Blended

This review may contain spoilers.

I am shocked and surprised that Adam Sandler was in a film worth watching, by which I mean it wasn't a great film but an enjoyable one. I would give Blended a 6.5/10.

Blended was a very well paced film, it had the right amount of opening tension and conflict that culminated into a suspenseful final half hour with a really satisfying end. This film had some brilliant music, some of which were great enjoyable songs that broke the fourth wall while others conveyed brilliant montages. The film itself has some great emotional subplot and a charming story overall about the importance of family and love.

Adam Sandler, who played Jim, was surprisingly good within this film; I wouldn't chalk this down to some big acting redemption though, more likely it's just he got the better subplot of the two leads. Terry Crews, who plays Nickens, is really enjoyable and fun onscreen; it's made even better by his running gag of breaking the fourth wall through song. Wendi McLendon-Coven, who played Jen, was hilarious as this bitter middle aged woman who called things as she saw them and was vastly politically incorrect. Bella Thorne, who played Hilary, did a great job of showing a hormonal teenage girl going through puberty with a single dad; it was nice to get that element of depth to the character. Alyvia Alyn Lind, who played Lou, was just crazy and funny onscreen but also adorable, she was truly the heart of the film. Shaquille O'Neal, who played Doug, was an awesome cameo and quite clearly Sandler and Shaq have great onscreen chemistry.

It was Emma Fuhrmann, who played Espn, that really dominated this film quite subtly. She had to portray a child who imagined she could see her dead mother as a coping mechanism, something Fuhrmann achieved remarkably. Near the end of the film she gives up her state of imagination around her mother in a very heartfelt scene between Sandler and herself.

This film still managed to achieve some harrowing lowbrow humour that really reminded you that this was a Sandler/Barrymore film. The cinematography in this film was also quite visually basic and unappealling while the editing was blocky and very standard.

Drew Barrymore, who played Lauren, delivered a very over the top performance that was regrettable to see. Kevin Nealon and Jessica Lowe, who played Eddy and Ginger respectively, were a very over the top couple who just weren't believable. Braxton Beckham, who played Brendan, was a creepy kid that just never really got redeemed during the film and who you were always rather repulsed by. Joel McHale, who played Mark, was able to match Barrymore for over the top performance, only this guy was an over the top sleaze. Abdoulaye NGom, who played Mfana, gave a performance that was riddled with racial stereotypes and forced humour. Kyle Red Silverstein, who played Tyler, had next to no character to him and just seemed to expel energy onscreen. Zak Henri, who played Jake, was one of the most unimpressive and easiest setups for a love interest in a film.

22 Jump Street

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22 Jump Street managed to secure a fantastic sense of comic genius like the original did but it managed to still shake things up by mocking itself this time round. I would give 22 Jump Street a 7.5/10.

22 Jump Street had some brilliantly choreographed epic action sequences, it went from beat to beat comedy to an action epic smoothly. The music used with this film was great, it heightened this film's sense of comedy. The comedy within this film was exceptionally clever, ranging from cop sleeping with the captain's daughter to references out side of the film to the flamboyantly homoerotic friendship that exists between Schmidt and Jenko. This film also boasts the greatest credit sequence of all time, completely mocking itself as a frachise and a sequel.

Jonah Hill, who played Schmidt, did a fantastic job taking on the emotionally distraught character, effectively a more effeminate role that hill really thrives in. Channing Tatum, who played Jenko, is legendary when it comes to portraying the action hero/jock; his not so subtle homoerotic performance was a laugh a minute to watch. Amber Stevens, who played Maya, was a charming element to the film; an enjoyable love interest and a great plot twist. There were some brilliant cameos such as Anna Faris, Bill Hader and Seth Rogen, who played Anna, Culinary School Villain and Morton Schmidt consecutively.

This film's surprising show stealer was by far Ice Cube, who played Captain Dickson. His performance as the Captain of Jump Street utilised his familiar racial humour and flawless insults, but it was the plot twist of Cube playing the father of the girl Schmidt was dating that really rejuvenated the film.

The humour within the film went a bit off key in places, and while funny, the same old formula being reiterated was rather obvious.

Peter Stormare, who played The Ghost, was a villain with a severe lack of presence within the film. Wyatt Russell, who played Zook, gave a performance that was a little over the top and annoying to watch. Jillian Bell, who played Mercedes, was a strange character and had some really off key humour. Dave Franco and Rob Riggle, who played Eric Molson and Mr. Walters consecutively, were thoroughly deadpan; this was a cameo that fell flat.

The Two Faces of January

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The Two faces of January is an epic masterpiece of story and acting perfection. I would give The Two Faces of January an 8.5/10.

The sets and location for this film were wonderful to watch, the entire film felt like something made in the late 60 to the 70s. The camerawork was also really expertly done, capturing big moments and high speed chases, but also the emotion within a character's face. However it was the expertly written story that portrayed this Oscar worthy plot of greed, jealousy, and psychological thriller. It was wonderfully written and has fast rocketed this film to one of my top favourites for this year alongside Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Twelve Years a Slave.

