Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising

This review may contain spoilers!

While this sequel has a brilliant script I did have to wonder if the cast was really putting their all into it. I would give Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising a 6.5/10.

This film had all the brilliant gags and funny lines that made the first Bad Neighbours such an entertaining film, the first film is celebrated and referenced extremely well. I also thought that the focus on feminism and equal rights for women was well represented in this film, there's a great message at the heart of this film about women deserving the exact same things as men. The soundtrack for Bad Neighbours 2 is a brilliant blend of tracks, I think every track for this film was used for it's full comedic potential.

Zac Efron, who played Teddy Sanders, looks like he's having incredible fun in this film; I thought it was interesting that we got to see a more vulnerable side to Efron's performance in this film. Selena Gomez, who played Madison, had a great appearance in this film; her character was a fun parody of the stereotypical sorority girl. Seth Rogen, who played Mac Radner, really plays these wild slapstick roles quite well; I think at the heart of it Rogen can create a very relateable and likeable role. Dave Franco, who played Pete, brings yet another great homosexual character to screen in this film; Franco is a very genuine performer and he really has a ton of chemistry with Efron in this film. Lisa Kudrow, who played Dean Carol Gladstone, is yet another minor appearance from the great original cast; Kudrow's sarcastic and politically invested role is a really enjoyable scene. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played Scoonie, reappears for a great cameo; I really enjoyed the idea that Mintz-Plasse's role had become very successful. Kelsey Grammer, who played Shelby's Dad, was such a funny surprise cameo in this film; I loved the jokes made around parents having to deal with their kids leaving home. Hannibal Buress and Jerrod Carmichael, who played Officer Watkins and Garf respectively, had several moments where they presented some great satire about African-American police killings; I thought the way they presented this humour was very blunt and very well delivered. Brian Huskey, who played Bill Wazakowski, was a great minor role from the first film; I enjoyed Huskey's appearance and how he really played up the comedy in the scene he was in.

However the best performance came from Rose Byrne, who played Kelly Radner. Byrne was my favourite part of the first film and she continues to stand out in this one. She knows how to land her moments of comedy and really banters well against Rogen and Efron. Also she's able to play the moments where her character exhibits her own personal fears and anxieties really well. Ultimately for most of this movie she's reacting extremely well to the stuff going on around her and I think it's her ability to give quite a natural reaction to the unfolding events that makes her so much fun to watch.

While this film was funny and had an interesting element to the plot there wasn't much effort to really pull out the stops and do something big, frankly this film was rather tame for a majority of the film. It didn't help that Shelby and her sorority had a third of the screen time yet weren't able to deliver a compelling part of the plot. The cinematography was rather basic, the shots didn't have much creativity to them. i also felt that the editing was slow, another problem all too common for comedy films.

Chloe Grace Moretz, who played Shelby, lacked charisma and the big presence to really stand out in this film; Moretz certainly is far from capable when it comes to being a comedic performer. Kiersey Clemons, who played Beth, gave a really weak performance alongside Moretz; she never really provided anything to the story. Ike Barinholtz, who played Jimmy, is such a creepy actor/character; Barinholtz is one of the characters i wish hadn't returned from the first film. Carla Gallo, who played Paula, had nothing but disgusting humour in this film; Gallo and Barinholtz have no chemistry whatsoever. Beanie Feldstein, who played Nora, was probably the weakest performer of the sorority main cast; her humour was strange and it was fitting that she had to share a scene with Barinholtz. Liz Cackowski, who played Wendy the Realtor, was this stern two dimensional performance that created some boring scenes; ultimately Cackowski should have had a lot less screen time.

Bastille Day

This review may contain spoilers!

While this feels like every action film I've ever seen before I found it to be a lot of fun and quite entertaining. I would give Bastille Day a 6/10.

This film is certainly generic but it works really well, you are hooked on the action and want to see the threat dealt with as the film progresses; so the film is at the very least engaging. I wasl also surprised to see a rather interesting subject brooked by this film: the villains manipulate prejudice towards Muslims by framing several mosques in this film. It's a really interesting aspect of the film, especially after the recent Paris attacks; there's a theme that appearances can be deceiving and that you can't make a snap judgement of a person/culture which I really like. The score for this film sounds brilliant, it's very thrilling and lends to the action quite well. The fight choreography has to be my favourite aspect of the film, the one in the back of the van is by far my favourite because everything feels so raw and desperate.

