abouhelier-r Reviews

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Hacksaw Ridge #OscarNoms

[10/10 · 29 January 2017]

I am so glad to see Mel Gibson back to directing movies because ever since The Man Without a Face he has made many very good movies, among which my favourite has to be Braveheart, being an incredible film as well as Apocalypto, which is just as good. This time around, at the heart of this cinematic cyclone is a more conventional character study; of a man torn by his need to serve in a fight against Japan and a strict moral code that prevents him from taking life. Though, once on the battlefield the complexities of his moral fall away, replaced by the simple maths of saving lives.

Andrew Garfield, former Spidey, is so good at being an optimist in life, he has this infectious smile, he seems to be such a sweet guy and you really root for his character. Garfield is the warm anchor the film needs. Between this film and Silence, two contrasting tales of faith in an unforgiving world, any memories of the sad end to his web-slinging days should be well and truly banished. Teresa Palmer gives also the best performance of her entire career, as a nurse who Desmond meets, they get to know each other and their relationship is genuinely sweet and charming.

Vince Vaughn is in this movie and stole every scene he's in, as an aggressive motor mouth drill instructor. That casting choice is a reminder that Vince Vaughn is obviously very funny, but he also has some dramatic arcs. Moreover, Hugo Weaving gives one of the best performances in this film and I am so happy to see him again. I haven't seen him in a movie in a long time. He is always great, as his legendary roles can attest: Smith, Elrond, Red Skull or in V for Vendetta; this is what we love him for. In this film, he gives such a harden and emotionally powerful performance, as a man who has to deal with alcoholism. I am blown away by his work here.

The slow-burn promise of the film's opening acts pays off in a fierce focus on characters we have come to know, from all of the above to Sam Worthington and Luke Bracey. Biblical themes resonate and Doss's faith and certainties are tested in the movie's second act, a shift happens from home-baked heaven to the purgatory of military training. Mel Gibson and his scribes: Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan's grip on a familiar material is firm; their images, motifs and structures lend purpose to a potentially cheesy material.

The combat sequences, set on a blasted, blood-soaked Okinawan ridge in 1945, are filmed in Viscera Vision - they blaze and roar with the expression of pure violence. At some point, Mel Gibson leads us up a cliff and into a Bosch-ian nightmare. Between the mud, splayed bodies, bullet-pierced tin hats and torsos used as shields; the Battle of Okinawa pulverises. War has been hell in movies before, this is worse. What is impressive here, is how Gibson pushes his direction beyond the exploitative possibilities of raising hell.

The war scenes are brutally realistic and you can see that nothing has been held back and they are very well done and not romanticised at all. This happened. This sucked and this is the story of a man who tried to do something good. This is effectively shocking. Finally, you don't need to be a religious person to appreciate the movie. It addresses strong perspective for the character but you don't need to be religious to appreciate the spirit of this film, and the eternal truth that Human spirit is the most powerful thing you can have.

Overall, Hacksaw Ridge is an old-fashioned story that Mel Gibson mainlines with bleeding-edge craft and technique - he has lost little of his knack for spectacle and has proved once again that he is a master behind the camera.

Split (IX) (2016)

Split: 23 Shades of Creepy

[9/10 · 22 January 2017]

Think Room meets The Missing at 10 Cloverfield Lane. Having seen Split, it is a very good time to be a M. Night Shyamalan fan. Split might be M. Night Shyamalan most compellingly warped concoction to date its genre trappings, acting merely as gateway drugs to the altogether more insanely interesting thriller taking place in Kevin's head. Shyamalan puts all his trust in his audience as he sets up various story elements here and there that won't be fully understood till you have seen the full movie; we learn about characters and the big picture becomes so much more impactful afterwards.

The more we learn, the scarier McAvoy's character(s) starts to sound. Split goes all-in on McAvoy slipping from persona to persona, and luckily the man has the acting skills to do so. Indeed, James McAvoy might be one of the most underrated actors nowadays. I loved him in every movie he has done so far, he is excellent, insanely courageous, fully committed and it pays off. Every personality is specifically distinguishable just by his different vocal pattern and his mannerism. Nominate this man right now. This is the role of his career.

Usually, when a character talks to a shrink it is because the screenwriter couldn't find a more elegant way to weave in exposition. However with this film, despite being a horror-thriller, the most fascinating moments are the ones, McAvoy spends on Dr Fletcher's couch. Betty Buckley has an amazing character as she tries to cure Kevin. She shines and brings a lot to the proper film. Plus, Anya Taylor-Joy's character back story is beautiful and haunting. She was very impressive in The Witch and is even finer here as a deceptively docile captive whose passivity masks both intelligence and gumption. yet it would be foolish to suggest this is anything but McAvoy's movie.

Here's where I mention that Split resembles Psycho when the screenplay makes some riskier moves. Shyamalan's love of tricks is very much alive and well. He also hired the director of photography of It Follows and it really paid off because Split has some brilliant claustrophobic camera work, the lighting is superb, this is a great looking movie. the score is refreshingly subtle. Sometimes you won't even notice how it will be creeping into a scene, while slowly building an intense aura of dreadfulness.

Finally, I loved the ending, I won't spoil anything for you but you know I do love me some good ending. There's a neutron bomb dropped in the final scene that essentially reframes everything you just saw. It isn't a whopping reveal like the one in The Sixth Sense. For a movie nerd like me, it is extremely gratifying. For others, it will fly right over their heads and they will wonder why others in the audience are whispering, "Oh my God! NO WAY!". I am so genuinely excited by the ending of this movie, the implication it has and what it can mean for Shyamalan's fans, the future and what he can do with his career.

Overall, Split is a masterful blend of Hitchcock, horror and therapy session. The storytelling is amazingly brave because Night Shyamalan ultimately trusts his audience.

La La Land (2016)

La La Land

[10/10 · 12 January 2017]

A jazz pianist falls for an inspiring actress in Los Angeles.

There was a moment back in the 1970s when the image of people bursting into song and dancing in the middle of a motion picture wasn't simply cheesy, it had come to be seen as downright strange. But not anymore. Our era is immersed in a retro musical culture. Damien Chazelle wants to make a musical that celebrates the classic Hollywood vision of love as a spiritual perfection. This is is really quite beautiful and as another Oscar season begins, this time under a dark cloud of controversy, movies like this one take their natural place: escapist wonderment that reminds audiences and cinephiles like me why they bother staring at flickering images on a wall in the first place.

The heart and soul of this movie are rooted in the past and so are its characters. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling is a romantic that almost feels chemically balanced to perfection. These two belong together because of Gosling, his malice dipped in honey, and Stone, her vivacity and pensive awareness; creating a teasing romantic connection. But mostly they belong together because... they dance like this. They are the new Gene Kelly and Shirley McLaine.

Their not-so-"meet cute" takes place on the freeway. Indeed, the film opens with one of the most extraordinary sequences in years: a musical number, set in the morning commuting and traffic jam along with a vast stretch of L.A. freeway. The camera hurls with astonishing choreography intricacy among the passengers on their way to work. Cinematically the sequence makes the impossible look easy. It also serves as a setting for optimism and emotional expectations. By staging this number Chazelle invites us to return and stay inside an enchanted romantic universe. In my opinion, Damien Chazelle's La La Land is the most audacious big-screen musical in a long time. An irony of ironies, that is because it is the also the most traditional one.

Director pays an awe-inspiring homage to the look, mood and stylised trappings of the Hollywood musicals of the 40's especially, the 50's with starry nights and streets lamps lighting up the innocence of soft-shoe romance and two people who were meant for each other literally dancing on air. The "stroll" scene is one of my favourites as Damien Chazelle stages a gorgeous scene over a view of L.A.'s glittering carpet of lights that merges into pastel twilight. They sit, talk and start dancing, just like actors did on sets in the 1950s. Sooner, she lays her eyes on...him. Across a crowded room. A stranger playing the piano. Except that the look on her face tells you that he is no stranger at all. She is not just starring - she is falling. That is the sublimity of Old Hollywood where we believed that it could happen, just like that.

