feels so long ago now it might as well be on DVD.

LARRY: Might as well have just come out on DVD here.

Steve Stickman How To Shoot Video That Doesn T Suck T

MADHERO: Ooooooooooh boy, some drama. The reception has been mixed so far, and we'll see how it goes here. Since you saw it earlier, how about you start, Stickman? What did you make of this Dino Crisis?

REVIEW

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

DIRECTOR: Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible, A Monster Calls)

STARRING: Chris Pratt, Bryca Dallas Howard, Ted Levin, Toby Jones, Justice Smith, B.D. Wong, Jeff Goldblum

SYNOPSIS: When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire (Pratt, Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

STICKMAN: WELLLLLLL, for me, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was a mixed bag, but an entertaining one. I feel largely the same as I did with the previous film, but I feel the sequel had some more visually striking moments. Narrative wise it's kinda about to the same quality as the first World film, it's less a well-thought out story and more an excuse to string our band of forgettable human characters through a series of exciting dinosaur set-pieces. This time, as the slogans all said, THE PARK IS GONE, so much as with Jurassic Park 2, it's a post-collapse attempt to rescue some of the dinosaurs, this time because the island is exploding for some reason.

That's all entertaining enough, if not insanely loud in IMAX to the point where my headache lasted all day, but the film lives or dies by its second half. A silly, but fun horror'esque sequence which feels a bit more like Resident Evil in parts than anything Jurassic Park we've seen before. The acting all around is..fine, nothing amazing, the real star of the show is the special effects, and what they do with them. The dinosaurs are a pleasing mixture of practical and CGI, with it getting harder and harder to tell the difference these days. There's some really badass action/horror sequences featuring some dinos we know, and one we meet for the first time in this film, who was awesome. The ending leaves it open for a hopefully more interesting sequel, but this is perfectly enjoyable popcorn entertainment, nothing amazing, but nothing awful either. And that opening sequence was fun tooooooo.

LARRY: Well we can agree that the opening was fun. Felt closer to Jurassic Park than anything in the first film.

STICKMAN: Yeah boooi, them lightening flashes tho.

MADHERO: Well there's something you agree on. How else do you feel about the film, Larry?

LARRY: Yeah, not a fan here folks. I'm not a fan of the first Jurassic World; in fact, I wasn't sure how you could be much dumber than what it presented, but leave it to Colin Trevorrow to always one-up himself, giving us one of the sloppiest, most ridiculous stories I've seen in a modern blockbuster, full of holes you could lead a T-Rex through.

Several things don't make sense, certain ideas just come and go like nothing, and it leaves on an ending that is perhaps the most shockingly absurd in the entire franchise. As Sticky said, the acting is fine, but the characters themselves are just as hokey, some even more cardboard than before. The film is tonally all over the map, even Giacchino's score sounds largely uninspired. If it wasn't for J.A. Bayona's solid direction, this film would be an utter trashfire. The cinematography has plenty of fun, striking shots that have that thriller, suspenseful energy of the original film's climax. But even with that said, he can't help what is an utterly shit script and a story that reminds me why blockbusters can be so downright stupid.

MADHERO: O daaaaaaaaaaamn, we've got ourselves some disagreements here. IMO Jurassic World probably is the best JP sequel and it was fun entertainment, but nothing more.

STICKMAN: I don't really see the issue with dumb blockbuster entertainment. Is it as good as Jurassic Park? Fuck no, but this is our fourth sequel, and none of them have been, so I don't see why this is one is suddenly so egregious to people.

LARRY: I wish I could go into the ridiculousness, but that would be too spoiler-y. I'd much rather sit through either Lost World or 3 than either Jurassic World or Fallen Kingdom.

STICKMAN: It's dumb as a box of rocks but it's well crafted stupidity, if you come for dinosaur carnage and not an Oscar winner, you'll have a good time.

LARRY: But the action isn't even that gooooooooood. Besides for the opening sequence, and one really solid kill, most of the action is really generic and just people flying around everywhere.

MADHERO: How about the more Resident Evil style 2nd half of the film? I hear that mostly features a big mansion and a new dino in the Indoraptor. How's that thing?

LARRY: Oh you mean Indominous Rex but way more boring?

STICKMAN: Psschh. The Indoraptor was awesome, I gotta say. Like, again, it's stupid that it exists, but it does, and they made great use of it.

LARRY: It's literally just a do-over. How can you genuinely excuse this movie for literally RECYCLING its predecessor?

STICKMAN: They are completely different. Like..it's a different size, it's a different style, and it's in a different location. Calling it the same is as good as saying Jurassic Park is the same as this film because it GOT DEM DINOS IN IT.

MADHERO: Are any of the other dino's used well? I hear a lot of fun is had with a Pachycephalosaurus

LARRY: Oh, the one with the big head? Made for okay comic relief for like two scenes. One of the film's many fun concepts that aren't really used to their full potential.

STICKMAN: He was a good boy yes. I don't know why you're surprised this film is stupid. I went in knowing that and got a dumb film with some awesome set-pieces, a couple surprisingly emotional moments, and a tantalising premise for the third movie. Do I like everything about it? No. Do I think it's great? Not really, but I had fun. That's kinda..what I went for? I'm not trying to defend this movie as a masterpeice but I don't really understand why you hated it so much.

LARRY: Well given a different director, I was hoping it would be less stupid. Something we can both agree on is Bayona is a far better director than Trevorrow.

STICKMAN: He's better in his element of horror for sure. I think Terevoerorwow directed the larger scale action better.

