Paddington

SF: This is simply wonderful. DonkeyB did have to persuade me to go and watch this but I'm glad he did. Ben Whishaw brings Paddington to life brilliantly and the whole cast make this an adorable treat. The animation is fantastic, I love how much of London you see, lots of humor for an audience of all ages and tonnes of elements from the books. Any Paddington fans won't be disappointed and I might even go see it again 7.5/10

50Eggs: n/a

DonkeyB: A lovely kids film, but I'm such a fan of the books that I can't help being disappointed that my favourite Paddington escapades didn't make it into the film. There are loads of set pieces from the books I felt would be perfect for a film and I thought it was telling that the best part of the film is near the beginning in a scene in the bathroom which is lifted almost directly from a book albeit with a little cinematic license. I thought the scenes set in Peru were entirely unnecessary, and it was quite boring to have to see them twice in effect. I am a Paddington fan and I was a bit disappointed, sorry. 6/10

Overall: 6.75/10

Horrible Bosses 2

SF: I thought the first installment of this film was fairly mediocre but there were enough funny bits to make it bearable. The sequel doesn't even come close. Those wishing to see Jennifer Aniston and under wear won't be disappointed but that would be the only reason I can think of to bother with this dull sequel. The story doesn't hold you attention, the jokes are predicable and I can't recall one but I really laughed at. I won't even bother mentioning the performances because there really is nothing to see here
2/10

50Eggs: n/a

DonkeyB: Execrable, misogynist drivel. Hateful in every way. Not funny. 2/10

Overall: 2/10

The Imitation Game

SF: There are a number of things I really appreciated about this film. Mainly its understated tone, despite having an endlessly fascinating topic and an open door to lots of drama the mood is very down played. Everything unfolds at a decent pace, the characters are developed well and while the tension is somewhat lacking the film is still very compelling. The fact it never really descends into a thriller or overly emotional film is really a testiment to the directors ability to make the subtle appealing. Benedict Cumberbatch is his usual brilliant self and Matthew Goode is great in the supporting role. Another bonus is that Miss Knightly didn't annoy me half as much as she normally does. While people will moan about the historical inaccuracies and I concede there are a number - mainly that Turing did not remain at Bletchley Park for the entire duration of the war I felt that alteration worked within the film. This film was one I really enjoyed and would suggest be one of the few worth seeing this year. 8.5/10

50Eggs:

DonkeyB: I can't really see what all the fuss is about. Its only ok. The Russian spy subplot is as advertised (overblown and ridiculous) and while Cumberbatch's performance is good I didn't think it moved much beyond a high budget made for tv special frankly. 6/10

Overall: 7.25/10

Interstellar

SF: I still don’t know if I liked this film. So far it feels like Nolan can do no wrong but then there are always bound to be hiccups and this I think is it. The film is far too long, while I enjoy character development the introduction and final 45 mins can all be condensed and have just as much impact. The other draw back is that the trailer gave away most of the plot highlights so I felt there were very little surprises left. The performances are fine enough but no one really stood out. The plot while being interesting seemed to have no pace and real drama. In fact most the film came across flat despite having a number of very intriguing scenes and elements to the story. On the hold the visuals might be worth a cinema trip but it wouldn’t be my first choice. 5/10

50Eggs: Here's my issue with this film. The poster says 'Experience it in IMAX' and in an interview, McConaughey said 'you need to watch this on the biggest screen you can find'. So you can forgive me for expecting this to be an eye-candy extravaganza, painting inspiring vistas of the cosmos and leaving me slack jawed. You can imagine my disappointment when the visuals turned out to be rather bland, and not even a patch on last years Gravity. That film, despite being set a lot closer to home, did a much better job in conveying the wonder of the universe and our place in it. Back to Interstellar the story and concept are good, and whilst I left the cinema in a bit of a mood, I will say that I have thought on the film a fair bit since and will definitely watch it again at some point. 7/10

DonkeyB: "Relatively inferior to Gravity" would be a good one line review for the poster. Its boring is the main problem, waaaaaaaay too long and stupider than it has any idea. Anne Hathaway's character would have spent 4 billion years inside an airlock if I was commander of the spaceship, but I did enjoy fat Matt Damon. I could come a cross as much harsher on this, its no Prometheus for example, much better than that, but it is much less than the sum of its parts and the ending is preposterous. 4/10

Overall: 5.3/10

Mr Turner

SF: Being a fan of Turner's work I was happily anticipating this film, the fact it was Mike Leigh directing was a bonus. Sadly I can't say I found this film at all enjoyable, it was at best mildly interesting. I found the music jarring, the tone depressing and the overall film a let down. While Timothy Spall gives another great performance and the film is very informative I didn't find it particularly emotive. While I can se the appeal to others this wasn't the type of film I like watching. There are some great scenes and I've no doubt that devote fans of both Turner and Leigh will lavish praise upon this. The best praise I can give is that the cinematography is wonderful. 5/10

50Eggs: n/a

DonkeyB: I loved it, its not going to be popular with the comic book fans, but from the opening  scene the cinematography does a magnificent job of bringing Turner's world to life. Tim Spall gives one of the all time great grunting performances in the history of cinema, and its a longer history than you'd necessarily expect if you think about it. It is poignant and funny and while I have no idea whether it is an accurate portrayal of Turner's life, entirely believable, making him seem both human and yet not taking away the feeling of unknowable otherworldly genius that you get when looking at his paintings next to a Constable (for example). Special bonus points for the prominence given to 'Slave Ship (Slavers throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On)', which is perhaps his greatest work, though less well known in this country as its one of the paintings that wasn't left to the nation because it was already in private hands when Turner died. 8/10