Maybe only French cinephiles of a certain age will realise that the writer director's true inspiration here is not as much from vintage Hollywood musicals as from the late French director Jacques Demy's two landmark 1960s musicals with Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort - especially the latter which was far more dance and jazz oriented. What I love about Damien Chazelle's movies is that he incorporates music in his movies, he did that with Whiplash and he does that more than ever here. The music becomes a character among all other characters. Moreover, L.A. has rarely looked this gorgeous in films, a credit to the director's romantic imagination as well as to the technical expertise of Swedish cinematographer Linus Sandgren (American Hustle)

Finally, La La Land is the story of old-school dreamers trapped in a world of entertainment commerce that is designed to crush the life out of you. It is a reminder that the often self-destructive act of dreaming is the very elixir of life. This film is a love story to passionate people, people who have a dream, people who want to succeed in doing what they love. Someone who is going to, no matter what anyone says, go ahead. This film grabs the shoulders of anyone who is passionate out there, shaking them until they get out there and follow their dreams.

Overall, La La Land is an unapologetically romantic tribute to classic movie musicals, splashing dream - chasing optimism everywhere. I was utterly absorbed by the film's simple storytelling and the terrific lead performances from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling who are both excellent, particularly Emma Stone, who has never been better. They both carry Chazelle's musical numbers off with delicacy and charm.

Passengers (I) (2016)

Passengers

[7/10 · 29 December 2016]

Two passengers on a spaceship heading to a distant colony are woken up 90 years before they should be. Now they are stranded together but alone. They have to figure out a way to survive. That is the way the trailer makes it seem at least. And I will be honest, that is a movie I'd like to see. But that is not what you get. Actually, it is not even close. Chris Pratt character, Jim, wakes up Aurora. For the filmmakers it is a minor obstacle on the route to romance; for the audience, it's a deal-breaker.

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt have a spicy chemistry. They work well together as literal star-crossed lovers. The setting is unorthodox but the blossoming romance is entirely familiar. Though, Chris Pratt ultimately carries the whole movie. His character is far more interesting than hers, he has more layers than she has. Plus, Michael Sheen injects a welcome third perspective, laying bare their flaws.

Passengers is not just short on surprises, it is also like a castaway love story set in the world largest and emptiest Apple Store in space. This movie has opportunities to be great, there are some scenes when I think they could have made something a lot more interesting and challenging than what they settled for. However, the CGI, and particularly a zero-gravity swimming pool sequence, is impressive. Believe it or not, there are more twists and turns half a movie left after all this, but none of it is very interesting either.

Finally, the movie keeps jerking from tone to tone until you end up feeling like you are weightlessly drifting in zero-gravity. In fact, the film can't make up its mind if it wants to stick to Pratt's comic instincts or go someplace more serious or existential. Moreover, the Titanic parallels are left throughout sometimes in explicit nods as a cheesy space walk stands in for 'flying' on the prow; and elsewhere in the film's broader structure. Much like Cameron's nautical disaster, Passengers' early love story gives way to a latter disaster flick.

Overall, Passengers is misleading at first sight and as surprisingly as it is undeniably effective. A timeless romance stranded in a space-age. A heartfelt tale of loss and love for the Gravity generation.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Rogue One

[8/10 · 17 December 2016]

It takes a pair of Death Star-sized balls to release a Star Wars prequel at this point. Gareth Edwards, director of 2014's Godzilla, did it. He has this got-to-know curiosity that the most hard-core Star Wars fans have always had. And he rewards us with a thrilling adventure that's every bit as satisfying as The Force Awakens. The thing that has always made George Lucas' "Galaxy Far Far Away" so unique is its richness. Every character, every planet, every plot line and technical spec seems to have been considered. It is a thoroughly imagined universe, full of tiny details and arcane backstories. There are no answerable questions just untold tales - and unmade movies.

This first stand stand-alone chapter in the franchise is set just before the original Star Wars "Episode IV: A New Hope". Of course, that was our introduction - our gateway - to Lucas' world of Wookies, droids, rebel heroes and imperial villains. But the thing about that movie was, more you watched it, more questions it raised. How did Princess Leia come to possess the plans of the Death Star? Where did they come from? And that one tiny missing puzzle is the entire narrative of this new instalment.

This is a whole new stable of characters operating on the fringes of the world we all know by heart. As in The Force Awakens, Rogue One screenwriter's centre on a female warrior, driven by destiny to take on the mightiest power in the galaxy. In fact, this film is ultimately Jyn's story, she is a fierce fighter, a rallying leader and the kind of role model any movie-going parent would want to expose their daughters and sons to. Felicity Jones plays this character with warmth and turns her into more than just a chest piece. She makes her human. Plus, alongside Jyn there is a droid named K-2SO, who is a more useful, resourceful and sarcastic than C-3PO. Beautifully designed and voiced with wit and exquisite timing by Alan Tudyk. He is the most useful of Jyn's cohort, as well as the most entertaining. However - and I can't believe that I am actually writing that - the film might lack a strong and charismatic male character (such as Han Solo or John Boyega's Finn) to balance and supply Jyn with a sparring partner.

Though, the jaw-dropping resurrection of the late and singular British actor, Peter Cushing, who played the role of Grand Moff Tarkin, the Imperial leader first seen in 1977's original. Cushing, who died in 1994 at age 81, pops up here with matter-of-fact naturalness and complete credibility, playing the same character he did before with fresh dialogue. It is the art of CGI taken to new and perfected lengths and it has to be said that this actor dead now for more than 20 years, give a better performance than some other actors in the cast. More importantly, the Dark Lord of the Sith's appearance is more impactful than ever. Undoubtedly contributing a couple of entries to future Best Vader Moments lists and finally answering the question "Who would choose to live in a fortress with a lava waterfall?".

Shot on a more spontaneous-feeling manner than his predecessors, it keeps the energy high and both the actors and the audience on their toes. Edwards builds up to a gigantic third act showdown. Moreover, Rogue One is loaded with allusions to other films in the franchise, without ever relying on them too much. It is fun, but the risk is to make it too elaborate and complex-to-the-point of confusing space opera, which will only appeal to the already converted. This film has undertaken extensive and very publicised reshooting and you can tell sometimes. Lastly, younger generation might be bored, confused, or both. But for the original generation of Star Wars fans who were not sure what to make of episodes one, two and three, Rogue One is the prequel they always wanted.

Overall, Rogue One is a Star Wars film, yes. And it feels epic. But what it really is at its core is an Ocean's 11 in space. It perfectly connects events we already know by heart with ones we never even considered. Mix that with loads of actions, great effects, good comic relief and stunning locations, you get a perfectly entertaining movie.

Moana (I) (2016)

Moana

[9/10 · 7 December 2016]

Moana is Disney's latest animated film and it comes from the same creative team behind Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, The Princess and the Frog and Treasure Planet. Moana feels like a worthy successor to Disney's most beloved animated classics while in the meantime pushing the genre into 2016, introducing a smart, diverse and convincing heroine. Plus, I don't know why but it reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the most part.

The weight and core of the film is based on both of the main character shoulders and their chemistry. Dwayne - The Rock - Johnson charisma comes through, even just in the voice. At this point, he has proved that he is a real superstar and that he is here to stay. I love his depiction of Maui, he is sort of a sarcastic prick but still lovable because - let's be honest - it is The Rock we are talking about. Auli'i Cravalho is splendid, showing off her pipes with "How Far I'll Go", delivering the kind of classic Disney "I want" song that brings to mind The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" and Hercules' "Go the Distance". The music is, in my opinion, the best of their most recent films. Especially one which is destined to be the next "Let It Go", parents out there, be prepared, it is coming.