Richard Madden, who played Michael Mason, was a rather charismatic and likeable thief in this film; I thought Madden brought a lot of depth to a role that could have been very two dimensional in the hands of a lesser actor. Charlotte Le Bon, who played Zoe Naville, really played a character who was heavy with guilt and grief; I enjoyed seeing her reaction to the bomb attack and how deeply it affected her role. Anatol Yusef, who played Tom Luddy, gave a very bona fide performance of a special service operative; I liked the opposition Yusef created between him and Elba. Jose Garcia, who played Victor Gamieux, was a really surprising antagonist in this film; the shock when he killed Reilly was incredible and from there on out he served the film really well. Eriq Ebouaney, who played Baba, really had some good chemistry with Madden in this film; his indifferent haggling made him a great pawnbroker in this film. Thierry Godard, who played Rafi Bertrand, was a very calculating antagonist for most of this film; it was interesting when he became very desperate and wild by the end of the film.

However the best performance came from Idris Elba, who played Sean Briar. In Bastille Day Elba is like a one man military force, he is the human embodiment of a tank. He has such an incredible presence that whenever the film starts gearing towards an action scene you can visually see how tense and alert Elba's role becomes. I think he played a hardass action film protagonist extremely well; though there were some great moments of empathy between him and Madden as the film progressed.

This film can't escape from the fact that it doesn't aim to do anything new, you're left listening to familiar dialogue or plot points as old as the eighties. This lack of originality makes the film boring more at the start than anywhere else; it isn't until the film nears the end that it really starts to find it's feet and pick up the pace. I also thought the cinematography was quite poor for an action film, the shots were very basic and didn't have you one the edge of your seat. A significant part of this was also the editing, the cuts that took too long to happen meant that the film was a very slow action movie.

Kelly Reilly, who played Karen Dacre, didn't have a whole lot of impact upon this film; the most interesting thing her role provided was her death. Jerome Gaspard, who played Yves, was a rather lacking minor antagonist in this film; most of the minor antagonistic roles didn't provide much in terms of their characters.

The Angry Birds Movie

This review may contain spoilers!

This is probably going to be the worst animated film I watch this year. I would give The Angry Birds Movie a 2.5/10.

The most successful aspect of the plot in this film is the character of Red and how his backstory is depicted, his loneliness and isolation makes you feel bad for him so it's all the more satisfying when he's welcomed in the Bird community at the end of the film. I'll also admit that the animation was pretty good, though it really was the best in action sequences; seeing the Birds fly through the air and attack the Pigs was immensely satisfying.

Keegan-Michael Key, who voiced Judge Peckinpah, was one of the more iconic and stand out voices in this film; Key presents a figure who's very gruff and full of bluster. Bill Hader, who voiced Leonard, made for a pretty good antagonist in this film; Leonard was very sly and one of the more entertaining characters of the film.

However the best performance came from Jason Sudeikis, who voiced Red. Sudeikis did a great job at presenting the film's protagonist, he really showed the role's bitter attitude. Red was a role that had an underlying desire to belong and that was one of the more touching qualities of this film. Ultimately Sudeikis is a great comedic actor and he presents some really funny deadpan humour in this film.

This film has some incredibly crude humour for an animated film aimed at kids, I was actually disappointed at the amount of terrible jokes. While the story of Red kicks the film off to a good start it is the very abrupt introduction of the Pigs that brings the film down. There is no set up for the villains of the film, they're quite boring and two dimensional as far as animated bad guys go; between these villainous characters and the lack of chemistry between the rest of the voice cast the film starts to drag early on. The soundtrack for this film is awful, nothing works towards creating a consistent sound for this film.

