Mother's Day

This review may contain spoilers!

This film has an incredible cast that did a great job with a less than perfect script. I would give Mother's Day a 4.5/10.

This was a really charming film with a multitude of individual storylines to get invested in, I found this to be a pretty interesting style because it meant the film was relatively well paced. I thought there was a great sense of humour throughout the film, but when the film isn't aiming to be funny it can land some pretty impactful emotional moments when it wants to. The soundtrack for this film works pretty well with the general tone, I thought Jason Sudeikis singing "The Humpty Dance" was a really fun use of musical comedy.

Jennifer Aniston, who played Sandy, did a great job of playing quite an erratic character; I think Aniston made a character who could have been very hard to like easier to connect with and quite funny. Timothy Olyphant, who played Henry, brought out the qualities of his character that made his character dislikeable quite easily; what spoke for Olyphant's character is that he displays a more charismatic and caring side as the film progresses. Shay Mitchell, who played Tina, was immediately quite likable and full of energy in this film; Mitchell refused to be written off as the 'young mistress' and molded a memorable character. Hector Elizondo, who played Lance Wallace, gave some great lines in this film; he built a strong relationship with Roberts and really brought some of the more inspirational messages behind this film to the forefront. Margo Martindale, who played Flo, is one of the few actresses capable of pulling off the character development her role went through; Martindale is fantastic at playing these kind and compassionate roles. Aasif Mandvi, who played Russell, had some great chemistry with Hudson in this film; I loved his comedic introduction to Jesse's parents. Sarah Chalke, who played Gabi, really bounced off Hudson well; she felt like a very natural choice to play her sister. Cameron Esposito, who played Max, had a lot of chemistry with Chalke in this film; I really appreciated this lesbian subplot it was very well done. Jason Sudeikis, who played Bradley, was a bit of a surprise for me in this film; I never expected to see Sudeikis do such great work with a dramatic role. Ella Anderson, who played Vicky, was one of the funniest performers in the film; I loved the scene between her, Sudeikis and the football ref.

However the best performance came from Kate Hudson, who played Jesse.Hudson gave a very laidback performance and I feel like that's exactly what this film needed, her character was able to make comedic asides and fun exchanges with other actors quite naturally. In saying that I liked her storyline about being in a bi-racial relationship; she portrayed her character's emotions on the matter extremely passionately.

This film didn't always seem to know what it was trying to say; for example the racist parents are still racist by the end of the film and Julia Roberts turns her daughter's wedding into a media circus. There's no real moral compass behind this film, everything feels up in the air and nothing concludes in a manner that's very satisfying. The film also failed to create convincing connections between characters, most of the time it stretched belief by saying characters knew each other through a flimsy excuse. The cinematography for this film wasn't very good, the framing was quite basic and nothing showed much creativity. The editing for this film was incredibly jarring, sometimes a scene would cut from one storyline to another at a really awkward moment.

Caleb Brown and Brandon Spink, who played Mikey and Peter respectively, weren't very funny in this film; they also shared a chemistry that felt a bit awkward. Julia Roberts, who played Miranda, presented a character who was very artificial; she became a hard character to connect with in this film and you never really empathised with her. Adreana Gonzalez, who played Publicist Inez, didn't have very much screen presence in this film; a big reason for this was because she had very little chemistry with Roberts and Elizondo. Robert Pine, who played Earl, felt like he was trying a little too hard to be funny in this film; ultimately his role was the weak link of the parents from Texas storyline. Owen Vaccaro, who played Charlie, wasn't a very good child actor; Vaccaro was quite a forgettable performer in this film. Anoush NeVart, who played Sonia, was a funny performer who could've been interesting with a little more screen time; her sudden relationship with Martindale wasn't very believable. Jessi Case, who played Rachel, didn't have much chemistry with Sudeikis in this film; her outbursts and awkward interactions with other performers made her character extremely hard to understand. Loni Love, who played Kimberly, was given far too much screen time in this film; I didn't understand why her role kept barging so forcefully into the lives of these other characters. Grayson Russell, who played Tommy, was pitched as a bit of a heart-throb in this film; I mean look him up on IMDB and you'll see why I found that so hard to buy. Britt Robertson, who played Kristin, started out as quite an aspiring actress but her roles seem to be getting progressively worse; Robertson's flippant role in this film isn't at all grounded. Jack Whitehall, who played Zack, has some great moments when he's doing stand up but doesn't have the acting talent to play a dramatic role; Whitehall has absolutely no chemistry at all with Robertson in this film which makes for a boring storyline. Gary Friedkin, who played Shorty, was a little person being the butt of little people jokes; I never get the need for roles like this.

