Walking with Dinosaurs

This review may contain spoilers.

How to ruin a beloved television series by BBC Films was probably the alternative title for this film. I would give Walking with Dinosaurs a 3/10.

The one thing that can be said about Walking with Dinosaurs is that it does animation in a way that is so incredible and well detailed that I feel it is definitely opening a doorway to more immersive animated films in the future.

However the pacing is slow for a kids film and I quickly grew bored. The plot was very basic and could have been written by someone with a primary school education. The characters were basically profiled and made little attempt to break stereotype. This film gave up a serious path with any degree of facts for cheap jokes delivered by a hispanic prehistoric bird. I also noticed one animation glitch when the camera was following a bug so I was unimpressed with that.

Normally I would have put something about the cast but none of them were any good. The only member of the cast I expected more from was Karl Urban, who played Uncle Zack, and quite like these dinosaurs seemed to be seeking to make his career extinct.

The Book Thief

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This movie opened my eyes to the power of words and the darkness of Hitler's totalitarian regime in ways that moved me wholeheartedly. I would absolutely give The Book Thief 8/10.

As far as plot goes this is one that closely scrutinises Hitler's regime through a very human and morally good standpoint. It made me realise that Nazi Germany did not describe very person within Germany at that time. There was a scene in this movie in which a father leaves his family behind to go and fight for Hitler and Germany, that scene is what made me realise I can never truly appreciate the scope of our history and tragedy.

Sophie Nelisse, who played Liesel, was astounding and one of the best child actors I've seen so far this year. Alongside her was Nico Liersch, who played Rudy, and was another fantastic child actor. Emily Watson, who played Rosa, was a character I wanted to not like a lot of the time which is to the actress's credit but whenever this character went through emotional turmoil such as Hans being enlisted it would hit hard. Ben Schnetzer, who played Max, graced the screen with some of the best lines in the entire film and the lines he spoke mattered to me I felt. Roger Allam, who voiced Death, was simply fascinating and really made the biggest deal of difference upon the film itself.

However one actor stood out for me above the rest and that was Geoffrey Rush, who played Hans. This character brought the life and comedy to the film but also the scrutiny by which we saw Nazi Germany. His character's journey is one I found myself most invested in and was never bored by for a second.

As far as criticisms for this film go I guess pacing may have been an issue. The movie did feel slow at points, even to the extent it could be found boring. I also feel the narration by Death became too sparse so that you forgot his narration was a part of the plot.

Normally I'd end on a criticism but I thought I might add a little footnote here on something this film made me think about. Books are important, the written word is so very very important. Yeah we live in a world of technology these days that words on paper seem redundant but the truth is I could not live in a world without books. Books are an escape, a new world in each and every one and I'm amazed by what new marvels I can find in another person's imagination. I personally feel that putting your own words to a page is the most creative and freeing thing there is, to escape into a world that you make, to fall into a web of your own imagination is a glorious thing and it's something this movie reminded me of. Go see The Book thief, I highly recommend it.

47 Ronin

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I had forgotten who Keanu Reeves was going into this movie and I wish he had stayed that way now. For me 47 Ronin was a 5.5/10.

I went into Ronin with low expectations and these were exceeded but not by much. It's attention to Japanese history, tradition and mythology is wonderful and an aspect I feel is overlooked. The effects aren't awful but nothing stand out and in places come across as television effects. I feel as far as costuming and make-up goes that is the true accomplishment in which everything looked wonderful. The fight scnes were fairly entertaining as well.

Hiroyuki Sanada, who played Oishi, basically carried this film as far as acting went in my opinion; the man understood the content of the film and the personality of his character better than any other member of the cast I felt. I also loved Rinko Kikuchi, who played the witch, she was wonderful and you could see her enjoying the sheer unadulterated malice this role had to offer.

The pacing of this film could have been done better, it was the type of film that you could miss many scenes and still manage to pick up what had transpired easily. The movie also fell to a very dull tone consistently which wasn't the best for something that had so much potential.