Peter Dinklage, who voiced Mighty Eagle, is far too over the top even for this film; his vain character isn't funny or likeable. Maya Rudolph, who voiced Matilda, is one of the most boring and stereotypical characters of the film; she's the zen meditating woman that you see in any film with a zen meditating woman. Danny McBride, who voiced Bomb, should probably consider classes in voice acting, his performance was extremely wooden and hard to listen to. Josh Gad, who voiced Chuck, has had a pretty terrible track record with his recent films; Gad's role is annoying and not funny in the least.

Eye In The Sky

This review may contain spoilers!

A truly horrifying and insightful glimpse into the moral debate of drone warfare. I would give Eye In The Sky a 9/10.

This film is essentially a debate and it's by no means a simple one, it asks whether it is justifiable to use drones to kill terrorist cell leaders if it means civilians will die in the process. It's an extremely relevant debate and there is a lot of controversy around this subject in the world today. There is no doubt that this film condemns drone warfare and the consequences of this type of warfare but it still makes a compelling argument for the necessity of drone warfare and why this type of attack exists. The incredible discussion within the film as well as the mounting suspense means this film flow really well, there is a great sense of pacing. The cinematography in this film looks really good, mostly everything is just framed really well and there's a great contrast between the static military spaces and the busy world of the Kenyan streets. The score for this film is linked to the success of the film, the music used creates this atmosphere of tension and uncertainty as well as a building sense of horror. The special effects in this film are minimal but look quite good; the CGI models of the beetle and the drone look pretty good, however the most stand out effect in this film is the explosion that could be described as the greatest scene of the film.

Faisa Hassan, Aisha Takow and Armaan Haggio, who played Fatima Mo'Allim, Alia Mo'Allim and Musa Mo'Allim respectively, are the heart of the film; the way this family acts and interacts makes the audience care so much that when young Alia dies at the end of the film it's all the more profound. Helen Mirren, who played Colonel Katherine Powell, really developed from the film's protagonist to quite an antagonistic figure; I liked seeing her frustration and almost blind desire to kill her targets. Aaron Paul, who played Steve Watts, is quite reserved and by the books when first we meet him in this film; however the amount of emotion Paul shows when he attempts to defend Alia is exceptional. Babou Ceesay, who played Sergeant Mushtaq Saddiq, played a very submissive role in this film; Ceesay did a great job of showing his discomfiture under Mirren and you really feel the pressure he faces. Carl Beukes, who played Sergeant Mike Gleeson, is one of the few roles who contests Mirren's actions exceptionally well; he reminds us that there is culpability for any misguided actions that would take place. Monica Dolan, who played Angela Northman, very sternly reminds us of the value of human life in this film; the ferocity with which she battles for 'capture not kill' option is admirable. Barkhad Abdi, who played Jama Farah, was quite an earnest risk taker in this film; it felt like Abdi's character was one of the few intelligence/military agents who cared about civilian life. Iain Glen, who played James Willett, is rather comical at first in this film; however Glen is one of the best cast members suited to debating and discussing the severity of committing to a drone strike.

However the best performance came from Alan Rickman, who played Lieutenant General Frank Benson. Rickman is first introduced rather comedically, almost in an attempt to remind us of the absurdity of ordinary Western life. As the film goes on we seem him struggle to gather a decision from a group of extremely indecisive or opposed people. As I previously stated this film ultimately condemns drone warfare yet it debates for the other side of the argument strongly as well. A big part of that is Rickman's performance, his military role reminds us of the consequence of war and that peaceful action is not always an option.

The editing in this film wasn't particularly exciting, the cutting was extremely basic and this was probably to ensure a longer running time. The one quality that really hurt the plot was the number of characters in this film, throughout the feature character after character was introduced to the point it became hard to keep up with everyone which was rather frustrating.

