Bad Moms

This review may contain spoilers!

A simple comedy that reminds us why a blunt, sweet and funny film can stand out from the crowd. I would give Bad Moms a 7.5/10.

This is an extremely funny film and probably one of the best comedies of the year, I found I was laughing throughout fairly consistently. There's two great stories intertwined here; one focusses and celebrates the complexities of being a Mum (especially a single Mum), while the other storyline is a basic beat the popular bully and then make the bully your friend - a simple narrative that made me think of several classic 90s comedies. I'm not normally one to remark upon end credit scenes either but this film has a really nice interview segment with the main cast and their mums; it's a charming touch that reminds you this film isn't just a simple crazy comedy but rather a celebration of motherhood. The score for this film is extremely energetic which keeps the film moving along really nicely; there's also a great soundtrack that really adds to the film in a big way.

Kathryn Hahn, who played Carla, is one of the strongest comedic talents within the film; she is meant to be generally quite ridiculous and fun but she does have a couple of nice heartfelt scenes too. Kristen Bell, who played Kiki, was a rather sweet meek role; I appreciated how Bell developed the character from a soft-spoken character at the whim of her husband to a strong woman aware of her own self-worth. Christina Applegate, who played Gwendolyn, was the perfect antagonist for this film; she was the queen bee villain who went right through a good redemptive arc to become likeable by the end. David Walton, who played Mike, was a great immature character who bounced off Kunis really well; the understanding we come to get of this character and his relationship to Kunis' is really good and quite a strong message. Jay Hernandez, who played Jessie Harkness, could have been just a token love interest but his charisma made him immediately more likeable than a stereotypical role; I felt like his character had a real connection with Kunis and I enjoyed seeing scenes with the two of them together. Wendell Pierce, who played Principal Burr, was quite a fun minor role; he certainly played up the more serious aspects of his principal role but his jokes around weed were also hilariously delivered. Lyle Brocato, who played Kent, was an interesting element of the film; Brocato's character was being incredibly harsh towards Bell's character and in that regard created a subplot that was really interesting to watch unfold. Wanda Sykes, who played Dr Karl, presented one of the more genuine scenes of the film; she guided Kunis' role and Walton's role along a very interesting and funny therapy scene which played out nicely. J.J. Watt, who played Coach Craig, was a rather uniquely funny minor role; I enjoyed the sport character was neither intimidating or especially masculine but rather a stay at home cat guy. Martha Stewart, who played herself, was a brilliant cameo in this film; I appreciated that Stewart was given the opportunity to be funny on her own times and wasn't really at the whim of the script so much.

However the best performance came from Mila Kunis, who played Amy. Kunis really took charge in this film as a capable lead, she had the emotional range to keep you hooked upon the narrative but she was also funny and held her own alongside the rest of the cast. This role really goes through such a strong growth as a character, learning to teach her kids to be responsible on their own as well as taking charge of her own life. Kunis is a fierce performer that you can really empathise with, she absolutely knocks it out of the park with this one.

This film is let down by it's tendency to be a bit too simplistic at times; the narrative follows a very generic model and ultimately everything that takes place is predictable. The cinematography is a huge let down, there's no attempt to make this film look good or to give it any form of visual style. The editing isn't much help, the montage scenes look nice but that's about as far as the effort went.

Jada Pinkett Smith, who played Stacy, is up to absolutely nothing in this film; Smith fails to stand out as a comedic actress and is offered up some of the worst lines of the film. Annie Mumolo, who played Vicky, was even more unnecessary than Smith's role; I found Mumolo to be a weak third antagonist in a film when only one antagonist was ever really needed. Oona Laurence, who played Jane, is trying far too hard to be taken seriously in this film; Laurence's acting undercuts the comedic tone of the film and she definitely lets down a few scenes. Emjay Anthony, who played Dylan, was cast to the background more often than not; clearly an instance where the writers didn't give the role anything to do. Clark Duke, who played Dale Kipler, was an odd cartoon-like character that this film didn't really need; his attempts at humour were more weird than anything else. Megan Ferguson, who played Tessa, gave a very wooden performance in her minor role; a character that just really felt like one too many in the office scenes. Cade Mansfield Cooksey, who played Jaxon, was a really dull role; the relationship between him and Hahn was just not there at all.

Ben-Hur

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It's amazing how a ten minute ending can unhinge the work of an otherwise okay film. I would give Ben-Hur a 5.5/10.

At the heart of what was really good about this film is the brotherly bond between Judah and Messala, these two characters have such a powerful relationship and it really motivates some of the best scenes of the film. The score for this film is really well done, if any part of this film captures the epic that was the original Ben-Hur it's the music. The special effects in this film actually look pretty good, there's a lot of work done to making great landscapes such as the one in the naval battle. The action sequences are well choreographed even if they are brief; the strongest scene of the film is the chariot race which is a great blend of effects and stuntwork.

Jack Huston, who played Judah Ben-Hur, made for a great protagonist for this film; Huston presented a role who was extremely compassionate and at the same time consumed by a drive for vengeance. Ayelet Zurer, who played Naomi Ben-Hur, made for a rather powerful matriarch; her cold demeanour concealed a rather caring heart which made for an interesting role. Morgan Freeman, who played Ilderim, was clearly quite a fun role in this film; his confident attitude and sly lines made him one of the more entertaining roles. James Cosmo, who played Quintus, was a minor role that really stood out; his tough intimidating Roman commander certainly left a lasting impression.