Eddie The Eagle

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is inspirational and filled me with joy. I would give Eddie The Eagle a 9/10.

Sometimes you need a light film that keeps things simple and knows how to make it's audience feel good, Eddie The Eagle has this tone in spades. I was honestly hooked throughout the run of this entire film because I was invested in Eddie's journey to the Olympics; at first I thought the pacing was down to how funny the film was but by the end of the film I realised how much I really had connected with the main character and his journey. The cinematography in this film is spectacular, the camera is particularly good at showing the immense scale of some of the jumps that are made in this film. The editing for this film is also really well done, everything feels quite natural and visually the film has a great flow to it. The score for this film is also really powerful to go alongside some of those incredibly jaw-dropping scenes, however it's the soundtrack that I think will really stick in your mind after watching this film.

Tom Costello and Jack Costello, who played 10 Year Old Eddie and 15 Year Old Eddie respectively, gave us a great introduction into the title role of this film; they had the exact same witticisms as Egerton in their performances. Jo Hartley, who played Janette, was quite a likable role in this film; the support and faith she had in Eddie made her a true pleasure to watch. Keith Allen, who played Terry, was great at playing the gruff and distant father figure in this film; Allen did such a great job at portraying these qualities that the reconciliation between him and Eddie was made all the better by the end of the film. Taron Egerton, who played Eddie Edwards, was a great protagonist for this film; Egerton is very good at portraying inherently comedic characters but he also performs roles that you can connect with. Tim McInnerny, who played Dustin Target, was one of the few good antagonistic performers in this film; McInnerny is great at presenting a snobby role that rallies very strongly against Eddie in this film. Edvin Endre, who played Matti Nykanen, was a really interesting minor role in this film; the elevator scene he shares with Egerton at the end of the film is extremely profound. Iris Berben, who played Petra, had a great presence in this film and was quite a tease to say the least; Berben had some great line delivery and certainly made her mark on the film. Jim Broadbent, who played BBC Commentator, had the perfect voice to portray a commentating role; the key to his performance was eloquent description which he presented perfectly. Christopher Walken, who played Warren Sharp, had a fantastic presence in this film despite having only two scenes and one voice-over; Walken built an incredible rapport with Jackman in the scene they shared together and it was one of my favourites of the film.

However the best performance came from Hugh Jackman, who played Bronson Peary. Jackman is really good at playing characters with a hard exterior that eventually gives way to quite a caring persona in films. In this particular feature you see him as being quite indifferent and almost downtrodden at first, by the end of the film he's become a very exuberant and earnest coach which was some great and well performed character development. I loved the chemistry he had with Egerton, they bounced off of one another very naturally.

This film suffers from something that underdog biopic films suffer from: a sense of safety. Eddie takes several bad crashes in this film but you know for a fact that by the end of this film he'll succeed and so the film is robbed a bit; it never really feels like Eddie is in true danger. This film also has some minor offbeats, particularly moments of comedy that didn't feel natural to the story.