Warren Masermola, who played Agent Atieno, didn't have much screen presence in this film; for an on the ground operative he didn't really do all that much. Phoebe Fox, who played Carrie Gershon, was perhaps a bit too emotive and shaky to be a soldier; a lot of the film it felt like she was playing he role's emotional extremes way too high. Lemogang Tsipa, who played Matt Levery, was the third member of the drone team apparently; unfortunately he was never part of any of the plot that mattered nor did he have any particular impactful dialogue. Gavin Hood, who played Lt. Colonel Ed Walsh, was a bit of a stock character; his stereotypical military commander was rather bland to watch. Ebby Weyime, who played Damisi, didn't do a lot for the film; she never even had any chemistry with Abdi the one actor she worked alongside. Vusi Kunene, who played Major Moses Owiti, was a boring military role; he made the Kenyan side of things a bit dull to observe. Francis Chouler, who played Jack Cleary, was one of the most forgettable characters in the British office; his constant exits and entrances were the most noteable thing about him. Richard McCabe, who played George Matherson, gave a good attempt in this film but ultimately didn't make much of an impact; McCabe had a role that was just too two-dimensional for his own good. Jeremy Northam, who played Brian Woodale, gave a cowardly performance that felt out of place in this film; Northam gave a flimsy delivery and showed himself to be a weak link in the British office cast. Kim Engelbrecht, who played Lucy Galvez, didn't have much of an active role in this film; while she did receive a lot of screen time most of it was just bogged down with exposition delivery. Laila Robins, who played Ms Jillian Goldman, was a character that was introduced far too late to be interesting; her brief speech barely leaves an impression.

The Man Who Knew Infinity

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is like The Imitation Game, the only major differences being it has an Indian protagonist and it's a whole lot more boring. I would give The Man Who Knew Infinity a 4.5/10.

This film did a great job of portraying the genius of the main protagonist and how he built a relationship with the English professor who aided him in getting published. There was also a focus upon the racial prejudice against the Indian people during this time period and I thought this was shown quite well. The score for this film is quite important because it signifies the Indian roots of the film itself, we are also made to visualise the emotional struggles of Ramanujan through the music.

Jeremy Irons, who played G.H. Hardy, was a very gruff yet likable role in this film; it was quite important to see how well his relationship with Ramanujan developed. Dhritiman Chatterjee, who played Narayana Iyer, was a great mentor figure for Ramanujan before the England segment of the film; his constant reassurance and optimism were good qualities to see during this initial low point. Arundathi Nag, who played Komalatammal, was a great minor antagonist towards Bhise in this film; her out of touch manner and harmful actions made a strong mark upon the story. Toby Jones, who played Littlewood, was a very good-natured character and performance in this film; he had an incredible amount of chemistry with Irons from there very first scene together onwards. Anthony Calf, who played Howard, was a great recurrent antagonist to this film; his outburst towards Ramanujan is one of the most shocking and raw scenes of the film. Kevin McNally, who played Major McMahon, was the perfect display of character development in this film; he begins as a very vocal opponent of Ramanujan but by the end of the film expresses a completely different view which i thought was superbly performed. Shazad Latif, who played Chandra Mahalanobis, was one of the first genuine welcoming members of Cambridge that Ramanujan meets; I liked seeing a character who recognised and indicated important cultural qualities of Ramanujan as a character.

However the best performance came from Dev Patel, who played S. Ramanujan. patel is brutally honest in his performances, showing all the qualities of his character in a very open way. It is because of this method of performance that we find Patel so easy to connect with, he is a character that can very much be emphasised with. Patel shows the raw anger, humiliation, embarrassment and pain that Ramanujan experiences extremely well, some of the scenes where he presents these specific qualities are very shocking and hard to watch.

This film has terrible pacing and drags on for far too long, a big reason for this is that this film is obsessed with either talking about racial prejudice from time to time or focusing solely upon the mathematical proofs aspect of the main plot which is quite boring. Sadly the more exciting qualities of this film, such as the subplot between Ramanujan and his wife or the outbreak of the first World War, are neglected in favour of more lethargic scenes. The cinematography is agonisingly simple, the framework is basic and there was no real effort to create a visual style. The editing if simple, movement between shots isn't exciting and only serves to slow the pace of the film down further.

