5 Films To Look Forward To In October 2014

1) Life After Beth

It's a weird one about a guy and his dead girlfriend who comes back to life as a zombie. However, with a cast like this it has the potential to be quite funny.

2) Gone Girl

Based on the best-selling book, Ben Affleck stars in the story of a husband suspected of murder after his wife mysteriously disappears.

3) The Maze Runner

 It's the latest in the long line of teen fiction to be adapted and follows a bunch of kids and their attempts to escape from a deadly maze.

4) This Is Where I Leave You

I am only suggesting this because it has Tina Fey in it and she is hilarious. Other than that, a father dies and his dying wish is to have his family spend a week together forcing them all to spend time in each others company even though their own lives are falling apart.

5) The Judge

Robert Downey Jr plays a lawyer who returns home when his father is accused of murder and attempts to discover the truth.

Lucy (2014)

 I should probably preface this review with the fact that I am a Psychology graduate, so I'm not exactly naive in terms of the inner workings of the brain and all that kind of stuff (I should also probably say that I am no expert either so don't judge me on what you are about to read, it's just an opinion).

 This films tells the story of Lucy (as if you hadn't already guessed that), a student in Taiwan who gets dragged into a dodgy drug deal by her new boyfriend. He gets shot and she is forced to become a drug mule for a Taiwanese Drug lord who has surgically inserted the drugs into her torso to ensure their undetected entrance into the US of A. However, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is captured by some pretty nasty looking men and kicked in the gut a few times causing the drug bag to split and leak its contents into her blood stream. The drug the n begins to unlock her full brain capacity and as the story unfolds we are shown what would happen in humans could use all of their brains instead of just the 10% we naturally have access to. With the help of Morgan Freeman, she sets out to seek revenge on her captors, but also to realise the full potential of the drug that is changing her life.

 So now you've read the synopsis, let’s take a look at what actually happens *SPOILER*. In short, Scarlett Johansson kills a ton of people for no apparent reason and then turns herself into a computer. Yup, that’s right. It turns out (according to the creative minds behind this movie) that unlocking more of our brain capacity will lead to lack of emotion, sudden ability to be a martial arts expert and, once we reach those higher percentages, the ability to control gravity, electricity, other people and time and space in its entirety. Then we will turn into a weird black glue and hand Morgan Freeman a memory stick which essentially contains our brain. Sounds fun, right?

 To say that the plot of this film is ridiculous would be a vast understatement. Whilst there are certain elements that I can just about wrap my head around and believe to be potentially possible such as an ability to see electricity or the recall of every memory ever had, there are other elements that are just fantastical beyond belief. Surely, there is no possible way that, no matter how much of a person’s noggin they are using, that they would ever be able to somehow control a computer half way around the world with their mind, or access other people’s memories just by touching them and definitely not travel through time as easily as swiping through pages on an iPhone.

 Then there’s the whole element of having physical control over how the body looks. Throughout the film, Lucy changes her appearance at will, from hair colour and eye colour to the physical shape of her limbs and features. What? There is no way that this is actually possible. I am fairly certain that if I somehow managed to unlock my brain’s potential, I wouldn’t then suddenly be able to make myself a few inches taller just by thinking about it, or make myself skinny within the blink of an eye.

 Whilst some of the basic scientific elements of the film may lay the foundations for people to believe that what they are about to see if possible, the fantasy soon takes over from the reality and quickly takes a swan dive into the grandiose, perplexing and just plain idiotic losing every level of originality and believability.

 Now I know it’s a sci-fi film and it’s not supposed to be realistic, but if you are going to spend the first 10 minutes having Morgan Freeman tell us all of this scientific waffle about the brain capacity and fulfilling its potential, then at least keep one foot rooted in the actual facts for the rest of the film.

 To look at the rest of the film for a moment, the special effects are pretty impressive, I will give it that much. They come from an unusual angle not often seen in movies and add to the ‘creativity’ of the rest of the film in the best possible way, not outshining the story but working well alongside it. The actors too give decent performances. Nothing special, but they have done well with the material they have been given I guess. Also, purely in directorial terms, Luc Besson has steered the ship well. The story does flow and moves at a pace that is enjoyable for those watching without being too fast and confusing.

