Taken 3

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Liam Neeson should've stopped at the second one, at least that had some sense of consistency from the first one. I would give Taken 3 a 6/10.

Let's get one thing very clear about these films, the stunts and the fight choreography are something else. I mean the fluidity with how the action unfolds in really quite wicked to see. There was some very wicked cinematography and editing that captured this action epic unfold.

Liam Neeson, who played Bryan Mills, approached the role with the same caring badass Dad approach; and frankly it works he does a phenomenal job. Maggie Grace, who played Kim Mills, gave a strong performance within this film; her confrontational attitude really brought her to the forefront of the plot. Leland Orser, who played Sam, is a great source of not just comedic relief but displays of a minor character that becomes an audience beloved; his near death within this film was absolutely one of the high points in terms of dramatic intensity.

Within this film it was Forest Whitaker, who played Franck Dotzler, that gave a stand out performance. I was just really impressed the wit and sudden displays of intuition we as an audience saw Whitaker put into Dotzler. He was certainly a strong match for Neeson's Mills and stole the show from him without a doubt.

This film had one of the worst Taken plots to date; the plot of Stuart suddenly being a bad guy was so random and confusing that it completely derailed the great run of action films the Taken franchise had going. Not to mention that the pacing dragged, just when we thought it was all over it kept going with a plot twist that wasn't all that surprising or significant. The pregnancy sub-plot also felt like a bit of a stretch. The music suffered in a very similar way to Transformers: Age of Extinction, they repeated the same song that had been made or bought for the film over and over again.

Famke Janssen, who played Lenore St. John, continued giving us the character that we wish had been killed off a lot sooner; her natural snarkiness and double standard dialogue had made her a poor character for years. Dougray Scott, who played Stuart St. John, was one of the worst Taken villains yet; he lacked an intimidating presence and his entire character felt very confused. Sam Spruell, who played Oleg Malankov, made the film feel more comedy than action; his villain was all basic stuntwork and big guns without any real threat.

Birdman

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Birdman can best be described as a well written and performed film that has a visual style that lets the film down. I would give Birdman a 7/10.

Birdman is a masterful story that completely maps out the state of Hollywood cinema currently. The line between a theatrical actor who has to have some real depth to their performance for arguably fewer benefits is contrasted to the Hollywood blockbuster actor who recieves rewards for their performance in front of a green screen. Just brilliant in that regard. I also felt that the editing and transitions between scenes flowed perfectly; I also have to give special mention to the CGI within the Birdman scene.

Michael Keaton, who played Riggan, gave a wonderful performance in a leading role; his ability ot portray such a wide range of emotion and achieve varying levels of connections with many other actors speaks wonders to his amount of talent. Emma Stone, who played Sam, gave a very rough performance in yet another display that proves she will be a powerhouse actress in the next few years. Zach Galifianakis, who played Jake, gave a very stoic performance in which he wrangled in everyone's wild personalities; a surprisingly serious role for Galifianakis and quite an impressive one at that. Naomi Watts, who played Lesley, gave a very genuine performance in this film; her earnest thankful actress was certainly a change from the rest of the cast's performances.

Yet it was Edward Norton, who played Mike, that really showcased the best performance in the entire film. It wasn't just the fundamental question he brought of 'is a good method character actor appreciated anymore?' It's his fast paced, always acting presence. Norton stepped into a scene with humour and wit; but also with some incredibly serious bravado. He kept this film moving and certainly stole the show from Keaton.

This film had some horrendous pacing problems; the dialogue intensive script meant that there was no break. The audience felt bombarded by the continuous flow of the scenes. This came through in the cinematography, the long tracking shots that never really seemed to end and meant that the film never really did either. I also really hated the film's score; the solo drums has been a thing that people said got snubbed by the Academy. Not so. The drums were an instrument that added to this overbearing feeling of length, it lacked a diverse sound.

Andrea Riseborough, who played Laura, gave a very over the top confused role; her performance and character didn't seem to have much purpose other than add useless tripe to the film. Amy Ryan, who played Sylvia, was a very tired performance and didn't have a diverse range of emotion.

Into the Woods

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A perfect example of musical theatre not translating well into film format. I would give Into the Woods a 4.5/10.

This film had some wonderful songs within it, I walk away remembering specific moments like 'Agony' and 'It Takes Two'. I also thought the construction of the setpieces were brilliant and gave the film as a whole a very interesting tone. The camera work and editing was also something was was certainly inspired and very engaging.

