The Best and Worst Films of 2014

2015 has officially kicked off, I still have reviews coming but these will now be reviewed for 2014. In the meanwhile I'll be posting my list of the top five and bottom five films I've watched and reviewed in 2014. This may include ones that were released late 2013 but were viewed in 2014. Let's begin:

The Best:

5. Gone Girl 8.5/10

Gone Girl is probably the early work for an Academy film this year, that's just how intense the plot really was. I cannot express how amazing it was to see the mind games, manipulations and plot twists acted out onscreen. Rosamund Pike definitely deserves Best Actress of the year for this, she made a character that was terrifying and incredibly resourceful and intelligent. It's a masterfully made film that I hope everyone checks out!

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/gone-girl.html

4. Guardians of the Galaxy 9/10

Well I think it comes of no surprise to anyone when I post a Marvel film as one of my top five fims. But it was quite clearly recognised this year that Guardians was an amazing film. It had an incredibly colourful cast of characters ranging from the intense battle warrior of Gamora or the space outlaw Yondu. But in all seriousness when a professional wrestler can be my favourite character in a film, I think that film has displayed how well written and directed it is.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/guardians-of-galaxy.html

3. 12 Years a Slave 9/10

Frankly the world needs more films like 12 Years a Slave, especially considering some of the recent hate crimes of late. This film without a doubt deserved it's major Academy Award wins. The shock factor in terms of open hatred, whipping an African American woman, a man being lynched and the implications of rape and sex crimes are just some of the things 12 Years brings to the surface in a truly harrowing way. The entire cast excelled in their roles and because of that it made the performance all the more dark and gritty.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/12-years-slave.html

2. Frozen 9.5/10

As I was all too aware when I first wrote my review for Frozen back in January, the high rating for this film is a shocker for a lot of people who read my reviews. However this film has some incredible musical numbers, let's not forget it won an Academy Award for that very reason. The animation was also something beautiful, the depth and fantastical style was something special at the time. Also I think the strength of family and the manipulation of 'the right man' trope was important. Idina Menzel, who voiced Elsa, is definitely the stand out performance of the film and one of the best Disney characters created in the past couple of years.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/frozen.html

1. Wolf of Wall Street 9.5/10

Best film of the year. Easily the best. The levels of corporate greed and corruption displayed here are some really important themes for our society. It's also my favourite performance by Dicaprio to date; his ability to play Belfort to such a hugely talented level as well as the amount of amazing ablib done by the leading cast is incredibly and a truly monumental feat. I cannot recommend this film enough and I am incredibly frustrated still at how snubbed it was at the Academy Awards.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/the-wolf-of-wall-street.html

And now to move onto the five worst films of the year:

5. Love, Rosie 3.5/10

Love, Rosie was a display of generic romance film at it's very worse. The stereotypical plot was only matched by the basic cinematography, awful acting and mismatched music. I think we're at a point where the romance genre needs to start heading away from it's stereotypes; too often I've seen a film with a potentially great cast or concept but it just drifts into awful dialogue or plot devices. Much like what we see in Love, Rosie.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/11/love-rosie.html

4. And So It Goes 3.5/10

I think there's something awkward in real life about witnessing elderly people openly discussing sexual relations and trying to court one another as if they were teenagers. And So It Goes captures that awkwardness and turns it into one of the worst films of the year. It stumbled along without ever really hitting a high or interesting point. A very amateur performance from some well known actors like Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/and-so-it-goes.html

3. Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie 3.5/10

One of the bigger disappointments of the year was Mrs Brown's Boys. What Brendan O'Carroll had captured in terms of great comedy in his tv show he proceeded to throw aside in this film. It became a big eye opener to how sometimes a popular television show does not warrant a film to go alongside it. Crammed with racism, ableism, and other blatantly offensive jokes it is a must avoid.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/mrs-browns-boys-dmovie.html

2. Walking with Dinosaurs 3/10

Walking with Dinosaurs was a beloved series growing up but this film was really a perversion of the source material. I was frankly incredibly disappointed with this awful kid's film. It can't be described as Walking with Dinosaurs because it felt like a preschooler's guide to dinosaurs. The writing of characters was very basic and the plot turned away from good moments by subverting it with awful comedy.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/walking-with-dinosaurs.html

