The Big ‘2019’ Q&A – Part One
Some of our writers answered 30 questions about the year of 2019 in film and television, with Part One of their answers following below...
1. What mix of films did you get to see this year at the cinema, and which was your favourite?
Alexander Boucher: As we get older, it can be harder to get to the cinema. Having said that, I made time for some unique experiences. Seeing High Life in a packed crowd was one of the strangest and wonderful experiences. I may have shed a tiny tear during the underrated Glass, and I may have broken the world record for most eye-rolls during It: Chapter Two and its many jump-scares. But my favourite big-screen experience was Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood; a film I didn’t expect to adore as much as I did.
Amelia Harvey: I saw a lot of new films, as well as revisiting classics like Alien for its 40th anniversary. I tried to support films about women and the LBGTQ+ community. My favourite of the year would have to be Rocketman; an innovative twist on the biopic. Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell also gave career-best performances as Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Barnaby Page: I saw 60–70 movies at the cinema this year. My stand-out–and believe me, if you’d asked me a year ago, I wouldn’t have expected to say this — was Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. It finally added to Quentin Tarantino’s blend of wit, originality, and technical flair the one thing it was missing: a human dimension. High marks also go to Midsommar and Us, with the former perhaps the most memorable, but that may only be because of its striking visuals. Us is a more interesting film.
Cole Huey: When I look back at the year, I’m struck by the diversity of platforms through which I accessed my favourites. The Irishman and Marriage Story were Netflix films. Of my favourites, only Ad Astra, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Us were traditional studio releases. Other personal favourites, like Her Smell and The Dead Don’t Die, were released by indie producers and given limited theatrical runs before going to SVOD. So, what stands out to me this year is the ascendancy of streaming and the huge diversification that’s underway in terms of how we view movies.
Charing Kam: This year was a busy one for me, so I only had the time to watch big superhero/action/comedy films. In terms of my favourite, I would have to say it’s Avengers: Endgame because it managed to combine more than 10 years of expectations into one film.
Dan Owen, editor: Due to the expense, I tend to only go to the cinema for films that are extremely visual and benefit from the larger screen, or that I don’t want to be spoiled by online once they’re out. So this year it was the big Marvel releases, Shazam!, X-Men: Dark Phoenix (yes, really), Godzilla: King of the Monsters, It: Chapter Two, Joker, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Cats, and a smattering of kids films with the family (The Secret Lie of Pets 2, Toy Story 4, The Addams Family).
Jeff Bricker: Although the industry’s ticket sales may not reflect it, I thought 2019 was a strong year for features. I was encouraged by originals like Knives Out, Long Shot, and Us. It’s great these were recognised by critics and audiences alike while tired reboots like Charlie’s Angels and MIB: International got the sour reception they deserved. Le Mans ’66 (Ford v Ferrari) is the best film I saw this year. But I have to give a nod to the well-timed Spider-Man: Far from Home, which was the most fun I had.
Joey Shapiro: I saw fewer blockbusters this year—the buzz around Avengers: Endgame didn’t hook me, and when I did see it I confirmed it wasn’t for me— but a lot of really wonderful smaller films. Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir knocked me out and is my favourite of 2019.
Jono Simpson: I managed to see a wide variety of films. Not as many as I would’ve liked, but what I did see I thoroughly enjoyed. I was lucky enough to see some indie films at small festivals such as Little Monsters and Jojo Rabbit. During a trip to Poland, I was able to see Corpus Christi (nominated for a ‘Best International Feature’ Academy Award). A personal highlight was watching Gremlins on the big screen for its 30th anniversary. To this day it remains a favourite Christmas film.
Tom Trott: I see most of the big films that show at my local multiplex, anything they don’t show I have to catch at home. My favourite of the year was Rocketman, as I went to see it three times!
2. What was your biggest let-down of the year?
Alexander: Considering he made one of my favourites with Nightcrawler (2014), Dan Gilroy’s Velvet Buzzsaw was a crushing disappointment. Only just about worth it for Jake Gyllenhaal going big with his performance.
Amelia: The Dead Don’t Die. Jim Jarmusch’s zombie film was too meta for its own good, with one of the worst endings of the decade, let alone the year. The stilted dialogue between Adam Driver and Bill Murray soon wore thin and the revolving door of celebrity cameos replaced a cohesive narrative.