MADHERO: I don't think there's ever been this much of a debate in a review before. Obviously you two aren't going to agree, but are you interested in where its going next, because obviously there's a new one coming. I think we had enough arguing for the day. Any more final thoughts for the wrap up?

How to register garmin gps.

STICKMAN: I think on a whole, it's about the same quality as Jurassic World but with a less interesting concept (e.g. The park being open and shit), it's dumb..it's got some stupid moments and leaps of logic, but it delivers dinosaur action, a degree of heart, and a welcome heap of horror. Not great, but fun. Just like the previous one.(edited)

LARRY: Well, I didn't like the last one, so I don't like this one. But for me, the plot is even worse here, and I found it pitiful how it literally recycles elements from the first film. The worst part is that there are some reeeeeeeally interesting ideas here that get shoved away for dumb dino action when that was never the sole element of what made Jurassic Park great. Sorry for expecting a film based on Jurassic Park to have a good story with good characters and genuine stakes. Also the ending still has my jaw on the floor.

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MADHERO: Oof, well with all said and done, how about we move on from all the island-exploding Dino Crisis shenanigans. Now its time to talk some more movies...all 2 of them. Yeah not a big week this time around

LARRY: Womp womp

STICKMAN: WHAT'S THAT MEAN. PEOPLE KEEP SAYING IT GOD DAMNIT.

MADHERO: Uhoh, things about to get political in here. Lets quickly move on to something as to avoid that.

MOVIES

SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO

DIRECTOR: Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah, Suburra)

STARRING: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Jeffrey Donovan, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Catherine Keener

SYNOPSIS: The drug war on the US-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Brolin) re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro (del Toro).

MADHERO: Fuck, that avoiding politics business didn't work

LARRY: Ouch that edge

STICKMAN: Benicio del Toro fingerfucks a gun and has a good time.

MADHERO: I'm still baffled that this movie exists, let alone coming out next week

STICKMAN: It's kinda weird, I loved Sicario but the sequel I'm all over the place on so far. Like you say, was anyone expecting or wanting a sequel in the first place?

LARRY: I haven't even seen the first.

MADHERO: I thought Sicario was great, but not necessarily something that warranted a sequel. Focusing on Del Toro's character is an interesting angle, but with Villeneuve, Blunt and Deakins gone, you miss some key ingredients

STICKMAN: And the reviews are kinda a mixed bag with a mildly positive slant so far. Not as good as the first, but I mean..the fact it isn't completely awful is amazing.

MADHERO: I think the glue holding this together are both del Toro and Brolin, as well as writer Taylor Sheridan. He's been doing great things so far.

LARRY: I do love me some Sheridan.

STICKMAN: I want to like this, but I'm on the fence, the fact that I'm mulling between this or Han Solo says a lot about my mixed feelings.

UNCLE DREW

DIRECTOR: Charles Stone III (Lila & Eve, Step Sisters)

STARRING: Kyrie Iriving, Lil Rel Howery, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Tiffany Haddish, Nick Kroll

SYNOPSIS: Dax (Howery) convinces former basketball playground legend Uncle Drew (Irving) to join a street ball tournament after losing his basketball team to his rival Mookie (Kroll)

LARRY: Gee, I have a hankering for some Pepsi right now..

MADHERO: Larry, you gotta help here, because I'm lost

STICKMAN: What the fuck this shit, boy. Explain yourself, America.

LARRY: Okay so this is based on a Pepsi advert. And everyone's careers are so desperate that they expanded it

MADHERO: Like all great films are.

STICKMAN: You put guys in old man makeup and try to do a comedy based off a fizzy drink commercial and I'm not gonna rush out to see this..if it indeed even comes out here. Because I mean, why would they do that.

MADHERO: We wouldn't have Pepsiman without Pepsi, and Space Jam existed because of an Nike ad as well. I guess its something about commercials that get turned into feautre length basketball movies

STICKMAN: Why we get this shit but we never got a Creature Comforts movie, dawg. Aardman where you at.

LARRY: That's a quality concept.

MADHERO: Because stop motion takes far more time than making a young basketball player look old. Get this b-ball shit outta here. The REAL shit is on right now.

STICKMAN: Is it the Tennis. I hear Andy Murray's knee injury could take him out of the running.

MADHERO: At least its nice to see Lil Rel Howery in more stuff.

LARRY: That's true.

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MADHERO: Anyway, that's about it from the movies out this week. Not much to work with, but luckily there's MOVIE OF THE WEEK!

LARRY: Yeeeeaaahhhhh

STICKMAN: But Mad, with all that football on, who has time for things that aren't football inbetween or on days without a match where you might go see, oh I don't know, Ant-Man and the Wasp maybe.

MADHERO: Yeah...where's the time. Still, there's actually plenty of good movies out there to go see right now even with the football, should you want to avoid. So Sticky, what did you watch to avoid anything besides Iceland?

LARRY: Something shit I bet. Oh, sorry, that was a reference to Iceland.

MADHERO: wow rude

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

STICKMAN: WELLLLL, I watched a film I technically wasn't able to see, but did so legally anyway. Thus well and truly defeating 'THE MAN' once and for all. We've talked about The Breadwinner a few times on the show, and it finally came out in the UK about a month ago, but was literally screened in like, 2 cinemas, meaning I couldn't see it. But I HAVE SEEN IT NOW, and it was..real damn good.

