I was having trouble remembering names and that's not like me at all.

Jupiter Ascending

Finally caught up with this and no wonder it was a flop. Poor writing, acting and directing mean that you endure a spectacular but empty experience. It's a lot like Fifth Element in that regard.

2 out of 10.

Fury (2014)

WW2 story set largely in a Sherman tank named Fury. Brad Pitt stars as veteran tankman Wardaddy, a battle-hardened soldier who is determined to see that his crew does not get killed as they push through Germany in the last months of the war. This film has many similarities of style and content with Saving Private Ryan and it also shows the barbaric nature of war in grim and bloody detail. The sequences inside the tank are quite claustrophobic and the tension is well maintained throughout.

7.5 out of 10

Lego Batman


Thouroughly enjoyed that.

I just thought it was alright. Tbf it attempted things none of the others did.

Logan was good, the best X film in my mind because it's a straightforward story without any baggage. I hope they learn from it.

Arrival

When 12 massive alien objects appear as if by magic at various places around the globe, a team of scientist race to uncover the mystery of what they are and why they're here as the world teeters on the brink of paranoia-induced catastrophe.

Like all the best Sci-Fi, Arrival isn't actually about spaceships or aliens or lasers - it's about a simple, human question. I won't spoil the film by telling you what that question is, but it means that this is a very much a character driven film rather than SFX (or even story) driven one. That requires the film to very much rely on the central performances of Amy Adams and Jeffery Renner, with Forrest Whittaker in a supporting role. Adams's is very much the leading role and I sometimes find a character in a film being remote and quite cold as a cop-out, after all it doesn't take much acting to not have many overt emotions, however Adams carries the film with ease, making a cold, somewhat broken character both realistic and sympathetic. Renner is also fantastic as the main support although I found Whittaker a bit wasted, his role very much devolving down into walking into the room to have something complex explained to him (and therefore the audience) and then to tell everyone they must work harder. A bit like Basil Exposition in reverse. The story/plot is sophisticated and well managed, with a couple of excellent 'checkov's gun' moments. The SFX and design reflects the atmosphere well and the sound design andmusic and particularly good, often unsettling and emotive at the same time. The graphic design of the logoglyphs (if you don't know what that term means, you will) is itself wonderful and fascinating, possibly something to become as iconic as 2001's monolith.

Faults? There are a few. There's a subplot related to 'fake news' and such that doesn't really work IMO, and as I say Whittaker is sadly underused. Also while the plot calls for the characters to feel a degree of isolation from an outside world rapidly falling apart sometimes the news reports etc. that are used as illustration of that feel a little bit clichéd and cod-dramatic. There are perhaps a few too many shots of TV's showing aircraft carriers.

As sci fi it shares much more in common with La Jetee or 12 monkeys or maybe even Memento than say Star Wars. You might consider it the intellectual mirror of Independence Day. It's fascinating, smart, character driven sci-fi with excellent core performances pulling along a story based around curiousity more than aggression. And that's no bad thing once in a while.

Glad you enjoyed it Jon. I read the short story afterwards and it had none of the meddling Hollywood stuff( your "faults" ) and a slightly different way of engaging with the aliens. As with all good reads it allowed for your own interpretation or visualisation. Saying that the film did a very good job with that aspect. No Oscars, no surprise, but as a work of film I was/am impressed.

Saw Go With Me on Friday night 7/10

Really enjoyed it and good to see Anthony Hopkins still has a bit of Hannibal Lecter in him

I thoroughly enjoyed this film when I saw it at the cinema back in January. I didn't think Whittaker was underused as the film was about Amy's character and not his. Just because there's a big name in a film doesn't mean they have to have a big part. I felt he was perfectly cast for the part he did have.

I'm really looking forward to seeing it again on Sky with my boyfriend. He was busy the night I went to see it so missed out. I'll be very interested to hear what he thinks of it.

Anyone seen Moonwalkers? Started watching it last night and enjoyed what I've seen so far.



Starring Ron Perlman, Ruper Grint and one of my favourites Robert Sheehan (oh his eyes!)

Went and saw Logan at the weekend

Have to say I really enjoyed it (quite bloody for a 15) - it was far more about the relationship between the two players and redemption than super human "stuff"

Life

Set on the ISS this film shows what happens when a Mars probe picks up soil samples and there's something in them that should have been left alone. Overall impression is of Alien mixed with Gravity in terms of content and visuals. It tries hard to have a scientific and realistic approach but quickly goes awry and when you see what the well-qualified biologist does to set a chain of grim events in motion you may well roll your eyes. It's reasonably suspenseful at times and a bit bloody but nothing you haven't seen before, unfortunately.

6 out of 10

Ghost in the shell



Live action remake of the well-known Japanese manga and anime series. This movie follows the plot of the anime reasonably closely and does a good job of making the translation to live action. The special effects are good but the movie as a whole has not much that's new or original to surprise you with. There are some good action sequences and the production design is cool (especially the city dominated by hologram advertising). I enjoyed it but didn't feel particularly involved in the story. It's very much like, say, an Avengers movie…lots of flash effects but not much to get your teeth into.

7 out of 10