The Phil's of 2017

The Phil's 2017

 

It's that time of year where you get those annual look backs, whether they be at music, filums or world events. I'm not really one for nostalgia - you could say it's not what it used to be, but I've given it a go and so as below I've rounded up my favourite filums of the year (along with a few of my scribbles)

and scored them using my name by way of a rating system - the more Phils given the more I liked the filum. 

In no particular order then....

 

Thor: Ragnarok

 

Buckle your seat belts we're in for a bumpy ride, as Thor off of all of the Avengers filums (just by chance) meets The Hulk also off of all of the Avengers filums in the gladiatorial arena on a distant planet.

But wait there's more, Marvel cameos, Hollywood cameos and the now obligatory Stan Lee cameo, PLUS Jeff Goldblum being Jeff Goldblum and more family tension and strife than you can shake a big Mjonir shaped stick at.

It all moves on at quite a pace and probably requires multiple viewings, in a nutshell a superhero movie for those who don't like superhero movies, just think sci-fi comedy 

 

4.5 Phils out of 5

Blade Runner 2049

The most unanticipated Harrison Ford movie since Kingdom of The Crystal Skulls doesn't share the same fate as the woeful Indiana Jones sequel thankfully, but we all collectively held our breath and hoped for the best nevertheless when it was first announced that Blade Runner would get a follow on filum some thirty odd years after the original.

A grizzled and creaking Harrison Ford is the last thing I wanted to see after his tragic turn in the Star Wars rehash but unlike that his age is part of the story, with the bloke off of La La Land as a new Blade Runner on a mission to find him in the very orangery wastes of west coast America.
To say much more would spoil the story, but it's a different movie from the first with torrential rain giving way to dust and crowded cityscapes being replaced with loneliness and isolation. And while it lacks the characters and vision of the first, this sequel shows less successful franchise attempts how it should be done.

4.5 Phils out of 5

 

 

Dunkirk

 

Ever wanted to experience the evacuation of the beaches at Dunkirk first hand? Yes, well you're in luck, and there's no need with those new fangled VR Headsets as Christopher Nolan puts us slap bang in the middle of the action. But while there's not much in the way of fighting going on on the beaches there's plenty of getting the hell out of dodge and in a couple of cases getting to the beach to get others out.

The star studded cast; Thomas Shelby off of Peaky Blinders, Alfie Solomons off of Peaky Blinders, Thomas Cromwell off of Wolf Hall, Gilderoy Lockhart out of Harry Potter and erm...Harry Styles are mere dressing and characters take second place to filum technique but it's very well made and you'll be asking for some money back on your seat price after only sitting on the edge of it the whole way through.

 

3.5 Phils out of 5

 

  

Logan

 

The future and Wolverine off of all the X-Men filums is in hiding, along with Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek and the other bloke who wrote The Office that isn't Ricky Gervais.
Things have moved on since we last saw these Mutants though, for one they're the only ones left and all superhero shenanigans has gone for a burton, Professor X is on his last legs and old mutton chops is working as a chauffeur.
With grey hair, creaking joints and an authentic stick on beard it's clear that time has caught up with Logan and when a new arrival appears it leads to a chase cross country that inevitably can only end one way.

Finally a decent Wolverine stand alone movie.

4 Phils out of 5

 

 Bubbling under

I could have added more to the above list, but time, motivation and a bad memory got the better of me, still the below are other filums I enjoyed during 2017

 

The Handmaiden, Wonder Woman, Baby Driver, The Big Sick, La La Land, Logan Logan, Spider-Man Homecoming, The Death of Stalin, War For The Planet of The Apes, Free Fire, The Lego Batman Movie, Get Out, Manchester By The Sea, A Ghost Story, Colossal, Jim and Andy:The Great Beyond, Prevenge, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2, Mother! Trainspotting 2, Mindhorn, Brigsby Bear

 

Slipped through the net

There were some filums I just didn't get round to seeing but will hopefully catch in some shape or form

Raw, Loving Vincent, Paddington 2, IT, Split, Battle of the Sexes, Wind River, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lady Macbeth, The Florida Project, It Comes At Night, The Lost City of Z 

To watch in 2018 

And with January a few days away there's a whole new batch of stuff good I'm looking forward to seeing in the New Year, amongst them; 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Downsizing, The Darkest Hour, Ready Player One, Black Panther, Isle of Dogs, The Shape of Water, Deadpool 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Early Man, The Post 

 

 

Deadpool - The Merc with the Smirk

Deadpool - The Merc With a Mouth

So Deadpool then? The most eagerly superhero movie since........well? The last superhero movie I guess?

