Hot Pursuit

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A comedy film that really isn't all that funny. I would give Hot Pursuit a 5.5/10.

What was good about this film is that they spent a lot of attention to the plot, constructing character development as well as a great amount of cause and effect scenarios.

Reese Witherspoon, who played Cooper, was a strong protagonist who played to the story a lot more than she did the comedy; I think Witherspoon had some beginnings in the field of comedy but is now meant for bigger things. Robert Kazinsky, who played Randy, made what could have been an annoying subplot actually quite good; the romance element of the film didn't feel forced and he presented quite a genuine role. Richard T. Jones, who played Detective Jackson, died far too quickly for my liking; his performance was fun but also showed the strong presence in an action scene that made his character so great.

However the best performance of the film came from Sofia Vergara, who played Daniella Riva. Vergara's role seemed ditzy at first and she played that up well. She also had a great amount to offer when it came to engaging in the more comedic moments of the film. However I think it was when we saw her character develop from her stories of her dead brother to a story of vengeance that we finally see why this film was more drama than comedy. it was because both of these actresses have a lot of talent and commitment to their roles but the film itself is not on the same level as Vergara or Witherspoon.

This film really suffered in it's lack of strong comedic moments, opting instead to focus solely on the plot and abandon it's genre at times. furthermore the pacing for this film felt really stretched out, which isn't a good thing for a short comedy film such as this one. To top this the soundtrack for the movie was very forgettable and didn't bring much to the scenes. The cinematography and editing for this film was very basic and standard shots and cutting; the was no effort to do anything outside the box.

Matthew Del Negro and Michael Mosley, who played Detectives Hauser and Dixon respectively, were just glorified henchmen; they has screen time enough to have a presence in the film but strongly lacked one; it really just felt as if they were placed into scenes then left the film untilm they were next needed. Joaquin Cosio, who played Vincente Cortez, was a major let down as the film's major antagonist; he wasn't intimidating and he hadn't been dealt enough scenes for us to care about his role in the film. John Carroll Lynch, who played Captain Emmett, was the plot twist no one cared about; his sudden betrayal was nowhere near enough to make the character exciting and Lynch made the role feel mundane.

Jurassic World

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While it is an incredible film, Jurassic World falls just short of the hype. I would give Jurassic World a 7.5/10.

This film is a huge trip of nostalgia to anyone who watched the original trilogy, the great amount of references is what makes this film a solid part of the Jurassic series. Not to mention some of the big scenes that this film built to standing out as some of the bigger blockbuster moments of the year. The cinematography was an incredible thing to behold, gifting us with the expansive views of the park as well as giving some sharp and fast shots with the high action. The special effects were incredible, the dinosaurs looked very realistic. And then you have that score that sends you back in time; despite not matching the mood of the scene in some places the score of this film is something to really appreciate.

Chris Pratt, who played Owen, is a fantastic lead; not to mention his scenes with the raptors are some of the more treasured in the film. Irrfan Khan, who played Masrani, was one of the best performances of the film; his light and candid nature really made him quite relateable and his death was the one that hit home the most. Ty Simpkins, who played Gray, is one of the best child actors upcoming in Hollywood; his role balances comedic but also this incredible intellect that is refreshing to see in a younger character. Jake Johnson, who played Lowery, was without a doubt the funniest character in the film; you look at his t-shirt or the toy dinosaurs or even the almost a kiss scene and you'll easily see why.

However the best performance in the film came from an actor who wasn't even in it much; BD Wong, who played Dr. Henry Wu. Wong created a character you couldn't easily predict, which really developed the mystery around him. His arrogant but proud scientist really stole scenes. But the best aspect about him was how he pointed out the corporate flaws with the park as opposed to the flaws with the science. I hope we see him again in an inevitable sequel!

Jurassic World's flaw was that it struggled with it's pacing. The start took way too long to get under way, then there was a long middle where a lot of action happened but the ending was very abrupt and filled with ridiculous plot twists. Not to mention the fact that the antagonist of the film felt like something out of a Godzilla film with the writers combining a t-rex and a raptor rather lazily into one baddie.