Overall: 6.5/10

Nightcrawler

SF: Jake Gyllnelhaal is nothing short of creepy brilliant. This film manages to be darkly entertaining, twisted and strangely captivating. The trailer implies that this film this is nothing more than a standard thriller, mandatory twists and all, however the reality is much better. It never reduces it self to cheap thrills and predictability. The characters are complex, well portrayed and never dissolved to stock figures and while there are no traditional twists there are more than enough disturbing plot moves to keep you enthralled. Well worth a watch and one of the better films of this year so far. 8/10

50Eggs: N/A

DonkeyB: So this is where all the good films have gone! The poster (left) isn't a particularly good advert for the film, although you do spend a good portion of the film staring at Gyllenhaal's face, the striking thing are his eyes and in reality the star of the film (or at least co-star) is Los Angeles, in this way it reminded me of James Elroy and Michael Connelly novels (both set most of their books in LA), its dark and ambiguous and seems to inhabit the characters as much as they inhabit it. 8.5/10

Overall: 8.25/10

The bozos behind us on the way out "loved the mise en scène"

Pride

SF: I never thought there would be a film about a Gay and Lesbian support group for Miners on strike and therefore was more baffled than anything else when this can along. I'm happy to say this was a delight to watch. Both entertaining and factually interesting. I left the cinema with that cliched phrase "Who knew" but genuinely happy that I'd seen the film and did have a look at the Wikipedia page on the way home. The acting is so good it appears effortless, the characters endearing and the entire story heartwarming. Well work a watch. 8/10

50Eggs: N/A

DonkeyB: Its practically perfect. I cried at least three times and laughed many many more. As my Facebook friends know, my kitchen scales made a cameo appearance, I can confirm they are older than me and therefore definitely period, props to the props dept. Paddy Considine needs some award recognition, and Bill Nighy gives a speech about the seam of coal running from Spain to Pennsylvania via south Wales which is word for word perfect to one it felt like i heard hundreds of times when I lived in Wales. 10/10

Overall: 9/10

Gone Girl

SF: When I left the cinema I wasn't sure if I liked this film or not. I've enjoyed most of Fincher's movies and with the author writing the script, I'd have thought this would be amazing. There were plenty of things I enjoyed about this film, good bursts of excellent entertainment and thrilling plot developments but overall this felt like a great excuse for one twist after another. At some point the impact is reduced because you left waiting for the next big twist. The film does well to keep you watching two thoroughly unlikeable characters. I can't help but compare it to things like The Prestige or Memento which take a similar style but are executed in a far more intelligent manner. I'd be in no rush to see this again and the more I think about the more I dislike. However I can see this being a thriller genre fan's ideal cinematic experience, so for that audience it certainly delivers. 6.5/10

50Eggs: My partner wanted to see this one, so I went along to do my duty of seeing what I assumed would be a 'pink' film. Wrong. This is a a really tense and intriguing film. Not knowing anything about it beforehand was a boon as I couldn't figure out where it was going, and thus it kept me gripped for the duration (and its pretty long). Recommended. 8.5/10

DonkeyB: I felt like the film ended up being less than the sum of its parts [cliché, see if you can count the rest]. Rosamund Pike gives a stunning performance, but it turned into too much of a Paul Verhoeven bunny boiler for my liking and it was definitely too twisty for its own good too. My least favourite Fincher, going to watch Zodiac again because it will eventually be considered his masterpiece. 5.5/10

Overall: 6.5/10

Inbetweeners 2

SF: I really wanted to like this but it just didn't happen. There were a handful of bits I thought were funny but only one made me actually laugh. The first hour seems totally pointless, it felt like they managed to get everyone in front of a camera but had no idea what to do with them. Considering how good the series was and the last film I'm astonished they bothered making this one, as it only ruins a great track record. Watch it if you must but you assure you skipping it is a better idea. 4/10

50Eggs: If ever there was a film worth watching for one joke, it's this. The waterslide scene had me literally creased up and in tears, and that moment alone gets this film all the way to 5/10. There are a few other very funny moments, but it has to be said there are several that misfire.Worse is that the story is lame. Of course the story in this type of thing is always going to be lightweight, but at least lets have it believable...like it was in the first film. 6.5/10

DonkeyB: Ugh, not funny enough. I like the TV show and the first film had me laughing out loud in a theatre full of two people, unfortunately this is just not very good. The premise is weak even by TV to film conversions, the boys all feel and look too old to be quite so dumb and gullible. There is one scene which is very funny but apart from that nothing to recommend it. 3/10.

Overall: 4.5/10

Guardians of the Galaxy

SF: Marvel studios have done it again. For once this wasn't a comic I'd read before and knew very little about the characters for plot. However withing about 5 minutes I was hooked. As seems to be becoming a pattern, excellent special effects, well laid out plot, good amount of humor and overall a most enjoyable movie. This one also has a fantastic soundtrack. I'll say that there were a few hammy lines and yes, maybe Draxx wasn't the most three dimensional character, but this delivered in every way that mattered and I'll planning on seeing it again on the big screen before the month is over. 8.5/10

50Eggs: There was a point when I thought I wouldn't bother watching any more Marvel films, given how low the quality had dipped. But I was tempted into seeing this due to hearing it was 'the new Star Wars'. That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it is certainly very good. The best compliment I can give it though is that's is actually a very funny film, on purpose. It does a great job of being both light hearted whilst still having a decent story. 8.5/10

DonkeyB: N/A

Overall: 8.5/10