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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When an IMF mission ends badly, the world suddenly faces dire consequences. Feeling responsible for the fallout, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) personally takes it upon himself to complete the mission, but the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives. Finding himself in a race against time, while being pursued by a host of ruthless assassins, Ethan will have to use every bit of his considerable willpower to complete the mission and stop a global catastrophe.

Cruise is back for this, his sixth installment, of the long-running Mission: Impossible series and he has again found the edge of the action genre and decided to push it even further. Whenever you hear that Tom Cruise wants to return as Ethan Hunt you know that he’s ready to step things up a notch. And the bar keeps getting raised. From hanging upside down in the middle of CIA headquarters to free soloing in Moab, Utah to performing a full fulcrum swing dive in Shanghai and running around the edge of the Burj Khalifa before finally deciding to hang outside on the edge of a Atlas C1, Cruise absolutely knows no limits as Ethan Hunt and with each successive installment he plans to go bigger and bolder.

Why you ask? Not only does this stem from his desire to offer his audience the best possible time out at the movies, but I personally feel that to Cruise the Mission: Impossible franchise are his most personal film works. So much of himself as a performer and a man is wrapped up in the character of Ethan Hunt and that’s exactly where we come to in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. While the stunts and narrative will really have you wrapped up, here we get to discover what really makes Ethan Hunt tick and why he’s willing to risk his life so many times over for the sake of the world. What we discover is a profoundly moving answer and it will really make you more thankful that a man like Ethan Hunt is on our side. Cruise gives 110% and then some with this performance and he truly succeeds in entertaining his audience.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is film that also brings everything together for the fans and this all stems from Cruise. On the narrative level it goes right back to the first film and threads all of the events of Ethan Hunt’s life back together. It’s a very ambitious move for Cruise to lead the film in this direction but it really pays off and once more allows us to go in deeper on the character of Ethan Hunt.

But Mission: Impossible – Fallout is not simply a one man show as it takes a team of visionaries working together to pull together these gigantic world saving action extravaganzas and that’s exactly where Cruise’s long time collaborator Christopher McQuarrie comes into the frame.

Following up on their work together on Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, both director and star engage in what is really their first ever direct sequel to a Mission: Impossible film. They kick things off quickly and the action of the narrative ramps up fast. You can see that McQuarrie really wants to deliver on the spectacle that he first offered in Rogue Nation and the director succeeds in pushing the envelope even further. As a director he takes a hand in both the narrative and the action work and under his guidance Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the most practically shot action blockbuster of all time. McQuarrie put the emphasis on the real and the intensity absolutely shows up on screen taking your breath away with each new scene.

Along with his talents for narrative and action, McQuarrie also has an eye for talent and this led him to cast Henry Cavill as the antagonistic August Walker, a brutal CIA assassin who definitely has an axe to grind with Hunt. Cavill’s Walker stands in direct comparison to Cruise’s Hunt, as a hulking brute of a man Walker has no qualms about using blunt force to achieve his missions objectives and has little time for the ‘Halloween tricks’ of the IMF as he likes to call them. This puts him in direct opposition to Cruise’s Hunt and the firework do fly.

Cavill’s performance is his best yet and I’m not just talking about his scene-stealing mustache here. He really goes for it as Walker and his presence is an intimidating one at that. You completely buy him as the assassin sent in to ‘mind’ the IMF and Cavill does a great job at changing certain parts of the mission to suit his own agenda. I’m always interested to see an actor try something different and move to stretch themselves in the performance of their craft and that’s exactly what Cavill does here.

Along with the introduction of Cavill we also see the return of Rebecca Furguson as MI6 operative Ilsa Faust and this time Ilsa is pursuing her own agenda. While I can’t really go into details on her character’s involvement without running the risk of leading to spoilers I will say that her presence here offers plenty of new choices for Ethan and sparks do indeed fly. This introduction of a good dose of underlying romance really changes things up for Ethan this time and Ilsa’s presence is an interesting story thread. Naturally Ferguson again offers up a great performance and proves why she is becoming a vital part of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

And of-course your favourites are back as well. Once again Simon Pegg and the ever dependable Ving Rhames prove why they are stalwarts of the Mission: Impossible franchise. These two misfits really make up the heart of the franchise and any time they’re up on screen I always find myself smiling a little wider.

But now lets move to a more serious topic. You said you wanted action? YOU GOT IT! As an exercise in filmmaking Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the most practically shot action blockbuster ever made. Forget green screens. Forget stunt doubles. This is Tom Cruise in action, up on the big screen and absolutely going for it. And he truly holds nothing back this time. From a death defying HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump to a gnarly motorbike chase around the Arc de Triomphe to the stunt to end all stunts in the ambitious Helicopter chase, Mission: Impossible – Fallout has it all. Trust me when I tell you to strap yourself into your chair because your adrenal gland is going to be working overtime with this one.