Bryce Dallas Howard, who played Claire, was an awful leading lady; her serious controlling scientist personality kept mixing with this weird flirty sudden badass motherly role. Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Hoskins, can only be described as anti-climatic as an antagonist; the purpose of his character was kind of unclear and he seemed to just make bad calls for the hell of it by the end of the film. Nick Robinson, who played Zach, was the token teenager who looks at hot chicks; half of the film he was just looking at girls to the extent that you just didn't care when he started developing into something else. Omar Sy, who played Barry, had very little screen presence and lacked chemistry with most of his fellow actors; you stopped paying attention to him in the scenes he was in. Judy Greer, who played Karen, had one of the most over the top performances in the film; she treated her role like pantomime and was easily the worst performance.

Entourage

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Without a doubt one of the better comedy films to have come out this year. I would give Entourage a 7/10.

This film is a shining example of how you translate a tv show to film, effortlessly pacing it's main story while paying attention to the numerous subplots that were constantly being dealt. The comedy within this film was complemented by a rather well thought out plot and so worked in tandem extremely effectively. The soundtrack for this film was very well utilised, displaying comedy as well as setting up some of the film's best moments. The cinematography of Entourage was another great point, there were some incredible shots that really earnt this film a grand scale look.

Adrian Grenier, who played Vince, was a great leading protagonist; his performance was exceptional in the scenes he was in but he knew how to step back and let others play more pivotal roles where need be. Kevin Dillon, who played Johnny Drama, was one of the film's chief comedic talents; the bravado of his character mixed with the cocky suave performance made him one of my favourite characters in the film. Jerry Ferrara, who played Turtle, was a very charming role; Ferrara really embodied this sweet and likable character incredibly well. Haley Joel Osment, who played Travis McCredle, was a fantastic antagonist; his rude and arrogant 'rich kid' really became a character that you disliked as an audience member. Ronda Rousey, who played herself, was one of the more interesting people to watch in this film; her role was very charming and she had some great chemistry with Ferrara. Alan Dale, who played John Ellis, stole the show in the couple of scenes he was in; his sour executive really stood strongly against Piven's fantastic performance. Billy Bob Thornton, who played Larsen McCredle, really works well as a man with power; Thornton brought a feeling of power to the role while also grounding the character with some excellent values. Thierry Henry, T.I, Gary Busey, Jon Favreau, Mike Tyson, Pharrell Williams, Liam Neeson, Kelsey Grammar, Chad Lowe, Mark Wahlberg, David Spade, Jessica Alba, Armie Hammer and George Takei, who all played themselves, were highlights in this incredible film; the constant slew of cameos really set this film apart from many others that came out this year.

However the best performance came from Jeremy Piven, who played Ari Gold. Piven was perhaps the character with the best lines as well as line delivery; making him one of the funniest talents attached to the film. Piven also proved to be the figurehead for the plot, really driving the film in a way that made him the most memorable. It was clear that Piven had fantastic chemistry with his co-stars in whatever scene he was in. All in all an incredible performance.

Entourage was disadvantaged by it's constant sexual referencing and offensive language, there was too much and it took away from some of the more witty comedy in the film. I also thought that there wasn't much in terms of surprises in the film, every twist was incredibly predictable. The editing in Entourage didn't stand as a testament to the incredible cinematography; instead there was nothing but quite basic cutting.

Kevin Connolly, who played Eric, was a very timid performance to watch; he was far too restrained and didn't have the energy that the rest of the main cast did. Emmanuelle Chriqui, who played Sloan, wasn't a very interesting love interest; her pregnancy was quite a forgettable subplot. Perrey Reeves, Debi Mazar, Rhys Coiro and Constance Zimmer, who played Mrs Ari, Shauna, Billy Walsh and Dana Gordon respectively, were all clearly characters from the tv show that weren't going to translate well to the big screen; basically being shoehorned into minimal roles in the plot. Rex Lee, who played Lloyd, was rather annoying to watch; he often went and overexaggerated his performance which completely pulled me out of whatever scene he was in. Emily Ratajkowski, who played herself, was a terrible love interest and ultimately felt more like a plot device than a well developed character.

Aloha

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I've never seen a film so terrible that it doesn't really know how to work inside any real genre before. I would give Aloha a 2.5/10.

