Phil’s 2020 Preview & Look Back At 2019’s Predictions…

by Phil Hobden 2019: In Review Quick Review Year In Review

Phil’s Quick look at what’s wetting his whistle for the upcoming year in films…

2019 was a good year all in all, with many smaller movies standing out from the crowded franchised blockbuster arena. That said Marvel killed it again and Star Wars Skywalker saga drew to a close. So here’s the films I’m most looking forward to in 2020. And a few that I’d be happy to miss.

The Must See’s

Most Excited: Top Gun: Maverick
The sequel to my second favourite film of all time, with a launch trailer that stuck the landing and an epic cast… okay so it will probably suck but I could not BE any more excited.

2.1917
Following up the dire Spectre with a big budget World War 1 film, Mendes looks to be striking gold on a film that’s already getting Oscar buzz. And teh single take idea really intrigues me.

3.Wonder Woman 1984
With Marvel having a quieter year it’s down to DC to deliver the goods this year and Wonder Woman 1984 may well be the film to do just that. The best thing in all the DC movies to date and with a well regarded film already under her belt, Wonder Woman returns to battle new bad guys. This time without Zack Snider’s influence.

4. The Many Saints of Newark
The Sopranos is my favourite TV show of all time. This feature length look at a young Tony Soprano (played by Gandolfini’s own son) could go either way. But, much like Top Gun, nostalgia runs high here.

5. No Time To Die
A risky choice for sure but No Time To Die promises lots. A great director, Craig reinvigorated (well that’s what he says) and a different story featuring a retired Bond dragged back into action. Every other Craig film has been good so the odds are in it’s favour.

Bubbling Under: Tenet (Nolan is back, always worth a watch ), Bill & Ted Face The Music (Excellent! ), A Quiet Place 2 (The original was superb ), Last Night In Soho (Edgar Wright. Say no more. ), Halloween Kills (The last Halloween was genuinely good ), Ghostbusters 2020 (a risk but with the original cast returning… maybe. Just maybe), Black Widow (Only a fool would bet against Marvel)

The Must Nots

Stinker Of The Year: The New Mutants
Shooting Fish in a barrel this one. So the trailer looked okay, the property it’s based on is solid and the cast & crew impressive… so why am I not keen? Simply this should have come out two years ago, it’s had delays, reshoots and is rumoured to be dumped direct onto Hulu. If it even comes out.

Also Dreading: Birds of Prey (Robbie will be great but the film will not, sadly ), Bad Boys 4 Life (Michael Bay – so will be long and a slog) , Fast & Furious 9 (No Rock, No Stath, No Walker. Just Vin ), Godzilla Vs Kong (I think we are done with Godzilla now ), Dolittle (A film we don’t need), Minions 2 (The last DM film was weak and teh Minions film equally a let down), Coming To America 2 (Murphy has had VERY little to offer of late)

Last Year…

So how did I do last year?

This is the time of the year when I look back at my picks of the good, the bad and the ugly from 2019 and see how close I was (or as it often is the case, how far!)…

For best: I tipped Toy Story 4, Captain Marvel, Hobbs & Shaw, Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as my most anticipated of 2019. Toy Story 4 was good but not in my top 5 of the year with Captain Marvel following suit. Hobbs & Shaw was a bust but Once Upon A Time In Hollywood delivered in spades. As for Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker… it was good but not great but still a great watch!

As for the rest? Avengers Infinity War Part 2 was really good and closed off the saga in spectacular fashion, IT: Chapter Two was better than most gave it credit (but still not on par with Chapter One). Wonder Woman 1984 never came out and has been added to 2020’s list. Glass was good fun but Godzilla: King of the Monsters died on it’s arse.Spider-Man: Far From Home could well be the best Marvel film of 2020 whilst Joker was simply awesome. Jumanji: The Next Level was good fun as expected, even if it as a step down from Welcome to the Jungle, & The Irishman was everything I wanted it to be (other than maybe a few minutes shorter)

As for the Stinkers? Terminator: Dark Fate was actually okay (and certainly not the bomb I expected), The Lion King remake was also pretty good fun, Pet Sematary was weak and Pokemon Detective Pikachu was great fun (think Deadpool for kids). Never watched What Men Want , Aladdin 2019 was solid and X-Men: Dark Phoenix was pretty much what I expected. Rubbish. John Wick: Chapter 3 was a return to form but both Alita: Battle Angel & Men in Black Spin Off both failed as expected.

