Simon

People come and go, you've got to accept that as fact.
I'm pretty sure Simon has gone and it's something I'm not overly happy about but I don't think it's something I can change.
Yeah that comes across as a bit mysterious and melodramatic.
Simon is someone I've known for quite a while, I actually don't remember exactly how long, and someone whose views I always valued. He also pushes me.
I think everyone needs someone who tries to make you a better version of yourself. He's very switched on and has a steely constitution, though I have seen it crack once or twice to remind me he is actually human.
He's emotionally strong, I find it hard to be sometimes.
I'm not sure exactly where along the way we started to move in different directions, though I suspect it's more him moving and me staying put. Eventually, I couldn't keep up.
I'm not blaming Simon for anything. If there is blame to be thrown around it's likely it should be shot back at me. And it's a shame.
Ultimately any relationship, be it professional or personal, lives and dies through how much attention it is given and as much as I hate to say it....
Cheers, Simon. I never quite felt good enough to be in the inner sanctum. I'm just sorry I was right.

The 2017 Raymo Awards

It started with Passengers and wound up with Jumanji, and now’s that time to review the year in film in between.

I saw 45 films at the cinema this year (and as always a big thanks to JAFFA and Reading Cinemas) and overall I think it was a solid year. And just like last year 24 movies were rated 7.5 or above, of those scoring 6 or below there were only seven so that’s less than 2016.

Quality drama rose to the top this year and yet again super hero movies were prominent, for the most part they were very well executed too. The reboots/sequels etc didn’t shape up on the whole with a couple of minor exceptions.

Without further ado, here’s my 2017 in film.

1. Lion (10/10)
Nobody would be surprised to see this dramatised version of Saroo Brierly’s true story top the list. And it’s an Australian film too! Lion starts in India and we meet a young Saroo (played amazingly by Sunny Pawar), who is lost while tagging along with his older brother and winds up 1000s of miles away from home. He’s eventually adopted by a Tasmanian couple and grows up there. The second half is the story of how an older Saroo searches for his lost family. It’s stunningly made, emotional in the right spots and everything a good drama should be. Easily the best movie of the year.

2. Manchester By The Sea (9/10)
An acting tour de force by Casey Affleck that rightly won him an Oscar for Best Actor. This is a heavy film, as you’d expect for a movie about grief. Affleck plays Lee, a handyman carrying a heavy burden from his past who, when his brother dies, is called on to be guardian for his teenage nephew Patrick. He reluctantly moves back to Manchester where he’s confronted with his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams, also outstanding) and the past he’s running away from. There’s some wrenching drama in this film and if you’re left wondering why Lee doesn’t pull himself together the answer is in one line in the movie – ‘I can’t beat it’. Brilliant.

3. Wonder (9/10)
For a PG movie, Wonder came as quite a surprise. Auggie (a brilliant turn by Jacob Tremblay) begins the fifth grade, his first time in public school, but people can’t seem to get past the scars on his face that were the result of a number of operations due to a rare condition. He likes to get around wearing an astronaut’s helmet and he finds school as confronting as the children find him. It’s treated with warmth and supporting roles from Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as his parents add depth. It’s also told from a few perspectives which was interesting. If you missed it, it’s well worth it and don’t think it’s a tearjerker – though I can’t promise you won’t shed one!

4. Wonder Woman (9/10)
Who would have thought DC would produce the best super hero film of the year?! Why they didn’t do it before Dawn Of Justice is anyone’s guess but the origin story of Diana Prince (played with class by Gal Gadot) is all quality. When Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes near the mysterious island of Themyscira he brings the real world to the Amazons. Diana is convinced the god Ares is responsible for the conflict and leaves to take the fight to him and save the world from war. She’s brilliantly naïve early on and there’s plenty of awkward humour that’s been missing from the DC films. My only gripe is that she’s yet to be referred to as ‘Wonder Woman’ in any of her appearances. But it’s a fantastic super hero entry.

5. The Fate Of The Furious (Fast & Furious 8) (9/10)
I don’t know what to say, I’m a sucker for this series of films and they seem to get better and better (albeit more ridiculous). Having finally brought the family together in F&F7, Dominic Toretto is drawn away from the good side by a mysterious villain named Cipher (Charlize Theron). While I think she was a little underused it’s a great twist on the series forcing Hobbs, Letty and company to battle Dom and win him back. There’s also a fantastic dynamic between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham that apparently has spawned a spin off that will delay F&F9 (not sure I’m happy about that). Great fun.

Honourable mentions: Spider-Man: Homecoming (9/10) is the Spider-Man film we’ve desperately wanted for years and Marvel nailed it with the casting of Tom Holland and the integration into the MCU. Just bumped out of the top five by Wonder. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 (8.5/10) fell a bit short of the first film, possibly because of the raised expectations, but stood up pretty well thanks to the dynamic between the main cast. There were a few surprises from leftfield and I bet a lot of you haven’t heard of these – A Ghost Story (8/10) sees Casey Affleck covered in a sheet for most of the film (as a ghost) after his character dies. He returns to try to comfort his wife and make sense of what happened. Paterson (8/10) is a simple film about a man (Adam Driver) who leads a seemingly mundane life but it’s a slow burn and is better on reflection as well. Baby Driver (8/10) was very cool and possibly rated higher had it not had about seven endings. A few others to note are 20th Century Women (8/10), Thor: Ragnarok (8/10) and War For The Planet Of The Apes (8/10) wrapped up the trilogy very nicely.

Surprise of the year: Goodbye Christopher Robin (8/10) is the story of how A.A. Milne created Winnie The Pooh and its beloved characters inspired by his son. My expectation wasn’t super high. Domhnall Gleeson plays Milne while Margot Robbie is his wife Daphne. Upon the birth of their son both parently basically ignore young Christopher Robin (who they call Billy Moon) for different reasons. When Milne is forced to care for his son it leads to him writing a book about him and his toys. It’s an excellent story and definitely one I wasn’t expecting.

Flop of the year: Downsizing (5/10). I did have reasonable expectations but it really let me down. The concept of people wanting to shrink in size to live a better life sounded like a fantastic idea. And it was for a while until it went in a rather boring direction and was reduced to, well, less than it should have been. Matt Damon does his best but the plot after a small twist doesn’t leave him much to work with and it just heads downwards. Shame.

The film I wanted to like more: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (7/10) came with huge expectation after a cracking trailer so was always going to be harshly judged. It’s divided fans a bit and as a fan, but not nutjob fan, I was disappointed with a few things. After setting up a number of burning questions in the Force Awakens it seems all of JJ Abrams’ work was swept aside by Rian Johnson to go in a different direction. When Mark Hamill says it’s not the Luke he knows it’s a worry. Then there was the Leia problem. We could argue black and blue here but it just should have been a lot better.

Letdowns: Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture but I thought it was average and definitely not what it was cracked up to be; same goes for Loving; Cars 3 was better than Cars 2 but pales in comparison to the original. Pixar on notice again.

What lies ahead? I’m keen for Black Panther and Avengers Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ready Player One looks cool – kinda Tron-esque. The Han Solo movie could go either way, there’s Jurassic World 2 and The Crimes Of Grindlewald (Fantastic Beasts 2), the latter of which I expect a bit from. Hopefully there are some great dramas, I’d love to see a return to the classic comedy genre (though hopes aren’t high) and I wonder whether they’ll get Aquaman right.
See you at the movies!