48. Wonder

Another Tuesday afternoon film for me, Wonder follows the story of Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), a young boy with Treacher-Collins syndrome, as his parents (Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson) decide it is time for him to enrol in mainstream school, after being home schooled.

The film deals with issues around bullying and children being cruel, as well as parents being cruel, and people's reaction to when someone is 'different'. I enjoyed the films perspective on this, and I especially enjoyed the fact that the film had a focus on Auggie's sister Via (Izabela Vidovic). The film looked at the whole family dynamic of dealing with the change of moving to mainstream school, as well as other social factors that occur along side it.

The film had a solid moral message, looking at the way people treat each other. As the film progressed, a solid group of friends are formed around Auggie, as the children realise that sometimes being 'cool' or hanging around bullies, have consequences. The children realise that what they really wanted was friendship and kindness.

The film also illustrated the issue of thinking before you speak, as this got one of Auggie's closest friends into a lot of trouble, nearly losing their friendship.

The film is heartwarming and emotional, and is written and produced well to reflect this. It's written and directed by Stephen Chbosky, the writer and director of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (he also wrote the book), and is very similar in style. For me, the plot doesn't necessarily ever come to a head, but actually the emotional story is written very well.

This isn't the best film I've seen all year, but it was enjoyable. If you want something that's relatively easy to watch, and will leave you feeling a sense of justice and happiness, this may be a good choice. I found the film interesting to watch with it's different angles, and it really investigated how the whole family felt about the struggles of the transition to school, as well as the emotional heartache of watching a son/brother have countless major operations.

I do question why Jacob Tremblay was cast, as opposed to someone with a genetic condition themselves.

Overall, I think Wonder deserves a 7/10. Not the best film out at the moment, but certainly one worth a watch.

47. The Disaster Artist

We went in blind seeing this film; we've saved Daddy's Home 2 (a sure fire classic, or aboslute twaddle) for a Christmas special, and this was the only thing left we hadn't seen. I'd seen reviews that had said the film was meant to be great. It had 97% on Rotten Tomatoes when we booked, but as we all know, as time goes on, RT ratings tend to fall. All I knew was the film was meant to be good.

The film starts and tells us it is based on a real story. My first reaction was: is it actually though. Cynical as I am, turns out it actually is. The film tells the story of Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) and Greg Sestero (Dave Franco). Tommy is an mysterious aspiring actor with a seemingly bottomless pit of money. He enlists Greg, another budding actor, as they move to Hollywood to chase their dreams.

With a lack of success in acting circles, Tommy decides to write, direct and star in his own film 'The Room', writing a part for Greg as well. With his endless cash, Tommy is quite the maverick in the way he creates the film, buying equipment instead of hiring it, enlisting only the best of the best to help him produce the piece.

The Room actually became a cult classic film (see IMDb, 3.6/10, RT 26%), and lots of people in the cinema found the film hilarious, I assume there are lots of references to it. For someone who has never seen The Room, I still found the film really entertaining, and there were some excellent comedy moments. I do imagine that there is a certain type of humour the movie appeals to though, I don't think it is one for everyone.

I found the film quite emotionally interesting. There were parts of the film where I didn't know if Tommy had a motive, or was someone who just wanted to please, or if he had no motive at all. I found it quite interesting and the mystery behind his character is fascinating.

The film makes you want to know more, and after looking up some bits and bobs, I found that the film was not only based on the original, but also on a memoir written by Greg Sestero. I now really want to read the book! The story is so outlandish yet incredible, it makes you yearn for more. I really wasn't sure what we were expecting when booking the ticket, but the first thing I said as the credits started to roll was 'That was fantastic'.

As a little treat, at the end of the film there are some side-by-side shots of 'The Room' and The Disaster Artist’s interpretation. The comparisons are great, and shows the quality of acting from all parties, and also how terrible the original film was.

The film was fantastic, it was an unexpected treat, and I have to give it a 9/10. Probably would give it more but I think James Franco is a bit of a knob.

46. Paddington 2

Long time no see, today I'm blogging from the kitchen, halfway through making an absolute mess, halfway through making a bread and butter pudding. What a great pudding. For a christmassy twist, I've used panettone instead of bread. I've never made any type of bread and butter pudding before and I've made up the recipe so it could be an utter shambles. That's why I don't have a food blog.

Anyway, we're hear to talk about Paddington 2. I saw this last Tuesday, as although the film has been out for a while, there are still plenty of screenings, and there was one in the day at 2pm. I'm now a layabout student who has nothing to do Monday - Wednesday (she says this as she picks up extra shifts) so that just suited me fine.

For anyone who has seen the first film and loved it, this sequel is just as good. It's silly, funny and charming, and it has a decent plot line, as long as you are willing to let your imagination run away with you. There were parts of the film where I was trying to stifle laughter, as the only people in the cinema was me, and a mother and toddler combo, and I thought it would be a bit weird to have a 24 year old howling with laughter in the corner.

The plot follows Paddington as he tries to earn and save money to buy his Aunt Lucy a perfect 100th Birthday present. Paddington starts his own window cleaning business, but somehow ends up in a spot of bother, and gets sent to jail. Now he needs to get out, get justice, AND get Aunt Lucy a present.

The film is full of familiar faces, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Ben Miller, Hugh Grant, Peter Capaldi, Joanna Lumley, to name but a few. The film was co-written by Simon Farnaby, who also has a cameo. I really like Farnaby's work, and comedy. If you are a fan of the Boosh, or this years absolute classic 'Mindhorn', you might recognise him. He also starred in 2009's 'The Bunny and the Bull', a rare film I saw pre-2015. Another great surprise was the brief yet fantastic appearance of Richard Ayoade, a man who could just stand still and do nothing, and I'd still be crying with laughter. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the cast is great and the acting is brilliant. It looks like a lot of fun was had on the set.

I've just put the bread and butter pudding in the oven. Keep reading this and the next reviews for updates.