So here’s to 2019… see you again next year!

Phil Hobden

Phil Hobden is the former Film Editor & Writer for renowned martial arts focused COMBAT MAGAZINE in the UK. He is also a filmmaker in his own right, having produced two cult Independent action films in LEFT FOR DEAD and TEN DEAD MEN. He was the host for the award nominated Filmsploitation podcast for 4 years, currently co-hosts Ross And Phil Talk Movies and is a writer/editor for his own blog Phil’s Quick Capsule Review…

www.philhobden.co.uk

Podcast: Ross And Phil Talk… Hobbs & Shaw (Mild Spoilers)

by RossAndPhil Ross and Phil Talk Movies The Podcasts

We are back! Well Ross Is back. Anyway… on this episode of the podcast we catch up on the meat fest that is Hobbs & Shaw, talk Spiderman (Marvel, MCU), chat about what we’ve watched most recently and ask the BIG question… is Idris Elba really Black Superman?

Hosted by Award winning filmmaker Ross Boyask and blogger/writer/failed former filmmaker Phil Hobden.

Discussed: Hobbs & Shaw, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Ready or Not, The Game, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Spiderman, Marvel, Sony, MCU, Venom, Avengers, Tony Scott

For more on Ross Boyask search @RossBoyask on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also check out @EvoFilmsUK online.

For more on Phil Hobden check out www.philhobden.co.uk , Twitter (@PhilQuickReview) and Instagram (RossAndPhilTalkMovies)

#RossAndPhil #RossAndPhilTalkMovies #MoviePodcasts #Podcasts

RossAndPhil

Ross And Phil Talk Movies… two friends, filmmakers (well former in Phil’s case) coming together to make one awesome podcast.

Rated: Marvel Cinematic Universe (up to Spider-Man: Far From Home)

by Phil Hobden A Blog

RATED looks at EVERY Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and gives a QuickReview as well as putting them in order of BEST to, well, Iron Man 2.! Updated as and when a new Marvel (Studios) film is released…

(Note scores reflect my original IMDB ratings)

Best: Captain America Winter Solider

A cold war thriller with Robert Redford and a mini Avengers team up. Add in the always awesome Frank Grillo and a genuinely interesting script and you have Marvel’s strongest cinematic outing.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

2. Guardians Of The Galaxy

Massively far out of Marvel’s usual comfort zone, Guardian’s introduced spaceships, talking racoons and a giant tree person. Cracking script, expert action and a heap of fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

3. Iron Man 3

The Iron Man film that broke a lot of Marvel fans, Shane Black took the playbook and ripped it up. Twists, turns and a cute central relationships made this a different take on the norm and was all the better for it.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

4. Thor: Ragnarok

Well this was a bundle of fun. The previous Thor films have been okay but Ragnarok delivered a brilliant romp which dragged in The Hulk, a handful of memorable new characters (Korg!) and some great set pieces to end up being one of Marvel’s best films yet.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

5. Avengers: Endgame

Funny, emotional, heart breaking and smart – Endgame ties up 21 films worth of story across 12 years almost perfectly. Bitter sweet for sure but Marvel totally stuck the landing.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

6. Marvel’s The Avengers

All the groundwork paid off as Marvel delivered it’s first ever super hero team up. The Hulk was back (and done right this time), Hawkeye and Black Widow joined the team and director Joss Whedon delivered the goods.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

7. Spider-Man: Far From Home

Far From Home takes the ball from both Homecoming and Endgame and runs with it. A charming, funny and emotionally charged MCU film… it delivers real relationships, a superb villain, an interesting enough story and characters you really care about.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

8. Spider-Man Homecoming

Funny, charming, with Marvels best villain and best Spiderman (yup sorry Andrew Garfield) Homecoming is a joy of a film that is by far the closest to what the comic book Peter Parker is.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

9. Avengers: Infinity War

Shocking, well paced and with one of Marvel’s greatest screen villains Avengers Infinity War ALMOST delivered on it’s considerable promise. Almost.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

10. Iron Man

The Film that started it all… Iron Man was a rock n roll action movie with an unlikely lead, an even more unlikely director and enough balls out moments to wow.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

11. Captain Marvel

A great origins story, a fun film and a great soundtrack – what more could you ask for really?