Moreover, Moana offers us all a wave of girl power that we can ride and we love that. First, Moana will be chief after her father and nobody questions it. Second, she doesn't have a love interest, because she has an island to save. Third, her grandmother and mother are both strong presences in her life; in a perfect Bechdel Test fashion, they don't talk about men. Finally, she can do it all and keeps on fighting for what she believes in. As per usual with Disney animated films, the animation is out of this world stellar, with each passing year Disney is getting better and better at the animated photorealistic background, here especially the Ocean.

Overall, Moana is a very fun and entertaining film with everything you'd want in a Disney film: great animations, good songs, good voice work, good moral core, good message and most importantly heart.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

The answer is: in the suitcase.

[6/10 · 30 November 2016]

The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.

Maintaining David Yates as director lends a consistency to the project, and yet, it could have been refreshing to get a completely new take on J.K. Rowling's world with this series. In this new instalment, Jacob is clearly meant as our way into this magical new world. Dan Fogler as Kowalski, this normal no-maj' or muggle who gets caught up in all this, is the audience character and comic relief of the movie.

He is all of us, he is the guy who is constantly like "Hey what's going on?!" and they explain things to him but they are actually explaining them to us. Dan Fogler is so good, he never gets annoying and he never feels like a side-kick either, for that I was very happy he was in this film. Moreover, by the end of the movie, he also becomes one of the most important emotional core of the movie as his romantic relationship subplot with Queenie is by far the film's most charming detail.

Unsurprisingly, Fantastic Beasts amplify both the strength and weaknesses of Rowling's storytelling approach - a cliffhanger-oriented tactic that works well in novels but feels less elegant on screen. Nonetheless, David Yates is a director that understands this world. He is building great set action sequences as well as several slower paced scenes and are not overly relying on our knowledge or love of the Harry Potter universe. The major problem with this movie is that the visual panache comes with a whole lot of plots. In fact, the film has some structural problems and really feels like two movies. On the one hand, you have the beasts plot and on the other hand, the chasing going on with the Obscuro and Grindelwald plot. Finally, this film has Harry Potter-esque magic but the world itself is the muggle world. I'm addressing this point because I believe that the magic in this film is the most awe-inspiring where it shouldn't have been the most magical. Magic is in the details.

Overall, I did enjoy this film but it feels too much like a setup movie for future instalments of the franchise.

Arrival (II) (2016)

Another Close Encounter

[10/10 · 16 November 2016]

Arrival scored big at the weekend box-office and is muscling its way into the awards race. It has been almost 40 years since Steven Spielberg made Close Encounter to the Third Kind. That is not a Spielberg film that people tend to revisit the way they do Jaws, Raiders or E.T. In its time, though, Close Encounter cast a spell of majestic awe that still reverberates through pop culture today. This film with its obsessiveness and mystery, its spaceship of light that seemed as big as a city; made the prospect of an extraterrestrial visit look as wondrous, eccentric and spectacular as we imagined it might be.

Amy Adams is the film's quiet and luminous heart. Jeremy Renner's role is rather modest but he also seems to understand that, while Amy Adams draw on her gift for making each and every moment quiver with discovery. The actress is alive to what is around her, even if it is just ordinary, and when it is extraordinary the inner fervour she communicates is quite transporting. She is more respected as an actress than bankable. The film isn't a sequel nor is it a superhero film, it is not an Alien invasion film like Independence Day Resurgence that basically exists as an excuse to blow up stuff. Sci-fi isn't just for boys. Amy Adams is front and centre in this film, a performance that surely owned her all this Oscar buzz. The film also gives her character a personal tragedy to live with and a one that grounds the fantastical story in human emotion. As a woman, I really do believe that there is a genuine emotional storyline that can speak to women, either mothers or daughters.

This film has been made by the godly gifted director: Denis Villeneuve, who crafted Sicario and Prisoners. He manages once again, to ground this story in a hyper- realistic way. By hooking us with the news of spaceships hovering over Earth in the most random and unsensational way possible. Denis Villeneuve builds our anticipation with great flair. Discovering what the Aliens look like, sound like and how they communicate is the dramatic heart and soul of the picture. That kind of suspense is pretty rare these days. Plus, this film has an obvious poetic grandeur. The images are stately and vast, with an almost super-earthly clarity.

Indeed, there is a pleasing circularity to the structure of this movie and also a circular logic to it. True to its title, Arrival makes an absorbing spectacle of the initial Alien set- up. Though the Aliens don't quite have personalities, there is still something tender and touching about them. There are also, frankly, elements of familiarity. The sounds they make, and the way they look. The point being that even if Denis Villeneuve is a bold and brilliant filmmaker, when it comes to this subject, Spielberg's vision is hard to get away; it still somehow infuses everything. Finally, this notion that if you learn a new language it can rewire the way you think and that the Alien language is their big gift to Humanity is beautiful. Add to it that when learning this language, then you are able to rewire your brain and it actually alters the nature of time: it is mesmerising. The film ties it in with *SPOILER ALERT* a back story that forms the action about Louise and the daughter (in a prologue) who she watched grow up and die.

Overall, like all the best sci-fi it has something pertinent to say about today's world, particularly about the importance of communication and living in the moment. An ideal that shouldn't need any translation. It grips you with the strength of its ideas and the quality of its execution.

Before the Flood (2016)

Before the Flood

[9/10 · 6 November 2016]

Almost a decade ago, Leonardo DiCaprio narrated and produced The 11th Hour, which covered the same ground as this documentary. The United Nations designated DiCaprio a "UN Messenger of Peace" in 2014 and tasked him with getting the word out on Climate Change. That is just what he does. Here is a heartfelt, decent and educational documentary about the most important issue of our time: Climate Change.

Filmmakers are intelligent in their use of the biggest asset they have: not only do they keep their movie star on screen, they work hard to tie viewers concern for the environment up with his biography. Leonardo DiCaprio proves his own commitment to the cause; conceding that his own celebrity status draws attention to the topic, but allows the naysayers to say that he is a shallow movie star and therefore this whole issue must be a joke. Though, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed that the movie lacks such personality. The film does have the unique access to a DiCaprio that is not on the set of a fictional project or in an awards ceremony tux, but he adds nothing aside from his name and face.

Correctly identifying the most important issue of our time, DiCaprio uses his authority and charisma to travel the world and highlight men impact on our planet. Indeed, he travels the globe examining our fossil-fuel addiction. Where the film succeeds the most is by focusing on the ground-level victims of climate change, such as the polar bears of the Arctic for instance. Of course, the documentary is enforcing the 2015 Paris agreement, in order to develop the wind and solar power.

So many climate documentaries have passed through cinemas and aired on TV, it's impossible to believe that lack of information is the obstacle to change in public policy. This documentary seems important to me as a shift in public opinion has to be achieved to change the political classes opinion. Finally, Before the Flood foes have one marvellous scene that its contemporaries won't have. Former Astronaut Dr. Piers Sellers sits down with DiCaprio in a dark room that is illuminated by a graphic of planet Earth and talks about how his experience in Space helped him understand the massiveness and beauty of the world. He highlights that if we can all see our presence in the world on a much larger scale than what is in front of us, we might be able to change our way of life before it is too late.

Overall, Before the Flood is a serious, substantial and very important piece of work.

The Girl on the Train (2016)

Movie Vs Book: The Girl on the Train

[7/10 · 22 October 2016]

A divorcée becomes entangled in a missing person investigation that promises to send shock waves throughout her life.