It's refreshing to see a movie like this be both so dark and full frontal in its subject matter, but also completely accessible and charming for multiple age groups. The narrative following a young girl living in a Taliban controlled region of Afghanistan, where women, and girls are treated like dirt and basically have no rights. Her father gets imprisoned and she ends up having to disguise herself as a boy in order to keep her family alive. There's dark moments, hardships and violence , but it's all presented through the eyes of a child, and with a beautiful animation style that alternates between simplistic but expressive 2D animation, and paper cut-out style fantasy sequences. It feels authentic and believable, and it's genuinely one of the best animated films I've seen for a while.

MADHERO: This movie is on my Netflix watchlist since it released on that here but I've yet to find the time to watch it.

STICKMAN: You should find the tiiiime, it's real goooooood.

LARRY: I watched this and thoroughly enjoyed it for many of the same reasons. If Coco hadn't been nominated, this would've deserved the Oscar honestly.

STICKMAN: It's kinda a shame Coco was so good, because this would've made a very worthy winner.

MADHERO: I don't doubt it. Cartoon Saloon has been doing excellent work throughout and they definitely deserve more credit.

LARRY: Yes. Tells a captivating story with some of the most gorgeous animated sequences I've seen. So much color, so much imagination.

STICKMAN: Cartoon Saloon deserve way more love, honestly. This is their best film too. It's a real beaut.

LARRY: Mmmhm. Couldn't recommend it enough.

MADHERO: What about you, Larry? What did you see? Something in the theater with your friends like a normal person does?

LARRY: My film is Incredibles 2, which I was lucky enough to see as part of a double feature, alongside its predecessor, in glorious 2D IMAX on my 21st birthday last week. And..yeah, ya can't ask for much of a better present than that. Lo and behold, after 14 years of waiting, Incredibles 2 is more than a worthy successor to the original; while it doesn't reach the brilliant levels of 1, it has just as much comedy and heart, with even better animation and action. It improves in so many ways and ultimately brings the Incredibles to a new generation of fans while satisfying the older generation with plenty of fan-favorites and references to the original.

I think this film does a great job in genuinely balancing storylines. We have something for everybody here, whether it's the female empowerment of Elastigirl, the bumbling parental struggles of Mr. Incredibles, or the silliness and slapstick of Jack-Jack. It covers many bases but never feels rushed or over-balanced. The story ultimately has some new things to say about the media and perception and family, though its third act does sorta drop everything for some typical action. Again, not as great as 1 but still a fun romp. Overall, I had a blast with it, so much so that I'm probably gonna see it again very soon.

MADHERO: Oh hey, seeing the movie pretty much everyone in America went to see

STICKMAN: What about the Bao tho.

LARRY: Bao is easily one of Pixar's weirdest and most emotional shorts. Loved it.

STICKMAN: That's the good shit.

MADHERO: Its funny how very little time has passed in-time and yet its been 14 YEARS!!! Is that in any way noticable in the animation? Incredibles 1 is when Pixar first went full human

LARRY: Well, people tend to forget the very end of Incredibles 1 is three months after the main events of the film. So SOME time has passed. Just not..14 years.

STICKMAN: I've seen The Incredibles once..when it came out. All I remember is NO CAPES.

LARRY: The animation is wholly and completely better. More defined, more dynamic and vibrant. Seeing the end of 1 in better animation just kinda made my heart soar.

MADHERO: I remember really wanting the actual Incredibles 2 when I was a kid. The Gamecube game about taking down the Underminer, which I guess is non-canon now. It wasn't a particuarely good game, so ehhhhh. I'm seeing this as soon as I can with the fam.

STICKMAN: Speaking of seeing something..what did you watch, Mad? Something you haven't watched yet and will be writing about tomorrow instead, I bet?

MADHERO: So yeah, there's been a World Cup going on, and because of that I really haven't had much time to watch movies, even with the Netherlands not even qualifying for it and therefore having no emotional anchor to really watch it. Some may know that out of the 3 of us, I'm probably the most forgiving of the original Pacific Rim's faults, of which there are plenty. I just found it an extremely enjoyable film, one that probably wouldn't be as good without a gifted filmmaker like Guillermo del Toro. Case in point: Pacific Rim Uprising, a film which I enjoyed, but one where you can tell something is missing.

Watching giant robots beat the shit out of giant monsters is always fun to watch, and if Uprising does something better than its precursor, its setting most of its action scenes during the day when you can actually see things, which is always nice. Its brisk at less than 2 hours, there's a fun 'turn your brain off' aspect to it, and I do think John Boyega is a more interesting protagonist than Charlie Hunnam was. But honestly, it does sort of feel like the heart is ripped out of it. The original Rim wore that on its sleeve, and this meanwhile feels much more made-by-committee and generic. If you're not in that picky of a mood and wanna watch some robots fight each other, you can do far worse, but I'd personally stick to the original

STICKMAN: Pacific Rim was poopy.

MADHERO: I'll stick with it till the end of time, but it aint no masterpiece.

LARRY: I surprisingly enjoyed this. Though I'm still not over Charlie Day fucking a Kaiju brain. One of the weirdest movie moments of 2018.

STICKMAN: Oh no, not that again.

LARRY: MAD CAN ATTEST, IM NOT MAKING IT UP

MADHERO: I feel you kinda overblew that. Its weird for sure, and it leads to an..interesting performance. I just wanted robots fight monsters and I got that.

LARRY: Mad, c'mon. They play the song 'I Wanna Know What Love Is' And he literally looks like he's getting off.

STICKMAN: DOES HE FUCK THE BRAIN OR NOT. DAMNIT I NEED TO KNOW.