The whole production of the film is surreal is not realistic by any stretch of the imagination. Many of you will know I love a true to life film, or a documentary, or an interesting but realistic plot. However, I do like things that are fantastical in this sort of way. If you forget about reality and rhyme and reason, and let the film capture your imagination, you will love it. It's a shame the film won't be out on DVD for a while, because it's definitely a film perfect for watching with the family around Christmas, appealing to all ages (Probably the reason why it's out now isn't it)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film, and have to give it a 9/10. It was brilliant.

41. The Snowman

The Snowman I feel has had quite a lot of PR for this type of film, there were cardboard cut outs and giant posters all over the cinema, and I’d seen Michael Fassbender doing a lot of TV and radio promo. To my surprise, the film had not received great feedback, and once we’d booked the film, I checked Rotten Tomatoes and it had received a grand total of 22%. I read the blurb and thought that the film was really something that I would enjoy, so I was disappointed in the low percentage. To cheer myself up I looked up Johnny English and saw that it had received 20%. If this film is 2% better than Johnny English it will be all I have ever dreamed about.

Honestly.

Who thinks Johnny English is a 20% film. It’s a 110% film and everyone knows that.

The film introduces Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender); a successful detective with the police, with his speciality being murders. Unfortunately for him, for various reasons he is unable to take on murder cases, until the Snowman case comes along. He receives various letters with mysterious clues, as women keep going missing, and bodies keep being found. All the while, we are in beautiful Scandinavia, with beautiful shots of snowy scenes, with an effective dingy dirty grey filter, displaying the heartache of the murders, as well as Hole’s characters struggles.

It’s at this point that you may or may not know that I am obsessed with murder, true crime, crime fiction, mystery etc etc and this really is what I can watch for hours and hours. The film isn’t complex in it’s plot, and it’s relatively easy to follow. It’s definitely not revolutionary, and it won’t blow your mind. But still, it had my attention with the topic and plot line.

Unfortunately, the film is littered with plot holes, bits that don’t really make sense, and the big reveal of the murder theme at the end just didn’t make sense to me. It tried to address the reasons ‘why’ the murders occurred (every crime fanatic’s dream), but it just didn’t add up. It wasn’t difficult to work out who, and how the murderers had been carried out, and although there was a build up, it just didn’t quite deliver. The film is based on a book by Jo Nesbo, and I’m sure that the book would address these missing parts. But for a film that could have been great, it just didn’t quite get there. In that way, it reminded me of ‘Child 44’. An incredible book, but when I watched the film, ½ of it was missing! It just didn’t do the book justice. In a way I am disappointed as I think I would have really enjoyed the book, but I’ve ruined it for myself now!

I’m not saying for one minute that The Snowman is a 2/10 film. In fact I’d be quite generous and give it a 6.5/10, but it’s not a film that’s going to make you think, it’s not a film that makes you feel clever if you work out the murderer, and it is a film that left me wanting more. It’s an easy watch, it does what it says on the tin, and the cinematography is fantastic.

40. Blade Runner 2049

First of all, congratulations to me! Last year I saw 40 'new' films, and here we are, October, and I've hit that figure. This weeks film review comes from Costa Coffee, in Derby Train Station, where due to a uni open day, the bus got me here 30 minutes before my train is due. Where am I blogging from can become a new feature. Chances are it'll be either on train, near train, or in bed, but there we go. 

I was super excited to see Blade Runner 2049. The reviews I'd seen had been great, and obviously Ryan Gosling is great, Harrison Ford is great, it was all set to be great. The film starts with a handy synopsis of the original film, which was clearly helpful as I've obviously not seen it. The premise of the film is that K (Ryan Gosling) is an artificial human programmed to follow orders, working for LAPD. His mission is to retire the older, less obedient models of himself. 

The film follows K as he tries to retire the replicants, but also explores his emotion and feelings around being an artificial human. He lives with a hologram type female robot whom he is not able to love (because she's a hologram), which leads to quick an interesting/strange/bizarre subplot. He also struggles with memories, as an artificial human, he was never a child, but he still experiences flashbacks to his childhood. This is another theme throughout the film, looking at where these memories come from. 

As expected, there is also lots of action in the film, coming to a head at the end with a really intense and quite exciting action scene. Throughout the film, the action kept me hooked and interested in where the plot was going. 

Unfortunately for the film, it clocks in at a grand total 2hrs 45mins, and for me, as we know, I just don’t think this sort of the length is necessary for a film. Although I could keep my attention due to the exciting action parts, I think it’s hard to maintain the focus on the plot over such a long period of time. As mentioned before, there are many subplots, and these start to get confusing and tangled over time. There are parts where Jared Leto is the main character, but I’m still trying to work out who exactly he is, and with my understanding of the plot, I don’t think some of the parts are truly integral (not that Jared Leto was bad in the film, mind).

I also got about 2 hours into the film, wondering where Harrison Ford was. Again, he wasn’t bad in the film, but was he necessary? It felt like he was more of a cameo, and he could have been integrated more into the plot. That said, I haven’t seen the original so what do I know? 

Overall, the film is enjoyable, and if you are a SciFi/Fantasy fan you will really enjoy it. For me, not the biggest fan of things that aren’t realistic, it isn’t my film of the year, but I still think it is worth a watch. I wouldn’t say it lived up to the hype, but I’ll give it a solid 7.5/10 for the effort. Someone needs to give the movie industry the heads up that films only need to be 1.5-2hrs long. 

32. England is Mine

In amongst working 20 days in a row, having a social life, and trying to squeeze in sleep, I managed to see England is Mine, the new Morrissey film, however I didn't manage to blog about it. That could mean I was really busy, or it could mean it wasn't the best.