The Girl on the Train is an adaptation of Paula Hawkins' prismatic 2015 bestseller and it is at heart a murder mystery, yet in many ways that is the film's most routine aspect. The story is promising and has resemblances to Alfred Hitchcock, Patrick Hamilton or also something of Agatha Christie's detective story 4:50 From Paddington. What makes a good movie adaptation of a book succeed? The quality of the source material matters, of course, but it's hardly a guarantee. A lot of great novels have curled up and died on screen and some forgettable ones have been pulled through. The practise of referring to grown women as girls continue... here is the one on the train, as opposed to the gone one or the one with the dragon tattoo. Readers of the book were treated to amusingly precise descriptions of Rachel's daily, boozy transit. The film not only ditches these good, shabby detail but shifts the whole business to upstate New-York, to give it scenic benefits to and to associate itself with the cool suburban created by David Fincher in Gone Girl.

Paula Hawkins' madly popular novel has a terrific main character on the page and the fact that she's still terrific on screen is a reason alone to see it. Rachel, the main narrator, hits a new high in unreliability. For one thing, she's mostly drunk throughout most of the story, so her memories are not to be trusted - not even is she sure if what she remembers really happened; and for another, her whole life has become a lie. Emily Blunt who portrays Rachel brilliantly in the movie plays half her scenes as she's holding back tears (or screams, who knows...). She's a mesmerising actress who's been in need of a role like this one. It should, at last, elevate her star power. She manages to pull off a perilously effective performance and plays Rachel with a cold that makes it look as if her facial features are slowly coming apart. We can't help but root for her, even when she's a drunken destroyer with borderline personality disorder. At one point she stands in a bathroom, smearing the mirror with lipstick, letting out the rage she feels at her ex, and it is a cathartic moment and uncomfortable moment.

As a novel, The Girl on the Train is told by a series of unreliable narrators and that's part of its post-Gone Girl feature. In the movie, the unreliability factor plays differently. It comes down to images shown and we, therefore, believe it, but the things we've been shown may not, in fact, have happened. Did I loose you...? Right. Though it is not all that different from what the book did, it can be unsettling at some point. Moreover, the narrative is carefully split between three women whose lives interlink tragically. Indeed, everyone in this film is connected, to the point that the movie has a turbulently incestuous small-town-soap-opera quality. It's a structural movie that carries ideology and a sense of women being forced to live divided lives.

Nonetheless, there's a strong feminist-inflected suggestion that Rachel, Megan, and Anna are different sides of a singular shared experience, their dreams memories and voices intermingling in a patchwork of female rage, like a silent scream. Scrambling a story is easy, but it's done here to right perfection, with suspenseful effect.

Overall, to the adventurous cinematography, to an expressive score and an oddly sympathetic script, this cinematic train is rolling.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Miss Peregrine's School for Gifted Youngster

[9 October 2016]

When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that stretches across time, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the danger deepens after he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers.

Filmgoers have endured such a punishing amount of Young Adult adaptations this past decade, this is not fair. If you've ever wondered what Tim Burton's X-Men would look like, here's your chance. For not only does this film come from Fox: the studio that owns Marvel's mighty mutants and is written by Jane Goldman who was responsible for one of the best film in the franchise.

Characters are dark, they're wickedly funny, they're twisted and they're right up Burton's Beetlejuice Boulevard. Unfortunately, the children I was the most intrigued by were the ones with the least screen time and that was disappointing. Moreover, my major issue with this film is the main character, not Asa Butterfield himself, but Jake. He's mostly boring, he spends the entire film walking around asking questions and waiting someone will explain something to him. THANK GOD, then, for the wonderful Eva Green. Don't be fooled, she doesn't show up for the first half hour and then flips in and out but when she is on-screen, it's a delight. Riggs may have imagined her, but she has clearly become a Burton creation.

Tim Burton is a director I miss, he made some films that I loved, some I liked and others... The script is the secret ingredient that makes the movie such an appropriate fit for Burton's peculiar sensibility. This movie is everything of all the great Tim Burton's flair: amazing production design, brilliant visuals, everything sounds and looks amazing. Though, I do want to manage expectations. The plot is extremely predictable and the third act's action set-pieces seem to go on forever. This is the director in reserved mode, he's holding back and only goes full Burton in the character's establishment.

Perhaps it's a little bit too familiar for those of you who've been following Burton since the beginning as he repeats more than he innovates this time around. However, for younger audiences, the film makes a terrific introduction to his forever-Halloween- aesthetic.

Overall, this film is never as dark, funny nor peculiar as you'd expect from Tim Burton. I hope producers know that not every film needs to grow up into a franchise, sometimes it's best to let them live in their own isolated world.

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

The Remake of a Remake in The West

[9/10 · 5 October 2016]

Seven gunmen in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.

The Magnificent Seven is directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio; Ethan Hawke and a tonne of other badasses. It's the remake of a remake of a remake even though it's kind of a retelling, that is something we've seen before. The basic story lines are fairly timeless like every great story is. There are even a tonnes of other movies especially Westerns that have a very similar feel as this one. Best example, Clint Eastwood has been in movies with the same plot quite a few times.

Denzel Washington is teaming up with Fuqua for the third time. Here he plays, essentially, the part of Yul Brynner in John Sturges' movie and Takashi Shimura in the sublime 7th Samurai by Kurosawa - which is no problem when your name is Denzel Washington and you have the experience authority and charisma. He owns the film. This man is a complete legend and it was amazing to see him reunited with Ethan Hawke on screen again. Hawke's character being also very interesting, as he has conflicted feelings, he feels the need to help these people but he also has a past with Washington's character and starts to feel unsure about himself. Add Chris Pratt and his eternal charming asshole and you get a bunch of likable and entertaining characters. Even Vincent D'Onofrio is surprisingly (for me) good in this film.

I love Antoine Fuqua as a director, I find him very versatile and effective, going from Training Day to Shooter, to two of my favourite movies of the past two years: The Equalizer and Southpaw. He really can do any genre and proves that again this time by making a very fun Western. In fact, this film is extremely well shot. With Leone-style horses galloping across widescreen plains in clouds of dust. But don't be fooled, this film hurts with guns, knives, arrows, cannons, dynamite and machine guns. Finally, this film is also a Western with political intent. The gang includes an Irishman, a Mexican, a Native American and a Korean as Fuqua, both addresses Hollywood's diversity issue and sends Donald Trump a message that America was built upon the immigrant spirit.

Overall, The Magnificent Seven is a straight up popcorn entertainment, don't go to this movie expecting anything else. It was also fun to see a standard Western again, with duels stand-off. This movie is a remake that actually delivers.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

The Ectoplasmic Force Awakens

[8/10 · 28 September 2016]

Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids, and co-writer Katie Dippold, who gave us Parks and Recreation on TV, deliver another sparkly script which is different and also more self-aware. "There's no such thing as bad publicity", Paul Feig may well disagree, since his all-female version of Ghostbusters trailer was the first to ever gained the arguable distinction of being, the most disliked trailer on YouTube. It couldn't be simply because the film has the temerity to feature four women as its ghostbusting quartet, could it? Not in 2016?

What made the original Ghostbusters an instant classic in summer 1984 was the instant chemistry between Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson; plus, this combination of high-IQ smart and dumb silliness. This time around, McCarthy and Wiig: two of the finest comedy actresses currently working, are on good form as usual. Though, Melissa McCarthy only gets to unleash her talent for physical comedy in a demonic possession and then you're starting to wish guiltily McCarthy had taken centre stage, using the crazy vitality and improvisation skills that made The Heat and Spy hits. This film also aims for broader humour, which is most obvious with Chris Hemsworth as Kevin, he's responsible for many of the film's biggest laughs as he struggles with simple tasks such as answering the phone or making coffee. It's one of the movie's more inspired gags to flip the sexual harassment in the other direction, offering up Thor hunk as the group's straight man, an assistant too dumb to realise he's being objectified.

