My Favourite Films of 2017

Yes, it's that time again - time to look back at the year that was and reminisce at the AWESOME movies that were released!!! Usually, I do a top 5 but this last year, try as I might, I just couldn't wittle it down. So in a break from tradition, here are my top 10 movies of 2017.


1) Dunkirk
This wasn't just an impressively constructed, compellingly cinematic story with a relentlessly immersive soundtrack. For me, it was a one-of-a-kind tangible experience. Watching it in IMAX was like being on that beach (special mention to the scene where the main character hits the sand while a string of bombs progressively explode towards him). It was like drowning in a sinking boat. It was like being in the cockpit of the spitfire. And for that, it gets my number one spot.

2) Blade Runner 2049
Another incredibly immersive IMAX experience. I came to the Blade Runner party fairly late, but early enough to be looking forwards to (and worrying about) this sequel  for the past couple of years. I am very VERY pleased to report that my expectations weren't just met, but exceeded. There was just the right amount of story. And not only was in perfect sync with the original tale but it was also not afraid to explore new ground. This film is radical in ways I find difficult to articulate (I've been trying to write a blog post on it for months) and breathtakingly beautiful.The sound design/music was simply overwhelming. But I think the thing that gets me the most excited when I think about this movie is Harrison Ford's performance. What a joy it was to see him sink his teeth into a role to a degree I haven't seen since The Fugitive.

3) Get Out
I wish more people would see this movie so I could talk about all of its creative and masterful layers of social commentary without fear of spoilers. So all I'm going to say here is SEE IT! It's absolutely brilliant. And while I feel it's a very important film for our times, it never ceases to be entertaining.

4) Baby Driver
Speaking of entertaining films, what a crowd pleasing home-run of a film is Baby Driver! Full of pithy, bad ass one liners and jaw-droppingly choreographed chase scenes, this was one utterly enjoyable night at the pictures.

5) Colossal
Colossal made my top 5 for two reasons...

1. The premise which involves manifesting giant monsters overseas is absurd and yet, somehow, (in my personal opinion) this movie seems to pull it off without even trying.
2. I love the issues of morality, abuse and toxic small-town thinking that are explored within its extraordinary, larger-than-life narrative.

Thumbs up!

6) Paddington 2
I can't think of the last time I saw a more charming, comedic, beautiful and sincere family movie (well... maybe since the first Paddington now that I think about it). As the credits rolls my kids got up to leave but I told them not to be in such a hurry and just enjoy the moment. True be told, I needed to buy time to regain composure and wipe away a few tears.

P.S. Welcome back Hugh Grant

7) Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok is 100% a Taika Waititi film. Also, Jeff Goldblum is in it. Need I say more?

8) The Big Sick
I wish more romantic comedies reached the same heights as the Big Sick. Wonderfully paced, laugh-out-loud funny, chemistry by the bucket loads and, most importantly, a story that is actually about something. I loved how gently and sincerely it dealt with the issues of cross-cultural relationships and the realities of being Pakistani in America while never losing sight of the romance (or comedy).

9) Logan
I wrote a very positive blog post about this movie a couple months back. It's a real testament to how amazing this year has been for movies that Logan comes in at number 9. I loved the gritty, brutal and fatalistic conclusion for such a beloved comic book franchise. Very brave and compelling film making.

10) The Lego Batman Movie
The laugh rate for this movie is intense. I also loved that my young kids and I were laughing at the same jokes. The Lego Batman Movie was everything I hoped it would be. I'm going to have to watch it again just to see all of the jokes and references I missed the first time around - it all happened so delightfully fast.

Proudly presenting... "Seed"

I am really excited about this piece! It's the first composition in a long time that I've really been able to sink my teeth into and I've loved ever minutes its creation.

You may be able to tell I got new software to play with and I may have gotten a little carried away in some places. That said, I'm liking the extremes across which I was able to stretch this one little "seed" of a theme in under three minutes.

Listen to "Seed"

Note: The final 45 seconds (the original theme) I recorded on the mini-grand piano backstage at Elim North

Silence - 2017

It took me a little while to get around to watching this masterpiece. It's one that you do need to be in the right mood for. It's slow, it's long, it's challenging... but man is it rewarding! It looks beautiful too - drawing you in with luscious scenery and a striking sense of time and place. "Silence" is unashamed to ask the hard questions and relentlessly pursue some resembles of an answer.

Maybe not everyone will be as deeply affected as I was simply due to lack of interest in the questions at the heart of the film. For me, I was fascinated by the concept of idolatrous martyrdom. Is martyrdom really the pinnacle of faith? Is it really worth any and every cost? Or does God's grace afford us a more holistic loyalty to His name?

It's a heart-breaking honest exploration into a very important and personal spiritual topic. Watch it and let me know what it says to you.

Logan - 2017

More than simply a well-constructed movie, Logan is a story unleashed. The characters are raw, real and wholly convincing. The action is wild and alarming. I was blown away by the sheer force of the fight sequences. The pain of each slice of the claws is so tangible you envy those who die quickly.

Make no mistake, Logan is a very bleak conclusion for two beloved, long-standing comic book characters. But what I absolutely loved about this movie was its honesty. After more than a decade I finally felt like I knew Wolverine and Charles Xavier. I guess that’s no surprise, for it’s often in the darkest moments that you’re faced with who you really are. Hugh Jackman carries the physical and emotional pain of his character with such believability that I found myself wincing with each step he took and each biting response he spoke.

The movie takes it’s time (when the heroes aren’t ferociously fighting for their lives) but I still struggled to leave the story when it finished. There has to be more! It got me thinking about the fact that "God set eternity in the hearts of man” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The story of life just shouldn’t end. It feels so wrong, so offensive when it does. Especially when endings are so messy – people get old, people get sick, people’s minds start to fail, people lose themselves and who they used to be.

