Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

UK Release Date: 1st May 2015

In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor (www.imdb.com).

Director: Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt)

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge

Far from the Madding Crowd, a well respected novel with an adaptation already to its name, hasn't got much new ground to cover. This 2015 film, starring Carey Mulligan, upholds the book's reputation. Bathsheba (Mulligan) is a headstrong farm owner who meets three possible suiters in a short space of time; Gabriel the farmer, William the nobleman and Frank the soldier. All bear distinctive qualities. All wish Bathsheba to marry them the moment they lay eyes on her. FftMC favours one man over the rest. We're smitten before even given the chance to decide. Mulligan's the charismatic, leading lady, making decisions that come at a price. Schoenaerts, Sturridge and Sheen add flavour to this period drama, their personalities and dialogue capturing what action cannot. 

4/5

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

UK Release Date: 2nd June 1983

After rescuing Han Solo from the palace of Jabba the Hutt, the rebels attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to make Vader return from the dark side of the Force (www.imdb.com).

Director: Richard Marquand

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid

Return of the Jedi, episode six of the Star Wars universe, starts off where it means to push on. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is prisoner to Jabba the Hutt, so Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and friends (R2-D2, C3P0, Leia) set out to rescue him. After a successful mission, Han and Leia lead a band of Rebels to the moon of Endor where the second Death Star is being protected by a force field, whilst Luke tries to bring Darth Vader back from the dark side of the force. The long awaited last film of the Star Wars universe ends well but falters slightly on the way. Strong detail and a quick drive pushes the plot forward, hitting a bump when the Ewoks make their appearance. Han and Leia's mission's halted by the furry little creatures, spoiling what we want to see with what George Lucas wants us to see. The humans' story is sacrificed by the Ewok's screen time. At least a spectacular big space battle and Luke's personal endeavour compensates for the events on Endor. One small blip won't trouble the fans too much.

4/5

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

UK Release Date: 21st May 1980

After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke (www.imdb.com).

Director: Irvin Kershner (Never Say Never Again, Robocop 2) 

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz

The Empire Strikes Back does not suffer from 'middle film syndrome'. It greatly enhances the Star Wars universe. Luke Skywalker's (Hamill) adventures take us to the ice planet Hoth, where the Rebels are hiding from the Imperials. They're eventually rooted out by Darth Vader and his army. Luke, Leia (Fisher) and Han (Ford) and the droids make their escape, the former heading to Dagobah for Jedi training, whilst the others seek help from an old friend. TESB is full of blistering action; the battle of Hoth, with the AT-AT walkers and Luke's first Jedi experiences making the back of the neck tingle. A now heightened romance between Han and Leia plays out to stunning effect. New characters are introduced, but only a few so that Empire never detracts from the main trio. Then there's the twist. If you don't know about it then you should, otherwise start watching Star Wars now. There's no need to be a fan of science fiction, just excellent entertainment.

5/5

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

UK Release Date: 27th December 1977

Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a wookiee and two droids to save the universe from the Empire's world-destroying battle-station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader (www.imdb.com).

Director: George Lucas

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse

Star Wars: the ultimate science fiction. The go to franchise. A New Hope is where it all started. George Lucas labelled his first outing as the fourth episode, holding the start of the story until a later date. For 22 years though, we're with Luke Skywalker (Hamill), a youngster keen on joining the Rebel alliance, teams up with Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Guinness), a couple of droids (R2-D2 and C3PO) and rough outlaws (Harrison Ford's Han Solo and Peter Mayhew's Chewbacca) to save princess Leia (Fisher) from the clutches of the evil Empire and destroy their battle station, the Death Star. A New Hope is groundbreaking, both in genre and visual effects. It represents the forces of good vs. evil perfectly. Luke's the guy we all want to be, whilst the Sith Lord Darth Vader intimidates with voice, presence and action. Leia and Han show glints of romance that hints at more to come. ANH is an all round great film in a world that encompasses unlimited possibilities. It's more of a need to see than a want.

5/5 

Knock Knock

UK Release Date: 26th June 2015

When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse (www.imdb.com).