Anyone who came to see Rick Genest, the tattooed Foreman on all the posters, expect to be sorely disappointed cause he's barely there for a minute. Ko Shibasaki, who played Mika, was the most generic damsel in distress I ever saw which grew tiresome. Tadanobu Asano, who played Lord Kira, was also one of the worst antagonist's of my 2014 viewing. The biggest disappointment was Keanu Reeves, who played Kai, he never once attempted to portray any real form of emotion or facial expression or tone in his voice and is one of the biggest deadpan performances I've seen since Liam Neeson in Star Wars.

Philomena

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Okay after Alan Partridge I basically trashed Steve Coogan as a leading man and this is the film that is going to make me contract what I said. I believe Philomena was a 6.5/10.

Philomena is quite a short film so pacing was never much of an issue, it was a fairly consistent film. The story itself about this woman trying to find her son who she was forced to give away when she was younger due to the system of the Irish Catholic church was fascinating and a part of history I had never considered. This film also analysed religion in a way I think should be commended, I think that was a splendid way to show such conflicting views towards religion.

Steve Coogan was great in this film as Martin Sixsmith, and let's not forget he wrote and produced this film, it was a wonderful display of narcissism turning to a true heartfelt care for someone. Judi Dench, who played Philomena, was the true star of the show with an unwavering moral compass and a true degree of wit that could only come from such an inspired character. I also have to commend Sophie Kennedy Clark, who played Young Philomena, for being such a wonderful young actress in what was a very unique and difficult role to play. Barbara Jefford, who played Sister Hildegarde, was only a small role but in the time onscreen became an antagonist I truly despised and is a face to religion I don't agree with at all.

What I dislike about this movie is that it feels like something you'd watch air straight to tv, there wasn't much to it all things considered. The plot also didn't have many ups and downs so I found myself kinda just feeling the same amount of tension throughout.

I also was annoyed that they had such a great actress like Michelle Fairley and completely underused her as a very minor sort of antagonist.

The Wolf of Wall Street

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I walked out of this film with a weird adrenaline rush and a ton of guilt mixed with a little moral conflict; and I loved every minute of it. The Wolf of Wall Street for me was a 9.5/10.

The one thing I think an average viewer could ever complain about for this movie is pacing, and for me that is just a complaint that cannot apply to Wolf of Wall Street at all. The music is classic Scorsese brilliance, in that his movie constantly has the right sound to back the content. His visual cinematography is just a delightfully refined trip into business and debauchery in that it looks sharp but it has some really unique, almost trippy moments. The storyline is a wonder, in that it is a well constructed journey of a man's rise to success and then his ultimate downfall in what I can only describe as the best display of this kind of story. I also learnt that the majority of dialogue scenes is adlib and if that doesn't also indicate the levels of all star acting in this film I don't know what does.

I'm not the biggest Dicaprio fan in the world but as Jordan Belfort he's brilliant; this is my favourite role I've seen him play. Jonah Hill, who played Donnie Azoff, was obviously there to be funny and he was quite simply, he just stole the show in so many scenes he was in. Margot Robbie, who played Naomi Lapaglia, is someone to be watching out for because after this role she is going to skyrocket in her acting career. Matthew McConaughey, who played Mark Hanna, remains one of my favourites despite his amount of screen time; he had small details that remained imprinted on Belfort throughout and he basically set the bar for the rest of the film. I also have to give a small mention to Kyle Chandler, who played Agent Patrick Denham, and really was ecemplary in the blackmail scene opposite Dicaprio.

The only real complaint I have in regards to this film is that the supporting cast are barely memorable after the performances of Dicaprio, Hill and Robbie. However it's not necessarily a bad thing I just wish there had been more opportunity for each character to have their limelight.

Frozen

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The fact a modern day Disney film can even make it into my top five animated Disney films list is a testament to how good Frozen is I feel. I would give Frozen a 9.5/10.

Wow high rating you're probably thinking to yourself; no way it's anywhere near that good. Well I think you need to prepare to have your mind blown. This film uses fantastic animation that we couldn't even have imagined in the era of Walt Disney but now brings this original classic to life. The musical numbers are beautifully done and I'll admit I got the entire soundtrack straight away. The plot is a funny yet emotionally intensive family film about the power of true love in respect to family rather than true love, which I thought was a bold move and a really nice one. I applaud Disney for taking the princess genre into an entirely new theme and I hope to see some more growth now that we've seen an African American princess and a story that puts 'the right man' as a second place to family.

