Sinister 2

Ciaron Foy (2015)

Modern horror sequels are often failures. I thought that as the first film wasn't great that I wouldn't be as disappointed if this film turned out to be bad. I was wrong, Compared to this, the first instalment was a masterpiece and this made me realise how it was successful at achieving its goals sometimes.

'Sinister 2' was quite scary in places. No doubt, the cinema playing the film super loud helped elevate the jump scares though. The creepy depictions of murder in the first film were crazily overdone in this.

The screenplay was terrible. The main story was stale and predictable and the characters were unsympathetic and cold.

The performances were poor all over this film in particularly the ghost children seemed like they were performing a rubbish school pantomime.

Overall, I can't be too surprised with what I thought of this film but, sadly, I can see sequels for this being churned out more and more in the future.

Creep

Patrick Brice (2014)

Not to be confused with the 2004 British slasher set in Charing Cross Underground Station, 'Creep' is an American Handheld horror movie about a film-maker who answers an advert to film a dying man to leave something for his unborn child.

The screenplay and performances are not very good but the film's over reliance on annoying jump scares make some scenes fill with tension. The film tries to bring up connections with 'The Blair Witch Project' but fails to be anywhere near as good due to the fact that it is poorly executed and has unsympathetic characters.

It has a silly ending to top it all off but it leaves quite a resonating impact.

The Guest

Adam Wingard (2014)

'The Guest' is a surprisingly fun throwback to 1980s horror. It boasts a thumping soundtrack and quick cuts that really fit into the theme of the film. The exaggerated scenes of violence and gore may be a bit too strange for those who do not appreciate the sentimentality and nostalgia of the movie.

The narrative is very straightforward and follows Dan Stevens, an ex-soldier, as he returns to his friend's family's house as a dying wish. He protects and helps them through their individual problems but all is not what it seems. The film does lose it's way slightly towards the end as it tries to drastically remind audiences that the film is meant to be over-the-top when it was already doing a subtly good job.

Dan Stevens is very good in the main role. From the trailer, it looked like it would be a rip-off of Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Drive' but Stevens adds a very unique coldness to his powerful persona.

Nightcrawler

Dan Gilroy (2014)

'Nightcrawler' is a neo noir thriller starring a very impressive (and thin) Jake Gyllenhaal which cleverly satirises the media industry's obsession with horror and violence.

The poster's correlation with Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Drive' is a very clear choice because they are very similar in how they're made in terms of themes and even soundtrack. The film is also very similar to Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' and David Fincher's 'Seven' as the cinematography is very bleak and dark.

The story is disturbingly gripping as the audience view Lou Bloom's rise as an amateur journalist who seems to do anything to get the best footage of horrific crime scenes. What's more shocking are the news channels that purchase his work claiming "if it bleeds, it leads!".

Jake Gyllenhaal is brilliant in the starring role as he seems creepy but also powerful and shrewd.

What We Do In The Shadows

Jermaine Clement, Taika Waititi (2014)

'What We Do In The Shadows' is an hilarious mockumentary film by the makers of 'Flight of the Conchords'. The movie is filed with brilliant homages and references to vampire films such as 'The Lost Boys', 'Twilight' and 'Let The Right One In'.

The directorial style is very similar to the hit TV show 'The Office' as it is able to create humour in the realism and personal interviews and monologues. This method also allows it to be genuinely scary at times such as when we meet the housemate inspired by 'Nosferatu'. The extreme and realistic gore also comes across as very brutal and juxtaposes the silly gags. 

The actors are all very good. Dead pan. Great delivery.

Jurassic World

Colin Trevorrow (2015)

Well choreographed action set-pieces. Good effects. Dinosaurs are magnificent.

Annoyingly cliched characters. Stupid story. I thought the idea of commercialism and ethics could have and should have been explored better. A character talks about never being able to match the first part which is true. Not sure if they were trying to be funny or just self-referentially depressing.

