#of watching Daniel soar and truly live his absolute best life

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

Album of the Week: Chemtrails Over The Country Club by Lana Del Rey

For years, American singer songwriter Lizzie Grant, AKA Lana Del Rey, had always threatened to, but never quite delivered her classic album. From breaking onto the scene in 2011 up until her brilliant but uneven Lust For Life album, she had built up a catalogue of truly great songs, but her own masterpiece had ultimately alluded her. That however all changed a couple of years ago in 2019, when Lana finally delivered the simply magnificent, Norman Fucking Rockwell (NFR). That album was Lana’s magnum opus, a poignant collection of modern American anthems that people will still be listening to at the end of the next decade.

That year, NFR would go on to top multiple year end critics’ lists, as well as featuring in the Top 20 and Top 50 of almost a hundred others. This includes myself, as I had NFR in the number three spot on my Albums of the Year list for 2019. The big question is then, how do you follow up a record as universally acclaimed and as masterfully crafted as that album? This is the question Lana emphatically answers on Chemtrails Over The Country Club, her eighth studio album which feels almost as special as the one that preceded it.  

Having worked with a range of producers on her albums up until NFR, it is almost as if Lana just needed the right one to unlock the full potential of her unique style. She got that with Jack Antonoff, who really does an incredible job of knowing exactly when to flesh out the instrumentation or strip it back and put Lana’s voice front and centre – something he has since gone on to replicate with Taylor Swift on their recent folklore/evermore collaborations. Thanks to him, Lana really has never sounded better and the duo pick up right where they left off on NFR here on Chemtrails.

That said, where there were moments of expansive, almost cinematic production on NFR, on Chemtrails almost everything here is stripped back to basics. The instrumentation is minimal, with most of the songs on this collection putting Lana’s magical, timeless vocals against a simplistic backdrop of just a piano or an acoustic guitar. It ultimately makes for some of Lana’s most mesmeric and emotionally resonant songs to date, such as the sublimely nostalgic opener White Dress. Easily a career highlight, Lana adopts some sumptuous hushed, whispery vocals, reminiscing with her listener about her life before superstardom. An absolutely stunning track, that is then swiftly followed up by the equally gorgeous title track, which boasts another stellar vocal performance from Lana and a dizzyingly delightful waltzing melody.

There are just career-best moments littered across Chemtrails, with the country-tinged Wild At Heart and acoustic-driven Not All Who Wander Are Lost particularly standing out. The latter of these sees Lana deliver a sterling falsetto on the track’s first chorus, with the production giving off almost a live concert feel. At a tight 11 tracks in length there’s no space for any duff tracks either. Instead, Chemtrails packs in 10 faultless songs before fittingly culminating in Lana’s breathtakingly beautiful collaboration with her contemporaries, Zella Day and Weyes Blood, on the brilliant For Free.

All in all, expectations were impossibly high for Lana Del Rey’s follow up to Norman Fucking Rockwell, and although my initial feeling is that this record doesn’t quite match that album, it comes pretty damn close - which is still an incredibly high standard to reach. This is easily one of the best albums of the year so far and with another album, Rock Candy Sweet, supposedly due for release in June, 2021 looks set to belong to Lana in the same way 2019 did.

Songs From Isolation by A.A. Williams

If you’re looking for something similar after checking out Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over The Country Club, then look no further than the magnificent covers collection from British singer-songwriter A.A. Williams. Most artists would tremble in fear at the thought of covering iconic tracks by The Cure, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Nick Cave, Radiohead and The Moody Blues to name but a few, however A.A. Williams isn’t most artists. Armed with just her piano and her hauntingly beautiful vocals, Williams takes on these titanic tracks head on, not only doing them all justice but delivering gorgeous, stripped back and original takes in the process.

House of Balloons by The Weeknd

Elsewhere this week, The Weeknd celebrated the 10 year anniversary of his breakout mixtape by releasing it on streaming services for the first time in its original form. If you are only familiar with The Weeknd’s later more popular releases, it is worth diving into this one and seeing how it all began, with an album that still more than holds up a decade later.

