Lucy

Movie Name: Lucy
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Luc Besson

Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi, Amr Waked, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Analeigh Tipton, Jan Oliver Schroeder
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

"Lucy" is the latest directorial effort from the always prolific Luc Besson. It comes after the mediocre "The Family", and focuses on the story of Lucy, a young American woman studying in Taiwan. Lucy erroneously gets involved with the local criminal underground, and is used as a drug mule for an experimental drug that is being smuggled throughout Europe. However Lucy is violently beaten, which causes a rupture on the drugs that she's carrying. This rupture produces side effects throughout her body, particularly in her brain, which starts increasing capability at a geometric rate. With her new found capabilities, Lucy seeks out Professor Norman, a specialist in brain knowledge, while simultaneously evading the criminals in her pursuit.
Luc Besson has become known in the recent years as a writer and producer of action films, that have become quite successful, but somewhat formulaic - namely "The Transporter", "Taken" and "Colombiana", to name but a few. "Lucy" has some faint contacts with his previous female centric action film "La Femme Nikita" (from 1990), but unlike the latter one, "Lucy" does not contain much development about the character - it focuses on the development of the human brain and how the concept of being human evolves accordingly. The film is scarce in character or story development, presenting mostly ideas and some interesting action set pieces. Scarlett Johansson manages to create an interesting character, going from a scared young woman, to an individual that is questioning herself, her humanity and gaining a sense of knowledge that is unparalleled. It's an interesting parallel to her character in Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin", and ultimately she gives the film the depth and authenticity that it has. This is an interesting concept, one that deserved a bit more development.

Something Wild

Movie Name: Something Wild
Year of Release: 1986

Director: Jonathan Demme

Stars: Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels, Ray Liotta, Tracey Walter, Charles Napier, Margaret Colin, John Sayles, John Waters
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Romance

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

When "Something Wild" came along in 1986, celebrated director Jonathan Demme, hadn't established himself as a directorial talent to be considered. His previous efforts, namely "The Last Embrace", "Melvin and Howard" and "Swing Shift", didn't really convey his sensibilities and artistic ambition. "Something Wild" was the first feature that really had his trademark, a style that was simultaneously comedic, edgy and real. The film follows the story of Charles Driggs, a regular bank employee, whose biggest quirk is walking out of restaurants without paying his bill. In one of these occasions, he meets the beautiful Lulu, who calls him out on his scheme, and who volunteers to drive him back to his office. This apparent and seemingly innocent act, takes Charley and Lulu (whose actual name is Audrey) on an adventure that becomes increasingly more dangerous.
Jonathan Demme really came into his own style with "Something Wild". The film featured a wonderful mix of comedy with a darker twist, that showcased his talent to allow characters to be multidimensional, and not just archetypes. The film also featured his trademark taste of music, and in this case, his collaboration with David Byrne (and the Talking Heads, with whom Demme had made "Stop Making Sense"). This taste in music permeated into the rhythm of the movie itself, with the first part of the film definitely more upbeat and tropical, and the second part rockier and edgier. Demme would of course go on to do "Married to the Mob", "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia", but this film stands as testament to the freshness of his vision, and a showcase of the talents of Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels. A great film worth exploring!

Snowpiercer

Movie Name: Snowpiercer
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Joon-ho Bong

Stars: Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremmer, Alison Pill, Kang-ho Song, Ah-sung Ko, Vlad Ivanov, Luke Pasqualino, Adnan Haskovic, Emma Levie, Steve Park
Genre: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Joon-ho Bong has carved himself a name as a director with the success of his features "The Host" and "Mother". "Snowpiercer" is his latest feature, and it's an adaptation of a french graphic novel originally published in 1982. The film takes place in a not so distant future, where Earth has frozen and the few remaining survivors are located in a train that perpetually circles around the planet. The train is organized in different carts, and there's a caste structure in place, where the rich and wealthy sit in the front, and the poorer and destitute are located at the end of the train. The population is controlled strictly and mobility is non-existent. The people located at the bottom of the train, start a revolution, aiming to take charge of the train, and abandon the torture and low conditions in which they live. In order to do so, they have to go all the way to the front of the train, and that's where all the obstacles lie.
"Snowpiercer" is an interesting metaphor for the state of our society, and how decisions that are made for the greater good, usually imply the destruction of the concept of humanity. The futuristic setting and the constraint of the train, allow for the film to have a feeling of claustrophobia and eminent threat, since there is no place to hide or to go beyond those carts. The screenplay falters in some aspects, since the usual clichés are there - the anti-hero with a past that haunts him, the father figure that makes the sacrifice for the greater good, the unstoppable villain and so forth, but the overall look and feel of the film, still feels fresh and original. The feature is also beautifully designed and rendered, and benefits from a terrific sprawling cast, where the highlights are the usually fantastic Tilda Swinton (almost unrecognizable) and John Hurt. The cinematography from Kyung-pyo Hong, is stunning, as is the art direction, which creates a unique universe in that train. A very interesting film worth watching.