Kristen Bell is hysterical as Anna, I was in love with this character and found her to be a character I enjoyed onscreen. Jonathon Groff, who played Kristoff, was another character who was a little rugged, eyt very sassy and enjoyable. I also have to say Santino Fontana, who voiced Hans, betrayed me in the most wonderful way; a predictable villain but one I hoped wouldn't be one right up to the last second.

However the honourable mention goes to Idina Menzel, who played Elsa, which was also my favourite character. If you're looking at tragic backstory, character relationships and character development well sit yourself down, watch Frozen and let Elsa pull the ol' heartstrings. I doubt there will be an animated Disney character who is quite as memorable as she was for a long time.

However this movie was not a ten, I have to state that. It was predictable, but that can't matter too much when it comes to a kid's film and it really doesn't impede the film unless you over analyse it. What I really marked this film down for was Josh Gad, who played Olaf, which was generally an entertaining character but he did wear on my nerves sometimes and became a bit annoying.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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Well let's just say that this Hobbit film really knocked the ball out of the park. I would give The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug an 8.5/10.

This film was one in which I went in with low expectations after the first Hobbit film; which I enjoyed but would not rave about. However this is one to rave over for sure. The story is so intriguing and masterfully done. I guiltily admit I was more enthralled by the side stories than the main event but that's just personal preference, this entire beast was spectacular. The pacing was slow, but unlike the last film it didn't matter at all, it was still fantastic. The motion capture of Smaug looked great, it gave the dragon a very real look in terms of facial expression. The fight scenes in this were also spectacular, I mainly think about the river sequence or the Legolas/Bolg battle here.

Let's take a moment to admit it, the casting of Martin Freeman as Bilbo was perhaps one of the greatest casting choices of The Hobbit cast. Sir Ian McKellan continues to steal the show as Gandalf, he is a big part of why this franchise is so incredibly successful. Now Richard Armitage as Thorin is essentially the true hero you have to get behind in this story and he has such a powerful onscreen presence. Ken Stott, who plays Balin, just has some of the most emotional or inspirational lines and moments in the movie; the exchange between Thorin and him at Erebor was just a little emotionally overwhelming. Aidan Turner, who plays Kili, came into his own in this film and easily has become a bit of a heartthrob I have no doubt because of it. Orlando Bloom's return to Legolas was just an incredible badass factor in this film which really brought a lot of intensity to the film. Sylvester McCoy, who plays Radagast, is still one of my favourites; I don't give a care what others have said I will defend that. Luke Evans, who plays Bard and Girion, was a very cool addition to the franchise; he's most definitely a character I'm looking forward to seeing more of. I liked the acting of Mikael Persbrandt, who plays Beorn, even if his look was awful; someone I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of in the next film.

There are some honorary mentions as always for films like these; in this film those had to be the wonderful Evangeline Lily and Benedict Cumberpatch the stupendous (yeah I made an awful reference I do what I want :3 ). Cumberpatch plays Smaug and the Necromancer, the antagonists of this film, and his voicework and expression are a testament to what acting is, in that every part or aspect of your body is a tool to making a powerful and convincing character. Evangeline Lily played my favourite character, Tauriel, in this film and it's so wonderful seeing a character so convincing and immersed in this film. Her fight scenes were epic in that she had just as much presence as Orlando Bloom and her acting was powerful in that she's essentially a character made up by Peter Jackson.

One of the things that really let down this film and the one before it is the CGI element to the film. For example in this film the giant bees look absolutely fake. But worse than that is Azog and Bolg who look ridiculous in comparison to the orcs from the original LotR trilogy.

Stephen Fry, who played the Master of Laketown, wasn't good in this movie and that was a true let down for me, I feel like he took on a small substandard role and didn't go to any effort in terms of acting to make the character noteworthy. Worse than that was Ryan Gage, who played Alfrid, it was just dull basic villainous acting and seemed like an almost unnecessary character. One of my other pet peeves of this film was Lee Pace, who played Thranduil, the acting was melodramatic and felt like something out of a soap opera; definitely could have been done better for a character that had so much hype.