If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in the epic superhero film Avengers: Endgame (2019). The phenomenal film, which brings to an end the Infinity War saga, is already the second highest-grossing film of all time.
If life seems jolly rotten,
There’s something you’ve forgotten!
And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing,
When you’re feeling in the dumps,
Don’t be silly chumps,
Just purse your lips and whistle — that’s the thing!
And always look on the bright side of life.
Taken from the song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, as memorably used in the film Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). The message of the song has become a British anthem, reached number three in the charts in 1991 and was even performed at the 2012 Olympics.
A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew that the Princess’ soul would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning…
Pan (Toby Jones) in the masterpiece fantasy horror film Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). Set during Spain five years after the 1936 – 1939 Civil War ended, the “Alice Wonderland for adults” tells of a young girl’s escape into a magical and mystical world.
Simon Masrani: You created a monster!
Henry Wu: Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We’re just used to being the cat.
Irfan Khan and B.D. Wong in the sci-fi adventure film Jurrasic World (2015), the fourth and latest film in the Jurassic Park franchise. You can see my largely positive thoughts on the dinosuar-fuelled fantasy in my review here.
Vicki Vale: A lot of people think you’re as dangerous as the Joker.
Batman: He’s psychotic.
Vicki Vale: Some people say the same thing about you.
Batman: What people?
Vicki Vale: Well, I mean, let’s face it. You’re not exactly normal, are you?
Batman: It’s not exactly a normal world, is it?
Kim Basinger and Michael Keaton in the hugely successful Batman (1989). As well as grossing over $400m worldwide, it relaunched the superhero genre, influenced marketing campaigns and won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction. It’s also fascinating to compare to The Dark Knight, which features an altogether different intereptation of Joker.
Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.
Phil Connors (Bill Murray) in the fantasy-comedy Groundhog Day (1993). Though coolly received by critics at the time, the story of a weatherman in a small town who keeps living the same day has gone on to be a much loved film. The term Groundhog Day has also become a common phrase, with the film itself entering the prestigious United States Film Registry in 2006.
2016 will always be remembered as a politically volatile year and one which included all kinds of tragic deaths in the world of entertainment. George Michael, Carrie Fisher, Alan Rickman, Prince and David Bowie were among the many creative talents that passed far too soon. There were also another new set of films, with superhero blockbusters, friendly animation and comedies among them. How many of the 15 (in no particular order) do you know? Which ones stood out to you? Feel free to compare your score to last year.
Film 1
Film 2
Film 3
Film 4
Film 5
Film 6
Film 7
Film 8
Film 9
Film 10
Film 11
Film 12
Film 13
Film 14
Film 15
Answers below
I’ve delivered a million passengers over forty years, but in the end I’m going to be judged by two hundred and eight seconds.
Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) in the film Sully. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it tells of the ‘Miracle of the Hudson’, where a commercial airline landed on the Hudson river without fatalities after a flock of birds disabled both engines.
Loki: I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.
Odin: Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes? Wherever you go there is war, ruin and death!
Loki: I went down to Midgard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent God, just like you.
Odin: We are not gods! We’re born, we live, we die, just as humans do.
Loki: Give or take five thousand years.
Tom Hiddleston and Sir Anthony Hopkins in the superhero drama Thor: The Dark World (2013). Following on from Thor (2011), the film further explores the difficulty in being a ruler and the fraught sibling relationship with Loki and his bother Thor.
With so many people excited about the latest Ghostbusters film, it was no great surprise that Waterloo station wanted to become involved. Especially as they had been so creative with their Jurassic World effort last year. So I went along with my sis to see just what they came up with. It was literally groundbreaking. It might have looked a bit scary but I knew who to call. Enjoy!
Alex Raphael 