Avengers: Age of Ultron

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This is certainly not Marvel's best film to date nor is it better than the first Avengers, yet it's still a great film and worth the watch. I would give Avengers: Age of Ultron an 8/10.

This film flaunted it's special effects so casually that you simply had to admire how far this film series has come as a franchise. I also really enjoyed the cinematography, the way this was put together meant that you felt like you were watching live action screen grabs from an actual comic book. Once again Marvel delivered a beautiful opening score, something that was quite powerful and matched these spectacular cinematic moments. The fight choreography was brilliant as well, huge kudos to the stunt department. Joss Whedon also works really well on delivering some incredible dialogue and character depth. The film moves at a great pace, blending action and drama in a great way.

Robert Downey Jr, who played Tony Stark, really does remain the actor upon which the MCU rests; his quick and easy quips as well as his brilliant emotional narcisstic range make him a genuine pleasure to watch onscreen. Chris Evans, who played Steve Rogers, was really written well for; he embodied some of the stronger ideals of his character all while making the hard calls against his own teammates. Scarlett Johansson, who played Natasha Romanoff, remains one of the best leading ladies of the MCU, her presence in action scenes as well as her backstory became really intriguing in this film. Jeremy Renner, who played Clint Barton, really came into his own this film; suddenly he became one of the most interesting and engaging of all the Avengers. James Spader, who voiced Ultron, was a fantastic antagonist; he had a lot of natural charisma and was one of the 'fun sociopaths' that Marvel is so notorious for. Don Cheadle, who played James Rhodes, was a welcome addition to the Avengers team; he's a subtle form of comedy that is really refreshing to watch. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Pietro Maximoff, really shaped up to be one of the most interesting of the new characters; his energy onscreen was always perfect and he progressed very naturally. Paul Bettany, who played Vision, was a joy to finally see onscreen; his character brought a whole new angle to the MCU and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Anthony Mackie, who played Sam Wilson, remains one of the best new additions to the MCU; I loved his cameos in this film. Hayley Atwell, who played Peggy Carter, had a beautiful cameo, she really made Steve's vision feel so discordant which was perfect for the tone. Idris Elba, who played Heimdall, was absolutely manic in his cameo; the insanity he portrayed really has me looking forward to Thor 3. Andy Serkis, who played Ulysses Klaue, was a brilliant minor antagonist; his witty banter really stole the scene he was in. Linda Cardellini, who played Laura Barton, brought a whole new dynamic to Hawkeye's character; her very grounded role in this film really brought a fresh new aspect to the cinematic universe.

However the best performance of the film was without a doubt Samuel L. Jackson, who played Nick Fury. Jackson reminds audiences of the one character who has cemented this franchise almost as much as Tony Stark has. In his performance we see an incredible display of wisdom and some of the best banter and dialogue of the film. He has the pleasure of being the best part of the final battle and I think this film wouldn't have been as great as it had been without him.

Where this film suffers is in Whedon's inability to craft a compelling Avengers plot that resembles any of the past films we've seen before. And Maybe that's just because his main villain has such a weak motive; his solution for peace is to destroy the world? Yeeeah this is the 21st century, the whole 'destroy the world cause I'm in the right' plot has been done to death. He's also forgetful of his characters in places, we don't really see much sense of continuity from the past films. For example Thor keeps leaving the story and coming back only for the key moments. Not to mention the out of nowhere romance between Black Widow and Hulk; frankly that was a very forced romance and ruined the best character of the first Avengers film. Whedon had a very disorganised and poorly planned plot that really brought down the film.

Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor, felt like he'd spent a bit too long away from the character; his performance lacked the usual energy and he seemed out of place in this film. Mark Ruffalo, who played Bruce Banner, was hampered by a terrible romantic subplot; he reminded me why a Hulk solo film hasn't happened. Elizabeth Olsen, who played Wanda Maximoff, couldn't do the accent of the character she was cast to play; as a result she had one of the most artifical performances onscreen and I dread seeing her in future Marvel films. Cobie Smulders, who played Maria Hill, lacked screen presence; it's really unclear to me what she actually does as a character. Stellan Skarsgard, who played Erik Selvig, was disappointingly underused; he felt like he'd been thrown into the film for the sake of a cameo. Claudia Kim, who played Dr. Helen Cho, was really an insignificant new addition to the MCU; she felt more plot point than character. Thomas Kretschmann, who played Strucker, was a terrible minor antagonist; he lacked any kind of threat; I mean if you're going to play a terror cell leader at least actually try and fit that presence. Kerry Condon, who voiced F.R.I.D.A.Y, was really annoying to listen to; hopefully they change the voice actor by the time Civil War swings around.

The Age of Adaline

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It's funny how a film about someone never aging made me feel like I lost hours of my life watching it. I would give The Age of Adaline a 4.5/10.

