Best and Worst of September 2015

September has been a unique month. Now that the summer is officially over you start to get that odd mix of films that aren’t quite blockbusters but at the same time aren’t quite Oscar contenders. It’s sad to say that some of it has been disappointing, particularly ‘Legend’. Though Tom Hardy was fantastic he was let down by a fairly standard and uninventive script that was also worryingly one sided. At the same time another big studio film with a massive cast proved to be not quite the spectacular epic I thought it would be, it seems that the best efforts of this month came from smaller movies. Here are the best three.

 3: Everest

Though it may have let itself down in terms of getting into the psychology of its subjects and fidning any major protagonist for its audience to support, there was still a lot to like about ‘Everest’. It’s stunning and awe inspiring visuals left me with a real sense of enormity as the mountain loomed over those who wished to conquer it, every cast member was on top form (they just weren’t given enough to do) and the cinematic format only made it even grander in scale and scope. Think of it more as a study of the mountain itself rather than the humans on its slopes.

2: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

This year’s Sundance Winner did not disappoint. It speaks to movie lovers and life lovers, says a lot about the value of time and even more about the value of friendship. Few films this year have made me laugh as much as this, but at the same time few have moved me as deeply. The characters are likable and sympathetic, they deserve our respect and our admiration. IT’s topped off by terrific performances all round that know how to get the best out of this sharp script and this is an undoubtedly entertaining movie experience, it has everything you want a coming of age comedy to have.

1: 99 Homes
Every film from Ramin Bahrani has been an underseen masterpiece and ’99 Homes’ is no exception. Though I probably won’t watch it as many times as I will ‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’ I know that its searing criticism of the current financial situation, highlighting the desperation of those on the edge and how much they will sacrifice to earn their own piece of America, it is brutal, thrilling and honest. The moral questions it raises are one thing, the compelling nature of it is another, and Garfield and Shannon just sell it completely.

And the worst…

The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials

‘Mockingjay Part 2’ may be very good but franchises like this are making me sort of glad that its coming to an end, and it will have to be very good to make me forget the recent case of teen dystopian fatigue that’s been brought on by this film. Not only is it a complete re-tread of the first, it makes the same mistake of being, like its characters, completely lost in a vast wasteland. Nothing is particularly compelling or intriguing and there is even less to make me excited for the next instalment.
So what were your favourite movies this month, leave a comment below to let me know. Please don’t forget to recommend this blog on google with the icon at the top of the page, thanks and bye.