And now with the year winding down we’re ready to countdown our top 10 films of 2018:

10. Maui’s Hook

Heart-wrenching and powerful, this impressive documentary focuses on one of the most raw issues affecting contemporary society today: suicide. Clinical psychologist turned director Paora Joseph focuses his camera on an issue that has torn apart so many families and undertakes a hikoi wairua (spiritual journey) to help a group of six families to come to terms with their loss and find a sense of healing through a journey across New Zealand’s upper North Island. At every stage you are moved by the stories you witness and Joseph presents his film with a unique narrative and style that is all its own. We can’t think of more essential needed viewing than Maui’s Hook this year.

9. Mary Poppins Returns

If you were looking for a film that was practically perfect in everyway then you need not look further than Mary Poppins Returns. This big, bold and colourful musical entertained from its very first note and took audiences on a fantastic adventure courtesy of the world’s favourite nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt). Emily Blunt proved herself to be an eloquent song bird, and was the perfect choice to channel the magical enthusiasm of Mary Poppins, and add in an amazing collection of songs and a great message about the power of family and you had a film that was sure to enchant the whole family.

8. BlackKklansman

They say truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, and it didn’t get much stranger than the incredible true life story of Detective Ron Stallwell in BlackKklansman. Director Spike Lee is a filmmaker who always likes to push the boundaries and he really pushed them here with a film that packed together a hysterical narrative with scathing political commentary. Stars John David Washington and Adam Driver made a great team as two mismatched police officers, and Topher Grace stole the show as a racist with delusions of grandeur. Add in a funkadelic score and great 1970s stylings and we had ourselves a truly remarkable piece of cinema with BlackKklansman.

7. Tully

Motherhood 2018 was the theme of Tully and director Jason Reitman and star Charlize Theron made incredible magic together on this one. On Theron’s part it was commitment over and above anything else she’s done before as she brought the pain, sorrows, struggles and joys out of Marlo Moreau, a mother caught up in modern life. Packing a thoroughly clever screenplay by Diablo Cody, Tully really took audiences for a ride and was a great piece of character exploration for Theron. Rising star Mackenzie Davis also made a great impression as night nurse Tully, and both she and Theron had great chemistry together. Unflinchingly raw and hysterically funny all at the same time, Tully was definitely a film to savor this year.

6. Upgrade

Things got intense with this full-on science-fiction ride of an artificial intelligence gone haywire in Upgrade, and it really delivered one hell of a snap along the way. Boasting one of the most original screenplays we’ve ever had the pleasure to witness, Upgrade was packed out with jagged twists that you could never see coming. Thrust into the middle of all of it was star Logan Marshall-Green as Grey Trace, a technophobe who gets in touch with his superior side thanks to the power of A.I. STEM. Delivering brutal action and captured with a masterful eye, Upgrade seriously got your adrenaline going.

5. Christopher Robin

It didn’t get more adorable this year than Disney’s Christopher Robin and this sweet tale of friendship and imagination most definitely warmed your heart. Featuring Ewan McGregor as a now grown Christopher Robin who has seemingly lost his way, the adult Christopher gets a chance to reconnect with his imagination and the joys of his life once again thanks to the belief and power of his friends Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl. The beauty of the Hundred Acre Woods shone through here and the film had a perfectly polished English countryside aesthetic. Beautiful and heartfelt at every turn, Christopher Robin was sure to fill your heart with joy and set your imagination free.

4. Ready Player One

If you wanted pure escapism then there was no better way to experience it than through director Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster adaptation of cult classic novel Ready Player One. This digital extravaganza was a thrill from beginning to end and its pop culture treasure hunt was certain to make any cinema fan’s mind sparkle with amazing references to everything we loved about the 1980s. With magnificent special effects and a hard charging soundtrack of powerful rock ballads, Ready Player One took us to a far away universe of digital imagination that truly made us go WOW!

3. A Star Is Born

The full breadth of love was felt by all with Bradley Cooper’s masterful epic re-telling of A Star Is Born, and all who watched it were sure to feel their emotions run high here. Every moment of this film was presented with perfection and star Lady Gaga gave the performance of a lifetime as sheltered singer-songwriter Alley, who through the love and trust of volatile rocker Jackson Maine (Cooper) is finally able to set her voice free. Narrative and character drove this cinematic experience, and with the addition of its rocking soundtrack you found yourself embraced in a film of extraordinary vision and soul.

2. First Man

What is it to chase the impossible? That’s where director Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash) took us in this incredible true story of one man’s dream to push through the stars and reach the moon in First Man. With grand scope and incredible realism, Chazelle fully visualizes the incredible push it took to reach the moon and the toll that was exacted on those who set foot on it. Both Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy gave the performances of their lives as Neil Armstrong and his wife Janet, and the boundaries of their relationship were certainly pushed to the limit with this incredible tale. Bound by breathtaking visuals and the incredible willpower of the human spirit, First Man was a testament to the power of man’s endeavour to reach the extraordinary.