Mark Benton, who played Richmond The BOA Official, was an antagonist in this film that lacked screen presence; his performance was constantly being eclipsed by McInnerny. Mads Sjogard Pettersen, who played Erik Moberg, was an antagonist that never had any menace to him; his confrontation with Jackman didn't even feel like a big deal. Marc Benjamin, who played Lars Holbin, felt quite unnecessary in this film; he acted as antagonist and bystander in several scenes but his role never seemed to have much purpose. Rune Temte, who played Bjorn The Norwegian Coach, felt like a cartoon villain; his performance was very over the top and didn't seem at all grounded in reality. Daniel Ings, who played Zach, was a very rushed antagonist that was swiftly inserted into the last act of the film; Ings' motivation for antagonising Eddie was never really made very clear and so he became one of the weaker characters of the cast.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a film that has a lot to say but can take quite a while to say it. I would give Whiskey Tango Foxtrot a 4.5/10.

This film had some pretty funny moments here and there but ultimately to say this film is a comedy wouldn't do it justice. Where this film really excels is when it starts up a commentary upon the war within Afghanistan, the responsibility of journalism and the glimpse into Afghan culture. I thought this film was quite respectful and really knew what it was talking about, particularly in regards to the cultural aspects of this film. I also have to admit that the editing for this film worked really well, it did a really good job at showing different perspectives within the film.

Tina Fey, who played Kim Baker, was a great protagonist within this film; it was quite surprising seeing her as one of the more dramatic actors rather than one of the comedic actors and she does a fantastic job at it. Margot Robbie, who played Tanya Vanderpoel, wasn't in this film as much as I thought but did a great job despite her screen time; what I really enjoyed was that her character had an interesting moment in which she became an antagonist. Alfred Molina, who played Ali Massoud Sadiq, was a really funny yet stern performance; Molina is a really versatile actor and shows it in this film. Christopher Abbott, who played Fahim Ahmadzai, was one of the most charismatic characters in this film; Abbott shared some incredible chemistry with Fey in this film. Sheila Vand, who played Shakira Khar, was one of the funniest performers in the film; her line delivery was great and she was a fantastic entertainer. Evan Jonigkeit, who played Specialist Coughlin, delivered a very grounded performance in this film; I think Jonigkeit worked really well at delivering some of the stronger messages of this film. Sterling K. Brown, who played Sgt. Hurd, was a really funny performer while also being quite a convincing soldier; Brown had some of the funniest lines within the film.

However the best performance came from Billy Bob Thronton, who played General Hollanek. Thronton was quite a funny performer, often coming out with a great quip or an ironically folksy line. The real strength of his performance was all down to his great delivery, playing a very weary soldier while maintaining quite a bemusing air about him. The scenes he shared with Fey were always solid moments and some of the most enjoyable of the film.

This film was exceptionally slow and it took a long time for the film to reach relevant points in the plot; frankly there is a lot of the film that feels like time filler content. A problem this film had when it came to the plot is that it never really committed to what the film was about. Was it a war story or a journalism story? Is it a comedy or are we looking at a character's romantic life? Is this a self discovery film or is it something entirely different? This contradictory nature meant that the film had it's serious downfalls. The soundtrack was a mess, often there were tracks that didn't suit the tone or the mood of the film at all. The cinematography was quite bland, usually there was too much going on in the frame.

Martin Freeman, who played Iain MacKelpie, wasn't a very likable role in this film; Freeman never really showed any strong chemistry with Fey and he became one of the more forgettable performers. Nicholas Braun, who played Tall Brian, had no screen presence in this film; he was a character with a name but was used merely to fill space in the background. Stephen Peacocke, who played Nic, was used in this film for his attractiveness and not so much his acting talent; his line delivery was very stiff. Josh Charles, who played Chris, was quite a flimsy actor; you never really care about the boyfriend back home storyline anyway. Cherry Jones and Scott Takeda, who played Geri Taub and Ed Faber, were both exceptionally bland perfomers in this film; it was for this reason that you never particularly engaged with any of the journalism stuff set in New York. Hakim Zamir, who played Qadar, gave a very generic warlord performance in this film; he wasn't so much intimidating as much as he felt like a stereotype.