I think it's admirable the way this film attempted to convey important cultural messages that surround Hawaii.

Bill Murray, who played Carson Welch, was great as this film's antagonist; he used his natural humour and wit to form an entertaining greedy businessman.

However the best performance in this film came from Alec Baldwin, who played General Dixon. Baldwin's tirades onscreen were some of the high points of the film. In fact he put a lot of effort into creating a character that felt real, who wielded arrogance, rage and contempt in his portrayal.

This film suffered because it attempted to talk about Hawaiian culture but from a perspective that was clearly outside of the issue. The dialogue felt artificial and clunky, none of the plot really followed that well from one thing to the other. In fact the plot itself really dragged on to the extent you were rushing out of the cinema at the first hint of the credits rolling. The cinematography and editing on this feature was boring, it moved the action along but didn't go to any stretch to be creative. The soundtrack itself didn't compliment the film, rather it felt like the director put some some random Hawaiian songs on with his top five songs.

Bradley Cooper, who played Brian Gilcrest, was an awful protagonist; he didn't seem engaged with the piece nor did he feel like he understood the dialogue he was saying. Emma Stone, who played Allison Ng, was a pretty awful casting choice; she displayed moments where was she 'represented' Hawaiian culture but more often than not she seemed like a stranger to the culture she portrayed. Rachel McAdams, who played Tracy Woodside, lacked chemistry with her fellow cast members; she didn't seem particularly invested in the role she had to play within the film. John Krasinski, who played John 'Woody' Woodside, was a rather strange character in the film; his comedic symbolism of man's inability to communicate was a bit of an annoying portrayal than a well thought out one. Danny McBride, who played Colonel 'Fingers' Lacy, had absolutely no screen presence within this film; the importance or even relevance of his character was completely lost upon me. Jaeden Lieberher and Danielle Rose Russell, who played Mitchell and Grace respectively, gave some very basic and poorly acted portrayals; not very good child actors.

San Andreas

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This isn't anything special, just another generic disaster movie. I would give San Andreas a 6.5/10.

This film was a special effect's bonanza; with some awe-inspiring moments of decimation created in post-production. The cinematography of the film really complimented this, with some powerful shots as the disaster played out. The musical score that accompanied the film was jaw dropping and Sia's single at the end of the film was just the perfect round up of music.

Dwayne Johnson, who played Ray, was a fairly solid lead in this film; while at times he strayed into the stereotypical I found that he put a lot of effort into fleshing out a powerful character and subplot. Alexandra Daddario, who played Blake, is a true up and coming actress; she really lead an entire plotline of the film and made her character display a diverse emotional range. Ioan Gruffudd, who played Daniel Riddick, was perfect as the jerk character; he balanced his role with a charming exterior that gave way to a feral and selfish portrayal. Art Parkinson, who played Ollie, is really a great child actor; he's very comedic in his performance but also brings everything he has to some of the more emotionally demanding scenes.

However the best performance of the film came from Paul Giamatti, who played lawrence. Giamattie thrived with a role that was quite fun and amusing to watch at first; he had a lot of energy and as an audience member you could feel that. With the death of a character close to Lawrence, Giamatti evolved the role displaying grief but also a rock steady determination to act as a very heroic figure. In many ways Giamatti's arc was more entertaining than other plot arcs within this film.

This film dragged a lot longer than it needed to; inciting too many plot arcs and subplots to stretch out the length of the film. The storyline was also pretty unappealing, dealing with a seperated family who are pulled together by this disaster. At this point a storyline like that does little more than play into stereotype for this genre. The writer's could have done a lot better with this film.

Carla Gugino, who played Emma, felt a bit all over the place in this film; at some instances we see her as grieving mother but then we get her as a badass and then again as nursing Johnson's man pain. Hugo Johnstone-Burt, who played Ben, gave a very exaggerated performance; he also severely lacked chemistry with Daddario and Parkinson.

Tomorrowland

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A wacky and strange film that doesn't seem to know if it's a mature film or a family film. I would give Tomorrowland a 6.5/10.