I am a Smiths fan, and I find Morrissey intriguing to say the least, so I was excited to see the film once I had seen the trailer. I also was excited when I saw that Jack Lowden (see previous blog entry) was playing Morrissey, however I much prefer Lowden as a pilot than as a young Moz. I also made the mistake where I watched an interview with him talking about the film, claiming to like The Smiths but proceeding to know nothing about them. They've got that song about that light that never goes out yeah? Anyway, in the interview apparently Lowden was told to only research certain Smiths/Morrissey information, which I appreciate would help him play the part, but I didn't understand why he was told not to read Morrissey's autobiography. Surely reading that would help see both sides of the picture, painted by both the media and the man himself.

I did enjoy the film, and watching in a Manchester cinema I think was also a good experience. There were local jokes, and actually, the film was really rather funny. If you haven't guessed already, the film is the story of Morrissey before The Smiths. It's the story of his early life, his family, his friendships. It's endearing and awkward, and some characters are hilariously witty. It's an easy watch, with the golden time ticket of 1hr 30mins, and if you are interested in the genre and Manchester movement, you will probably enjoy it.

I do think the demographic for the film is quite slim, lots of people hate Moz, or find him arrogant/cocky/depressing. I find him a really interesting, and though I don't appreciate everything he says or does, I definitely have respect for him, and though the film was a good insight to his early life, depending on how truthful it is.

Overall, the film was surprisingly funny, but it won't be to everyone's taste. The ending was really predictable, and I feel like if you've seen Nowhere Boy, the film about John Lennon's early life, you probably won't be surprised in the slightest. For that I give England is Mine a respectable 7/10

31. Dunkirk

I was so excited to see Dunkirk, it's based on a true event, it doesn't surpass the 2hr mark, and the cast is incredible. It didn't disappoint. Last night before we watched the film, I had a little look at the previous 30 titles I've seen this year, and I'm delighted to let you know, this takes the top spot. I know a lot of the big titles often come out around the back end of the year/beginning of next year due to the awards season, but actually, 2017 has given me a lot of bang average films (hit me up with your suggestions of 2017 winners I haven't seen if you fancy.) This movie was captivating, interesting, emotional, full of action. It really was fab. It also has Tom Hardy in it (and my new friend Jack Lowden...).

The film encapsulates the evacuation of Dunkirk (it sounds Scottish but turns out it's in France) from 3 different view points- land, sea and air. On the beach we follow Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) and his mute mate as they try to battle through the troops to grab a spot on a boat nipping back to England. Amongst setbacks and breakthroughs, they find Harry Styles, and we finally discover the real reason why he cut his hair off all those months ago. On water, Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance) is giving the Navy a hand by travelling across to Dunkirk on his private boat with his son and son's friend, in order to help bring some troops back. From the skies, we follow Farrier (Hardy) and Collins (Lowden) as they support troops on air attack on the bomb dropping enemies, fighting against limited fuel. To add to the interest of the plot, we follow the story from 3 different time perspectives; a week on land, a day on a boat, and just an hour in the air. These time frames cleverly match up as we reach the climax of the film.

The film also really followed the British way of life, and anytime a soldier had any kind of break or respite, they were offered a brew. 'Don't worry love go down there there's tea!' 'Go down stairs and grab yourself a brew and a blanket'. A sentiment I can wholly get on board with.

As you can see by the fact I am using proper bulky paragraphs, and not twiddly sentences, I was really encapsulated by the plot and it really held my interest, especially as we switched between the 3 plots. The script was very small, with very little dialogue, but it wasn't needed. The story told itself between the fabulous acting, the tension, the music, the sound effects and the cinematography. I could go on. The cast itself is full of well known, credible actors (Rylance, Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy) and some new faces, but the acting was incredible, and the whole thing was casted really well. I thought Styles would be in it for promotion reasons, or just because he's Harry Styles and he can do what he wants. Apparently he was cast out of 1000s of hopefuls and Christopher Nolan had no idea who he was (everyone knows who Harry Styles is???).

To add to that point, everyone had great cheekbones. Really lovely ones. It was a sight to see. I reckon someone in the makeup department must have had an eye out with all those sharp and edgy faces. However, my one disappointment was Tom Hardy. Almost the entire film he spent hiding behind his Bane mask, until the final scenes. What a tease, and what a waste of an excellent face. Spoiler alert but you essentially have to wait until the end of the movie for him to unmask and reveal his chiselled by angels face.

Overall, I very clearly loved the film. Full of non-stop action and emotion, not bulked out with meaningless romance, or sexism, or silly humour. Get yourself to the pictures to watch it, where you can really find yourself in the film, with the loud effects and great quality screen. It's my must watch of the summer!!! My only gripe being that Tom Hardy's face needed to be in it more, it's a 9.5/10 from me. Go and watch as soon as you can.

28. Despicable Me 3

It's no secret that I love Despicable Me; a fun cartoon with lovable characters and hilarious Minions. That's right, I fall on the 'love 'em' side of the marmite flavoured annoying yellow creatures. If you don't already know, Despicable Me is centred in a world full of heroes and villains, full of battles to either be the best, or the baddest. The central character in our film is Gru (Steve Carell), and since 2010 (yes, that's 7 years ago, do you feel old?) he has flitted between the baddest baddie, and a hero, served by his adorable Minions (we last saw them in 2015 in their own film).

The antagonist in this film is Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), who previously was a child star, starring in his own show 'Evil Bratt' where he did just that. Upon the TV show's cancellation he took on the character, and is aiming for world domination. Clearly it is up to Gru to sort this out!

We discover that Gru has a twin brother, Dru, who is quite the opposite to Gru- cheery, charming and full of beans. After the initial annoyance, Gru and Dru team up to take on Bratt.

Amongst story lines about catching unicorns, a high speed car chase, and an island full of pigs, Despicable Me 3 holds the attention of the audience, whichever generation they sit in. The thing about these films is that they really work for those of any age, without alienating anyone.