Horror Show by The Midnight

On the EP front, Electronic group The Midnight released Horror Show this week, a six-track release simply drenched in retro 80s nostalgia. From the neon-tinged synths and soaring electric guitar solos to the fun cover of Patti Smith’s Because The Night, this EP will have you grinning from ear to ear and wanting to take a trip to Black Mirror’s San Junipero, or re-watch Stranger Things from the beginning. If those shows had a musical equivalent, this would be it!

Elasticity by Serj Tankian

And finally on the long-play recommendations, System of A Down frontman Serj Tankian released a new solo EP of tracks originally written for the next SOAD record. This is political activism you will want to mosh to, arriving with all the energy, passion, big riffs and theatrical vocals you’ve come to expect from Serj’s unique music.

Tracks of the Week

Limbo by Royal Blood

Ahead of the release of their third studio album Typhoons, British rockers Royal Blood have dropped one of their most ambitious singles to date, with some hypnotic, psychedelic synths joining their typical heavy riffing.

Buzzcut by Brockhampton (featuring Danny Brown)

Everyone’s famous rap troupe has finally returned, with a hard-hitting new single bolstered by a killer verse from Detroit’s own master wordsmith, Danny Brown.

Last Day On Earth by Beabadoobee

The first track from a new EP co-written and co-produced by The 1975’s Matt Healy and George Daniel, Beabadoobee’s Last Day On Earth is a slice of lockdown-inspired indie-pop heaven.

In Circles by Holding Absence

The latest taster from The Greatest Mistake of My Life is hugely anthemic and packs a big singalong, mightily infectious chorus that will be trapped in your head for days.

Nervous by While She Sleeps (featuring Simon Neil)

Rivalling Holding Absence for the title of biggest anthem of the week are Sheffield-based metalcore outfit While She Sleeps, who have brought in Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil for this monster new track.

Shake The Cage by Glasvegas

And finally this week, Scottish indie rockers Glasvegas continue their resurgence with Shake The Cage, a spoken-word, piano-driven number that steadily builds into an epic crescendo.

[doomedandstoned]

Swedish Sci-Fi Fuzz Freaks Skraeckoedlan Drop Third Single Ahead of ‘Earth’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Hot damn! This put me in a really good mood today. It's so good to hear new tunes from SKRAECKOEDLAN, the fuzz-drenched progressive stoner-doom outfit from Norrköping -- a city nestled in northeastern Sweden, about an hour-and-a-half's drive from Stockholm. Heavily rooted in the distinctives of their native soil, this three-piece sings entirely in Swedish, presenting a bit of a challenge to English-speakers, but no less an adventure in uncovering the backstory and interpretation of their songs...for nothing is at it seems.

A longtime favorite of Doomed & Stoned readers, the band has been wowing us with some of the most exciting songwriting on God's green earth since 2009. Now, a decade of dedication to anything is an accomplishment, but for a band with talents so laser-focused on their craft as Robert Lamu (guitar, vocals), Henrik Grüttner (guitars, vocals), and Martin Larsson (drums), it's a god damned milestone. The band, aptly named after an enormous prehistoric monster, has treated us to a pair of hefty long-plays already and now they brace for their third, 'Eorþe' (2019) on the esteemed Fuzzorama Records label.

The new record is a dense Lovecraftian tale by science fiction author Nils Håkansson, which he in fact wrote with the intention of having Skraeckoedlan bring to life over the course of these eight songs. It's a remarkable collaboration that is not only literary and musical, but visual, as well. The band worked once again with longtime artist Johan Leion to aid us in unlocking these mysteries of the faded past.

Today, Doomed & Stoned gives you a first listen to "Tentakler & Betar," which catches the narrative of Eorþe as it is nearing its end. The song is characterized by urgent beats, soaring vocal harmonies, weird effects, arpeggios that crawl like agitated spiders, and spirited riffs that fly and sing like the fowls of the air. Let me not fail to mention, too, that the sound is absolutely brilliant. The band tells us this about the number:

"This, the penultimate track of the album, takes us down into the darkness of the earth, as well as the mind. It explores what is left at journey's end and what to do when ambitions have been reached. Standing face to face with your obsessions, where do you go? As the cosmic clock relentlessly ticks, nothing will remain but tentacles and tusks."