However the best performance came from Toby Kebbell, who played Messala Severus. Kebbell brings out a very charismatic character when first we are introduced to him, he also presents a very loner figure despite this charisma resulting in an already tragic hero. As the film progresses and Kebbell's role becomes fuelled by his ambition we see a dark merciless side to the character which Kebbell pulls off brilliantly. Yet it is the chemistry between Kebbell and Huston which really drives the film, these two truly feel like brothers.

You didn't really care enough about the Jew/Roman conflict in this film for it to recieve the spotlight that it did, there just weren't enough interesting Roman or Jewish side characters within the story. This film was bogged down by it's strong religious overtones, the intensity of Jesus' presence at the end of the film resulted in a rather weak and forced conclusion. The pacing within the film was also all over the show, the start went very quickly trying to fit in as much info and characterisation as it coulb before slowing right down to tell the story that the writers clearly wanted to tell. The cinematography was peculiar within Ben-Hur, the director tried for some fairly creative shots and it didn't work out at all.

Rodrigo Santoro, who played Jesus, played his role far too over the top; this was a preachy character who didn't really serve the film all that well. Nazanin Boniadi, who played Esther, was a terrible love interest for Huston; her role's sudden religious motivations was also extremely jarring to the narrative. Pilou Asbæk, who played Pontius Pilate, seemed little more than a figurehead role until near the end of the film; once he was actually given dialogue he certainly didn't stop presenting a role that felt stereotypical. Sofia Black-D'Elia, who played Tirzah Ben-Hur, was one of the more forgettable family characters; she neither served as a love interest for Kebbell or as an effective part of the Zealot subplot. Marwan Kenzari, who played Druses, was an exceptionally forgettable character; he tended to fall into the background and barely served the narrative. Moises Arias, who played Dismas, wasn't given the opportunity to play a role so much as he got to portray a plot point; Arias hardly had a line which greatly affected the significance of his character. Haluk Bilginer, who played Simonides, was essentially an extra given a title in this film; Bilginer certainly was one of the worst roles within the film. David Walmsley, who played Marcus Decimus, was a rather genric henchman role to Kebbell's lead; Walmsley tried his best to stand out but he just didn't feel like a good fit to the film.

The Tunnel

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This film does an incredible job at presenting one of the best disaster/survival films of the year so far. I would give The Tunnel a 7.5/10.

This film is a unique disaster film to say the least, it depicts the rather horrifying experience of being trapped when a man-made tunnel collapses upon him and his car while he is driving. The resulting film produces a really engaging examination of the experience of having to survive in a scenario like this while also asking some intense moral questions about when a search should be stopped in a situation like this; there's also a great criticism of political inaction and media spectacle during disaster efforts. This is a film that will keep you engaged throughout and knows how to introduce new plot points to keep the tension consistent throughout. The cinematography is incredible, there's a high level of attention to detail; every movement of debris or flicker in the shadows is captured in a stunning way. The special effects in this film were pretty good too even if they weren't used for anything else other than the tunnel collapse, the way the cave-in looked felt extremely realistic. The score for this film was almost consistently pretty good, high emotional moments or more scary scenes were matched with the perfect accompaniment.

Bae Doo-Na, who played Se-Hyun, had a really empathetic role in this film; her very natural reaction and support for her husband made her one of the most compassionate characters of the film. Oh Dal-Su, who played Dae-Kyung, had the very calm reserved edge that was needed for the role of chief of rescue operations; however Dal-Su brings a wide range to his character bringing some strong moments of conflict as well as some incredibly funny scenes. Kim Hae-Sook, who played Minister, presented a rather amusing parody of a high political figure; the fact that her role seemed more concerned with her appearance in front of the media provided some great criticism towards politics within Korea.

However the best performance came from Ha Jung-Woo, who played Lee Jung-Soo. Jung-Woo does an amazing job as the central protagonist within this film; he does a good job of portraying a role who is very charismatic and relatable. It's great to see how selfless he is towards Mi-Na, as well as the fun dialogue he comes up with towards her pet dog. What really sets Jung-Woo's performance apart however is how he wrestles between surviving or giving up and accepting death, it's a heavy topic and one this movie pulls off quite well.

This film does tend towards the stereotypical model of the disaster model, which is a shame because there are far too many moments where the story becomes predictable. Furthermore this is a story about the experience of survival and moral questions about this event, characters certainly aren't fleshed out anywhere near enough as they could be.

Cho Hyun-Chul, who played the Youngest Member of the Rescue Team, was a bit of a comedic gag role; he was inserted into a few scenes to be funny but was shoved into the background after a couple of appearances onscreen. Nam Ji-Hyun, who played Mi-Na, is introduced a bit too late into the story to be of much interest; despite being trapped along with Jung-Woo her character goes through similar motions of survival to what he has already done which felt a bit repetitive to watch. Yoo Seung-Mok, who played Reporter Jo, was an annoying character but had very little impact upon the film itself; his subplot felt a bit unnecessary and he took up more screen time than his role really demanded. Jung Suk-Yong, who played Team Leader Choi, was an interesting moral role but wasn't given the screen time to stand out; his death felt very sudden and ultimately his character served the plot too much for this performer to stand out.

Kubo And The Two Strings

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Certainly not Laika's best work but still one of the better animated films this year. I would give Kubo And The Two Strings a 7.5/10.