Anna Kendrick, who played Cinderella, gave a very good performance as someone who had her wishes fulfilled and then she realised that what she dreamed didn't necessarily have to be what she wanted. Tracey Ullman, who played Jack's Mother, gave a great performance as this bitter old woman; her quick retorts and contrasting attitude to other characters certainly brought a lot to the film. Lilla Crawford, who played Little Red Riding Hood, was a brilliant child actor with an amazing voice; I really enjoyed the nuanced performance she had in this film. Meryl Streep, who played the Witch, was one of the powerhouse performances within this film; her singing and her wild displays of intense emotional performance were some of the more memorable parts of the film. Chris Pine, who played Cinderella's Prince, was a very enjoyable performance; his arrogant and sexist prince while not meeting the end he deserved certainly was played very well.

James Corden, who played the Baker, was a close call for my favourite between him and Meryl; but Corden certainly shined brightest in this film. James Corden brought some fantastic emotional depth to his performance that none of the other actors quite managed in the same way. He hit the lows and he hit the highs, and I'm not just talking about his singing. But truly his voice was perfect and he excelled in some of his duets with Blunt, Kendrick and Streep. Beyond that his humour really shined through into his character and I thought that that was great.

For a musical film the performances really had very little impact upon me as an audience member, they felt very contained and only once they finished was the plot allowed to carry on. I also thought that the plot was very stretched out and uninteresting, there was no real twists and the characters as well as their relationships and ties were never really strongly established before the plot moved along. I also thought that the effects within the film felt like that of a low budget tv show, I was certainly unimpressed in that regard.

Daniel Huttlestone, who played Jack, is one of the worst child actors I've seen in a while; his singing was certainly the worst as well. Emily Blunt, who played the Baker's Wife, was a horrid character who felt crammed into the story out of necessity; her abrupt change of character in the final act was also highly disconcerting and seemed out of nowhere. Christine Baranski, who played the Stepmother, was one of the more forgettable characters of the film; she was also a good example of a secondary character given too much screen time. Johnny Depp, who played the Wolf, was a major annoyance to me; Depp has fallen into this pit of playing the same character repeatedly which is tiring to watch. Billy Magnussen, who played Rapunzel's Prince; had very little screen presence and felt like a cheap copycat performance of Pine. Mackenzie Mauzy, who played Rapunzel, really brought nothing to the film; her established relationships to characters lacked a convincing feel.

The Imitation Game

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A film that basically sets the bar for acting this year. I would give The Imitation Game an 8/10.

The Imitation Game is a very intricate plot that depicts a highly engaging recount of Alan Turing's life. The musical score within this film is staggering, it really does capture the emotion of the film right up until the fire scene at the end. The shots of this film really felt quite humble in how they were paced but had such attention to the characters that it gave this character piece film the exact edge it needed.

Keira Knightley, who played Joan Clark, was a truly brilliant role; it was a great display of a female character in a world where the men are quick to judge themselves superior. Matthew Goode, who played Hugh Alexander, was quite suave; his arrogance and hot temper really gave this role a lot of depth beyond mere rival turned friend. Charles Dance, who played Commander Denniston, gave a very empowered performance as a strong military leader; his presence felt like that of an antagonist but one through Turing's eyes. Mark Strong, who played Stewart Menzies, gave a very restrained performance as a leading member of MI6; his cunning and slightly dark performance made his character seem all the more tactical.

It isn't very often that I'll have the best actor of my reviews be so close between reviews and I don't believe I have ever had a best actor twice in a row. Today I break that. I have no doubt in my mind as to why the Academy deemed Benedict Cumberbatch worthy of a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of Alana Turing; the man simply showed up most performances you'll see this year. He gave depth to a character with such diverse traits, Cumberbatch's depiction of homosexuality and autism was nothing short of inspired.

My problem with this film was that it ran too long, maybe not in the film's pacing but rather in the fact that the film never really upped the stakes by much. The points of tension or conflict were never high enough to create any real danger or threat to the main cast. I also thought how they cut between past and present grew to be a bit confused and stilted.

Rory Kinnear, who played Detective Robert Nook, was exactly how Turing described him; which is to say he was unimpressive and I least looked forward to cutting to his particular time period as it added nothing to the plot. Allen Leech, who played John Cairncross, wasn't a very interesting character and the big twist that they had using him didn't have much impact. Matthew Beard, who played Peter Hilton, gave a quiet underspoken performance; I frankly didn't care when he gave his speech about his brother as his identity hadn't become prominent within the film. Alex Lawther and Jack Bannon, who played Young Alan Turing and Christopher Morcom respectively, were rather unconvincing child actors and gave a very monotone performance.