1. Magic in the Moonlight 3/10

Woody Allen made the worst film of this year, the boring period drama that forces it's themes down your throat even if they are a bit insulting to hear. Oh and let's not forget the cast of thoroughly dislikeable characters and the really badly written romance plot between Emma Stone and Colin Firth. There is nothing romantic about a fraud and a pessimist coming together over Firth's very blatant misogyny.

http://ciaranknight.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/magic-in-moonlight.html

I have reviewed and rated 90 films this year as well as one unrated film in Tom Hardy's Locke. To see where your favourite films of the year wound up on my list of best to worst, take a look below:

1. The Wolf of Wall Street – 9.5/
2. Frozen – 9.5/10
3. 12 Years a Slave – 9/10
4. Guardians of the Galaxy – 9/10
5. Gone Girl – 8.5/10
6. Nightcrawler – 8.5/10
7. The Two Faces of January – 8.5/10
8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – 8.5/10
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – 8.5/10
10. Fury – 8.5/10
11. St. Vincent – 8.5/10
12. Saving Mr Banks – 8.5/10
13. Pride – 8/10
14. The Judge – 8/10
15. X-Men: Days of Future Past – 8/10
16. The Hundred Foot Journey – 8/10
17. The Equaliser – 8/10
18. American Hustle – 8/10
19. The Book Thief – 8/10
20. Paddington – 8/10
21. The Boxtrolls – 8/10
22. Edge of Tomorrow – 8/10
23. Dallas Buyers Club – 8/10
24. Divergent – 8/10
25. The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared -7.5/10
26. Predestination 7.5/10
27. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – 7.5/10
28. 22 Jump Street – 7.5/10
29. Before I Go to Sleep – 7.5/10
30. Noah – 7.5/10
31. A Walk Among the Tombstones – 7.5/10
32. The Railway Man – 7.5/10
33. Godzilla – 7.5/10
34. Last Vegas – 7.5/10
35. Non-Stop – 7.5/10
36. Chef – 7/10
37. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One -7/10
38. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – 7/10
39. This is Where I Leave You – 7/10
40. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – 7/10
41. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – 7/10
42. The Water Diviner – 7/10
43. A Million Ways to Die in the West – 7/10
44. Are We Officially Dating? – 7/10
45. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – 7/10
46. Robocop – 7/10
47. 300: Rise of an Empire – 7/10
48. Annie – 7/10
49. Planes: Fire and Rescue – 7/10
50. Philomena – 6.5/10
51. Maleficent – 6.5/10
52. If I Stay – 6.5/10
53. Interstellar – 6.5/10
54. Bad Neighbours – 6.5/10
55. The Lego Movie – 6.5/10
56. Into the Storm – 6.5/10
57. Transformers: Age of Extinction – 6.5/10
58. The Amazing Spiderman 2: Rise of Electro – 6.5/10
59. The Maze Runner – 6.5/10
60. The Best of Me – 6.5/10
61. Cuban Fury - 6.5/10
62. Mr Peabody and Sherman – 6.5/10
63. Blended – 6.5/10
64. Transcendence – 6.5/10
65. Grudge Match – 6.5/10
66. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – 6/10
67. The Grand Budapest Hotel -6/10
68. Her – 6/10
69. Dracula Untold – 6/10
70. Grace of Monaco – 6/10
71. Hercules – 5.5/10
72. Pompeii – 5.5/10
73. The Fault in our Stars – 5.5/10
74. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones 5.5/10
75. 47 Ronin – 5.5/10
76. Get on Up – 4.5/10
77. Let’s Be Cops – 4.5/10
78. The Giver – 4.5/10
79. The Other Woman – 4.5/10
80. The Monuments Men – 4.5/10
81. Sex Tape – 4.5/10
82. Muppets: Most Wanted – 4.5/10
83. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 4/10
84. Need for Speed – 4/10
85. Lucy – 3.5/10
86. Love, Rosie – 3.5/10
87. And So it Goes – 3.5/10
88. Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie – 3.5/10
89. Walking with Dinosaurs – 3/10
90. Magic in the Moonlight – 3/10

Locke - Not Rated

Here's to 2015 and a whole new year of films both amazing and terrible!

The Water Diviner

This review may contain spoilers!