MADHERO: He does not stick his peepee in a brain, no.

STICKMAN: THANK FUCK. That's been two weeks of suffering, hearing about that.

LARRY: Anyway yeah Boyega is great in Uprising, and not enough people are giving him solid credit for this. It proves he can genuinely lead a film. I just thought he was genuinely funny.

MADHERO: Well he carried a lot of Force Awakens. I liked him, but I wish he was given more personality than 'I'm sad and angry at my dead dad'

STICKMAN: 'Pacific Rim Uprising is brain fuckingly good' - At the Screwvies, 2018.

-------------

MADHERO: I think that about wraps up everything. Afte collosal dino's, we're now going small, almost like a... flea, or a gnat.

STICKMAN: Nah that's not till August I think.

LARRY: .ouch.

MADHERO: Well, we're talking about it anyway. And hey, there's always POLITICS via The Purge. Whatever floats your boat. TIme to get back to the fooootball

STICKMAN: Purge probably isn’t out soon here either. O WELL, GUESS I’LL DIE. SO LONG!

LARRY: Adios muchachos

Oh my GOODNESS MEEEE, EVERY BODDDYYYY. We've reached the END. The end of this 3 week EPIC* (*Disclaimer: Not actually epic) countdown of my favourite films of ALlllLL TiIiIiIMMe..currently..at the specific time where I correlated the rankings..this is a very changeable kinda thing, but all the same IT'S TIME FOR THE TOP 10 FILMS, specifically MY TOP 10 FILMS. WOW.

As should be obvious, this is part 3 to a trilogy of blogs, so if you haven't read them yet, go check out Parts 1 and 2 on my page. For that reason also, I will not be repeating the rules of specifics of this list again, as you can check those all out in Part 1. All that's left to do now is get on with the blog, so heeere we goooooo.

10. The Matrix (1999).

Oh me, oh my, it's Keanu Reeves, and he can fly! Ending the previous millennium with a cinematic bang, The Matrix slow motion wall flipped onto the scene and changed the game for science fiction and action movies in the years that followed. Sure, the two films that followed up this one left a lot to be desired, and indeed, The Wachowski's have never quite managed to top, or even equal their breakout directorial hit since, but that doesn't take away from just how gamechanging The Matrix was, and just how damn good the film remains to this date, where it's now celebrating its 20th anniversary (I know, I know, it's depressing). The premise is simple..just kidding, it's exceedingly complicated and weird. Keanu Reeves is an office worker by day, computer hacker by night, who goes by the nickname of Neo. He starts to question the nature of his life after encountering strange individuals and mysterious murmurs online..and as often is the case, he soon finds himself tumbling down a rabbit hole where he discovers mankind has been reduced to cattle, reality as we know it being a virtual construct used by machines in the future to keep us alive and active, in order to harvest our energy to power themselves. Natch. Neo joins a (At the time seemingly) ragtag bunch of humans who've escaped from 'The Matrix' and now attempt to free humanity from their machine overlords, acting both inside the program, and outside in the real world. Their leader, Morpheus believes Neo to be 'THE ONE', a being who can potentially control the system and eventually take it down. So yeah, shit's gonna go down. We got Jesus allegories, we got backflips, sister, we GOT IT ALL. It's..it's THE FUCKKINNG MATTRIIXX.

The Matrix works so well as a film due to multiple things. It's interesting in premise, it's stylish as fuck, it's full of fun sequences and characters, the action is insane, and the premise is initially confusing but also completely understandable. It's a unique and impossible film to imitate (Even in its sequels I may add), many have tried, but none have succeeded. Importantly, it doesn't take itself too seriously, playing out as pulpy sci-fi fun, rather than the melodramatic and overburdened antics of the two films that followed. The special effects continue to be mind blowing to this day, for the most part at least, the use of multi-camera and slow motion photography, practical effects and bombastic framing make for some shots that you really have to wonder how they achieved back in 1999. The film makes full use of its sci-fi premise, where people who are aware they are living in a simulation can use that to their advantage, gaining extensive firearms/vehicular knowledge in moments, and bending the world around them to their needs, making doors where none had been before, stocking up with dozens of weapons at a time, harnessing superhuman abilities and.oh yes, wearing the sickest leather trenchcoats and latex pants this side of a Marilyn Manson concert. Using these advantages to fight Agents, programs within the simulation who can be anyone, anywhere, and are seemingly impossible to kill. It's a grungy, green-tinted action epic the likes of which you've never seen..providing you haven't already seen it, which I'd imagine you have. So break out your trendy late 90s flip-phones, put on your needlessly reflective glasses, and get WATCHIN'.

9. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit (2005).

Here they are, here's Aardman again. We previously talked Chicken Run, but now we're going back to the pair that launched the British studio to international fame, and simultaneously going forward..to their follow-up feature to Chicken Run, the horror spoofing CURSE OF THE WERERABBIT. Wallace & Gromit is one of animations best film series', and whilst Curse of the Wererabbit isn't their finest outing (The Wrong Trousers, as previously ranked on my W&G blog a year ago would hold that honour for me), it's their only feature length adventure, and it's also a damn good one at that. Of course it helps, for me, that this specific installment of the franchise is a homage to horror, more specifically of the British, Hammer variety. Naturally, the film is anything but scary, this is an Aardman production after all, instead the film lampoons the genre in camp, crude fashion, with the studios trademark comedic signage and little details doing the heavy lifting where it comes to actual horror parodies. All that said, it also manages to capture the unique atmosphere and lighting of the genre in a way you'd think was impossible for a stop motion production, the legendary Nick Park at the height of his directorial powers in this entry.