In a way, the breakout star turn is McKinnon - a graduate of TV's SNL. She has a kind of resilient improvisation eccentricity and natural comedy that is closest in spirit to Bill Murray from the first film. Not that such comparisons are necessary or desirable. She makes for a sublime nerd goddess and she embodies the new Ghostbusters at its best: girl rules, women are funny. Get over it. Though it would have been nice if Ms Jones had been given more to do. If this were a radical reboot, she would have played a scientist.

After an effective opening scene, the film does prove to be funny, as Feig and McCarthy's collaboration tend to be. Plus, as it is often the case with a big-budget feature, it grows progressively louder and bigger, climaxing in an overlong battle. Part of what makes this reboot enjoyable is that it allows women to be as simply and uncomplicatedly funny as men. Moreover, this movie is also a female friendship movie, but without the usual jealousies and boyfriends. It took someone like Paul Feig to redefine who gets to be funny in movies. And it's what makes him a thoughtful successor to Mr Ramis, who made a series of memorable, soulful comedies about what it means to be a man such as Groundhog Day or Multiplicity. Finally, this film is at once satisfyingly familiar and satisfyingly different, kind of like a new production of Macbeth or a Christopher Nolan rethink of Batman. Now if we could just get women and men to be funny together, that would be revolutionary.

Overall, this film just feels funny, a novelty to those who believe that being funny is an XY chromosome thing. It pays tribute to the 80s blockbuster with in-jokes and cameos. Delivering a really funny and spectacular action comedy while producing a brand new work.

Jason Bourne (I) (2016)

Call It a Rebirth

[7/10 · 19 August 2016]

The most dangerous former operative of the CIA is drawn our of hiding to uncover hidden truths about his past.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the Bourne Trilogy redefined modern action thrillers. It was a relevant, smart and furiously intense reinvention of the espionage genre. The Bourne movies have always been blockbusters, with their fingers on the political pulse and here Greengrass turns his attention over to online privacy post- WikiLeaks.

Jason Bourne has always had one mission: to find out who he is. It's a mystery that made him one of the most interesting action movie characters of our time. Alongside James Bond and Ethan Hunt, but he was quick, efficient and acted on intuition and impulse alone. With this movie, the series marks a return to what worked for the franchise - namely: Matt Damon. In fact, despite the welcomed hints of vulnerability introduced by advancing age, Bourne's character seems off. Which comes most likely from the script, which unfortunately also provides Matt Damon with precious few lines. Rather than from Damon who is impressively opening up as an actor with the years.

From a stylistic point of view, Greengrass' sequences are defined by seething movement and sense of endless chaos, capturing indelible moments and images rather than a full and coherent picture of it. Indeed, the director is wasting little time before its first adrenalised action sequence and frenetic editing. Still, few directors can craft such clarity out of absolute chaos.

Technically and logistically Greengrass delivers everything you expect from him. There's no one better when it comes to staging complex, chaotic action amid the real life of big cities. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. The action-packed final forty minutes are staged in Las Vegas, this city might seem an unlikely backup for Bourne's brand, but it perfectly fit the unpredictable choreographed opera-like carnage. Finally, the action didn't disappoint me, what did is the story. There's definitely a revenge aspect to this film. Not just from the hero perspective, but also from the villain, which was very unexpected and it added something to the movie. However, the subplot involving this social media guru was not needed, it slowed the movie's pace considerably.

Overall, Jason Bourne is the most unsettling movie in the series but it also left the audience weirdly wanting more.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Tentamen Suicidii*

[9/10 · 19 August 2016]

* Latin for a suicide attempt. It is often referred to as a failed suicide attempt or nonfatal suicide attempt.

A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

Nevermind Deadpool: Suicide Squad is the bad boy of superhero movies. Defined as "F****** insane" in promotional interviews. it's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's nasty little brother. On paper, Suicide Squad was summer's last best hopes. Its premise was interesting to anyone who's ever found Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader more interesting than Clarice Starling or Luke Skywalker. Intended as an antidote to the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe. If Marvel has the best superheroes, so the prevailing geek logic goes, then DC must have the coolest villains. How ironic then, that a superhero story determined to celebrate the genre's villains should feature the worst villain that the genre has ever seen.

Director/writer David Ayer opens the film by attempting to compress origins stories, unique abilities and how they were captured for nine different characters into the film's overload first act. Blasting Hip-Hop songs to show how gangsta they are. In fact, each character is introduced with an instantly recognisable song, helping to ground these super freaks in the world as we know it. While also confirming suspicions that the movie is DC's answer to Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy. Amanda Waller starring Viola Davis, whose self-interest eventually poses the film's only provocative moral dilemma, is going to use those villains: she's going to use fire to fight fire and she's going to get burned.

Every character is missing someone. Deadshot misses his daughter, El Diablo misses his wife and Rick Flag his girlfriend. Beside that there's Cara Delevingne's Enchantress, a humanoid crocodile who doesn't contribute much to the team and my old friend Jay Courtney: a dumb Australian guy who contributes even less to the team. And THEN, there's Dr. Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn aka Margot Robbie, who is sexualised as hell and a caricature of male fetishism. Plus, she's "potentially" a poor representation of psychological abuse. Though I loved her character. Moreover, Will Smith hopefully has been given good characterisation within small but thorough lines and some touches of humanity, just like Harley Quinn underneath her unhinged insanity. Will Smith charisma and wit unable him to throw one-liners like no one else, giving the movie a comic aspect without it turning into full mode comedy.

This is not the Joker's film we were all waiting for. But must surely be a taste of things to come in future sequels. Attempting to honour the history of the character without stepping on Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson's toes, Jared Leto creates a surprisingly sensual Joker. He's part gangster, part clown, but nor really part of the movie unfortunately. His character is reduced to a long cameo of some sort. Giving the audience a feeling of second movie within the movie they're currently watching. The brief Batman's appearances are awesome, Ben Affleck is amazing as Batman and I can't wait to see this man again in new Batman features.

Blame it on Batman, but the DCCU has gotten awfully dark in recent years, especially compared with the candy-coloured party they're having over at Marvel. Finally critics often complain that overcrowded comic-book movies don't devote enough energy to psychology or performances, focusing instead on action and big CGI set-pieces. But Suicide Squad strays in the opposite extreme. Though this film is full of fancy action sequences in which our anti-heroes fight off a bunch of anonymous CG baddies (like the Avengers) while exchanging witty one-liner (just like the Avengers) and using their various abilities to emerge victorious without breaking a sweat (like, guess who? the AVENGERS!). I don't really like to trash a movie and you know that but certain aspect of the second and third acts reminded me of Fantastic Four, yes, it is that messy.

Overall, Suicide Squad flips the script around and forces the audience to root for the bad guys. But is this enough? Clearly: NO. This film is not half as badass as you wanted it to be.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

To Infinity and Beyond

[9/10 · 19 August 2016]

The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for the test.

Director Justin Lin brings his action energy and a certain nostalgic flair to the series. The dimension of the original series that turned fans into lifelong nerds is that it pushed boundaries, it kept spinning your head with space marvels and awe. You could argue that the philosophical, political and sociological subtext is what always set this universe apart from other tech-heavy space adventures. This film brings back the old philosophical lessons in an old-fashioned way. In fact, some of Kirk lines are relevant to the whole of humanity. Star Trek Beyond fits smoothly with the universe J.J. Abrams started, though, it's lighter and funnier than Abrams' movies with a welcome sense of adventure after Into Darkness. Abrams always had intuitive grasps of the hearts and minds of die-hard fanboys and girls. He knows what they want and gives it to them.