Barnaby: There were plenty of movies I didn’t expect to be good—Glass and Angel Has Fallen spring to mind—but, of course, that means they didn’t disappoint either. The biggest let-down was The Good Liar (outstanding leads, great premise, intriguing trailers… and then over-extended, frankly implausible twists). Runner-up would be The Dead Don’t Die; lazy filmmaking by a director who seems so convinced he’s exciting and original that he doesn’t have to make an effort to be, well, excitingly original.
Cole: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. I wanted to love it, I truly did, but there were too many moments I found unsavoury.
Charing: I watched №7 Cherry Lane as part of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), and was thoroughly disappointed in how much it prioritised style over substance, to the point the plot made no sense.
Dan: I didn’t outright hate the experience, as many others did, but the final season of Game of Thrones definitely had moments that didn’t pay-off the years of build-up—whether that’s because of grossly inflated expectations, limitations of an admittedly huge TV budget, or the fact the writers weren’t pulling directly from George R.R Martin’s prose.
Devon Elson: Hell House LLC. (2015) played with both found-footage and haunted house tropes for a refreshingly scary experience. The quickly made sequel had more of the same but wasn’t as impressive, and then came the supposed end of a trilogy Lake of Fire. Containing barely any scares and complicating the plot far too much for zero good payoffs, it got tired fast. It seems there’s still plans to milk this franchise dry so I implore you to have fun with the first and leave it be.
Joey: Doctor Sleep baffled me with how bad it was. I was prepared to love it or at least enjoy it, but it felt like an off-brand X-Men movie—and not a good one.
Jeff: Tarantino continues to be Hollywood’s most overrated filmmaker. Almost like a founding member of a once-great mega rock band, he continues to make his bones on the reputation of his back catalogue more than the merits of his recent output. I’m not sure he’s made a great film in more than a decade and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood might be the most self-indulgent piece of overhyped crud this side of Terrence Malik. What’s it about? Sure, I understand Tarantino’s made his name on thinly-plotted flicks that choose style over substance… but at some point can we quit presuming everything with his name on it is the next great American film? The film literally goes nowhere for over three hours. Maybe nobody wants to say it, but OUATIH’s most glaring weakness is how it’s flat-out boring.
Jono: James Gray’s Ad Astra. I enjoy films that are a slow build, but I also enjoy films where the slowness pays off in the end.
Tom: I’m tempted to say Joker, but I never expected much of it. Probably The Lion King—the whole thing felt inert, like a VFX demo reel.
3. Who made the biggest breakthrough in 2019?
Alexander: Brian Tyree Henry became one of my favourite actors this year. His beautiful work in If Beale Street Could Talk and his sheer delightfulness in Child’s Play stuck with me and I’m excited to see what he does next.
Barnaby: Ed Sheeran in Yesterday proved he can act surprisingly well, so there’s a second career if/when he needs one. Himesh Patel, in the same film, showed he can confidently carry a full-length feature. Behind the camera, Rapman (Andrew Onwubolu) made a very confident debut with Blue Story, so it will be interesting to see where he goes next.
Cole: I’d say Florence Pugh had an interesting year in terms of being someone I hadn’t heard of who I will now eagerly be watching. In terms of directors, I think Marielle Heller had a breakthrough with A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. She’s done promising work in the past, but I think now she’s really solidified her reputation and someone who’s always going to do interesting things.
Dan: Naomi Scott had a nice run with Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels, but it was Florence Pugh‘s year after Little Drummer Girl for the BBC/HBO, a great horror film in Midsommar, Fighting with My Family, and the new Little Women adaptation. And next year’s she’s in a big Marvel movie next year, Black Widow. The definition of an up-and-comer.
Joey: Bong Joon-ho is finally getting the recognition he deserves thanks to Parasite. I thought Olivia Wilde also really impressed a lot of people with her directorial debut Booksmart.
Jeff: Esme Creed-Miles: the 19-year-old British actress was the one constant in an uneven season of Emma on Amazon Prime Video. She demonstrated a solid range of acting and looks poised to step up to more mature roles.
Tom: Lorene Scafaria. Hustlers may not be the best film of the year, but the direction was flawless and she deserves to have money thrown at her.
4. Did you have a favourite trailer, teaser, or piece of marketing that sticks in your mind?
Alexander: Jason Mantzoukas getting his own character poster for John Wick: Chapter 3 was one of the most unexpected and wonderful things to happen in movie marketing.