★★★★★★★★★★

——

12. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Loud, silly and funny as heck, Vol. 2 isn’t quite the tight film that it’s 2014 original is but it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Add in an amazing cast (including Stallone, Hasselhoff and Russell) and you have another winner from Marvel…

★★★★★★★★★★

——

13. Ant-Man

Ant-Man is a heist movie. With Ants. And fights on toy trains. It’s crazy but it’s also full of charm, humour and fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

14. Black Panther

Black Panther takes a different approach to the usual Marvel film, yet falls into a lot of the same traps of relying a bit too much on visual effects at times. That said it’s one of Marvel’s most intimate stories and whilst not perfect is a really strong entry into the increasingly bigger MCU.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

15. Ant-Man & The Wasp

Ant-Man & The Wasp is GREAT fun. It’s also totally forgettable and delivers what is possibly Marvel’s weakest villain to date. Not bad by any stretch just off pace of the original.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

16. Doctor Strange

Off the big screen Doctor Strange looses a little but this visually stunning film shows that marvel are still interested in pushing the envelope as far as you can in mainstream blockbusters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

17. Captain America: The First Avenger

Solid, fun and well done, whilst it has little rewatch appeal Captain America again took a different approach and gave us a couple of Marvel’s most enduring characters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

18. Captain America: Civil War

It’s not bad. It just didn’t gel with me as much as it did others. Don’t get me wrong there’s a lot to like and again it plays with the expected formula, but ultimately i’m just not that keen to go back to it.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

19. Thor: The Dark World

I liked The Dark world MUCH more than others. Okay so it’s flawed for sure but it’s crazy fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

20. Thor

Thor was a sold film, tasked with the near impossible job of making a god fit in a world of men. It does it well but not one you’ll rewatch much.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

21. Avengers Age Of Ultron

Marvel’s first disappointment, Age Of Ultron was all show and little else. Too big, too dumb and too long.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

22. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

It has charm and the casting works well but ultimately The Incredible Hulk (whilst FAR better than the Ang Lee version) just doesn’t have enough to recommend it.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

Worst : Iron Man 2

The idea was fine but sadly most of the film misses. Even Mickey Rourke (yes one of the oddest Marvel villains ever) can’t save this.

★★★★★★★★★★

Phil Hobden

www.philhobden.co.uk

Rated: Marvel Cinematic Universe (up to Avengers: Endgame)

by Phil Hobden A Blog

(Note scores reflect my original IMDB ratings)

Best: Captain America Winter Solider

A cold war thriller with Robert Redford and a mini Avengers team up. Add in the always awesome Frank Grillo and a genuinely interesting script and you have Marvel’s strongest cinematic outing.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

2. Guardians Of The Galaxy

Massively far out of Marvel’s usual comfort zone, Guardian’s introduced spaceships, talking racoons and a giant tree person. Cracking script, expert action and a heap of fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

3. Iron Man 3

★★★★★★★★★★

——

4. Thor: Ragnarok

★★★★★★★★★★

——

5. Avengers: Endgame

Funny, emotional, heart breaking and smart – Endgame ties up 21 films worth of story across 12 years almost perfectly. Bitter sweet for sure but Marvel totally stuck the landing.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

6. Marvel’s The Avengers

★★★★★★★★★★

——

7. Spider-Man Homecoming

Funny, charming, with Marvels best villain and best Spiderman (yup sorry Andrew Garfield) Homecoming is a joy of a film that is by far the closest to what the comic book Peter Parker is.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

8. Avengers: Infinity War

Shocking, well paced and with one of Marvel’s greatest screen villains Avengers Infinity War ALMOST delivered on it’s considerable promise. Almost.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

9. Iron Man

The Film that started it all… Iron Man was a rock n roll action movie with an unlikely lead, an even more unlikely director and enough balls out moments to wow.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

10. Captain Marvel

A great origins story, a fun film and a great soundtrack – what more could you ask for really?