That’s why I think it’s so important that Jesus came, not to give us heaven, but life itself; a life that never ends.

My Favourite Films of 2016

In January I like to come up with my top five films from the year just past. I usually just post the list on Facebook, but now that I have a blog I shall indulge in the details a little bit more. 😄

Ok, here we go...


1) Arrival
No surprise here since I've already written a post devoted to my absolute love for this movie. The breadth and subtlety of the human experience expressed in Arrival was astounding! The cinematography, the music, the ambitious story, the personal storytelling and Amy Adam's face - so much emotion conveyed with so few words.

2) The Witch
Where to begin with The Witch... This little movie instantly made waves upon its release. People started talking about it with much enthusiasm and much difficulty.  I always enjoy being in the know what a movie captures people's attention in one way or another. And I have to admit, the difficulty people seemed to have in describing it made me curious. So I rented it. I watched it. It was an experience. Many months on I am still as transfixed by it as I was that night. It dives into an area of fascination for me - that murky territory where spirituality and insanity coincide and you're left wondering which is fantasy and which is reality. While not a graphic movie by any means, it's upsetting - not for the faint of heart. I'd recommend it to anyone up for a challenge! And, from what I hear, each viewer tends to have their own uniquely different experience.

3) 10 Cloverfield Lane
A fantastic, stripped down thriller. With only three character and one room (for the most part), the dialogue is sharp, the acting riveting and the story professionally executed. I loved they way the movie toys with your understanding or expectations of the characters and the plot. It also has a very strong conclusion which killed it for some, but was a real treat for me.

4) Star Wars: Rogue One
I honestly never expected to have a Star Wars movie in my top five. I've never been that much of a fan of the original three (Episodes 4-6) or the franchise. But I went to see Rogue One mostly because one of my all time favorite directors, Gareth Edwards (check out Monsters), was at the helm. Boy am I glad I did. I was swept away in the drama of the rebel/empire conflict like never before. The dog fights in space and the war on the beach below was a spectacle to behold! Also, true confession time, I was relieved and delighted to experience for the very first time, a Star Wars score NOT written by John Williams (sorry John).

5) Finding Dory
When Finding Nemo came out all those years ago, I watched that movie in the cinema (I kid you not) five times! I loved it. It really struck a cord with me. And so there was some nervous excitement when it came time to check out Finding Dory. You know, I think it really helped that it was such a different kind of movie to the first one. While it didn't capture my imagination quite like Finding Nemo, it was fresh and fun sequal! Plus Pixar know how to tug at the heart strings. Definitely some man tears going on with the part with the shells at the end. Lots of laugh out loud moments as well. All and all, I was wonderfully not disappointed!

So that's it. A strong year for Science Fiction that's for sure. 2017 looks like it could be as well with the next Alien prequel coming up and the long awaited BLADERUNNER SEQUAL!!!!! 😲

What were your top five films of 2016?

"Good Will Come"

I've got a new original composition to share along with a few thoughts.

I've always been fascinated with small motifs (sometimes just a single note) running through an entire piece of music. I like having a constant for everything else to revolve around. I find it fascinating how a simple unchanging motif can take on so many different qualities depending on what is happening around it tonally.

On a poetic level, it speaks to me of time. Time is constant. It just keeps going. It doesn't get faster and it doesn't slow down. It is completely unaffected by the life that exists on top of it. Time and be cruel and it can be beautiful depending on the experience, the context or the perspective of the one observing it.

I took the picture of the tree you see here. No trick, no effects - this is actually what it looked like walking past. I love how drastically different the tree looks depending on your angle or perspective. There's scarcity and there's abundance entwined together in the same tree.

Paul said, in Philippians 4:12-13, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Because God travels through time with us, for better or for worse, there will be good.

Listen to “Good Will Come” by Nathan Mills

Arrival - 2016

I've been thinking about this blog post for the past few days, completely unsure as to how to begin. Walking out of the cinema after seeing "Arrival" I was speechless. Driving home,  getting ready for bed - still speechless. So let's see if I can finally find some words.

Sci-fi is often thought of as cerebral and adventurous, albeit somewhat emotionally cold. "Arrival", however, is a deeply personal movie. It is incredibly intelligent and thrilling, but its story telling is so firmly grounded in Amy Adam's character that you feel every heartbeat each step of the way. You experience what's unfolding on screen through her eyes and it feels unbelievably real. And I have to say, Amy Adams is on top form delivering a breathtaking and authentic performance!

Here's the premise: one day 12 spaceships suddenly appear over various locations around the world. No national landmark explosions or alien invasion, just these giant orbs hanging impossibly in the air. They are occupied though, so each country with one of these ships in their back yard tries in their own way to communicate with the new arrivals. Amy Adam's character is a linguistics professor and is brought along to assist in the attempts at communication.

It's not a film about aliens. It's a film about human intimacy. It explores the constructs of how we interact with each other and the many factors involved in communication; factors such as language, distance, culture, stress, fear, political motivations, grief, media soundbites, physical environment... the list goes on.

It's fascinating stuff, particularly the notion of how our language/communication effects our cognitive experience of the world. But so much more than that, "Arrival" is absolutely beautiful and profound in it's observations about life, love and loss.

I haven't even mentioned the cinematography and the music - oh the music! I was gripped, moved, thrilled, moved so more and just utterly UTTERLY absorbed in the story. It was an indescribable experience that couldn't have been more welcome this week with all that's going on in the world.

I'm going to go see it again. How about you?