This is a beautiful story about a young kid coming to terms with his family being taken from him and the enormous destiny placed upon his shoulders; it's not necessarily unique but it's a very good quest and coming of age story. Throughout most of this film we are shown what can really be achieved with stop motion animation, there are some incredibly stunning visuals and the vibrant colours within this film are captured in a way that a standard animated films would fail to achieve. The score for this film is exceptional, a lot of the beauty that this film portrays is captured by whoever composed this music.

Charlize Theron, who voiced the Mother, does an extremely good job at playing this more maternal role at the start of the film; she has a very genuine connection with Parkinson and also portrays the morose aspect of her memory loss incredibly well. Ralph Fiennes, who voiced the Moon King, was a fairly intimidating antagonist for this film; Fiennes has a extremely superior tone that really makes you convinced of his role as an all-powerful god. Brenda Vaccaro, who voiced Kameyo, was one of the funniest characters of the film; the way she is a supporting force in Kubo's life made her immediately quite likeable. Rooney Mara, who voiced The Sisters, was an eerily good pair of villains in this film; Mara creates a set of the scariest antagonists that I've ever seen in an animated film.

However the best performance came from Art Parkinson, who voiced Kubo. Parkinson is a young actor who I've seen in a few things over the past few years and who I believe has been very successful at making his mark as an actor. Kubo And The Two Strings however is probably Parkinson's best accomplishment to date; within this film his voice is sent against that of a host of Academy Award winner and nominees and he still manages to stand out ahead of them all. Parkinson creates a role who is very softly spoken yet stands strong and confident by the end of the film. He's funny and a bit of a prankster yet you can see the world of responsibility he feels is upon him throughout the film. More than anything Parkinson succeeds in portraying the hardship and grief Kubo feels in dealing with the loss of both of his parents extremely well.

As much as I enjoyed the animation in this film stop motion has it's flaws and there are moments in the film where these are obvious; in one scene things can look quite fluid but in other the movements get a bit rigid and you're no longer as immersed in the film as you once were. The story was also quite good but it did have it's flaws; the final fight of the film ends in a very disappointing way and the film moves between acts in a way that can be very sudden and jarring, for example when Kubo flies away from his mother and is suddenly woken by Monkey there is no pause the action just continues.

Charlize Theron, who voiced Monkey, was great as the Mother in the first act of the film but when she becomes Monkey Theron's voice acting falters; suddenly we're met with quite a rigid and cold character who doesn't really have much appeal as one of the main characters. Matthew McConaughey, who voiced Beetle, really felt like a role that came out of nowhere and who didn't have much place in the story at first; when he was revealed to be Kubo's father you feel like he was played to be more of a goofball role so the reveal that he is in fact a heroic figure doesn't really work.

War Dogs

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I guess either war movies have gotten boring or biopics about white boys getting rich has. I would give War Dogs a 4.5/10.

The plot gets really good around the final act of the film; the open corruption and depravity really starts to fall under a strong lens and it finally brings out the more interesting qualities in the two leads. The cinematography in this film had it's up and downs, what ultimately makes me say that it was a positive aspect was because of some incredibly framed shots that really stood out even if they were far apart.

Mosa Omari, who played Jordanian Boy, was a really fun minor role; Omari has a really strong performance and banters back and forth strongly with Teller and Hill. Andrei Finti, who played Yili Pinari, had a really strong screen appearance despite such a minor role; Finti has a very casual type of comedic role which I thought was exceptionally amusing.

However the best performance came from Jonah Hill, who played Efraim Diveroli. This movie really only thrives when Hill's onscreen; he takes the opportunity to outperform the rest of the cast any chance he gets. Hill has become an Academy Award nominee twice and it really shows in a film like this where he is consistently outclassing everyone else, his screen presence is phenomenal. Hill is a wild card in this film; sure he's funny as hell, but he also has this unspoken intensity which makes you feel like's about to explode and kill someone.

Let's get back to what I said at the start of this review, this film is boring. This is a film that relies heavily upon exposition, narration and the power of jargon; it's like get belted over the head with a corporate textbook. I said earlier that this film gets good near the end, but this also means something else; we get one hell of a long ride to get there. It only gets better the more depraved it gets which means it's a real slog getting there, imagine if Wolf Of Wall Street had sucked and you have a good idea of what this film is like. The editing is a real eyesore in War Dogs, you have several transitions that just feel dated and other cuts which just seem abrupt. The score for this film is immediately forgettable but the soundtrack is the real let down, the song selection doesn't seem to have much purpose and this really means a lot of scenes lose their value.

Miles Teller, who played David Packouz, was an extremely boring main protagonist; Teller feels drained of the life the more we hear his voice and the only authentic moments we actually seem to get is when his role is getting high. Julian Sergi, who played Rosen, was an extremely dull minor role; Sergi doesn't really have any connection with Teller or the rest of the cast for that matter. Ana de Armas, who played Iz, was just straight up poor casting; her acting is terrible and the entire storyline of her being Teller's love interest falls flat pretty quick. Kevin Pollak, who played Ralph Slutzky, is a role that is given far more significance than is needed; Pollak just has no screen presence and you often forget about him in the scenes he's in. Patrick St. Esprit, who played Captain Philip Santos, just gives a far too generic performance; we get this stock army role and get very little else out of him. Shaun Toub, who played Marlboro, was a bit of a gimmick character; he played a goofy native to the two idiotic Americans and it felt like something we've seen a million times before. Bradley Cooper, who played Henry Girard, gave an extremely flat performance in this film; he wasn't particularly threatening which was disappointing to see in the major crime boss role. JB Blanc, who played Bashkim, could have been an extremely funny side character if they'd given Blanc the opportunity; this role really is like the film: full of wasted opportunity. Gabriel Spahiu, who played Enver, wasn't really given much to work with in this film; for the significance of his role you feel like they'd have let this role do a bit more in his scenes.