Unfortunately, with 2 other films and a spin off behind it, Despicable Me 3 is not the greatest in the series, and it is more than likely the worst. The plot wasn't the most memorable, but it was rather predictable, and to be honest, there simply wasn't enough Minion action for my liking. The best bit of the film by far was a Minion pretending to be an air hostess, welcoming his peers onto the plane 'Bello, Bello, Bel-lo, Belllllo....' had us in stitches for ages.

If you have kids or nieces or nephews or what have you, I'd definitley consider taking them to watch the film, especially with the holidays coming up. You will end up giggling as well as them, and it is genuinely not a bad film choice. If you are watching it as a true Despicable Me fan, it is still worth a watch, but don't be expecting miracles. I can only give Despicable Me 3 6.5/10 for trying!

27. Baby Driver

Baby Driver came out yesterday, and we had the pleasure of seeing it on it's opening night. I hadn't seen much advertising for the film (but I do spend the trailers at the pictures on Buzzfeed wondering what flavour crisps I am, instead of paying attention.) We checked out the rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it had 100% so we were well in. Obviously as the film has only just been released, it's not the biggest achievement to have 100%, but it's still a pretty  good indication that the film is going to be a good one.

The starting credits are rolling, and the first scene is really interesting and creative. It's a contemporary dance sequence, where the lyrics are hidden in the scenery of the shot. I thought it was really innovative and new, nothing like anything I have seen before, and it grabbed my attention. From there we are right into a car chase. Again the chase was fast, but interesting, it had action, but also twists and turns in it's plot, not just a car chase.

Baby Driver follows Baby, a getaway driver (duh) for armed robberies and such. Baby (Ansel Elgort) has a passion for music, and uses it to aide him in his driving, a job that a big mistake landed him in, years ago. We follow him as he meets a girl (Lily James) and tries to ditch his life of crime, to no avail.

Baby Driver is sort of a cross between Drive, and Ocean's Eleven. I was worried that it would just be a carbon copy of Drive (I urge you to watch this if you haven't already), but it has it's differences. There's a different backstory, and different characters, as well as Baby's involvement in the heists, and his interaction with others. It also is a humorous film, with real laughs in places. The comedy element was done well, as it enhanced the plot, as opposed to turning it into a slapstick movie. There is also the cleverness of how the jobs are pulled off, or not, similar to Ocean's Eleven. Again, I think it was different enough to make it stand out.

The action scenes in the film were brutal, and violent, but these scenes are included, again, to enhance the plot, and not for the shock factor. I really enjoyed the action, and it definitely wasn't boring. The film is 2hrs long (you know how I feel about this) and yet I wasn't clock watching, I was interested to see what was next. However, I did, last night, have a dream of massacring a load of people and then jumping off a cliff, so I guess if you are of a nervous disposition it could haunt you for weeks!

The soundtrack to the film was also really well done. There were so many classics from so many genres, and it was just really interesting to see how they worked with the film. As a music lover I especially appreciated this. If the soundtrack is released I definitely want it for my car!

Overall, I'm going to give Baby Driver an 8.5/10. I really want to give it a 9, and I really do recommend you going to see it, but I can see a lot of similarities drawn from other films. The first two scenes of the film are by far the most original, and the most interesting and creative, but when we get towards the end, some of the scenes don't match up to this. Don't get me wrong, they are full of action and work well with the plot, but I was just so in awe at the opening titles and how it was so imaginative, I can't help but think that the middle and end can't quite match it. Please go and see it and let me know what you think!

26. Wonder Woman

I'm so late in uploading this, but I've been super busy and also I have been enjoying the glorious weather we have been experiencing/complaining about. Last week's film was Wonder Woman - another superhero film. I was getting to a point when I was unsure which direction we could go with more superhero films - Dr Strange, Deadpool, the terrible flop that was Batman vs Superman - DC and Marvel just can't stop themselves. However, I really wanted to write this review today to urge you to go and see Wonder Woman if you can - it really is great.

Wonder Woman follows Diana, Princess of the Amazons (Gal Gadot), as she goes through her warrior training, something her mother has prevented her from doing for so long, to protect the tribe and paradise-like island from the imminent return of Ares, God of War. After a dramatic family incident, Diana flees to a cliff edge to do some wistful staring into the distance, and as she does so, World War I spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) enters the realm. He is fleeing the Germans, who realised he was undercover, and Diana saves him, coming across a man for the first time. From here, Diana realises it is her duty to stop the war happening across the world, and to destroy Ares. Much to her mother's dismay, Diana pops across to England, battles in trenches and finds her self right in the centre of the action.

I really enjoyed the film and found it really balanced. There was intense action, the training and battle scenes were exciting and interesting. Lucy Davis was fabulous as Etta, a great comedy character adding another angle to the film. I also really enjoyed the political angle on the film; discussions about war, politics and evil. Is war down to one person? Is evil just one person? Questions about deindividuation. There were many parallels to our own history which I thought added depth to the film. I really do wish it was a badass lass that sorted us all out, and again I think this film worked really well from a feminist point of view.

There were also a few twists and turns, keeping the film interesting, and I think there were surprises and unexpected moments to keep you on your toes. As well as this, the cinematography was great. The island of Themyscira was truly beautiful, and the contrast between the foggy industrial London and the dingy trenches made it enchanting to watch.

Overall, for the first time in quite a few films, I'd really recommend giving this a watch. Exciting, interesting, political, and with a female lead who shows the lads how it's done, you just can't knock it. I'm giving Wonder Woman a solid 8.5/10!

25. Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge

A little late again, but our latest cinema trip was to see the newest film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise - number 5. I am unsure why big franchises like this continue to make films, as very few films manage to make number 5 a success (I am still hoping and wishing for Shrek 5 to be incredible, and actually if Despicable Me makes it to number 5, that will clearly be great too). Either way, I don't think the movie will be breaking any records.