Chris Pratt was good. Everyone else was pointless.

No where near the first. I would even prefer to watch Jurassic Park 3 than this.

Pitch Perfect 2

Elizabeth Banks (2015)

'Pitch Perfect 2' was not as good as first. The musical numbers were not as memorable as the first. It simply wasn't as funny as the first. Anna Kendrick showed that she was a good singer though but the film lacked any real story.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Matthew Vaughn (2014)

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' is a comedy film that satirises spy movies such as the James Bond franchise. Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin (played by Taron Egerton) is a normal working class 18 year old from London who gets recruited into a super secret spy organisation. Humour comes as he tries to mix with these posh and suave upper-class stereotypes.

Matthew Vaughn has included his typical ultra stylised violence ('Kick Ass') and it does boast a good sound track. There are a lot of nods to films such as Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' but it just reminds me of examples when things have been done much better. The highlight of the film for me was a scene in which Colin Firth violently massacres a crazy church to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd ('Free Bird') whilst almost seeming like a continuous long shot.

The screenplay is very unoriginal and the dialogue with the young actors in particular is cringe-worthy. Tarantino type set-pieces just come across as annoying as the film fails to have any cleverness or creativity.

Apart from Colin Firth every actor is either average or just really bad. Samuel L. Jackson, in particular, is worse than usual as he tries to add some freshness to his regular spiel by trying to affect an annoying and distracting speech impediment.

'Kingsman' is going to appeal to the intended target age group as it does contain scenes of fantasy violence depicted as "cool" whilst characters swear. It would also help your enjoyment of the film if you have not seen the many, many examples where each scene had been conducted much better. My final rating for this film is 2.5 stars.

The Voices

Marjane Satrapi (2014)

'The Voices' is a very dark comedy from graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi. It tells the story of a man named Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) who works in a bathtub factory. Jerry continuously sees a psychiatrist (Jacki Weaver) as he tries to live a normal life whilst dealing with his mental afflictions. He decides to pursue his office crush (Gemma Arterton) but soon finds himself in a murderous situation when she fails to reciprocate his advances. Jerry's schizophrenia means that he hears voices specifically from his pets who give him help and advice.

Satrapi directs the piece with a surprisingly heartfelt and empathetic way. The lack of colour and light (such as when Jerry is on his limiting medication) contrast really well with the scenes where the main character is free and feels at peace. There are very graphic scenes of murder which highlight the brutality of his actions reminding the audience of the morality of Jerry's actions. The music is also very fitting and turns drastically into a horror-themed score when the drama switches.

The screenplay is funny in a lot of places. Before I watched the film, I thought I would find similarities with HBO's 'Dexter' as it deals with a likeable killer whilst also being humorous. But, after watching, I feel that the film owes a lot to Mary Harron's 'American Psycho' as it shares similar themes of delusion and indulgence. However, the dialogue was a bit forced at times and I usually find myself cringing when watching a British actress (in this case Gemma Arterton) having to read lines written in a very stereotypical way.

Ryan Reynolds is fantastic as the main character and really makes the audience feel for his character. Reynolds completely embodies the main character's innocence and is a genuinely nice man. Even more impressive is the fact that Reynolds also performs voices for his pets which include a Scottish cat and a Texan dog. I had a slight problem with other members of the cast who I felt were not quite up to the standard that Reynolds set although Jacki Weaver was great as his psychiatrist and Anna Kendrick did a good job at playing his love interest.

Overall, I feel that 'The Voices' was a surprisingly good film. It was funny and very well acted. 'The Voices' is a little hidden gem that a lot of people who are fans of small and strange indie comedies would love. My final rating is 4 stars.

Unfriended

Levan Gabriadze (2014)

'Unfriended' is a modern horror film with interesting messages about modern society and our addiction to social networking tools on the Internet. It touches on quite a sensitive subject in cyber bullying from the very disturbing introduction. It tells the story of a teenage girl who was publicly humiliated on the internet and commits suicide due to the heckling and bullying from her peers. A year on and it seems that this group of peers are being stalked online by a vengeful pursuer.