The Shallows

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The acting is pretty good and the story holds it's own but the technical team behind this film deserve so much credit. I would give The Shallows a 6.5/10.

Once you get past some of the more ridiculous aspects of this film you're left with a shark film that, while stereotypical, is an extremely entertaining feature. This film relies on it's main character, who is charming and quite relatable, and the extreme tension the plot generates as the threat of the shark becomes greater and greater. The cinematography is probably the best aspect of this film, there are some truly stunning shots that really capture the amazing setting. The colouring of this film heightens the aesthetic quality, and the CGI dolphins and shark have been really well constructed too. The score really helps set the whole tone, it's a powerful music compilation which serves the film extremely well.

Oscar Jaenada, who played Carlos, was a really great character to help introduce the context of the film; he had a very comfortable and laidback chemistry with Lively. Angelo Lozano Corzo and Jose Manuel Trujillo Salas, who played Surfer 1 and 2 respectively. were a pair of rather fun minor roles; it was interesting to get these rather comical and good-natured exchanges before the shark attack.

However the best performance came from Blake Lively, who played Nancy. I appreciated the nostalgic joy we saw associated with Lively's character when it came to her deceased Mum, the portrayal of grief in this film is much more unique than normal. Lively also presented the medical knowledge her role had in a way that wasn't over the top and which actually enhanced the intensity of the situation. Frankly I thought the character of Nancy was a fun, fierce role with a quality actress portraying her.

Unfortunately because this is a shark film it's bogged with stereotypes and moments that feel a bit too ridiculous; the moment when Nancy sets the shark on fire and when the shark dies are both good examples of these. There is also points where the film tries to take itself a bit too seriously, you don't really care about Nancy's life back home and it isn't very well presented in this film.

Brett Cullen, who played Dad, was one of the worst performances of the film; Cullen gives a very grating performance and you feel like he really isn't putting the effort in. Sedona Legge, who played Chloe, doesn't really connect with Lively as well as she should; it's a necessary role to some degree but one that isn't performed all that well. Diego Espejel, who played Intoxicated Man, is a rather dumb bumbling role in this film; he's certainly added to extend the run time but he feels a bit too much like a cartoon character.

Our Kind Of Traitor

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A rather boring spy/thriller film let down by it's extremely uneventful plot. I would give Our Kind Of Traitor a 4.5/10.

This film gets off to a really good start, laying down the groundwork to make you feel quite tense and to sense that there's this real danger existing on the fringes of what is otherwise quite a mundane world. The cinematography in this film is quite nice, it feels very experimental which worked out well for this film because you get scenes shot at some very creative or interesting angles.

Emily Beacock and Rosanna Beacock, who played Irina and Katya respectively, were some incredible child actor performances within this film; these two sisters were quite charming roles but had the blunt edge that we came to attribute with the Russian characters. Damian Lewis, who played Hector, was perfect as the secret services character in this film; he had a hard exterior which concealed a character who was very moral and active in seeking justice.

However the best performance came from Stellan Skarsgard, who played Dima. Skarsgard's role was quite easy to like; he had a lot of presence and seemed boisterous and jolly. Yet you could also see the harder qualities to this role, his intense rage at the people coming after his family and the worn down quality to his character after years of living in the criminal world. Skarsgard creates a role we come to know as a person who places their family before anyone else, including himself as we ultimately see.

The problem with the plot of the film was that it never really raised the stakes enough, the conflict doesn't change throughout the film and it all just results in this big long static film. It drags it's feet and honestly what would've served the film would have been some of the repetitive scenes cut out and the characters of Perry and Gail to be made more engaging. The fact that Dima wants his family to be safe is interesting, the fact Hector wants to bring down Longrigg is interesting but you can't make a film last by having these motivations repeated over and over for the better of an hour and a half of the film. The editing also didn't help this laborious film much, several scenes the cutting came at awkward moments and then in others the choice to put in certain shots seems rather questionable. The score for this film seemed to heighten the experience...at first; sadly as the film carries on the main theme of the film plays so many times that it feels like this film has no tone and that you're stuck in this endless loop.