Amelia: During the trailers before It: Chapter Two, the iconic red balloons float past the Warner Bros. and DC logo, only to be beaten out the way by Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. She declares she’s so over clowns. The teaser for Birds of Prey was jolting, memorable and smart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk_LJzZr5i8
Cole: Surely there’s only one correct answer to this question:
But the trailers for Uncut Gems and Little Women are runner-ups.
Charing: I grew up with Pokemon, so I had a mini freak-out when this happened:
Dan: I liked the Joker ones, the trailer for Us with its excellent music choice, and the Godzilla trailers were better than the movie, but the teaser for Avengers: Endgame was a masterclass of restraint that isn’t the norm these days.
Devon: I listened to an entire production of Man of La Mancha after the use of Andy William’s “The Impossible Dream” in the John Wick: Chapter 3 trailer. Similarly, I had Luniz’s “I Got 5 On It” stuck in my head for a long while from the haunting adaptation in the Us trailer.
Jono: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As a Star Wars fan from a young age, I’m ashamed to say seeing this trailer gave me goosebumps:
Tom: Avengers: Endgame’s marketing was brilliantly done. It was satisfying, got you in the mood, and yet the managed not to spoil any of the surprises.
5. What did you become obsessed with on television?
Alexander: Barry. Bill Hader’s work is astonishing and watching it evolve from a quirky black comedy into an existential nightmare was intense and rewarding. It became an instant obsession for me.
Amelia: Fleabag. Few shows have been as emotionally affecting and as tightly written as its second series. The story of self-destructive Fleabag falling in love with a Catholic priest was shocking, sad, and romantic.
Barnaby: The Crown and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Being at least mildly interested in modern British history and serial killers helped, of course, but what compelled was acting, acting, acting.
Cole: I’m watching The Mandalorian. I don’t know if I’m obsessed… but I’m watching.
Dan: I devoured Game of Thrones weekly and had a lot of time for The OA season 2, but HBO’s Watchmen has impressed me the most as a sequel/prequel to a comic-book story that I think Alan Moore would appreciate (if he ever saw it, which he won’t).
Joey: I started and finished Fleabag and am still trying to recover from it being over. If such a thing as perfect TV exists, it’s that show.
Jeff: I couldn’t take my eyes off of the final season of Mr Robot. Every twist and turn was painfully delightful and I’d contend this is some of the best dramatic storytelling on TV since Breaking Bad. A show that will inspire writers and directors for generations to come.
Jono: It has to be The Mandalorian. I’ve been eagerly awaiting it since the teaser poster was released. It captures the space western vibe George Lucas achieved with the original trilogy while offering an insight into the underbelly of the galaxy far, far away. Additionally, Chernobyl had me hooked. It was horrifyingly entertaining, perfectly acted, and well-written.
6. Did anything end this year (a film franchise, a TV series) that has left a big hole in your entertainment?
Alexander: The fact that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ended was both heartbreaking and perfect— a show going out on top and having said everything it needed to say. One of the perfect series of the 2010s.
Charing: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend finished off its four-season run this year, and I haven’t been able to find another musical comedy on TV to binge on…
Dan: Game of Thrones, of course.
Devon: Two TV shows left me saddened by their end in different ways. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend succeeded in Rachel Bloom telling a full story of mental illness, romance, and recovery in four seasons and ending with a deeply satisfying finale. On the other hand, Happy! was tremendously frenzied fun, but just as it reached perhaps peak insanity with Jeff Goldblum as God, it got cancelled.
Joey: Agnes Varda’s final film, Varda By Agnes, before her death is just now being released, and I’m more than a little heartbroken about that. One of the most radiant and joyful filmmakers of the last 50 years, to say the least.
Jeff: This past year brought closure on two of my favourite film franchises with Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While The Avengers has helped my inner fanboy and made me feel 12 again, the importance of Star Wars in my own personal journey is hard to explain. I suppose that like millions of others from my generation, the conclusion of the ‘Skywalker Saga’ rings a bittersweet note for all the memories and magical moments I shared with not only the on-screen heroes but the real-life loved ones who sat next to me in those many theatres. While Disney holds the keys to both franchises and promises much more future content, what comes next will be new and could be great, but will never be the same as what I experienced over the past four decades.
Jono: Chernobyl. The horrors and ramifications of nuclear disasters have seared into my brain.