This is an incredibly respectful film about Gallipoli and for that I think it's worth watching. I would give The Water Diviner a 7/10.

This film had a great perspective on the Gallipoli battle in the sense that this film was supremely respectful of both Australian and Turkish perspectives; I mean the film opens with how Turkey saw that battle and we are reminded throughout of the importance of how that impacted Turkey throughout the film. This film is also important in abolishing for the most part the 'white saviour' trope, which basically means that Russell Crowe didn't help the Turkish but was in fact helped by the Turkish, a very important theme I feel. The musical score was also incredible, and the balance of Turkish inspired pieces was a great addition.

Jai Courtney, who played Lt. Col. Cyril Hughes, portrayed a great military figure; his defense and attempts to work alongside the Turkish military were great to see. Russell Crowe, who played Connor, was a great lead in this film; his blind determination and a=inability to initially comprehend foreign customs was really enthralling to watch. Yilmaz Erdogan, who played Major Hasan, was a great contrasting figure to Crowe; his national pride and his connection with Crowe made him a strong character in the film. Ryan Corr, who played Art, went from a minor character to an incredibly well developed character in the space of five minutes; when he killed his own brother I think the whole film really stepped up. Dylan Georgiades, who played Orhan, was an incredibly talented child actor; he had some great chemistry with Crowe and Kurylenko.

And speaking of, I found the best actor of the film to be Olga Kurylenko, who played Ayshe. Kurylenko brings power to this film; some serious talent. She is a catalyst for the divide between Australia and Turkey, her constant reminder to Crowe that he doesn't understand is perfectly captured. Frankly this is Kurylenko's film and this is the type of film we should be making more of so that we can see more talent like hers.

This film was directed by Russell Crowe but I don't think he knew how to do it very well. The cinematography felt blocky and amaeurish, while the editing was basic and lacked any realy consistency.

Jacqueline McKenzie, who played Eliza, gave an exaggerated performance that diminished the importance of the children in this film. Cem Yilmaz, who played Jemal, was a source of comedic relief that fell rather flat in the film. Deniz Akdeniz, who played Imam, wasn't a very strong antagonist and as such his role failed to draw my interest as an audience member.

Paddington

This review may contain spoilers!

Paddington is a classic British family film that was clearly made at a very high standard. I would give Paddington an 8/10.

I think what is supremely important about anything the British throw a decent sized budget at is that it generally creates some of the most amazing cinematic work; take notes America. Paddington was a well paced, family oriented masterpiece; it had great humour and gags as well as an amazing plot about the importance of family and home. The music was whimsical and supremely funny; there was no better moment of comedy in this film than when "Hello" played upon Capaldi meeting Kidman. The visual style of this film was just great, Paddington looked brilliant, the tree in the house was great, and the entire house being divided up into a dollhouse was really a great touch. Beyond that the cinematography and editing flowed smoothly and looked great.

Nicole Kidman, who played Millicent, was an incredibly terrifying villain for a kid's film; she made me think of a young Cruella De Ville. Sally Hawkins, who played Mrs Brown, was just a huge source of energy for the film; she really heightened a lot of the scenes that she was in. Hugh Bonneville, who played Mr Brown, was a great leading role; he had a good arc about acting as a member of the family rather than the head of it.

Yet it was Ben Whishaw, who voiced Paddington, really was the source for all things good about this film. He brought such a naive air to the role and yet he was unabashedly goodly, I cannot stress enough how important it was to have a perfect voice for the role and Whishaw's was perfect for this lead.

My problem with Paddington is that there was very little tension for most of the film, you never really felt like there was much of a threat right until Paddington was falling into a chimney. In this manner the end of the film felt a little anti-climatic.

Michael Gambon and Imelda Staunton, who voiced Uncle Pastuzo and Aunt Lucy respectively, had very little screen presence and didn't feel like strong members of the plot despite their emotional introduction. Peter Capaldi, who played Mr Curry, felt very insignificant and was certainly a forced sidekick role; his role in the story didn't really seem necessary. Jim broadbent, who played Mr Gruber, may have had an interesting backstory but most certainly did not have the acting ability to feel like a sincere role. Julie Walters, who played Mrs Bird, was another insignificant role; who blundered through her two or three lines and then saved the day with alcohol which seemed awful to have in a kid's film. Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin, who played Judy Brown and Jonathon Brown respectively, were awful child actors and really didn't give great performances in the film.