Grigoriy Dobrygin, who played The Prince, makes for an extremely weak antagonist to this film; his tendency to repeat the same monologue is a villainous trait that wears a bit thin. Velibor Topic, who played Emilio Del Oro, was just a rather insignificant minor antagonist; he filled the background but his few lines and mostly physical performance marked him as a forgettable role. Ewan McGregor, who played Perry, hasn't landed a very remarkable role in a while now; in this particular film he certainly is a protagonist who falls flat and seems a bit ineffectual. Naomie Harris, who played Gail, didn't do well in the James Bond spy films and she's not doing so well in this particular spy feature either; Harris' problem is that she has no chemistry with McGregor and has little to do in this film other than stand in scenes with him. Alec Utgoff, who played Niki, was little more than a glorified henchman in this film; he certainly got given far too much screen time. Jana Perez, who played Maria, was an extremely pointless role; the subplot that there might be a thing between her and McGregor was just unnecessary screen time in the end. Emanuel Brook and Matthew Brook, who played Alexei and Viktor respectively, were everything that the Beacock sisters were not; they had no screen presence and their performances were often quite stiff. Saskia Reeves, who played Tamara, was quite a poorly done role; her lack of lines meant that she seemed a rather cold character but her outburst at the end of the film didn't match this at all resulting in a role that was all over the place. Alicia von Rittberg, who played Natasha, is a role that is forgotten about for almost the entire film until the plot calls for her; when von Rittberg's character actually does have a part to play you feel like a lot of what she's talking about comes out of nowhere and ultimately really does not add anything to the film. Khalid Abdalla, who played Luke, was a rather insignificant backing role to Lewis' character in this film; Abdalla never really did much as a role and had very little screen presence. Mark Gatiss, who played Billy Matlock, was a vastly underused character in this film; Gatiss was put in little more than a toneless bit role. Jeremy Northam, who played Aubrey Longrigg, is an actor I'm starting to recognise as a weak link in these British films; Northam's British antagonist proves that there is worse than his Russian counterparts when it comes to performance.

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

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Comedy as old, outdated and revolting as it's two main leads. I would give Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie a 2/10.

This film is having it's own kind of fun which as an audience member you can appreciate, the wild antics of Saunders and Lumley can be enjoyable at times purely for their chemistry. The score for this film isn't utilised often but it goes hand in hand with the film well when it is; I also thought the soundtrack was the best quality of the film (excepting that one scene with the terrible lip sync).

Jane Horrocks, who played Bubble, was a really quirky character who I actually enjoyed quite a bit; her outlandish lines made for one of the better main characters in the film. Mark Gatiss, who played Joel, was a really genuine minor role; Gatiss serious and stern portrayal sets the bar for quality acting in this film. Graham Norton, who played himself, was a fun appearance in this film; Norton didn't let himself be the butt of Saunders character and brought a bit of spirit to the lackluster start.

However the best performance came from Rebel Wilson, who played Air Stewardess. Wilson stood out as probably the best comedic talent within the film, actually delivering lines and acting in her scene in a way that made me laugh. The difference between Wilson's comedic acting and the performance from the leads of the film is that Wilson had screen presence and knows how to play to an audience while the leads dry insults are delivered ineffectually. Wilson was a great minor performance and had the best scene of the film.

The story for this film is so all over the place and has no sense of direction that I can't really pinpoint the exact problem with it, mainly because the whole thing is flawed and must have had one of the worst scripts of all time. You're sitting around so long waiting for something, anything, to engage you or make you laugh and it never happens which results in a long dragged lethargic film. The comedy of this film is terrible and not just because of the dry delivery from the cast, I would love for this film to have made some genuine jokes rather than just throw out every insult under the sun towards race, gay people, transgender people or people living in poverty; it was appalling and made for an ugly comedy. The cinematography was no good at all, in fact it tended towards the simplistic and evaded a unique visual style. The editing created an abysmally slow film and the choppy changes in the film's presentation style was quite jarring.

Lulu, who played herself, was a rather annoying role; she started off with next to no screen presence and then became an extremely unnecessary minor antagonist. Gwendoline Christie, who played herself, looked like she wasn't having a fun time in this film at all; she didn't put much work into her lines and essentially coasted through scenes. Jennifer Saunders, who played Edina, was a thoroughly despicable protagonist; you think if Saunders couldn't be funny in this film then she'd at least make the effort to create a character you liked by the end. Joanna Lumley, who played Patsy, was just as annoying as Saunders in this film so at least they had that going for them; her vain two-dimensional performance meant that Lumley became hard to watch after ten minutes. Julia Sawalha, who played Saffy, was such a bland role; Sawalha allows her character to be stereotyped and then never delivers a performance that breaks away from this cliche. Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness, who played Lola, is the constant butt of some horrific racist jokes in this film; she looks constantly unimpressed and I can hardly blame her. June Whitfield, who played Mother, really didn't do anything in this film; her character certainly made appearances but she had no substance to her role. Mo Gaffney and Christopher Ryan, who played Bo and Marshall respectively, were some of the most offensive characters of the film; on one hand making light of having a sex change and then saying that all people are black people (!!!). Nick Mohammed and Kathy Burke, who played Casper and Magda, give very stilted performances in this film; their over the top roles of assistant and boss are a bit much. Celia Imrie, who played Claudia Bing, was a rather forgettable antagonist in this film; Bing's rivalry with Saunders felt a bit forced at times. Robert Webb, who played Nick, was a incredibly poor choice to play a police detective as he did not fit the type of character at all; he didn't even manage a good job in the romance subplot because he had no chemistry with Sawalha. Chris Colfer, who played Christopher, was a character that really wasn't all that appealling; his constantly mean barbs and racist role made for a big disappointment. Stella McCartney, who played herself, has this really weak rivalry with Saunders in this film; sadly McCartney can't perform to save herself and comes off as a bit wooden. Kate Moss, who played herself, wasn't even really a character in this film; Moss was essentially carted around as a glorified plot device to advance the story. Emma Bunton, who played herself, didn't really have a strong presence in this film; she was rather hastily dragged into the final act of the film as a sort of/sort of not antagonist. Jon Hamm, who played himself, looked thoroughly awkward and out of place; Hamm's exchange with Lumley is painful and not a very pleasant scene for him or the audience. Barry Humphries, who played Charlie, was the type of seedy character I had come to expect from this film by the time he appeared onscreen; Humphries weak take on Hugh Hefner falls flat. Marcia Warren, who played Lubliana, acts out the beyond ridiculous subplot of her marrying Lumley disguised as a man without much energy or emotion at all; Warren doesn't seem to enjoy this subplot and I certainly didn't either.

