The story of a lone yachtsman's fight for survival as everything goes wrong, All Is Lost (5.5) is superbly made but was far too slow-moving for my personal cinematic taste. Think Cast Away without Wilson, or The Life of Pi without the animals. Robert Redford puts in an excellent performance. Many may score this much higher and I will not begrudge it thus.
Many will love and very few will loathe American Hustle (7) which is stylish, very watchable, has a great soundtrack and generally keeps interest throughout. It has way too many believability issues to make it a classic, but features many great performances, especially from Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Bradley Cooper's screen mother in the film produces the worst piece of acting I've seen in years, but thankfully she's only in it for a minute!
A Million Ways To Die In The West (4) suffers from the fact that it feels like a 2-hour Seth McFarlane selfie (I find him annoying and largely unfunny - your own rating for this film will centre around this point). The excellent supporting cast (especially Charlize Theron, Neil Patrick Harris and Liam Neeson) manage to keep it watchable throughout, but my LOL count was about 4.
If you have the gift of being able to enjoy and laugh along at truly awful films, then As Above So Below (2) will be right up your street - avoid it like the plague otherwise, as it has all of the combined awful elements of the Da Vinci Code (preposterous symbolism bollockry but no actual plot) and The Blair Witch Project (hand-held cameras throughout but zero scariness), with an uber-annoying female lead.
Though not a fan of the mass-fucked-up-family-gatherin
Bad Neighbours (7.5) is a brilliantly-made written and acted comedic hoot whose humour will appeal to a wide demographic (I'm thinking 15 to 50 and quite possibly beyond). Zac Efron (and the lil' baby girl) steal the show but a large number of cast members take their chance to shine throughout. A DVD/Netflix must when it comes out, and very well worth a cinema visit.
Blue Ruin (7.5) proves that it is possible to create a suspenseful thriller on a low budget. Very well paced, it keeps attention throughout and features a great performance from the lead actor Macon Blair. Highly recommended.
Boyhood (8) is a brilliant achievement that took 12 years to make, charting the life of Mason and his family from the age of 6 until 18. Superbly acted, and brilliant in capturing the ordinary extraordinarily well, this is one of the year's must-sees. It is slightly longer than it needs to be just towards the end, but overall it is a hugely enjoyable 2 and three-quarter hour watch.
Calvary (8) is truly a must-see - suspenseful and edgy throughout with an absolutely stunning finale. So many fascinating memorable and crazy characters, all set in a rural Irish village. A great cast - Brendan Gleeson's best performance to date.
Captain America : The Winter Soldier (7) is a very solid action flick that packs a good punch without the usual excessive corniness. Good action scenes, especially towards and at the end.
Whilst Chef (4.5) doesn't leave too bad of a taste in the mouth, its wafer-thin continuity/believability and general hamminess curried little f(l)avour with this reviewer. Decent performances, especially from young Emjay Anthony, but really sad that Dustin Hoffman and Scarlett Johansson accepted such a poor role, and as an aside, when did John Leguizamo get an unmerciful smacking of the Ageing and Ugliness Sticks? All-in-all its inoffensive fare is suitable for light DVD/download viewing.
Cold In July (7.25) is a great suspenseful US indie thriller in the mould of Prisoners, Blue Ruin and a touch of Reservoir Dogs in the latter part. Well worth the cinema trip, or a DVD/download must.
Dallas Buyers Club (7) is a good story, well told, with brilliant performances from MMcC and Jared Leto. It's missing something to be considered epic, just not quite captivating or engaging enough, but definitely worth a cinema trip.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (6.75) starts very strongly and is very well crafted and believable-looking but suffers somewhat from the 20 minutes or so that should have ended up on the editing floor (it is 130 minutes long - shorter than most blockbusters of late) and weakish continuity. Worth a visit if you're a cinematic semi-regular, especially in 3D.
Delivery Man (7) - the story of a chap whose sperm bank donations resulted 18 years later in being informed that he is the father of 533 children - probably defies conventional logic by actually working as an enjoyable touching movie that is well worth a watch - it's on the border of you doing so at the cinema, but a definite DVD/download view.