Odd Thomas

Movie Name: Odd Thomas
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Stephen Sommers

Stars: Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Willem Dafoe, Nico Tortorella, Kyle McKeever, Patton Oswalt, Laurel Harris, Arnold Vosloo, Shuler Hensley
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Director Stephen Sommers is back, after his big budget "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra", with an adaptation of the Dean Koontz book, "Odd Thomas". The film follows the story of Odd Thomas, a young cook, with special paranormal abilities, that allow him to see the dead and understand the clues they leave that tell him when something deadly and menacing is going to occur. Odd starts finding out clues for an event of massive proportions, that forces him, alongside his girlfriend, Stormy and the chief of police, to figure out what is about to occur.
Stephen Sommers has made his name as a director of big blockbusters, particularly the "Mummy" series and "Van Helsing". These were films that relied heavily on the visual effects and big action set pieces, and not so much on character development (or even originality of concept and story). "Odd Thomas" is definitely a smaller scale film for him - the feature focuses specifically on a young hero, that against all odds, has the responsibility of saving the world from ultimate destruction. The hero is a lonesome figure, since he has been born with special powers or capabilities, that allow him to see the world differently. The director isn't much interested in how the character inhabits the world, the focus is definitely on the procedural part of the story, where Odd has to track clues and understand what the menace is and how it's going to present itself. What the film lacks in character development, it relies on the momentum of the mystery that slowly unravels as the film progresses. The film also benefits from the engaging Anton Yelchin, who continues to cement his rise as an interesting actor (with very eclectic career choices) and the always solid support from Willem Dafoe. A very entertaining film worth finding out.

Alien: Resurrection

Movie Name: Alien: Resurrection
Year of Release: 1997

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Michael Wincott, Dan Hedaya, Gary Dourdan, Kim Flowers, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif, Raymond Cruz, Leland Orser
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

Following the debacle of "Alien 3", 20th Century Fox hired Joss Whedon to write a screenplay that would bring back Ripley, but with an edge. The selected director was Jean-Pierre Jeunet, at the time mostly well known for "Delicatessen" and "La Cité des Enfants Perdus". The story picks up centuries after the events of "Alien 3". Ellen Ripley is successfully cloned after her demise, but in the process, her DNA has gotten mixed with the alien creature, giving her some enhanced capabilities, but also forcing her to question her humanity. She comes across a team of space mercenaries, working for the army who has interests of their own, as far as the alien creatures are concerned. All of these plans go awry once the aliens go rampant and start decimating the entire ship. It's up to Ripley and her new found allies to figure out a way to stop the lethal creatures.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet is an interesting director, one that has always focused on creating excessive universes, that are a metaphor for how people ultimately treat each other. His early films were co-directed with art director Marc Caro, but "Alien: Resurrection" was his first effort as a solo taskmaster. The film suffers from a certain unbalance in finding it's own tone - whereas the previous films were dominated by a certain bleakness, menace and atmosphere, this film tries to maintain a certain level of humor, something that doesn't really gel with the material. Jeunet brings his usual collaborators to the fold, and where cinematographer Darius Khondji elevates the look and feel of the film, the contributions of Ron Perlman and Dominique Pinon, are superfluous (they almost feel like they are on a different film than the one that Sigourney Weaver's Ripley inhabits). This awkward tone, that comes from the screenplay of Joss Whedon, leaves the film in a certain limbo, between a space adventure with a crew of wise cracking mercenaries, and Ripley's story, that is ultimately what has always brought gravitas and interest to the series. Sigourney Weaver brings depth and edge to a part that she has made her own, and the visual effects of Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. are fantastic as always. This is a film that ended the series on a downward quality level, though it has some interest.