Oscar Isaac, who played Rydal, gave a brilliant performance that mirrored the duplicity of Mortensen perfectly; he showed a more heroic figure and yet he also had a layered depth that made him feel untrustworthy as a character.

Yet is was Viggo Mortensen, who played Chester MacFarland, that really showed off his acting talent within this film. He developed a character who fell in the most spectacular of ways from grace. His greedy possession of his money as well as his jealousy of Rydal's flirtation within his wife created a perfect corruption of the human being that I doubt I will see replicated as well in a character for the rest of 2014.

I had a problem with the film's soundtrack it's pace didn't heighten the film and it let it stale in places. The plot itself also felt like it dragged occasionally and slowed right down.

Kirsten Dunst, who played Colette MacFarland, wasn't necessarily a bad actress in this film but she didn't really get an opportunity to showcase any talent; her character was exceptionally stereotypical of a woman being used as power play tool for two male characters.

Edge of Tomorrow

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While not the biggest Tom Cruise fan on Earth this film took me by such a pleasant suprise that it did not even remotely matter. I would give Edge of Tomorrow an 8/10.

The Edge of Tomorrow is a fantastically devised piece of storytelling that handles the subject of imortality and time travel in a spectacular way. The mech suits that were designed for this film are a testament unto themselves and are a real bona fide piece of costuming. The stunts and special effects were also incredible and very immersive for a film dominated by it's effects. The cinematography in this film had such a fast and snappy pace that you felt like you were moving with the action.

Emily Blunt, who played Rita, was incredible; she demanded a hard respect from the get go and she was a very badass character in general. Brendan Gleeson, who played General Brigham, was an entertaining appearing role, he was smug, gruff and the perfect fit for a military leader. Bill Paxton, who played Master Sergeant Farell, was a humorous role who also gave a dangerous and authoritative edge to a brilliant role.

It was Tom Cruise, who played Cage, that really owned the film. His character progression from reluctant and goofy coward, to tortured trainee, to incredible war hero is just fantastic to watch. Cruise also displays his talent in acting out a scenario or an identity multiple times over.

The pacing within this film slips around the middle and becomes quite dull. The ending for this film is also incredibly disappointing and seems to bail out on a happy note.

Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way, Kick Gurry, Franz Drameh, Dragomir Mrsic and Charlotte Riley, who play Skinner, Kimmel, Griff, Ford, Kuntz and Nance respectively, all offer a team that is a poor attempt at humour and a desperate need to fit more characters into the film. Noah taylor, who plays Dr, Carter, is also a major diappointment in his role with a very underwhelming performance and is easily forgotten.

A Million Ways to Die in the West

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Seth MacFarlane is a comic cinematic genius, I truly believe that. I would give A Million Ways to Die in the West a 7/10.

Seth MacFarlane really hit it out of the park with this one, he made a film with some relatively great pacing and fantastic plot. All of those modern themes and ironies that he points out within this film are a spectacle unto themselves but his complete perversion of the romanticism of the western film is what really makes this such a stand out film. The set was incredibly well constructed and the music for this film is nothing short of fantastic, I would consider this perhaps the greatest comedy film of the year so far. The choreography in the fight and death scenes were also amazing to watch.

There were some fantastic cameos within this film from Ryan Reynolds, Gilbert Gottfried, Ewan McGregor and Patrick Stewart, who played Man Killed by Clinch in Bar, Abraham Lincoln, Cowboy at Fair and Dream Voice respectively. But also cameos made by celebrities of the genre such as Christopher Lloyd and Jamie Foxx, who played Doc Brown and Django. Seth Macfarlane, who played Albert, was like a ringleader of comic talent within this film, generally brandishing the best of comedy within a scene and moving the plot forward at a steady and consistent rate. Liam Neeson, who played Clinch, was a great antagonist; his gruff, ruthless bandit was the genuine article and it was great to see Liam Neeson step into a comic light at places. Neil Patrick Harris, who played Foy, was basically asked to reprise his character of Barney from How I Met Your Mother but it worked in the film and was amusing to watch.

It was Charlize Theron, who played Anna, that triumphantly stole the show. She was hilarious, often matching MacFarlane joke for joke. She could fight and shoot, she was as ruthless as Neeson. But it was her acting in emotional scenes that reminded us as an audience that Theron isn't an actress known for her comedy but her stunning ability to connect with every scene.

This film didn't go to great stretches to make the most stunning of costumes, there was the occasional eye to detail but it was often very basic. Also near the close of the film MacFarlane's comic talents seemed to slip and the humour degraded to a seedy level.

Amanda Seyfried, who played Louise, is a great actress but was completely underused within this film and basically became an actress that stood in the background. Giovanni Ribisi, who played Edward, gave an awkward and cringe worthy performance as sex deprived best friend and sweetheart boyfriend. In a similar manner Sarah Silverman, who played Ruth, was the crux of crude humour for the film and wasn't all that funny.  

Grace of Monaco

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A film that reminds us that all Europe needs to solve it's problems is a little touch of America...give me a break. I would give Grace of Monaco a 6/10.

