Lucy

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This film makes me hope that we never get a Black Widow film. I would give Lucy a 3.5/10.

Lucy sported some wonderful effects that gave the film a very sharp visual aesthetic. The music within this film was also very empowering and quite enjoyable.

My favourite actor within Lucy was Min-Sik Choi, who played Mr Jang. Choi excelled in a role that had no english dialogue within a film dominated by an english speaking cast. This character was incredibly strong villain material and I enjoyed him in every scene he was in.

Lucy was an editing abomination, the first half of the film had a cutting technique in which the scene was abruptly interrupted by a visual display that represented what was happening in said scene as a form of visual metaphor; however this idea was tacky and it also was dropped in the second half making it redundant. Lucy was poor storytelling, it tried to be overwhelmingly complex without ever being definitive or grounded. It wasn't remotely believable as the film started off with a weak premise.

Scarlett Johansson, who played Lucy, did an awful job in a leading role and appeared as if she were high for most of it; frankly it was over the top acting and an amateur performance. Morgan Freeman, who played Professor Norman, may be getting a little too old for the career now as his constant pauses between lines distracted from his performance. Amr Waked, who played Pierre Del Rio, was a terrible addition to the cast; his acting was sub par at best and his monotone voice was beating my ears senseless.

If I Stay

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And so marks the descent into the season of teenage romance films! I would give If I Stay a 6.5/10.

This film was very well told and hit all the dramatic high and low points exceptionally well, of note being the themes of death and youthful ambition within the film. The music within this film is often very exceptional and it is very clear that the music was a major focus. The editing within this film was also quite exceptional and the cinematography gave it a very real depth.

Stacy Keach, who played Gramps, was a surprise for me as he became the breakout star of the film; it was Keach's scenes that had some of the best emotion and finesse in terms of acting. Jakob Davies, who played Teddy, is a wonderful child actor who I hope to see go further in his career; he did a better job than the lead and that's a good indicator of his skill as an actor.

My favourite actor is a sort of bundle deal when it comes to this film as I equally enjoyed Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard, who played Kat and Denny respectfully. The parent roles were the most comedic and some of the most insightful characters within the film. When they were on camera they felt real and their sacrifices made them seem all the more human as opposed to teen fiction prose parents.

I'm rather sick of how degrading the teen romance is to watch, this is perhaps the closest such a film has come to breaking the boundaries. Yet this film still flounders in the same old stereotypes that drag the drama down into a pit of seething misery and angst.

Chloe Grace Moretz, who played Mia Hall, is a weak leading actress and struggles to pull off the high degree of emotion that is expected of her within this film. Jamie Blackley, who played Adam, was a walking stereotype teenage fantasy and no amount of good singing can forgive the disaster of a character that was represented in that film.

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

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This is an inspired comedy that reminded me of the likes of Mann, Tarentino and Anderson. I would give The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared a 7.5/10.

This film is beautifully shot and edited in a way that is quite pleasant, jolly, and clever in how it progresses both adventure and history. The special effects, namely the explosions were brilliant and the music had such a wonderfully catchy tune that you came away humming it. More than anything this story had a clever sense of comedy about it, one that was fueled more than anything by dramatic irony. I haven't seen a film this clever in a while so it was really refreshing to see something so intelligently put together. I highly recommend this film for anyone who wants to be entertained by this breakout hit from Sweden.

Iwar Wiklander, who played Julius, was a very rowdy and boisterous role and was very charming within the film. Mia Skaringer, who played Gunilla, was incredibly strong with a hilairious activist quality, she was all bark and bite. Jens Hulten, who played Gaddan, was a very funny villain, with an amusing language barrier gag. David Shackleton, who played Herbert Einstein, was just pure cheap gag comedy at it's finest; he was used effectively in this film. Philip Rosch, who played Robert Oppenheimer, was one of the funniest out of all the historical figure cameos; his arrogance and banter becoming the stand out scene of the film.

However it was Robert Gustafsson, who played Allan Karlsson, that really made this film for me. Gustafsson wandered through this film with a cloud of ignorance and slapstick that was both ingenious and stupidly comedic. He was a Chaplin of sorts in the way he hit each scene with exactly the right note. This is an acting master at work and I would go just to watch him perform again.

