Check them out below:

10. John Wick 2

It’s never a wise move to stab the devil in the back, and that’s exactly what happens to Keanu Reeves legendary assassin John Wick. And that leads to plenty of PAYBACK! Director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves cranked the adrenaline up again, and the results were amazing. Reeves again showed off his skilled gun-fu moves as he spun, bullets, blades and even a pencil or two to eliminate his targets. And let’s not forget the film’s intense museum shootout or it’s shocking climatic scene! Yep, John Wick 2 was one phenomenal piece of action cinema and made for a wicked time out at the movies.

9. Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

She’s one of the 20th Century’s most defining pop culture symbols and director Angela Robinson made a bold attempt to tell the untold story of Wonder Woman’s creation which really paid off. Stars Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall and Bella Heathcote were all in top form and crafted an incredible multi-dimensional relationship between the three of them. And did we mention that Professor Marston and the Wonder Women was one hot watch? Robinson and her performers embraced the underlying sensuality and sexuality of Wonder Woman’s kinky past, and there was plenty of hot tie and tease action up on screen. Love and creation were firmly at the core of this magnificent picture and it really made an impression on us.

8. The Lost City of Z

What does it mean to step out into the unknown and walk into legend? Lauded director James Grey and star Charlie Hunnam set out to answer this question in The Lost City of Z, a bold throwback to the giant epics of the past which examines one man’s obsessive pursuit for glory and accomplishment. Charlie Hunnam was completely committed as Col. Percy Fawcett, and his performance is nothing short of masterful. Hunnam balances Fawcett’s fanatical dream of uncovering Z with a clear and strict devotion to his beloved wife Nina who suffers greatly from his prolonged absences. Grey’s direction is astonishing and his daring use of cinematography and score evokes an unexplored, dangerous and mythical landscape. The Lost City of Z sears its mighty vision into your mind and was fearless filmmaking at its best.

7. Baby Driver

Cult film icon Edgar Wright cranked the volume and revved up his engine for the zany and off-beat Baby Driver which was fun, fun, fun. Telling the story of a love-struck and musically powered getaway driver caught at a crossroads in his life, Baby Driver spun its audience at every turn. The narrative was slick, the casting was spot on and the action was in-your-face. Stars Ansel Elgort and Lily James made a very cute couple as Baby and Debora and evoked the pairing of James Dean and Natalie Wood in Rebel Without a Cause. But if you wanted a scene stealer then it most definitely came in the form of Jamie Foxx’s crazed gangster Bats who had a talent for compromising everything. Baby Driver was a rush from beginning to end and Wright really took the filmmaking medium and brought it to a whole new edge.

6. The Greatest Showman

Hugh Jackman lets his voice be heard in this magical and imaginative musical that stirs plenty of feelings and emotions in its audience. Powered by a collection of impressive songs from musical geniuses Pasek and Paul, The Greatest Showman makes its audience feel alive and magnificently brings to life the stunning ambience and larger than life deeds of P.T. Barnum. Everything here is in top form and star Hugh Jackman is joined by an amazing supporting cast including Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya. For end of the year movie magic there was no better film than The Greatest Showman and Jackman indeed did audiences proud.

5. American Made

Sometimes you’ve just gotta be a rebel and that’s exactly what megastar Tom Cruise does with the larger than life true story of drug smuggling pilot Barry Seal in American Made. Cruise was in his element and took to the skies in audacious style as the maverick pilot who finds himself running drugs, guns and money for both the Columbian cartels and the CIA, playing both off against the other and growing mega rich in the process. Decked out in a very cool pair of aviators Cruise’s Seal made for one very smooth rogue and his quest to make it big in ‘the greatest country in the world’ made for one crazy adventure of a life lived on the edge. American Made proved that it’s better to fly high and shoot for the skies.

