Review – I Kill Giants

This review contains some minor SPOILERS!

I Kill Giants, directed by Anders Walter, was a film that I think needed to find some lighter moments in its character’s adventures, rather than being a film that emotionally beats you down to the point where you have nothing left to give. There is a powerful story in, I Kill Giants, but I think some creative decisions unfortunately led to this film not delivering on the poignant story / message that it was trying to explore. Let’s make our way into the review and see if there are any redeeming qualities that make this a film worth seeing.

Advertisement

The Films That Stood Out to Me in 2016

So 2016 has been a mixed year in terms of films; the summer blockbuster season was… well a bust, and there have been a lot of films that haven’t fully hit the mark (for me). But, there have also been some real treasures – some films that have been absolutely exceptional; ones that I didn’t see coming. Now of course this is all about the films that for me, just couldn’t escape my head. The ones that burrowed themselves into my memory banks, set up shop, and politely – or sometimes quite forcefully – told me that they planned on being there for the long-haul. This was something I was completely okay with.

I suppose I should lay what you can expect from this piece, as I’m not intending for it to be the usual ‘Top 10’ lists that you’re going to be seeing around this time of year. What I want to do with this is not necessarily focus on what might be considered the absolute best-of-the best from 2016; the films that were perfect in their every effort and deserve to be recognised as the next masterpieces. This is more about me shining a light on some films that, for one reason or another (those reasons will be laid out in detail when I talk about each film) just had an effect on me, made it so that they stuck around and kept me thinking about them. The films are in no particular order, but my favourite film of 2016 will be in there somewhere. But don’t worry, you’ll know when that comes up.

I also want to point out that this list only contains films released in the UK in 2016. So films like, La La Land, Midnight, Manchester by the Sea, etc. films which everyone is singing the praises of, will not be contenders for this list. I want to keep it contained to only films released in UK cinemas in 2016. That way I can give everything a fair shot from this year.

So yeah, that’s what I intend to do with this piece. You’ll definitely recognise a lot of these films, and many other people will assuredly be talking about them, but I’m also hoping there will be 1-or-2 that slipped under your radar, and reading about them here gives you that little nudge to go watch them. So without further-a-due, let’s get into the films that stood out to me, and made their presence known, in 2016.

Review – Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings, directed by Travis Knight, is a film with such originality and style. From the very first frame of this film, I was instantly in love with how it looked and the direction in which it was taking. While the film never surprised me (from a plot standpoint) I don’t think there was ever a time where I wasn’t completely engaged and in love with the world that Kubo travels through. So let’s get into this review and see what works and what doesn’t.