Eight of the best movies – so far
This year has already proved to be a blockbusting and crowdpleasing one at the movies.
While Marvel has packed in the punters like never before, Kiwis have also flocked to see homegrown comedy such as The Breaker Upperers, Hugh Jackman star as The Greatest Showman, a plethora of Oscarnominated dramas, and the anarchic antics of Peter Rabbit.
As we reach the halfway point of the year, we look at the past six months and come up with a list of our favourites from the year so far.
Avengers: Infinity War
A two-and-a-half-hour thrill ride, with plenty of action, laughs and the potential for tearing-up. Directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo did an amazing job of shoehorning Marvel’s myriad superheroes into a coherent tale.
Josh Brolin’s Thanos is at the heart of a rollicking, heartrending rollercoaster of a movie that doesn’t stint on spectacle or enthralling drama.
C’est La Vie
Olivier Nakache and Eric Toleando (the French duo who gave the world 2012’s much-loved The Intouchables) have crafted another outstanding crowdpleaser with this hilarious ensemble comedy about Gallic wedding planner Max Angely’s (Jean-Paul Bacri) very challenging work day.
A Robert Altman-esque roam, encompassing everyone from Max’s employees to some truly garrulous guests, this is French farce, baked to perfection.
Chappaquiddick
Three Billboards will leave you exhilarated, exhausted and entertained as you experience a range of emotions.
Coming out in a time of a US president facing allegations of criminal behaviour and the rise of the #MeToo movement, John Curran’s drama is a fascinating look at an under-examined, key moment in American history.
Australian actor Jason Clarke delivers a superb performance as Edward Kennedy, doing much to leave the viewer in a conundrum over the US senator’s actions or inactions after a car crash leaves a young woman dead.
The Death of Stalin
From the creative mind of The Thick of It and Veep, comes this superbly eclectically cast black comedy. With a cast that includes Paul Whitehouse, Steve Buscemi and Michael Palin, it focuses on the grab for power that took place in the wake of the Soviet dictator’s demise.
If you thought Armando Iannucci’s takes on modern British and American politics were entertaining, just wait until you get a load of this hilarious and horrifying spin on a key moment in Russian history.
I, Tonya
Based on ‘‘irony free, totally contradictory interviews’’, as Aussie director Craig Gillespie so elegantly put it, this movie aims to explore the troubled backstories of all the major players in one of US sport’s greatest scandals, and allow them to have their say at the same time.
Coupled with quite brilliant performances from Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, what could have been a straightforward documentary or a conventional biopic, is instead a hilarious, confronting and compelling black comedy.
Loving Vincent
Entirely hand-painted by a team of more than 100 speciallytrained artists, this Oscarnominated, animated historical mystery is a breathtaking achievement. Saoirse Ronan and Chris O’Dowd provide the vocals and visages, as Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman try to unravel the last days of troubled artist Vincent van Gogh.
Sweet Country
From a beautiful, lyrical opening scene simply involving a dark bubbling pot and evocative audio to its devastating denouement, Warwick Thornton’s Aussie western is a triumph of taut storytelling and visual flair. Inspired by a real-life incident in the late 1920s, this tale draws you in with its colourful characters and grips, then haunts and outrages with its scenarios and injustice
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Built around grieving mother Mildred Hayes’ (a quite brilliant Frances McDormand) quest for justice in a small town, Martin McDonagh brings all his playwrighting and film-making skills to bear in creating a simply stunning, subversive tale. In its near two-hour running time, this movie will leave you exhilarated, exhausted and entertained as you experience a range of emotions.