★★★★★★★★★★

——

11. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

★★★★★★★★★★

——

12. Ant-Man

Ant-Man is a heist movie. With Ants. And fights on toy trains. It’s crazy but it’s also full of charm, humour and fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

13. Black Panther

★★★★★★★★★★

——

14. Ant-Man & The Wasp

Ant-Man & The Wasp is GREAT fun. It’s also totally forgettable and delivers what is possibly Marvel’s weakest villain to date. Not bad by any stretch just off pace of the original.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

15. Doctor Strange

Off the big screen Doctor Strange looses a little but this visually stunning film shows that marvel are still interested in pushing the envelope as far as you can in mainstream blockbusters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

16. Captain America: The First Avenger

Solid, fun and well done, whilst it has little rewatch appeal Captain America again took a different approach and gave us a couple of Marvel’s most enduring characters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

17. Captain America: Civil War

★★★★★★★★★★

——

18. Thor: The Dark World

I liked The Dark world MUCH more than others. Okay so it’s flawed for sure but it’s crazy fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

19. Thor

Thor was a sold film, tasked with the near impossible job of making a god fit in a world of men. It does it well but not one you’ll rewatch much.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

20. Avengers Age Of Ultron

Marvel’s first disappointment, Age Of Ultron was all show and little else. Too big, too dumb and too long.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

21. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

It has charm and the casting works well but ultimately The Incredible Hulk (whilst FAR better than the Ang Lee version) just doesn’t have enough to recommend it.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

Worst : Iron Man 2

The idea was fine but sadly most of the film misses. Even Mickey Rourke (yes one of the oddest Marvel villains ever) can’t save this.

★★★★★★★★★★

Phil Hobden

www.philhobden.co.uk

Podcast: Avengers: Endgame (2019) – Phil’s InstaTake

by RossAndPhil Ross and Phil Talk Movies The Podcasts

On this (solo) episode of the podcast Phil delivers his InstaTake on the latest Marvel mega-blockbuster – Avengers: Endgame. Was this worth 11 years and 21 films of wait? Find out on this podcast!

Hosted by Phil Hobden.

Films Discussed: Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Age Of Ultron

For more on Ross Boyask search @RossBoyask on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also check out @EvoFilmsUK online.

For more on Phil Hobden check out www.philhobden.co.uk , Twitter (@PhilQuickReview) and Instagram (RossAndPhilTalkMovies)

#RossAndPhil #RossAndPhilTalkMovies #MoviePodcasts #Podcasts

RossAndPhil

Ross And Phil Talk Movies… two friends, filmmakers (well former in Phil’s case) coming together to make one awesome podcast.

Endgame Week: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Avengers: Infinity War is over ten years in the making. Thats a lot to live up to then. So the big question… does it deliver on those exceptionally insane expectations? Well yes. Just. Look any film that has a run time of two and a half hours and brings over 30 established characters to the screen is going to feel at times rushed and overstuffed. But surprisingly the pacing here is one of it’s strong points and the characters the film does focus on works well (see Capt, Stark, Strange, Guardians) . That does mean some characters are left on the back burner but you can’t have it all. Also Thanos ends up being one of THE great comic book movie villains. You believe in him as a character and he’s painted with a few shades of grey. Brolin also doesn’t play him shouty shouty which makes him fee more real. The biggest issue the film has is lack of surprise. Outside the opening sequence, little happens that you don’t expect (with the exception of one sequence featuring the return of an old foe). Characters fight and do what they do with very little consequence. And whilst I appreciate this was always meant to feel like the first of two films, the ending left me a bit hollow feeling like the inevitable big death will take place in the next film. I was frustrated that I’m going to have to wait a year to get resolution – a resolution that will undo what was a powerful end of Infinity War. So overall this is a top notch Marvel film for sure but one that isn’t quite the 5 star epic that mainstream reviewers have painted it as.