February 15th is the date to watch for Skraeckoedlan's triumphant new album. It can be pre-ordered on some delicious looking vinyl variants here.

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Heavy riff power trio Skraeckoedlan are telling tales draped in metaphor. Fuzzy stories buried in melody are cloned into a one of a kind copy of an otherwise eradicated species. Previously found only in Sweden, this cold blooded lizard have once again started to walk the planet that we know as earth. The extinct is no longer a part of the past. Skraeckoedlan is the best living biological attraction, made so astounding that they capture the imagination of the entire planet.

The dinosaurs are believed to have made their first footprints on our earthen floor some 240 million years ago, during what is now known as the Triassic period. Indisputable behemoths and apex predators amongst them, they wandered freely and soared sovereign, ever evolving as the impending Jurassic and Cretaceous eras unfolded. Then, 65 million years ago, it stopped. Be it by asteroid or volcano, the dinosaurs’ fate became one shared with most species ever to inhabit our pale blue dot, extinction.

While Skraeckoedlan translates into something like dinosaur, an analogy better drawn is perhaps one to the great lizards’ descendants, the birds. In their flight there is a, quite literal, escapism to be found. A vital ingredient, encapsulating the bands very being. Although escape, it should be said, not necessarily in the sense of shying away but rather as a recipe for observation and introspection. A kind of fleeing of everyday worries in benefit of larger and hopefully more profound queries A bird’s-eye view, if you will.

"A prelude to the end. The moments of bliss before the imminent doom. We have journeyed to the place where it all unfolds, where the unseen rests and the secrets of the past lay buried. Here we too will become shrouded in mystery, riddles to be solved by those not yet granted a time and place in existence. Whatever the answers, one naked truth stands absolute. None shall leave the Ivory Halls."

Quite a few million years later than their reptilian namesakes, Skraeckoedlan is leaving their own footprints in earth’s soil, albeit not as physically grand. Their self-proclaimed fuzz-science fiction rock is an homage to the riff, vehemently echoing throughout the ages like that of a gargantuan Brachiosaurus striding freely. Equal in weight to the deafening heaviness of a Skraeckoedlan melody, these long-necked colossals further possess in their very defining feature the weapon needed for a complete experience of such melodies. Although strong neck or not, once in concert heads will, regardless of intent, be moving along.

Through their natively sung lyrics Skraeckoedlan invites us to partake in a world of cosmic awe inhabited by mythological beings and prehistoric beasts, like the immense havoc wreaking reptilian awakening from its slumber in the polar ice caps, featured on the debut full-length Äppelträdet (The Apple Tree), or the reclusive great ape Gigantos, solemnly wandering his mountain as one of several entities on the follow-up, Sagor (Tales). Against backdrops like these, underlying themes of the aforementioned big picture-nature are being explored, much in the spirit of, and hugely inspired by, great minds such as Alan Watts and Carl Sagan, fantastic creatures in their own respective rights.

"This song is, more than a part of the concept that is Eorþe, a story about life and the feelings of utter hopelessness our seeming oddity of an existence can often give rise to. It is a song about letting go and leaving behind. It’s about shattering the societal mirror and its reflection of illusionary demands and expectations, leaving your unhindered gaze looking ahead, to where your true calling lies. In short, it is a song about becoming truly free."

Formed in the city of Norrköping in 2009, Skraeckoedlan -- a reference to ‘Godzilla’ in Swedish -- are one of the most ambitious, original and multidimensional bands to emerge from Scandinavia in recent years.

Live shows with the likes of Orange Goblin, Kylesa, Greenleaf and other giants of the genre followed in the wake of Äppelträdet’s success and in 2015, with production underway on their follow-up album Sagor (Translated; ‘Tales’) Skraeckoedlan worked with a number of acclaimed producers including Niklas Berglöf (Ghost, Den Svenska Björnstammen) and Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames, El Caco).