This film had some fun special effects, by fun I mean they created a film with some very weird or odd animation to create a modern family film. The cinematography within this film was also something to be admired, they were a lot of shots that celebrated the world they were creating within the film itself. Beyond that the film was grounded in some great themes, that used the platform of family film to be able to deliver it in an effective way to a diverse scope of age ranges.

George Clooney, who played Frank Walker, really did a great job as this begrudging mentor figure; while he certainly didn't pull out all the stops in this film he was absolutely a strong lead. Raffey Cassidy, who played Athena, was a true stand out performance in this film; I'd say very few child actors can say they did better than Clooney but in my books she sure can. Keegan-Michael Key, who played Hugo, was one of the funniest cameos of the film; his grandiose entry turning to a very terrifying robot attack was one of the better parts of the film.

However the best performance of the film came from Hugh Laurie, who played Nix. Laurie excelled in his role as an antagonist; delivering one of the best monologues I've heard from an antagonist in a family film. To trump this Laurie fleshed out a character of intelligence and principles who really had quite a realistic impact upon the film.

This film suffered from a plot that was a bit confused; it grew complicated and had an aggravating number of plot holes. It was hard to engage with the story or find points to emphasise with, this grew out of a story that had a lot of jargon and world building. In fact it had a bit too much of these things and as such I'd go so far as to say that Tomorrowland was a film that dragged. The musical score felt way too light and had very little impact.

Britt Robertson, who played Casey Newton, was an awful lead; she tended to exaggerate her emotions and she downplayed her role to be quite uninteresting when the role was in fact pivotal to the film. Kathryn Hahn, who played Ursula, was the let down cameo of the film; in fact she did a lot to undermine the great parts of Key's performance. Thomas Robinson, who played Young Frank Walker, felt very bland in how he delivered his dialogue. Pierce Gagnon, who played Nate Newton, was a very two dimensional character and performance; he didn't have any chemistry with any other actor of the film.

Poltergeist

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This film just felt like a bad rip off The Conjuring in the way it was made. I would give Poltergeist a 6/10.

Poltergeist has some great visual effects within this film; the type that really bolstered it's ability as a remake. Furthermore the film has some great cinematography, set up in a way that showed the close reactions of the characters and the actual horror unfolding. The pacing of the plot was great, moving through a really solid three act structure.

Kyle Catlett, who played Griffin Bowen, proved himself to be a really good protagonist in this film; it was through his eyes that we watched most of this film and he really spearheaded through the plot of the story in a way that speaks wonders about his acting talent. Kennedi Clements, who played Madison Bowen, is one of the best child actors I've seen; she delivers the role of spirit interaction in a powerful way but also shows the horror elements of the film really well. Jared Harris, who played Carrigan Burke, could have been a gimmick character like Adams' one was; however he really embodied this role of travelling psychic and launched his energy into the bravado of the role.

However the best performance came from Sam Rockwell, who played Eric Bowen. Rockwell is well known to be a comedic actor, and he utilised his comedy to maneuver out of what could have been a stereotypical horror film role. He brought a degree of realism to his character which really made his character more engaging. It was also when it came to portraying extremes of emotion that we saw how great an actor Rockwell is.

Yet despite all this Poltergeist fell flat on a story that was less scary and more startling; it went off track and never found it's mojo again. The first half of the film set up a brilliant haunted house story but the minute the occult people entangled into the plot it got messy and confusing. There were more complexities than what was needed. Furthermore the music for this film was very generic and quite uninspired.

Rosemarie DeWitt, who played Amy Bowen, was very generic in her maternal role in this film; she cried and flustered over her children and didn't do a whole lot more. Saxon Sharbino, who played Kendra Bowen, was one of those really unnecessary roles; despite being a part of the family she had very little to do with the plot or any subplots. Jane Adams, who played Dr. Brooke Powell, was a bit erratic in her performance; it was like she was delivering a powerful role until she was undercut by this heartsick persona she wound up playing. Susan Heyward, who played Sophie, was incredibly underused despite having some of the better lines of the film; her screen presence is simply not there. Nicholas Braun, who played Boyd, was very generic as the profession who doubles as skeptic; beyond this his role was only used to extend the horror value of the film.