Annie

This review may contain spoilers!

It's a hard knock film to sit through at the start but it has a heartwarming end! I would give Annie a 7/10.

Annie thrived on it's heightened tension nearer the end of the film, as well as it's exploration into the relationship between Annie, Stacks and Grace. The ending was quite satisfying in terms of plot, so I enjoyed the film for that fact. The cinematography was also great, as well as the editing; it really felt like a performance extravaganza.

Jamie Foxx, who played Will Stacks, owned his role as sheltered wealthy elite; however it was his transformation into a kind father figure that made his performance so great to watch. Quvenzhane Wallis, who played Annie, did an excellent job as the film's lead; her singing was also really great and one of the few good singing voices in the film. Cameron Diaz, who played Hannigan, was great as a despicable adoptive foster mother; yet her redemptive arc felt really well done and built up by Diaz well.

However it was Rose Byrne, who played Grace, that really excelled in this film. For starters she was the only one apart from Annie with a good singing voice. Beyond that she had a really sweet and charming character that played of Foxx incredibly well. She definitely stood out as the most talented of the cast.

Annie failed in terms of it's pacing, the start went far to quickly and so the plot felt very artificial. Beyond that the musical numbers were rubbish in this film; there was excessive auto tune and the dancing choreography obviously wasn't there at all.

Bobby Cannavale, who played Guy, was quite a two dimensional character with a forced antagonist role; his performance was also wildly over-exaggerated. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who played Nash, had a weak screen presence and felt very much like a plot device, David Zayas, who played Lou, was an absolutely awful source of comedic relief and his romance with Diaz felt incredibly awkward.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

This review may contain spoilers!

This film makes me think of the fabled tale of Star Wars, to which the lesson was do not make a prequel trilogy. I would give The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies a 7/10.

The last installment in the Hobbit trilogy offered up nothing short of the best it could give in terms of visual effects; it was certainly an unforgettable epic in terms of how much post production effort had been put in. I was also a huge fan of the cinematography and editing, you felt the grand scale of this project in how it was shown truly an amazing feat. And then to really top off the battle royale experience the stunts were incredibly well choreographed and while they didn't hold as much gravitas as some of the moments from the past two films they were still of high caliber. The musical score was another great piece that made the experience all the better, and that final piece by Billy Boyd was really just something out of this world.

Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf, was an absolutely amazing role to watch onscreen; I genuinely don't think the magic of that character could ever fade. Martin Freeman, who played Bilbo Baggins, was really made for the role; he meets the legacy of Ian Holm perfectly. Richard Armitage, who played Thorin, gave a great show of character development in this film; a real parting credit to his fantastic work as Oakenshield. Ken Stott, who played Balin, returned as one of my favourite dwarves; every scene he's in he always hits his mark emotionally. Graham McTavish, who played Dwalin, really came into his own this film; I did not expect such an incredibly outstanding presence this film but I welcomed it. Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas, really returned at his peak; a little steely with some amazing action moments. Evangeline Lilly, who played Tauriel, brings a lot of emotional depth to her character; she has one of the best endings in this film and I really enjoyed her time onscreen. Lee Pace, who played Thranduil, brings a lot of gravitas to his role; it's easy to see how he's become a fan favourite. Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and Christopher Lee, who played Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman respectively, shared in one of my favourite scenes of the film; seriously these guys are grade A and they overshadow most other actors in this cast easily. Luke Evans, who played Bard, became a strong major character in this film; carrying a lot of the action along really well.

However it was Billy Connolly, who played Dain, that I most enjoyed within this film. The Hobbit trilogy brought in a new favourite character for me each film and Dain really stoof out in this one. He made an entrance, he brought a lot of power to his role and really he mixed comedy and dwarven gruffness to a point that really made the film. I will never forget Dain riding in and if you see this film you won't either.

