I get the feeling that over the next few years communication is going to be a very big theme in art.

That’s a very good thing, because if there’s anything that we all need to be reminded of it’s that there’s value in speaking to one another, and taking a minute to understand it.

That’s one of the many things that I got as I walked out of Arrival, it’s a really very special film that tells an incredible sci fi story with almost no bombast, no action at all, and a brilliant script and a few really outstanding performances.

When 12 alien ships land in random places across the world, the first step that world governments take is to figure out how to speak to the aliens. They enlist Dr. Louise Banks to decode the strange language that the aliens speak in. She’s assisted by physicist Ian Donelly, and the film flashes through her life in bits here and there, as they solve the puzzle.

My favorite movie of Movie Season 2015 was The Martian, because it opened my eyes to the idea that drama could be created by kind, intelligent people being good at their jobs, when faced with extraordinary circumstances. Arrival does something similar and yet it’s also unlike any movie I’ve ever seen. Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forrest Whittaker are all incredible and the third act reveal is particularly gut wrenching.

Arrival is probably a really important movie, and worth seeking out.

Rankings!

1. Moana
2. The Nice Guys
3. Arrival
4. Don’t Think Twice
5. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
6. Queen of Katwe
7. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
8. Pete’s Dragon
9. Ghostbusters
10. Captain America: Civil War
11. Kubo And The Two Strings
12. Star Trek Beyond
13. The Magnificent 7
14. Doctor Strange
15. X-Men: Apocalypse
16. The Legend Of Tarzan
17. Suicide Squad
18. Finding Dory
19. Independence Day: Resurgence
20. Alice Through The Looking Glass

Trailers

Passengers looks really good, and I’m kind of psyched that we’re entering a new era for sci fi and adventure, where they’re going to tell more grown up and original stories.

Hidden Figures – Seriously, I can’t wait for this movie.