Cuban Fury

This review may contain spoilers.

Cuban Fury is a fun comedy that manages to deliver bit not blow away. I would give Cuban Fury a 6.5/10.

Cuban Fury was a comedy I genuinely loved, it had a comic structure of some of the classics that I've enjoyed in my life. The dancing in this was great and really entertaining to watch. Don't even get me started on the music though, the music was perfect. Plus it all flowed perfectly, such a well constructed story.

Rashida Jones, who played Julia, was an entertaining and fun love interest, she did well at the role. Chris O'Dowd, who played Drew, is perhaps the greatest comedic antagonist I've seen in a while; I loved to hate him and he was the best thing to watch. Ian McShane, who played Ron Parfait, surprised me because I have not liked McShane in anything really; but this guy was made for the father figure comedic role. Kayvan Novak, who played Bejan, was by far the best in this film; he stole my breath just as Nick frost stole his. Nick Frost, who played Bruce Garrett, was a great leading man and you really rallied behind him as the hero.

The only problem I had with this film from a story point of view was that there wasn't much of a wow factor, it didn't go out of it's way to impress you.

Olivia Colman, who played Sam, was boring and kind of tired; a weak moral voice throughout the film. Rory Kinnear, who played Gary, was one of the worst characters I'd seen in a while; he came across as homophobic and unsupportive of his friend which completely turned me off the movie at points.

However despite everything there was a Simon Pegg cameo and that was the greatest thing in the world.

Pompeii

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I mean really they just ripped off Spartacus and slapped a volcano in there. I would give Pompeii a 5.5/10.

The fight scenes in this film were very well choreographed and entertaining to watch. I also enjoyed the special effects behind the volcano and the disastrous effects it caused, they looked great.

Kit Harrington, who played Milo, was a strong leading man and I expect that he's got a great career ahead of him. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who played Atticus, essentially carried this film and demonstrated why he needs to be in more films within leading roles. Kiefer Sutherland, who played Corvus, was nothing short of a wonderful antagonist, he was truly despicable and not something I was used to from Sutherland. Joe Pingue, who played Graecus, I also found funny in a very minor fashion.

However I was not exaggerating when I said this film ripped off Spartacus, the entire plot didn't feel very original so I just couldn't buy it. To be frank the plot was interrupted by the disaster element anyway, nothing was really carried forward.

Carrie-Anne Moss, who played Aurelia, and Jared Harris, who played Severus, both had underwhelming screen presence. Emily Browning, who played Cassia, was a terrible leading lady and seemed emotionless in a great many of her scenes.

The Monuments Men

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"How utterly dull and American can we make World War 2 out to be?" is probably what Clooney was thinking when he directed this film. I believe The Monuments Men deserved a 4.5/10.

The music for this was very quaint, it gave it a very 30s/40s vibe which was a good choice. Ialso really admired the sets, which just hada way of placing you in the moment of the story.

George Clooney, who played Frank Stokes, was very good in it; offering some of the most inspiring lines of the film. Cate Blanchett, who played Clare Simone, was stunning, she has a rigid determination and strength to her that was very intriguing. John Goodman, who played Walter Farfi8eld, was the heart of the film and it was his character development that really moved me in this film. Jean Dujardin, who played Jean Claude Clermont, was just a charming character and had the saddest scene in the film.

However beyond any of these actors, the one I loved the most was Bob Balaban, who played Preston Savitz. Balaban was gruff and sour, yet he was incredibly funny and was one of the only actors who could make me laugh.

The plot in this was so basically handled, it was very two dimensional and not very engaging. The film felt like it dragged and the humour was as old as it's cast. I also hated how full of American propaganda this thing was, I mean not a single American character died for crying out loud.

Matt Damon, who played James Granger, was uninteresting and just felt like a transitionary side story to satisfy those who needed a romance storyline. Bill Murray, who played Richard Campbell, just felt tired and really was outshined by anyone else in a scene with him. Hugh Bonneville, who played Donald Jeffries, was crap and had the most uninteresting death scene ever. Dimitri Leonidas, who played Sam Epstein, just felt like a token character; in this instance the token young character.

Dallas Buyers Club

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This was a very confronting film, but absolutely one that was just brilliantly executed. I would give Dallas Buyers Club an 8/10.

This movie had an incredible story and a very accurate script, I thought the way they did the issue of AIDS discovery, gender identity and expression, gay rights, all within the spacing of  1985 Dallas, Texas. More than that the camera work in this film is damn good, just a brilliant display of how a film should look visually.

Matthew McConaughey, who play Ron Woodroof, was an absolutely brilliant actor in this, though utterly despicable even if he did redeem himself somewhat. Jennifer Garner, who played Eve, was brilliant; such a strong and feisty character. Jared Leto, who played Rayon, was definitely my favourite; she had such a strong moral compass and for once wasn't a queer character portrayed in a stereotypical nature and I had a lot of respect for that.

This movie was offensive and had some very irredeemable things about it so I guess while I could pretend it was realistic, it also pushed the envelope with what it could get away with at times.

Denis O'Hare, who played Dr. Sevard, was thoroughly uninteresting and basically repeated the same dialogue a lot. Steve Zahn, who played Tucker, was a morally ambiguous character and I wasn't sure if he was a good person at the end or not. Michael O'Neill, who played Richard Barkley, was a very weak antagonist and just did not intimidate me as a viewer at all.

Her

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This film was freaking weird. For me Her was a 6/10.

This film was very well written and consistently original, so I guess there's no faulting the award for best original screenplay. Something else the film really had going for it was it's visual aesthetic, this is probably the most colourful film I've seen in a long time. The cinematography was also wonderful and enthralling.