Now to talk why this let the trilogy down a bit as an end film and was by no means another Return of the King. First up I cannot get over the excessive use of slow motion or strange cutting around Thorin in this film; we get it he's gone nuts don't beat it to death. Secondly the pacing is screwy; Smaug dies in ten minutes yet the final battle spans 45, while Thorin having a gold induced mental breakdown and Alfrid crossdressing eats up precious screen time. Let's not forget that the plot was thrown aside in large quantities for gratuitous action scenes. Then the fact the film itself was anti-climatic and predictable; I mean every death in the film was predicted: Bard was destined to slay Smaug and Azog listed Fili, Kili and Thorin's deaths in the order that they happened. Really this was a poor film in terms of plot and I expected a bit more from Peter Jackson.

William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark hadlow and Adam Brown, who played Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori and Ori respectively, are not given any real screen time or importance in this film; and so our departure is remembering these guys as nothing more than ensemble. Dean O'Gorman, who played Fili, had very little screen presence; as such his death had very little impact within the film. Aidan Turner, who played Kili, felt incredibly insignificant in this film; even his relationship with Tauriel felt weaker than the last film. The novelty of seeing Ian Holm, who played Old Bilbo, has really worn off and the impact is by no means as strong. Sylvester McCoy, who played Radagast, had a diminished screen presence and felt like he lacked any real purpose within this film. Stephen Fry, who played Master of Laketown, gave an overexaggerated performance that was really quite two dimensional and uninteresting. Ryan Gage, who played Alfrid, really got far more screen time than he deserved; his place as comedic relief was weak and his impact on the film was minuscule. John Bell, who played Bain, wasn't a great child actor and wasn't very interesting to watch. Benedict Cumberbatch, who voiced Smaug and Necromancer, had a diminished presence in the film and frankly they wasted his talent.

Nightcrawler

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is an incredibly well done psychological thriller that will leave you amazed or horrified. I would give Nightcrawler an 8.5/10.

Nightcrawler is a testament to good modern storytelling; the cold treatment of humanity in this film is really something that sets this film apart from anything else out right now. It moved with great pacing and built up a story that progressed in exactly the right way. The musical score was also quite harrowing and chilling, so that was great. I really have to give this film a huge credit in terms of it's cinematography as well, this film's gaze of a cameraman without a moral code had a great way of looking at Gyllenhaal in a very in depth way.

Rene Russo, who played Nina Romina, who had some brilliant character development, her desperate need to succeed mirrored Gyllenhaal's excellent portrayal every step. Riz Ahmed, who played Rick, was one of the high comedic points of the film; he also gave the film a sense of grounding in how he portrayed Rick.

However this film was led by it's leading actor exceptionally making Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Louis Bloom, my favourite for this film. He nailed a role that was obsessive to a point of sociopathic nature. He played fast and loose with both a comedic portrayal and a sincere dramatic portrayal of an insincere guy. This wasn't by any means a protagonist that you want to like, but it is without a doubt one of the best performances of the year.

The only thing I felt Nightcrawler failed in was it's lack of developing characters, the story just felt very bland in that it captured what you saw and expected from these characters already.

Bill Paxton, who played Joe Loder, had very little screen presence in the film and failed to leave much of a ladting impression or impact upon the film.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is really a classic return to the family live action film and I found it really enjoyable! I would give Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day a 7/10.

This film reminds me of the classic family oriented films that I watched growing up, with really enjoyable pacing, light hearted comedy and a simple but engaging plot. I also have to give a mention to musical comedy, a film that can take music and twist it into a comedic tool is really worth watching.

Jennifer Garner, who played Kelly Cooper, was really great at portraying a frantic and highly strung working mother; she really excelled in leading the comedy of the film. Kerris Dorsey, who played Emily Cooper, was my favourite child actor within the film; seriously she was so vain and also so mature that she just came off as the best of the young actors. Dylan Minnette, who played Anthony Cooper, was a great watch and had some really nice character development in that he chose to put his family above his vain girlfriend and his popular crowd status.

Without a doubt the greatest actor within this film was Steve Carrell, who played Ben Cooper. He made this incredibly sweet and lovable character, then to top that off he made that guy the most optimistic person of the cast. It was really just a good portrayal of a father figure, he had his own stresses but he put his family first beyond himself.

This film definitely failed in it's cinematography and editing, I really saw nothing original in how it was filmed. The plot and tone of the film also reeked of a film that should have been released straight to DVD and Blu ray.

