49. Daddy's Home 2

In 2015, we saw Daddy's Home in between Christmas and New Year. There's always that weird bit in between those two days, where some people are at work, some people aren't. You feel strange because just as you've stopped feeling christmassy you are ready for New Year and there is more prep to do, and more excitement to be had. That's if you celebrate either of them, of course, but I love New Year so much. It's when you can spend an evening with your friends, we don't tend to go out as it's so expensive, but we play games and dance until we fall over or are sick. Anyway.

So when we saw Daddy's Home in 2015, it was a filler activity, and actually it was better than anticipated. It's definitely got that laddy humour, and it's definitely silly and daft, but it gave that light relief and is a bit of a feel good film. As much as I prefer tongue in cheek, or political, or 'clever' humour, there is no doubt in my mind that Will Ferrell is an absolute genius. Anchorman is one of my favourite films ever.

So back to our sequel. The adverts and trailers I'd seen reminded me of how much I enjoyed the first film, and I was looking forward to seeing the next chapter. Again, I knew what I was getting myself into, it was going to be silly and light hearted. This time, the story follows Brad (Ferrell) and Dusty's (Mark Wahlberg) Christmas, as their fathers join them. Brad is the stepfather to Dusty's children, but following the original film, the sort their differences and manage to share the care for the children without argument. Brad's father is overbearingly kind and loving, but there is something else going on behind this, and Dusty's dad is cold and cool, not understanding of the 'co-dad' arrangement between Dusty and Brad. Following the arrangement of a Christmas holiday for the entire family, the plot is littered with ridiculous disasters that happen as the fathers work out their differences.

Now whereas with The Disaster Artist I left saying 'that was fantastic', I left Daddy's Home 2 with 'that was ridiculous'. The plot was weak, the whole premise was almost exactly the same as the previous film, and there was nothing overly exciting about it. I did laugh throughout the film, but I can't tell you any of the jokes now. There was nothing memorable. It seemed like a film for a film's sake. All of the most humorous parts were previewed in the trailers. There was nothing new. I have to be honest and say that this is one of the poorer films I have seen this year.

If you like a silly film, and you just want something easy to watch, then it does the job. But why not watch Shrek instead. The marvellous masterpiece that is Shrek. Daddy's Home 2 gets a 4/10 from me.

47. The Disaster Artist

We went in blind seeing this film; we've saved Daddy's Home 2 (a sure fire classic, or aboslute twaddle) for a Christmas special, and this was the only thing left we hadn't seen. I'd seen reviews that had said the film was meant to be great. It had 97% on Rotten Tomatoes when we booked, but as we all know, as time goes on, RT ratings tend to fall. All I knew was the film was meant to be good.

The film starts and tells us it is based on a real story. My first reaction was: is it actually though. Cynical as I am, turns out it actually is. The film tells the story of Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) and Greg Sestero (Dave Franco). Tommy is an mysterious aspiring actor with a seemingly bottomless pit of money. He enlists Greg, another budding actor, as they move to Hollywood to chase their dreams.

With a lack of success in acting circles, Tommy decides to write, direct and star in his own film 'The Room', writing a part for Greg as well. With his endless cash, Tommy is quite the maverick in the way he creates the film, buying equipment instead of hiring it, enlisting only the best of the best to help him produce the piece.

The Room actually became a cult classic film (see IMDb, 3.6/10, RT 26%), and lots of people in the cinema found the film hilarious, I assume there are lots of references to it. For someone who has never seen The Room, I still found the film really entertaining, and there were some excellent comedy moments. I do imagine that there is a certain type of humour the movie appeals to though, I don't think it is one for everyone.

I found the film quite emotionally interesting. There were parts of the film where I didn't know if Tommy had a motive, or was someone who just wanted to please, or if he had no motive at all. I found it quite interesting and the mystery behind his character is fascinating.

The film makes you want to know more, and after looking up some bits and bobs, I found that the film was not only based on the original, but also on a memoir written by Greg Sestero. I now really want to read the book! The story is so outlandish yet incredible, it makes you yearn for more. I really wasn't sure what we were expecting when booking the ticket, but the first thing I said as the credits started to roll was 'That was fantastic'.

As a little treat, at the end of the film there are some side-by-side shots of 'The Room' and The Disaster Artist’s interpretation. The comparisons are great, and shows the quality of acting from all parties, and also how terrible the original film was.

The film was fantastic, it was an unexpected treat, and I have to give it a 9/10. Probably would give it more but I think James Franco is a bit of a knob.