Sing Street (2016)

A music-laden dramedy, Sing Street follows an Irish teenager in the 80's who forms a garage band with his school mates in order to win the heart of an aspiring model. Initially terrible, the band improves, over time, and they even create music videos while the romance between the two develops. It's a simple story that works as a love letter not only to the period itself but also to its trademark synthy, pop/rock music. The soundtrack is about 50% original tracks and is further proof that John Carney is single-handedly carrying the torch for successful movie musicals. As with his earlier entries: Once and Begin Again, the story feels natural and avoids the camp and/or goofy dialogue that often accompanies this genre. Easy to watch; easy to listen to; easy to enjoy.

8/10

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

An often silly comedy, Popstar: NSNS follows a narcissistic ex-boy-band member named Conner as he launches his individual music career. Filled with an impressive number of faux-doco style cameos by musicians such as Seal, Mariah Carey, Adam Levine and Usher, the film manages to hit a few touching notes amongst all the heavy-handed satire. Most of the successful jokes come from the lyrics of Conner's new songs and fans of The Lonely Island's On a Boat will be right at home here. The soundtrack is hip-hop-esque but, unfortunately, none of the tunes are meant to be taken seriously. Thankfully, themes of friendship and forgiveness help to elevate the film and most people should find a few laughs along the way. Would watch it again but not too soon.

7/10

Warcraft (2016)

Based on the video game, Warcraft is an epic story about the war between humans and orcs - both of whom are manipulated by cunning mages. It's a dazzling light-show filled with magic and fantasy elements and backed with a swathe of characters that are familiar for fans of the video game series. The soundtrack is orchestral but unfortunately forgettable as it does not use the original game music (although it does try to emulate it). The plot is adequate and the film moves along well yet there's nothing particularly deep going on here. But that's not the point. While the story would hold up for newcomers to the series, this is meant for fans of its two decades worth of gaming lore. Guilty as charged and worth a repeat viewing or two even if only for the brilliant Blizzard production values that are second to none.

8/10

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

A gripping thriller, 10 Cloverfield Lane follows a young woman who wakes up in a mysterious bunker after being incapacitated in a car accident. She is greeted by Howard, a dubious character who tells her he has saved her from a chemical attack that has rendered the entire earth's surface uninhabitable. Howard refuses to open the outside door and contaminate the bunker so she hatches an escape plan to discover the truth. The soundtrack mostly consists of eerie orchestral pieces that successfully add atmosphere however there are also a couple of well-placed, upbeat oldies tracks - most notably 'I think we're alone now' and 'tell him'. Unfortunately, the ending goes a little sideways and trades in all the film's tension for some ill-fitting action. Still it's one heck of a ride until then.

8/10

Field of Dreams (1989)

Field of Dreams is a rich and timeless drama about Ray, a corn farmer who hears cryptic voices telling him to build something. After seeing a vision, he takes a leap of faith and razes his crops in order to build a baseball field in the middle of nowhere, Iowa. Soon enough, spectres of baseball players from decades earlier appear on the field and Ray is guided to a reclusive writer (played by James Earl Jones who steals the show).  The James Horner soundtrack is as brilliant as the often poetic dialogue and together they complement the overall sense of nostalgia. In the end, the film admits that although baseball can bring people together it's not the be-all and end-all for everyone and that's perfectly okay too. Warm your soul with FoD as often as possible.

10/10

The Invitation (2015)

A slow-burning thriller, The Invitation begins with Will and his new girlfriend travelling to a dinner party to reunite with his old friends. The event is hosted by Will's ex-wife Eden and her new husband David and we are given flashback introductions to the several other couples in attendance. Will is haunted by events in his past and he harbours a suspicious attitude towards some of the guests. This causes an uneasy tension at the dinner table as we are left wondering if Will is paranoid or justified with his accusations. His distrust only intensifies when David introduces them to an unsettling recruitment video for a new wave religion. The film is a little light on music, with only a few creepy instrumental pieces at key moments. This oversight causes the middle of the film to flounder a bit however the realistic setting and the final resolution is dark and thoughtful.

7/10

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

A retrospective addition to the sci-fi franchise, TFA is a sequel to the events of Return of the Jedi. With the empire in disarray, a similarly ominous group known as the First Order has risen in its place. We meet Rey and Finn who are accompanied by a much-older version of Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca as they attempt to piece together a galactic map that leads to Luke Skywalker's hermitage. The soundtrack is largely recycled but works well as the film draws heavily on its predecessors and there's a certain amount of charm in seeing the elder actors return to their original roles. If anything, the film is a little too familiar: there's a bad guy who'll remind you of Vader and an even badder guy who'll remind you of the Emperor. Overall, there's nothing much added to here, but it's derivative slant is still light years ahead of the prequel trilogy.

7.5/10

Tron: Legacy (2010)

A trail-blazing sci-fi, Tron: Legacy follows Sam, a rebellious twenty-something year old searching for answers regarding the mysterious disappearance of his father decades earlier. Sam investigates an abandoned arcade and discovers that his father has been trapped in a war within a cyberworld called the grid. He soon finds himself accidentally uploaded to the grid and must help his father liberate the grid from the security protocol named TRON. On paper the plot is overly nerdy - and even clumsy - but this is one of those rare occasions where the visuals and soundtrack outshine the flaws and drive the film to greatness. From the armour to the weapons and vehicles, the grid is a dazzling light show with second-to-none visual effects that reminded me of real life cel-shading. This is accompanied by the most enjoyable electronic soundtrack ever made for a film; Daft Punk spearhead an album that's adventurous, futuristic and haunting. While it could've benefited from richer father-son moments and a deeper appreciation of open source coding, it's hard not to want to treat your senses to this one again and again. Besides, it's so damned cool.

9/10

The Inbetweeners 2 (2014)

Succeeding enough for a second film, The Inbetweeners 2 follows the lads as they go 'proper travelling' to Australia where Jay is apparently living the dream as a hotshot DJ. Once there the foursome must contend with judgemental hipsters, aggressive bogans and a familiar face or two from previous entries. There's edgier humour this time around including a protracted, awkward cover of Roberta Flack, a rape misunderstanding, bestiality references and yet another 'poo scene' that should never be forgotten. There's also a bit more heart as Will finally has some luck with the somewhat unhinged Katie. This is topped off with a bitter-sweet hand-holding scene that finally reminds us that despite all the ribbing over the years, Will, Simon, Neil and Jay are best mates when it really matters. The only thing really missing is some decent tunes to tie it all together but that's not enough to dispel how much fun there is to be had here.

7.5/10

The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

Returning from its short-lived TV series, The Inbetweeners Movie follows the crass and yet entirely clueless group of four lads from Bristol as they travel to Crete in search of beautiful women under the pseudonym: Pussay Patrol. Packed with inappropriate jokes ranging from intentionally drowning children to snorting faeces and nudity galore, the group's youthful inexperience and well-intentioned ideas keep the film fresh and not too vulgar. Complemented with an electronic soundtrack that sort of sustains the party vibe, TIM remembers to have fun and channel British slang (see: clunge) to create just the right comedic moments. While not the goal of the film, a little more sweetness with the girls and more music throughout could've rounded out the film nicely. Watch it with a few beers because there's nothing quite like it.

7/10

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

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

The Theory of Everything (2014)

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