We Don't Need Two Metaphors

A thoroughly juvenile action bore that’s sole aim is to be described as “awesome” and “cool” as Keanu Reeves kills an undefined number of de facto bad guys. There’s a complete disinterest in story and characters that ultimately denotes the occasionally distinctive visuals as completely pointless.

FILMS OF 2015 A quick look back at the films of 2015, from the good to the bad, the surprises to the disappointments and the memorable to the forgettable. The choices are taken from the list of 67 films I've seen this year with a UK 2015 release (hence the inclusion of Foxcatcher , Whiplash etc). The Top 10 10. THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (Dir. Peter Strickland) In ditching the real world in favour of a fabricated one, Strickland has excised any aspects of reality (such as the existence of men) that would detract from his story of the evolving relationship between two female lepidopterists; instead, he crafts a context and setting that enhances and embellishes it. 9. CRIMSON PEAK (Dir. Guillermo del Toro) Guillermo del Toro's magnificent latest sees him return to the more overtly character driven dramas of his earlier Spanish language films. A resplendent gothic romance that embraces its melodramatic roots that are distinctly old-fashioned but aptly suit del T...

Films with narcissistic central characters can be rewarding but are often difficult to get right (essentially asking the audience to take an interest in someone they don’t like). The likes of Greenberg or Listen Up Philip feature wholly toxic and self-centred characters; crucially however, we see how the other characters react to the narcissism and struggle to accept this selfish behaviour. Whereas these stories are being told from an objective point of view, the events of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl are being told from Greg’s point of view and so a wholly objective viewpoint is perhaps not appropriate. Greg’s subjective viewpoint however should reflect that he has lived through the events he is describing, that he has already learned the important life lessons that unfold on screen. We need to see the other characters’ reactions in order to understand what Greg’s narcissistic tendencies were previously preventing him from seeing. There needs to be something in either Greg’s nar...

This 5 th entry in the Mission: Impossible series is a gloriously entertaining piece of intelligent filmmaking. Tom Cruise and his team know the formula for these movies inside and out, but crucially also know how they need to adapt to keep the films fresh and vibrant. The IMF has been shutdown by the CIA, but that isn’t enough to stop Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) from his latest mission. There’s a sinister organisation called The Syndicate, led by the menacing Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), causing havoc across the world but almost nobody believes they actually exist, especially not CIA director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin).

Astonishingly bland and about as edgy and adventurous as wearing odd socks, Ant-Man is a film sculpted by committee; an under loved cog in the money making behemoth that is the Marvel Cinematic Bubble. Cat burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is trying to keep on the straight and narrow after his recent release from prison. Unfortunately, retired scientist Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) wants Scott to take on the role as the Ant-Man to help foil the dangerous plans of Pym’s former protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).

After a sequence of films that ranged from fine ( Monsters University ) to flawed ( Brave ) to abysmal ( Cars 2 ), just hearing the premise for Pixar’s latest piqued my interest. Would it be a return to the form that produced one of the greatest triple runs in modern cinema ( Wall-E , Up and Toy Story 3 )? The answer is an emphatic yes, but to merely call Inside Out a return to form for Pixar is somewhat reductive as this latest adventure is arguably one of their finest films. Set inside the mind of an eleven year old girl named Riley, Inside Out presents the five personified emotions that dictate her actions and feelings. After 11 joy-filled years in Minnesota, Riley moves with her parents to San Francisco, leaving all that she has known behind. Her emotions are presented with a situation they’ve never had to face before as Joy (Amy Poehler) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) are cast adrift from Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Bill Hader) in an attempt to keep th...

Spoilers ahead. Seriously, nothing is left unspoiled. Jurassic Park is a one trick dinosaur. Admittedly it’s a very good trick when done properly, but it’s a trick built primarily on spectacle and the awe of watching these extinct creatures on screen (strong characters will strengthen a film and ensure that it endures for generations); but once that raptor has bolted, any sequel has to find other ideas and elements to make up for that initial wow factor. That’s why Jurassic Park shouldn’t really have sequels (let alone be considered a franchise), much in the same way that Jaws shouldn’t have sequels; the illusion is ruined once you’ve seen what’s in the water. Most sequels stick to the notion that bigger must be better but only a few ever succeed. Director (and one of the four credited writers) Colin Trevorrow makes a similar point early on in this belated third sequel to (or its only sequel in the minds of everyone involved). We’re back on Isla Nublar and a new park is up and ...

