Good lord it's not even Christmas yet and i've seen some people posting their top 10 lists already. Okay granted it's mostly for videogames and most of those are out already, but even still it's getting earlier every year. Now I did a similar post like this last year but with a very different context. That post was talking about the films that weren't going to be in my Top 10 Best Movies of 2014 video because they weren't released before January in England. The sad thing is this happens every year, and the majority of the movies that just barely missed it almost always deserved to be in my top 10 list. So this year i'm changing that, i will most likely be doing my top 10 list some time in mid-January because I want to see every movie that has a shot at making my list. So with that being said, the purpose behind this post is to talk about the potential list makers that I have seen that are likely to make it into other people's lists that won't actually make my list, won't even get an honourable mention and give my reasons why.
Ex-Machina
Ex-Machina is one of those films that received a lot of hype and had a lot of build up behind it and for me and fair few people, the film just did not live up to that hype. But that's not to say all hyped up movies fail, It Follows was insanely hyped up and most definitely will make my list, in fact I saw both these films on the same day and It Follows is the one that stuck with me. Now I admit this is a good film, it's very well shot, the acting is incredible and there are interesting conversations discussed in the film. That however is also the major problem, this movie at times feels more like someone's philosophy essay asking questions about "What does it mean to be human?" "Can we recreate true intelligence?" "Are robots living?" all of these questions that have been asked hundreds of times in hundreds of movies and fact is, this movie is doing nothing new with it, it's asking questions and giving answers that have been done before. To be fair this is a problem I have with almost every story that attempts this, A.I., Battlestar Galactica, I Robot, Ghost in the Shell, Bicentennial Man, they all tell the same story, ask the same questions, give the same answers and it's boring. The only film to do it new and cleverly is Blade Runner, in my opinion. Even more so I do not like the characters in this film, and the setting gets really boring to look at for nearly 2 hours and the pacing really just dies at the end, speaking of the ending, it makes no sense.
Inside Out
This is similar to Ex-Machina, it was good but overhyped and is telling a story that has been told plenty before. The concept of little people controlling us has been done before, Hermans Head, Beano's Numbskulls, Ozzy & Drix, Out of Jimmy's Head. I will admit it's still creative in its details and designs but it's a done before concept nonetheless. Then there is the actual plot of the movie, two polar opposite characters are forced to go on a journey together to get back to their kid before it's too late and along the way they'll become the best of friends...it's just Toy Story all over again. Pixar just reused the plot of the first Toy Story movie! I still enjoy this movie, it's colourful, it's funny, it's heartwarming and I would enjoy watching it again. But honestly I thought the short film that came with the movie was better in every way, it was more creative, better animated and i got more emotional, also it's a good song, so there's that.
Straight Outta Compton
This isn't one of those films were it has any major problems apart from a lack of focus on its subplots, it's just not going to make the list because it was only...okay. The story is okay, the pacing is okay, the drama is okay, it has a story to tell, it tells it decently enough and i had a good time watching it. Yes it heavily screws over the facts of the real life events but this is a movie first and a recap of real life events second, if changing things works better for the movie then do it. The best aspect of the movie is its acting, everyone in this movie kills it, especially Corey Hawkins as Dr Dre. But it's just a movie that does not stand out to me as one of the best.
The End of the Tour
I really wanted to love this movie, it seemed so interesting, Jason Segal & Jesse Eisenberg looked fascinating, the real life people it's based on seemed fascinating and the trailer looked fascinating. But again this is just another case of it just being...okay. The characters, the story, the dialogue, the acting is all okay. Actually I take that back, the acting is really good, but the actors aren't really given any time to shine or really show their talent, which is a shame because you can tell that they put a lot of thought into these characters, especially Jason Segal. But really for a movie that's supposed to be a road trip of this author and this journalist and they have these deep conversations about life, work, relationships and family, by the end of it, i still felt like i barely knew these two and i just didn't get all that invested.
Me & Earl & The Dying Girl
Oddly enough even though this film was getting mad praise i honestly wasn't expecting much, which doesn't make sense because i never saw anything to suggest i wouldn't like it and it is a genre i like, the Quirky Hipster Teen Indie Movie, we get atleast one a year and they're usually really good. But really this movie does nothing new, it is a by the numbers QHTIM (Because I ain't spelling it out again), which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact this movie is constantly patting itself on the back for avoiding cliches that it completely ignores the cliches it is following. Yes you avoided the typical romance in a lot of teen movies, oh you threw us for a loop with the ending by having the narrator lie to us, and not in a clever or subtle way you just...lied. It's like if i said "Oh no, Vader is totally not Luke's father" that's not me being a clever use of the unreliable narrator trope, i'm just lying. Then there are the cliches it does follow, the angsty teenager who doesn't fit in, opening with a character writing a personal statement for college, the cool teacher/mentor, the soft lighting, the indie musical score, it's stuff that is been done plenty before yet this movie loves to act on how original it is. Which is not to say i didn't like it, i do still like those cliches, it's just how of an ego the movie has that ruins it for me. It's also an incredibly directed film with some really good cinematography and really talented actors, lots of long shots with no cuts, plenty of creative close-ups, some interesting use of stop-motion and probably the least obnoxious drug trip scene there's been in a while. But again, this movie is kind of in love with itself that it just sort of ruins it for me from liking it that much.
So those are the movies that might be showing up on other people's top 10 lists but certainly won't be appearing in mine, even though i will clarify i enjoyed all of these movies and would still recommend that you all check them out and decide for yourselves if they're worth the hype. But they just didn't do enough for me.
SIDE NOTE: One movie that i will give an honourable mention to is Steve Jobs, the reason why is because I actually can't decide if it's going to be featured in my top 10 of the year list, i very much enjoyed what i was watching but i don't know if i would watch it again anytime soon, so, we'll see.
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