As it stands, and like with Chicken Run, I've already written about this film recently thanks to my Aardman double-bill last year, so I'll keep the summary as brief as I can. Long story short, Wallace & Gromit are humane pest controllers dealing with a rabbit infestation, in a village of prize vegetable growers. It's a lucrative business where the simpleton villagers will pay any price to protect their produce, but with the bunny population starting to overwhelm, Wallace decides to try brainwashing them into disliking vegetables with his new invention. Of course. Naturally, there's a BRAIN MELDING CALAMITY and suddenly there's a giant rabbit monster terrorising the town gardens in the dead of night. Throw in a love triangle, a dastardly villain and an angry village mob counting down to the town vegetable competition, and you've got yourself one crazy ass romp. It's beautifully animated, wonderfully scored and endlessly charming in a way only Aardman, and Wallace & Gromit specifically can manage to be..all the while making as many vegetable innuendos as possible along the way. A deserving Oscar Animated Feature winner, Curse of the Wererabbit is an endlessly rewatchable film for me, and my all time favourite full length animation..although Chicken Run does give it a run for its money, I'll admit. Thus is the power of Aardman in their prime.

8. Inception (2010).

It was only a matter of time until Christopher Nolan turned up, right? One of modern cinemas most relevant directors, and IMDBs fantasy boyfriend, Nolan has made some of the most iconic features of recent times, and Inception is possibly his biggest contribution to original cinema to date, the ship that launched a thousand BWAAAAAAA's. Yes, the concept of dream exploration has been done before, and yes, I'm aware of Paprika..and that..Ducktales comic(?), but Inception is still a wholly original film, and an epic one that. Leonardo di Caprio plays Domnick Cobb, a 'extractor' for hire who, along with various other individuals, is hired by corporations to enter the subconsciousness' of their competitors and extract valuable information without leaving a trace, thanks to experimental tech that lets them enter and control dreamscapes. Cobb is also on the run from the law, accused of murdering his wife and as such is unable to enter the United States, or see his children. One businessman approaches him with the desire to not extract, but implant something in the mind of a man who's recently inherited his deceased fathers business empire. If he succeeds in this task, he'll have his criminal charges dropped, and be able to see his family again. As such, the stakes are high, and after banding together a group of the best incepterrrrs in the field, Cobb and his team embark on a literally mind-bending voyage of the mind, facing some all too real inner demons along the way. It's a fantastic premise, delivered in a grand style that only Nolan can seem to provide, with an ending that swells with emotion, and then delivers cinema's biggest audience-wide groan of mild frustration, and then amusement.

Inception has a great premise, and a great cast, but what really makes it a modern classic is its sheer scale and spectacle. As with most Christopher Nolan movies, it's easy to find and pick holes in the larger than life premise, but none of those potential pitfalls get in the way of the entertainment on offer, I feel at least. As the team descend into the deeper and deeper levels of the dream world, the different scenarios and situations begin to effect each other, whilst the team sleep peacefully on a long-haul flight, the next level down there's a frantic car chase being undertaken, the level under that is then affected by the bumpy ride above, leading to an innocent looking hotel corridor becoming a spiraling whirlwind of chaos, which itself causes an avalanche in the snowy fortress that dwells one dream level below. The film becomes multiple sequences occurring simultaneously, albeit within different frames of time, the further down you get, the slower each second of the real world is perceived, meaning any calamities that occur on the level above will have longer implications for the one below. It's multiple thriller sequences fighting each other across simultaneous planes of existence, and the team also need to synchonise their return journeys (A 'kick' lurching them out of each respective level of dream) if they want to succeed in their mission, and make it out 'alive' in the process. It's genius, and makes for fast-paced, thrilling viewing. It's also beautifully filmed, and features one of the most incredible film scores of all time, Hans Zimmer creating a wholly unique and influential soundscape that can both overwhelm with sheer noise, and then also bring a tear to your eye with its swelling beauty. It's an incredible work of cinema, and although its success has led to some somewhat cynical over-examination by film folks, that does not prevent it from being a masterpiece of a sci-fi thriller. A multi-layered mind heist. How often can you say that about a film.

7. Drive (2011).

I love a good crime caper, me. I also love car chases, violence (in movies at least), aesthetically strong cinema, and memorable soundtracks. As such, it's pretty easy to immediately understand why I adore Drive, the arthouse romantic crime drama that pissed off a few, but pleased a great many more upon is release in 2011. It's also the film that made a name out of Nicolas Winding Refn, a talented director who's since gone on to make absolute shit in the years that followed, using this film as the clout he needs to make the films he wants to make..which are apparently, all awful. That doesn't take away from Drive, though, a film that's rightfully gone on to become a cult classic and helped make its star, Ryan Gosling a household name. In the film, Gosling plays the 'Driver', a nameless, practically silent protagonist who does movie stuntwork by day, and does getaway driving by night. His life of crime is operated on a very specific series of rules, he doesn't get involved with the crime, he doesn't carry a gun, and if you aren't back in the car at the 5 minute mark, you're on your own. He's the best at what he does, but all that falls to the wayside when he meets Irene, the lady next door who's husband is currently in prison. The two develop a semi-romantic relationship, being the surrogate father to her child in the process. It all sounds too perfect for him, and it is, and soon enough his love, work and criminal lives collide in a violent fashion that risks him losing it all, and possibly even his life in the process.