Stephen Fry, who played Sir Francis Spring, has no real reason to be in this film; Fry makes no mark and isn't particularly important to the film as a whole. Devika Bhise, who played Janaki, had no chemistry with Patel at all in this film; as a result the romantic subplot between the two of them felt awkward and forced. Padraic Delaney, who played Beglan, faded into the background more often than not; Delaney's only real purpose in this film was to create a dialogue for Irons to play against. Jeremy Northam, who played Bertrand Russell, didn't have much of a screen presence in this film; his purpose seemed to be to remind the audience of the impending war but it didn't help make that aspect of the film any more exciting. Richard Johnson, who played Vice Master Henry Jackson, was far too important a character to be given such a small role within the film; Johnson played a figure who could've been an interesting character if given the screen time to work with. Nicholas Agnew, who played Andrew Hartley, was an awkward addition to the cast of this film; his interaction with Patel and Latif felt out of place and a bit forced.    

Florence Foster Jenkins

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is quite a bit of a fun and you'll leave the cinema with a grin on your face I'm sure. I'd give Florence Foster Jenkins a 7/10.

This film is rather comedic in how it presents itself, it presents a scenario that is quite artificial and wacky but at the same time manages to be enchanting and entertaining. This is a story that will keep you hooked throughout, Florence is a gem of a character and the journey she takes you on in this film is quite a fun one. The music in this film is used really well, the best part is how off-key music performed by Streep is used for comedic purposes. I also really enjoyed the editing, it helped create the older vibe of this period piece with the transitions that were used.

Hugh Grant, who played St Clair Bayfield, has a lot of passion and chemistry with Streep in this film; I liked that he had two sides to his life and that we saw the duality of his role in this film. Nina Arianda, who played Agnes Stark, was the perfect casting for this boisterous incredible performer; her support for Florence at the end of the film was one of my favourite scenes. David Haig, who played Carlo Edwards, makes the singing lessons a really entertaining part of the film; the stock serious performance contrasting with the events themselves is extremely funny.

However the best performance came from Meryl Streep, who played Florence Foster Jenkins. Streep has always been famous for being a powerhouse actress and you can see it without a doubt in this film. I thought she did a great job of playing out the disillusions of her character; her off-key singing was especially a funny quality of the film. However Streep shows the deep sadness of her role that exists below the surface, the tragic backstory of Florence is explored and her dependence upon the other characters is constantly displayed.

I found that this film let itself down in places by being either too over the top or playing too closely with the tragic biopic aspect; there needed to be more of a middle ground between the two forms of storytelling rather than bouncing back and forth between the two extremes. I also found the cinematography in this film to be quite static, the visuals of this film never really looked too impressive beyond the editing.

Rebecca Ferguson, who played Kathleen, gave a relatively good performance but was never explored as a character much; I thought her subplot with Grant was necessary but she felt more like a plot device than a role in this film. Simon Helberg, who played Cosme McMoon, gave a performance that was far too over the top even for this film; Helberg was a bit too quirky and didn't ever feel like a real person. David Mills, who played Augustus Corbin, wasn't a very necessary role in this film; Mills felt like a last ditch effort to make Ferguson a bit more relevant to the film.

Captain America: Civil War

This review may contain spoilers!

This film is probably one of the more thought provoking films Marvel has done and I'd say it certainly does the Marvel characters the most justice. I would give Captain America: Civil War an 8.5/10.

This film knows how to hook it's audience, this is one of the longest Marvel movies thus far and it was masterfully paced. From the great opening scene against Crossbones at the start of the film, to the introduction of Bucky, to the mounting conflict between Cap and Iron Man that resulted in a brilliant end to this film. What this film did really well was give each character in this film a moderate amount of focus, you come to enjoy how each individual impacts this story. The cinematography for this film was mindblowing; there was great framing for dialogue scenes but immense epic shots for the big battle sequences. The score for this film was very powerful and worked so well with the scenes in this film; the scores for the Marvel films are some of the best that we get out of blockbusters. The special effects in this film looked great, everything was very detailed and looked quite realistic. The fight choreography was one of the best parts of the film, frankly the fighting in this film is the best of any Marvel film to date.