Earth To Echo (3.5) was a poor attempt to recreate ET in a modern setting, with hand-held "video" footage aplenty, excessive use of the mobile phone in the plot and a generally unloveable child cast (especially ex-X Factor USA's Astro) but some decent effects made it just about watchable.
Edge of Tomorrow 3D (8.5) is a superbly-crafted action movie epic that lights up the screen virtually throughout. The 1st 10 minutes are somewhat slow (though necessarily so in hindsight) but then it erupts into non-stop suspense and action, with much thanks to its Oscar-worthy editing. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt perform brilliantly and the 3D visuals are fantastic (catch it in 3D IMAX if at all possible).
Fading Gigolo (4) has some great scenes (all involving Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara and/or John Turturro) but overall is too ramshackle and pantomime to be truly enjoyed. Woody Allen is mostly dreadful throughout and Liev Schreiber's character is laughably paper-thin.
Frank (4.5) is weird but not so wonderful - great acting (particularly from Domhnall Gleeson) keeps it watchable but too often it was the unfunny kind of dumb. A few amongst you will love it, most will hate it.
Only the iciest heart will fail to be melted by Frozen (6) which is faultlessly made for its target pre-teen girl (and pre-teen girls at heart) audience. Fans of musicals and Glee will love it too. The Hanna Montana-esque dialogue left me cold for much of the time but the 3D visuals made up for it. Would be a worthy winner of the Best Animated Film Oscar. If I was scoring it objectively and not on personal enjoyment it would be 8+.
Gone Girl (8) definitely has the wow factor - twists and turns aplenty, especially from the middle of the film onwards. The 2 and a half hours flies by! Reminded me of Wolf Of Wall Street in that it electrifies the screen allowing any of its silliness (mainly the chat show pieces) to be excused. Avoid it if your marriage is on the rocks!
Guardians Of The Galaxy (7.5) is a highly enjoyable watch that incredibly manages to steer clear of the usual cliche, corn and cheese associated with superhero/sci-fi films, and boasts stunning visuals and effects. The plot remains engaging virtually throughout and the cast put in great performances overall. Definitely well worth seeing if you have yet to do so!
Her (6.5) is 100% pure fucked-up-L.A. but thanks to a superb script and a great cast is very watchable throughout, if a little less so towards the end.
Hercules (4.5) got off to a great start with some excellent action and visuals, but then featured a slow and boring middle and a final third filled with way too much preposterousness.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (3D) (2) is a head-wrecking load of unfunny ohmygodohmygodyoulikedidNOTjustsay
Inside Llewyn Davis (4.5) sees the Coen brothers go back to their olden style of making films where virtually nothing happens but with very lovely camera techniques and shots. A nice rendition of The Auld Triangle during it, mind. Bit of a snore.
Interstellar (7) is a good watch (pardon the pun if you've seen the movie) with a good storyline and some sumptuous visuals but is at least 30 minutes too long and suffers from some very cheap-looking shots that will surely be guffawed at within a decade if not already. It doesn't stir the emotions as much as it would like and its ending is daft and purely for the sake of a sequel. As with every Christopher Nolan, if you pretend to understand every bit of it, then you lie like the booger in your eye. A worth-see, not quite a must-see.
Jack Strong (6.5) is an espionage thriller based on the true story of a high-ranking Polish Colonel who spies for the CIA that is enjoyable to watch and refreshingly different to the normal cinema action blockbuster, although the plot develops gaping holes in the final quarter.
Jimmy's Hall (2.5) is a dreadful load of boring stodge that should be avoided like the plague, suffering as it does from awful writing and direction. Can't fault the acting overall - it's decent - but they can't rescue the plot which has all the worthiness of pantomime combined with all the action of paint drying.
3rd WALKOUT of the cinematic year with Locke (2), which features Tom Hardy driving in a BMW on the motorway, making and taking a lot of phone-calls. That wasn't the problem, it was the awful dialogue, the lazy continuity and his shit attempt at a Welsh accent which sounded more like Indian. Rubbish. Disappointing. (I lasted for an hour of its 85 minutes.)
Lone Survivor (3) is dreadful propagandist bullshit whose first third is boring macho hogwash, middle is a well-made shootout and end is ludicrously unbelievable hammy nonsense. As "based" on a true story as The Wizard Of Oz. Guns 'n ammo fans will love it though.
