It is hard to believe but we are already half way through the movie year and we have been treated to some fantastic films.
Zero Dark Thirty
We have had hard hitting drama, fantastic blockbusters as well as poignant and heart-warming documentaries.
So we take a look at the six movies that we have really enjoyed so far this year here at FemaleFirst; and boy was it a tough choice.
- Zero Dark Thirty
Zero Dark Thirty may have been controversial for some but it has been the best war film that we have seen so far this year.
Kathryn Bigelow was back in the director's chair for the first time since she triumphed with The Hurt Locker.
This is filmmaking that takes guts as this is a loaded subject matter that everyone has an opinion. But that is where Bigelow triumphs as she doesn't try to tell the audience how they should feel about the events and leaves us to come to our own conclusions.
There is a fantastic central performance from Jessica Chastain as we see the professional and personal toll the search for Bin Laden takes on her.
Bigelow just seems to be going from strength to strength with ever movie that she makes and Zero Dark Thirty is nothing short of a triumph.
- The Impossible
The Impossible is another film that was having praise heaped upon it at the beginning of the year as Juan Antonio Bayona returned to the director's chair.
Bayona made his English speaking debut with this film and it really was an incredible feat of filmmaking.
The movie followed one family as they get separated during the tsunami of 2004 whilst on holiday in Thailand.
The Impossible is one of those unforgettable films as Bayona captures the devastation of the event on a mind-blowing scale.
This is a harrowing tale from start to finish and is a great tale of survival against all of the odds.
The performances in this film are just magnificent as Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland are all simply superb.
This is an intense and fast paced movie from start to finish that emotional and powerful throughout.
- Village At The End of the World
There have been a whole host of tremendous documentaries so far this year and Village At The End of the World has been one of the best.
The movie saw Sarah Gavron return to the director's chair to tell the tale of an isolated village in North West Greenland.
This is a movie that really does take us into another way of life and difficulties that we cannot even begin to imagine.
We hear a wide range of stories as Village At The End of the World is very much a character piece about how live in the village impacts on the different generations.
Not only is this an intimate portrayal of village live but it is also a film that is visually stunning as Gavron very much captures the landscape.
Village At The End of the World is a film that really does pay tribute to the fighting spirit of this village and it really is a wonderful watch.
- Side Effects
I have been a big fan of Steven Soderbergh movies for many year and Side Effects really has been one of his best works.
This thriller follows a young woman whose world unravels when the drug that she is prescribed has unexpected and devastating side effects - but is everything as it seems?
Soderbergh has always been a very clever filmmaker and he really does play a cat and mouse game with this film. He notches up the tension scene by scene and it really becomes a thrilling watch.
Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and Channing Tatum all give excellent performances; especially Law and Mara as you never quite know who to trust.
Soderbergh has been on a real roll of films recently with the likes of Contagion and Magic Mike also being fantastic.
Side Effects is a slick drama that is entertaining and will hold you attention from start to finish.
- Iron Man 3
The blockbuster season is well under way and the movie that has stood out in this genre so far is Iron Man 3.
The movie sees Robert Downey Jr return to the role of Tony Stark as he faces his toughest challenge yet when his personal life is left in tatters by the Mandarin.
Marvel were already on a role from Avengers Assemble last summer and Iron Man 3 has just kept the ball rolling as it dominated the box office from the very day that it opened.
The film has so far grossed in excess of $1,205 billion and is the fifth biggest grossing movie of all time.
From the first scene to the last Iron Man 3 never takes it's foot of the gas as this is the darkest and most personal journey that this character has ever been on.
Robert Downey Jr's future in solo Iron Man movies is still unknown but he will be back in Avengers 2 and Avengers 3.
- Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino always makes fantastic film and Django Unchained saw him continue that fine tradition.
There is just a strange magic to Tarantino films and Django Unchained has this in bucket loads as the director mixes humour with heavy violence - if you are a little squeamish then this is perhaps not the film for you.
There are some terrific central performance as Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz make a fantastic team while Leonardo DiCaprio is a wonderful villain; it would be great to see him take on more of these roles.
Django Unchained is a movie that is bloody, shocking as well as hilarious and it is one of those movies that pulls you in and doesn't let go.
Other films that we have really enjoyed so far this year include Les Miserables, Quartet, Byzantium and Cloud Atlas.