NIGHTCRAWLER

Basically…

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllanhaal) is a lowlife chancer who stumbles into a career as a cameraman. He films Los Angeles crime and mayhem by night and sells it to broadcasters for the breakfast news, going to increasingly greater lengths to catch the ‘money shot’.

In other words…

Donnie Darko gets down and dirty.

The main men and leading ladies…

Jake Gyllanhaal has played a lot of big roles but none of them have really stood out like this one. If the Oscars bypass this performance there’s something wrong the movie industry because this is by far his best yet.

In the chair…

Director and writer Dan Gilroy makes his debut in the chair with this original noir crime thriller. If this is just the start then hurry up and bring on the rest please.

So…?

Nightcrawler is both dark and gritty as it studies Lou as a character as much as it provides nocturnal drama on the streets of LA. It’s original, exciting and pushes the boundaries in terms of both Lou’s morals and the broadcasters’. Gyllanhaal is excellent at making your skin crawl and adding an edge of discomfort to the viewing. It’s visually slick and fast paced – blink and you’ll miss something - just like your average night around LA’s crime spots. Surely this has Oscar success written all over it?

Worth the money?

Go. What are you waiting for? 

THE MAZE RUNNER

Basically…

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) wakes up on the outskirts of a maze to find his memory has been erased, just like all the other young boys who are already trapped there. The doors to the maze open daily but no one’s ever survived a night inside or found the exit. When Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) arrives Thomas is determined to find out who’s behind their fate.

In other words…

Lord of the Flies meets The Beach.

The main men and leading ladies…

Rising star Dylan O’Brien starred in the Teen Wolf TV series and featured in the 2013 comedy The Internship. Kaya Scodelario is best known for her role as Effy in Skins.

In the chair…

This is Wes Ball’s first feature length movie and he's making the switch from the art department where he mostly did graphics in the past. He’s already started work on The Maze Runner sequel; The Scorch Trials.

So…?

Like Divergent and The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner is another young adult franchise that’s making the transition from book to screen. It’s easy to make comparisons – a group of young boys forced to live together despite losing all hope of existence is straight out of Lord of the Flies. And with some characters being happy to turn their secret location into a home it also has touches of The Beach, which could have been explored further. But in saying that, it still has elements of originality. It’s unpredictable, gripping and tense enough to leave you anticipating the sequel.

Worth the money?

Worth seeing, but not neccessarily on the big screen. 

SAY WHEN (LAGGIES)

Basically…

28-year old free spirit Megan (Keira Knightly) panics when her boyfriend proposes. Bored of life and scared to grow up she starts hanging out with a group of teenagers and hiding in 16-year old Annika’s (Chloe Grace Mortez) home.

In other words…

An early mid-life crisis with a lot of jaw.

The main men and leading ladies…

Keira Knightley is all jaw and it’s increasingly distracting as the story unfolds. It’s strange and unnerving to see Sam Rockwell (Craig) as a father of a teenager and surely there’s only so long Mortez can keep playing a schoolgirl?

In the chair…

Director of Touchy Feely, Your Sister’s Sister and Humpday Lynn Shelton has stuck to the light indie flicks. Say When - or Laggies as it’s called out with the UK - doesn't really break that mould much. 

So…?

Considering how many costume and period dramas Knightley has done over the years this is a strangely natural role for her as she reverts back to her Bend It Like Beckham days. And despite Mortez being a tad too confident for the role she portrays her secret insecurities well. The age gap between the pair is also believable but the chemistry between Megan and Craig not so. Rockwell possesses the same suave arrogance he always does so it’s hard to knock him but that’s where the praise ends. This is a whole load of nothing. It’s predictable, isn't funny and doesn't really go anywhere. It never settles on a tone and leaves you feeling hollow and unsatisfied. It's so meh it's barely worth putting on in the background. 

Worth the money?

I hope that was a sarcastic question. 

SERENA

Basically…

A dark story of love, jealousy and greed, set in 1930s North Carolina, George Pemberton’s (Bradley Cooper) timber empire is affected when he marries Serena (Jennifer Lawrence).

In other words…

Jennifer Lawrence goes a bit psycho again.

The main men and leading ladies…

With an unflattering hairdo and an even less flattering personality Lawrence fails to capture your heart or trigger any emotion. A wooden performance from Cooper also leaves us questioning where the spark has gone between our favourite on screen couple.

In the chair…

Known for her romance films, but none of real note, Susanne Bier takes on this adaptation of the Ron Rash novel. It won’t stand out on her CV though.

So…?

It’s hard to remember the last time a film has left such an empty, cold impression as Serena does. With a cast as golden as Lawrence and Cooper you go in wanting to like it more than you care to on your way out. They do a lot of dramatic things but it never quite feels dramatic. You know you should be sympathising with George – and perhaps to an extent encouraged by Serena’s strength to overcome sexism at that time – but you feel neither because they’re so wooden. You never get deep into their world or develop a connection with any of the characters, leaving you asking 'who cares' by the end.