Abrams already reinvented the series once, he did it brilliantly, casting the series with such accuracy for the inner qualities of every Trek crew member. Like the show, it lets the audience share quality time with cast members, who now seem like old friends.The set-up is, in my opinion, the smartest part of the script by Simon Pegg, now pulling writing duties as well as co-starring. Splitting up the characters into unexpected pairings opens up the interactions giving some of the lesser-seen players a platform and reducing the screen time of the usual Kirk/Spock bromance. Simon Pegg injects plenty of fun, wit and certainly doesn't hesitate to give his own acting role, chief engineer, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, a touch more dramatic significance than before.

Zachary Quinto's imperturbable First Officer Spock, who conveys logical calm, whimsical humor and a kind of martyred romanticism; also rules the movie with a single raised eyebrow. Without Spock, this might be a bit ordinary. Pine is as usual charming and very effective as Kirk, this time, his character is wrestling with the ghost of his father and a monumental career decision. Once again, he manages to blend the perfect charming action hero with a slight touch of a smirk and a gleam in his eye. Plus, him jumping on the back of an antique 20th-century motorcycle at one key moment, where he goes full Steve McQueen in the Great Escape is a highlight.

If there's an area in which the film disappoint, it's in the choice of bad guy. For all his faults Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan was a glorious highlight of Into Darkness. Krall after an amazing entrance worthy of a master villain retreats to the edges of the movie. His motivations are unclear and his machiavellian grand plan somehow shady. Until the third act, no spoiler, but wait and see.

I have to pay a tribute to Anton Yelchin work as Chekov because we've come - through the course of two films - to love and appreciate his character. He did an inspired job of making Chekov's face match his heavily accented words, demonstrating his light comic touch. Yelchin as honoured in the closing credits with a simple "For Anton", slyly disappeared inside this role and in that very act of disappearance, he was never more himself.

Here is a movie where the emphasis is on good, old-fashioned fun, and that feels in a good way, almost like an extended episode of the Trek TV Show. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why director Justin Lin was handed the reins of the Star Trek series from the outgoing J.J Abrams. Justin Lin, director of four Fast & Furious entries, is a master at making vehicles fly through the air (here space), as Star Trek Beyond has a few of the most spectacular set pieces ever seen in the series. When the action starts, Lin is more than capable of handling it. Most notably in the extended sequence when the Enterprise is ripped to shreds by Krall's bee-like ships or the final battle. Which takes place in a Federation outpost, that looks like a mix of the Aristocratic Satellite in Elysium, the city of the future in Wall-E and an Apple Store. Those sequences are ones you won't soon forget. Finally, Lin gets the job done remarkably well and it's got a likable retro vibe that takes us right back to the TV series spirit.

Overall, Trek isn't going to start challenging Wars as the dominant Star franchise, but there's plenty of evidence it could still prosper (see what I did there?). It also serves as a sensitive send-off for the both beloved Anton Yelchin and legendary Leonard Nimoy.

Now You See Me 2 (2016)

You Dind't See That One Coming?

[6/10 · 1 August 2016]

The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.

This film is the sequel to Now You See Me, we have the Four Horsemen back except one of them: Isla Fisher, who's been replaced by Lizzy Caplan. The pleasure of NYSM2 is that the Horsemen perform magic with human powers. They are superheroes of the mind. Three years ago NYSM was a grand illusion thriller, drawing on elements from Nolan's The Prestige and Soderbergh's Ocean series.

Mark Ruffalo is the core character of this film, his sincerity makes it work. In my opinion he carries the entire film. He has a heartfelt story in the film and his character has been given the most logical reasons to be there and exist. All of the other characters seem to be contractually obliged to be there. Whereas Ruffalo has motivation. As far as characters go, the rest don't really have much going on.

Bigger isn't always better, in the case of sequel, especially in a movie about magicians and out-tricking people. Less is better. The key is accuracy. Though, the director keeps things moving at a smooth pace. The first movie had me questioned some of the things that happened, but for the most part you go gracefully along and have fun! In some ways this sequel is quite the same but it lacks of substance. There's tons of flashy big sequences but none of them really had up to anything. Furthermore, there were an absurd amount of continuity errors in this film. usually I don't look for that sort of things, and filmmakers don't expect their audience to. However, when you examines film and you really look for errors like that, it starts to become noticeable. Finally, this movie is edited with impressive rapid-fire precision. We keep thinking: when is the climax going to arrive?

Overall, in NYSM2 there is always more than meets the eye.

The BFG (2016)

When Spielberg Meets Disney

[9/10 · 27 July 2016]

A girl named Sophie encounters the Big Friendly Giant who, despite his intimidating appearance, turns out to be a kindhearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because, unlike them, he refuses to eat children.

When Steven Spielberg has to direct a film, no matter what the subject is, I'll be there. Because I know, with Spielberg at the helm and E.T screenwriter Melissa Mathison (though she died last November) at the typewriter, I'm in for the awe of watching the art of a true legend of filmmaking - and to me probably the best storyteller of all time. Steven Spielberg directed 29 feature films in his career, but he has never before made one with the powerhouse that is Walt Disney Studios. This film is the first to be put under the Disney Studios fairy-tale castle logo.

The BFG comes from a director who knows how to make films on that note and on that scale. It arches back to Spielberg early days when he was making movies about friendship and magic like E.T. And I'd dare to say that this film could serve as Spielberg's E.T for an all-new generation. In fact, for a certain generation, E.T will always stand as the ultimate children's movie. No matter how fantastical the tale, this splendid Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation makes it possible for audiences of all ages to wrap their minds around one of the unlikeliest friendships in cinema history.

This London-set adaptation of the Roald Dahl story reunites Mark Rylance and his Bridges of Spies director. Mark Rylance is awesome! he brings the BFG alive. It is a thing of wonder to see his trademark nuances, generally so studied and small, magnified to this colossal scale. With no offense intended to pioneer Andy Serkis, it's exciting to see someone else driving one of these virtual performances. Without him, the film would certainly lack the charm and sweetness it now displays. he plays the BFG like an abused child, grown to and alienated old age, taking refuge in a world of his own.

Spielberg manages to make you feel like magic is real, it's out there, in our world, it's incredible - like he did in Jurassic Park for instance. This feeling is intensified by the fact that you are watching a story through the eye of a young girl. Who can be more imaginative than a child? Ruby Barnhill is fantastic as well, she's brilliant in comedy as well as with the dramatic aspect. Indeed the motion capture work and CGI are very strong and John Williams score is as beautiful as ever. Finally, this film relies on the simple notion that magic only works so long as children believe, and here we see this principle put into practice.

Overall, The BFG feels like something magical between an Amblin Entertainment movie and a classic Disney Studios fairytale.

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Did We Really Need Another Independence Day Alien Invasion?

[6/10 · 27 July 2016]

Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?

Independence Day: Resurgence is directed by Roland Emmerich as the first one was. In fact, this second instalment is pretty much just like the first one in every way, except for a few things that the first film had: energy and charisma. This sequel has none of the above.

There's so many characters, some who give the old cast relevance and some who give the new cast relevance. This whole thing feels pretty awkward. In total honesty and with all due respect to Maika Monroe, they really should have kept Mae Whitman in the President's daughter role. She's a fantastic actress, though yes, she's not a sports illustrated supermodel - but still super talented. She really should have been in this movie. Nonetheless, Jeff Goldblum is by far the best part of this movie. His character is still entertaining, he's fun and it seems that he's genuinely having a great time! I loved seeing him back and someone has to put him in Jurassic World 2 - please! Finally, I really wanted to like this one but unfortunately, it tried to be a lot more than just blind entertainment and it failed. So to the question: did we really need another Independence Day alien invasion? The answer is NO.

Overall this movie is a big, loud, messy, CGI fest with tons of cheesy dialogue. It's nothing else than mindless fun.