The Jungle Book

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The law of the jungles is that Jon Favreau can't make a bad film. I would give The Jungle Book an 8.5/10.

This film has a fairly solid plot that is an incredible tribute to the original story as well as the classic Disney film, it's easy to see the magic at work in this story. The film flows at quite a natural pace and successfully lets the audience interact with the jungle at the exact same time that Mowgli is interacting with it. The score for this film is simply beautiful, everything about it is nostalgic and a great throwback to the music from the original film. The cinematography is really fast and captures action or chase sequences quite well, but Favreau has a great eye for drawing the camera back to capture some visually stunning shots. This film's real strength is the special effects, The Jungle Book is quite possible the greatest use of CGI technology to date as the animals in this film looked incredible.

Neel Sethi, who played Mowgli, was a great protagonist for this film; Sethi is an exceptionally charismatic actor and you really connect to him. Bill Murray, who voiced Baloo, has the perfect good humoured voice for this role; he's a really funny actor and character in this feature. Ben Kingsley, who voiced Bagheera, has the strong serious tone that makes this role; Kingsley did a great job of establishing the proud and protective father figure role in this film. Lupita Nyong'o, who voiced Raksha, was quite a gentle and caring performer in this film; Nyong'o is fantastic at displaying strong and intense emotions. Scarlett Johansson, who voiced Kaa, had such an enchanting voice in this film; she was really unsettling and made for a great minor antagonist. Giancarlo Esposito, who voiced Akela, had a really strong and powerful performance in this film; while Esposito wasn't in this film for long he did make for a great leader. Christopher Walken, who voiced King Louie, was quite a creep and intimidating antagonist; Walken has a really unique voice and was perfect casting for Louie. Garry Shandling, who voiced Ikki, was a great comedic presence in this film; his line delivery was hilarious. Brighton Rose, who voiced Gray, had great chemistry with Sethi; Rose showed incredible talent for such a young actor.

However the best performance came from Idris Elba, who voiced Shere Khan. Shere Khan is one of those classic villains that you immediately recognise as menacing and Elba does a great job at doing this role justice. Over the course of the film Elba displays one of the strongest screen presences and makes a great impact on every scene he is in. Once again Shere Khan will be an antagonist sharp in people's minds.

The only problem this film had in regards to it's plot was that there were some moments were there were off beats; what I mean by that is there a moments of intense action followed by long periods of inaction or things that don't fit with the tone of the film. One of the biggest off beat moments is when King Louie starts singing, it was awkward and came out of nowhere.

Jon Favreau and Sam Raimi, who voiced Pygmy Hog and Giant Squirrel respectively, weren't very funny in this film; these cameos were a further example of the off beats I mentioned.

The Divergent Series: Allegiant

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The Divergent sequels have just never really been able to match up to the first film. I would give The Divergent Series: Allegiant a 6/10.

The narrative for this film is really strange, it's fractured into what is basically three storylines that all collide awkwardly in the final act. I'll talk a bit more about two of these storylines later in my review but for now i'd like to discuss the one that really impressed me: the plot revolving around Four. This storyline was great because it had a great element of action and danger in it but what really made it stand out was that Four had to encounter some very traumatic things like parents beings gunned down in front of children or children having their entire memories erased. This film had some great cinematography, the director really knew how to create some incredible panning and tracking shots. The score for this film really worked the blockbuster vibe well, it's not the most memorable collection of music but it is pretty powerful and serves the film well. The fight scenes in this film were few and far between but when they swung around they were very well choreographed, any fight sequence with Four was a high point of the film.

