Exodus: Gods and Kings

SF: I’m a fan of these type of epic movies, I watched 10 Commandments, Ben Hur and The Message with my Dad many times. So I was looking forward to seeing this. While Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton try very hard to make this remotely appealing and interesting I have to say it’s a fail. I even thought the director’s cut of Kingdom of Heaven was good but this left me bored. The action is dull, the story well known but not particularly developed and the characterisation shallow. The only interesting take was having God appear like an petulant child rather than a burning bush, you are also left questioning if Moses is mad or if it’s all real. On the whole though one interesting point isn't enough to save a very long film. 4/10

50Eggs: Before watching this I checked Rotten Tomatoes and saw it had 23% positive reviews. At £10 a pop I came very close to not bothering with Exodus, but I'd been looking forward to it for long enough that I decided to make my own mind up. Glad I did, this is the best telling of the Moses story I've ever seen. Most of the criticism seems to be based on Joel Ederingtons performance as the Pharaoh (I thought he was excellent) and for upsetting various sections of society (so what!). Great spectacle and strong story telling, I heartily recommend seeing this. 8.5/10

DonkeyB: n/a

Overall: 6.25/10

Awards 2015

After a long wait lo and behold the 3-4-1 awards are back! 

You might have missed us, but we are now in line with the Oscars.
Unlike them, we don't need fanfare or some big event so without 6 hours of ceremony here we go!

Nominations and Winners
2015

Best Film

SF: X-men: Days of the Future Past, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Imitation Game

50Eggs: Captain America: Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Gone Girl

DB: I have five nominations which go like this: Boyhood, and then in no particular order, Pride, Grand Budapest Hotel, Nightcrawler, Mr Turner. I didn't cry in Grand Budapest Hotel or Nightcrawler, and I laughed in all of them.
WINNER: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Director
SF: Paul King (Paddington), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy)
50Eggs: (Russo bros.) Captain America: Winter Soldier, David Fincher (Gone Girl), Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
DB: Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
WINNER: Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Actor

SF: Benedict Cumberbatch (Imitation Game), Jake Gyllnelhaal (Nightcrawler), Leonard DiCaprio (Wolf of Wall Street)

50Eggs: Bryan Cranston (Godzilla), Martin Freeman (Hobbit 2&3), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

DB: Ralph Fiennes (GBH), Tim Spall (Mr Turner), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

WINNER: Jake Gyllnelhaal (Nightcrawler)

Best Actress

SF: Rosmund Pike (Gone Girl),  Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow), Imelda Staunton (Pride)

50Eggs: Eva Green (300 Rise of an Empire), Scarlett Johanason (Winter Soldier), Rosmund Pike (Gone Girl)

DB: Imelda Staunton (Pride), Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Rosmund Pike (Gone Girl)

WINNER: Rosmund Pike (Gone Girl)

Worst Film

SF: Blue Ruin, Locke, Inbetweeners 2

50Eggs: I didnt spend any money watching a bad film, and I even enjoyed Inbetweeners 2!

DB: Horrible Bosses 2, Blue Ruin, Inbetweeners 2
WINNER: Blue Ruin

Worst Performance

SF: The whole cast of Inbetweeners 2 (because it was awful all round)

50Eggs: Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), a trained monkey would have been more convincing. [Ba dum tisch ed.]

DB: Ann Hathaway (Interstaller, I never wanted an inanimate carbon rod so much in my entire life), 

WINNER: All of them because it was all bad

Most controversial Film

SF: Mr Turner

50Eggs: Interstellar

DB: Both the above, I loved Mr Turner I just thought it was wonderful. I'm afraid Interstellar continued Mr Nolan's downward spiral post Inception for me.

WINNER: Interstellar

The Theory of Everything

SF: As far as real life bioptic movies goes this only mediocre. Yes Professor Stephen Hawking has
achieved a great many things and his struggle with motor-neuron disease is amazing but I don't think this film is much more then OK. I wasn't terribly invested in any of the characters, I don't think the actors really captured the depth of emotion I'd expect to see in this type of drama. While the the film makers did manage to encapsulate England and each decade well I didn't see much else that stood out. It's nice is the best review I can give it, I wouldn't rush to the cinema for. There was nothing about Professor Hawking I didn't already know. 5/10

50Eggs: I had expected the focus of the film to be about how Stephen Hawking came up with his theories, but turns out that's really not the point here. What it is is a really fascinating insight into the life of an ALS sufferer, and it's all the more powerful for it. Watching the portrayal of the breakdown of Hawkings body is painful, but pails in comparison to the heartbreak of the subsequent breakdown of his relationship. Eddie Redmayne deserves an Oscar for this but he wont get one as all the 'acting ill' awards have already been used up in recent years by McConaughey, Firth, Hoffman and Crowe. 8.5/10

DonkeyB: I see other people are comparing it to Imitation Game and I think that is interesting, its a much better film than that, and Redmayne's performance as Hawking is extraordinarily good. I have to say that I found Felicity Jones's character bordered on the ridiculous, she is so angelic as to not seem like a real person to me and far to pouty too I thought; the film is based on her character's memoir so maybe that explains it?

There have been a lot of films this year that seem to have been set in a time period that I guess my parents would recognise very well, and I sort of recognise and feel a kind of nostalgia for. In real life the previous decade's fashions and fads don't disappear they persist, I think at least some of my warm feelings towards the film were that I recognised the type of people and the locations, they looked a bit like looking through old family photo albums of my parents before I was born and there is something familiar there. 8/10

Overall: 7.2/10

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

SF: Finally a Hobbit film I liked! Just like the previously two installments there are plenty of added extras that really have no place being there but most of them I could live with. The pace was good, I didn't fall asleep or notice the three hours. A visual feast and a nice recovery for the series. As a bonus the ending doesn't take twenty hours! If your a Tolkien fan you've probably already seen it but if you haven't them I pleased to say this is worth a watch. 7.5/10

50Eggs: I reckon this is my favorite of the Hobbit trilogy, just edging Desolation of Smaug. There are some fantastic fight scenes but the best bits were again the added exposition that didn't appear in the original book, which add much needed weight to the story. So that's the end of the road for the Middle Earth films, but there's one more I'd like to see...a 'what if' story showing what would happen if Smaug had killed Bilbo and claimed the One Ring for himself. 8/10

DonkeyB: n/a

Overall: 7.75/10

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"