Me Before You (2016)

Movie Vs. Book: Me Before You

[8/10 · 4 July 2016]

A girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she's taking care of.

It's easy to be cold and cynical these days, but we should never lose sight of the simple, cathartic pleasure of a good cry at the movies. At first, I didn't want to review this novel – nor the movie – because I knew I would want to re-read it. Which might seem perverse if you know that for most of the last hundred pages I was dissolved in tears? Based on the best-selling 2012 novel by Jojo Moyes who also penned the screenplay. This story will feel familiar to anyone who sniffed through Love Story or The Fault in Our Stars. Surprisingly it's better than both. Me Before You is a love story, a family story and above all, it's a story of the bravery and sustained the effort needed to redirect the path of a life once it's been pushed off course. This is also a story that is eloquent not so much in its delivery as in its humanity. The set up is the same as many of classic (and non-classic) romance: a poor but cheerful young girl meets a rich, grumpy gentleman and begins working for him. But what makes Me Before You different and quite interesting in principle is that Will Traynor is physically broken as well as emotionally.

You'll forgive the movie's clichés because of its surprisingly winning performances. As the film goes on and the frost between both protagonists melts, both actors give their stock roles unexpected emotional layers. On a basic level, it is engaging watching Lou enter this new world for which she is entirely unprepared. Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke stars as Louisa, she's like Love Actually-era Keira Knightley, crossed with a Hello Kitty doll. Clarke's sincerity doesn't just win Will's heart, it wins ours too. Will Traynor since he's played by Sam Claflin, whose Finnick Odair was one of the best things in the Hunger Games series, isn't just killer handsome or impossibly good- looking even if his condition has left him bitterly depressed and cuttingly sarcastic in a wheelchair. The actor is good as Will, working well with the physical demands of the role and even bringing a gentle flirtatiousness to his character, as he develops his relationship with Lou. In fact, his grin, with its slight touch of a smirk – creates an unmistakable echo of a young Hugh Grant. Sam Claflin makes Will a broken man with a powerful life inside him. Plus, Will's character makes me think of Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre; with his rudeness and temper. While Louisa is so Jane Eyre: "One of the invisible". Lou has never lived; Will has, but no longer can. You don't have to be Nicholas Sparks to know where this is heading – that these two opposites will end up attracting, and that love, at least for a while, will prove stronger than death. Lou is not heroic and her male counterpart may be nobody's idea of a leading man or Prince Charming, and yet with both of them, Jojo Moyes created an affair I will always remember.

Me Before You is a heartbreaker in the best sense. Employing emotional truth to bring the reader to tears. And yet, unlike other novels, tears are not gratuitous. Some situations, the author forces the reader to recognize, really are worth crying over. Furthermore, people can take an awful lot of sadness if you can be funny about it. Jojo Moyes is a literary stylist. Just a storyteller. And a really good one. She manages to draw on the skills she owned as a journalist to create a clear, candid picture of the practicalities of Will's situation. While the novelist's mind casts an illuminating light on her character's reactions. Moyes makes them coming together extremely tender, both sweet and real. But there's a deadline. One that haunts their love story haunts the novel. The author is masterful, in not shying from the complexities or shading the agony of choosing between life and death. It's achingly hard to read at moments and yet such a joy.

Screenwriters choose to lose the "Maze" scene when Lou recalls a sexual assault when she was younger. Often when you read about rape in fiction, it's the defining event of a story. And cutting it from the movie, I think, was a good thing because the scene is very opaque in the book, and putting it on film would have given it far more weight than it has in the book. Plus, it would have eventually change the mood of the story. However the "Birthday Dinner" scene, at Louisa's home, hits a particularly high note, offering the most poignant moment both in the book and the movie – its soul, really – as well as a pitch-perfect hilarious one. Finally, my favorite part of both the film and the book is when Will and Lou go out on a "date" to a concert. She wears a dress of sexiest scarlet, and as they are in the car ready to go home, he confesses in a very Hugh Gratian manner: "I don't want to go in yet. I just want to be a man who's been to a concert with a girl in a red dress." I know a good British rom-com reference when I see one.

Overall, Me Before You doesn't try to reinvent the genre. We've all seen some version of this movie before, but that doesn't make it any less effective. It knows what it is and embraces it. "Tell me something good," Will says to Louisa at two transformative junctures of the book. This story at its heart is about two people who properly listen to each other, it is something good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eye. It's allergies, I swear.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

How James Wan is Rewriting the Book of Horror

[10/10 · 2 July 2016]

Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to North London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by a malicious spirit.

The brilliantly terrifying The Conjuring is the second highest grossing horror movie of all time. The first being: The Exorcist. This film was genuinely the best horror film I had ever seen in a long time and James Wan is in my point of view, the best director working in horror today; so I was really excited to see this second instalment. This movie makes a perfect follow-up to the original Conjuring's lesser known case. Plus, the movie starts with a certain Amityville House. Yes, THAT Amityville. Here, the Enfield Case is probably one of the best documented, most studied and most contested hauntings in existence and in British history. The real recordings of paranormal investigator Ed Warren interviewing the entity through Janet live at the end of The Conjuring 2 and it's difficult not to let chills run down your spine. Nonetheless, director James Wan offers its potential fans a helping of reinsurance to go along with the fear. If there are ghosts and demons out there, then God must be out there as well. James Wan, who directed Saw and Insidious, is a horror filmmaker of such skills that even when he makes a by-the-book haunted-house story, it's easy to feel a hint of admiration for his talent beneath your tingling spine.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson couple really ground the film in realism as their backstory and relationship are really touching and heartfelt. Being more than a horror movie, it's about marriage and being with somebody that understands you. The realistic family story grounds the film and makes it better than your average horror film.

Horror lives in the unknown. It hides in abandoned asylums, in catacombs, in cabins and haunted manors. These are safe places to die. You don't want to die? Maybe don't do an Ouija Board, stay home and watch Netflix instead. Nothing can find you there. Except James Wan. Wan is a modern horror maestro who brings the fear home to you. All these events take place in the very real world, occupied by everyday people trying to get on with their life. We've all been children hiding under the duvet from whatever hid under our bed in the dark. Even now, home alone on a rainy day, we've sat on our couch and wondered what creaked the floorboards in the seemingly empty room next to us. Wan's fear construction is effortless, his best moments lie in the silence between scares.

He also has a sense of the audience: of their rhythm and pulse, of how to manipulate a moment so that he's practically controlling your breathing. He became a master of THE face. He must have a card in his office reading:"All you need to make a hit horror film is one truly awful face!". THAT face. The face that's staring through the window. Staring through the dark. The face that's coming to get you eventually. James Wan again proves with this film that he knows how to use a jump scare. Those are meant to get you. This man knows how to built tension until it feels insurmountable. He's also a wizard of timing, i-e he toys with us by throwing so routinely unsettling images at us, like, let's say a toy firetruck that starts to move ion its own. Then, letting that omen menace pass at which point the movie will simply pause, stopping dead in its tracks. It's right there, in the middle of that storm of quiet, that our anxiety starts to rush in. Finally, it's truly the craft, performances and the writing that make this film a billion years ahead of all films of its kind, out right now. This film is really good. It's scary, suspenseful, the tension is real and a lot of that is due to a brilliant cinematography.

Overall, James Wan knows his craft. And all he has to do to bring you true horror is take you home, where you think you're safe from harm. Sweet, sweet dreams.

Finding Dory (2016)

Finding Dory Among Pixar's Magic

[9/10 · 29 June 2016]

The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish begins a search for her long-lost parents, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.