Shailene Woodley, who played Tris, is a pretty good protagonist; Woodley is very good at playing empathetic roles and creating a very moral character. Theo James, who played Four, had one of the strongest presences in this film; James is a very physical performer who can be both and intimidating and vulnerable through his body language. Octavia Spencer, who played Johanna Reyes, is a great leader in this feature; she feels very charismatic but has a hard edge to her. Daniel Dae Kim, who played Jack Kang, has a great one scene appearance in this film; he is really the driving force behind the intensity of the 'trial' scene. Bill Skarsgard, who played Matthew, did a brilliant job of introducing the characters and the audience to the new setting of the Bureau; I really enjoyed the fact his character became a bit more three-dimensional when he helped betray David. Andy Bean, who played Romit, was a really intimidating footsoldier for the Bureau; Bean did a good job at creating a role who was very two-faced and who had a darker agenda. Parisa Johnston, who played Regina, had an enjoyable minor role in this film; Johnston's smug elite role really fit well as a new character to this cast.

However the best performance came from Miles Teller, who played Peter. Teller does a great job in these films and always manages to stand out to me. In every film he's had a sort of annoying role that could be described as being an antagonist but in this film he really embraces that aspect; it's really interesting seeing Teller act out this betrayal and adopt the role of David's lackey. Beyond this element of his role I think Teller brings a great sense of humour to this franchise, his snide remarks and quips are some of the highlights of the film for me.

This film had a lot going on with the narrative, the three central storylines only served to make the film extremely confusing and ultimately the film dragged out for a significant portion of the feature. Tris was relatively underused or poorly used in this film, the entire storyline around the genetic enhancements and research was a lot more complicated than a film like this needed it to be. I also really didn't like how they did the civil war between the Allegiant and Factionless forces in Chicago; there wasn't a lot of attention put on it so you never really cared much about it. The editing was really stiff, the cutting was otherwise very slow or came at awkward times. The special effects in this film looked awful, there were several instances where the CGI looked artificial or you could visually see the green screen backdrops.

Naomi Watts, who played Evelyn, never really seemed like great casting to me; her character's motives and actions are all over the place to the point where you don't even know if she's acting out of character or not. Jeff Daniels, who played David, is a very weak antagonist in this film; he isn't very menacing but instead seems tired as the film goes along. Zoe Kravitz, who played Christina, doesn't have much screen presence in this film; her character hasn't had much purpose since the original film. Ansel Elgort, who played Caleb, might very well be one of the worst upcoming actors out there; Elgort was given far too much screen time in this film and you don't really buy into his character's 'redemption' arc. Maggie Q, who played Tori, was given a weak and unnecessary death scene in this film; there wasn't even any fallout after her role died so it just felt like a character death for shock value. Jonny Weston, who played Edgar, was another one of the film's weak antagonists; Weston's thuggish role never really seemed very dangerous so much as he was incompetent. Nadia Hilker, who played Nita, was one of the Bureau characters that you never really cared much for; in fact her betraying the Bureau felt really out of place. Ray Stevenson, who played Marcus, had a pretty terrible one scene appearance in this film; he was just written off lazily for the sake of a plot device. Mekhi Phifer, who played Max, was one of the weaker parts of the opening 'trial' scene; he played a two-dimensional character and never really felt like anything else.

The Boss

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This film is kinda like watching what would happen if Donald Trump and Ellen DeGeneres had a child, and that child had a movie made about them. I would give The Boss a 3.5/10.

This film has it's funny moments; but what is best to remember is that this film is only strongest when it isn't taking itself too seriously, a scene that focuses upon the plot or the characters is never really as enjoyable as the moments when Melissa McCarthy is riding a giant bird or Peter Dinklage is brandishing a samurai sword. The editing for this film is really well put together, it especially plays well alongside the scenes the rely upon the comedic soundtrack. The soundtrack really is the strength of the film, the best songs have clearly been picked to make this film as entertaining and funny as possible.