4. Thor: Ragnarok

New Zealand directing sensation Taika Waititi again proved why he is a genius as he stepped into the big time with the loud and colourful Thor: Ragnarok! Waititi took Asgard’s mightiest hero to a whole other place with plenty of wicked throwback 80s flair and injected a healthy dose of outlandish comedy. Bright, dashing and energetic, Thor: Ragnarok was a joy to watch and it was awesome to see the mighty Thor come into his full power and rise up to become King! Stars Chris Hemsworth and Cate Blanchett had an intense showdown and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk did indeed SMASH! Where Thor goes next we can only imagine, but we hope Taika will be along for the ride because he did one incredible job here.

3. Atomic Blonde

Stepping into a world of clandestine secrets and neon light Charlize Theron proved that girls can indeed fight as she shook up the screen with in-your-face spy thriller Atomic Blonde. This completely unapologetic piece of action cinema kicked you straight in the face from its very first frame and threw in plenty of shady twists and turns. Theron’s MI6 operative Lorraine Broughton was scintillating in her sexuality and downright lethal in her combat and paired next to James McAvoy’s scheevy shitbag handler David Percival the fireworks flew. Packed out with brazen sexuality, bone-crunching action and possibly the coolest scene of this entire year, the ambitious ‘hallway fight’, Atomic Blonde was totally lit and proved that action cinema is better when it’s moving at full kinetic speed!

2. Dunkirk

The word masterpiece gets thrown around a lot these days but lauded filmmaker Christopher Nolan made them come true with his stunning vision of hope’s last breath in Dunkirk. Shot with glorious IMAX cameras Dunkirk was as big as blockbusters come and it’s unique structure and point-of-view of land, sea and air told a harrowing and heroic story of the fight to survive and of the Allies greatest hour. A stunning cast including Sir Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Sir Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, James D’Arcy and Harry Styles helped bring this great vision to life and all of them were spot on in their acting. Then there was Hans Zimmer’s thumping orchestral score that was guaranteed to set you on edge as the action unfolded before you. Dunkirk was indeed an utter masterpiece.

1. Logan

Everything comes to an end, and director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman gave audiences an utterly compelling one with the fierce Logan. The final chapter of the X-Men’s greatest hero, Logan took audiences to a bleak and brutal future with the famed clawed mutant had failed and now found himself with one last chance for redemption. The action was brutal, and the violence was bloody, as claws cut through flesh and bone. No one was spared, and nothing could stop the carnage. But next to the excellent action was the heartfelt journey of Jackman’s Logan and sensational newcomer Dafne Keen as Laura. Their’s was a tale of long lost father and daughter who had now found each other and now faced the most arduous journey to freedom. By the time the credits began to roll the tears were indeed flowing and we knew we had witnessed something extraordinary. They don’t get more raw or emotional than Logan, and it was a privilege to see Jackman and Logan’s final ride.

Images: Roadshow Films, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Sony Pictures, Studio Canal, Paramount Pictures

The post SpicyPulp’s Top 10 Films of 2017 appeared first on SpicyPulp.

After his actions lead to the rise of the goddess of death Hela (Cate Blanchett), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the absent minder of Asgard finds himself lost on the alien world of Sakaar. Placed into the world of gladiatorial combat, Thor has a run in with The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the two of them form a pack to escape Sakaar and return to save Asgard from the impending apocalypse of Ragnarok.

Marvel has redefined the notion of what scale means in the blockbuster business and as far as blockbusters go they don’t get bigger or bolder than Thor: Ragnarok. And then there’s the fact that Thor: Ragnarok is so much fun!

As Earth’s mightiest avenger Chris Hemsworth has his power pushed to the limit and his heroism tested as he finds himself scattered to the farthest corners of the universe with his very purpose stripped from him. Of all the Marvel characters Hemsworth’s role as Thor has been the character that most aligns to the notion of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth or what is commonly referred to as The Heroes Journey. And while Hemsworth as Thor had already completed this roundabout cycle in the previous Thor films, Waititi essentially gives audiences the post-script of what comes next. The director puts his hero in an uncomfortable position by essentially removing Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, from our hero and forcing him to rediscover his inner character and strength as a result. It’s an action that forces our hero to rise to the occasion and leads to plenty of amazing discoveries on Thor’s part.