Maleficent 3D (7) is a Disney production that throws the classic fairy tale on its arse, with blurred morality, fight scenes, and such-and-such. It's a great watch in truth and Angelina Jolie is sublime in it. But don't let any under 6s next nigh nor near it as it will frighten the bejaysus out of them! Way way better than I expected....
Disney's Million Dollar Arm (5.5) should on paper be detested due to its ham-n-cheesiness but great performances from the cast, especially the three main Indian actors, turn it into a pleasant watch. It is based on a true story but suffers badly from over-dramatisation throughout.
If you love weird and different cinema for weird and different's sake, then you'll absolutely adore the steaming wedge of rotting brie that is French farce Mood Indigo (2). Haha!, there's a mouse-trap alarm-clock! Tee-hee!, the medicine is ball-bearings that move of their own accord! Oh woe, the lead female character is diagnosed with a frozen lily in her lung! The acting was great but it couldn't do anything to rescue the nonsensical unamusing script. I stayed for an hour for the French lesson but ultimately it was crowned Walkout The Fifth of the cinematic year.
Its target audience will likely score it higher but Mr. Peabody & Sherman (4) felt and looked like just another 3D animated kids flick with a corny script and liberal lazy stereotyping of the French and Italians.
Muppets Most Wanted (5) is an innocuous watch and a decent bit o' craic, but the jokes fall flat too often for it to be anything approaching a comic classic. When Celine Dion steals the show with her cameo scene, you know that ain't good! Saoirse Ronan doing ballet with 2 pneumatic-drill wielding Muppet monsters in the "Dublin Theatre" was a hoot too.
Noah (5.75) has great visuals and is an imaginative and thought-provoking re-working of a well-known story/event. It's highly twee in places, lulls at times and Emma Watson's acting is as wooden as The Ark itself but overall it's worth a watch.
Noble (7.5) is a powerful biography of one of Ireland's most inspirational people that benefits well from excellent performances from its 2 leads (middle Christina and elder Christina), slick direction and a general lack of sappiness. Great acting by the Vietnamese supporting cast too. A couple of brief scenes towards the end let it down slightly but overall it is a delight, and I'll be surprised if it's not your Mammy's favourite film of all time.
Non-Stop (3) is brain-defyingly implausible throughout but Liam Neeson rescues the cinemagoers as well as the flight's passengers to make it watchable if totally laughable for its complete lack of believability.
Plastic (2.5) comes at the opposite end of the spectrum, and its capable cast can do nothing to rescue its breath-takingly illogical plot and toe-curling dialogue. "Based" on a true story - that base is jelly that has yet to set, as for instance I don't recall 6 people being killed in a London Marriott hotel shoot-out anytime recently.
Robocop (5) has truly superb visuals/sound/effects but the hammy script and plot throughout consigns it to the category of just another half-decent action movie. Samuel L. Jackson obviously accepted a huge pay check to take on one of the most poorly written roles of all time.
Seve (7) intersperses acted scenes from his childhood with footage and commentary of his golfing triumphs and his final days, which works surprisingly well. Probably a point or 2 less if you're not a golf fan, but the overall story should be enjoyed by all, and towards the end there is one of the most powerful scenes that I've seen in the cinema all year.
'71 (7.1) is very refreshing in that it is set in Troubles-era Belfast but doesn't get at all bogged down in its politics, instead using the background to create heroes, villains and many who fall in between. It is action-packed, tense, gripping, at times graphic, and definitely not for girls. Would have scored even higher but for moderate amounts of hamminess and the decision to cast too many Southern actors who fail abysmally to master a Northern accent.
Under no circumstances whatsoever should you pay a cent to see Stalker (1) which boasts the most dreadful amateur toe-curling script ever witnessed on screen. The great pity of it is that it is boasts some fantastic acting performances and is shot superbly but the ludicrously hammy and weak script and plot is an overpowering stench.
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared (5 / 10) is fantastically inventive and laugh-out-loud funny in many places, but too often it fails to work. There was too much focus on a couple of poorly-drawn characters (the ineffectual policeman and the perennial student) and the lead actor didn't look to be 80 never mind 100. Its overall freshness makes it a passable watch though.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (5.5) contains liberal sprinklings of lazy and poor plot and dialogue (the latter in particular, especially the newspeople, the silly German scientist character and the extras) but turn off the brain to enjoy a stunning visual feast, especially so in 3D IMAX. Great performances from Emma Stone, Sally Field, Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan make it a generally decent watch though.