Alien 3

Movie Name: Alien 3
Year of Release: 1992

Director: David Fincher

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown, Danny Webb, Christopher John Fields, Holt McCallany, Lance Henriksen
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7 (extended cut - 145 minutes)

Synopsis:

David Fincher's "Alien 3" premiered in 1992, but it was marred by a hectic and troublesome production and pre-production history. The film went through different directors, storylines and screenplays, before 20th Century Fox settled on David Fincher, back then mostly known for his commercials work (he had directed at the time videos for Madonna and George Michael, to name but a few).
The film picks up immediately after the events of James Cameron's "Aliens": while in stasis, Ripley, Newt, Hicks, get attacked by a facehugger that was left behind by the destroyed queen alien. That forces an evacuation of the pods where they are all sleeping, and they all crash land on a planet, Fiorina 161, a semi-abandoned foundry and penal colony facility. In their pod also comes an alien, that attacks one of the animals of the facility, upon which it starts attacking all the inmates. It's up to Ripley and her newfound colleagues to battle this unstoppable menace.
David Fincher is, justifiably so, one of the most celebrated and interesting directors working these days, however in 1991, when he was hired to handle "Alien 3", there was a plethora of problems surrounding the feature. The main one, ended up being the fact that the screenplay was unfinished, and the studio kept on interfering with his decisions (creative and otherwise). This eventually resulted in Fincher abandoning the film, never claiming it as his own, not even to this day. The version that was released to the theaters was assembled by Terry Rawlings, but for the release of the "Alien Quadrilogy" box set, the longer cut that was initially presented to the studio was introduced, and that came closer to what originally Fincher intended to do. The film echoes some of the concepts presented by Ridley Scott in "Alien": a menace that is unstoppable and lurking, starts killing the humans and using them as hosts for new creatures. The sense of menace and the constraints of both technology and the prison facility, add to the claustrophobic feeling the director successfully creates. Visually the film is stunning, mostly due to the mix of futuristic landscape and medieval look that was part of the original concept of the screenplay. The cast is again uniformly good, with Sigourney Weaver evolving her interpretation of Ripley, who is now a tired and cynical survivor. Charles Dance and Charles S. Dutton give good support as the doctor who nurses Ripley and the spiritual leader of the community, respectively. The cinematography of Alex Thomson and the score from Eliot Goldenthal are fantastic. A good film worth discovering and watching.

Aliens

Movie Name: Aliens
Year of Release: 1986

Director: James Cameron

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, William Hope, Lance Henriksen, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 10

Synopsis:

"Aliens" premiered in the Summer of 1986, the follow up to James Cameron's "The Terminator", which had premiered in 1984, to acclaim and commercial success. Coming from a somewhat difficult shoot (that saw the replacement of both the director of photography and the main male lead actor), the film was a huge hit and gathered 7 Academy Award nominations (winning two).
The film picks up after the events of "Alien". Ripley is found on the space ship she escaped on 57 years later. Much to her dismay, the planet with the alien creatures has now been colonized by her corporate employer. When communication with that colony ceases, Ripley alongside a team of marines, is charged with going back and investigating what has occurred in that planet. None of them is however quite prepared for what they encounter, which will test everyone's resilience.
James Cameron cemented his name as one of the most ingenious action film directors with "Aliens". Whereas Ridley Scott's "Alien" was about the atmosphere and the suggestion of menace, "Aliens" was deeply rooted in the more belligerent atmosphere of the 80s films. "Aliens" was truly a war movie in space. The film benefited from a fantastic script, that allowed for action set pieces, and for the story of Ripley to co-exist and complement each other. At the core of the film, it was a mother trying to protect her child from a menace that was unstoppable. The film benefited from a fantastic cast, particularly Sigourney Weaver, who carried the film with sheer charisma, displaying both a resourcefulness and emotion, something that hadn't been seen in lead characters in action films yet. To this day it remains as one the best and most vital displays of a fully rounded leading female character in Hollywood films. The visual effects from Stan Winston and his team were also phenomenal, as was the cinematography from Adrian Biddle. A classic always worth revisiting.