The film isn't terrible, but it's probably just how you imagine. Johnny Depp plays the Jack Sparrow in the same way he always has done, Kaya Scodelario and Brenton Thwaites are the films too love interests, and there are a few cameos throughout. We'll come back to that later. Javier Bardem does make a great baddie as Salazar, but that is probably the only good thing about the film.

The film is a big mish mash of lots of events, there's a bank robbery, standard pirates with swords, a wedding, the return of the Black Pearl, seas parting, and a quest for the Trident of Poseidon. In an attempt to make the film interesting, Scodelario's character, Carina, has an interest in the stars, and is very knowledgeable on the topic. It seems like the film attempted to show how a female can intelligent and be an integral part of the plot, however, to offset this, the other characters hurl sexist abuse at her throughout, undermining her importance for a cheap joke.

On to the cameos as promised, what the hell is Paul McCartney doing in Pirates of the Caribbean 5???? Surely he hasn't run out of money, he's Macca????? The scene was so bizarre, but I actually think it's worth the watch (or at least to try and find the clip on YouTube or something) just for his appearance.

Overall, the film isn't boring, it does keep your attention, but I think the plot is unclear and there is a lot going on. It seems like the writers wanted to put as much as possible into one film to make it extravagant, but sometimes more is less. I guess this is the type of film that you could watch on a Sunday and not have to think too much, but it wasn't my favourite. There are so many more films released this year that have a more interesting plot, better acting, and that are 10x more funny. There are also films that have been a lot worse, so I give this movie a fair 6/10 .

24. Baywatch

I was 'lucky' enough to see Baywatch before it was released to the public, not because I'm a big time blogger, but because I am a Cineworld Unlimited member. I think the fact that I've left it until a day after the release to write my review shows it's distinct bland and averageness. I was jumping out of my seat to slate The Belko Experiment, and I couldn't wait to talk about politics and justice and just how great Get Out was. Baywatch? Not so much.

The story follows Mitch (Dwayne 'THE ROCK' Johnson) and his crew of lifeguards as they have trials for new recruits. Matt Brody (Zac Efron) is on board by default, along with Ronnie (Jon Bass, casted for cheap laughs) and Summer (Alexandra Daddario, casted for incredible body, alongside Kelly Rohrbach and Ilfenesh Hadera). Together old timers try to convince the new recruits that being a life guard is not just about swimming and stopping people from drowning, but something bigger. Mitch tries to convince the ensemble that there are drugs plots and plots to take over the beach front, littered with the deaths of important members of the community.

Amongst Johnson and Efron showboating, and many shots sexualising women's bodies, the story comes to a head in a nightclub, with a silly dance off scene and some fish. The plot is wishy washy and not memorable, yet obvious. The jokes are silly and obscene and cheap. The Rock is The Rock, and Zac Efron is just in it to suggest the film is not just for men to ogle at the women. I feel like the film tried to make the script seem like the women were in it for more than just looking great, but the main plot was clearly all about Matt Brody being great. I feel like it tried to not make it sexist whilst making it overtly sexist and it just didn't wash with me. I'm not hating on women looking great, because damn I am jealous, it's the fact that that is all they were casted for. Why can't women look great, be full of brains, save the day, kill the baddie and be the main focus of a 'comedy' like this? Or is that another story all together?

It still doesn't quiet meet the dismal lows of Sausage Party, but it's simply not a great film. If you like The Rock and silly LAD humour and looking at hot women in swimwear then maybe this film is for you, but I left feeling bemused, like I'd lost a few hours and like I need to lose about 40 stone. Not my favourite. 4.5/10, could try harder.

23. Alien: Covenant

I've never seen an alien film before. It's clearly not my thing. It's about aliens. It's in space. It's not very realistic. There is potential for lots of mindless gory violence. It's over 2 hours long (2hrs 2mins to be precise).
I was ployed with the promise of Nando's, and to be fair, it wasn't truly awful.

Essentially the film is about a ship of people (and a lovable robot) travelling to a habitable planet to colonise and set up shop, similar to many other space based films I've seen this year. Seriously, where are they all coming from. I said I didn't like space and now space films are all over the show. I can't get rid of them. I'm sure about 20% of all the films I've seen this year are in space.

Anyway.

They come across a planet that's about 7 years closer that they 'must have missed' during research, and decide that will do, and to head for that instead (We all know where this is going). Some members of the crew land on the planet and start to explore, and that's when things start to go wrong. The main ship comes down the the planet to give them a hand (seriously, why did everyone think this was a good idea??) and it all starts kicking off.

Michael Fassbender plays the robot on board the ship, and also the robot from the previous film apparently. Without spoilers, there is a major plot around both his characters. It's all very intense but it comes to a head in a scene where Michael Fassbender 1 is teaching Michael Fassbender 2 how to play the recorder. No idea the relevance, but I couldn't stop laughing. It was true comedy genius, although perhaps not intended. I did wonder at one point that maybe my Tango Ice Blast had been laced with LSD as I really wasn't sure what was going on.

The film was predictable, but I quite liked the ending. It was dark and jumpy and scary, and it did hold my attention throughout the film. I was going in and expecting it to be completely terrible, especially as I assume it's probably about number 40 in the franchise by now. If you like this type of film, if you like the previous films (I assume), then you will enjoy this. There are gruesome bits, and bits where you will jump out of your seat, and I think if you want something that's an easy watch in this sort of genre of film, then it does the trick. Alien: Covenant get's a pretty respectable 7/10 from me.

22. Mindhorn

When I first saw the trailer for this film, I honestly couldn't contain my excitement - I think if you saw the trailer and had the same opinion, you won't be disappointed. However, I do think that you have to 'get' a certain type of humour/comedy style to enjoy it. I love alternative/surreal comedy, so just the thought of something with Julian Barratt AND Steve Coogan is like my dream. I then also realised Russell Tovey was in the film and I was even more excited.