Gabradze's direction is very intriguing. 'Unfriended' (lovingly renamed 'Mad Macs' by me) plays out in very simplistic fashion. The film shows the main character's computer screen throughout it's duration. The audience see every keystroke and mistake made by Blaire Lily (Shelley Hennig). This is a very compelling technique when trying to show the character's panic and fear slowly progressing. Blaire plays around with music software known as 'Spotify' during the film which gives an excuse for there to be non-diegetic music to add to the atmosphere.

As the film is mainly a conference video call on 'Skype', the actors are in separate rooms on individual "webcams" to add to the realism of the story. Although the film didn't require the actors each to connect to the internet, occasional screen buffering and flickering help add to the illusion.

'Unfriended' is a very dialogue-driven film as not a lot of action takes place. Therefore, it is essential to have a good screenplay to keep the story as intriguing as possible. The screenplay is solid and there are genuine moments when the mysterious stalker is very creepy and scary. Due to the nature of the film's themes, there is a lot of slang and computer terms that seasoned users of said social networking tools will appreciate and understand. If you are not very wise to how these programs work it may be hard to keep up with the story.

The actors weren't the best but the film did work. It would seem that their jarring and annoying demeanor added to the theme of the piece however.

Overall, 'Unfriended' is an interesting film. I thought it was a very clever statement on modern life. There were moments that were genuinely scary and creepy but like most modern horror films it relied too much on jump scares. It conjured up good memories of 'The Blair Witch Project' in how it tried to be as realistic as possible whilst also addressing dark themes of today's culture. My final rating for this film is 3 stars. You'll either love it or hate it.

Still Alice

Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland (2014)

'Still Alice' is a film that boasts a remarkable central performance from Julianne Moore. It tells the story of a University linguistics professor (Moore) as she is diagnosed a rare form of Auzheimer's disease.

Richard Glatzer's direction of the movie can be viewed as a parallel to his own life and personal struggle as he lived with ALS disease. 'Still Alice' is full of emotive shots as the characters show care and support to Moore as she tries to continue juggling her career and family life with the disease. Aspects such as the music and cinematography is given a very straight-forward approach to allow the actors' performances to tell the story and to add a true to life direction.

Based on the novel of the same name written by Lisa Genova, the screenplay is very faithfully adapted. The film really focuses on the story and the dialogue between the characters and some scenes and interactions are extremely moving thanks to how well it is written.

Julianne Moore is perfect as the main character. She portrays her struggle with the disease with so much inner strength and dignity. Moore is supported by a solid cast such as Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart but are outshone by her brilliant performance.

Overall, 'Still Alice' is a very good film. It is very touching and moving tale about coping with such a life changing and destructive disease. However, it seems to only be memorable due to Julianne Moore's incredible acting. I have given this film a final rating of 3.5 stars.

Shaun the Sheep

Mark Burton, Richard Starzak (2015)

'Shaun the Sheep Movie' is the spin-off feature film of a spin-off television series of 'Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers'. Boasting the same crew that brought us 'Chicken Run' and 'Wallace and Gromit', it promised a lot.

The film is made by the Aardman production company and so boasts a pleasant stop-start animation style. This "old-school" way of creating a cartoon is refreshing in the modern world of overused computer imagery and 3D effects.

There is no dialogue whatsoever in this film and so it feels like watching an old cartoon such as 'Tom and Jerry'. There are subtle nods to other television shows and films such as 'Breaking Bad', 'Hannibal' and 'Taxi Driver' so the parents are kept amused at times.

The story is very easy to follow due to the characters very expressive faces and directions which, being a children's film, make it a lot more simple and universal.