Ed Oxenbould, who played Alexander Cooper, was a terrible leading child actor; his monotone droning voice was juts hard to hear after the first five minutes. Sidney Fullmer, who played Becky Gibson, was just an awful child actress to watch, her romance with Alexander was awkward and uncomfortable. Bella Thorne, who played Celia, was incredibly over the top and I felt her performance was a little overbearing.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One

This review may contain spoilers!

This was a lot of set up for not much action, but still a really great film in the quadrilogy. I would give The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One a 7/10.

This film had a brilliant ending; it was really climatic and I think it jolted me right back into the Hunger Games vibe. I was a huge fan of the music in this film; I really think that was such an important thing as many of the scenes I remember vividly in the film I attribute to the music. The cinematography in this film was also really cool, it certainly warranted it's blockbuster standing. The special effects (while minimal) were also great to see in the film.

Jennifer Lawrence, who played Katniss Everdeen, continues to excel in a leading role; she captures the reluctant hero but also the fire of a revolutionary. Josh Hutcherson, who played Peeta Mellark, didn't have heaps of screen time but completely nailed the tortured portrayal of Peeta that the film demanded. Woody Harrelson, who played Haymitch Abernathy, really owned the scenes he was in; frankly he picked up the entire film for a bit. Donald Sutherland, who played President Snow, is really phenomenal as the main antagonist of the franchise; he captures the character perfectly. Willow Shields, who played Primrose Everdeen, is a brilliant child actress; who plays innocent and supportive sister well. Sam Claflin, who played Finnick Odair, brings a whole new portrayal of the character to this film; he really isn't himself anymore and it all builds to one of the best speeches in the film. Elizabeth Banks, who played Effie Trinket, was a welcome return; she made the character of Effie bigger and more invigorating than anything the books even remotely referenced.

However it was the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played Plutarch Heavensbee, that really owned this film. He was incredibly comedic, so much so that he outshined Banks and Harrelson in that regard. But he also had his character nailed in all the minute details; every little moment on screen he was in role completely and you could see and feel that.

What I really disliked about Mockingjay Part One was that it dragged on; the first two thirds of the film had awful pacing and was very slow.

Liam Hemsworth, who played Gale Hawthorne, does not suit being a major character; I actually miss him acting in a supporting role because he was so awful as a lead. Julianne Moore, who played President Alma Coin, gave a very tiring performance; she lacked emotion and power in her portrayal. Mahershala Ali, who played Boggs, really did not have a lot of depth as a character; he just became another background actor. Jeffrey Wright, who played Beetee, was really not all that interesting in this film; his character dropped away from the major role he had in the previous film. Stanley Tucci, who played Caesar Flickerman, was wasted in his role; he should not have been brought back as his screen time was nearly non-existent. Natalie Dormer, who played Cressida, gave nothing to the film; her dialogue was minimal and her portrayal of her character reflected this.

St Vincent

This review may contain spoilers!

St Vincent is one of the most heartwarming and truly entertaining comedies that I have seen this year. I would give St Vincent an 8.5/10.

This film had a really clever plot, it's really great balance of comedy as wellas heartfelt character connection was really touching. The pacing was also really good and the film moved well. The music used was also great; I'll never stop laughing at Bill Murray shamelessly dancing to disco.

Melissa McCarthy, who played Maggie, was one of the people to really impress me in this film; normally a comedic actress she showed a lot of depth by playing and excelling in a dramatic role. Chris O'Dowd, who played Brother Geraghty, portrayed a role that just felt incredibly natural; he was brilliantly comedic but also very realistic in his character. Jaeden Lieberher, who played Oliver, excelled in his acting of a leading role in this film; definitely a child actor that is going places.

It was Bill Murray, who played Vincent that really stood out for me in this film. Murray is a comedic actor who excels in leading roles, which is entirely what you get from this film. He owns his role thoroughly, most importantly capturing the dramatic elements incredibly as well. We inevitably see this character as not just a source of comedy but as a tortured soul, which makes the ending for this film all the more joyful for us as a viewer.

St Vincent lacked interesting cinematography, it had a very basic play by play shooting format. I also found that it could be seen that the characters lacked a large enough character growth but rather we as an audience only came to empathise with these characters.