Melissa McCarthy, who played Michelle Darnell, once again proves herself to be a comedic powerhouse in this film; it says a lot that the film relies primarily upon McCarthy to carry the comedic moments of the film. Peter Dinklage, who played Renault, is a bizarre antagonist in this film but is surprisingly works; Dinklage is clearly having a lot of fun and playing things up but it serves to heighten the film after quite a few mild scenes. Mary Sohn, who played Jan Keller, gives a great parody of a suburban mum; her line delivery is incredibly funny. Eva Peterson, who played Chrystal, has a strong presence for such a minor role in this film; she plays a really strong and intimidating character quite well.Annie Mumolo, who played Helen, is another great antagonist in this film; her moments of confrontation with McCarthy are some of the most memorable. Ben Falcone, who played Marty, had an entertaining scene in this film; Falcone's exchange with McCarthy was a lot of fun. Margo Martindale, who played Sister Aluminata, really was the perfect actress to open this film; she made the film feel like it was going to be quite enjoyable from the get go. T-Pain, who played himself, had a great cameo in this film; his performance and introduction of Melissa McCarthy was a real high point of the film.

However the best performance came from Cedric Yarbrough, who played Tito. Yarbrough almost singlehandedly made this film's first act really strong and funny. He played a character who dealt a lot of one-liners and it just worked to the benefit of the scenes he was in; Yarbrough's line delivery was exceptional and gave the film it's strong start. The biggest mistake this film made was not giving him more scenes later in the feature.

This film could have been an enjoyable comedy but it didn't feel like the script had been given much thought; the plot moved either very quickly or extremely sluggishly. There were so many scenes where events just seemed to happen for the sake of it, there was nothing that felt natural to the story. Worst of all was that the characters were all very bland or two-dimensional; this is why character development exists, to show a character move beyond what they were but this film is afflicted with a cast of characters who are the exact same by the end of the film. The cinematography in this film is appalling, it's quite clear that the director doesn't have much of mind when it comes to creating a visual style.

Kristen Bell, who played Claire, plays one of the blandest characters I've seen in a comedy for a while; I wish Bell had been given the opportunity to be at the very least a little comedic. Ella Anderson, who played Rachel, seems to follow Bell's lead in portraying a very boring and generic character; Anderson doesn't show much chemistry with the rest of the cast and they probably could have gotten a better child actress. Tyler Labine, who played Mike Beals, was the romantic subplot that this film never really needed; his character is constantly being ridiculed for being irrelevant and for very good reason. Kathy Bates, who played Ida Marquette, is a character who probably could have been given a little more screen time; as it was Bates' role had a lot of history with McCarthy's role and it was wasted potential that was never explored. Cecily Strong, who played Dana Dandridge, was a bizarre character and performance; I still don't really understood what the point of this character was and her lack of consistency didn't help. Kristen Schaal, who played Scout Leader Sandy, had no screen presence in this film; Schaal's role was irritating at best. Timothy Simons, who played Stephan, played his role a bit too over the top; after a point it just felt like he was copying Dinklage rather than emulating him. Presley Coley, who played Hannah, wasn't a great child actress and had very little screen presence; Coley's character felt like a weak attempt to create a bully/victim subplot with some of the child actresses but it never panned out. Michael McDonald, who played Bryce Crean, gave us one of the most boring scenes of the film; he had no comedic talent to speak of and very little chemistry with McCarthy. Larry Dorf, who played Guard Kenny, was a reminder to the audience that the film had stopped caring by the end of the film; he wasn't funny so much as he was cringeworthy. Gayle King, who played herself, was a very forgettable cameo; she introduced some good content but the scene just didn't play out very well.

Robinson Crusoe

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Sometimes with animated films it pays to bear in mind that basic is not always better. I would give Robinson Crusoe a 3.5/10.

While the animation in this film doesn't strive to do anything particularly new I will admit that it shows a great attention to detail; throughout the film the visual appearance of small elements really impressed. I loved the animation of fur, hair, feathers, water and fire particularly; the film had a very natural aesthetic.