The plot follows Richard Thorncroft (Barratt), who is a failing actor dreaming of any work bigger than a toothpaste advert. His biggest role was as the title character in 80s detective series 'Mindhorn'. Mindhorn's USP is the fact he can see the truth. Thorncroft's agent sorts him out with a job helping the police - there's a killer on the loose on the Isle of Man (Mindhorn's hometown), and he is proposing he will only speak to Mindhorn, despite him being fictional. Thorncroft travels to the island, meeting old flames and work mates whilst trying to solve the murder and catch the killer.

The film was everything I wanted it to be, it was funny, silly, you could even say there was a plot twist - it was truly great and I couldn't stop laughing. I'd honestly watch it again right now, and very few films I feel like I could watch over and over in close proximity. I know in a lot of my reviews I talk about things like morals and character development and interactions and all that rubbish, but there isn't much to say about this film. It simply does what it says on the tin, and it executes it really well. Barratt is so good at playing the 'uncool' character trying to play it cool - Coogan is great as the rival costar. Thorncroft's old stuntman is played by Simon Faranby  (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Barratt) - if you are a Boosh fan you may recognise him- and he is excellent part of an interesting love triangle, throwing hilarious insults in Thorncroft's direction.

Mindhorn really did live up to my expectation, it was laugh out loud funny all the way through and just was such a lighthearted easy watch. It hit my idea film time of 1 hour 30 minutes, was full of great comedians and looked like they must have had a great time filming it. My one criticism would be that it wasn't quite as good as Alan Partridge:Alpha Papa. That may be because we are so familiar with Alan, and he is already a character who we know and love, whereas Thorncroft & Mindhorn are totally new. With that, I urge you to watch both - and I give Mindhorn a solid 9/10! (If you don't like this type of film/comedy though, I feel like you may sit all the way through the film wondering what's going on)

21. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

It will almost certainly not come to you as a surprise that I have not seen the original Guardians of the Galaxy. For fear of boring you, the reasons for this may include: film came out pre 2015, film looks unrealistic, film is set in space. There is a talking space tree for crying out loud. With idea to broaden my horizons, and because I had had reviews from friends telling me 'actually it's alright' I took one for the cinema team, and this was our film this week.

Obviously, reading this review, you have to know I haven't watched the first film, and am just giving my view of this sequel. I have no idea about any of the characters historys. The premise of the film is for this gang of superhero like characters to a) escape from a planet they have just robbed from, and b) it becomes apparent the main story line is to find the true heritage of main character Peter Quill (Chris Pratt).

The plot is simplistic but it is quite fun, and it has a good message (does it really matter who's genes you share?). The adventure is full of laughs and is bright and vivid, easily captivating attention. The group dynamics are interesting, a will-they-won't-they romance, sibling rivalries, and characters that subtlety dislike each other, but come together well as a team. I thought this was interesting and a potential USP in this franchise, as often in films like this, there is a 'good side' and a 'bad side' and less focus on inter-group behaviours and communication (sorry I actually feel like I'm writing a uni essay discussing that, I'll get back to my normal self now).

The soundtrack to this film is really great. I was looking for a new car CD the other week (yes I am 100 years old and still love a good Compact Disc), and was just browsing the new in section of Amazon Music, and there was the Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack everywhere! Download, CD, Vinyl, what was all the fuss about?! Now I know. Great tracks from the 70s fit really well with the story and the action in the film, and bring about that sense of nostalgia, and instil that 'feel good' factor into the audience. I feel like I want to buy the CD now but I am definitely not enough of a GotG fan to buy it - what if people ask me questions about the film, god forbid?

For me, the down points of the film are those action sequences that go on and on and on for no reason, when we all know what the outcome is going to be. I do know that this is the part that some people love, but I do often find this boring, as you probably know. I can see how this would really add to the appeal if Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action is your thing. Also, I know I mentioned the plot line before and it's simplicity, and it is a simple premise, but the film I feel tried too hard to make it complex with bits of subplot which I just didn't find memorable - I watched this film on Wednesday; it's Sunday today and there are bits that just don't spring out to me already - I'm scratching my head wondering how they spread out this plotline into 2hrs 16mins.

I think if this is your type of thing, it will tick all the boxes for you, and will be a really enjoyable watch, with quirky characters, laughs and a soundtrack that delivers. If you're on the edge, it's definitely not a terrible film, something worth a watch but not something you would watch again. That said I'm not going to knock this film too much, as with all my bias against this film, I still enjoyed it, it features the lovely Chris Pratt, and has a whole sequence choreographed to Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain'. My rating for GotG Vol. 2 is 6.5/10

20. The Belko Experiment

One third of the way through the year, and on film number 20, half the amount of films I saw in 2016. To celebrate this milestone, we watched the worst film I've seen in a long while. A film as bad as Zoolander 2, Sausage Party or even... the terrible Fantastic 4 remake.

We decided to see the Belko Experiment, as one member of the cinema club who doesn't like horror films was living the high life in Las Vegas (George) so myself and the other member (Bailey)(and our mate Katie) took the opportunity to see a scary movie (note the name checks - just seeing if they actually read my blog).  Bailey and I both loved Get Out, and I really love the adrenaline rush of watching something scary, and laughing at other people (and myself) at the jumpy bits. I wasn't really sure what The Belko Experiment was about, I'd read a sentence about it and it looked like a grim Saw-esque psychological horror. Fine by me.

Turns out it wasn't a gory psychological horror, in fact it was a shambles littered with overkill.

The plot follows offices workers in Colombia, who hear a voice over a tannoy in their block telling them that two workers must be murdered in the next 30 minutes, or else something worse will happen. Ensue panic. The rest of the film is essentially all the characters deciding whether to kill each other or not, trying to gain access to weapons, hiding, trying to escape, and further instruction from the tannoy.

