Whiplash

SF: I'm going to have to find out if Miles Teller was a drummer before this film or not, because his playing is incredible. I had no plans to see this as the trailer didn't interest me but something about this film is truly compelling. The performances were fantastic, the pace is good, the characters could have more development but really you're so taken in by the music, don't think I'd want more, or even notice. The whole film is held together by just two characters and works so well you are totally drawn in, cringing and wincing along with Andrew. I can't really describe what I liked so much but I will say go see this, you won't be disappointed. 8/10

50Eggs: Awesome. The last music based film I saw was 'Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit', so you can imagine this isn't the sort of film that would ordinarily temp me to the cinema. So glad I did though as its 2 hours of intense, nail biting drama. JK Simmons deserves all the plaudits for his role as the conductor, but lets not forget Miles Teller who manages to get us to like his character, then hate him, before finishing somewhere between the two. 9/10

DonkeyB: I've liked this film more and more this week as I've got further away from having seen it. I think it is the best film about music I have ever seen, the final scene which is really just a ten minute drum solo perfectly captures what jazz is, the danger and thrilling tension had me on the edge of my seat. I've liked a lot of films we've seen this year but I don't often feel like I have to tell everyone I bump into how great they are (Boyhood excepted I will continue to tell everyone I ever meet how much I loved Boyhood). I found the parts in between the musical performances fell a bit flat but the further I get from having seen it, the more I think that is because of how extraordinary the tension in the music and J K Simmons performance is. 9/10

Overall: 8.8/10

Ex Machina

SF: The cinematography is great, the effects are lovely and they nicely resist the temptation to overuse. But on the whole the film is predictable and at times rather pointless. It asks interesting questions but nothing you haven’t heard before or explored in superior literature, television and cinema. The answers given to the audience are shallow and dull.  The overall treatment is a pale shadow of better science fiction by more talented writers and I spent half the film wishing I was watching something else. Something better. 4/10

50Eggs: Whilst Ex Machina has a very topical and 'current' story line, the film this most reminded me of was Dracula. The protagonist is simultaneously a guest and a prisoner, and the sense of discomfort is palpable, with Oscar Isaac nailing it as the proverbial vampire. So it's not a particularly nice film to watch, but it is engrossing nonetheless. Like a feature length Outer Limits, or Black Mirror...and funnily enough Domhnall
Gleeson actually played the part of a robot himself in an episode of the latter which is well worth catching too. 8/10

DonkeyB: n/a

Overall: 6/10

Foxcatcher

SF: Channing Tatum can act. Firstly this is another film that isn't fun to watch and I'll most likely never watch it again mainly because I found it dull.  After 45 mins I did almost leave as I just didn't see this going anywhere and I wasn't all that interested but it was Channing Tatum that kept me
watching, he made the film, he was subtly able to deliver a depth of emotions in wasn't expecting . Steve Carell gave a good performance too but I wasn't all that invested in his character. Most of the film is an unindulged drama focused on three people and the real events that unfolded. While films like this can be brilliant, I don't think this is one of them. 4/10

50Eggs: n/a

DonkeyB: Any review should start by saying that the performances in the film are exceptional. Steve Carell is utterly transformed as John Du Pont, and I thought if anything I was even more amazed by Channing Tatum's performance, he got the physicality of a wrestler exceptionally well I though. Once again 3 reviews favourite Mark Ruffalo was just outstanding also putting in a very convincing physical performance with somewhat less raw material (in terms of sheer size) than Tatum. The film is very still and very quiet and seems to be set in a perpetual autumn/winter which adds to the sense of impending doom which you don't need plot spoilers to sense from the outset.

I thought all those things were to the film's and the director's and cast's credit, but in the end I just wasn't gripped. There is a theme about american patriotism in the film and also money, and it seems to be saying something about the power of money to corrupt and and the ability to use patriotism to corrupt as well, but I didn't think the story was interesting enough to pay off the deliberate pacing and subtle underplaying throughout. 6/10

PS
I had no idea Sienna Miller was in the film at all until the end credits came up, this might be because she is one of those famous people that I have no idea what they look like, I assume she played Ruffalo's wife, its an easy part to miss, there is not a lot of screen for the female cast. Redgrave gets two scenes as Du Pont's  Hitchcockian/Larkinian matriarch, her presence more expressed through her absence. - Donkey B

Overall: 5/10

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