The Monuments Men

SF: This film had a lot going for it. The trailer is has to be said made this look like Oceans Eleven in the war. It certainly wasn't that. While Clooney is normally surprising me with how good a director he is this left me a tad underwhelmed. With such a star studded cast and the words "based on a true story" I was expecting more some how. Perhaps the very mute nature of the film was intentional but I found my mind wondering and having little to no investment in the characters. The acting was fine I guess and the plot passed the time but something was missing. Interesting premise but not one to rush and see. 5/10

50Eggs:

DonkeyB: Its not very good. It can't make up its mind if its a caper movie (al la Oceans [insert two digit number here]) or a film about the idea of the ownership of art, its more successful as a mildly amusing caper. Watch The Train instead. 5/10

Overall: 5/10

Gravity

SF: I was avoiding seeing this film. Visually it is nothing short of brilliant (I'm a space geek). There were so many nice subtle touches in the direction that you are drawn into the the film within moments. It does brilliantly well to make you feel as if your in space without making the audience dizzy. The plot is simple and effective but without giving too much away can be a little over dramatist. Clooney was excellent and Bullock was ok, which did surprise me a bit. Be warned there are a few sort of cheesy lines but forgivable enough. Well worth seeing in the cinema rather then at home. 8/10

50 Eggs: Movie of the year so far. No film ever has portrayed so accurately what it must be like to be an astronaut. Yes there were a couple of errors with the physics, but overall the sense of wonder, loneliness, serenity and beauty  was utterly convincing. Coupled with an exciting story and fantastic effects, this is a must see. The Lynx advert was absolutely right  - 'Nothing beats an Astronaut'. 9.5/10

DonkeyB: In what I think is a first for this blog I decided to tag this post with not just the Director (who my erstwhile colleagues sometimes leave out) but the visual effects studio. They got to display their logo not just their name in the end credits and it is well deserved. As the regular reader (that's not a typo I know who you are) knows I hate 3D, but the reputation of this film had preceded it, so it was with not a little confliction that SF and I eventually opted for the 2D version. The film is visually and audio-logically stunning, so it is without hesitation that I say I am off to find a massive IMAX screen in 3D to watch it again, and I have no doubt I will enjoy it even more second time round. I believe that is enough of an endorsement. Its the film you most have to have seen in the cinema since Inception, it will make no sense whatever to wait for the DVD. 9.5/10

Overall: 9/10

Decendants

SF: I laughed at the most inappropriate moments but that's okay, so did everyone else. Delivers a fairly depressing story in an unusual way, rather unexpected - made me rather contemplative. Recommended. 7.5/10

50 Eggs: What I particularly liked about this film was it's emotional realism. Sometimes life throws events at you that are not black and white and cause conflicting feelings, and the Decendants portrayed this really well. It's a rather sad film though so it's probably not one to watch on when you need cheering up on a Sunday afternoon. Having said that there are one or two funny moments thrown in (not jarringly) and it's well worth renting on DVD. 7/10

DonkeyB: the first part was very green and then they restarted it and it was full of commercials. Creepy fingers dude in front couldn't keep his hands off either his girlfriend or his iPhone; I think his name might have been Jonathon. It's important we spell it right in case he is reading. Once the R of the RGB projector was back to full functioning order, the film was both funnier and sadder than I thought it would be. There should be more grandparents punching teenagers in the movies. This is now way too long. 6.5/10

Overall: 7/10

The Ides of March

SF: Nice performances all round. The plot isn't anything new but well executed, the direction has just the right pace and each of the main characters develop well. However it felt more like a mini-series than a film. It ended and I was left thinking "great I'll watch the next part next week". Not sure if that is good or bad. Also (spolier) I felt nothing when Molly died, was I supposed to? 7/10

50 Eggs: Ye Gods, it doth amaze me! I had no expectations for this film and yet I loved it. Starts well and doesn't let up until the crescendo of the final frame. Ryan Gosling was excellent. Beware, the Ides of March is very good indeed. 9/10

DonkeyB: I really enjoyed this, right up my street to start with though. I have nothing interesting to add to fiddy and SF's reviews. 8/10

Overall - 8/10