I feel like this film remained quite humble and limited by it's budget to a degree that certain elements were not as convincing as they could have been. I also found the costumes and sets to be rather basic.

David Wiberg, who played Benny, was tiring to watch; his acting was painfully slow and his role had no heart to it. Alan Ford, who played Pim, was a very repetitive villain with little presence and an underwhelming arc. Ralph Carlsson, who played Chief Inspector Aronsson, was boring and didn't add much other than a presence of the law to the story.

Locke

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A rather dull and uninteresting car journey and film. I will not be giving Locke a rating as I fell asleep for significant minutes of the film and walked out early, though I encourage readers to view this as an indicator of the film's worth.

I was very impressed with the filming's editing because really it's only the editing that can keep a film this boring alive.

Usually I offer praise to actors within the film but I wasn't impressed by anyone in this film which isn't a big issue as it was a one man led film.

Locke wasn't a well shot film because I felt like I was watching recycled footage, it was the same rubbish over and over again. The story itself was very bland and didn't have any interesting emotional high points nor was there a satisfying conclusion. Frankly this story dragged out what was less than an hour and a half, for a film to do that is laughable to say the least.

Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Ben Daniels and Tom Holland, who voice Bethan, Katrina, Donal, Gareth and Eddie respectfully, are a terrible supporting voice cast; which is a huge surprise considering the amount of talent in that line up. Furthermore Tom Hardy, who plays Ivan Locke, starts with an incredible performance that makes you think this film just might work...that is until you realise he's just saying the same nonsense over and over and you've been duped into realising that Tom Hardy belongs where he has always belonged in the supporting actor role.

And So It Goes

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This film was awkward, clumsy and a thoroughly degrading comedy to watch. I am going to give And So It Goes a 3.5/10.

And So It Goes had good pacing, the story did move at a good speed at the very least.

Sterling Jerins, who played Sarah, was one of my favourite things about this entire film; she had so much energy and I think considering the amount of good films that this kid has been apart of that she is most definitely on the rise. Michael Douglas, who played Oren Little, gave a sporadic performance; while for the most part he carried the film he also failed to prevent the terrible display of poor delivery when it came to some of the poorly written scenes this film was plagued by.

It was Frances Sternhagen, who played Claire, that really stole the show in this film. I feel like her performance was the most constant, she was always this wise sassy woman that was really interesting as a character. She brought every scene that she was in up and for that I sincerely applaud her.

This film was plagued by standard cinematography and editing, it did not dare to be adventurous. The music within this film was also terrible, and quite ironically like karaoke night at a retirement home. The story itself wasn't really funny nor moving, both things that it strived to be. I'm forever going to be haunted by awkward intimacy, unexplored relationships and dull sub plots.

Diane Keaton, who played Leah, gave one of the most stilted performances that I have ever seen and proves to us all that you can lose talent with age; also her singing was like listening to a cat that had just been stepped on. Scott Shepherd, who played Luke, was awkward and unconvincing in his role as a father and son, he also had very little screen presence.

Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie

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This is one of the worst displays of a television show moving to the big screen I have ever seen. I would give Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie a 3.5/10.

Mrs Brown's Boys managed to pull a few good laughs and gags here and there throughout the film. However it was the brief moments of serious reflection upon a few of the film's themes that made it briefly enjoyable.

Jennifer Gibney, who played Cathy Brown, was a trigger for some of the emotional moments in the film and therefore she can be credited for keeping this film afloat. Paddy Houlihan, who played Dermot Brown, was one of the few funny characters within the film. Robert Bathurst, who played Maydo Archer, was a very strong character, someone who actually felt like they belonged on the big screen. Dermot Crowley, who played P.R. Irwin, was one of the few characters in the film that showed some honestly good acting and he managed to pull off a good villain despite the ridiculous Russian plot.

Brendan O'Carroll, who played Agnes Brown, is a comedy genius and the atrocity of this film shouldn't reflect too personally upon that. O'Carroll brought a fun and entertaining performance to Agnes as he always manages to and it's a great display of acting quality that he managed to practically carry this awful film on his own despite a terrible supporting cast.

Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie is an example of what a small budget film looks like when nit tries to go big on the big screen, a huge failure. The comedy wasn't great, and more deadpan than genuinely funny. The plot was not engaging nor was it interesting or even very well written. I think it was just too much for this cast and crew who are more commonly in tune with the silver screen. The cinematography was basic and the editing very poor. The use of music wasn't great, musical gags often falling flat in the end. The sets weren't brilliant and the effects very poor when they were used.

Eilish O'Carroll, who played Winnie McGoogan, was a terrible supporting role and spearheaded deadpan comedy within this film. Danny O'Carroll, who played Buster Brady, was full of nonsensical plotlines and cheap gags in the film. Fiona O'Carroll and Amanda Woods, who played Maria Brown and Betty Brown respectfully, were cast to the side even more than they have been in the show. Dermot O'Neill, who played Grandad Brown, was a very confusing character to watch in this film and seemed completely different to the character I usually expect from watching him on television. Pat Shields, who played Mark Brown, gave a very stale and monotone performance and was a yawn a minute. Rory Cowan, who played Rory Brown, was basically thrust into the film and had no real impact upon the story. Simon Delaney, who played Tom Crews, was a very tiring performance to watch and seemed like someone pulled off the streets who'd been told to act. Raj Ghatak, who played Rab Patel, wasn't interesting and had one gag that wasn't very funny. Conor Moloney, who played Father Damien, was a rather tame performance and didn't have have much presence within the film.

Hercules

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An epic tale of an ancient hero famed for his many battles in a film that needed a little more epic and a few more battles. I would give Hercules a 5.5/10.

Hercules sported an impressive visual look, with some very swift and intense cinematography and some fun CGI that really captured Greek Mythology. The music within this film was also a big pull, being quite epic in how it added to the film. The story itself got very good in the end, creating a closing act that was nothing but a thrill to watch, pure blockbuster at it's best.

Rufus Sewell, who played Autolycus, was a brilliant member of the cast and actually felt like he belonged within the era, a truly funny and aggressive warrior role.

It was Ian McShane who basically kept this film alive in his role as Amphiaraus. McShane treated his misguided drunken seer with a calm and collected demeanour that made him easily the best actor in the film. He had two of the best moments of comedy in the film when he predicted his death incorrectly.

This film was a bit of a shambles when it came to it's big budget sets and battle choreography; nothing felt real nor did any battle feel all that intense as most of it did not seem to be aided by a large number of extras. The story itself was a bit weak as Hercules was not who I expected the role to be, nor was any portion of the film really unexpected. Furthermore, the use of flashbacks and backstory was so confused and misguided that I tended to forget about it, until I was forced to pay attention to it when it was very poorly incorporated into the main story at the end of the film.

Dwayne Johnson. who played The Scorpion Ki-I mean Hercules, was a bit of a joke and proved that having muscles does not cut you out for a historical blockbuster; his accent and dialogue was incredibly stilted. John Hurt, who played Lord Cotys, may be getting too old, as he did not put a scrap of voice work into sounding any different from his other roles in the past ten years. Aksel Hennie, who played Tydeus, was neither scary, loveable or an important subplot character; all things he was supposed to be. Ingrid Bolso Berdal, who played Atalanta, was a strong attempt at a strong female character; too bad she only had about five lines to work with. Reece Ritchie, who played Iolaus, was weak and timid, even when it came to his big heroic moment; I found him to be a terrible actor. Joseph Fiennes, who played King Eurystheus, had very little presence in the film, and the fact his character was even in it was confusing. Rebecca Ferguson, who played Ergenia, was grossly underused for an actress who is so well regarded.

Sex Tape

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Sex Tape was a few good laughs amid a disaster zone of poorly written plot and terrible C grade acting. I would give Sex tape a 4.5/10.

Sex Tape used music in a rather funny way, so that was certainly high point of this film. Furthermore there were a lot of funny segments throughout this film, but only on their own and not as a whole to the film.

Jason Segel, who plays Jay, gave an earnest performance and you can see he really tried to carry this film; he had a lot of the comedy high points and I find that commendable. Jack Black, who played Owner of YouPorn, was a very crude cameo that just managed to hit the nail on the head; he managed to make the role a little insightful strangely enough.

It was Rob Lowe, who played Hank, that really stole the show in this film. He had a scene that was probably the longest in the film simply for it's show stealing qualities. His music taste, drug taking, Lion King referencing CEO was really the soul of the entire film.