There has been a few of late to be fair and with each one introducing a new and sometime lesser known character in the superhero it's understandable that people can on occasion be left scratching their heads.
As for Deadpool, I'd stopped reading the comics by the time he had come along, although I had unashamedly caught some of the latest instalments from Marvel more recently.
So in a nutshell, he started out as a supporting character in the X-Men themed comics before moving on and getting his own comic. He is virtually indestructible thanks to his mutant self healing powers - a bit like Wolverine (you'll have heard of him), but as far as retractable claws or any other abilities go that's his lot, he's a mercenary (Merc) who tends to be armed to the teeth with guns, knives and swords but also uses humour (with a Mouth) as part of his make up. He's more of Anti-Hero than straight up hero and his comic tends to send up and skew the comic book traditions, he speaks directly to the reader (breaking the fourth wall) and is even aware that he is a comic book character.
As he has gone on, he has become one of Marvel's cult heroes and just his appearance on a comic cover can ensure it's a sell out.

Buy my stuff!

As for the filum? For non fans if you've seen Kick-Ass then you will be fully prepared. Not that it copies that filum, Deadpool came first comic book-wise but it's that kind of style - over the top violence, language and laughs.
Fans themselves will say it's as faithful to the comic as it can be, the forth wall is broken and the send up of the whole comic book movie is in place, there are many many in jokes to keep even the casual nerd happy. But while it sends up the likes of X-Men and The Avengers it also goes along in pretty much the same template, there's an origin story, a villain, a damsel in distress, a big fight at the end and a post credits scene. It zips along at quite a pace though right from the opening titles then you have flashbacks, flashbacks within flashbacks, plenty of highly choreographed action pieces, buckets of humour and wise cracking galore.
It may grate with some, as it can be pretty relentless if you're not prepared for it and it's pretty crude in places, plus the violence can be gory and in bad taste. But for others a second viewing could be called for to catch all of the jokes and references.
Even before seeing the thing you'll have heard that there are plans for a sequel (and superhero filums have to have a sequel), but as to whether you'll tire of more of the same? Maybe a shift in tone and/or location is needed.


But I'd give it  a MASSIVE 10 Phils out of 10


Oh and..............buy my stuff!

And now it's time to look at some of your work..... in the gallery (Post It Note Edition)

The Gallery - Post It Notes

Did you grow up in the 70s/80s? If you did and lived to survive the tale, you'll be able to recall one of your first introductions to the world of Art.

Long before Neil Buchanan (I had to Google him that's how rubbish he was) jumped on the band wagon with Art Attack Tony Hart was the Don of the Children's TV art scene, bridging the gap between potato printing on Playschool and Rolf's Cartoon Time (the less about him the better!).
He made art cool - before we knew (or cared) what that word meant, along with Johnny Ball he was a staple for any kid growing up in a time that the BBC educated us outside of school and made it fun.

From Vision On, via Take Hart to Hart Beat we met Wilf Lunn the Eccentric Inventor, Mr Bennett the Caretaker and of course that lovable piece of plasticine Morph. Another part of all three shows was the Gallery, a place where artwork submitted by the young viewers was displayed on screen accompaniment of music. Each piece would have the name and age of the artist and occasionally Tony would comment on a piece saying what he liked about it, but my main memory of this segment would be me, my brother and sister all sat far too close to the telly saying as each picture came up 'I could do that' 'I could do that' 'I couldn't do that'.......anyone?

And it's with that in mind that I've compiled this blog for your viewing pleasure (and for those without Instagram), just press play on the below clip as now it's time to look at some of my work in the gallery......

