Best of the Year (So Far)

So with this being the first week of July that means we're exactly half way through the year. Le gasp. Before much longer we'll see Christmas decorations up in Tesco. The end is nigh. But that also means I'm halfway through my challenge for the year, to see as many, if not more movies than there are weeks in the year. And surprisingly when I was looking over my list of seen movies yesterday I've kept that resolution! 26 new releases seen so far. Some of them good, some of them bad, some terrible. And with that in mind I think it's a good time to take stock and say what I think are the best entries into the cinematic circle this year. Starting with, in no particular order...

Blockers- So this one fell under my radar for longer than it should have. Starring John Cena (who's actually got some serious comedic talent) it's a really interesting twist on the themes in films like American Pie and got a fair few belly laughs from me. Underappreciated movie for sure!

Set It Up- This is a Netflix Original that only actually came out last week. A rom-com about two people with horrible bosses who try to set them up with each other in a bid to make their working lives easier. And unlike a lot of rom-coms of recent years it was genuinely funny! Like a lot of entries on my list it's the resurgence of tired old traits and genres being done in really new and inventive ways. Go watch it now, it's worth your time.

Black Panther- Now this might surprise you to hear but this is the only MCU movie on this list. So why put it higher than Infinity War? Well Black Panther is the more complete picture. Infinity Wars brilliance relies heavily on what's come before. Ryan Coogler painted a detailed and layered world from scratch and something so different from the MCU we'd seen this far. And Eric Kilmonger (Michael B. Jordan) though. Amazing.

Isle of Dogs- Full of dry, nihilist humour. Parallels to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. And a visual treasure trove of Wes Anderson directorial cues. All via the medium of stop motion canine friends. What's not to love?

A Quiet Place- Jim from The Office US directs and stars in this thriller. Earth has been invaded. You make a noise, you die. And holy shit I still think this is my favourite movie of the year so far, period. Such a brilliant premise executed to perfection. Jump scares to a minimum and set pieces that are slow to build the suspense. Bliss for horror lovers everywhere.

Annihilation- Starring Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaacs this is the directorial follow up to Alex Garlands breakthrough hit Ex Machina and he delivers again. It's on Netflix now as unfortunately it didn't get a cinematic release in the UK. Annihilation is a smart, thought provoking Sci-Fi with the best cinematography and visual effects hands down of the year so far.

And finally...

Love, Simon- I've seen this in cinemas 4 times and online a further 3 times. I don't care how much I love this movie and I don't care who knows it. Love, Simon holds a special place in my heart as there are crazy amounts of parallels to my own coming out story in high school so maybe I'm bias. But putting that aside, it's another genre piece that does some new and inventive things. As I've preached about before this film brings issues surrounding life as an LGBT teen in a way that no other movie has done before. It gets rid of all the tired old stereotypes of gay people and strips that away to leave you with a very real, very relatable coming of age story regardless of your sexuality. I'd recommend Love, Simon to everyone all over the world. I beg of you, go out in droves and see this. Give it all of your love.

So there we have it! My favourite movies of the year so far. What did you think? Did I mention any you haven't seen yet? Do you disagree with some of my choices? Let me know, get a conversation rolling.

As for the worst of the year, I'm going to have to give it some more thought. The good thing about this year is when I think about it no real stinkers come to mind. So keep your eyes peeled for that! Thanks for reading guys, you two are my favourite 😋