Train To Busan

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If you love zombie films then you have to go check this out! I would give Train To Busan a 7/10.

This film will have you on the edge of your seat throughout the feature, everything is incredibly tense and the film does not mess around at all. The stakes are set incredibly high in two brilliant ways; the film isn't afraid to kill off characters that are in the main cast, and also this film is set almost entirely upon a train in what is an extremely unique setting. The cinematography for this film looks superb, there are very few zombie films that I would describe as looking artistic but this is certainly one. The special effects also look great, whether it be a CGI diseased deer or a flaming train car crashing into a row of other trains or even the various depictions of the zombie hordes.

Gong Yoo, who played Seok-Woo, made for a particularly interesting lead for this film; he starts out as a rather dislikeable character who is motivated by his own interests but through his daughter comes to be quite a selfless and redemptive figure. Jung Yu-Mi, who played Sung-Gyeong, was quite a charming character in this film; her rather reserved compassionate character made for one of the nicer roles in the film. Ma Dong-Seok, who played Sang-Hwa, was an out and out action hero in this film; Dong-Seok was a stand out zombie fighting champion in the scenes he had. Kim Eui-Sung, who played Yong-Suk, made for the perfect antagonist for this film; his complete disregard for anyone but himself made him a very despicable character.

However the best performance came from Kim Soo-Ahn, who played Soo-An. This young actress might be one of the best child performances that I've seen all year, her pure unchecked emotional displays really made her stand out in amongst the litany of brilliant performances. I loved seeing the relationship between her and Yoo grow and become more stable. Soo-Ahn presented a role who grieved, cared for others and stole the show all the way to the last scene of the film.

I thought this film didn't really deliver too much that I hadn't already seen before when it comes to the zombie genre, there are several moments where I get a sense of deja vu back to World War Z or similar features. The way this film linked Seok-Woo's company to the zombie outbreak felt a bit too forced, honestly they should have just kept the origins of this virus a vague mystery.

Choi Woo-Sik, who played Young-Gook, wasn't a character who felt very developed in the film; the sudden focus given to his role in the second half of the film felt like it came out of nowhere. Ahn So-Hee, who played Jin-Hee, was little more than a sloppily written love interest for Woo-Sik; their relationship was very hastily thrown together and one of the low points of the film. Jang Hyuk-Jin, who played Ki-Chul, felt like a weak minor antagonist to Eui-Sung's Yong-Suk; this role wasn't very well written and Hyuk-Jin had a weak screen presence. Ye Soo-Jung and Park Myung-Shin, who played In-Gil and Jong-Gil, were rather boring side characters; their standing in the rest of the main cast was overlooked and their deaths didn't have much impact. Kim Chang-Hwan, who played Assistant Manager Kim, had a rather forgettable role that only really had the purpose of adding a little extra exposition to the film; it's a shame he was the one responsible for instigating the 'responsible for zombie outbreak' subplot because that took away from the film. Lee Joo-Sil, who played Seok-Woo's Mother, was a character who didn't really deliver the emotional payoff we would expect from a role like this; I think it was a wasteful not giving her death much impact.

Poi E

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There's really only so much you can do with a documentary about one song and sadly this one won't blow many people away. I would give Poi E a 4.5/10.

The soundtrack for this film is not unsurprisingly pretty incredible; not only is "Poi E" used so effectively but numerous songs from the time of the song's production are used and many powerful songs from Maori culture. Whoever was editing this film must have been having one hell of a time, the little subheadings to introduce interviewees are really funny and give this film a carefree feel. The documentary itself really does serve it's Maori audience well by putting a strong spotlight upon the impact this song has had on Maori culture; as a Pakeha observer it was eye-opening to me to see what this song meant to an entire culture.

There wasn't really enough content within this film to give the feature good pacing, you got bored rather quickly and had to wait for something really impactful to take place. I think some of the interviews and aspects of this film were just unnecessary and it seemed to me there wasn't enough content about this one song to really make a full-fledged feature film documentary. The cinematography wasn't consistent and the repeated use of shots became tiresome to look at after a while; the blend of constant sourced footage meant that the quality of the film was never consistent and we were subjected to some clear shots but a lot of grainy and poor quality shots as well.

Suicide Squad

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I didn't think DC could put out anything worse than Batman V Superman but boy was I wrong. I would give Suicide Squad a 3/10.

The story of this film is loaded with problems but one thing that is a strength of the film is Deadshot's arc throughout the film; I liked seeing this human quality of Deadshot acting the way he does for his daughter, more than that I appreciated seeing him grow and develop from a mercenary character to a heroic figure. The cinematography of the film is really sharp, if nothing else the director of the film really captures a pretty high quality look for the film.

