The middle-child of the trilogy, The Scorch Trials reunites us with Thomas and the surviving members of the glade. This time around they are pursued by the scientists of WCKD who want to continue to experiment upon them in order to find a cure for the deadly flare virus. In addition, it seems that much of the world has been scorched into desert and thus the teens seek refuge with a renegade organisation known as The Right Arm. TST has even less narrative than the first movie and instead favours more action and death-defying thrills. This makes the film both entertaining and frustrating as you find yourself longing for scenes with the 'evil' adults as they at least help to flesh out some semblance of a story. Much like its elder brother, the soundtrack and special effects are adequate but there's still no real point to it all. It's re-watchable for the thrills but it's hard to feel invested.
5/10
A bitter-sweet biopic, The Theory of Everything tracks the physical deterioration of one of our greatest minds: Stephen Hawking. While studying physics at Cambridge University, Stephen meets his future wife Jane but he is soon diagnosed with ALS: a motor neurone disease. As his paralysis worsens, Stephen continues to learn and develop his theories and remains as positive and humorous as can be expected. Despite ALS being incurable, Jane is equally heroic as she cares for her husband and raises their young family. Many years later the pair get divorced however there is a shared understanding between them; this is mirrored by Stephen, an atheist, acknowledging Jane's belief in god in one of his works. With great performances and an enjoyable and understated soundtrack, this is about humanity - odds be damned - and one could easily see it again.
7.5/10
An insightful yet testing drama, The Wolf of Wall Street is about a successful investment broker who becomes immensely wealthy by trading, questionably, over a number of years. He lives a decadent life complete with a supermodel wife, luxury cars, yachts and a mansion. Unfortunately his lifestyle of excess also comes with its share of undesirables ranging from international fraud charges to despair and drug addiction. A comfortable Leonardo DiCaprio and a well-chosen rock soundtrack helps to guide this roller-coaster however it remains a generally vulgar experience stretched over an unnecessarily long runtime. In the end, this is neither a cautionary tale nor one of redemption - it lacks any real anchor but it's worth seeing into that crazy world just once.
6.5/10
An ambitious drama, Boyhood follows a boy named Mason over the course of his childhood: beginning at primary school and ending at college. The twist here is that instead of using different/older actors to show Mason 'growing up' the directors wait an actual year or two and then use the exact same cast - making this a project that took 12 years. The film is essentially a slice of life piece showing the changes in Mason's surroundings as he matures; over the years we're shown Mason's sister taunting him, a string of step-dads who come and go and fortnightly visits with his biological father. Each of these time jumps transition neatly with a new haircut and a familiar song from that particular year. The soundtrack as a whole is fantastic and very well-chosen and this helps to weave a retrospective vibe throughout the film. Worthy of seeing again but be careful not to get wound up in nostalgic regret.
9/10
A historical epic set around 1000AD, The Physician tells of an English orphan named Rob who is raised by a travelling barber-surgeon after his mother dies of side-sickness (appendicitis). When Rob comes of age he adopts a Jewish identity in order to travel across the known world and study under the great Persian doctor Ibn Sina. Rob flourishes under Ibn Sina's tutelage and together they avert an epidemic of the black plague and perform the world's first successful appendectomy. However, tension escalates between the tolerant Islamic ruling faction and the puritanical extremists and this places Rob and his fellow secular scholars in peril. Sweeping and grand, each phase of Rob's life is interesting in its own right and the mystical soundtrack is used well over the 2.5 hour stretch. The medieval backdrop of science vs religion during the Islamic Golden Age also helps to keep you compelled throughout the film. Bottom line: there's a lot going on here so you're going to want to see it again.
10/10
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