Drive could well have been your standard, fast paced crime thriller, and many argued that it was even marketed that way (I'd disagree but there you go), but to MAKE A CAR RELATED METAPHOR, it keeps things in a much lower gear for most of its running time, playing out as a slow motion car crash, full of sweeping and melodic sequences where all the many narrative pieces are calmly put into place, only for the 3rd act to violently tear them to pieces in spectacular, heartbreaking fashion. That said, there's a constant undercurrent of dread that creeps up throughout the film, a reminder that even if things seem to all be going swell, there's still menace lurking just around the corner of the road, with Gosling's quiet and gentle natured Driver himself hiding a dark and dangerous streak that threatens to explode out at any minute. All that said, Drive manages to be a film that's beautiful even in its most violent moments, often pairing beauty with the beast, so to speak, in order to make that violence all the more potent. One of the films most iconic scenes involves a final lovers kiss that seems to warp the world around the kissers in an almost fairy-tale fashion, only for this to immediately be followed by one of cinemas most crunchy boots to the face, bringing things down to earth (Literally, since it takes place in a lift, HO HO) again in a terrifyingly gory way. As it stands, Drive is an understandably acquired taste, I get why some people don't like it..or at least don't love it on the same level, when you apply arthouse sensibilities to a film it automatically becomes harder to swallow, depending on the balance, but for me Drive is an almost perfect crime film..engaging, twisty, violent and visually poetic, relying less on dialogue and more on expression to tell its story, with a score that shines both in its original uneasy tunes and its licensed jukebox collection, put to specifically excellent use in the films opening sequence and credits. Also Ryan Gosling is a handsome boy, y'know? It's got that going for it too.

6. Psycho (1960).

The first of several obvious inclusions to this end of the list..of course Psycho was going to turn up, right? I mean, its memorable final scene became my avatar for this very site (Well, ScrewAttack originally), now with a more..reptilian flare to it. It's also an iconic, gamechanging classic of cinema, and specifically horror, which as you'll have worked out across this list, is a favourite of mine. All that said, I'm not actually the biggest fan of Alfred Hitchcock's library. Don't get me wrong, he's made some real corkers, but there's also a few of his most treasured works that I really don't think all that highly of (Vertigo and The Birds to name but two), and there's even more of them I haven't even seen..hell, the guy made a lot of films across his some 40 years of working, I'LL GET AROUND TO IT, LEAVE ME ALONE. Anyway, my point is, Psycho wasn't guaranteed a spot just because of its generally perceived pedigree, I don't always find myself agreeing when it comes to Hitch..but yeah, I think Psycho's pretty bloody great. Bit of a longwinded way of saying it, admittedly. The original slasher comfortably remains one of the best.

To talk about the story of Psycho is to let unfurl one of Hollywood's greatest twists..but frankly if you don't know it by this point, that's kinda your fault, bub, the film's almost 60 years old, YA FOOL. We start out following the misadventures of Marion Crane, a secretary who's entrusted with a large sum of money by her boss, and decides to steal it and run off to be with her boyfriend, encountering suspicion from the police along the way before winding up stopping at the remote Bates Motel for one, rainy, fateful night. It's here she meets Norman Bates, the gentle but off-putting motel manager who through a somewhat awkward conversation, convinces Marion to turn back and try to escape from the personal trap she'd placed herself in. Of course, the rest is history, and after the most iconic showering in all of history, the film changes gears, no longer about Marion, but instead about Norman Bates, and his attempts to cover up Marion's murder, protecting his mysterious mother in the process. Once again, not everything is as it seems, and what ensues is a slowburn game of cat and mouse, with a truly killer ending. It's a masterwork of suspense, beautifully filmed in black and white, steeped in menacing shadows that offer an advanced warning of the terrible fate that awaits Marion in the first half, before becoming a constant companion to the dark mystery that follows in the second. The real star of the show is Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, of course, giving a disarmingly charming, but frequently unnerving performance that's one of the most memorable in cinema. Psycho would've been a good film without him, but it's a masterpiece as a result of his grand work. And who can forget the score? Oh man, the score. Shrieking shower sequence aside, it's a orchestra of menace and panic that works perfectly with the visual atmosphere to create a film that remains haunting and engrossing long after its big twists are revealed. You won't believe this, but Psycho is a good film. It's..CRAZY..aho..get it? Cuz..Psycho. Okay. Moving on.

5. Alien (1979).

OH SHIT, one of the most obvious inclusions in this ranking, and the hardest to talk about since I've kinda gone on about Ridley Scott's horror masterpiece in great detail a great many times, one very recently. And I mean..what's there left to say about Alien? It's impact on cinema, the horror genre, and pop culture is well known, and beyond its influential nature, it's just a damn good movie. It made a star of Sigourney Weaver, it put Ridley Scott on the directorial map and made the late, great and weird HR Giger the cult icon he deserved to be..the weirdo, thanks to his unforgettable design work on the alien ship, and ..oh yes, that big, phallic Xenomorph, which remains one of cinemas most famous monsters. It's scary, exciting, dark, visually creative and surprisingly funny. It's just GREAT, and I've already stated that many times before, so let's moooooove on.