While I’m trying to hold back on what occurs on screen I will say that the Helicopter Chase scene which was shot down in Queenstown, New Zealand is a truly exceptional piece of filmmaking. You’ve never seen anything like this before and I can’t think of anyone brave enough or indeed crazy enough to jump into it like Tom Cruise. Every single moment has Cruise at the throttle and he really takes you for a ride in this one. This is a countdown of nail-biting adrenaline as the action ramps up and up and up. With this scene you’re truly witnessing the genius of Cruise and McQuarrie and it’s a rush.

If you’re looking for an action experience to take you to the next level then you’ll definitely find it with Mission: Impossible – Fallout! This is a blockbuster made of pure adrenaline and it’s exactly what the movies were meant for and trust me when I say that it really is one hell of a fun ride.

Image: Paramount Pictures

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Check out the full trailer below:

Here’s the synopsis:

When an IMF mission ends badly, the world suddenly faces dire consequences. Feeling responsible for the fallout, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) personally takes it upon himself to complete the mission, but the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives. Finding himself in a race against time, while being pursued by a host of ruthless assassins, Ethan will have to use every bit of his considerable willpower to complete the mission and stop a global catastrophe.

Action’s the name of the game with Mission: Impossible – Fallout and this new trailer is packed to the brim with it.

Motorcycle chases, gun fights, close quarter combat, and one hell of a helicopter ride promise what could very well be the ultimate spy thriller. Tom Cruise has been portraying Ethan Hunt for twenty-two years now and he really wants to do this sixth installment of the franchise right. It’s go big or go home here and he’s leaving all of his cards on the table with this one.

Narratively this film is going right back to the beginning and again pitting Cruise’s Hunt up against the CIA just like he did back in 1996’s Mission: Impossible. Except this time he’ll have to contend with ally turned adversary August Walker (Henry Cavill) a lethal black ops assassin who has been tasked to keep Hunt and the IMF in-line or eliminate them if they pose a threat.

Mixed into this is Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust who begins to question just how rationale Hunt is and this will no-doubt lead to some heavy drama. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are also back as hacker odd-couple Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell, and anytime you know these two are on-screen it’s going to be good.

From the first trailer to the recent behind-the-scenes look at the title sequence, director Christopher McQuarrie has slowly been offering an insight into the latest installment of the franchise. What he showcases is a film that appears to be the best representation of the what the Mission: Impossible franchise is along with seriously upping the ante for the character of Ethan Hunt and fans of the character. Everything in Fallout is laid out on the line for Hunt and there’s no place for any kind of mistakes. he’s playing for keeps this time and the intensity really mounts up quickly.

This intensity is especially seen in the film’s full on action sequences which come rushing at you and don’t ease up for a second. From a high speed motorcycle chase through the streets of Paris to a brutal fight scene of Cruise and Cavill going mano-o-mano on the top of a mountain which leads to one hell of a fall. The action just ramps up second by second and this can only be good for film fans.

The new trailer for Mission: Impossible – Fallout really got me amped and I certainly was blown away by the action that unfolded before me. Check out my full reaction trailer below and let me know what you thought it:

Mission: Impossible – Fallout promises to be an absolute rush on the big screen and you won’t to miss it when it arrives in cinemas on August 2.

The post The adrenaline kicks in with new trailer for ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

The brand new trailer has just been released and you can check out all of its incredible moments below:

Here’s the synopsis:

When an IMF mission ends badly, the world suddenly faces dire consequences. Feeling responsible for the fallout, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) personally takes it upon himself to complete the mission, but the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives. Finding himself in a race against time, while being pursued by a host of ruthless assassins, Ethan will have to use every bit of his considerable willpower to complete the mission and stop a global catastrophe.

If you’re looking for action then you’ll find it with Mission: Impossible – Fallout. This is blockbuster entertainment on a huge canvas and Cruise has definitely out-did himself with this one. Not only do we get a compelling story, but director Christopher McQuarrie has also stated that the film will also serve to explain Ethan’s origins and just how they made him the man he is today.

In addition to Cruise, the new trailer also shines a light on Henry Cavill’s August Walker. As soon as Cavill was cast his moustache got some serious attention and this intense CIA operative looks like he’ll serve as both ally and antagonist to Ethan Hunt with the two of them trading blows on more than one occasion within the trailer.

However, if there is one thing that definitely caught my attention then it had to have been the film’s epic helicopter stunt! Described as ‘the stunt to end all stunts’ by Cruise, the first footage of this mid-air helicopter battle looks utterly intense and will carve out the way for one hell of a climactic action scene.

Check out my full reaction to the trailer below and find out just what I’m excited to see from this awesome new film:

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is must watch cinema at its best and long-time spy genre fans will definitely be salivating with this one when it is released in cinemas on August 2.

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