Chris Pratt, who played Paul, was by far one of the best comedic roles I'd ever seen; incredibly witty and my kind of humour. I really think the best actress in the film was Scarlett Johansson, who voiced Samantha, it was just such a display of how much character you could make out of a voice; grade a acting well and truly.

This film was weird, crude and too bizarre to be considered a good film in my opinion. It really just made no sense and had no satisfying conclusion or story arc. Frankly it should have just pulled a Silver Linings Playbook and ended on a happy note.

Joaquin Phoenix, who played Theodore, was a sub par leading man and I just found him creepy and perverted; he had good scenes but a terrible overall screen presence. Also Rooney Mara, who played Catherine, had this big build up then absolutely sucked in her big scene. Finally Amy Adams, who played Amy, is one of my least favourite actresses of all time and did not fail that reputation in this film.

I hate Amy Adams. So, so much.

300: Rise of an Empire

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Alright any hardcore fans reading this I am going to shame myself greatly and confess that I never saw the first 300, this was it for me. I think 300: Rise of an Empire deserves a 7/10.

Although I haven't seen 300 I felt this lived up to it's legacy completely. The action scenes in this film were incredibly well choreographed. The effects were most certainly jaw dropping. The costumes were very realistic or badass looking. The cinematography was some of the best I'd seen this year.

Andrew Tiernan, who plays Ephialtes, was a returning cast member who brought a perverted grotesque simpering minion to the film that was brilliant. Rodrigo Santoro, who played Xerxes, was another returning cast memeber who exuded power and became a very intricate character in this film. Sullivan Stapleton, who played Themistokles, was a fantastic leading man and drove the ups and downs of the entire film; his gruff demeanour was a perfect follow up to the bar set by Gerard Butler. Lena Headey, who played Queen Gorgo, was a returning cast member with a vengeance; she had some of the best lines and it was great to see her in a brilliant action scene. Eva Green, who played Artemisia, was easily some of the best acting in the film; she had such malice and venom in her that she became a better antagonist than Xerxes.

This film's plot structure let it down, jumping from prequel to concurrent with 300 to sequel but also falling on flashback and becoming quite muddled and confused. The plot itself isn't very intricate and kind of runs through minimal dialogue and story to reach battle after battle. The effects slipped in some places, especially in green screen backdrops which looked fake at times.

Alright Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham and Jack O'Connell; who played Aesyklos, Scyllias, Dilios and Calisto respectfully were all weak supporting cast members and brought this film down.

Non-Stop

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I thought this movie would be basic blockbuster but it is far from it, it's a web of mystery spearheaded by some of Neeson's best acting yet. I would give Non-Stop a 7.5/10.

Non-Stop is a brilliant psychological action thriller full of mystery. The plot in this film is masterfully thought out and the way it unfolds means you have no clue who the terrorist actually is. The set was also really well constructed, I enjoyed how the plane looked and worked throughout the film. The amount of editing in this film and final visual effects look really well constructed. I loved the cinematography in this as well, it looked phenomenal.

Julianne Moore, who played Jen Summers, was a charming character who just became someone you wanted to believe in throughout the film. Scoot McNairy, who played Tom Bowen, was nothing short of innocently naive and a character quite like Moore's, one you had faith in. Corey Stoll, who played Austin Reilly, was a great begrudging protagonist, and I liked the way he and Neeson worked even if it was only minimally.

But really the actor that carried the film was Liam Neeson, who played Bill Marks. This is probably one of Neeson's best roles to date and he really gave his all, you can tell. It was full of high intensity drama and his character got extremely psycho-analysed in the film, it was brilliant to watch unfold.

The film itself had a few plot holes that were never really cleared up or explained which was disappointing. I also didn't enjoy the fact that the physics of the fight became unrealistic.

Michelle Dockery, who played Nancy, was such a simple character and frankly a rather underwhelming one too. Nate Parker, who played Zack White, wasn't a very good character; he just felt full of convenient moments in time. I also loved the irony of academy award winning actress, Lupita Nyong'o, who played Gwen, and how insignificant and minimal her role was; quite ironic.

Are We Officially Dating?

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This is a charming take on the romantic comedy, a genre usually confined to a certain audience demograph just expanded it's territory I think. I would give Are We Officially Dating a 7/10.

I think what stands out for me about this film is that it twists what the genre is. A romantic comedy is normally considered a 'chick flick' and is a film generally set to a gender specific audience. Are We Officially Dating takes the elements of those films and loses the restrictions of it's genre; becoming essentially gender neutral. It's absolutely a clever, funny plot and one that I feel is quite relateable to a modern world of young romance.

In this film Zac Efron, who played Jason, was brilliant and a clear leading man character, guiding the drama and the comedic side of the story and holding centre stage brilliantly. Miles Teller, who played Daniel, was hysterical and the comedic backbone of the film; Efron and Teller had some of the best on screen chemistry by far. Michael B. Jordan, who played Mikey, was an incredible character, stuck in the most dramatic role of the film; he entertained and held his own as one of the three leading men. Imogen Poots, who played Ellie, was brilliant and felt very realistic; which was refreshing to see on screen.

The film definitely didn't take many big risks and it was still the same formula as half a dozen comedies I've seen before so it was nothing out of this world.

Mackenzie Davis, who played Chelsea, wasn't very strong as far as actresses went; in fact she had very little chemistry with any other actors. Jessica Lucas, who played Vera, I just didn't enjoy watching, she sounded like all she was doing was reciting lines.