The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug
These films are fairly enjoyable in their own right. It's a shame that even though you can feel the love poured onto the screen everything just feels slight and a little pointless. Seeing goblins/orcs being killed for the 5th time naturally feels repetitive and the fluff at Laketown could have been taken out altogether. Still though, we aren't talking Star Wars prequels here. A qualified success.
Rating: 6/10 (C+)
Saving Mr Banks
Saving Mr Banks is a charming enterprise with professional performances around topped by an ever entertaining turn by queen of the world, Emma Thompson. You'll enjoy it while its up there on the screen but ultimately it lacks a certain menace and bite to really leave a dent. Competent comford food that at times dives deeper between the persistent Disney and the stoic P.L. Travers. Well worth streaming when it is released.
Rating: 7/10 (B-)
Captain Phillips
The pick of the Hanks' releases this year. Mainly memorable for it's claustrophobic final third with a riveting final reel that rivals much of the celebrated actor's best work. The real find here though are the actors playing the Somalian pirates, most notably Barkhad Abdi as the anti-captain. Greengrass' shaky cam is on show here but is understandable considering the choppy sea environment. Life changing? Hardly. Life affirming? You bet.
Rating: 8.5/10 (B+/A-)
Philomena
I've seen this twice now and although I enjoyed it the first time round, it's impact was greater on second viewing. This is essentially a grown up buddy road movie with heavy sociological themes mixed with light comedic flourishes. My issue if anything first time around was I felt the religious angle wasn't barbaric enough, but then I realised that the film wasn't trying to open up philosophical quandaries of its leads, but instead show the subtleties of understanding and spirituality. It's an evergreen hymn rather than stomping religious blaxpoitation and all the better for it.
Rating: 8.5/10 (B+/A-)
American Hustle
Fresh of JLaw's Golden Globe win, I have to say straight off the bat she is FANTASTIC in this. To be fair as are all of four leads. This is a black comedy, with great costumes, cinematography full of flair also. It absolutely romped by for me but at the same time I can understand how some viewers would come out taking very little from the picture. Having allowed a few days to let the film to sink in I'm still not too sure whether this is a great film that tells me more underneath the sparkly undeniable surface. Still though, its not to be missed.
Rating: 8/10 (B+)
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