It wasn’t however until they met producer and technician Erik Berglund that they really found what was missing. Lifting the band to entirely new levels of musicianship, under his tutelage the creative process for Sagor not only left the band with an album they were immensely proud of, but one that sat deservedly at number two in the national Swedish vinyl sales chart in August of 2015.

"This song depicts the now submerged Doggerland as seen from the perspective of one of the mammoths who the continent used to house. In fact, we see through the eyes of Doggerland’s very last mammoth as its time amongst the living draws to a close. We occupy its head as thoughts of death and liberation mixes in a flurry of emotion and contemplation. Its destiny shared with the land upon which it walks, our traveler of tusk and wool journeys towards its final resting place while the North Sea rises ever higher, soon to swallow it all."

Like Galactus-in-reverse, their talent for constructing new worlds from the building blocks of heavy psychedelia and progressive rock is simply awe inspiring, and this February will see the release of their most accomplished vision yet: Eorþe (translated, "Earth").

In collaboration with sci-fi author Nils Håkansson who wrote the story behind the album specifically for Skraeckoedlan, Eorþe is set in the 1920s amid a mystery heavy with Lovecraftian influence and philosophical nuances. As the band explains, “This is by far our most ambitious work of art yet. It’s been a real challenge to do someone else’s story justice whilst making the songs cohesive as well as standing strong on their own. It took a lot of effort, but we’ve done just that.”

Having loyally served as heralds to Nordic folklore and science fiction since their inception, following the release of their early EPs in 2010 the band gained the kind of attention that could only lead on to the creation of a much-admired debut album in Äppelträdet (2011, translated; ‘The Apple Tree’) produced by Oskar Cedermalm from the legendary fuzz band Truckfighters.

Earth by Skraekoedlan

Heading into 2019 with the help of Fuzzorama Records, Skraeckoedlan steer a course to Eorþe, their first album in over three years and undoubtedly their most progressive. With the big metal riffs of ‘Kung Mammut’ riding shotgun alongside the more introspective and explorative moments of songs like ‘Mammutkungens Barn’ and ‘Angra Mainyu’, the trio have cut a definitive and spellbinding record of light and dark.

In addition to the CD and standard vinyl editions, Eorþe will also come in a limited-edition box set which sees the album split across two gatefold vinyl records: Earth: Above and Earth: Below. The set will come packed with pieces of merchandise that revolve around the story and feature alternative artwork.

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[aion-rsa]

Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 6 Review: The War Hammer Titan

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This Attack on Titan review contains spoilers.

Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 6

“A life is a life”

Attack on Titan straddles many genres, but its premiere episode embraces horror tropes more than anything else. That first episode is scary, not just when the Titans first appear, but with the manner in which they terrorize Shiganshina District and devour so much of their population. 

It’s a destabilizing and overwhelming experience and the beginning of “The War Hammer Titan” doesn’t only remember the anime’s horror roots, but it delivers carnage that’s even more frightening than what’s seen in Attack on Titan’s first episode. And Eren is the one that’s responsible. The immediate destruction that plays out from Eren’s Titan transformation is horrifying to witness. The fear of the community becomes so palpable that citizens trample over each other and claim more lives in an effort to get as far away from Eren’s destruction as possible. 

“The War Hammer Titan” intentionally lingers on terrified faces and the bodies of corpses that needlessly lose their lives as collateral damage. Attack on Titan wants the audience to recognize that there are people behind the lives lost in Eren’s decision. There’s a moment later on where a quiet opportunity for reflection turns into a chance to chastise Eren for his reckless disregard for innocent civilian lives, which includes the death of children. Eren is motivated and involved with what at least has been presented as a good cause (but at this point, who really knows), but his drive appears to have reached a point where the goal justifies massive casualties, which is an attitude that’s absolutely new for Eren. It reflects how he’s become more hardened and it’s honestly fascinating.

