With the year coming to a close, it’s an opportune time to take a look back at the best and worst of 2016!
Obviously there are several films that come out over the course of a year, and we can’t watch everything, but one film that I did watch, which left me horribly disappointed, was horror film, The Forest.
2016 has been a stellar year for the horror genre, films such as Lights Out, Don’t Breathe, The Conjuring 2 & Origin of Evil have bucked the trend in the cheap jump-scare filled flicks from years prior. Currently standing at 10% on Rotten Tomatoes, then film not only managed to be one of the worst horror films of the year, it’s one of the worst films of the year full stop!
The story is based on the infamous Aokigahara Forest in Japan, more commonly known as the Suicide Forest, where twin sister (Jess) of our main protagonist, Sara, has gone missing. So Sara flies over from the States to Japan to find her missing sibling, who she refuses to believe is dead. Natalie Dormer plays the role of both twins here. The film does well initially, in setting up the journey into the forest, but once she sets foot inside, with the help of an American reporter (who isn’t suspicious at all!) & a local guide, the film starts to fall apart.
The film never gets around to explaining why there are ghosts in the forest, or any reasoning to why the suicide forest itself exists. Maybe there are spirits that lure venerable people to it? But nope, we get nothing. Instead we just get a story filled with plot holes. And a very lazy hallucination plot device, which is used a few times to cover shoddy storytelling! The missing sister also just happens to randomly appear in the final few moments of the film, as if to say, “don’t forget about me!”, with next to no explanation on what happened to her before the events of the film, apart from what we already knew.
The Forest could have been a lot more suspenseful, similar to The Grudge series, but we just got a bland story with cheap scares! Luckily we got more than enough excellent horrors out this year to make us forget about this!
t grossing movie out of the original trilogy, but personally, I believe that was more down to the hype of the second film, rather than the substance. After the intense, espionage thriller that was the first film, director John Woo was bought in, and totally changed up the film. Woo is known for his over the top actions scenes, and this film had it all. Slow motion, sliding with two guns in hand, doves! The plot was very generic, and the villain forgettable. What made the original great was its spy element, they tried to make this film more ‘Bond’ like, and it just didn’t work. For me, its the worst of the bunch!
There wasn’t anything seriously wrong with the 3rd installment, it was a perfectly good film, with a stellar cast, including the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, and the introduction of Benji, played by Simon Pegg, who has since become a fan favorite and series regular. The movie does do well in providing a more human side to the superspy persona of Ethan Hunt, showing a much more vulnerable side to him. J.J Abrams does a solid job after the disappointment of the 2nd film, but the feeling of franchise fatigue and a straightforward betrayal story line didn’t really entice anyone, with people asking if a third installment was even required!
The original, and probably the finest of the original 3 movies. To be honest, the CIA break-in scene alone makes the film stand tall. But it is so much more then that! Brain De Palma creates a cerebral thriller which not only had several action scenes, but also moments that required you to pay attention to a plot which could get complex, but it pays off in the end. Watching it for the first time when i was younger, the film was rather messy, but its on future viewings when you can really appreciate how all the plot points come together, and the end game is revealed. It’s startling how different this film is, compared to it’s direct sequel. There’s no slow motion, no corny action, just pure suspense!
It’s probably fair to split the franchise into 2 parts. The first 3, then the following films. Both Rogue Nation, and Ghost Protocol have been by the biggest success of the series, and it’s not hard to see why! It’s a difficult decision in deciding which one I prefer, but personally, one scene in GP probably tips it in its favour. But make no mistake, RN is still not only one of the best MI films, but probably one of the most polished action films in recent times. The opening scene involving the plane taking off is ridiculously well done, and edge of your seat stuff. Though the scenes during the Opera at the Vienna Opera House is personally one of my favourite scenes in film. The entire scene goes perfectly with ‘Nessun Dorma’ being preformed in the background, the choreography is simply amazing.
talker) & Beetle (the comic relief!) in his quest to retrieve the 3 pieces of the magic armour, the key in defeating the main antagonist.
MaConaughey, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes & George Takei. All of whom bring the characters to life. Art Parkinson from Game of Thrones fame does a fine job with the title character.
Silver Screen Show 