Laila Berzins, who voiced Rosie, had a lot of spirit in her performance; she made scenes fun with the strength of her voice talent alone. David Howard, who voiced Tuesday, was the only one of the two protagonists to give a decent performance; his enthusiasm with his line delivery kept things moving somewhat. Colin Metzger, who voiced Carmello, had a really unique voice that stood out in this film; his character had an extremely minor role but had a fun wit about him. Dennis O'Connor, who voiced Long John Silver, had a really intimidating quality to his voice; O'Connor was a great pick for this pirate role. Doug Stone, who voiced Aynsley, had a very strong presence for such a minor character; his gravelly and insightful role was one of the better characters.Lindsay Torrance, who voiced Kiki, had a very strong passionate performance in this film; Torrance was one of the few performers to display a convincing emotional range.

However the best performance came from Jeff Doucette and Debi Tinsley, who voiced Mal and May respectively. Doucette and Tinsley presented a pair of antagonists who were very menacing and one of the most exciting parts of the film. This pair had a very distinct voice that was immediately recognisable as dark and villainous in this film.

This film was far too long for an animated feature, it dragged on and on with no real distinctive end in sight; even when the film had finally finished it was upon a very weak note. In fact the entire plot was exceptionally weak, you never really connect with Crusoe or the animal characters because all of their motives or personas are generic or stereotypical. This film is artificial and it feels like it was quickly churned out and cobbled together to have an animated feature prepared for school holiday season. The music in this film is another major disappointment, I would doubt that anyone exiting this film would have a particular moment of the score  that they remember.

Joey Camen, who voiced Scrubby, was one of those voices that we've heard a million times before; the role was a bit nonsensical and a weak attempt to generate more comedic moments. Jeff Doucette, who voiced Pango, is pretty forgettable in this film; his character often moves into the backdrop in scenes. Sandy Fox, who voiced Epi, had a really annoying voice for this film; she created this cute and delicate role that was a bit too over the top. Yuri Lowenthal, who voiced Crusoe, didn't feel like he connected with the script at all; his performance was without a doubt one of the most exaggerated and artificial of all the cast.

Spirits' Homecoming

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This is a story that recounts unimaginable horrors in a very powerful way, sadly it's let down through poor film-making and a weak modern day subplot. I would give Spirits' Homecoming a 4/10.

This film is about how Japanese troops took young girls from South Korea and forced them to work as sex workers during the Japanese occupation; it's a horrific story and when the film pays attention to this plot it's absolutely incredible. The music used in this film isn't frequent but it is powerful, it puts a lot of emphasis upon the truly horrible scenes.

Son Sook, who played Young-Hee, was one of the only good present day performers; the grief she carried over the events she had to live through as a child was really well portrayed. Oh Ji-Hye, who played Jung-Min's Mother, gave a very grounded performance in this film; I liked that she wasn't always the best at displaying her love for her daughter because it showed the mother to be a character who felt like the only responsible one within the household. Cha Soon-Hyoung, who played Yoshimi, was a very admirable character in this film; I appreciated that we got to see a least one performance where there was someone who stood up for the young girls.

However the best performance came from Kang Ha-Na, who played Jung-Min. This would have been a grueling performance for a seasoned actress yet alone for one as young as Ha-Na. The pain and the atrocities that this character has to grow through and portrayed really well by this young actress. This is a character that we see mature in such a brutal and harsh way.

There is an element of this story that takes place in the modern day and it really lets the film down; firstly there is a young psychic character who can dead spirits for some reason and she becomes a weak conduit for a link to the main story. Unfortunately because of this rather strange choice of storytelling the film is let down considerably, there is a sluggish and inconsistent pace that relies on the shock value of the source material more than anything to keep going. The cinematography looks sloppy, I felt like I was watching a director's first student film when I was watching this. The editing wasn't any better than the cinematography, cuts were slow and bogged the film's pacing down.

Choi Ri, who played Eun-Kyung, was the character that I had the biggest problem with in the modern day subplot; she was all over the place and her ability to see spirits felt really out of place. Seo Mi-Ji, who played Young-Hee, lacked screen presence; I didn't really feel like her connection to Jung-Min was focussed upon strongly enough. Jung In-Gi, who played Jung-Min's Father, gave a bit of a wooden performance; he couldn't really match Ji-Hye's performance at all. Kim Si-Eun, who played Bon-Sook, was a character that was written pretty badly; it was never really made clear if she was a neutral character or an antagonist.