Eren kills dozens of people in this episode while he’s in his Titan form and as far as we know he kickstarts just as many revenge origin stories from the suffering survivors. Eren’s officially reached a point where he’s no different than the monsters that killed his mother and put him on this path in the first place. This symmetry has been present in Attack on Titan for a while now and is even explicit in this season’s marketing materials and poster, but that doesn’t weaken how powerful it is to picture a relative of Udo or Sophia stare up at Eren’s Attack Titan somewhere and scream that they’ll “destroy every last one of them!” as the cycle repeats itself. It’s already beginning to happen with Gabi.

After five episodes of setup, “The War Hammer Titan” is largely just the explosive payoff. Willy Tybur’s sister transforms into the amazing War Hammer Titan, which gives Eren some serious competition. There’s been a general style to all of the significant Titans so far and the War Hammer Titan is the first one that feels like a deviation and more like some kind of antagonist from a Silver Surfer comic. As the Titan’s name suggests, it wields an incredibly powerful hammer that’s made out of a strength that’s at least as durable as the Titans. What’s more impressive is that this new Titan can will massive spikes to burst out of the Earth as a secondary form of attack. 

It’s stunning to watch this play out, especially after Eren’s Titan gets impaled by one of these spikes and then get his head clean knocked off courtesy of the War Hammer Titan’s weapon. It’s a fast battle, but still one of the most thrilling showdowns from the series. This Titan duel could easily fill the episode, but it’s instead just the first act to an even larger fight that reaches greater heights. Anyone who has ever truly loved this show should have an extremely difficult time to not cheer out loud when Eren signals Mikasa to attack with Thunder Spears and the rest of the Survey Corps. That’s right. Mikasa and the freaking Survey Corps are back. 

Out of the many sublime moments that fill “The War Hammer Titan,” the return of Mikasa and other familiar faces is easily the most satisfying. Attack on Titan’s restraint over featuring its primary characters makes their surprise assault here carry even more of an impact. The audience is kept in the dark that all of this has been going according to Eren’s plan and it effectively creates the same terror and tension that’s felt within the Marleyan citizens, even if Eren actually has all of this under control.

Read more

TV

Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 5 Review: Declaration of War

By Daniel Kurland

TV

Attack on Titan: “No One is Safe” in Final Season, Stars Say

By Daniel Kurland

It’s surprisingly cathartic to hear the zip of 3D maneuver gear as the Survey Corps begin to soar through the air and provide backup for Mikasa and Eren. Mikasa gets an introduction that’s worthy of how bad-ass she’s become over the years, but it’s also gratifying to see Jean, Connie, and Levi seamlessly pull off a mission like they’re some anime Ocean’s 11. However, it’s the moments where the Survey Corps come face-to-face with Gabi and Titan’s new breed of characters which hit the hardest. This season’s structure is already beginning to pay off whenever the worlds of Eldia and Marley crossover and collide.

The abnormalities that surround the War Hammer Titan are the biggest obstacles for Eren and the Survey Corps. Their precise strategy doesn’t work as intended since the Titan’s human doesn’t appear to occupy the nape of the neck, but is instead underground near the feet. Another fascinating revelation around this Titan is that the user is linked via a fleshy umbilical cord that’s straight out of eXistenZ or Videodrome. There’s no time to appropriately deal with this new information, but it’s easily one of the coolest/grossest Titan developments in some time. 

The combat in “The War Hammer Titan” is highly suspenseful, but it transforms into an epic free-for-all between multiple Titans where everyone tries to eat each other in order to take over the dominant abilities. It’s an act that would look completely bizarre at the start of Attack on Titan, but it’s crazy how this strange Titan ouroboros is now completely logical. No one gets to consume their Titan targets in this episode, but as even more Titans enter the fray there are suddenly even higher stakes present.

On an aesthetic level, there were initially some reservations over MAPPA taking over animation duties from WIT Studio for Attack on Titan’s final season. Any differences so far have been largely negligible, but it’s also been a reasonably calm and contemplative season up until this point. “The War Hammer Titan” is nearly entirely action as scenes of combat, chaos, and destruction play out. It’s the first time where the audience gets a better idea of MAPPA’s ability to handle Titans’ more intensive moments and this is fortunately an episode that looks fantastic. 