 However, no matter how many good elements there are to this story, the plot simply cannot be excused. Not only is there all of crap that I mentioned earlier, but there are parts of the movie that are inexcusable from anyone’s perspective. For example, in a scene early on in the film, Lucy manages to walk into a hospital covered in blood and holding a massive gun in her hand and no one bats and eyelid. Later in the film, a bunch of Taiwanese gangsters are outside a hospital loading rifles, handguns and rocket launchers when a load of policemen pull up, run past and don’t even give them a second glance. There’s unrealistic and then there’s just plain lazy. At least make it look like the guns are hidden or something. It’s really not the difficult.

 Overall, you've probably gathered that I'm not a fan. The story is too preposterous, even for me, and there are simply too many elementary mistakes. A suggestion I would make is that if you want to watch a film about brain power and unlocking the minds potential, go for something like ‘Limitless’.

5 Films To Look Forward To In September 2014

And now for this month...

1) The Giver

In another movie based on another book written for teenagers, this one is basically about a bunch of people who have choice and emotion taken away, and what happens when one boy is given all of these things back.

2) Wish I Was Here

In the much anticipated sequel to 'Garden State' and a movie that caused a lot of commotion due to its use of a kickstarter campaign to get funded, Zach Braff's character is at a point in his life where he must choose whether to continue down the same road, or pick a path that is different.

3) The Riot Club

Based on the 2010 play 'Posh', this film tells the story of two Oxford University freshers who join the infamous Riot Club.

4) What We Did On Our Holiday

From the creators of 'Outnumbered' comes a stereotypical British movie. Light hearted, funny and heart-warming with a story of two parents trying to keep their divorce from their children as they go on holiday.

5) A Walk Among The Tombstones

If the movie industry is anything to go by, don't go anywhere near Liam Neeson or you will be kidnapped. In the latest version of Neeson being an action hero, he is an ex-NYPD policeman turned private detective who gets more than he bargained for when he is hired to find a client's missing wife.

5 Films You Should've Seen in August 2014

Let's start with an apology. Sorry for not writing anything for the last few months but various travel experiences took priority I'm afraid. Anyway, let's look at the films of last month and see what you probably should've gone to see...

1) The Inbetweeners 2

In the sequel of the hit British TV series, many claim that this was even funnier than the first and is a must see for any fans of the show.

2) God's Pocket

In one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's final films it follows a man and the death of his son in an 'accident' he tries to cover up.

3) Million Dollar Arm

Every few years, Disney decide to release an 'uplifting' and 'hopeful' sports story. This year is no exception with a movie about a bunch of Indian cricketers trying to be baseball stars.

4) Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For

It's just as strange as the first one.

5) Lucy

Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman star in a film that is essentially the female 'Limitless' but that takes it to a whole different level (and there's more guns and death).

Maleficent (2014)

Right let's see if I remember how to do this...

 The new live action movie from the Disney studios is 'Maleficent', the retelling of the Disney animated classic 'Sleeping Beauty' told from the point of view of one of the most recognisable villains of all time. It gives back story to the reasoning behind Maleficent's evil curse placed upon the kings daughter, a wider look into the world in which the story is set and gives us the supposed 'truth' about what actually happened to Maleficent, Aurora and all of the other characters children grow to know and love.

 I went to see this a few weeks ago with one of my oldest friends who I have known since we were children and she is, to put it mildly, obsessed with Disney. One particular film stands out for her and I'll give you three guesses as to which one that would be. She had, of course, already seen it and told me beforehand that it was amazing, therefore sky-rocketing my expectations. Unfortunately, this film fell well and truly flat for me.