Overall, 'Shaun the Sheep Movie' is a good film for children. It has very cute characters and the animation is very fun. However, it doesn't have much for any other demographic unlike the company's previous work. But, saying that, it is an inoffensive and enjoyable film.

Inherent Vice

Paul Thomas Anderson (2015)

'Inherent Vice' is the next feature film from Paul Thomas Anderson and you can tell. It boasts a great soundtrack, brilliant acting and a very convoluted story as it tells the story of a private detective (Phoenix) as he investigates into the disappearance of a former girlfriend.

The screenplay is very confusing. It is hard to follow and purposely so as it introduces many characters and multiple stories but I have heard that this aspect of the screenplay is very true to the original source material. All I could do was admit that the film was too bewildering and to enjoy the many jokes and humorous situations.

Joaquin Phoenix is tremendous as the main character Larry "Doc" Sportello. He is complimented with a great supporting cast such as Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro.

Overall, 'Inherent Vice' is not a typical popcorn flick and I was very confused by the overwhelming plot but it is fun and very well made and so I have given it a final rating of 3.5 stars.

The Theory of Everything

James Marsh (2014)

'The Theory of Everything' is James Marsh's biopic of scientific genius Stephen Hawking. Eddie Redmayne plays Hawking as we learn about his early days at university, his diagnosis of motor neuron disease, and the rise to his now iconic status. Marsh's direction is very good and he uses many point of view shots to create a huge sense of empathy for the main character. Marsh uses stunning visual effects in order to express Hawking's inner feelings and torment whilst highlighting his genius. The choice of music is also uplifting and echoes the key themes throughout the film.

The screenplay is a really interesting piece of work and tells the story in a funny yet intriguing way. However, it does seem to lack a certain something as it tries to alter the source material in order to create some very conventional scenes.

The performances in 'The Theory of Everything' are truly exceptional. Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking in a transformational and moving manner. You can barely recognise him as he highlights his illness with complete sincerity and plausibility. Felicity Jones plays his wife, Jane Wilde. I thought her role would be a simple one as she would work off of the powerhouse performance from Redmayne but the way she shows her strength and compassion is very moving and she does an excellent job.

Overall, 'The Theory of Everything' is a fascinating film about a genius as he deals with his dibilitating illness. The maturity of everyone involved in this make it a remarkable movie. My final rating is 4 stars.

Boyhood

Richard Linklater (2014)

Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood' is a brilliant film about life and the struggle to find meaning. It follows a family through a twelve year period as they endure situations and tackle obstacles together. The main technical aspect of the film is a very controversial and memorable one as Linklater hired his main actors and continued to follow them for twelve years thus adding to the realism of the feature adding much poignancy to the themes. The overall direction can be considered very naturalistic and simple but there are wonderful shots of natural environments such as the beautiful river that Mason and his father visit representing the beauty of life whilst underlining the insignificance of man's role in the world.

The screenplay is a touching study of the meaning of life. There is a great balance of humour and heart-rending dialogue throughout the film. At 165 minutes, the movie is a long one but the pacing was perfect and captivating that I hardly noted the film's duration. The characters each have profound dialogue in which they discuss the journey of which they (and we) are going through and question the reasoning of difficult events.

The performances in 'Boyhood' are exceptional. Mason (Ellar Coltrane) starts off as relatively inexperienced and under-developed but matures as the film progresses adding substance to his character's arch. This performance is supported by the excellent Patricia Arquette who plays the mother. Arquette manages to portray the mother perfectly as she undergoes traumatic events that shape her family's life.

Overall, I feel that 'Boyhood' is a technically brilliant achievement in film-making. Not only is the process fascinating in terms of the methods used to create the film but it is also a fascinating investigation into time. My final rating is 4.5 stars.

