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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Set in the near future, Ready Player One follows the adventures of Wade Watt aka Parzival (Tye Sheridan) as he steps inside the virtual reality landscape known as the Oasis. There he seeks to win an astonishing prize left behind by the world’s creator James Donovan Halliday (Mark Rylance).

When you think of cinema one name immediately comes to mind: Steven Spielberg. Since 1971’s Duel this cinematic genius has brought us incredible feats of visual storytelling that have helped us escape into far away universes and introduced us to amazing characters that have become a staple of the pop-culture landscape and who still bring us feelings of joy, happiness, suspense and marvel. Now Speilberg returns to the big screen with a blockbuster adaptation of Ernest Cline’s modern-day cult classic novel that was as much a homage to the work of Spielberg as it was a celebration of video game culture and those who love them.

In short Spielberg’s decision to direct Ready Player One is a match made in heaven and the film greatly benefits from his directorial eye. Not only does he have the ability to handle The Oasis’ grand feats of visual spectacle, but he roots the film in a world that is not unlike our own with characters who are experiencing real problems and who within The Oasis are searching for something better. This balance can be attributed to a master storyteller like Spielberg who is now regarded as one of the elder statesmen of the cinematic art form and who continues to inject passion and meaning into his work. In my own opinion this film could not have lived up to its promise had it not been for Spielberg’s guiding hand and his presence creates something truly extraordinary.

If you’re a pop-culture fiend like myself, then, well, YOU’LL LOVE READY PLAYER ONE! This film is simply a dream come true and takes everything you’ve ever loved about film, TV, video games and the 1980s and throws it all into a melting pot of extraordinary visual imagery. With every reference conceivable form Back to the Future to Overwatch present, you’ll find yourself trying to tick off your own mental list of your favourite characters. This distinctive pop-culture shapes the film’s narrative, and most importantly it’s three tasks. The way these are constructed are incredibly interesting and recall those moments that have shaped our lives from an entertainment point-of-view.

Spielberg employs some incredible visual effects to realize The Oasis and it’s awesome to see how he re-interprets the film’s source material within this crazy VR world. One moment you’ll be howling with adrenaline and the next you’ll be cowering in fear as The Oasis comes alive in front of you.

But while spectacular visual effects abound before us, it’s Spielberg’s focus on his characters that really make this film so watchable. Tye Sheridan is a completely relatable hero as Wade Watts/Parzival who takes it upon himself to follow the quest to find the hidden Easter Egg and who in doing so bears a direct reference to Sir Percival and the Grail Legend.

Wade is an all cases an everyman hero who through his quest learns to trust others, finds romance and accomplishes something truly remarkable. His journey completely references that of the classic Monomythic Structure conceived by Joseph Campbell and Sheridan really gives himself to crafting a fantastic performance.

While having a relatable hero is one key ingredient to the narrative of Ready Player One, Spielberg also examines the theme of reality and fantasy. This is scene very literally in the crumbling reality that Wade lives in and the imaginative world of The Oasis that he regularly and almost obsessively escapes to.

Spielberg explores how fantasy can be very fulfilling, it is ultimately reality that truly matters and the journey that Wade and his friends take to learn this fact is extremely thought-provoking. Ready Player One has been released at a very interesting moment in our cultural history and it offers a fascinating mirror to look at our current digital practices.

But while there are some major thought-provoking themes at the heart of Ready Player One it is ultimately an enthralling cinematic blockbuster that is just a blast to watch. It’s everything you could ever want out of a blockbuster and I implore you to watch this film on the biggest screen possible. Pop-culture has never been this much fun, and when it’s synth credits begin to roll, well, you’ll be grooving out like it’s 1985 and you’ve just stepped out of a DeLorean DMC-12.

Image: Roadshow Films

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The first teaser has been released as a part of this year’s San Diego Comic Con and it is spectacular. Check it out below:

Here’s the synopsis:

Set in the near future, Ready Player One follows the adventures of Wade Watt aka Parzival (Tye Sheridan) as he steps inside the virtual reality landscape known as the Oasis. There he seeks to win an astonishing prize left behind by the world’s creator James Donovan Halliday (Mark Rylance).

Those familiar with Cline’s story will know just how much of an emphasis 1980’s pop culture has on the plot and judging by this footage Spielberg has really captured the fantastical atmosphere of the story. With early references pointing to the likes of Back to the Future, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Akira, Ready Player One will be a must watch for anyone with a love for pop culture entertainment.

Like its plot and world-building, the film’s cast is equally impressive and includes noted performers such as Ben Mendelsohn, Simon Pegg, T. J. Miller and Sir Mark Rylance.

Ready Player One will be released on March 29 in New Zealand and Australia and on March 30 in the US and UK.

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