This film did not look like anything special, the cinematography and sets being quite uninspired. Furthermore the story was tired and crossed the line too often. The plot had no sense of direction and made the mistake of being a short comedy that still managed to feel like it dragged on.

Cameron Diaz, who played Annie, is really showing how tired she has become as an actress, her true colours showing themselves in her comedic taste as well. Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper, who played Robby and Tess respectfully, were a nothing comic duo that seemed to be in the film merely to add to the cast list. Giselle Eisenberg and Sebastian Hedges Thomas, who played Nell and Clive respectfully, were some of the worst child actors I've seen all year and I hope their careers end here. Harrison Holzer, who played Howard, proved to us all why you should NEVER cast a child actor as your villain in a film.

Guardians of the Galaxy

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Marvel accomplished what I thought would be impossible, they made a stand alone film that was better than the Avengers. I would give Guardians of the Galaxy a 9/10.

Guardians of the Galaxy was a beautifully constructed cinematic masterpiece, with wonderful CGI and motion capture effects. To look upon this film, you realised what modern science fiction can look like, it made me completely forget the recent Star Trek series completely. Furthermore the music within this film is one of a kind, as the sound within this film acts as a character of it's own. But it is this wonderfully written story, this journey of outcasts coming together to become friends is heartwarming, and exceptionally funny. Guardians manages to hit all the right notes in an incredibly satisfying way.

Chris Pratt, who plays Peter Quill, steps up as the force of strong comedy and is very relateable within the film; he also becomes a leader and character that feels a lot more natural than other Marvel leaders like Captain America that have been quite forced. Vin Diesel, who voiced Groot, was a character that melted your heart, he was nothing but adorable and brought an innocent quality to the film. Bradley Cooper, who voiced Rocket, was really quite enjoyable and hit every comedic note throughout the film; however we saw a strong display of emotion from him at several point s throughout the film that really hit hard. Lee Pace, who played Ronan, had a strong and terrifying presence and quickly became a strong Marvel baddie; his introduction of bringing his hammer down on the head of a prisoner was brutal to say the least. Michael Rooker, who played Yondu Udonta, gave one of the best performances of the film as he went full space outlaw; this guy had a lot of gravitas and also was a classic anti-hero. Karen Gillan, who played Nebula, strikes me as a character that will be quite popular in future films as far as side characters go; she was intimidating but also had a defiant and original air to her that made her outshine some of the other villains. Josh Brolin, who debuted as Thanos, was everything I had hoped him to be, smug, powerful and bonechilling in the way he spoke; I can't wait to see more of him.

I was quite divided when it came to my personal favourite performance within the film and my choice isn't going to be everyone else's favourite I'm sure, but Dave Bautista, who played Drax, gave the best performance in the fil. Bautista is a wrestler and as such there isn't much to be expected in his performance but brute strength. Yet Drax was not just limited to his strength but also a deep, tragic backstory, a comedic flair and a heartwarming discovery of friendship that essentially encaptured all the best parts of the film.

But like every film there were always going to be some downsides. Little things like the effects slipping in places, the opening planet was not the best thing I have ever seen. Furthermore things happen quickly within this film and sometimes without context, Thanos being in this film was very sudden when we hadn't seen him or heard about him since Avengers. Everyone developed bonds with one another quite quickly, even for a film. The fight choreography was good but it didn't really become a focus and so the movie had to rely upon it's spectacle to shadow over some rather disappointing fight sequences.

Zoe Saldana, who played Gamora, was not the most exciting heroine I've ever seen, a backstory that felt forced to give Thanos a bit more elbow room was completely unwarranted; frankly she was a bit stale and acted merely as a mold for Peter Quill. Djimon Hounsou, who played Korath was about as minor as a villain can get; he basically yelled a lot and didn't do much more than what you see in the trailers. John C. Reilly, who played Corpsman Dey, shouldn't have been in the film frankly; he was so hopelessly redundant that him being in the film took up valuable screen time. Glenn Close, who played Nova Prime, was not a very strong or inspired leader figure; nor did I feel the Nova Corps was very well explained in the film. Benicio Del Toro, who played The Collector, is a joke of a character, a parody of the source material at best and a confused and poorly acted character at worst.