 Before I start with my reasons why, I should just state that this is not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination. The special effects are phenomenal and really create a fantastic world in front of your eyes for this story to be set in. However, the true reason why this film is not a flop is because of Angelina Jolie. If ever someone was born to play a role, this was hers. Aesthetically, physically and emotionally, Jolie comprehensively completes this role giving an engaging, varied and layered performance (she also looks weirdly like Madonna in the poster above). To be completely honest with you, she's the only reason I really went to see the film, and in terms of her performance, you can't be disappointed.

 To move onto why the movie isn't so great, let's just deal with a few of the smaller issues. For one, the actress portraying Aurora (Elle Fanning) is not right. There's just something about her performance that seems so focused on playing the completely happy aspect of the character that any other emotion just doesn't really exist or comes across as kind of blank and hollow. Also the storyline of the king is a pain in the arse. I will get onto the real reason behind this in a second but the storyline allows for nothing better than a mediocre performance from Sharlto Copley (most notably, he was in District 9) and I don't think it even reached mediocre levels.

 The reason for this, and the reason why this film just didn't work for me, is because when Disney have said "it's a re-imagining of the story of 'Sleeping Beauty' from the villains perspective and tells the true version of events" what they actually mean is we are going to completely change the entire storyline that you have grown up with, change the characters and their personalities and basically tell a completely different story. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression Sleeping Beauty slept for a hundred years, was awoken by the kiss of a prince who has to fight through an ivy ridden city and battle a dragon before he got to her. In this 're-imagined' version, Aurora should be renamed the napping beauty as she's barely asleep for 10 minutes, she's awoken by Maleficent's kiss because throughout Aurora's teenage years they have become best chums and the King goes absolutely bat-shit crazy with paranoia. Now I get they needed to change it up a bit to get some back story and what not, but this is just a bit too much for my liking. I suppose there is an element of Disney's recent trend to make true love be something other than a Prince and a Princess ('Frozen' and 'Brave' being a couple of examples) and I appreciate the effort to do this, but don't mess with a classic fairy-tale story. They could've made a much better film and Angelina Jolie could've given an equally as good performance with the original ideas and plot lines from the original 1959 movie.

Overall, as long as you don't go into this movie expecting the storyline of 'Sleeping Beauty' then you won't be disappointed.

5 Films To Look Forward To In July 2014

1) Guardians of the Galaxy

In the newest addition to the Marvel franchise of movies, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the focus of an intergalactic bounty hunt after stealing an artefact from one of the Universe's greatest villains.

2) Transformers: Age of Extinction

It seems to me that every year brings another Transformers movie, but maybe now that they have gotten rid of Shia LeBeouf and replaced him with a proper action actor (Mark Wahlberg) this sequel might not be as horrifically abysmal.

3) Begin Again

This comedy follows a singer songwriter (Keira Knightley) and a disgraced record label executive (Mark Ruffalo) team up to make an album in the streets of New York.

4) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

There's an ape riding a horse on the poster. I think that pretty much sums up my expectations for this film.

5) Earth to Echo

Seen as the school holidays are coming up, here's one to take the kids to. A bunch of kids discover a small alien who has fallen to Earth and help him find his way home.

5 Films To Look Forward To In June 2014

1) 22 Jump Street

The sequel to '21 Jump Street', this creatively named film graduates the undercover cops up to College and their partnership is tested to it's limits.

2) The Fault In Our Stars

Based on the book by John Green, two young teenagers battle with cancer and discover each other in the process.

3) Jersey Boys

Based on the hit musical using the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, this chronicles their story from singing on a street corner to becoming the musical legends they are.

4) Fruitvale Station

Its taken a while for this one to cross the pond but it is worth the wait. Featuring up and coming actor Michael B. Jordan and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer it tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a young dad who was shot by the police in cold blood and its impact on his neighbourhood and his family.

5) Cold In July

Starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter) as Richard who is considered a hero when he kills a burglar to protect his family, but things soon begin to unravel when the burglars father arrives to seek revenge.

So there aren't many good films out this month but these are the best ones available (and have a very red theme to their posters). Just as a quick note as well, I have been quite busy the last few months and will be for the next few so I apologise in advance if there isn't much activity on this page.