4. Children of Men (2006).

Alfonso Cuaron has already featured on this list for the excellent Gravity, and in that entry I mentioned how knowing he was the director made it an instant must-see for me. The reason for that is Children of Men. Holy shit, Children of Men. One of the most criminally underrated films of modern times, this epic, British-set dystopian thriller is as gritty and dark as they come, and it's all the better for it. Released in 2006, but set in the 'not too distant' future of 2027, Children of Men sees humanity on the brink of collapse, 18 years after, for unknown reasons, our species became infertile. Naturally, an increasingly aging world without the prospect of further children is quite the shitty one, the global economy is in the toilet, most of the world's governments have collapsed, and Britain, one of the few surviving political powers is a state of immigrant segregation, police oppression and readily available suicide pills. We follow divorced, grieving bureaucrat Theo Faron as he's recruited by his activist ex-wife to help a young refugee flee the country, it becoming rapidly clear that she could be humanity's last, best hope for the future. What follows is a lifechanging journey across the depression ravaged country, meeting a host of unusual individuals along the way, some who can be trusted, but many who cannot. It's a journey into darkness, but with glimmers of hope and beauty, exploring the lengths we'll go in order to survive, both individually and as a species, which makes Children of Men a far less bleak experience than it could've easily been.

That's not to say Children of Men isn't bleak, it's not a fun ride for sure. From the explosive opening sequence it's clear that the film is treating its high concept sci-fi premise with a huge degree of realism, the near-apocalyptic premise taking a narrative backseat to an all too familiar looking war-torn, fascist ruled landscape, this time brought right to our western societal doorstep. This is a world of broken people living on the very edge of potential annihilation, and that's why so many are willing to put everything on the line to get Kee, the previously mentioned refugee out of the country, and into the hands of people who can potentially save the future of the human race. As I said, there is beauty and awe to be found throughout, helped by Cuaron's magic directorial touch, those trademark long shot takes being put to their greatest use in this film, with a lengthy 3rd act sequence proving to be one of modern cinemas most powerful and breathtaking moments. The performances all around are top notch, everything from Clive Owen's stoic, broken lead, to Michael Caine's weird stoner (and also broken) character providing memorable and often heartbreaking moments. The soundtrack is exceptional too..honestly, there's not a lot about Children of Men that isn't outstanding, whisking you along on a unforgettable journey through a brilliantly realised dystopian future, giving you enough information to keep you engaged, but never so much that you feel above the protagonists you're desperately scrambling along the cracked, decaying streets of Britain with. It's a modern masterpiece, and one you desperately need to check out if you haven't already..just be prepared for an emotional ride.

3. Heat (1995).

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Oh maaaan..Oh MICHAEL MANN (Gettit), this whole Top 5 is getting me pumped as hell. Although I am pretty comfortable with my #1 entry, the four that precede it could easily be placed in any order, I just did the best I could do to choose a preference. As I said previously with Collateral, I'm a fan of Mann..ahheuh..and there's no greater contribution to cinema from him than his 1995 crime masterpiece, HEAT. Marketed at the time as a clash of the cinematic titans, in its bringing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro together in the same film, face to face, for the first time. That might not mean much now, when Al Pacino is doing fake Dunkin Donut adverts for Adam Sandler, and De Niro is..somewhere, I'm not sure where actually..but in the 90s? This was an event not to be missed by any cinephile..not that I would've known at the time, I was two years old. I obviously watched it quite a bit later, where the novelty of those two colliding was mostly lost on me..and the thing about Heat is that, 90s cheese aside, it works because of, and as well as those core performances, perhaps the last real tour de force role for the both of them. Heat is an epic and complex crime drama that is fantastic broadly because of the cast involved, but at the same time, when those two sit across from each other in that iconic diner scene, it's not exciting because of who they are, it's exciting because of the story, and the characters they are playing. In 2019, Heat isn't a must-watch because of the two lead men, it's a must-watch because it's just fuckin' good cinema.

The film is a tale of two individuals who reside on opposite sides of the law. De Niro a highly skilled criminal with a code of isolation, the idea that you shouldn't commit yourself to anything in life that you aren't able to leave behind forever at a moments notice, should the circumstances call for it, one he finds himself breaking as he falls in love with a random woman he meets in a diner. Pacino is a world-weary 'Major Crimes Unit' Lieutenant trying to track down and apprehend De Niro and his heist crew, all whilst dealing with a collapsing marriage and a stepdaughter that's suffering in the middle of him and his wife's turmoil. The two have both let their personal lives fall apart in constant pursuit of the next 'job', and upon finally encountering each other, find themselves feeling a great deal of mutual respect, one that comes with the grim caveat that, should the moment call for it, both would not hesitate to kill the other if it means surviving themselves. It's a gleefully complex protagonist/antagonist relationship, and the film spends ample time with both party to flesh out both their character, and the ample roster of supporting characters on both sides. At its core, this is a film about a cop trying to catch a robber, but as a film, it is so much more than that. There's some great action sequences, the city shootout and its realistic soundscape in particular being a highlight, but really it's the performances, writing and atmosphere that make this film a real classic. So much of it is spent in the LA landscape late into the night, scored to grungy, tortured guitars and moody licensed music, spending time with the different characters and exploring their personal problems more than it does the heists and gunplay. At nearly 3 hours in length, it's an crime epic in the very literal sense, and parts of it maybe haven't aged as well as others..but really..Heat is just some exceptional cinema, there's really nothing like it out there. A fantastic neo noir thriller, and a character study of mutually appreciative, flawed individuals, both of whom have the other in their gun's sights, whilst knowing their own time may be numbered. Also, Pacino says GREAT AAAAAAAAASSSSSS at one point, and that's really something.