Best Bit: Soul Stone

Cinema, Stream, Avoid: Cinema

If You Liked this Try: The Avengers Assemble, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians Of The Galaxy

★★★★★★★★★★

Phil Hobden

www.philhobden.co.uk

Rated: Marvel Cinematic Universe (up to Captain Marvel)

by Phil Hobden A Blog

RATED looks at EVERY Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film and gives a QuickReview as well as putting them in order of BEST to Iron Man 2.! Updated as and when a new Marvel (Studios) film is released…

(Note scores reflect my original IMDB ratings)

Best: Captain America Winter Solider

A cold war thriller with Robert Redford and a mini Avengers team up. Add in the always awesome Frank Grillo and a genuinely interesting script and you have Marvel’s strongest cinematic outing.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

2. Guardians Of The Galaxy

Massively far out of Marvel’s usual comfort zone, Guardian’s introduced spaceships, talking racoons and a giant tree person. Cracking script, expert action and a heap of fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

3. Iron Man 3

★★★★★★★★★★

——

4. Thor: Ragnarok

★★★★★★★★★★

——

5. Marvel’s The Avengers

★★★★★★★★★★

——

6. Spider-Man Homecoming

Funny, charming, with Marvels best villain and best Spiderman (yup sorry Andrew Garfield) Homecoming is a joy of a film that is by far the closest to what the comic book Peter Parker is.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

7. Avengers: Infinity War

Shocking, well paced and with one of Marvel’s greatest screen villains Avengers Infinity War ALMOST delivered on it’s considerable promise. Almost.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

8. Iron Man

The Film that started it all… Iron Man was a rock n roll action movie with an unlikely lead, an even more unlikely director and enough balls out moments to wow.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

9. Captain Marvel

A great origins story, a fun film and a great soundtrack – what more could you ask for really?

★★★★★★★★★★

——

10. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

★★★★★★★★★★

——

11. Ant-Man

Ant-Man is a heist movie. With Ants. And fights on toy trains. It’s crazy but it’s also full of charm, humour and fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

12. Black Panther

★★★★★★★★★★

——

13. Ant-Man & The Wasp

Ant-Man & The Wasp is GREAT fun. It’s also totally forgettable and delivers what is possibly Marvel’s weakest villain to date. Not bad by any stretch just off pace of the original.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

14. Doctor Strange

Off the big screen Doctor Strange looses a little but this visually stunning film shows that marvel are still interested in pushing the envelope as far as you can in mainstream blockbusters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

15. Captain America: The First Avenger

Solid, fun and well done, whilst it has little rewatch appeal Captain America again took a different approach and gave us a couple of Marvel’s most enduring characters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

16. Captain America: Civil War

★★★★★★★★★★

——

17. Thor: The Dark World

I liked The Dark world MUCH more than others. Okay so it’s flawed for sure but it’s crazy fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

18. Thor

Thor was a sold film, tasked with the near impossible job of making a god fit in a world of men. It does it well but not one you’ll rewatch much.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

19. Avengers Age Of Ultron

Marvel’s first disappointment, Age Of Ultron was all show and little else. Too big, too dumb and too long.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

20. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

It has charm and the casting works well but ultimately The Incredible Hulk (whilst FAR better than the Ang Lee version) just doesn’t have enough to recommend it.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

Worst : Iron Man 2

The idea was fine but sadly most of the film misses. Even Mickey Rourke (yes one of the oddest Marvel villains ever) can’t save this.

★★★★★★★★★★

Phil Hobden

www.philhobden.co.uk

Podcast: Captain Marvel (2019) – Phil’s InstaTake

by RossAndPhil Ross and Phil Talk Movies The Podcasts

On this (solo) episode of the podcast Phil delivers his InstaTake on the latest (and first female led) Marvel blockbuster – Captain Marvel. Is this a Wonder Woman or a Catwoman (yes I know both DC films but come on there’s no Marvel ones to joke about yet!)