Chris Evans, who played Captain America, really embodies the moral leader that Cap is in these films; he performs this incredible resolve really well. Robert Downey Jr, who played Iron Man, really showed Stark spiralling out of control quite well in this film; I loved the blind rage we got from Stark when he found out Bucky killed his parents. Scarlett Johannson, who played Black Widow, has some great chemistry with the rest of the cast in this film; I really enjoyed seeing her engage with her friends and attempt to support them. Sebastian Stan, who played Bucky Barnes, really showed the pain and guilt his character was carrying around well in this film; I liked the chemistry between him and Evans which only grew as the film went on. Anthony Mackie, who played Falcon, had such a strong presence in this film; he's a fiercely loyal role and I've always found Mackie to be quite entertaining with his line delivery. Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye, has gotten better and better the more films he's appeared in; I liked the scene in the prison where he confront Stark about the morality of imprisoning the Avengers. Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther, has a fairly good introduction into the Marvel universe; I appreciated how Boseman portrayed the blind determination his role had to kill Bucky. Paul Bettany, who played Vision, was quite charming in this film; I enjoyed the chemistry between Bettany and Olsen and I liked how he was trying to understand himself better as a living being. Elizabeth Olsen, who played Scarlet Witch, was one of my least favourite parts of Age of Ultron as some of you will know but in this film Olsen has completely changed my mind; as a character Scarlet Witch is still trying to gain control of her powers and find herself a bit so it was brilliant seeing her character development in this film. Tom Holland, who played Spider-Man, might not be the best Spider-Man performance that we've had but he does a pretty incredible job; Holland nails the quick dialogue and funny qualities of the role. Frank Grillo, who played Crossbones, really kicked the film off in a big way; I liked seeing his raw hatred for Cap as well as his incredible menacing presence. William Hurt, who played Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross, was quite a stern government figure in this film; He really rallied well against Cap and was an interesting role.

However the best performance came from Paul Rudd, who played Ant-Man. It's really hard to pick a favourite role in a film like this, there are so many stand out performances but for me personally Rudd was the best. I loved how he worked within Cap's Avengers; he was immediately a very energetic and comedic role. Rudd was having fun in this film and ramped the film back up to 110% when he was introduced. I loved seeing him become Giant Man and I look forward to his future performances within the MCU.

After the great start of this film there is a major drop in energy, Stark is doing a TED talk and goes through a few emotional problems relating to his character; these moments around Stark's character aren't particularly interesting and they even feel a little awkward. When the Sokovian Accords come into play and Black Panther is introduced the energy still doesn't pick up, it takes Bucky being introduced for the film to find it's fast energy again. I also thought that Zemo as an antagonist was a weak example of a main villain; he's a pretty patchwork villain that only really exists to be a conduit for conflict to be created in the plot. My only other real complaint is quite minor, the giant setting title transitions were a bit jarring, when they appeared onscreen I was pulled right out of the film.

Don Cheadle, who played War Machine, is a role that I normally love but who was so bland in this film; Cheadle wasn't funny nor did he have much of a voice in the stuff that matters when it came to the film's plot. Emily VanCamp, who played Sharon Carter, was the token love interest of the film; it was bad enough that she was an unnecessary romance subplot but worse than that was that her romance with Cap took away from the death of Peggy Carter in the film. Daniel Bruhl, who played Zemo, was quite a boring antagonist in this film; he lacked screen presence and I feel like the story could have been a lot more interesting if they made him more engaging or if they had removed him all together. Martin Freeman, who played Everett K. Ross, was completely unnecessary in this film; instead of casting Freeman they should have just given Hurt more screen time. Marisa Tomei, who played May Parker, was poorly written and porrly cast; I've never seen someone so completely out of character in all the Marvel movies. John Kani, who played King T'Chaka, didn't have much screen presence in this film; because his role was never really well explored his death didn't feel that major. John Slattery and Hope Davis, who played Howard Stark and Maria Stark respectively, weren't very interesting cameos in this film; Davis particularly did a bad job of making an impression. Alfre Woodard, who played Miriam, gave quite an awkward portrayal of grief in this film; her scene with Downey was strange and seemed to come out of nowhere. Gene Farber, who played Karpov, never had much impact upon the film; It's a shame because he could have made Bucky's backstory really engaging if he'd left more of a mark.