The Congress (1.5) is another of those films that paid critics generally fall over themselves to rave about, but is actually total and utter wank. A stupid enough concept (Robin Wright, playing herself, agrees to sell her digital image to be used in films in return for not appearing in any more films herself) descends into farce when she drinks a potion to visit Abrahama - a (poorly) animated world, ultimately resulting in my Walkout #6 of the cinematic year. I'm guessing that you'll adore it if you loved The Artist and Under The Skin - otherwise AvoidAvoidAvoid.
The Fault In Our Stars (7.25) is a nicely crafted story that will not so much tug as rip asunder the heart strings at times (I have never heard so much sniffling in a cinema before!) Stellar acting performances from the main actor and actress were partly offset by poorly-drawn minor characters (notably the blind friend, the author and the support group leader). And I'm not sure whether to be impressed (with the effects) or disappointed (that an actual amputee didn't play the role) that the main actor isn't really an amputee. Overall, it is one of the year's must-watches though, and anyone not touched by it should be driven at speed to the nearest sanitorium for pathological assessment.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (6) is a stunning visual delight with many chuckles, mainly from the lines of Ralph Fiennes, who is brilliant in it. Overall though it doesn't quite capture interest throughout and falls flat especially towards the end. One of those films which has many memorable moments but the sum of the parts falls a little short.
The Guest (5) provides moments of intensity and a great lead actor performance but is ultimately far too implausible to be taken overly seriously.
The Imitation Game (8) is a gloriously-crafted and fascinating true story that is a must-see. Benedict Cumberbatch puts in a brilliant performance that deserves an Oscar nomination and the story-boarding is superb, moving back and forth very cleverly through his life. One of those films that doesn't need a giant screen to enjoy it, so catch it on DVD/download if you miss it in the cinema.
The Inbetweeners 2 (5) is, like the majority of sequels, a case of "same meat, somewhat inferior gravy" (or semen, in this case) that will certainly win no converts but should satisfy die-hard fans. (To benchmark your likely rating - I gave the first film 6.5) There was plenty happening throughout but the dialogue and plot was tired at times. The waterslide scene had everyone (definitely including me) in stitches but otherwise it was largely restricted to a chuckle here and there.
The Lego Movie (7) is awesome (like everything) with chuckles aplenty throughout and devil in the animation detail everywhere you look. A tad slow in the middle but well worth a 3D trip to the cinema. More aimed at adults than kids in many places.
The Purge : Anarchy (4) had a decent fast-moving plot but poor continuity, ridiculously poor TV and radio footage reporting "The Purge" and some ludicrously unbelievable scenes towards the end (such as the Purge Auction and its aftermath). Good to see Omar from The Wire in it, bad to see him have such a poor role that he could do nothing to rescue.
Based on the true story of a World War 2 veteran haunted by the memory of his PoW camp torture, The Railway Man (3.5) sadly goes off track badly from the start, despite its excellent potential on paper. Terribly wooden and limp throughout, the poor script means that even Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman are unable to rescue matters. One to remove from your timetable.
The Riot Club (6.5) is a visual feast of a Uni flick that makes easy watching, although it runs out of continuity gas somewhat at the end, but not before a nice build-up of class tension with an ultra-violent climax.
The Two Faces Of January (5) maintains interest throughout and has great performances from Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac but there was too constant a barrage of "that couldn't have happened"s to consider it as anything above Meh. Fans of NonStop will adore it though!
The Stag (0.5) kindly provided my first walk-out of the year (I lasted a half-hour) - what a load of excruciatingly unfunny muck. Dreadfully written, and Peter McDonald in particular is blackboard-scratchingly bad. Amy Huberman is perfectly ok in it though, and the pretty shots of Trinity College Dublin and the Wicklow mountains earn it its half-mark.
The Wolf of Wall Street (8) is quite the debaucherous howl, shot with incredible style and with brilliant acting throughout, particularly DiCaprio. 30 minutes too long for me, and a couple of "that wouldn't really happen"s but be sure to broker a deal with someone to go see this if you haven't already.