7. Who will win the “streaming wars”?
Alexander: Whoever wins, we lose… (God, please not Disney +)
Amelia: Netflix, purely for how user-friendly it is. Amazon can have fantastic but, at times, it’s impossible to find anything to watch on the platform. Apple launched without much fanfare and none of their shows has made any pop culture impact yet. As for Disney+, not rolling out internationally may have been a bad idea. Netflix is so ingrained into our viewing habits, it’s hard to think anything could overtake it.
Barnaby: It looks like it’s coming down to Disney+ or Netflix. In terms of sheer numbers, I expect Disney+ has every chance, but that doesn’t mean Netflix will be an also-ran. There’s a huge opportunity for it ( unburdened by the larger corporate and brand concerns Disney has) to develop as a slightly more niche, adult-oriented “quality” provider and producer.
Cole: I have no idea. Netflix strikes me as the most interesting in terms of contributing to a healthy movie ecosystem. But I don’t think they’re doing well financially speaking. We’ll see.
Charing: Netflix. Disney+ showed early promise but the hacking news derailed it. Privacy problems are notoriously hard to shake off.
Dan: The billionaires behind them all? But seriously, I still think Netflix because it’s been around the longest. Amazon Prime still feels too fractured because it’s not entirely focused on the SVOD side of things, while rivals like Disney will only ever have Disney-made stuff on their service. Netflix can have its own content and still be a valuable platform for other content makers, as it’s still the best way to stream stuff easily and efficiently.
Devon: We all know the big contenders but if you’re a little hesitant to support colossal soulless mega-corporations then I’d suggest Shudder. A nifty little service that specialises in horror, both classic and current, they’ve been creating some great original content like the Creepshow TV revival or Eli Roth’s History of Horror. Plus who actually needs Disney+ when we’ve already seen Baby Yoda on twitter?
Jono: I believe Disney+ will win. With a massive back catalogue including Pixar, Fox, Touchstone, Buena Vista, etc, they have the upper hand over Netflix and Amazon. Personally, I believe the next several years will be similar to what the major production companies (Fox, Universal, Paramount, etc) did in the 1980s and cherry-pick specific executives and producers to supply content.
Tom: Netflix. It’s their business, everyone else is just trying to keep up.
8. What made you laugh this year?
Alexander: As a podcast listener, comedians Paul Rust and Matt Gourley’s charming and cosy podcast on the Halloween franchise, In Myers We Trust, provided some of the biggest laughs for me this year - particularly an episode when they hypothesise about the logistical process of Michael making love.
Cole: I laughed a lot during The Dead Don’t Die. It cracked me up.
Charing: Always Be My Maybe made me laugh from the very first scene when young Sasha’s leftover meal involved spam.
Dan: Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag.
Joey: Booksmart and Knives Out both had me laughing almost without break. Two perfect comedies that couldn’t be more different - I plan on rewatching them both semi-regularly.
Jono: Controversial to some, but South Park. Trey Parker and Matt Stone consistently show that they are the masters of social satire.
9. Who gave the best performance of 2019?
Amelia: Taron Egerton as Elton John in Rocketman. He sang, danced, and even shaved his head to play the music icon and completely inhabited Elton as he grows from a shy young pianist to a drug-addled gay icon. Hopefully, this will lead to better opportunities for Egerton.
Barnaby: In scenery-chewing terms it’s obviously Joaquin Phoenix in Joker, reminding me of nobody more than Daniel Day-Lewis. Where subtler performances are concerned…it’s difficult to separate the lead pair in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, so I’m going to (slightly) stick a pin at a longer list and say Taron Egerton in Rocketman. I never rated him in his very first film or two, but he simply gets better and better every time.
Cole: Robert De Niro in The Irishman.
Charing: Kristen Bell was stellar as always, and the last season of The Good Place proved it.
Dan: Joaquin Phoenix was good in Joker. I haven’t seen many of the other Oscar hopefuls for 2020.
Joey: Robert De Niro in The Irishman blew me away. And even though it’s unlikely he’ll get an Oscar nod for his performance, I think Will Dafoe deserves it as much as anyone else for The Lighthouse.
Jono: Joaquin Phoenix‘s mesmerising performance as Arthur Fleck in Joker. Personally, a definite contender for the Best Actor Oscar in 2020.
Tom: Lupita Nyong’o in Us. Two performances, really, but both of them brilliant.
10. Is there a film or TV related pop song or soundtrack that became a tune of the year for you?
Alexander: The soundtrack to Netflix’s Russian Doll is one of its strongest assets. The Harry Nilsson song “Gotta Get Up” manages to be maddening and brilliant in its repetition.