Mikasa’s surprise attack is a little CGI-heavy at moments, but it doesn’t dwarf the action. The battle between the Attack and War Hammer Titans, the Survey Corps’ siege on Marley, and the constant panic that’s present in the citizens all come to life in a satisfying manner. The animation is able to match the gravitas of these moments and there’s a grandiose score that amplifies these pivotal scenes even more. 

Attack on Titan is now in that amazing, glorious sweet spot that’s only rarely achieved by a high-quality piece of programming after it enters its endgame. Suddenly every new episode immediately becomes the series’ best installment. Last week’s “Declaration of War” defied expectations in every regard and set a new high mark for Attack on Titan, but it looks like the next handful of entries are all going to operate at this level after considering the events in “The War Hammer Titan.” 

There are literally close to a dozen individual moments here where if just one of them were to occur in an episode it would become an all-time classic, but instead “The War Hammer Titan” practically trips over its repeated moments of immense awesomeness. This episode doesn’t just maintain the momentum that “Declaration of War’ established when it threw down the gauntlet, but it increases the tempo in a manner that’s almost exhausting. “The War Hammer Titan” is the type of Attack on Titan episode where you need to repeatedly remind yourself to breathe because you’ll be holding your breath in anticipation from the moment the installment begins until when the credits roll.

“The War Hammer Titan” is a masterpiece that brings the band back together, which leads to some extremely enjoyable and long overdue teamwork from old and familiar faces. The note that “The War Hammer Titan” concludes on is the biggest thing that’s ever been attempted in the series and it somehow makes the final moments of “Declaration of War” seem tame in comparison. 

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Eren and company have fought in plenty of battles and faced undesirable odds, but there’s a newfound urgency to this battle. Both sides know that their time is nearly up and after episodes of Attack on Titan throwing more gasoline into this fire, it’s now finally ready to enjoy the flames. This season has put in the work to humanize both sides of this war in a way where every casualty will be felt and any winners are set to have their hands stained in blood.

The post Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 6 Review: The War Hammer Titan appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[starwarsnonsense]

The Best Films of 2017 - Mid-Year List

There have already been many great films so far this year, so I felt it worth doing a run down of my favourite films of the year so far. These all reflect the cinema releases we’ve had so far in the UK in 2017 - for that reason this list includes some films that were released in the US in 2016. Enjoy, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the best films of the year so far!

Honourable mentions: Their Finest, Colossal, Gifted

1. Get Out, dir. Jordan Peele

This film really knocked me for six, to such an extent that I simply had to see it twice in the cinema. It got even better upon a re-watch, when I was able to watch it with full knowledge of the characters’ underlying motives and the things to come. It’s a terrifying concept (the racism of an all-white suburb is taken to a horrifying extreme) executed with incredible panache, and you feel every emotion that Chris goes through thanks to Daniel Kaluuya’s excellent performance. Get Out also represents one of the most brilliantly communal experiences I’ve ever had at the cinema - I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say that the audience erupted into spontaneous applause at a key moment in the climax. Simply fantastic. 

2. The Handmaiden, dir. Park Chan-wook

This film is exquisite - it’s first and foremost a beautiful boundary-smashing love story, and an absolutely marvellous tale of female defiance. It transplants Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith to 1930s Korea, and the story is effortlessly adapted to become intrinsically interwoven with its new setting. Sookee is a talented pickpocket plucked from a thieves den and sent as a handmaiden to trick a rich heiress into falling for a conman. To say any more would spoil the twists, but this film is just a masterwork of suspense, keeping you guessing throughout a series of interlocking pieces that take their time to reveal their secrets. I’ve seen the theatrical cut and the extended version, and they’re both great - you’re in for a treat with either.

3. Jackie, dir. Pablo Larrain

This is a film that soars on the strength of Natalie Portman’s incredible performance, which is complemented by Mica Levi’s haunting score. Portman’s performance is painfully vivid, with her agony and wretchedness coming through so intensely that it’s often uncomfortable to watch. Jackie is probably the best portrait of grief I’ve ever seen, and it sucks you into a famous historic event by providing an incredibly intimate perspective on it. This is great cinema, but be prepared for suffering.