Ike Barinholtz, who played Griggs, is surprisingly one of the stand out performances for the film; Barinholtz humour and banter with Smith and Robbie made him one of the most unique characters of the film. Jai Courtney, who played Boomerang, was a really funny member of the team; Courtney looks like he's having the time of his life and delivers some of the best lines of the film. Ezra Miller, who played The Flash, has a really entertaining cameo in this film; Miller's solid quip and appearance has finally got me excited for this character in future films. Ben Affleck, who played Batman, really established himself well as Batman in Batman V Superman but in this film he solidifies himself as a crucial element in the greater DC cinematic universe; I'm a huge fan of Affleck's steely world-weary Batman and I can't wait to see what he'll do next.

However the best performance came from Will Smith, who played Deadshot. You have to hand it to Smith, not only does he steal the show but he practically carries this trainwreck of a film throughout the whole thing. Smith brings out a mercenary who does feel exceptionally dangerous but also keeps him gentle; the relationship between Deadshot and his daughter is one of the honest relationships between characters in this film. Ultimately it's Smith's capacity to deliver fast, snappy banter all while remaining incredibly charismatic that sets him apart from the rest of the cast.

Where do I even begin? Well to start Suicide Squad doesn't like dealing with it's characters in any great detail, most of the characters in this film are never really given any great amount of backstory beyond a quick exposition dump by Waller at the start of the film. This film feels like it's been released too soon, we've barely been introduced to Batman and Wonder Woman let alone a whole cast of other superheroes and supervillains. Then just to cram far too much into the film suddenly magic is introduced and we're given a villain that hasn't felt so weak since Doctor Doom last year. The pacing is all over the show, the plot is dragged out with the main characters remaining on the one street for most of the second act and then the plot will throw in some very jarring scenes that don't really fit into the film such as the Joker/Harley flashback scenes or the moment when all action is suspended and the characters go get a drink in a bar. The infamous soundtrack for this film could have been the best part but as it was the film became overloaded with too many songs, every second scene had a song play within it and not every scene really needed a song to accompany it; the film could have benefitted with greater attention paid to the use of score. The editing of the film was strange, the colour palette kept changing between black and grey to a strange flood of colours when titles were displayed or flashback scenes were engaged. The special effects looked dreadful, the big world ending machine and Enchantress' brother being prime examples of these weak CGI moments.

Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn, is worlds away from an accurate Quinn portrayal just for the fact that her accent was constantly slipping alone; Robbie presents a character who is overly sexualised and goes through no character development throughout this film a reminder of why Hollywood still needs to be working hard to do it's female leads justice. Viola Davis, who played Amanda Waller, is an exceptionally dry performer; her stiff wooden character left little to no impression. Ted Whittall and David Harbour, who played Admiral Olsen and Dexter Tolliver respectively, were little more than faces for Davis to bounce her lines off of; Whittall and Harbour were boring characters only present to provide weighty exposition. Shailyn Pierre-Dixon, who played Zoe, wasn't a very good child performer; her line delivery wasn't great and it was down to Smith to make the scenes with her enjoyable. Jared Leto, who played The Joker, gives the worst Joker performance I've ever seen or heard; Leto can't portray the most vital quality of Joker's character: his insanity. Jay Hernandez, who played Diablo, played a very inactive character until his backstory was hastily cobbled together at the end of the film; everything about Hernandez's role was a cliche and when he called the Squad his family at the end of the film my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who played Killer Croc, delivered his lines terribly; it was so hard to hear what he was saying and there was no depth to his character. Cara Delevingne, who played Enchantress, really embodies the saying "a film is only as good as it's villain"; and Enchantress is nothing more than a two-dimensional wants-to-destroy-humanity baddie. Joel Kinnaman, who played Rick Flag, was such a tiring performance to watch; his character being fuelled by his love for Delevingne just wasn't believable because the pair shared no chemistry whatsoever. Alain Chanoine, who played Incubus, shows us that every weak major villain needs a weak major henchman; Chanoine really only adds to the cheesy and over the top quality of the antagonists' motivations. Adam Beach, who played Slipknot, was such a forgettable character; I'm annoyed this character wasn't even given a minor backstory considering his only purpose seemed to be getting killed off. Karen Fukuhara, who played Katana, was a role that just didn't need to be included in this script; Katana's backstory felt like a foreign object wedged into the story in an extremely jarring way.

Jason Bourne

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Well it's official: Jason Bourne is back and better than ever! I would give Jason Bourne an 8/10.

This film has a story that is a great continuation from the original trilogy of Bourne films, not only in the sense that we get to see a Bourne tortured by what he's willfully done as a government operative but also to see how the CIA has developed as a greater threat with more assets than it once had. Everything about the film practically screamed homage with many scenes being tasteful throwbacks to the original films, all the while nurturing a new story and element of Bourne's character that kept the film fresh and interesting. The cinematography was really sharp and I appreciated how the director could capture all angles of a setting as well as the intensity of fight scenes; the editing really complimented this, keeping the film moving at a relatively quick rate so that you always felt like things were moving forward. The fight sequences looked really nice, Bourne films don't play out and you get some very realistic dirty looking fights.

Matt Damon, who played Jason Bourne, did such a great job returning as the series' protagonist; Damon creates a Bourne who feels more tired and tortured than he has in past iterations.

However the best performance came from Tommy Lee Jones, who played CIA Director Robert Dewey. Jones has probably become my favourite Bourne antagonist pretty quickly. He's immediately an extremely sinister figure, a character who has the full power of the American Intelligence agencies behind him and he's bringing it all down upon Bourne. He's also got this gritty and unpredictable edge where he will go off the reservation just to have Bourne put down like a dog, one of the villains that will define 2016's movie antagonists.