The Huntsman: Winter's War

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This film has a great, standout cast but is unfortunately bogged down by a rather tame plot. I would give The Huntsman: Winter's War a 7/10.

This film is not the high stakes fantasy film that I was expecting and that alone resulted in some problems; however I quickly came to appreciate what the film actually was. This film is a character story; The Huntsman, his wife and the Ice Queen are all given a great amount of focus in this film. I think this movie is worth seeing at the very least because the characters are so entertaining and brilliantly delivered by the cast. The score for this film is pretty good, it can be forgettable at times but it really made it's impact in the scenes that count. The cinematography for this film also looked really good, there were a lot of moments where the film paused for a bit and just observed it's surroundings which was great. The special effects were very well done, particularly any effects around the Ice Queen or the mirror (heck even the goblins looked alright). However the best part of the film was without a doubt the fight choreography, I haven't seen such fast moving action in a while and it looked brilliant.

Chris Hemsworth, who played The Huntsman, is a brilliant lead in this film; his comedic banter with other characters is great to see and he looks like he's genuinely having a lot of fun with this performance. Emily Blunt, who played Freya, proves again why she is one of my favourite actresses at the moment; the amount of pain and misery she portrays in this film is masterfully done. Charlize Theron, who played Ravenna, is still a great antagonist in these films; she has a terrifying capacity to just seem murderous whether it be through her line delivery or just how she moves on set. Nick Frost, who played Nion, is actually really entertaining in this film; Frost is a brilliant source of comedic relief. Liam Neeson, who voiced the Narrator, rescues the prequel segment of the film somewhat; the heavy exposition becomes a lot more bearable through his great line delivery.

However the best performance came from Jessica Chastain, who played Sara. Chastain is really delivering some consistent A grade performances lately; first The Martian, then Crimson Peak and now in The Huntsman. I think it's fair to say that while this film might be titled Huntsman it is by no means solely about him; in fact I was really enjoying the scenes that focussed upon the character of Sara. Chastain has an incredible presence in this film and her character's rough exterior masks a lot of pain. A really well performed and engaging character.

This film is not just a prequel about the Huntsman but also a sequel following Snow White And The Huntsman; while I've seen some films pull off the pre-aequel in the past, The Huntsman is certainly not one of them. The prequel is crammed with exposition and you get very bored due to the amount of information dumped upon you. Once the film turns to sequel there are further issues, namely the quest for the mirror. This quest that drives the story feels more like an errand than a high stakes plot, even when Ravenna emerges from the mirror you don't feel like the stakes have been raised significantly. The editing for this film was rather jarring in places, it let down the otherwise great visual style immensely.

Sam Claflin, who played William, is an interesting character to show from the first film; Claflin wasn't very impressionable in the first film nor is his appearance that great in this one (particularly because we'd much rather see Kristen Stewart). Sheridan Smith, who played Mrs Bromwyn, exists to remind us that the dwarf characters are usually the most annoying part of these Huntsman films; Smith lacked comedic talent and the film could have really done without her presence. Alexandra Roach, who played Doreena, lacked a strong screen presence in this film; she had no focus and the romance between her and Frost was a bit forced. Rob Brydon, who played Gryff, didn't have the comedic ability to match Frost in this film; in fact his line delivery tended to fall flat more often than not. Sope Dirisu, who played Tull, was a very physical character who never really got any focus in this film; there should have been a couple of scenes that at the very least detailed his relationship with Sara and the Huntsman. Conrad Khan and Niamh Walter, who played The Huntsman and Sara as children respectively, should have been given more actual dialogue in this film; I would have loved to see and understand these children and their experiences as kids rather than have Neeson's narration quickly skip over it.