As mentioned, along with this is a lot of gore and violence. Seasoned readers of my blog will realise I often find mindless violence boring and pointless, and I'm not overly shocked by 'TV gore' as it's often really unrealistic. There's a lot of blood, guts and excessive battering of each other; alongside interesting ways of killing each other- think a lift, think sellotape.

A good horror normally is also sexist and often has an underlying romance with a woman who is often sexualised. In this horror, there was an office romance, and although it wasn't overly sexualised (thumbs up) it was dull and dreary and unnecessary; not adding anything to the plot line. Also, humour is sometimes a tool used in psychological horror/thriller type movies (again, see Get Out). In The Belko Experiment there are some cheap attempts at jokes that didn't really work, some obvious comedy about the token stoner character in the film, and essentially nothing funny. Another tool often used in this type of film would be an ambiguous ending to leave you wanting more, or to make you think about the plot days after you watch the movie. This film tried to do that, the ending is designed to make you thing about bigger things, but for me the plot was so half arsed I really wasn't bothered, and it left me wondering what I had done with the last 89 minutes of my life.

Which brings me to my final point. The fact that it was only 89 minutes was the only redeeming factor for this film, I don't know if I could have lasted much longer. Verdict? 3/10, must try harder.

19. Going in Style

First off, apologies for the lack of blogging! If any of you read my original post you may be aware that the purpose of this blog is to record all the films I've seen in the cinema this year; unfortunately we had a break week last week. In the meantime I've become obsessed with an american law drama series 'How to Get Away with Murder', and BBC documentary 'Reported Missing' but that's not what any of you came to read about.

This week has been interesting - we went to see Going in Style, a film about 3 old men deciding to rob a bank. It all came a bit to close to the bone when an hour before the film started I had a call from the bank telling me that someone had cloned my card and emptied my account (it's not all bad as there wasn't much in there to start with), but I still managed to enjoy the film once I'd got over my initial frustration!

The film is actually a remake of a 1979 film of the same name - I wasn't aware of this until after I saw the film. Joe (Michael Caine), Willie (Morgan Freeman) and Albert (Alan Arkin), are all friends who work at the same company. The company gets bought out and pension schemes are scrapped, all at the same time as Joe is caught up in an armed robbery at his own bank. From here, the three men are annoyed at the situation they are left in and feel like it is unjust. Joe suggests robbing a bank, as he witnessed, as the criminals got away with it. Slowly all 3 come round to the idea and hatch a plan.

Along the way, we learn about the men's families, and their other motives for getting the money. We see them attempt robberies as practices along the way, with hilarious consequences. The movie is fun, and the ending is clever and interesting. It is your classic heist movie, with a small twist. If you like The Italian Job, Ocean's 11, Now You See Me, you'll probably enjoy this film. My only gripe here, is that I didn't think it was original enough (well it is a remake but work with me here). The USP of Going in Style is the comedy value; the fact it is 3 pensioners robbing a bank. For me, there weren't enough laugh out loud moments, and the story and plot didn't work hard enough to make this a stand out film. With Now You See Me, the element of magic makes the plot really interesting, Ocean's 11 you have 3 robberies and a whole mob of people and so on.

What I'm trying to say here, is that while Going in Style is no doubt a fun movie, it is nothing revolutionary or dramatically different that makes it special. Of course I enjoyed my self in the cinema, watching Caine, Freeman and Arkin literally having the best fun making this film, but it's not going to win any awards, and it's perhaps a film I'm not going to be itching to see again.

For that reason, I give Going in Style, a 6.5/10. It does what it says on the tin, and it's an easy watch for a lazy day or a hangover day, but it's nothing that I haven't seen before. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are still my heroes though.

18. Free Fire

I saw the trailer for Free Fire a few months ago, and to be honest, I wasn't particularly blown away. I don't get excited by violence or guns or anything like that, and although there were funny bits in the trailer, it didn't seem hilarious. Most of the time it's the funniest bits that go in the trailer, but let me assure you, Free Fire was so much better than I was expecting.

The beginning of the film sees a deal about to go down in a warehouse, but it seems quite suspicious that something else is going on; low and behold, about 10 minutes later we're in the middle of a shootout. As I mentioned, I'm not particularly bothered by violence, but if you've read my review on Hacksaw Ridge, you'll know I find it quite boring. I don't like mindless shooting or attacking. Free Fire is different. There's motive for the gunfire, and there are tactics around it, as well as the humour accompanying the aggression. The rest of the film, and the entire plot is about this shoot out, and without ruining it, it's about working out who's side you're on, and who you're rooting for. There's drug addicts, arms dealers, snipers, middlemen, and god forbid, a woman.

Without any spoilers, that's the entire plot. What I liked about the film was the character development, and connecting with each person, learning about their psychology and trying to understand their motives. The use of humour throughout really added to the effect of this, and it really was 'laugh out loud' funny- something you sometimes struggle to get in a comedy!

In some parts, it was quite gory, so if that's not your thing, you may want to give this film a miss. I'm not all that squeamish, but I did have to cover my eyes at one point. Again, I think the gore wasn't there to shock, or to try and impress the viewer, I thought it worked in line with the plot. Sometimes I think films just include gore for gore's sake.

I thought the casting and acting for Free Fire was great- some great names like Brie Larson and Cillian Murphy, and some lesser know people, like Sam Riley, who played Ian Curtis in Control. I've never heard of Sharlto Copley before, but he was absolutely fantastic, and hilarious as Verne.

To add to all that, it also hit the perfect run time of an hour and a half, so I'm sure you can guess it's a high scorer - 8.5/10. If you fancy going to see a film this week, I'd go with Free Fire!