After over a decade in development hell, George Miller has finally brought his vision of the Fury Road to the big screen in all of its exhilarating and rambunctious glory. Imperator Furiosa leads a breakout from The Citadel and its leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who sets out in pursuit with his army of War-Boys. On board Furiosa’s War Rig are the Five Wives, Immortan Joe’s most prized possessions whom he hopes will deliver him a worthy heir. Reckless War-Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult) is at the head of the chasing pack with a captive Max Rockatansky along for the ride.

Age of Ultron is a lot of movie (mostly in a good way), overstuffed with too much of everything. I’m not surprised that Joss Whedon is exhausted after making it, but it is to his credit that this latest Marvel behemoth doesn’t come crashing down like… well… like a giant flying thingymbob in the finale of a Marvel film. After seemingly taking out the last remaining HYDRA hideout and retrieving Loki’s staff, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) attempt to use the power of the staff’s stone to unlock the secrets of artificial intelligence. Their experiments unwittingly lead to the creation of Ultron (voiced by James Spader) who believes that the fastest track to peace on Earth is to eliminate the Avengers.

It’s been a few years since I last watched Danny Boyle’s blistering space drama and although the likes of Gravity and Interstellar have dazzled and amazed in that time, Sunshine really is the pick of the bunch and is still (probably) somewhat underrated. Space Craft The film still looks absolutely fantastic and has aged incredibly well, primarily because of an approach to the design that places functionality ahead of an overt style. Production designer Mark Tildesley and director of photography Alwin Küchler worked together to limit the use of reds, oranges and yellows in the design of the ship’s interior to deprive the viewer of those colours, so that the visual impact of the sun’s glow is amplified whenever it appears on screen. The design never draws attention away from the drama and feels like a natural progression from the technology of today, but it still feels somewhat futuristic. To add to this invisible design, the pair also built in enough lighting into the ship’s...

The Internet is a wonderful thing: it allows anyone access to a near infinite source of information and range of services from almost everywhere in the world; but as with all good things, it also provides criminals with a new avenue of illicit opportunities. Michael Mann has often focussed on the various players of the criminal game in his films, from the bank robbers of Heat and Public Enemies to the hitman of Collatera l, so it’s perhaps not unexpected to see him tackle the world of cyber crime. With Blackhat he’s recognised that the Internet has changed the way the world operates but also how the fundamentals will never change.

Horror has never been a consistently popular genre with the general public. In recent years however, multiplex audiences have been fed on a diet of cheap knockoffs that believe the best way to scare an audience is to unexpectedly make a lot of noise at random intervals across 85 minutes. Every now and again, a film is appointed as the saviour of the horror genre; a film that realises that true scares come from a connection to something relatable or human. It Follows arrives just a few months after the similarly hyped The Babadook ; both films differ greatly, but both manage to take familiar tropes and ideas of the horror genre and twist and blend them into some fresh and distinctive. Teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) is enjoying her life at school, with her friends and with her new boyfriend Hugh (Jake Weary). After having sex with Hugh, Jay finds herself tied to a wheelchair with a panicked Hugh keeping lookout. Hugh has transferred a curse to Jay, a curse which manifests its...

I think it’s fairly safe to say, even at this early stage, that this second episode of Better Call Saul will not go down as one of the best. It’s not a bad episode but merely a serviceable one in a show that’s still moving its pieces into place. The episode kicks off with the recapping of last week’s denouement from Tuco’s perspective. We know that Tuco will become the crazed, hysterical drug dealer by the time Walter White enters his life, but here he is nowhere near that level of derangement. He’s still crazy, but just not batshit crazy. He seems to accept that his grandmother is in the wrong, albeit unaware of her accidental participation in Jimmy’s hare-brained scheme. He appears to be willing to speak with our skater knuckleheads right up to the point where one of them calls his grandmother a “crazy old biznatch”. Of course they don’t know that Tuco isn’t a shining example of mental stability, but we do.

My final predictions for tonight's ceremony Some last minute predictions for tonight's Academy Awards. As per usual, some awards are all but sewn up whilst others are wide open. Picks for Will Win and Could Win choices are based on all nominated films, Should Win choices are only based on the films I have seen and I will only pick a Not even nominated choice if I can think of a suitable one. Brief list of films that I haven't seen: American Sniper , Wild , Still Alice , The Judge , Into The Woods , Mr Turner  and (somehow?!?)  all of the nominees in the Best Foreign Film, Best Animated Film and Best Documentary categories. Best Film Will Win: Boyhood Could Win: Birdman Should Win: Boyhood Not even nominated: Foxcatcher Best Director Will Win: Richard Linklater (Boyhood) Could Win: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman) Should Win: Richard Linklater (Boyhood) Not even nominated: Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) Best Actor Will Win: Eddie Redmayn...