Hosted by Phil Hobden.

Films Discussed: Captain Marvel, Avengers, Wonder Woman

For more on Ross Boyask search @RossBoyask on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also check out @EvoFilmsUK online.

For more on Phil Hobden check out www.philhobden.co.uk , Twitter (@PhilQuickReview) and Instagram (RossAndPhilTalkMovies)

#RossAndPhil #RossAndPhilTalkMovies #MoviePodcasts #Podcasts

RossAndPhil

Ross And Phil Talk Movies… two friends, filmmakers (well former in Phil’s case) coming together to make one awesome podcast.

Rated: Marvel Cinematic Universe (up to Ant Man & The Wasp)

by Phil Hobden A Blog

(Note scores reflect my original IMDB ratings)

Best: Captain America Winter Solider

A cold war thriller with Robert Redford and a mini Avengers team up. Add in the always awesome Frank Grillo and a genuinely interesting script and you have Marvel’s strongest cinematic outing.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

2. Guardians Of The Galaxy

Massively far out of Marvel’s usual comfort zone, Guardian’s introduced spaceships, talking racoons and a giant tree person. Cracking script, expert action and a heap of fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

3. Iron Man 3

★★★★★★★★★★

——

4. Thor: Ragnarok

★★★★★★★★★★

——

5. Marvel’s The Avengers

★★★★★★★★★★

——

6. Spider-Man Homecoming

Funny, charming, with Marvels best villain and best Spiderman (yup sorry Andrew Garfield) Homecoming is a joy of a film that is by far the closest to what the comic book Peter Parker is.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

7. Avengers: Infinity War

Shocking, well paced and with one of Marvel’s greatest screen villains Avengers Infinity War ALMOST delivered on it’s considerable promise. Almost.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

8. Iron Man

The Film that started it all… Iron Man was a rock n roll action movie with an unlikely lead, an even more unlikely director and enough balls out moments to wow.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

9. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

★★★★★★★★★★

——

10. Ant-Man

Ant-Man is a heist movie. With Ants. And fights on toy trains. It’s crazy but it’s also full of charm, humour and fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

11. Black Panther

★★★★★★★★★★

——

12. Ant-Man & The Wasp

Ant-Man & The Wasp is GREAT fun. It’s also totally forgettable and delivers what is possibly Marvel’s weakest villain to date. Not bad by any stretch just off pace of the original.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

13. Doctor Strange

Off the big screen Doctor Strange looses a little but this visually stunning film shows that marvel are still interested in pushing the envelope as far as you can in mainstream blockbusters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

14. Captain America: The First Avenger

Solid, fun and well done, whilst it has little rewatch appeal Captain America again took a different approach and gave us a couple of Marvel’s most enduring characters.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

15. Captain America: Civil War

★★★★★★★★★★

——

16. Thor: The Dark World

I liked The Dark world MUCH more than others. Okay so it’s flawed for sure but it’s crazy fun.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

17. Thor

Thor was a sold film, tasked with the near impossible job of making a god fit in a world of men. It does it well but not one you’ll rewatch much.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

18. Avengers Age Of Ultron

Marvel’s first disappointment, Age Of Ultron was all show and little else. Too big, too dumb and too long.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

19. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

It has charm and the casting works well but ultimately The Incredible Hulk (whilst FAR better than the Ang Lee version) just doesn’t have enough to recommend it.

★★★★★★★★★★

——

Worst : Iron Man 2

The idea was fine but sadly most of the film misses. Even Mickey Rourke (yes one of the oddest Marvel villains ever) can’t save this.

★★★★★★★★★★

Phil Hobden

www.philhobden.co.uk

Phil’s 2019 Preview & Look Back At 2018’s Predictions…

by Phil Hobden Quick Review Year In Review

Phil’s Quick look at what’s wetting his whistle for the upcoming year in films…

2018 once again delivered some great films but mostly it was the Indie movies that did made it. 2019 has the promise to be even more mixed with a bundle of reboots and Disney remakes… so here’s the films I’m most looking forward to in 2019. And a few that I’d be happy to miss.

