Dir. Matt Ross

One of those original stories that make a new window to see life through.

Captain Fantastic is weird and awesome, and Viggo Mortensen is a perfect fit for the lead of Ben Cash, a man educating and training his six children to live off the land in the Washington wilderness.

When their mother Leslie passes away from suicide, the kids all openly cry together in anguish – toxic masculinity has no place in this hippie household – and demand to honour her at her funeral. There’s a problem – Leslie’s father hates Ben and threatens him with arrest if he shows up to the funeral.

The family have rebelled against capitalism, Christmas and consumerism – why stop at a pesky father in law? The family piles in to their bus and sets off on a road trip to say goodbye to their mother.

This movie is touching and bittersweet. The kids discover the wonders and beauties of real life (including a first kiss) but at the same time come to terms with life without their mother. They rebel against their father but are also terrified of losing him as well. The soulful soundtrack accompanies this semi-road movie, uplifting and hopeful as they literally and figuratively traverse new terrain.

This movie is a must-see for the great, original story and the acting – impressive on all fronts from Mortensen to the six children (George MacKay is basically a man but he has to grow in to it in this film!) Watch this movie for inspiration on carving your own path, showing your love bravely and fighting against the odds.

A clashing orchestra of heartache, triumph and the absolute will to live and die on stage.

We are X is a fascinating documentary – encompassing classical music, rock n roll, the mixing of cultures and deep personal tragedy. So goes the story of Yoshiki X and his revolutionary band X Japan, and the trials of a man constantly struggling but also constantly overpowering his demons –  told primarily though in depth interviews and archival footage.

We Are X is critically one of the most successful rock bands ever. And yet the West has barely heard of them. I certainly hadn’t. But 10 minutes in to this documentary I fell down this emotional landslide which showcases personal heartache within the band – including the harrowing story of Toshi, the vocalist, being brainwashed and then escaping a cult. The reunion of these two childhood friends is something that grips you so hard in it’s bittersweet embrace, you’ll be remembering it for a while.

In terms of story, the band is preparing for their reunion show playing at Madison Square Garden, and the doco opens the curtain to what has led them (or nearly derailed them) from this point. Hard-hitting interviews, emotional confrontations and powerfully inspiring messages make this very tasty for the soul. Yoshiki has never given up on his music – his own physical health won’t even stop him. The band has had trials and triumphs – their fanbase is incredibly ardent and uncommonly fanatic, even for a rock band – but it’s Yoshiki and his iron will to play and give his music to the world that makes this film so gruelling, so sad yet so satisfying.

We are X is in UK cinemas on the 2nd March.

Dir. Morten Tyldum

A voyage to…somewhere.

Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence struggle to breathe this far out in space. The two actors were a good choice for many reasons – bums on seats, star factor and genuine talent – however the script and the story did not match their normal level of excellence. Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) wakes up 89 years too early on the voyage to Homestead II, part of the Colonised World (humans have clearly been working hard to secure their future in the aftermath of the Trump Wars of the previous century) and spends a year in painful isolation aboard the ship. As good as Pratt is, he didn’t quite secure the deep emotional turbulence required for this performance – his choice to wake up Aurora Lane (Lawrence), a journalist from NYC, seemed more creepy than desperate, more written than organic. Lawrence was the star of the film – her arc was deeply troubled and moving to watch, however the choices her character makes in the script, particularly towards the end, were contrived and frustrating compared to how strong Lawrence portrayed this intelligent, capable woman.

The visual effects were the best part of the film – the swimming pool jutting out of the ship in to open space was an amazing design and lovely to watch in a beautiful scenic wide shot. The anti-gravity sequence was also visually remarkable – however unfortunately it didn’t serve to improve the film and was clearly only there because the budget allowed it to be. If the director’s vision was a little more artistically precise, the visual conveyance of isolation and betrayal would have served well on a lonely, deep space trip such as this. Sadly, the shots were all elementary and personality-free. If you’re a passenger on this trip you might want to return your ticket.