Naomi Watts, who played Daka, was a rather crude character who wasn't really all that interesting; her growth as a character didn't really exist and she was very unlikable. Terrence Howard, who played Zucko, had no screen presence; and really did not need to be in the film.

Interstellar

This review may contain spoilers!

Interstellar is quite possibly the only film of Christopher Nolan's I've actually found to not be all that enjoyable. I would give Interstellar a 6.5/10.

Interstellar sets a bar for some of the best effects that you will see onscreen this year, it's truly breathtaking to see how far the cinematic industry has come effects wise. this goes hand in hand with the cinematography, something that Nolan never fails to nail flawlessly. Once again the music is incredibly powerful and accompanies the film incredibly well.

Anne Hathaway, who played Brand, gave an incredibly strong performance as the leading lady of the film; you felt for her but also recognised the strength and intelligence that she wielded as a character. Wes Bentley, who played Doyle, gave a strong contrasting performance to McConaughey and was a really powerful character that shouldn't have been killed as quickly as he was. Michael Caine, who played Professor Brand, gave a stunning performance in this film; he was wistful and sumpremely philosophical in how he portrayed his character. Casey Affleck, who played Tom, developed his character in such a great way; his growth was brilliant for such a short time onscreen. Jessica Chastain, who played Murph, did a brilliant job in taking the psychology of the younger Murph portrayal and maturing it; she really kept the Earth based storyline alive.

It was Bill Irwin, who voiced TARS, that really thrived in this film I felt. TARS was such a great part of the film, the idea that humanity made a successful AI robot was just quite a nice escape from what could have been a cagey trope. TARS was hilarious and also quite original, the voice work Irwin provided also made him seem quite real as a character. He was by far the best thing about the film.

Interstellar is a snooze fest, it drags on for a relatively long time. I mean I walked out of that cinema and felt bored; stupendously so. Not to mention the fact the science was awful; completely theoretical science explaining theoretical science. Basically nothing made sense and it dragged, not a great plot. In fact a terrible one.

Matthew McConaughey, who played Cooper, was a terrible leading man; he really did not the suit of an engineer nor did he really seem like an intelligent person fit him well in an acting capacity. Mackenzie Foy, who played Murph (10 yrs.), wasn't the best child actor; she really only seemed capable of playing the one mood. John Lithgow, who played Donald, was quite lackluster in the film; he really wasn't all that necessary. David Gyasi, who played Romilly, had very little screen presence in the film and probably should have been killed in Wes Bentley's place as his character had very little to it. Topher Grace, who played Getty, shouldn't be in films; you think he would have learnt his lesson after Spiderman 3. Matt Damon, who played Dr. Mann, was a very underwhelming anatgonist; I expected a lot more than he actually provided.  

The Best of Me

This review may contain spoilers!

The romance genre isn't really my favourite of film genres, but even I have to admit that a Nicholas Spark adaptation is going to be good. I would give The Best of Me a 6.5/10.

What this film excelled in was setting up a rather sad and emotional journey of romance; a really well done plot with a great sense of pacing.

Michelle Monaghan, who played Amanda, did a great job emphasising the pain she felt as a younger woman; she carried over a lot of the psychology from her earlier self. Luke Bracey, who played Younger Dawson, was really the starring male lead over Marsden in this film; he completely owned his role of a young man escaping a violent household. Liana Liberato, who played Younger Amanda, did a wonderful job developing a woman who falls in love with a man who's life is inevitably destroyed. Sean Bridgers, who played Tommy Cole, was a thoroughly despicable villain; he really owned his role which made it all the more convincing.

Yet it was Gerald McRaney, who played Tuck, that really stood out for me in this film. Tuck was immediately the heart of the film upon his introduction and from there on out continued to stand out in the film. His father figure role and his inspiring moments of dialogue is what made this film truly memorable for me.

The film failed itself with it's rather standard looking cinematography and editing, it was very clear that this film didn't stretch to have a unique look. More than that the music in this film was quite bland as well and left much to be desired. The plot also had a lot of tragic moments and miraculous turning points that started seeming unbelievable after a while.

James Marsden, who played Dawson, was quite boring to watch; his performance was very monotone and it seemed he had been hired more for his looks than his talent. Sebastian Arcelus, who played Frank, really did not go to any great lengths to stand out in the film; rather he seemed kind of indifferent to everything around him.