Despite being an all round brilliant film there was a tendency to borrow scenes or moments directly from the original trilogy in a way that just felt repetitive; for instance the entire start of the film felt like I was watching The Bourne Supremacy and it meant I wasn't initially hooked and the film really had to work to keep me engaged and entertained. I also thought the storyline about the phone company being tied to surveillance agencies was a bit too obvious and in your face, I miss subtle plots within spy films.

Alicia Vikander, who played Heather Lee, sadly felt a bit redundant in this film; all Vikander really provided was a role for Jones to bounce his dialogue off of. Vincent Cassel, who played the Asset, was little more than a glorified henchman; the tried to give this role more depth than past hitmen characters by giving him an actual backstory and motivations but Cassel didn't have the acting chops to convey this. Julia Stiles, who played Nicky Parsons, gave a very bland performance; the film didn't really use Stiles in an effective way by killing her off the way they did. Riz Ahmed, who played Aaron Kalloor, was a rather weak performer to be leading the surveillance storyline; Ahmed was by no means a good fit for the Bourne series due to his tendency towards playing very blunt and humourous characters. Ato Essandoh, who played Craig Jeffers, literally had no reason to be in this film; in a movie bogged down with henchmen type characters it was tiring seeing yet another get given too much screen time. Scott Shepherd, who played Director NI Edwin Russell, felt like a rather weak character; this image the audience was given really didn't fit with the nature of his role so this can be pinned to either bad writing or Shepherd's lousy performance. Bill Camp, who played Malcolm Smith, has become a name I've started to recognise as the token bad actor in any given film he's in; Camp's weak screen presence really makes him the weak link of some amazing scenes. Vinzenz Kiefer, who played Christian Dassault, felt like a ridiculous character for this film; Kiefer played the character too much like a villain out of a superhero film or a cartoon and you just could not take him seriously. Gregg Henry, who played Richard Webb, really did not make much of an impact as Bourne's father; the was nowhere near enough focus put upon this role and even when he was onscreen Henry gave a rather lazy performance.

Boyhood

This review may contain spoilers! This review has been requested by a reader and will be included in this years reviewed films.

This isn't a film that focusses upon a story so much as it's a film that masterfully captures life itself. I would give Boyhood a 7/10.

What this film provides is an exceptional glimpse into life and growing up, the big selling point of this film is that it was filmed over the course of twelve years and the cast grows up along with it. This film's strength isn't so much the story or any of the usual aspects of your day to day film but instead how it portrays the subtleties of how a person can change throughout their life and also the incredible unpredictability of life. The cinematography of this film is exceptional and indicates a director with an incredible vision; there's a lot to be said for how consistently inspired some of these shots are. The soundtrack for this film really goes hand in hand with the premise of this film; it's interesting to this soundtrack develop as the main character grows up.

Ellar Coltrane, who played Mason, makes for a really great protagonist in this film; Coltrane does a great job of portraying the development of his character throughout the years and his changing mental state. Lorelei Linklater, who played Samantha, makes for an interesting rebellious character in this film; her ever-growing abrasive attitude means she creates some good conflict throughout the story. Marco Perella, who played Professor Bill Welbrook, made for a rather dark father figure; his authoritarian and abusive attitude made him quite an antagonist in this film. Roland Ruiz, who played Enrique, made for quite a charming minor role in this film; Ruiz and Arquette's final scene together made for one of my favourite scenes of the film. Tom McTigue, who played Mr Turlington, was a really funny minor role in this film; his 'almost too serious' high school teacher made for an interesting scene and speech.

However the best performance came from Ethan Hawke, who played Dad. Hawke is a very charismatic performer, he makes for one of the most likeable members of the cast. I think there is a really good chemistry between Coltrane, Linklater and Hawke as a family and many of these scenes result in some of the most fun and natural scenes of the film. I loved a lot of Hawke's lines and would really say his line delivery made for some incredibly entertaining scenes.

The lack of plot in this film really causes this film to drag from time to time, I mean this whole thing is nearly three hours long and there's a lot of time jumps which cause some unavoidable pacing issues. The direction the main character took in his later teenage years created a role that started to feel unlikeable, suddenly he lost the charisma of a youth discovering himself and became a distant narcissist. The editing hindered the film even further when it came to the pacing, cutting was slow and allowed the film to really drag out.

Patricia Arquette, who played Mom, gave a really dry performance in this film; she had this constant presence throughout the film but never really became an engaging character. Libby Villari, who played Grandma, lacked screen presence in this film; Villari failed to connect with the kids and her banter with Hawke wasn't enough to make her stand out. Jamie Howard and Andrew Villarreal, who played Mindy and Randy, weren't particularly great child actors; these two never connected with Coltrane or Linklater and became boring minor roles. Brad Hawkins, who played Jim, was one of the most stereotypical characters within this film; his rather generic portrayal of angry stepdad seemed dismal after Perella's stunning performance earlier in the film. Jenni Tooley, Richard Andrew Jones and Karen Jones, who played Annie, Grandpa Cliff and Nana, were really hastily included into this film's casting in a rather jarring manner; because of this hasty introduction and the actors weak screen presence you forgot about these characters almost instantly. Zoe Graham, who played Sheena, was a strange actress to be cast for Coltrane's love interest; particularly because the two had absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. Richard Robichaux, who played Mason's Boss, felt like a very forced comedic relief character; his over the top humour felt out of place in a film like this.