17. Beauty and the Beast

I'm sure we all know by now, Beauty and the Beast is the adaptation of the 1991 Disney animation. Rather cleverly, the trailer for the film is exactly the same as the cartoon, and that really intrigued me. I must be honest now, I wasn't a massive Beauty and the Beast fan as a child - I had a few Disney videos - Cinderella, Jungle Book and Lady and the Tramp, and they would get played on repeat. I used to hammer those videos, so much so that they went fuzzy and the sound went funny. We did get videos from the library, so I have seen Beauty and the Beast before (obviously) but just not ten thousand times. I'm letting you know, as I know that people who were obsessed with the film as kids will love this for the nostalgic factor, but that's not where I'm coming from with my angle on the movie.

I'm sure we all know the story, but it follows Belle (Emma Watson) as she finds her dad (Kevin Kline) imprisoned by a beast in an old castle. She offers to take his place, and becomes held captive herself, surrounded by talking furniture, and slowly falls in love with her incarcerator. Writing down that plot sounds like it's an absolute nightmare to be honest, it sounds like classic Stockholm Syndrome- get her out. She's much better off with the little snake Gaston (Luke Evans) who's obsessed with marrying her. He's a right little creep but at least he doesn't literally capture her and keep her hostage. I'm starting to wonder if this film is really something children should be watching, but I digress...

Without me finding anymore plot holes in a film with an obvious moral of 'beauty is more than skin deep', I'll let you know that I did love some of the songs. 'Be Our Guest' (See My Vest anyone? No?) and 'Tale as Old as Time' are absolute bangers, and really bought the fun musical theatre element, and that nostalgic factor. It was a bit cheesy at times, and the autotune on Watson at the beginning was a bit nuts, but it's Disney, that's what it's meant to be. There were some massive nods to musical theatre and I think the film could translate fantastically to the stage, but I guess it's a bit overdone in pantomime season.

I think Evans was great as Gaston, but I don't think that Watson as Belle was an incredible performance. There was nothing wrong with it, and I really like her as a person, but sometimes I find her hard to identify with in a film. I don't know if it was because her role as Hermione wasn't a million miles away (castles, beasts, bit of a know it all), but I found her a bit stuck up (?) in the character, which I don't remember from the original - I remember more of an outcast.

The other thing that I couldn't get my head round, was the fact that this is a kids film, and it's something that will be great for parents to see with their children; because of the fact that it's something they will have enjoyed themselves as kids, yet it's 2hrs 10mins. I struggled to get through it and I'm 24 not 6. I don't understand how it was so long, as I do remember it being similar to what I had watched as a child, but considering the original is 1hr 24mins, I don't understand where this extra 45 mins came from.

Overall, I enjoyed the songs, I enjoyed the effects and the magic of the story. It's an easy watch (unless you go off on one like me) and it's a fun family film. However, I can only give it a 6.5/10. I come to this conclusion, because if I wanted to watch Beauty and the Beast, I'd watch the original, and second to watching this film, I'd watch a film with a similar concept, and more laughs - SHREK.

16. Get Out

I was so so excited to see Get Out. I first saw the trailer before Split and it looked incredible, but I was also happy to see the trailer again, before Fences; an Oscar winning movie. Psychological thrillers and horrors are my thing, but I also was intrigued by the political undertones, and the fact that it had themes around racism in the world today. I also recognised Daniel Kaluuya from back in the day in Skins and Psychoville, and more recently in Black Mirror, so I was really interested to see him in a bigger budget project.

As the lights went down in the cinema, I realised I was getting scared. The opening scene is so very predictable, but the music and way it is filmed is in such a way that 10 seconds in I already had the creeps. Then Childish Gambino's Redbone started playing and I knew that I probably was going to love this film. (As a side note, the audio effects/sound/music throughout the film were great, and really added to the experience of the film. I assume Redbone was chosen for its political undertones, alongside being a boss tune.)

The story follows Chris (Kaluuya) as he meets his white girlfriend Rose's (Allison Williams) parents (Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford). Chris is worried that Rose's parents won't approve of him as he is black. They travel to a massive creepy mansion, and have a couple of hiccups on the way. Once they arrive, Rose's parents seem pleasant enough, but there is still something odd in the air. Chris meets the family's "staff" Georgina (Betty Gabriel) and Walter (Marcus Henderson), and this is where everything gets even more creepy. Both Georgina and Walter are black. Both Rose, her parents and Georgina and Walter are quick to reassure Chris that they are part of the family, and the fact they work in the house is nothing to do with race.

However, later in the evening, Rose's mother ends up hypnotising Chris, to help him stop smoking. From here things get more intense, and Chris starts to worry something is wrong. The next day there is a party in celebration of Rose's late grandfather's birthday. There is only one other black person amongst realms of white people, and when Chris starts to talk to him, he continues to feel suspicious that something is very wrong.

From here, Chris tries to work out what is going on, with help from his friend at home, Rod (LilRel Howery). The plot thickens and becomes more intense, as more questions are asked and the answers are worse than imaginable. The film is full of political messages, and hidden nods to racism and the culture we live in today.

I found the whole film fabulous. It was funny in parts, scary in parts, jumpy in parts, and it had me gripped. The film without the political theme would have an interesting and exciting plot to start with, but I just thought it was great that there was a message to be shared as well. The most powerful part to me was the fact that the shared pain of characters was what lifted them slightly from their hypnotised state (it'll make sense when you watch it), and looking at what all the white characters represented in contributing to prejudice and discrimination in racism today.

In terms of the film being a horror, Georgina is ridiculously scary, i'm surprised I didn't get nightmares seeing her scurrying around in my house or fixing her hair in the mirror. There is also a bit of gore but I think it was appropriate and added to the effect (sometimes I find gore boring). It was also quite jumpy, which is always fun, and hilarious watching your mate flying out of their seat next to you. As the film was ending, I thought I wasn't going to like the way it tied things up, but actually I thought it was great.

Overall, I really loved Get Out, and I am going to give it a massive 9/10. It was fab and I was still thinking about the messages in it, (and Georgina) for days afterwards. If you like psychological films, horror films, political films, or all three; I reckon you will love it!