Alien

Movie Name: Alien
Year of Release: 1979

Director: Ridley Scott

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 10

Synopsis:

The classic "Alien", came out in 1979, introducing the talent of director Ridley Scott, and of it's leading lady Sigourney Weaver to the public. The film came after the huge success of George Lucas' "Star Wars", and whereas this was a vision of good vs evil more anchored in a traditional western context (space western that is), "Alien" introduced a menace that was beyond redemption (or explanation).
The film follows the story of the crew from a commercial ship named Nostromo, who are awaken from their hyper sleep, to address an unknown help signal coming from an uncharted planet. Upon descending onto the planet, one of the crew members is attacked by an alien creature, that latches to that individual. Trying to save the crew member, the individual is brought with the alien creature onto the spaceship, which spawns a series of fatal events.
Ridley Scott, prior to directing "Alien", had done "The Duellists" (featuring Harvey Keitel), a period piece which was received with good reviews. "Alien" was his first feature for a large studio, in this case, Twentieth Century Fox (which had distributed "Star Wars" as well). Coming from a background of commercials, the director primed for his aesthetic and visual style, which married perfectly with the tight script from Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. The film manages to blend the claustrophobic atmosphere of being in space confined to a limited vessel, and the menace of a creature that stops at nothing to eliminate it's opponents. The director also smartly avoids showing much of the creature, building tension and suspense, instead of displaying gore and gratuitous violence. This is a film that lives from atmosphere, from suggestion and from the aesthetic that both Ridley Scott and Swiss designer H.R. Giger devised. The cast is uniformly great, from the always fantastic Sigourney Weaver (in her big screen debut), to Ian Holm, John Hurt and Veronica Cartwright. This film is a classic always worth watching!

My Own Private Idaho

Movie Name: My Own Private Idaho
Year of Release: 1991

Director: Gus Van Sant

Stars: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert, Rodney Harvey, Chiara Caselli, Michael Parker, Jessie Thomas, Flea, Grace Zabriskie, Tom Troupe, Udo Kier, Mickey Cottrell

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

"My Own Private Idaho" was Gus Van Sant's third feature, right after the acclaimed "Drugstore Cowboy". The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won River Phoenix a best actor award, the many that he collected for this film during that year and also in 1992.
The film follows the story of Mike Waters, a young street hustler, who suffers from narcolepsy, and who is desperately trying to find his long lost mother. He has the help of another hustler, Scott Favor, the son of the Mayor of Portland, who is rebelling against his upbringing, by joining Mike and other young street hustlers, who form a resemblance of a community, where all are accepted and helped (overseen by the father figure of Bob Pigeon). Mike and Scott, end up following a lead that Mike's mother is in Italy, where they eventually meet the lovely Carmella, who changes the dynamics between the two young men forever.
Gus Van Sant has built a career that is eclectic and filled with different subjects and matters - for every big mainstream feature he makes, such as "Finding Forrester", there's always a "Elephant" or "Last Days", where his universe and aesthetic are clearly more on display. His more personal films usually tend to veer towards young men, who are trying to find their way in the world, a path that is usually filled with obstacles and where their first instinct is to rebel against everything and everyone. "My Own Private Idaho" lives from that feeling - the disconnect that Mike feels, of not belonging anywhere, of being alone. Van Sant captures the lives of the young street hustlers, of their dreams and every day lives, with a raw quality, that feels authentic and almost documentary style. The film benefits from a fantastic central performance from River Phoenix, in a role that has remained iconic and forever linked to his brief screen life. A film always worth revisiting.

Edge of Tomorrow

Movie Name: Edge of Tomorrow
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Doug Liman

Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Noah Taylor, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way, Kick Gurry, Franz Drameh, Charlotte Riley, Terence Maynard, Lara Pulver

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Director Doug Liman is back, following the excellent and little seen "Fair Game" (which featured a great performance by Naomi Watts). "Edge of Tomorrow" introduces us to a futuristic reality, one where aliens have invaded Earth and have almost destroyed the human race. The story focuses on Major William Cage, an officer who has never seen a day of combat, and who is thrown into that reality. Killed within minutes of being in the battle field, Cage however is immersed in the alien creatures DNA, which grants him the capability of reliving the same day over and over. Reliving this day consecutively, allows him to meet Rita Vrataski, an experienced and phenomenal officer, who had the same power as he does (who lost it in the meantime). Together they both try to devise a way to reach the hive that commands all the invading alien creatures.
Doug Liman is a resourceful director, one who excels in story lines where the central character is usually completely unaware of their own potential and strength (which was the case of "The Bourne Identity" for instance). In this case, William Cage is the unaware hero, who by force of circumstances is forced to overcome his fears, and make a sacrifice to save humanity. The action set pieces flow seamlessly, and though huge in scope and ambition, the film never feels saturated by its visual effects (they allow for the action to be simultaneously realistic and futuristic). The actors are uniformly excellent, from Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, to the underrated Noah Taylor and Bill Paxton. The cinematography from Dion Beebe is also one of the highlights of the feature. A very entertaining film worth watching!