This film had some wonderful sets and costumes that were truly beautiful to behold. The way the story represented the political climate within this era was also quite fascinating.

Nicole Kidman, who played Grace Kelly, did a wonderful job in this film. She hit the right mood in every scene she was in and there was a particular scene where she was being taught how royalty acts certain emotions that was done perfectly.

However it was Frank Langella, who played Father Francis Tucker, who stole the show in this film for me. He brought the heart to the film and he also delivered his lines perfectly. He was a fantastic display of emotional mastery and his sudden leave from the plot was disappointing to say the least.

This film had some terrible use of sound, at one point the background score drowned out some of the closing narration. For a professional film that is nothing short of poor work. This film's narrative also falsified events too much, casting Grace Kelly as the saviour of Monaco and basically focussing too much on the American side of the story. As the film progressed the lines became more and more unbelievable. The cinematography was awful and lingered too long and did some dreadful close ups that just didn't pay off. The film was also rather poorly edited together with an inconsistent use of transitions that looked like a thirteen year old playing with Windows Movie Maker. This film's pacing was also at fault and the film felt like it dragged on a bit.

Tim Roth, who played Prince Rainier III, gave a tired performance and lacked the emotional input some of the other big names in the cast provided.

The Fault in our Stars

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For a long time people have urged me to read John Green novels and apparently this film was very accurate to the books; which really makes me want to never read a John Green novel. I would give The Fault in our Stars a 5.5/10.

This film depicted cancer incredibly, the idea of terminal illness was very well portrayed.It also had a great way of showing the fallout of such diseases on the people around the ill person in a great way.

Shailene Woodley, who played Hazel, was really great, she displayed each and every emotion perfectly and had a mastery over playing subtlety as well as full blown moments of emotion.

It was Willem Dafoe, who played Van Houten, that reminded this film what real acting was. In the two scenes he occupies Dafoe gives a much more harrowing and grimmer performance than anyone else in the cast could hope to muster. It was a miraculous resuscitation watching Dafoe perform this tortured and grieving man.

This film had some terribly generic music, it felt like something completely sappy throughout. I despise this movie for being so predictable, so cliched, but what I really hate is that it tried to be deeper than it was. It's the same reason I don't watch Skins. Kids don't talk like this. People don't talk like these actors talked. Nothing about this film felt real, it was all just one big bloated exaggeration. It got to a point where I didn't even care that Augustus died because I saw it coming from the opening scene. This can be catalogued under other similar young abult novel turned to films such as Twilight.

Nat Wolff, who played Isaac, was a poorly constructed character who was only given four scenes in the entire film; you didn't believe he was really Augustus' best friend because he had no presence. Laura Dern and Sam Trammell, who played Frannie and Michael, were terribly unconvincing as parent figures; they dithered and they weren't strong. But it was Ansel Elgort, who played Augustus, that really let this film down. Elgort gave a two dimensional performance for most of the film and was entirely out of Woodley's league as far as acting skill went. The character of Augustus felt fictional and he wasn't very likable either because he only ever seemed false.

May this film fade into oblivion.

Maleficent

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Hell hath no fury like a fairy scorned it would seem. I would give Maleficent a 6.5/10.

Maleficent was a very well paced film, it had a story that progressed in a good format. The effects were sepctacular, the way they created these fairytale settings was no small feat. In fact my favourite moment of the film was an effects shot of Maleficent dragging Stefan behind her as she crashes through a stain glass window all captured in slow motion. I also really enjoyed the music that went with the film, it was an incredible call back to the original Sleeping Beauty. I also loved how the film had such a strong focus on a maternal relationship, something that doesn't have a very strong presence in the Hollywood film industry.

Elle Fanning, who played Aurora, was a brilliant choice, she had the charisma of a Disney princess and she was a very sweet and lovely character which made her so easy to enjoy. Sharlto Copley, who played Stefan, was a mixed performance as he did not play a very convincing lovestruck character, however when it came to showing his spiral into madness and despair he was brilliant and really turned his performance around.

I think Angelina Jolie was born to play Maleficent, there was nothing as strong as her battle between her inner hatred and love for the human characters. Her motherly moments were very genuine, no doubt aided by Jolie's personal experience. But her scorn and tragedy were what really made her stand apart in this film.

This film's writer needs a serious wake up call, there was no way that qualified as a good script. The plot lacked detail, it never focussed on an event but rather kept adding the next part of the story without ever really creating depth. The lines were also very poor, the final line spoken between Stefan and Maleficent was like the ending of a teen romance film.

Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton and Juno Temple, who played Flittle, Knotgrass and Thistlewit, were nothing short of comic relief and had very little to add to the story. Sam Riley, who played Diaval, was a character that confused me and basically seemed to be nothing more than a weak effort to give Maleficent a conscience the audience could hear. Brenton Thwaites, who played Prince Phillip, was one of the weakest characters I've ever seen, his appearance was ridiculous and he did not seem to be someone suited for the fantasy genre.