The Quite Nerdy Blog

Well, we did 2017 everyone, good work. I'm assuming if you're reading this that means you survived the year and your treat is MOAR MOVIES. For me, that's incredibly exciting and I'm already getting ready for the films that I think are going to be the highlights of this year. Some are the films that will dominate awards season, some are the big blockbusters of the year and some are the films that we have to wait all year for. As one final note before I get started, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (a film which would have easily made the top half of the list) is not here because I have already seen it and have a review coming next week. With all that sorted, let's get to the honourable mentions. Isle of Dogs Even if Wes Anderson's newest movie ends up with a weak plot or script or any of that, one guarantee we have got from the trailer is that visually, it'll be a delight. The Irishman Netflix still have a rocky tack record with origina

We made it folks, we can now crawl out of the dumpster fire of 2017 into the brave new dumpster fire of 2018. In the midst of that mess though, we got an amazing amount of incredible films so it only seems fair to look back into that orangey haze and try to rescue from the flames the filmic gems of the year gone by. I never see every film in a year and that was sadly true this year so if one of your favourites is missing, I might not actually hate it, don't fret. With that said, it's time for honourable mentions (in no particular order). Get Out Get Out did the rare thing which was get me interested in horror this year. There ended up being horror films I loved more but Get Out remains special. 20th Century Women One of the most charming films of the year, 20th Century Women has unfortunately been lost in the awards season haze but deserves rediscovery for it's heart and humour. Hacksaw Ridge The movie itself hasn't stuck as well in my mind over the

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the ninth official Star Wars film, the eighth of the ongoing Skywalker saga and the second of the new trilogy started two years ago by The Force Awakens. This all sounds fairly confusing but essentially what it means is that The Last Jedi has a lot of history behind it and a lot to live up to. The story picks up (in part) straight after Force Awakens with Rey going to Luke in search of some training in the ways of the Jedi. Meanwhile, happening seemingly a little after the events of the last film, the rebels are making a run away from the First Order. This is where most of the cast are and it's where a lot of the action takes place. Some critics have been saying that the film is revolutionary and sets the franchise on a new path and I'll be honest, I did not get that at all. I've since read around about some of the events and maybe I just didn't quite grasp it because I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan but don't expect a revolution

Wonder is adapted from the book of the same name by R. J. Palacio and is the story of a young boy named Augie who has a facial disfigurement. The film follows his life through his first year at school, making friends, trying to stand up to bullies and learning things about the world. The story doesn't exactly sound hugely original and honestly, if you've seen films like this, you will be able to spot plot beats coming up fairly easily. Where Wonder excels is the structure and how it bounces around between characters. Just as in the book, the film will take different "chapters" to examine the other characters in this world and while the novel was able to take much more separated views, the chapters and characters overlap much more in the film in a way that actually worked out quite well. So while covering no new ground, Wonder does manage to cover it in an interesting way that kept me compelled despite already knowing the plot beats. With a film like this, acting

Let me pitch you a film. It's a little weird but just go with it. Imagine the plot of the film Room (the adorable child kidnapping film from two years ago) but instead of Jacob Tremblay, the kid is a weird looking thirty year old dude named James who is obsessed with a TV show called Brigsby Bear. Upon his release from capture, James realises that the show was being made exclusively for him and that with the capture of his kidnappers, no more episodes exist. With this knowledge and new friends, James decides to finish the story by making the Brigsby Bear movie. As a story, it makes for an interesting parallel with The Disaster Artist as a story about low budget film making powered entirely by passion. I was never able to predict exactly where the film would go and despite some beats familiar to indie comedies, it felt refreshingly fresh from start to finish. Being a film starring Kyle Mooney, it shouldn't be a surprise that the performances are offbeat but ultimately quit

I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have been looking forward to the Disaster Artist for longer and more feverishly than any franchise film in recent years. It's the story (based on the book of the same name) behind the making of the greatest bad movie ever made: The Room. Behind this film is one enigmatic writer, producer, director and star known as Tommy Wiseau. No one knows how old he is, where he came from or where he got the six million dollars that he used to fund the film. Regardless, thanks to the recounting of Wiseau's close friend and The Room co-star Greg Sestero, we get a glimpse into the past these two share and what went into the making of a film unlike literally anything else. Knowing what happened behind the scenes due to the book, I was delighted to see most of it appear on screen and intact but for those who have no idea what created this monstrosity (judging by the reactions of those around me) you will be equal parts in fits of laughter and utterl

Justice League is DC's follow up to Wonder Woman and while I was afraid it wouldn't live up to that film, I'm now terrified of DC's future. The plot (as it is) is that a big ol' bad guy called Stepenwolf (no relation to the band) needs to grab three boxes so that he can turn Earth into some wasteland or something. The only people who can save the day? The Justice League, consisting of Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and everyone's favourite, Cyborg. Superman is also in it but he's dead, so the gang will have to get up to some craaaaaaaazy  antics to get him back. Honestly, the plot could be the biggest thing holding this film back. See, there's this rule in writing stories where events should always be "therefore, this happens" or "however, this happens", events that have cause and effect, the plot never just becoming "and then this happens" Justice League is "then this happens": The Movie. Wonder Woma

As you probably know, Murder on the Orient Express is based on the classic Agatha Christie novel and this is another in a long line of film adaptations of that story. It's about famous detective Hercule Poirot, a man who is simply looking for some time off and finds himself on board the Orient Express. While on board however, a murder happens, the train is stranded in the snow and Poirot is the only one on board appropriately equipped to solve the murder. I'm not sure if praising the plot is a plus for the film seeing as it's so well established but you can't deny the quality of a rip roaring mystery story. The twist is one of those that is just a part of pop culture and very well known but somehow, I didn't actually know what was going to happen and watching it play out is very exciting. There is an incredible cast in this film (both in talent and just sheer numbers) and they're probably the best thing about the film for me. Kenneth Branagh takes the lead

Thor: Ragnarok is a little confusing if you've never seen a Thor film and very confusing if you don't know anything about Marvel (I'm only in the first category) but has a fairly standalone story. Essentially, a goddess by the name of Hela turns up, threatening to lay waste to all of Asgard but Thor and Loki are sent away to a junk planet and are unable to help. While on this planet, Thor is enrolled in gladatorial combat with the Hulk and fun legitimately ensues. Due to the fairly separate nature of the plot, there aren't always a huge amount of stakes so even when the literal goddess of death is promising the downfall of all those who live, you never really get too worried. As its own film, it works well enough, similar to how the original Guardians of the Galaxy did. No one will exactly praise the plot but it is coherent, takes you fun places and I don't think needs to do anything else. Different to many of the other superhero films, acting here is basicall

I'm reviewing The Happening because is there anything much scarier than watching a film full of wasted talent? The Happening is a film from M. Night Shyamalan and technically fits this time of year as it's a horror film, only it offers literally no scares at all. The film opens with everyone in a park standing still as a woman pulls out a hair pin and stabs herself in the cheek. Next, a bunch of people jump off of a building. It turns out that there is some toxin in the air that reverses our in built survival instinct so that we want to die. I call it the "Happening" effect because it accurately sums up how it feels to watch this movie, first the confusion then the desire to kill yourself through any means possible. Science teacher Mark Whalberg decides to run away from this toxin with his emotionless wife (if it's a plot point, you can't criticise it). The plot unravels and, spoilers, it turns out its just nature so most of the film is people running awa