Maleficent

Movie Name: Maleficent
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Robert Stromberg

Stars: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, June Temple, Sam Riley, Brandon Thwaites, Kenneth Cranham, Hannah New, Isobelle Molloy, Michael Higgins

Genre: Action, Family, Adventure

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

"Maleficent" is the debut feature for Robert Stromberg, after a career in production design and special effects (he won Oscars for both Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" and James Cameron's "Avatar").
The film focuses on the story of a fairy named Maleficent. She lives in a kingdom of magical creatures, which is surrounded by a kingdom of humans, ruled by a greedy king who is adamant on taking over the magical surroundings. Upon seeing his army vanquished, he requests that one of his underlings vanquishes Maleficent and gains access to her kingdom. This request is taken by Stefan, an ambitious young man, whom Maleficent has loved since her young childhood. He takes advantage of her affections, and that drives her to a dark side and to seek revenge upon all the wrongs inflected on her and her kind.
Robert Stromberg is clearly a talented technician, with a gift to create universes that are rich and support the vision from other filmmakers and storytellers. However, in his debut feature, he does not benefit from a rich enough screenplay, to actually provide a canvas for his story telling and universe to be brought to life. The central character, Maleficent, though larger than life and rich enough to have a film focused on her, fails to have much to do throughout the film, thanks to a reductive screenplay, where the trifecta of her motivations are love/revenge/redemption. In the hands of a more experienced director, that would be enough for a richly layered film, however Robert Stromberg merely illustrates the story in a decorative way, giving a hint of a certain darkness, never probing much deeper into the character of Maleficent. Angelina Jolie does a fantastic job, as usual, investing the character with a depth that the film never matches, however the supporting actors have little to do with characters that are basic archetypes. A missed opportunity.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Movie Name: X-Men: Days of Future Past
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Bryan Singer

Stars: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Elle Page, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Josh Helman, Daniel Cudmore, Evan Peters, Michael Lerner, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Morgan Lily

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

The "X-Men" saga is back, this time back under the reigns of the director who originally brought it to life, and who has effectively directed the best film of the series thus far, "X-Men 2". The film is a sequel to the Matthew Vaughn directed "X-Men: First Class", but merges the cast and crew from the original trilogy with their younger counterparts. The film introduces us to the mutant team in the future, a bleak time where super powered gigantic robots, known as the Sentinels have managed to kill most of the mutant population and part of the human population as well. The last remaining mutants, have devised a plan, where they send one of them back in time, in order to successfully alter the course of history, specifically Mystique's decision to kill the creator/inventor of the Sentinel program, scientist Bolivar Trask. Wolverine is sent back to the 70s, and his task lies in getting Professor Xavier and Magneto working in tandem, and avoid all their demise.
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is by far one of the best adaptations of the legendary comic book team to screen. Following the mediocre "X-Men: The Last Stand", and both "Wolverine" standalone films, this film successfully manages to bring a fresh life to a series that was becoming bogged in mediocrity and poorly written story lines. Bryan Singer successfully bridges the intertwined stories, with both teams and players - there's a level of comfort and fluidness in the storytelling that is both refreshing and very entertaining. The film hops around the globe, and the story focuses on the team per se, and on different key characters, as opposed to the character Wolverine being the sole focus. The actors are uniformly good, in particular the trio of James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender. The sophistication of the special effects is impressive, as is the cinematography from Newton Thomas Sigel. The film does falter in certain aspects of the future storyline, where some characters are barely there and a poor choice of production design, but the overall endeavor, is highly entertaining and rewarding. Worth watching!

