A strange drama, Whiplash follows a teenage drummer named Andrew who is invited into a prestigious jazz group by an overzealous instructor. The instructor demands absolute perfection from the group and is unforgiving and abusive whenever his ensemble misses the mark. Andrew soon becomes as obsessive as his teacher and the growing tension between the pair leads them towards madness. Filled with jazz numbers and drum solos, Whiplash is easy to recommend to fans of either however it is difficult to relate to the characters - especially if, like me, jazz isn't your cup of tea. As reality blurs towards the end I found myself losing interest in the characters and the performances felt long - even boring - at times. This is not a film that I'd watch again but many would.
5/10
A typical young-adult targeting sci-fi, The Maze Runner chronicles a young man named Thomas who wakes up in an inescapable glade with no memory of his past. There he meets a group of teenagers who are also suffering amnesia and have built a make-shift village complete with allocated occupations. The most illustrious job is that of the runners, tasked with exploring an extremely deadly maze that appears to be the only means of escaping the glade. They eventually discover the reason for their predicament but it's convoluted and doesn't really make scientific sense. Overall, there's nothing new here: the action, orchestral music and special effects are fine but even the likeable actors can't elevate a weak story line with dull dialogue and, aside from a chubby kid named Chuck, a distinct lack of heart. However, its reveal at the end of the movie may make a second look worthwhile.
6/10
A kid-friendly sci-fi, Ender's Game follows a boy who may have the rare aptitude to ensure the human race is not exterminated by an alien race known as Formics. Ender is trained alongside similarly-gifted children and is forced to confront and befriend the other candidates while completing a series of tests and military exercises. After a costly battle in space, the Formic queen communicates to Ender via telepathy and he learns that the drawn out war was sadly caused by a simple misunderstanding. EG is suitably equipped with an orchestral soundtrack that does the job but unfortunately is not memorable. That said, the interactions between the children, the interesting war games and the unexpectedly philosophic ending make it easy to recommend watching this one again.
8/10
A charming drama based on a true story, Danny Collins follows a selfish has-been rock star who re-examines his life when he receives a letter from John Lennon - 40 years after it was sent. He starts by moving into a hotel near to his estranged son and utilises his eccentricities and considerable wealth in an effort to slowly close the divide between the two. Danny also pursues the hotel manager Mary, whose cool-headed advice acts as a moral compass for him as he writes his first song in decades. With solid actors top to bottom, the film is peppered with John Lennon songs as well as a few originals. These combine to make this an enjoyable trip down the path to redemption - particularly when disaster strikes. When the acting, music and story are this good it's easy to imagine watching this one several times over.
9/10
A simple drama, Short Term 12 follows Grace and Mason, a young couple who run a mental treatment 'camp' for young people. Their young patients are damaged in different ways but with a common thread of family breakdown and a need for the reliable environment that the couple and the camp provides. Grace is forced to deal with her own repressed childhood memories when she sees similar symptoms in Jayden - a new-comer to the facility who she suspects is a victim of child abuse. Jayden writes stories one of which is about an octopus who is slowly consumed by a seemingly 'friendly' shark and this makes for a particularly memorable metaphor for her situation. Acoustic riffs make up the bulk of the basic score and these could have been amped up to enrich the story. Put together, this is a story about overcoming tough circumstances and reinforces the mantra that things gets better and that's always re-watchable.
7.5/10
A dystopian sci-fi, In Time is about a society that has literally adopted the adage that 'time is money'. In this world, humans are implanted with a digital countdown timer that by default triggers death at the age of 26. This time is traded as currency for everything from cups of coffee to rent and can extend natural life to be infinite for the rich. We meet Will Salas, a time-poor twenty-something year old who manages to gamble his way to such wealth that the timekeepers suspect fraud. He is stripped of most of his time and exacts revenge by breaking into time banks and distributing it to the masses. Unfortunately, at times the acting and the dialogue is awkward and this compromises the "what-if" experiment and prevents any real moral lessons. The soundtrack is instrumental but includes orchestral as well as upbeat electronic pieces and this keeps the film on pace and fresh. Worth a watch on a Sunday afternoon.