1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout

If you wanted blockbuster action than you need not look further than Mission: Impossible – Fallout and this colossal cinema experience was ready to give you the ride of your life! Tom Cruise once again returned to the role of intrepid superspy Ethan Hunt and this time it was go big or go home. With a narrative that cracked forward with a supercharged pace and action scenes which exploded with power, you found yourself pulled in every direction imaginable and the result was electrifying. And then there was the film’s epic third act extravaganza of a helicopter chase gone crazy which certainly left you needing a replacement adrenal gland after its wild thrills. To put it straight Mission: Impossible – Fallout was just AMAZING and this crazy rollercoaster of action was incredible to behold.

Images: Roadshow Films, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Studio Canal, Mad Man Films

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Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor), the little boy from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, is now all grown up and has lost all sense of imagination. Finding it difficult to connect with his loving wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), Christopher’s best friend Pooh and his friends re-enter Christopher’s life to help him find it again.

This new story changes things up a bit and while all of our favorite characters are here including Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Owl and of course Christopher, they’re all ready for a brand new adventure.

We begin the film with the young Christopher who soon grows up and has to contend with the realities of what the world has to offer: both the good and the bad. While he does experience the joys of life such as falling in love with his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and raising their daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael) together, Christopher has also suffered through having to face the horrors of the Second World War and now finds all sense of meaning stripped from his life in a job and a world he can no longer make sense of.

But when you’re down and you can’t seem to find the sun that’s when you need your friends by your side….and Christopher has a few he can most certainly count on.

In Christopher Robin, Forster creates a film that honours the spirit of A.A. Milne’s classic stories and the world that he built and he is able to take what we know and love and chart a bold new direction with its material. Ewan McGregor was the perfect pick for the lead and he really helps to bring the world to life. Not only does he share great chemistry with Atwell, but he’s got a wonderful boyish quality to him and this really shines through in his performance. Most importantly however you completely buy into the deeply felt friendship and love that he and Pooh share for one another.

In addition to getting some stunning lead performances, Forster also opens up the world of the Hundred Acre Wood and it really is a grand old place. This majestic landscape is magnificently captured thanks to the cinematography of Matthias Koenigswieser and this world is rendered with a beautiful aesthetic that takes its look and feel from classic English design.

Throughout the film there’s a running theme that sometimes you have to go back in order to go forwards. Just like Christopher, Pooh himself feels lost and alone and in desperate need of a friend and through circumstance and pure magic these two find each other again and a new adventure of healing and fun begins.

One thing that really struck me with Christopher Robin was how much Forster and his team invested in the underlying mindfulness principles that are present throughout the Winnie the Pooh stories. As a character Pooh has always had a sage like quality to him and has an ability to offer simple, yet extremely thoughtful musing that have a profound effect on those around him. These philosophical phrases are expertly captured here and as an audience member I can tell you that they really sink in.

To Pooh the world is a relatively simple place and there’s plenty of comforts to be enjoyed. Whether it’s taking a leisurely stroll, eating honey or simply playing with a balloon, all of these activities are important things to do and they absolutely do wonders for your soul. For Pooh the solution is simply to enjoy what the world has to offer because there are so many amazing things to explore.

If I were to use a word to describe Christopher Robin then it would most definitely be heartwarming. This film sprinkles joy like fairy dust at every moment and Pooh is always performing some kind of action that will bring a smile to your face or leave you giggling with laughter. Joy, happiness and love flow through this film and you’ll be feeling all sorts of warm fuzzy’s by the end.

Christopher Robin will leave a smile on your face, make your heart flutter and open you up to the magic of the Hundred Acre Wood. It simply is the loveliest film and as Pooh would say “it’s always a sunny day when Christopher Robin comes to play’.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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A magical new featurette has just been released and takes audiences inside the excitement. Check it out below:

Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor), the little boy from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, is now all grown up and has lost all sense of imagination. Finding it difficult to connect with his loving wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), Christopher’s best friend Pooh and his friends re-enter Christopher’s life to help him find it again.

Christopher Robin truly looks like a wonderful cinematic experience that reaches to the very heart of A.A. Milne’s celebrated characters and the fantastical adventures that both Christopher Robin and Winnie The Pooh get up to together.

Ewan McGregor is perfect spot on casting as the now adult Christopher who has lost his way in the world, and feels at a loss with what to do. It’s only when he finally lets himself go to the possibilities of the world, and starts to listen to his friends again that he begins to experience the joys in life once more and sets out to make the most of every opportunity.

It’s always a sunny day when Christopher Robin comes to play so get ready to take a stroll through the Hundred Acre Woods once more when Christopher Robin arrives in cinemas on September 20.

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