This film had a great concept behind it, especially because this film would fall into the romance genre so this was fairly original. I also thought that the pacing of the film as a whole wasn't too bad and worked really well with the structure of the plot.

Anthony Ingruber, who played Young William Jones, was a display of some of the best casting I've seen; he had Ford's mannerism and tone completely nailed in his performance.

However the best performance of this film was Harrison Ford, who played William Jones. He was very charismatic in his demeanour, making his usual gruff attitude work for him rather than against him in this role. The compassion and adoration he brought in his chemistry with both Lively and Baker was really genuine. Yet I think what really sold me on his performance was his wild erratic moments, the parts where he looked convinced he had gone insane. It felt very real and very manic, a really well rounded portrayal.

The Age of Adaline played into stereotypical romance genre writing and dialogue while alienating itself from one of the most interesting parts of the film's dramatic conflict: Adaline's fear of being caught for experimentation. We get maybe one or two scenes in which her fears seem validated but apart from this she seems to have a fairly safe and ordinary life. I also thought that the very unnecessary explanation of why Adaline didn't age was tedious, why use science that doesn't exist to explain impossible phenomenon in a romance film? I also thought that the cinematography and editing was rather bland; in fact some of the editing took away from high moments of tension in the way that it was cut. The score for this film fell very easily into the background and left little to no impression upon me.

Blake Lively, who played Adaline Bowman, was a terrible leading lady; she was very boring and withdrawn in how she portrayed her character. Michiel Huisman, who played Ellis Jones, felt very artificial and had some terrible cringe-worthy dialogue. Ellen Burstyn, who played Flemming, felt like she was confused about how to play her role; she acted like a child even though she was meant to be a woman who'd lived a full life. Kathy Baker and Amanda Crew, who played Kathy Jones and Kikki Jones respectively, lacked screen time and stupendously underused. Hugh Ross, who voiced Narrator, was the kind of character and presence that snapped you right out of the film; they were unnecessary and a major negative point of the film.

Woman in Gold

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In this film Ryan Reynolds says "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a moment in history" and after watching the feature I could not agree more. I would give Woman in Gold a 9/10.

This film is a brilliant exploration of the Jewish victims of Nazism, this is the kind of historical portrayal that made 12 Years a Slave such a moving thing to watch. This film fantastically deals with a blend of Austria wracked by Nazism in the past and the intense adventure to reclaim stolen art in the present. The film moves with some great pacing and the story constantly knows how to portray the emotions of the scenes. The cinematography was beautiful and really paid attention to detail; while the editing meant that the colouring for the scenes in the past was perfectly toned. The musical score was really moving, with a very intense and fluctuating pitch.

Helen Mirren, who played Maria Altmann, was a powerful performance to watch; the incredible range of emotion that Mirren displays really made the film engaging throughout. Daniel Bruhl, who played Hubertus Czernin, was a very modest role with a lot of strength behind it; Bruhl creates a fighter for justice that you really come to admire. Antje Traue, who played Adele Bloch-Bauer, was a moving performance; you really came to see why she was this massive role model figure within the film. Allan Corduner, who played Gustav Bloch-Bauer, was a fantastic father figure; his compassion and strength was a powerful thing to watch.

However the best performance of the cast came from Ryan Reynolds, who played Randol Schoenberg. It's true that at first Reynolds took a while to outshine the rest of the cast, his performance was very matter of fact and restrained. But it evolved fantastically, his break down at the memorial triggered this. Suddenly the character was full of care and earnest. Reynolds captured someone who rallied and fought and became consumed with finding justice. This is probably one of my favourite performances by the actor to date.

If I were to say something negative about the film it is that some of the scenes within this film felt a bit unnecessary.

Katie Holmes, who played Pam, had very little to do within this film and lacked screen presence. Tatiana Maslany, who played Young Maria Altmann, was a very rigid performance; she didn't muster up the same kind of emotional range as Mirren did in the same role. Max Irons, who played Fritz, felt very much like a character in the background; the fact that the fate of his character was never mentioned shows how little his character mattered. Charles Dance, who played Sherman, was just yet another character that lacked screen presence; he felt like he had no power or purpose in the film.  

The Longest Ride

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Another fantastic adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks' novel! I would give The Longest Ride a 7/10.

The writing within this film was what really struck me, it's a testament to the genre when a romance film can have the depth of understanding culture, history and personality in a way that is beyond cliche. That isn't diminishing the fact that this film had some generic dialogue here and there but the plot and themes as a whole worked in tandem to make an incredibly powerful film that celebrated love. The pacing was really good, each scene had a lot of value. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack and score both things working together to create the perfect harmony of moods displayed within this feature.

Scott Eastwood, who played Luke Collins, had a great performance as the male lead of this film; his closely guarded brooding figure felt real and more than just a generic macho figure. Oona Chaplin, who played Young Ruth, had a powerful and compassionate performance; her representation of immigration and another culture as well as that of a desire for motherhood and a celebration of art was spectacular to watch.