4. A Cure for Wellness, dir. Gore Verbinski

This is a delightfully strange Gothic fairy tale of a film, and I’m amazed and impressed that a Hollywood studio gave Gore Verbinski a budget sufficient to pull it off with such beauty and style. I’ve seen this film attract love and hate in equal measure, but I adore it - the trailers set you up for a rehash of Shutter Island, but nothing could be further from the truth beyond the isolated setting. If I had to compare this to anything, I would compare it to Roger Corman’s Poe cycle of films from the 1960s - it has a similarly lurid sensibility and a deep-seated sense of fantastic romanticism at its core. Great if you’re after something uncompromisingly bonkers.

5. Wonder Woman, dir. Patty Jenkins

This film represented pure joy for me - I couldn’t have anticipated how emotional I was going to get at witnessing a (wonder!)woman crossing No Man’s Land and deflecting bullets with her bracelets. This simultaneously rejects the wry self-awareness of the Marvel films and the grim self-importance of the previous DC movies, instead unabashedly depicting a superhero who triumphs thanks to her overriding belief in love and compassion. Patty Jenkins adds endless little touches - from funny moments to quiet scenes where characters talk simply to learn about each other - that enrich the film and make it feel vivid and intimate in a very rare and special way.

6. Silence, dir. Martin Scorsese

This is truly the work of a master filmmaker, and it represents a stunning artistic achievement and a moving and intelligent investigation of the threshold of faith. Scorsese tried to get this made for decades before finally succeeding, and his passion for and belief in the project shine through in every painstakingly crafted frame. Silence is equal parts beauty and brutality, and it uses this contrast to illuminate the painful questions that the faithful must ask themselves when faced with the harsh reality of the present world. It’s heavy stuff, but well worth your time if you’re up for a film that raises more questions than it answers.

7. In This Corner of the World, dir. Sunao Katabuchi

I had no idea this film existed until a few days before I saw it, but I was really struck by its poetic treatment of the joys and tragedies of life. This film follows a young bride who moves to live with her husband’s family in WWII-era Japan, and while it deals unflinchingly with the trauma and horror of war - particularly the bombing of Hiroshima - it’s also surprisingly funny and ultimately hopeful. The power of this film comes through in the little moments of human connection and the way that the full potential of animation is exploited to maximum effect.

8. La La Land, dir. Damien Chazelle

A lovely ode to the classic Hollywood musical, La La Land is a technical marvel that sticks with me because of its heart and humanity (those words are recurring a lot, right?). It tells a very small story of a love affair between two dreamers in Hollywood, but it feels much bigger than them because of the way in which their story is told. La La Land draws from influences across the spectrum of cinema, and its homages to the classics are joyful and loving. The final ‘what might have been’ sequence represents the perfect marriage of raw emotion and filmmaking virtuosity. 

9. Okja, dir. Bong Joon-ho

Not many films can balance flatulence jokes with uncompromising critique of capitalist greed, but Okja pulls it off with aplomb. The core story hinges on the innocent and endearing friendship between a young girl named Mija and a bio-engineered super pig called Okja, and the film succeeds because you totally buy their connection and desperately want the two of them to have their wish and live together in the mountains. I'm delighted that Netflix gave Bong Joon-ho a platform to make such a weird beast.

10. Logan, dir. James Mangold

Logan may be bleak, but that isn’t what makes it great - Logan is fantastic cinema because it remembers that superheroes are still people who struggle with their own souls as much as super-villains. This film features the best character work managed in any of the X-Men films, and Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and - in particular - Dafne Keen give heart-rending performances that really ground the film and give it an emotional core. I hope we get more superhero films like this, and that the takeaway from it for the industry is the importance of stressing character rather than frantic spectacle.

Most anticipated films still to come: War for the Planet of the Apes, Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets, Dunkirk, The Beguiled, Mother!, Logan Lucky, Blade Runner 2049, Murder on the Orient Express, The Shape of Water, Annihilation, Star Wars: The Last Jedi