12 Years A Slave (9.5) is an absolute masterpiece that MUST be seen - as compelling to watch at times as it is horrifying. Powerful acting throughout, brilliant direction and superbly ended. What I'm trying to say is that I liked it, I liked it a loh.
20 Feet From Stardom (4.5), the story of backing singers for famous artists, recently won the Oscar for Best Documentary but flute knows why. Sure it's interesting, much like a few episodes of Deadliest Catch, but is nothing epic or emotionally heart-wrenching and most of those featured just seemed to be egotists who were hacked off that they didn't make it big. I certainly wouldn't be shelling out a tenner for it.
Fancy some weird pretentious nonsensical claptrap? Then head along to Under The Skin (1) which is jaw-droppingly shite. Why not 0/10, you ask? Because Scarlett Johannsson is in it, so I have to give her one.
Vi är bäst! (We Are The Best) (5.5) is the story of 3 young Swedish teen punk girls in the 80s who form a band - excellently shot and acted, and an interesting snapshot of Swedish life at the time, but not something that I could relate to hugely so didn't captivate interest entirely throughout. Good to see different types of films such as these get cinema releases though.
X-Men : Days of Future Past (6.5) offers breathtaking visual effects aplenty which are an absolute delight to view in big-screen 3D but has a few too many lengthy pauses to establish the prequel plot. Madamoiselles Lawrence and Berry are wondrous delights but Evan Peters steals the show as Quicksilver.
Yves Saint-Laurent (5) is an interesting account of his interesting life, but it was too boringly fawning in too many places, especially at the end, to trouble the upper echelons of cinematic rankings. Excellent performance by the lead actor though.
The Year Thus Far.......
1. Twelve Years A Slave 9.5
2. Edge of Tomorrow (3D) 8.5
3. Calvary 8.04
4. Boyhood 8.03
5. Gone Girl 8.02
6. The Imitation Game 8.01
7. The Wolf of Wall Street 8
8. Blue Ruin 7.53
9. Guardians Of The Galaxy 7.52
10. Noble 7.51
11. Bad Neighbours 7.5
12. Cold In July 7.26
13. The Fault In Our Stars 7.25
14. Dallas Buyers Club 7.05
15. American Hustle 7.04
16. Maleficent (3D) 7.03
17. Interstellar 7.023
18. '71 7.022
19. Seve 7.021
20. The Lego Movie 3D 7.02
21. Delivery Man 7.01
22. Captain America : The Winter Soldier 7
23. Tracks 7
24. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes 6.75
25. X-Men : Days of Future Past 6.54
26. Her 6.53
27. Jack Strong 6.52
28. The Riot Club 6.51
29. August : Osage County 6.5
30. 22 Jump Street 6.02
31. The Grand Budapest Hotel 6.01
32. Frozen 6
33. Noah 5.75
34. The Amazing Spiderman 2 5.52
35. Million Dollar Arm 5.511
36. All Is Lost 5.51
37. Vi Ar Bast! (We Are Best!) 5.5
38. Muppets Most Wanted 5.03
39. The Guest 5.022
40. The Inbetweeners 2 5.021
41. Robocop 5.02
42. The Young And Prodigous T.S. Spivet 5.012
43. The 100 Year Old Who Climbed Out A Window and Disappeared 5.011
44. The Two Faces of January 5.01
45. Yves Saint-Laurent 5
46. Frank 4.52
47. Hercules 4.512
48. Chef 4.511
49. Inside Llewyn Davis 4.51
50. 20 Feet From Stardom 4.5
51. Fading Gigolo 4.02
52. A Million Ways To Die In The West 4.02
53. The Purge : Anarchy 4.01
54. Mr. Peabody & Sherman 4
55. Earth To Echo 3.51
56. Railway Man 3.5
57. Non-Stop 3
58. Lone Survivor 3
59. Jimmy's Hall 2.51
60. Plastic 2.5
61. Mood Indigo 2.03
62. How To Train Your Dragon 2 2.02
63. As Above So Below 2.01
64. Locke 2
65. The Congress 1.5
66. Under The Skin 1.01
67. Stalker 1
68. The Stag 0.5
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