However the best performance of this feature was Britt Robertson, who played Sophia Danko. Robertson refused to be led down the path of stereotype, instead she was fun and refreshing to watch. Her performance was completely natural to observe which made the story all the more enjoyable. She was also perfect in how she bridged the past and present plots together.

The cinematography and editing within this film were very basic; just some stock shots and transitions that really didn't add much to the film as a whole.

Alan Alda, who played Ira Levinson, was a very dry performance; his onscreen presence and narration didn't exactly draw your attention as an audience member. Jack Huston, who played Young Ira, was a very withdrawn performance; you felt like the guy had more to give but really couldn't manage to hit the mark. Melissa Benoist, who played Marcia, was a very stock and standard best friend sorority girl performance; she was a token romance film character and so took away from what was otherwise a great film.

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water

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This film is so impossibly and incredibly bizarre that I feel the writer's must have been high during scripting. I would give The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water a 4/10.

This film has an animation style that is very classic to the cartoon which is good to see, there are a few minor discrepancies but nothing I'd complain about. The editing also moves well, giving a sense of flow to the shooting of scenes.

Tom Kenny, who voiced Spongebob, is really a fantastic voice actor; the amount of work he does into keeping a character feel so timeless is great to watch.

However the best performance of the film really came from Mr Lawrence, who voiced Plankton. Frankly this was plankton's film; he had about as much screen time as Spongebob did as well as the best story arc. His character development was really great to see and the voicework still feels classic and fresh with this role.

Despite this the film suffered greatly from a film that lacked direction; the plot was all over the place. In fact the lack of good comedy and understandable plot really made this feel like a disgrace to a classic children's cartoon. The pacing on this was quite poor and wasn't helped by the constant addition of plot points that made very little sense. The music that accompanied this film was very basic and frankly very annoying; the time travel song felt like it was from a straight to dvd comedy film and the concluding rap battle was incredibly out of place.

Antonio Banderas, who played Burger Beard, was shocking in this film; he really didn't put much effort into taking the film seriously and his performance was very artificial. Bill Fagerbakke, who voiced Patrick, has become quite a tired performance; his comedy very repetitive and tired to listen to. Rodger Bumpass, who voiced Squidward, was sidelined as a background performance; he felt no different than all the other minor voice actors. Clancy Brown, who voiced Mr Krabs, is much like Fagerbakke in that his performance has gotten old; his character remained two dimensional the entire time and I found little interest in him. Carolyn Lawrence, who voiced Sandy, was really weird in this film; the character was nothing but peculiar and her personality seemed to vary in a way that made her character confusing to watch.

The Book of Life

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This is such a perfect celebration of Spanish culture, specifically Mexican, and I hope we see more of it to come! I would give The Book of Life a 9/10.

This film creates a plot that is incredibly new and original to watch, such empowerment in all characters as well as incredible celebration in a culture is wonderful to see. The pacing is great and you'll be hooked throughout the story. The animation style is incredible, something that you're not sure about at first but it quickly grows on you and is really quite beautiful to watch. The music is also brilliant, the score and soundtrack working in harmony to create one of the best animated film soundtracks of the year.

Zoe Saldana, who voiced Maria, really spearheaded one of my new favourite animated heroines; she pushed her character to stand out and really became such a strong and inspiring character to watch. Channing Tatum, who voiced Joaquin, really owned his role; his cocky arrogance was a lot of fun to watch and he had some amazing character development. Ron Perlman, who voiced Xibalba, was the stand out antagonist of the film; his sly cunning and gothic character one to remember. Ice Cube, who voiced Candle Maker, brought a lot of fun and energy to the film just when it was needed; his humour and entertaining personality really made him a great character. Kate del Castillo, who voiced La Muerte, was a wonderful role; her allure mixed with bouts or rage and flirtation were incredibly great.

However the best performance came from Diego Luna, who voiced Manolo. A great protagonist who serves as an inspiration for those who wish to follow their passion and their heart. Luna's fun and brave character will have you on the edge of your seat throughout the film. In fact his musical numbers throughout the film are some of the best done in an animated film; in fact I haven't seen a better performance since Idina Menzel in Frozen.

My only critique is the poor narrative delivery of the museum tour, it really took you out of the magic of the film. It also took a lot of tension from the film, you had this sense that everything would wind up alright because it was hinted at constantly at the museum.

Christina Applegate, who voiced Mary Beth, was the main cause of why the museum storyline failed so badly; her tone was patronising and lacked passion for the story she was telling. Hector Elizondo, who voiced Carlos Sanchez, was a very two dimensional character; his role became quite contradictory at times. Carlos Alazraqui, who voiced General Posada, had an exaggerated comedic voice; his role seemed so comic that you failed to take him seriously. Dan Navarro, who voiced Chakal, gave one of the weakest antagonist performances; his character had no depth and just sort of blundered into the final act.