Cole: Sturgill Simpon’s theme song for The Dead Don’t Die comes to mind. Especially for the ways in which it was used in the film, which are unforgettable.
Charing: I’ve been listening to the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songs so often that it’s become the most popular artist in my Spotify Wrapped list of 2019!
Devon: I’ve been a fan of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross since their early Nine Inch Nails days and their progression into scoring has been impeccable. HBO’s Watchmen has a driving, pulsating soundscape behind it with these two and the (currently released) two volumes include some memorable dialogue from the series that gets stuck in your head.
Jono: As a lover of ’60s music; Los Bravos’ “Bring A Little Lovin'” or The Mamas and Papas’ “Straight Shooter” both featuring on the Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood soundtrack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vF0MJ8vmU8
Tom: All of the Rocketman soundtrack, but particularly “Honky Cat”.
11. Seriously, is Martin Scorsese right about Marvel movies?
Barnaby: No, it was fatuous. Of course, he can define “cinema” how he wants, but he seems to be narrowing the word to a specific subset. By any normal definition, Marvel movies are cinema (and despite Scorsese’s protestations, it’s not as if relatively mindless, huge-budget, blow-them-out-of-their-seats epics, hadn’t existed for many decades before the current Marvel boom came along). Whether Marvel movies are good cinema is a whole different matter, sure. But to say they’re “not cinema” seems a bit ostrich-like to me. Explain to people why movies can, and should, be better… don’t just say “they’re not movies” as if that settles the matter.
Cole: Scorsese is right about there being a system of production and distribution that favours highly-engineered commercial viability over all-else. He’s also right about the necessity of risk, that is, of trusting the visions of individual artists, to the future of creative filmmaking. Scorsese’s remarks moved me deeply, and I was thankful he made them.
Dan: Sort of. I get what he’s saying. I love the Marvel multiplicity, but they’re not going to be stoking deep discussion in decades to come. Maybe the business model of what the MCU has achieved will be, but people aren’t going to remember Iron Man and treat it with the same esteem as many of Scorsese’s films. I think even fans of Marvel can understand those movies are fantastic entertainment and big-screen experiences, but I’m not sure they nourish the soul as well as the kind of cinema Scorsese prefers.
Devon: His unique position has left some crowds to needlessly narrow the argument down to whether we need more mafia or superhero movies. I would have to agree to a certain extent. I watched Captain Marvel quite recently and I couldn’t give a full review other than ‘it was fine’. The same with Spider-Man: Far From Home, or even Avengers: Endgame. Will I continue to see Marvel movies? Yes. Do they offer anything substantial for me to think about? That’s the point of that entertainment and that’s fine. There’s not a lot to say about that train that comes at the camera in 1895 but it’s still fun!
Joey: Honestly, yes. What he was saying wasn’t all that controversial, but news headlines and Marvel fans took it out of context and misread it completely. There’s nothing wrong with liking Marvel movies, but it’s hard to argue that they’re designed more or less like rollercoasters. They’re made to be entertaining and take you on an adventure, not to be emotionally complex, and that’s perfectly fine.
Jeff: Poor Martin is 77 years old. Can we just give him a break already? So he doesn’t like Superhero movies. So he doesn’t think they are “real cinema”… my dad still doesn’t understand the Internet either. He’s not the demo those films are targeted at and, frankly, he’s perfectly cast as a cranky old man. Now let’s get over it and leave him alone!
Jono: He’s neither right nor wrong. Creativity is diverse within the medium. If one wants junk food for the brain, then watch an Avengers: Endgame or John Wick: Chapter 3. If one wants to indulge in cinematic art, then watch a film such as The Irishman or The Lighthouse.
Tom: No. I love Scorsese, but he clearly doesn’t see enough blockbusters to understand that Marvel are good guys. They actually care about character and storytelling, it’s the others who only care about marketing.
12. Of your contributions to Frame Rated this year, what were you most proud of and would recommend people read?
Alexander: I enjoyed getting to grips with Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, a film that gets better each time I see it.
Amelia: My review of Booksmart, a film that connected with me.
Barnaby: I’m going to say my retrospective on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, because it made me look closely for the first time at a film I’d always known about but never thought all that deeply about. Judging by the feedback it’s helped some readers do the same.
Cole: My first piece is also the one I’m most proud of! Hustlers.
Charing: Toy Story 2 was hard for me to write about, so I’d like if more people read it!