Whiplash

Damien Chazelle (2014)

When I sat down to watch this film, I didn't know what to expect. I am not usually a fan of films about musicians but this was a brilliant and tense masterpiece. The story is of a very ambitious boy named Andrew (played by Miles Teller) who is a music student in New York. He aspires to be noticed by a prestigious music teacher named Fletcher (played by J.K. Simmons). As his wish starts becoming a reality, he realises the brutality of this teacher who continually pushes him with questionable methods. Damien Chazelle's direction is almost of a tense boxing or war action drama in that it constantly uses the music of the drumming to build the tension whilst using violent and sharp editing whilst the jazz band play.

Chazelle's screenplay is very well written. It is filled with humour, tension and heartbreak. The way in which Fletcher switches during Andrew's first lesson is expertly done. Fletcher relentlessly insults Andrew in a very shocking way which really creates a huge sense of sympathy for Andrew's character as he struggles to respond. The insulting dialogue is very similar to Stanley Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket' in that it is both humourous and disturbingly distressing.

The performances in this film are remarkable. Miles Teller is a relative newcomer but takes to this character with so much depth and understanding. The drumming scenes look like incredible and torturous workouts and Teller really shows the pain and agony his character is going through to reach his dream. The chemistry between the two central characters is flawless. J.K. Simmons is perfect as the abusive music teacher. Simmons manages to combine Fletcher's distinguished persona with his terrifying unpredictability. Simmons reminds me of his character in Valve's 'Portal 2' in which he continuously spouts insults at the player in a darkly hilarious way.

Overall, 'Whiplash' is a fascinating study of passion, ambition and love. The film asks questions about the morality of getting one's dreams and the acceptable methods of acquiring them. Full of amazing performances all around, and created with such intensity and spirit, my final rating for this film is 4.5 stars.

Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Alejandro González Iñárritu (2014)

This film tells the story of an over-the-hill actor called Riggan Thomson (brilliantly portrayed by Michael Keaton) who was once the star of a superhero blockbuster franchise known as 'Birdman'. We are shown his journey into making a Broadway production starting with the initial rehearsals and read-throughs. What follows is a brilliant exploration of celebrity culture in an intriguing and satirical way.

'Birdman' could essentially be looked at as one continuous long shot. The camera constantly weaves around the actors and action and so the audience are completely immersed into the perspectives of the various characters (mostly Riggan's). The opening shot plays like a scene in Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Boogie Nights' as it delightfully establishes the narrative in a fluid and polished style whilst introducing the cast and their entertaining interchanges during a rehearsal with hilarious consequences. 

The editing throughout the picture is almost flawless when moving from scene to scene and has a dizzying effect much like Gasper Noé's 'Irreversible'. 'Birdman' also boasts some marvellous special effects throughout such as when Riggan (Keaton) is alone and being taunted by his egotistical alter-ego. The film shows up typical blockbuster action movies by asking the audience what they want and giving it to them in a manner which embraces the excitement and epic-ness of the genre whilst also poking fun of the conventions.

The music that accompanies the film is very scarce in a lot of places adding emphasis to the dialogue and situations arising but, in some cases, an erratic and improvisational drum riff can be heard (occasionally accompanied with the drummer on the set) which completely adds to the eccentricity and spontaneity of the movie.

The screenplay is very intricately written and contains many profound philosophical speeches about art, celebrity and criticism. There are monologues and debates by characters in which they discuss the core beliefs of the film such as Riggan's speech during his performance of his Raymond Carver play "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love".

The whole narrative of the film is very intriguing and interesting. There is a perfect blend of comedy and poignancy. There are a lot of twists and ambiguity throughout the film which could be analysed and interpreted for a long time.

Michael Keaton is fantastic as the protagonist and gives a performance that would have given his career a huge revival (his squeal is my highlight of the film). The parallels with the character's career and that of Keaton's could not have been a mistake and gives the performance that much more edge. Edward Norton plays the method actor from hell (Mike Shiner). He is annoying, snobbish and smug and played brilliantly by Norton who excels in the vileness and pomposity of the character.