The Must See’s

Most Excited: Toy Story 4
This could be a major bust but Pixar and Toy Story have always been a match made in heaven. Can this sit alongside one of the best trilogies ever made? I get the feeling it just might.

2. Hobbs & Shaw
The Rock. And The Statham. In a Fast & Furious Spin Off. If anything about that sentence doesn’t make you go ‘I’m in’ then you are probably dead already…

3. Star Wars: Episode IX
So the ball’s back to JJ to land the end of the Skywalker(less) trilogy. Whether he can or not will depend on just how he takes the curve balls Johnson delivered and brings them in to make this trilogy feel complete.

4. Captain Marvel
Marvel’s first female led superhero film could be something really special and judging by the trailer this is a must watch.

5. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
This could see Tarantino return to the form he’s lacked since the early days. The story, the setting, the cast… are all first rate. But this will all come down to whether the Hollywood darling can control his worst impulses. Let’s hope.

Bubbling Under: Avengers Infinity War Part 2 (Marvel delivers big as Phase 4 ends), IT: Chapter Two (Part One was amazing), Wonder Woman 1984 (the original was mostly excellent), Frozen 2 (come on!), Glass (Split was great and this could be something else), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Monsters! Thousands of ’em), Spider-Man: Far From Home (Marvel + Spiderman = HIT), Joker (I could be wrong here but this looks pretty interesting) , Jumanji 2 (Welcome To The Jungle was great fun), The Irishman (Hopefully it will make it this year!)

The Must Nots

(Just a reminder of what T6 has to live up to!)

Stinker Of The Year: Terminator 6
It pains me to say it but the Terminator films have done nothing since T2. Yup Cameron is back (as producer) and yup it’s reboot territory again but I just don’t see a world where the 6th Terminator film can get anywhere near the form of its classic siblings.

Also Dreading: The Lion King 2019 (the trailer looks like the’ve done a Psycho ’98 here), Pet Sematary (this doesn’t have an IT feel about it), Dumbo 2019 (I’d love to see it work but Burton’s not delivered in a long time), Pokemon Detective Pikachu (yup not interested), What Men Want (Remake of sorts of What Women Want… say no more), Aladdin 2019 (I’m not anti-Disney but this is yet another film that isn’t needed), X-Men: Dark Phoenix (The last X-Men movie was a total dog), John Wick: Chapter 3 (Part 2 was a bore), Alita: Battle Angel (Looks pretty bad), Men in Black Spin Off (The world doesn’t need another MIB film)

Last Year…

So how did I do last year?

This is the time of the year when I look back at my picks of the good, the bad and the ugly from 2018 and see how close I was (or as it often is the case, how far!)…

For best: I tipped Bohemian Rhapsody, Deadpool 2, Avengers: Infinity War, The Incredibles 2 & Black Panther as my most anticipated of 2018. And you know what all delivered one way or another. Which to be honest is a major first! Okay so Deadpool 2 and Infinity War would never be QUITE the films our mind’s had created.

As for the rest? Tomb Raider wasn’t great and neither was Ant Man & The Wasp. The Predator wasn’t great but it didn’t deserve the bashing it got, Mission Impossible 6 was epic (top 5) and The Happytime Murders again got a bashing that was (for the most part) pretty undeserved. The Purge: The First Purge ended up being the worst or the series so far and The Irishman never landed.

As for the Stinkers? Fifty Shades Freed ended up in second place behind Cloverfield Paradox, Solo – A Star Wars Story was okay (but little more), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom disappointed, Day of The Dead: Bloodline wasn’t amazing but passed the time, Ready Player One was actually really good, X-Men: Dark Phoenix & Scarface didn’t land, Oceans 8 was everything you knew it would be and a little less and Pacific Rim: Uprising was far better than I expected.

So here’s to 2018… see you again next year!

Phil Hobden