But while Thor still might be his essential stoic self, this time Hemsworth gets to tap into his brilliant comedic timing, and the jokes come flying. This focus on comedy is of course part of Waititi’s influence on the film, but it also makes for something that is different and fresh for a long time Marvel audiences. While I can’t go too much into Thor’s journey for Ragnarok without heading into spoiler territory I can say that Hemsworth’s embrace of the lighter side of himself leads to a stronger character and many unexpected laughs.

Thor: Ragnarok could essentially be described as the ‘odd couple’ movie as Thor finds himself in the company of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk on the alien planet of Sakaar. Waititi borrows material from the critically acclaimed ‘Planet Hulk’ storyline for this part of the film, and the coupling of Thor and Hulk is awesome to see up on screen. We get both equal moments of comedy and drama with these two, and Mark Ruffalo brings a sense of both misspent time and a deep sense of loss as the dishevelled Bruce Banner. Watching both he and Hemsworth’s relationship up on screen took me back to classic memories of film’s such as Midnight Run and Lethal Weapon, buddy film’s where the action and emphasis was on each character and their unique interaction’s with one another.

However it’s not a Thor film without the appearance of Thor’s treacherous half-brother Loki, and once again British thespian Tom Hiddleston shows up bearing gifts. While we’ve grown to know Loki as a scheming, Machiavellian force, here he’s dropped that facade in order to be a far more casual and fun-loving type of dude. Essentially Loki got what he wanted at the end of Thor: The Dark World, and that’s essentially made him a far more sloth-like character. This is party boy Loki, and when his big brother does turn up he’s non-to pleased at having all of his fun taken away from him. While there’s still the usual love/hate moments between the two brothers here the comedic stylings of Taika Waititi take that to the next level, and with it I say bring on more Loki!

Every hero needs a villain to test them, and Thor finds his in the visage of death herself thanks to Cate Blanchett’s performance as Hela, The Goddess of Death. As the first ever female big bad in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Blanchett had plenty of responsibility resting on her shoulders…and she completely owns it. Hela is one mean girl who would reduce Regina George to tear’s and this goth princess recoils in her pleasure to unfurl death upon Asgard and pound the snot out of bickering princes Thor and Loki. What I loved about Blanchett’s performance was that she clearly placed herself above the two of them and was interested in making Asgard her own personal playground. As death incarnate Hela is also unstoppable and Blanchett throws out plenty of sick fight moves that she picked up from New Zealand’s first lady of the stunt world Zoe Bell.

But if I have to name a scene stealer then it’s definitely Jeff Goldblum as the eccentrically kooky Grandmaster. This immortal of the universe, who is the brother to Benicio del Toro’s sinister Collector, is a benevolent entertainer and ruler of the planet of Sakaar. Here this galactic style Emporer stages mighty gladiatorial games…along with mixing his own solid turntable beats. Goldblum was born to play this role and Marvel fans will revel in the extremeness of his character. All of it fits perfectly in the world of Thor: Ragnarok and as an audience member, you’ll find yourself demanding more of The Grandmaster. The Grandmaster also introduces audiences to two distinctively Kiwi characters. The first is his right-hand woman Topaz played to dry comedic perfection by Rachel House, while Waititi himself joins in on the action with his performance as the softly-spoken rock giant Korg who is essentially a Maori bouncer in space and who will have you in fits of laughter with his laugh-out-loud dialogue.