Finding Dory is written and co-directed by Andrew Stanton, returning to Pixar after the live-action fiasco of John Carter. Pixar movies have been so consistently good for so long now that they carry the burden of infinite expectations. Anything less than a masterpiece is eventually a disappointment. That's why Finding Dory is… fine. It's not Toy Story, The Incredible, Finding Nemo or even Inside Out. But it's a perfectly enjoyable family film, a little bit like what we got when I was younger – back in the 90s, Disney used to ship straight to DVD/VHS those Lion King spin-offs. Unfortunately, you also feel a sense of déjà vu. Dory's quest to be reunited with her parents is more or less the same exact fate that a little clown fish named Nemo.

Dory, that adorable, excited blue tang fish, suffers from short-term memory loss. The slightest distraction or break in concentration wipes her mind clean. The creators have done something better: they figured out how to take an already perfect character and deepen her in an exquisitely satisfying way. In a flash, a character with a singular funny trait comes at us in a whole new way. She's no longer a (daffy) amnesiac. She's a child fish with a serious disability.

There's real emotion. You feel every (ounce) of Dory's panic and her parents' desperation – something that any father or mother who's ever taken their eyes off of their children in a supermarket can identify with (I assume). On her own Dory grows up and matures into the impressible, caffeinated stammering of Ellen DeGeneres – who is the heart and soul of the movie. Like Robin Williams before her in Aladdin, Ellen DeGeneres has this gift as a comedian to keep the film moving and speeding along. Dory's glory is that her amnesia makes her completely responsive to life. This film eventually is about how the past, for her, isn't really so past. It's just the ability to remember life as we're living it, one moment at a time.

As surely as the death of Bambi's mother, the premises of this movie rips a small emotional hole in the audience's heart. One of this film most important messages is how resonant Dory will be for parents of children with disabilities. To them, life can feel like a lonely struggle where anxiety constantly affects their state of mind. If you are invested hard enough, the film's message to these parents is: you are not alone! Dory's failing memory may be a handicap, but it's also the key to her resilience. Finally, this movie like many before it invites you to dive in with your eyes, which is why these movies are submersive daydreams for children. Who needs 3D glasses? Even if you – like me – happen to see this film in 2D, just about every shot in it pops out at you with beauty.

Overall through her journey Dory learns to remember what life is all about. This film doesn't quite fit in the top drawer as it lacks that full-on audacity of imagination. Yet, it has so much soul and heart-of-the-ocean visual poetry that some of us will cherish it as a classic.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Too Many Wonders in Wonderland

[7/10 · 13 June 2016]

Alice returns to the whimsical world of Wonderland and travels back in time to help the Mad Hatter.

I'm surprised this sequel took six years in the making, regarding the tonne of money it made. By now we should have had a movie every year for Alice in Wonderland: spin- off, sequel, and prequel involving the Cheshire Cat. As its predecessor, this film is visually awesome, time travel and changing the past in Alice in Wonderland : this could be epic - this sounds definitely epic to me. As a whole, the movie has a great message: the importance of family, of being yourself, not what the world tell you-you should be and making your own path.

I get that Wonderland might be an odd place but when all actors are acting insane - even the one supposed to be sane - it starts to get a little weirder than usual. Films are hard to make so I'm not going yo trash the director and being able to direct actors is tough as well, but I really noticed the lack of emotional consistency most likely due to bad acting. On a plus note, Sacha Baron Cohen character is efficient, he's actually not a proper villain, he's just Time and I won't spoil anything but you can clearly see Alice as the villain here. However, Helena Bonham Carter screaming and shouting all the time really gets to me after two movies of the same thing. Finally, the film itself looks like animation. Which is pretty weird when you realise actors are eventually alone on a green screen. They're many plots in this film and sometimes it gets overwhelming and you lose that wonder, you're no longer swept away in this world where wonder exist, where awe is so important and one man happiness creates an entire death trap that could literally collide the entire universe. Alice Through the Looking Glass had a hard time balancing all the stories.

Overall I was entertained but also annoyed. I can probably say that I enjoyed that one more than the first because of the time travel story line maybe...

The Nice Guys (2016)

The "Not So" Nice Guys

[8/10 · 3 June 2016]

A mismatched pair of private eyes investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles.

The Nice Guys reunites director and co-writer Shane Black and producer Joel Silver, who have previously given us the Lethal Weapon movies, The Last Boy Scout, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - among others. Where Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans or Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer have gone before, now we have the sublime pairing of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.

Before our emotionally liberate 21st-century world invented the idea of the "bromance", we had the buddy comedy and the first reference that come to my mind is Roger Moore and Tony Curtis in The Persuaders on television. This film is an arch return to this tradition. Not unlike Deadpool, this is a rare American Studio movie willing to acknowledge the stupidity of mindless action with cathartic elements. The complex plotting bears a close resemblance to Inherent Vice in its dirty arrangement of events in which the main characters generally seem lost in the fog of their own pursuits.

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are funnier than ever in this buddy movie about crime investigation. Though at the end of the third act, it sometimes shifts into more straightforward procedural details that lack the same spark as its stars. Still there's no doubting the appeal of these two bumbling entities. The Nice Guys delivers brilliant physical comedy, null the actor's ability to turn their screen presence into a punchline. In this movie, everyone is trolling everyone else. Ryan Gosling, among his many talents, has blossomed into an inspired physical comedian. While what's fun about watching Russel Crowe is that he treats the savagery of his job as casually as if he were filling out a tax form. Indeed, they are a brilliant pairing and fit like a glove. So well in fact that you will wonder why it didn't happen sooner. It's a Hollywood buddy pairing that leaves you wanting more - a sequel, if it happens, would be justified and welcome.

This movie is likely to score big with audiences, and for the same reason that it's proved to be a perfect fit. It's a treat to see popcorn movies this decadent made by people who know exactly what they're doing. Philippe Rousselot's cinematography gives L.A. a night bloom glow but not so much of a period authenticity, unfortunately. Finally, the hotel elevator scene, when the heroes duck back into the elevator with a "we don't need this" shrug. The timing of the gag is exquisite because it's Black's way of expressing what it feels like when whenever you're expecting is almost certain to turn out worse.

Overall, The Nice Guys is a cynical movie but yet more or less sympathetic. An innocent pleasure that you can just let slide.

Warcraft (2016)

Warcraft

[6/10 · 2 June 2016]

The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilisation faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonise another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.

Duncan Jones embraces Warcraft's world with commitment but when it comes to charging it with life, it is quite difficult. His adaptation of the online game has a sense of grandeur but also a strong fixation with CGI spectacle which makes the emotional core lifeless. Though it is clear that as a professed Warcraft fan, he clearly has put a lot of love and care into fleshing out a story. Warcraft is an expensive, high-fantasy epic reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings or Narnia. Newcomers - like myself - have a lot to get up to speed with here. As far as I understand all this, our home world is Azeroth, a Middle-Earth-like realm along the lines of Medieval Europe. The population is mostly human, mostly white, but there are also dwarfs, elves and various other mythical creatures in the fringes.

There's a lot going on and yet we're never quite engaged with the storyline. In Lord of the Rings, we had the Shire, the Hobbit's idyllic pastoral realm, as an image of what everyone was fighting for. Here we barely see Azeroth, outside the Royal Castles, Wizard's towers or epic battlefields. There are much to admire in its ambitions and its design. Still, I don't know why I have this John Carter feeling about it. Like the 2012 Martian Disney flop, Warcraft is a complex, jargon-heavy, battle epic. This film occasionally manages to feel both rushed and dull, impressively staged and disengaging as well. Indeed, the heavy use of CGI and its awkward interactions with the live-action elements, distance the audience even more.

Overall, this film feels incomplete and if Warcraft's fans want a sequel, every single one of the 12 million players - even their extended family and friends - is going to need to turn up to see this one, if they want this film to get past its first instalment.