2. The Dark Knight (2008).

Given the current comic book movie landscape, it's hard to imagine that just over 10 years ago, the concept of a film making a billion dollars at the box office, and a comic book movie being one of the most acclaimed, talked about films of the year was a surprise. Nowadays if a tentpole superhero release doesn't make upwards of a billion financially, it's often considered a disappointment, and comic book movies are regularly among the highest reviewed, most notable releases of their respective years. Of course, it's also hard to imagine that the acclaimed, award winning $1 Billion movie was be a DC property as well. But here we are, with The Dark Knight, the film that ruined DC and a lot of blockbuster cinema for years to come, but stands itself as possibly the finest of its genre, at least in my opinion. Often the middle film of a trilogy is the weakest, stuck as a halfway house between the exciting origins and explosive finale, but that's very much not the case with Christopher Nolan's gritty, semi-grounded trilogy take on the caped crusader, which is great all across the board (In my opinion, I know Rises is pretty divisive), but truly shines in its second round. With the origin story out of the way, The Dark Knight plays as a mostly self-contained experience, referencing aspects of Batman Begins without also being chained to it. It stands by itself as a masterpiece of the action/crime/thriller/comic book genres, and yes..this list is really showing how much I like most of those boxes being ticked.

The Dark Knight sees Bruce Wayne and Batman at the height of their respective powers in Gotham, and basically chronicles the downfall of them both across the course of the film..uh..spoilers, I guess? Of course, there is no Batman villain better suited to bringing the hero, and his city to their knees than the Joker, played, obviously, by Heath Ledger, who gives an astonishing, award winning performance, one that would sadly be his last, the circumstances of his death relating to the dark role he plays in this film remaining a dark patch on an otherwise exceptional cinema experience. As with the previous entry on this list, it's the dynamic between Batman and Joker that really sets the thing alight, a man who lives by a strict, honorable code pitted against a psychopath without boundaries, hellbent on proving to his adversary that deep down, he's no better. The Dark Knight is a film that's just wall to wall brilliant moments, opening with a gloriously choreographed heist sequence which perfectly introduces this new, very different take on the Joker, and not really coming off the cinematic gas after that point. Trucks flip, hospitals explode, faces are two'd, pencils are made to..disappear and morality is tested by both tragic deaths and high stakes hostage situations, all exquisitely filmed by Nolan and his cinematographer Wally Pfister, and exceptionally scored by the masterful Hans Zimmer. It's a beautifully made film with jaw-dropping action sequences, memorable performances (particularly by Ledger of course) and a blisteringly thrilling ending that really packs a punch as the film smashcuts to black, and the credits start rolling. I know some people have had their impressions of this film soured over time, but for me it remains just as magnificent as the day I first watched it in awe back in Summer 2008. It left a huge impression on me, and helped truly blossom my love of complex and mature cinema, which obviously, I retain even moreso to this day. It's just a fucking great time, a film I could watch again and again quite happily, gravelly Batman voice and all.

1. Aliens (1986).

Yep, it's Aliens. Big shock, huh? The biggest hurdle I faced when planning this list was grappling with the fact that..the number 1 choice was blindingly obvious to anyone who's ever known me. I've not exactly been subtle about the fact that I view this film as my favourite of all time, I even said so in my Alien/Predator ranking blog last year..which also has left me in the position where I have to end my epic(?), 3 part movie countdown on a film that..really I don't have a lot more to say about. I feel like I've been praising this movie since I started regularly blogging 7-8 years ago..like..it's Aliens? I love it to bits? It's got everything I love in a film that isn't a complex crime drama where the morality and ambiguity of different sides of the law are explored in a neo noir, grungy setting ..cuz that's not really this film's style. Aliens has everything else ticked though, it's an action horror movie, expertly directed, wonderfully scored (Courtesy of the late, great James Horner) with a great lead performance and a roster of memorable characters, sequences and iconic lines. I love the Xenomorphs, I love Ripley, Burk can kiss my ass, that Ripley vs Queen fight is one for the ages.

I could gush and gush and gush. But I'll restrain myself, as I did with the similarly excellent Alien earlier. I just love Aliens, I know it's not the most intelligent or 'film buff' kinda choice to make, but y'know..fuck that, I guess? I don't love cinema the way I do, and enjoy the films I do to come across as an expert on the medium, or to make some fellow film enthusiast nod in quiet satisfaction as I pick a new wave French art-house flick as my all time favourite (Not that there's anything wrong with liking those either), what makes me such a fan of cinema is because there's so many places it can take you. I can adore 90 minutes of mindless carnage just as much as I can be riveted by a thoughtful 3 hour indie drama. All genres and corners of cinema have the capacity to be exceptional, and inspire audiences in so many different ways, there is no elevated genre or touchstone of high art. But none of that really matters, because Aliens is rad as fuck, so..yeah. The end? Cue Dark Knight'esque smashcut and an audience of disappointed readers slowly getting to their feet and making their way down the aisles, and out the exit. You missed the end-credits scene where I ask you to Zing the blog, assholes!

Well, that's it folks! Top 30 films ranked and written about. Hooowee, that was a big project to undertake, so I hope you enjoyed it, and better yet, it introduced you to something you haven't seen, and will maybe check out. That'd be awesome. Thanks to anyone who's read and shared these 3 blog entries around over the last few weeks, I really appreciate the support. As with the other two..if you enjoyed this final part, give it a ZING, post a comment with your thoughts on the entries, and your own favourites..and share it around the social medias if you'd like. I don't know when my next blog will be, but hopefully it won't be too long away..until then, LATER GATOOOORS.