7/10
A rom-com-esque oldie, this film follows Harold, a young man with an unusual fascination with death. One day, while attending the funeral of a complete stranger, he meets a like-minded yet almost elderly woman named Maude. The pair hit it off, despite any age gaps, and a quirky adventure ensues. A key driver here is a full album or two of Cat Stevens songs that are heavily woven into the story and make the film feel like a well put-together musical. These tunes guide the narrative and help to disguise any semblance of it being outdated. Combined, H&M is a worthwhile entry point to 1970s cinema and a likeable homage to Cat Stevens and, for that, it deserves a viewing or two.
7.5/10
A genre-bender, Warm Bodies is about a zombie called R whose 'affliction' starts reversing after he meets a beautiful young woman. Unbeknownst to her, R has literally consumed her boyfriend and soon begins inheriting his memories and feelings for her. With a brilliant support cast and authentic acting in general, it's easy to get on board with the fantasy. Jam-packed with a rockin' soundtrack ranging from golden oldies music to modern crooners and singer-songwriters, this is a romantic comedy filled with awkward zombie humour that mostly hits its marks. The main pitfalls here are in the lack of depth of the film: while it skims the surface of themes such as prejudice and xenophobia, it never capitalises on it - which is a shame as it could've really said something more. Still, this one's an easy recommendation and worth a couple of views.
7.5/10
Akin to Scent of a Woman, The Intouchables is about a young man who becomes a caregiver and friend for a wealthy old man with a disability - in this case, tetraplegia. A French film with English subtitles, this leans more towards comedy than drama and ultimately is more enjoyable than its more famous cousin. Both men have something to learn from each other in terms of race, class and life in general while the careful translation keeps the dialogue snappy and smart. The soulful soundtrack is lightly peppered throughout the film and culminates in an amusing music appreciation scene where Phillipe's classical music is played against Driss's hip hop music. Unlikely friendship movies are not a new idea, however, so long as they remain as merry as The Intouchables then I'm sure there will always be a market for them. Watch it many a time.
8.5/10
A charming, off-beat coming of age story, TPOBAW is about Charlie, an awkward freshman looking for friendship after spending time in hospital. He befriends two half-sibling seniors: Sam, a beautiful yet damaged girl and Patrick, a flamboyant class clown. He quickly falls for Sam while the seniors introduce him to the world of parties and minor college drug use. The film leans heavily and successfully on a fantastic soundtrack including Come on Eileen and Bowie's Heroes. As they work through their problems, it's easy to like Charlie - who brings a stability to the trio - and this pays off when the film darkens. The only noticeable downside is that it does feel like it's forcibly trying to be quirky at times. That said, there's a few interesting quotes and tidbits that give the film a smartness and these help to make it worth watching several times.
8.5/10
The first of three film prequels to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit tells of Bilbo Baggins' journey and how he came to own the One Ring. Despite recycling much of the talent of the LOTR movies, including the same director and several actors, this time around it all feels a bit childish - much like the earlier films in the Harry Potter franchise. The comic relief is goofy and includes a protracted dinner table scene where Dwarven warriors outstay their welcome. It also misses the emotional punch of its predecessors and thus fails to connect with the viewer - save for a scene between the Dwarven King and Bilbo. The visuals are sweeping and gorgeous but coupled with the dreary orchestral score the whole thing feels a bit regurgitated. Given the almost 3 hour run time, regretfully, this is a oncer.
6/10
Sacha Baron Cohen's fourth film, The Dictator is unfortunately more of a slapstick comedy than a political satire. It follows a despot from a fictional country in the middle-east who is summoned to New York for developing nuclear warheads. The comic material is centred around cultural and political differences and serves as a heavy-handed argument against oppressive regimes. Certainly funny throughout, the film suffers from the usual Cohen problems; it lacks subtlety or depth and frequently becomes silly. Music is noticeably absent here and a politically-charged soundtrack could've really helped during the more ridiculous moments. Still, it's a guaranteed laugh at least the first time around.
6/10