Godzilla

Movie Name: Godzilla
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Gareth Edwards

Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Richard T. Jones, Victor Rasuk, Carson Bolde, CJ Adams

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

The new Hollywood version of Godzilla, follows the previous big blockbuster incarnation directed by Rolland Emmerich, which premiered in 1998. The new "Godzilla" is directed by Gareth Edwards, who gained prominence with his debut feature "Monsters", a low budget film that premiered in 2010. "Godzilla" focuses on the story of Ford Brody, a young lieutenant, who has lost his mother at a young age due to radiation contamination. His father has removed himself from his life and has obsessively followed a conspiracy theory where he claims something has occurred in that area that has created that energy outburst. As Ford is summoned to help his father, all hell breaks loose, as huge monsters/parasites who feed on nuclear energy make their appearance, wreaking destruction in their path. On the trail of these monsters are the military and the legendary Godzilla. Ford has to try to get to his young wife and son and guarantee their safety.
Gareth Edwards smartly creates a film that allows the characters to be introduced before showcasing the creatures that wreak havoc throughout the cities. Sadly though, most of the characters are tired cliches, and though the sophistication of the special effects is truly engaging, on the human side, things are quite bare in terms of character development. Aaron Taylor Johnson's portrayal of Ford is wooden and stiff, whereas the talented Elizabeth Olsen, has little to do, as do most of the supporting actors, who only get to play one sided characters throughout most of the film (Ken Watanabe's worried scientist, David Strathairn's strong willed military individual). Highlights go to Seamus McGarvey's cinematography and Alexandre Desplat's beautiful score. The film succeeds in the larger destruction set pieces, and the engaging situations that it generates, however by the time the film ends, it's a quickly forgotten affair.

Under the Skin

Movie Name: Under the Skin
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Jonathan Glazer

Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Dougie McConnell, Kevin McAlinden, Andrew Gorman

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

Acclaimed commercials director Jonathan Glazer is back, 10 years after the release of his previous feature, the underrated "Birth". "Under the Skin" is another particular view into the sci-fi genre, as has become prevailing in this director's previous features - a distinct and unique view into genres which have their own established languages, which Glazer then proceeds to expand.
The film follows a beautiful young woman, named Laura, who while driving around Scotland, seduces different men to come back to her house for what they assume is a sexual encounter. Unbeknown to them however, Laura is an alien, and the house is in fact this vessel where bodies are stored and examined. Upon connecting with a disfigured man, Laura catches a glimpse of the meaning of humanity, and wanders off trying to understand that new light in her existence.
"Under the Skin" is definitely a film that defies convention. Jonathan Glazer builds a narrative where the visual language is stunning, but also abstract enough to render the viewer's interpretation as wide as possible. The film benefits from a fantastic central performance from Scarlett Johansson - between her blank canvas stare, and her "awakening", the character morphs in front of the audience, giving her a dimension and ultimately flushing the sense of humanity that the director wants to explore. The film also benefits from the shooting locations, which are desolate and remote, invoking a sense of isolation, no matter where the character finds herself. This is truly a director's vision, one where the visual language is simply phenomenal and unique, and where the narrative slowly expands to showcase the theme at it's core. A great film, worth watching!

The Amazing Spider Man 2

Movie Name: The Amazing Spider Man 2
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Marc Webb

Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi

Genre: Action, Adventure

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3

Synopsis:

Following the successful (and mediocre) "The Amazing Spider Man", Marc Webb returns with a sequel that continues to track the adventures of the well known comic book character.
The film introduces us to Peter Parker, who has settled into his life and alter ego as the crime fighter Spider Man. Peter's relationship with Gwen also continues, even with a bit of friction, due to the death of Gwen's father (and Peter's promise to him). Spider-Man is faced with antagonism coming from two distinct villains, namely Electro, a man who is made of electricity, and The Green Goblin, in actuality a childhood friend of Peter's who in attempt to cure a fatal ailment, uses an untested serum that transforms him into a deranged menace.
Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider Man 2" is a deeply flawed film, one that suffers from a screenplay that is cliched in every possible way, where characters motivations are close to non-existent, and where the action and visual effects are overblown and hyperbolic. What Sam Raimi managed to do in "Spider Man 2", with a balance of action and character dynamics, is somewhat forgotten in this ill advised sequel - both antagonists have little, if any, motivation to become deranged villains. Their characters are paper thin, something that even good actors such as Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan, can't overcome. The structure and pacing of the film are equally unbalanced - by the time the epilogue and final action sequences come along, the narrative simply feels incoherent and rushed. The best thing about the film is the relationship established between Peter and Gwen - there's a level of complicity between them which feels authentic and heartfelt. The actors have little to work with - even the reliable Sally Field feels lost and trapped in a thankless role. A sadly missed opportunity.