Penguins of Madagascar

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The movie adaptation of the spin off tv show of the film franchise that has already suffered too many sequels. I would give Penguins of Madagascar a 3/10.

The Penguins film certainly had good pacing and moved along at a nice enough speed. I also felt that the music within the film was really quite good and classic to the franchise.

Tom McGrath, who voiced Skipper, really lead this film well; of all the main characters he certainly had the most consistent performance. Christopher Knights, who voiced Private, had some really good development within the film and I enjoyed the fact that the film almost seemed to revolve around that. Ken Jeong, who voiced Short Fuse, was one of the best examples of comedic relief out of all the characters within the film.

Yet it was Benedict Cumberbatch, who voiced Classified, that really owned the film. His strong acting talent effortlessly outshined the other actors within the film and he gave a genuine performance to a film that did not ask for much. The scene in which he explained his attack plan was one of the best of the film.

The film lacked an engaging plot, in fact the trivial predictability and the consistent tired puns and humour was depressing. Beyond that the animation within the film did not challenge itself; there was nothing new to it and as such Penguins became nothing more than a Dreamworks cash grab.

Chris Miller, who voiced Kowalski, was subject to a romance plot that lacked intrigue and his dialogue was considerably less than that of other major characters. Conrad Vernon, who voiced Rico, is a poor character; the consistent hisses and grumbles that he makes are just annoying and he adds nothing to the film. John Malkovich, who voiced Dave, is one of the weakest villains that Dreamworks has churned out; his humour was also scraping the bottom of the barrel. Annet Mahendru, who voiced Eva, was given the treatment of the sole female role being put into a romance subplot. Peter Stormare, who voiced Corporal, was just an over the top performance with no real attention to character. Andy Richter and Danny Jacobs, who voiced Mort and King Julien respectively, gave the cameo that no one asked for but helped clear up some major gaping plot holes that the film ended on.

Horrible Bosses 2

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Horrible Bosses 2 has fast become one of my favourite films of the year! I would give Horrible Bosses 2 an 8,5/10.

I cannot begin to describe how amazing this film's sense of comedic genius was; I mean both improvised dialogue and scripted was so brilliant. The plot, while very similar to the first film, was certainly a worthy sequel. The music was also incredibly well used, I love music comedy as I've said before but I really have to give special mention to Katy Perry's 'Roar' and N.W.A's 'Straight Outta Compton'. I also have a lot of love for the stunts and special effects in the film that were so cleverly used in places like the car chase scene or fake kidnapping dream sequence. I really enjoyed the cinematography and the editing, the shots were clever and kept the film alive.

Kevin Spacey, who played Dave Harken, had one of the best cameos I've ever seen as well as one of the most impactful film endings. Jamie Foxx, who played Dean 'Motherfucker' Jones, was a scene stealer in this film; he really came into his own and even topped Spacey at the film's end. Chris Pine, who played Rex Hanson, really worked well into the main trio's dynamic; he definitely staked his place as one of the headlining comedic characters of the film. Christoph Waltz, who played Bert Hanson, really brought a great presence in his role; he very quickly joined the ranks of some very horrible bosses.

You can't say just one when it comes to the best actor of the film, really you have three. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day, who played Nick Hendricks, Kurt Buckman and Dale Arbus respectfully. These three together are a comedic powerhouse and have some smooth and flawless banter. There is a reason lightning struck twice with this sequel and it is because of these three.

I feel like one of the things that let this film down was it's tendency to let the comedic banter go on for a bit long; this meant the plot dwelled a bit too long on some moments it should have moved away from.

Jennifer Aniston, who played Dr. Julia Harris D.D.S, wasn't all that necessary to the plot of the sequel; her return felt forced and her plot really was not entertaining this time round.

Big Hero Six

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Big Hero Six is the pinnacle of modern animated films just in design alone, not to mention the incredible story, cast and score. I would give Big Hero Six a 9/10.

Big Hero Six has a fantastic story in which a young boy bonds with a robot and creates a superhero team after the death of his brother, the intense story about coping with loss is just something else and has made Big Hero Six one of the best modern Disney stories to date. The pacing was really good and there was some brilliant comedy in there. I also have to rave about the animation; the attention to detail and the beauty of the environment of the city was something otherworldly. The music in this film was also great, a powerful song and a great original song by Fall Out Boy.