Dan: I’ve enjoyed tackling the extras-rich Blu-rays this year, so the ones I spent the most time and effort on including Arrow’s An American Werewolf in London and Network’s Monty Python S1 box-set. I also enjoyed revisiting Weird Science with older eyes and researching the background to Alien for its 40th.
Devon: I’ll admit I’m always improving with each article, but I reached a happy standard with the retrospective on A Nightmare on Elm Street. It was fun to dive deep in researching the production and that journey was very rewarding for me as it helped enrich how I actually took in the movie. I always try to make a point on one big thing that stuck out in my viewing, and with that and Saw I made some minor revelations.
Jono: Either Sixteen Candles or Dogma. Two of my favourite directors that I’ve had the opportunity to review.
Tom: I’m going to dodge this question and instead recommend Joseph Shapiro’s excellent review of the new Cruising Blu-ray. It’s much better than anything I wrote this year.
13. Did you buy anything interesting that’s pop culture related to adorn your house this year?
Alexander: Much to the chagrin of my girlfriend, I bought a Michael Myers figure from Halloween II. It’s currently wrapped up and nestled safely under my tree.
Cole: No. But I went to a Netflix-sponsored screening of Marriage Story and they gave out posters with stills from the film on them. They’re lovely, high-quality posters, but they made me laugh. I couldn’t figure out who would want to hang a poster of Adam Driver, post-breakdown, crying into Scarlett Johannson’s lap, on their bedroom wall.
Charing: I just moved, so I definitely bought a lot of pop culture-related items to fill the rooms! My favourite one is the How To Train Your Dragon Toothless popcorn bucket I bought that sits in front of my TV (see below).
Jono: I’m unsure if this is relevant but I got a tattoo based on Leon (see below). Mathilda is my favourite female protagonist and Leon is one of my favourite films.
14. What showbiz news story had you gripped in 2019?
Alexander: The Felicity Huffman college scam was hilarious, and I love any story that proves the rich are just as stupid as we imagine them to be.
Amelia: Constance Wu lamenting the renewal of her sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat. In the cutthroat world of US TV, most actors are lamenting the cancellation of the show, not becoming angry that they are being renewed for another series. On hearing Fresh Off the Boat would be coming back for a sixth season, the Hustlers actress Tweeted “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F*ck,” followed by another “F*cking hell” minutes later. By starring in another series she would miss out on another project, but the tone-deaf tweets showed a lack of respect for her fellow cast members. The show was not renewed for a seventh season, you can’t help but wonder if her behaviour played a role in this.
Cole: The Scorsese vs Marvel discourse. It was pretty exhausting, but I was all in.
Tom: It’s…. Rebekah Vardy’s account.
15. What trend needs to end by 2020?
Alexander: Party scenes in comedies. I can’t believe these are still so central to big studio comedies - it’s not as exciting and hilarious seeing a party scene in slo-mo as writers seem to think it is. Same goes for the entire ‘adults gone wild!’ subgenre.
Amelia: The way film trailers are presented. Now there are teasers for when a trailer is going to be released. And then three or four more trailers before the film is released. Half of the films are spoilt by trailers, giving away huge plot points and twists. This also applies to TV shows. A cliffhanger is soon ruined by the ‘coming up next’ trail that follows only seconds after the episode has ended.
Barnaby: I would dearly love to see an end to movie scores that tell us what to think and feel when it’s obvious. I mean, when the terrorists’ helicopters are attacking the White House, do we need relentless percussion to tell us it’s exciting? Do you think we didn’t notice that the kid’s kitten dying was sad? Oh, and 4DX. Obviously.
Cole: Any trend that isn’t Baby Yoda.
Charing: Us giving a shit about sexual predators’ careers in Hollywood.
Dan: I’d appreciate the end of the ‘BWARM’ so-called ‘preview pulse’ noise in trailers, made famous by Inception nearly 10 years ago now. Bring back the classic ‘in a world…’ trailer voice.
Joey: People defending Disney as if they’re an underdog rather than, for example, a dangerous and scary monopoly taking over the entertainment industry.
Jeff: The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement over the much-maligned film Justice League. We all know the drama that took place behind the scenes on this one. But the never-ending clamouring by bored DC fanboys (with help from Snyder himself) over a version of the film that doesn’t exist is both silly and annoying. Marvel kicked your butt… please move on.
Tom: Batman movies. Nolan made a perfect trilogy, let it cool off for 20 years.
