Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/620229
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 DECEMBER 2015 35 This Week This Week worst films of 2015 5. Kingsman: The Secret Service, dir. Matthew Vaughn It's not the pinnacle of cinematic good taste, but Mark Millar/Matthew Vaughn's second collaboration after the equally brash and violent Kick-Ass – another story that travelled from the comic book page to the screen – is a joyous treat for precisely that reason. Like a James Bond movie as directed by Quentin Tarantino, with a satirical bent that could be described as aggressively reactionary (but is more likely simply proof of a childish desire to piss off as many people as possible) it rips through from one ludicrous set piece to another – each of them orchestrated to devilish perfection. A sequel is in the offing, and for once this doesn't actually feel like a threat or a box-ticking franchise obligation. 4. Ixcanul Volcano, dir. Jayro Bustamante Screened at this year's – first and excellent – edition of the Valletta Film Festival, this French-Guatemalan production is a searing indictment of cultural sidelining. Depicting the stark division in Guatemalan society, it focuses on a young farmer girl who hopes to escape the confines of her upbringing. Director Jayro Bustamante proves to be a worthy successor to Werner Herzog in his raw, documentary-like approach, which reveals beauty and ugliness side by side through a sensitively rendered approach to nature. The stark shift to an urbanized landscape jolts our viewing experience, and as the inevitable approaches it becomes clearer and clearer that the twain may never meet. 5. Kingsman: The Secret Service, dir. Matthew Vaughn 5. Kingsman: The Secret Service, dir. Matthew Vaughn 5. Kingsman: The Secret Service, dir. Matthew Vaughn 4. Ixcanul Volcano, dir. Jayro Bustamante 5 4 1 3 2 1. Mad Max: Fury Road, dir. George Miller Nobody was expecting this kind-of reboot of the Mad Max franchise to be any good. Or at least, this good. But returning director George Miller more than justifies the release of this long-gestating passion project. Clearing the air by telling a story of fairy tale simplicity and one-upping the completion by injecting a feminist parable into the mix, Fury Road ultimately charmed audiences by its old-school approach to spectacle (practical effects and real stunts aplenty) and inspired production design. It certainly has the look and the hook – but it has heart too. The thankfully already-announced sequel can't come soon enough. 3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, dir. J.J. Abrams A delight for both Star Wars fans as well as casual fans looking for a fun space adventure romp, 'Episode VII' of the beloved saga is on top form thanks to the efforts of director J.J. Abrams who, with the help of a great visual effects team and veteran Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, erases the horrible memory of the prequel trilogy by making the world feel grimy and lived-in, and the pace light and fun. But it differs from the prequels most of all in that characters are top priority, and newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver have pluck, charisma and pathos to spare. It does rely too heavily on 'old trilogy' tropes and references, but it also bodes very well for the future. 2. Ex Machina, dir. Alex Garland The artificial intelligence trope has been done to death in science fiction. From 2001: Space Odyssey to, indeed, the Terminator saga, sentient robots have always been part of our conversation about the future. But it took novelist and screenwriter Alex Garland, in his directorial debut, to really tease out some quietly disturbing themes from the subject which, perhaps most notably, eschew the 'evil robot killing machine' route. Instead, here it's the flesh and blood humans (played by 'The Force Awakens' colleagues Oscar Isaac and Domnhall Gleeson) who are questionable – that includes various degrees of misogyny – and Alicia Vikander's AI who is ultimately presented as a pragmatic but sensible alternative to their prying and rapacious ways. Ex Machina is also a great genre movie in its own right: a tight sci- fi thriller in a remote location that makes the best of its bite-sized cast list. THE BEST