Thor: Ragnarok succeeds as the grand entertainment that it is thanks to the vision of the great Taika Waititi. The world of Thor and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a giant play chest for Waititi and he undoubtedly is a kid in a candy store with this grand canvas. From the film’s pascal colouring to it’s synthesized score, every part of this film is imbued with Waititi’s sense of child-like wonder. As far as reference points go the 1980s definitely plays a part here and I can just feel that Waititi’s aesthetic choices were inspired by his admiration for 80s pop culture such as Flash Gordon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Thundercats. The director has a large canvas with Thor: Ragnarok and he absolutely fills every part of it with spectacle and then of-course there’s the comedy. If ever a Marvel movie called for comedy it was Thor: Ragnarok and with Taika at the helm, the laughs come pretty easily.

As a New Zealander myself I can also say that I could really feel the distinctive Kiwi vibe that Taika and his crew were going for with Thor. It’s great to see this in something as big and grand as a Marvel movie, and it really put a smile on my face.

Waititi is also a champ when it comes to handling the film’s epic action sequences. While I don’t want to reveal too much the film’s impressive gladiatorial main event had all the calling cards of the coolest WWF matches, and Hulk clearly lived up to his name with plenty of throwbacks to the actions of cult wrestling icons such as Randy ‘The Macho Man’ Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and off-course the one and only Hulk Hogan! Banging combat doesn’t get much better than this, and in 3D it’s one AWESOME spectacle.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a playground for diverse directors with voice and vision. Taika Waititi is one of those directors. Just like James Gunn and The Russo Brothers, Waititi has his own way of doing things and this defined sense of who he is as a director leads the way for an extraordinary film experience. After watching Thor: Ragnarok all I want is more Marvel film’s made by Taika Waititi and judging by the reactions of those who were lucky enough to see Ragnarok early I feel that we’ll see him back in the director’s chair very shortly.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

The post ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

The latest trailer was released as a part of this year’s San Diego Comic Con celebrations and looks to be a whole lotta fun. Check it out below:

Here’s the synopsis:

Held captive on the alien world of Sakaar without his hammer, Thor (Hemsworth), must win a gladiatorial fight against his former ally – The Hulk (Mark Ruffolo) – in order to escape Sakaar and return to Asgard to combat the forces of Hela (Cate Blanchett), as she intends to unleash Ragnarok upon Asgard.

Building on the elements of the previous trailer which dropped earlier this year, the new trailer focuses in on the growing bromance between Hemsworth’s Thor and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk. Finding themselves lost on an alien world, the two of them have to fight it out in the ring before coming together alongside the noble Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Thor’s treacherous half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to defeat new arch-villain Hela (Blanchett).

Waititi appears to have gone for a massive sense of scale with this cosmic set action spectacle, and there are plenty of different villains and baddies for Thor and his plucky team to battle. Chief among them is Blanchett’s Hela, who is sporting a surly Old-English accent and one very spiky headpiece as she seizes control of Asgard and plans to unleash the fabled Ragnarok.

The Marvel Universe has long been waiting for a female villain and they sure hit the jackpot with Blanchett’s casting. Not only is she exceedingly powerful, but her cunning and intelligence are sure to get the better of the noble Thor. Standing beside Hela is Karl Urban as her fearsome lieutenant Skurge, and then there is the delightful Jeff Goldblum as the very colourful Grandmaster.

Thor: Ragnarok looks like one wild-ride and will arrive in theatres on October 26 in New Zealand and Australia, and on November 3 in the US and UK.

The post The God of Thunder returns in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Here’s the synopsis:

Held captive on the alien world of Sakaar without his hammer, Thor (Hemsworth), must win a gladiatorial fight against his former ally – The Hulk (Mark Ruffolo) – in order to escape Sakaar and return to Asgard to combat the forces of Hela (Cate Blanchett), as she intends to unleash Ragnarok upon Asgard.

Set to Led Zepplin’s classic rock anthem Immigrant Song, the new teaser promises fans something fresh, fun and less dark than the previous Thor solo outing, which is exactly what we’d expect from director Taika Waititi.

Thor: Ragnarok will arrive in theatres on October 26 in New Zealand and Australia, and on November 3 in the US and UK.

The post The god of thunder returns in first teaser for ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.