In Theatres

[Samuel_Scott]

Wanted to see We Are Your Friends, but they canned it already at my cinema due to a shoddy weekend.

Instead, took advantage of "Super Tuesday" (all tickets the price of off-peak child) and watched The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (7/10) and Vacation (5/10).

Tomorrow thinking of seeing Pixels and Bad Education Movie.

[Samuel_Scott]

Just back from Pixels. Expected worse to be fair. A couple of good laughs and some nice cameos, but the set action pieces let it down more than the uninspiring dialogue IMO. I have to say though, for a daytime showing of a film that has been out for a while, the cinema was the fullest I've seen yet. 2.5/5

Out on Friday locally for me is Transporter Refuelled, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, American Ultra and No Escape. Want to see all four, with American Ultra my main target.

[Samuel_Scott]

The Bad Education Movie - I dislike Jack Whitehall immensely, but enjoyed the TV show and this spin-off movie. There are as many misses in the humour as there are hits, but there is enough here to laugh at to make it worthwhile. 6/10

[Samuel_Scott]

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - The plot wasn't anything surprising, but the young cast were perfect and Molly Shannon provided some needed comic relief. A solid 3.5/5

EDIT: Been thinking about this, and bumping it to a 4/5.

[Samuel_Scott]

American Ultra - I really want to dislike Jesse Eisenberg but I just can't. He's great here and the chemistry between him and Kristen Stewart is once again excellent. Funny, OTT, and generally a bit mental. 3.5/5

[Samuel_Scott]

No Escape - Wasn't sure about Owen Wilson and Lake Bell in these roles going in but left happy. Needed more Brosnan though. 3.5/5

The Transporter Refuelled - I did like the dynamic of the father and son, but the action scenes lacked that spark the Statham films had. 2/5

[Noor_Razzak]

The End of the Tour - a small art house movie about journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) interviews author David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) for Rolling Stone magazine. Equal parts boring and pretentious sometimes both at the same time, not what I expected it would be, although in saying that Jason Segel was terrific. 5/10.

[Samuel_Scott]

Legend - Thought it was solid, though often the acting was superior to the dialogue, even if it was also a little too caricaturish at times for me. Still, creeps in at a 3.5/5.

[Samuel_Scott]

The Visit - I guessed the twist fairly early on, but I think this could be a return to success for Shyamalan. 3.5/5

[Samuel_Scott]

The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials - I enjoyed it, but it dragged far too much in places. A good 30-40 minutes could have been cut out with ease. The 3D didn't have much in the way of pop-outs, but the depth was pretty good, and in some scenes where height is a factor, the depth was spectacular. The film = 3/5, 3D = 4/5.

[Samuel_Scott]

Everest - Really enjoyed this one. Cracking cast and good depth in the 3D. Film = 4/5 3D = 3.5/5

[Noor_Razzak]

Straight Outta Compton - really enjoyed this one, brought back memories of my youth when this music was blowing up. The casting was spot on, the story was interesting despite following similar templates of the music biopic - emerging from nothing - the excess of success - the downfall and break up etc. Otherwise terrific film 9/10.

Charlotte's Song - a new retelling of The Little Mermaid set in the 1930's dust bowl, this was the premiere at the Vancouver Film Festival, it was clear that the film was not yet completed as there were editing/pacing issues, incomplete sound design (it was too passive). On the plus side it looked gorgeous, the photography was splendid. In its current state 5/10 hopefully the filmmaker's fix those issues it could get a higher rating.

[Noor_Razzak]

Sicario - wow, what a fantastic film. Interesting story, excellent acting, beautifully shot, edited, scored, pretty much a solid film from start to finish. 9.5/10, hopefully will become an Oscar contender.

[Noor_Razzak]

The Martian, Ridley Scott is back! Finally after a string of really disappointing movies the master filmmaker delivers on all fronts. What a spectacle, the film was entirely riveting from start to finish, Matt Damon delivers a terrific performance as stranded astronaut Mark Watney, the supporting cast are equally excellent, production design and cinematography are top notch. It was a thrilling adventure, worth seeing on the big screen for sure. I went to a 3D session, and the only thing that it added was extra depth, which was actually welcomed especially for the exterior Mars scenes and the scenes in space. 10/10.

[Samuel_Scott]

Just back home Tuesday and obviously not forward thinking enough to get a decent seat in a Bond showing until Sunday night.

However, just back from The Last Witch Hunter. Liked the cast, with Michael Caine's the highlight, and the special effects were very good, but the middle act was by-the-numbers and the ending too obviously left for sequel possibilities. A generous 6/10.

[Samuel_Scott]

Spectre - As good as Skyfall IMO. Needed more Christoph Waltz and Monica Belluci though. 9/10

[Samuel_Scott]

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse - Wasn't expecting much going in, but found it to be surprisingly funny. Okay, it isn't a great film, but it is a lot of fun with a decent cast that work really well together. 7/10

[Samuel_Scott]

Just back from "Burnt". Great cast, but the film struggles to keep a consistent pace. It dawdles through the middle and the ending is a little rushed. Still, worth a watch for those intrigued by the film and it is good to see Cooper take this role. 6/10

[Samuel_Scott]

Three new films showing here from Friday and all three I am interested in. Think I've worked out timings to do a triple feature with short breaks. The Lady in the Van, followed by Brooklyn, followed by Steve Jobs.

[Noor_Razzak]

I went to see 007 Spectre last weekend, it was ok. The opening sequence was excellent, but I liked Skyfall better. I think the problem was that it was too long and they tried to cram too much into it. despite that it was mostly enjoyable 7/10.