1. Dune: Part 2: Dennis Vilenevue

2. Killers of the Flower Moon: Martin Scorsese

3. Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan

4. Maestro: Bradley Cooper

5. Rustin: Colman Domingo

6. Barbie: Greta Gerwig

7. Blitz: Steve McQueen

8. Saltburn: Emerald Fennell

9. Napoleon: Ridley Scott

10. Lee: Kate Winslet

11. May December: Todd Haynes

13. The Way of the Wild: Terrence Malik

14. Poor Things: Yorgos Lanthimos

15. The Colour Purple: Halle Berry

16. Nosferatu: Willem Dafoe

17. The Killer: David Fincher

18. Next Goal Wins: Taika Waititi

19. Asteroid City: Wes Anderson

20. Past Lives: Celine Song

21. Challengers: Luca Guadagnino

22. Wonka: Timothee Chalamet

23. The Holdovers: Alexander Payne

24. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: Wes Anderson

25. Foe: Paul Mescal

26. Ferrari: Adam Driver

27. Beau Is Afraid: Joaquin Phoenix

28. Shirley: Regina King

29. Spider-Man: Across the spider verse

30. Priscilla: Sophia Coppola

31. Civil War: Jennifer Lawrence

When my partner and I finished the film and left the cinema we were approached by a marketing person from the cinema to do an on camera post film interview. What I said to the camera I’d say in my review: never bet against James Cameron, he always delivers, epic, epic, epic. People seem often ready to doubt Cameron and yet time and time again he creates many of the most memorable movie experiences of my life. Titanic one of my all time favourite films, I would argue is the best romance/epic/disaster film ever made. The King of the sequels Cameron has also gave us one of the greatest sci fi films ever Terminator 2; one of the scariest films ever in Aliens 2, even excellent action/comedy in True Lies. A true master of cinema and a pioneer of technology. In an age where cinema has become streaming ‘content’ and most studio blockbuster films are unoriginal factory franchises, that seem to blur together, it’s almost a miracle when you see truly original content that is this epic in scale. I felt many of the same emotions watching Avatar 2 as I did to watching last years Dune: awe in a world so perfectly realised on such a monumental scale. It’s true that nothing will quite capture the original feeling of first seeing Avatar in the cinema in 3D in 2009. However in Avatar 2 when we first go to the underwater world I would say surpasses the visual effects of the first. Pandora feels like the most vividly created sci fiction world ever put to screen. The highlights of the film are easily the underwater scenes showcasing Cameron’s well documented love of the ocean and it’s protection. Especially breathtaking are the calmer scenes in the film where the cinematography of Russell Carpenter, who also did Titanic, takes your breath away. A common criticism of Cameron is his use of storyline’s that are on the simpler side. I would argue tap into archetypes of the collective unconsciousness, universal themes writ large. Yes the story is simple and the environmental messages of the film are as obvious and powerful as the last, however in avatar 2 this is combined with anti-colonialism, protecting wildlife and the strength of family message which make for a more emotional impact. I was moved to tears 3 times in the film. I highly recommend you watch it in 3D which in this context makes you want to dive into the world. Apart from the simple narrative my only other main fault with the film is that the first act requires a lot of exposition which pays off much more effectively in the 2nd and 3rd acts. The finally battle scene feels like the culmination of all his previous films with events of Terminator and Titanic. The budget for the film is between 350-400 million, which if it is at that upper reach it would make it the most expensive film of all time. You’ve got to see this in the cinema. At a time when epic original studio film experiences at the cinema seem to be dying in the face of tv and streaming, Cameron’s film feels like salvation for a vanishing art. Whatever minor flaws of the film melt away in the face of a cinematic experience that I haven’t had in over a decade. We are so lucky to have James Cameron making films, the master of the epic. 9/10

I watched Blonde last night, the new film about Marilyn Monroe. By now I’m sure most people already know she had a terrible life, was abused by Hollywood and died tragically. Although Ana de Armas does a commendable job with a script that only really allows her to, a) cry, b) suffer gratuitously, and c) recreate famous iconic moments of her career, that is the beginning and end of what is good about this movie. I really hated this movie. That doesn’t happen often. A film about the exploitation of Marilyn becomes itself the epitome of exploitation. I don’t think the male director even likes Marilyn, with a cold gaze he seems only interested in dissecting her suffering like a surgeon of misery. A one note litany of pain and woe that reduces all of Marilyn’s psychological complexity and intelligence into a daddy issues and fear of abandonment soap opera. Marilyn spends the choppily edited film lurching from one horror to the next, searching for her daddy, and being abused in the most unsettling and gruesome ways. What is the point of this film? Beyond showing us that she suffered terribly, it feels so hollow and empty. One of the greatest movie stars of all time in Blonde is a victim to predations of men, and the predations of its own director. I highly doubt a woman director could have made a film like this. Despite its 2hour and 40 min run time I felt I knew less about Marilyn than when I started. There’s so much more to Marilyn, her art, her mind and her impact. This misery porn is a betrayal of her and the incredible performance of Ana de Armas. Do yourself a favour and avoid this film. 3/10

Jaw drop. Just finished watching the new film ‘Everything, Everywhere All At Once’. When the credits rolled I was speechless trying to comprehend what I had just seen. Having had time to think about it, I think it’s the most fun I’ve had in the cinema in years. Hilarious, insane, shocking, a wild ride of sci fi, fantasy, martial arts action and comedy that ends with something moving and profound. The plot is hard to describe, but in the simplest terms it follows an anxious Asian American woman as she set on a bonkers adventure to save the universe by accessing multiple versions of herself through the multiverse. Yet the feeling of watching the film is hard to put into words. Some of the images I saw I couldn’t believe I was seeing in a cinema. I laughed along with the whole cinema harder and longer than any other movie in years. It’s unbelievably original, like a Rick and Morty episode meets the Matrix meets an acid trip. But more than the action and comedy it’s real power lies in its philosophical message that was so wise and profound I teared up. The editing is like bullets, Michelle Yeoh is Olympic in her acting feats, the zany humour is unlike anything I’ve seen in years. The word of mouth of the film is growing. This film is one of the most original films of this century. Do yourself a favour and watch movie history being made. 10/10