 

RIP

TV and Filums

Happy Birthday

Merry Christmas

Making a SPECTRE-cle of himself

James Bond : SPECTRE

A couple of weeks back I went to see Spectre the 24th James Bond film in the series, and as a series spanning 50 years or more it's gone through a few peaks and troughs of popularity.

It's been largely due to the most recent actors portrayal and what's commonly known as a 'reboot' that the last three have been released which much anticipation.

On a personal note (and I'm probably not the only one) James Bond films were with me from my childhood, before Sky or Netflix Christmas would be a time for the latest installment to be aired exclusively on 'normal' telly. As well as that there would be repeated (and welcome) showings on a Sunday afternoon (or at least it seemed like it was always on a Sunday) or during any other holiday season.

So they were ingrained into you, and vague memories would merge as to whether it was on the TV or at the cinema as to where you'd watched a certain one. My Dad was a big Bond fan so he always comes to mind with the latest release and though the early films would have definitely been watched at home, by the time Roger Moore was Bond it would have meant a trip to the cinema and I can vividly remember the pre-credits sequence of the Spy Who Loved Me as Bond skied off the cliff to his apparent doom before a Union Jack parachute unfurled to save his certain fate.


The last trip to the cinema for a Bond film with Dad would have been A View To a Kill, but even after the no smoking in cinemas policy came in (which ended our joint trips to watch films there) he still kept up with them and the latest Bond film out on video would be a safe bet for him for any Birthday or Christmas present. So this way he'd have seen first Timothy Dalton and then Peirce Brosnon's take on the part.

My Dad passed away in 2006 and among the many many many many many things I miss about him would be his love of action films and there were times not long after he gone that I'd still look along the DVD shelves in HMV picking out ones I know he'd enjoy watching even though he was no longer around to see them. So the latest Bond films would definitely have been among those with him in mind, and I think he would have liked these new installments with their new Bond.


With Daniel Craig Bond has become a more human Bond, a man who happens to be an international spy but with failings, shortcomings and vulnerability, not superhuman but wiling to put himself and his body on the line for the sake of his job. In all of his outings he's been battered and bruised both physically and emotionally, it's a realistic portrayal that's arguably been missing from all of the other incarnations.

It's difficult to review the film without giving too much away to those who haven't seen it, but for me it completes the story arc first started in Casino Royale. It starts with Bond discovering a cryptic message from Judi Dench's M which sends him on a mission that uncovers a secret organisation that has held power over him throughout the last three films. Needless to say, there are car chases, fist fights, exotic locations, gadgets and beautiful women. And with the name of the film itself it's no big surprise as to what's it called or who the main protagonist is.
As far as Daniel Craig's Bond films go, for me it's on par with Casino Royale as his second best outing.


4 Phil's out of 5



*Alan Partridge voice*.....JURASSIC PARK!!!

So, I went to see Jurassic World on Sunday and for those of you put off by the trailer - don't be.

Yes we have Chris Pratt as a dinosaur whispering Velociraptor wrangler and a hybrid super dinosaur in the Indominus Rex but if you're looking for a realistic film - one which has the basic premise of recreating dinosaurs from the DNA taken from mosquitoes frozen in amber this is not a good place to start. You could maybe ask how they keep getting liability insurance to open these disaster prone theme parks....

Leave any grasp of reality at the door and just enjoy it, it's a popcorn movie but one of higher quality than some with more action than the original, genuine suspense, levels of threat and hardcore dinosaur on dinosaur battle scenes. I would give it 4.5 Phils* out of 5

As always this blog is just an excuse you promote my drawings, so........buy my stuff!



*as opposed to stars/thumbs up, etc I use my name as a rating system, the more Phils the better the film.

reservoir unchained.......

It's not all about drawing, although it will mainly be drawn pictures that I'll put on here. Just thought I'd share something I knocked up for a competition I'm thinking of entering.
Short List magazine (found here) are giving people the chance to create a new poster to coincide with the DVD release of Django Unchained and win a Sony Entertainment System for their troubles.
I'm not going to enter this effort but it's good to get's these ideas down on 'paper' and out of my head so I can come up with something better.
I'll see how I get on and possibly put the finished product up on here at some point.