Worth the money?

No, it's not worth your money or your time. In fact, why are you still reading this? 

LOVE, ROSIE

Basically… 
Best friends Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Clafin) kiss on her 18^th birthday, but too drunk to remember she doesn't pursue any romantic connection. It becomes obvious they’re meant for each other but life starts to get in the way.

In other words…

This generation’s Sliding Doors.

The main men and leading ladies…

Lily Collins is perfect for a chick flick role, cute and likable. Sam Clafin, meanwhile, goes from arrogant sod in The Riot Club to adorable idiot which makes you want to cuddle him almost as much as you want to slap sense into him.

In the chair…

Christian Ditter is a fairly unknown name on the movie scene having just worked on children’s films in the past. This is a new challenge for him and he dealt with the adaptation of Cecelia Ahern’s Where Rainbows End admirably.

So…?

Unlike most chick flicks this is a realistic story of life – babies, relationships, jobs – getting in the way of life, making it believable and easy to relate to. Adapted from the novel, the characters have a depth to them which is interesting and warm. In fact, sometimes it’s so easy to empathise with their situations it becomes emotional and frustrating. It doesn't go over the top like What If when he chased her to Dublin and back – for financial reasons alone that’s just not realistic for most of the target audience. This is one of the best chick flicks of the decade never mind the year because it ticks all the boxes.

Worth the money?

If this is the genre you're into then yes, definitely. 

GONE GIRL

Basically…

When Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) disappears on her fifth anniversary, her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) becomes the prime suspect. Told from his perspective in present time, and hers in the form of diary extracts throughout their relationship it becomes obvious, amid the media circus, that there are two sides to every story.

In other words…

A game of who’s the psychotic one.

The main men and leading ladies…

While reading Gone Girl I pictured Bradley Cooper as Nick – then heard early on they’d cast Ben Affleck to play him. It didn’t take long to change the image in my mind and soon he became the perfect one for the role. And as predicted he did the part justice, perfectly striking a balance between awkward, uncaring and just socially unaware. Pike does well to depict Amy as both strong and powerful, but also weak and vulnerable at the same time.

In the chair…

When it became known David Fincher was going to be the brains behind the big screen adaptation it was always going to be in safe hands. Working with author, Gillian Flynn, the screenplay sticks almost religiously to the book and the Fight Club and The Social Network director still manages to put his own chilling dark stamp on it.

So…?

The eagerly anticipated adaptation is well worth the wait. The book, which has become a soaring success for Flynn, is popular for its gripping and addictive writing style. And the film reflects this as at two and a half hours long you don’t have a second to relax and second guess how long’s left. It’s been getting some scathing reviews for its seemingly sexist depiction of Amy and females in general but it’s about time a mystery thriller dug deeper than the predictable surface we’re used to. Like the novel, the film keeps you gripped and your mind constantly working. The intricacy of the plot begins to fall into place perfectly and there’s never a worry that it could get too ridiculous or unbelievable. It stays within the realms of reality while still being able to blow your mind and get under your skin.

Worth the money?

Film of the year so far, stop reading this and go see it.

LIFE AFTER BETH

Basically…

Zach (Dane DeHaan) is heartbroken when his girlfriend Beth (Aubrey Plaza) is killed by a snake bite on a hiking trip but soon discovers she isn't actually dead and her parents are actually hiding her in their house. As she slowly makes the transition into a zombie though, he finds it difficult to live with her changes.

In other words…

A romzomcom…in that order.

The main men and leading ladies…

The eternally wonderful Dane DeHaan is yet again the cherry of perfection on the movie cake. Playing one of his most normal and stable roles yet, for once we can actually relate to him. Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza has her finest moment in the form of a selfish, moaning flesh-eating zombie.

In the chair…

I Heart Huckabees writer Jeff Baena makes his directing debut with his real-life girlfriend starring as the finger-sucking undead. He also managed to secure some of Hollywood’s finest actors (John C. Reilly) with some of the most exciting youngsters (including Anna Kendrick). 

So…?

This has an ideal sense of humour for this style of quirky romzomcom, but it fails to ever hit the spot. The actors are top notch, the plot is original and the tone means it never takes itself too seriously, but there aren’t many laugh out loud moments. Zombie lovers will say there’s too much rom and not enough zom but it does well to reflect many teenagers’ problems – feeling lost, confused in love and the struggles of breaking free from their parents’ grasp. That and girls can be a bit psychotic at times. Kendrick adds another dimension with a particularly amusing car park scene, but it’s DeHaan and Plaza who carry this movie and save it from being a complete flop. It loses it’s way a bit but it’s easy to appreciate the effort nonetheless.

Worth the money?

Save it for Netflix. In the background.