Dir. Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood

As far as epically sweeping movies go, spanning decades and intertwining many lives, GWTW is a true gem and genuinely worthy of the hype. Yes, sometimes it is dramatically lacking, however the scenery, the story and the span of it all makes it very enjoyable and satisfying to watch. Not to mention one of the greatest lines ever in the history of movies. Sorry for spoiling. The movie has been out for 78 years.

The scope is astonishing. The achievements of the cinematographer are amazing (for 1939 no less) – live fires on set, huge sweeping crane shots, a hundred extras filling every square inch of frame with bustling action – the frenzy of a Confederacy at the end of its tether. The depiction of slavery is also quite modern for its time – the slaves are a member of the family and object to and criticise Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh is absolutely choice) often. Family heirlooms are even passed down to them – surely all to show the glory of the chivalrous South, taken from this world too young! It’s so interesting to see how America views itself, from Scarlett to the Confederate soldiers, it’s as prideful as ever. Gone with the Wind is a historical artefact as much as it is a great movie.

The character of Scarlett is a whirlwind of shrewd resourcefulness, spoilt cruelty and enough genuine playfulness to make her likeable (just). She wins battles, ploughs fields and takes names (literally three of them from three different guys), however her wins are hard fought and leave her a little emptier each time. She marries her younger sister’s fiancée, ruining their happiness and her own for the security of her family, something that would have been unimaginable to her in Part 1 of the film (the movie is separated in to three acts as well as an intermission), however as the years pass and the acts continue, Scarlett learns about life the hard way, and about sacrifice even harder.

The story is sweeping and epic, with romance, guns, horse chases and fights to boot. The impossibly kind character of Melanie redeems Scarlett in a way the latter could never comprehend – how someone so pure could love a wretch such as Scarlett shows either Melanie’s slight delusion or Scarlett’s hidden treasures – or both. Watch this movie if you want an all-American tale, a love story, a flawed woman and some epic sunsets.

Dir. Aaron Faulls, Nate Gowtham

Colin Hay is one of the coolest things to come out of Scotland, apart from the bagpipes (being serious, bagpipes are amazing).

In this “bleakly beautiful” documentary, we explore the life of Hay from his emigration Down Under, his huge success as the frontman of Men at Work, his fall from that height and his drive and happiness which makes him a better person every day. The intense candour in this film shows the true colours behind the frontman of one of the most popular bands of the 80s, and how he deals with pain, isolation, connection and ego.

Music is Hay’s compass – it’s how he made friends when he arrived in Australia as a teenager and it’s how he gained his worldwide fame. His family members comment how he was obsessively driven to succeed – Hay says he felt that made people latch on to him for the ride, which he didn’t mind.

The film deftly switches from colour to black and white to mark hard or heart-breaking moments – the hard slog of performing seven nights a week in a pub is in grayscale, and then we’re greeted with an eye-popping Men at Work single cover in full colour, coupled with their most popular single to date – Down Under. The song that introduced the vegemite sandwich to the world; how can we ever repay them for this? Another grayscale moment documents the court case when Men at Work were sued for copyright, an issue so troubling to band member Greg Ham it truly haunted him, and Colin as he recalls with tears in his eyes. The inside look in to the bands inner workings is interesting and provokes much conversation on what it means to be a team, and how to handle bubbling tensions and rising egos between friends.

The bookends of the film are marked with family members and well regarded actors and stars remarking on the influence and persona of Colin Hay (as well as a welcome surprise of Sia’s actual face!).

They talk of his commanding presence on stage, his kindness, his honesty and struggles – all with such admiration and respect. Tellingly though, these interviews only appear to introduce and close off the film, the rest is all Colin in his splendid frankness.

An amazingly talented musician who has produced some of the most wonderful songs of our time, and has the passion to talk about his pride and struggles honestly and openly. It’s Hay’s purity and love for music that makes this documentary so engrossing – very worth it for any music lover, music creator, Australian and/or fan of Scrubs!