Scott Adsit, who voiced Baymax, had the pleasure of being one of the most loved characters of the year; I really enjoyed Baymax for his comedy and his emotional tie to Hiro. Ryan Potter, who voiced Hiro, was a fantastic leading role with a lot of depth; the amount of emotion the voice actor had to put into this role was incredible. Daniel Henney, who voiced Tadashi, was an incredible role model figure; his death within the film really hit hard and was a Mufasa like moment. T.J. Miller, who voiced Fred, was one of the funnier characters within the film; his superhero references make him an instant favourite of mine. Damon Wayan Jr., who voiced Wasabi, was a great character; his nervous attitude mixed with his amazing powers made him very fun to watch onscreen. Genesis Rodriguez. who played Honey Lemon, was a bubbly fun character; her exuberant attitude really brightened the dynamic of the team within the story. James Cromwell, who played Robert Callaghan, was a terrific villain within the film; his contrasting qualities to Hiro was nothing short of some great writing.

This film is the kind of film that makes it hard to pick a favourite character as they're all so likeable. My favourite by no means will be the same as someone else's. However I loved Jamie Chung, who voiced Go Go. This particular character had a rough attitude with a strong display of what was possibly the best superhero in the film. I liked her for her ability to take the spotlight in action sequences.

My only read problem with the film was how predictable it was, which isn't much of a gripe for a kid's film.

Alan Tudyk, who voiced Alistair Krei, was a really minor and uninteresting character; his reveal for not being the villain was highly predictable as well. Maya Rudolph, who voiced Cass, was over the top to the point where she had stopped being funny and had instead become loud.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

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I will shamefully admit that this end of a trilogy actually managed to draw a bit of crying from yours truly. I would give Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb a 7.5/10.

This film rounded off it's story in a really great way, the pacing of the film moved well and the humour was great. Not to mention the numerous references back to the original film and the heartwarming goodbyes to the beloved characters of this film. The special effects were great to watch and I particularly remember the constellations scene. I also really enjoyed the cinematography and editing for the film, it looked really good visually. The music as always was done really well, I think Silvestri outdid himself on this score.

Ben Stiller, who played Larry Daley and Laaa, did a fantastic job in his return to leading role of Larry; however his performance as Laaa felt incredibly unnecessary to the story as a whole. Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, who played Jebediah and Octavius respectively, really outdid themselves as a comedy duo; their combined performance had one of the strongest impacts on the film as a whole. Ricky Gervais, who played Dr McPhee, was just brilliant; his deadpan wit really turned some basic moments of dialogue into very memorable scenes. Skyler Gisondo, who played Nick Daley, really held a strong position as one of the comedic high points of the script; more than that his relationships with other characters was very strong. Ben Kingsley, who played Merenkahre, had a delightfully comedic cameo appearance; a regal figure with some great sass. Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs, who played Cecil, Gus and Reginald respectively, were great to see again; this film was supremely good at tying to the first film in this way. Alice Eve and Hugh Jackman, who played themselves, had a great cameo; filled with some comedic high points as well as some brilliant references.

Yet in a film with some amazing displays of comedy it was Dan Stevens, who played Sir Lancelot, that really stole the show. He immediately made his mark by working his way right into the middle of the comedic banter that this film's stars generate. He also proved to be one of the most badass characters of the film, as both an antagonist and protagonist.

I suppose if I were to critique the film, I would point out the really awful sub plots that absolutely added nothing to the story. I also feel like the big twist of the film involving Lancelot was not all that impressive, especially considering we'd already had some much more important feeling moments of tension within the film.

Robin Williams, who played Teddy Roosevelt and Garuda, was completely uderused in this film; his ability to do impressions does not automatically make him interesting as a character sadly. Rebel Wilson, who played Tilly, is the sort of actress who plays the one character every film and it has become annoying to watch; not to mention her romance story was completely awful. Rami Malek, who played Ahkmenrah, was quite underused for someone who was apparently quite important to the plot; nor was his acting very stand out. Patrick Gallagher, who played Attila the Hun, is a bit offensive in how he is shown in the film I feel; nor does him standing around yelling gibberish in scenes add much to the film. Mizuo Peck, who played Sacajawea, was essentially benched this film; which was rather disappointing as she became much less of a major character from the first film.