The film is very much about actors. The self obsessive nature of acting is definitely highlighted by the two central performances but there is also a cast that really help to deliver the film's meaning such as Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough and Naomi Watts.

Overall, 'Birdman' is a fantastic film. It is filled with pathos and profound imagery whilst keeping the viewer thoroughly entertained throughout. I feel it thoroughly deserves all of the award nominations that it is receiving and my final rating is an average of 4.5 stars.

Dead Man's Shoes

Shane Meadows (2004)

‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ is the fourth full-length feature film directed and written by Shane Meadows in 2004. Starring Paddy Considine, it tells the story of an ex-soldier who returns home to a small town in the Midlands seeking revenge on a group of thugs who have terrorised his younger brother. The film, at first, embraces the ultimate act of revenge with dark humour and disturbing violence, but soon turns out to criticise what effect vengeance has on the protagonist.

The film questions the role of masculinity in British working-class society by having very different male stereotypes thrown together in a very isolated environment. Not only does the film make a statement about gender roles, but more importantly, it tackles the issue of honour and justice. The audience’s allegiances sway dramatically throughout the film as Richard (Considine) becomes more brutal in his execution styles. A similar British film that challenges the audience’s perception of who is right is Stanley Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’.

On simple viewing of this film, you could say that it is a revenge slasher-flick with plenty of gore; however, I feel that this film is a powerful piece of cinema that is a statement for the immorality of British society and the ideologies it imposes but it also uses Uttoxeter to show the corruption of human nature.

Memento

Christopher Nolan (2000)

‘Memento’ is director Christopher Nolan’s tribute to classic film noir tales of revenge and mystery. By adding a new twist to traditional conventions, Nolan is able to consume and grip the viewer throughout the entire film and for years after. The aspect that differentiates this neo-noir from its competitors today is its jumbled and complex narrative which continually moves backwards in time. The viewers first see the main character complete his revenge murder (a triumphant scene we usually associate with the ending of film noirs). We then begin to see events unfold backwards and the reason for this becomes clear.

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) and his wife are attacked in their home. His wife is murdered but Guy Pearce is left with a brain condition that disables him from creating anymore short-term memory. Constantly being reminded of the horror of the situation, he is relentlessly spurred on to get his revenge on his wife’s killer. As the viewer progresses through the film, they begin to feel more and more like Lenny. The audience have no idea of what has happened prior to the scene currently showing and so we are left feeling the same confusion as our protagonist. To cope with his condition, he maintains a system of notes, photographs, and tattoos to record information about himself and others, including his wife's killer. He is aided in his investigation by "Teddy" (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), neither of whom he can really trust (both of the latter actors starred together in ‘The Matrix (1999)’ in which Pantoliano was not to be trusted, disorientating the informed viewer more).

The film's events unfold in two separate, alternating narratives—one in colour, and the other in black and white. Leonard's investigation is depicted in five-minute colour sequences that are in reverse chronological order, however, the short black and white scenes are shown in chronological order and show Leonard on the phone to a mysterious stranger having a conversation that the viewers cannot understand (these sequences are more direct references to the film noir genre that Christopher Nolan is embracing). This style of directing makes the audience completely empathise with Leonard’s situation as you never know more than he does, but also it creates huge comedic and emotional moments which rely heavily on the notion of dramatic irony.

With Nolan’s use of handheld camera work, an overtone of pink colouring, and sharp editing (the only transition effects in use are occasional fade outs) the viewer is made to feel disorientated and is therefore able to empathise more with Leonard’s character. The original idea was a short story by Nolan’s brother, Jonathan who also helped with the screenplay. The dialogue in the film is its best feature with its insightful, powerful and heart-wrenching speeches about the nature of memory. As we learn how we rely upon memory for our sense of reality, we begin to question reality itself.  The idea of faith and constant references to the bible can make the entire film a metaphor for people’s faith in Christianity or any other religion at that.