Director: Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel)

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas

Eli Roth is a master of suspenseful horrors. Unfortunately Knock Knock doesn't follow the likes of Hostel and Cabin Fever. Keanu Reeves is Evan, a devoted husband and father left at home to work whilst his family are away for the weekend. He's an innocent, good natured soul who answers the door to two young women who need help. A seductive game of cat and mouse commences as soon as he lays eyes on them. Things take a turn for the worst when Evan caves in to their sexual advances. Knock Knock's most interesting aspect comes from its very different gender roles. Reeves is the 'damsel in distress', sympathy untoward from his moment of passion. The young women, Genesis (Roth's wife Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas) are in control, yet ironically out of control. This Strangers style film struggles to get the reaction it deserves. Serious moments are funny when they shouldn't be. The plus side for director Eli Roth is the women reach the maximum level of annoyance whilst Evan conjures up low amounts of courage, throwing our emotions in to disarray. Knock Knock is a hard one to judge. It'll make you feel dirty and awkward, even if there's nothing to hide. 

3/5

The Walk

UK Release Date: 9th October 2015

In 1974, high-wire artist Philippe Petit recruits a team of people to help him realize his dream: to walk the immense void between the World Trade Center towers (www.imdb.com).

Director: Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Flight, Cast Away)

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, Guillaume Baillargeon

Joseph Gordon-Levitt doesn't look like Philippe Petit, the master of the wire, plus his french is a bit ropey. This doesn't stop him bringing life into this biopic, trading eccentric blow for eccentric blow, just as Petit did. Only a crazy, arrogant person of his calibre would do the insane things he intends. Petit's dream is to find the highest place to put his high wire, and walk on it. The Twin Towers, otherwise known as the World Trade Center, is that spectacle, to walk from tower to the other. A simple, but daring dream. A team is assembled, and a daring mission plays out. Petit is adverse and cold to his friends. Director Zemeckis fleshes out the story just enough to make Petit interesting. Petit's storytelling, guiding us through what we see, is awkward, breaking up The Walk's momentum. When Philippe's walk finally hits the screen, it's unnerving. Zemeckis takes us to places that documentary Man on Wire could not. These shots are incredible, beautiful and scary. The Walk is worth the watch for the end quarter alone, especially in 3D. 

3.5/5

The Drop

UK Release Date: 14th November 2014

Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost (www.imdb.com).

Director: Michael R. Roskam

Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts

The Drop dapples in genres. Urban drama, psychological thriller, romance, gangster. Tom Hardy's at the helm, running a pub with his older cousin Marv (Gandolfini), one owned by Russians who use it to 'drop' dirty money on select days. Dealing with the fallout of a robbery to his pub is only half his trouble. Bob (Hardy) comes by an abandoned dog in the garden of a stranger's house. He bonds with both puppy and newcomer (Noomi Rapace), but a loose-cannon ex (Schoenaerts) accompanies them, threatening Bob regularly. Hardy's on fine form, playing a hard to judge simpleton with a sporadic nature and a heart of gold. Schoenearts' intimidation is powerful, like a life threatening rash that won't go away. Gandolfini and Rapace are completely outperformed. A shame for the former as it was his last role before sadly passing away. The Drop's twists are foreseeable but the performances of Hardy and Schoenaerts.... and the puppy, make up for it. 

4/5

The Gift (2015)

UK Release Date: 7th August 2015

A young married couple's lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband's past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years (www.imdb.com).

Director: Joel Edgerton

Starring: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton

Joel Edgerton directs, writes and stars in The Gift, and a gift is exactly what he's given us. Edgerton is 'Gordo', a creepy, awkward fellow who becomes infatuated with Simon (Bateman) and Robyn (Hall), leaving gifts at their doorstep and turning up to their house unannounced. Simon he knew at school, and wants Gordo out of their lives, whilst his wife, although unnerved by him, thinks he's just being nice. Little do we know that Simon has a secret. The Gift is more than just an epic game of cat and mouse. This is a thriller with twists and turns like never seen before. Simon and Robyn's worlds are only turned upside down when Gordo's told to back off. Edgerton's directorial debut is astounding and truly gripping, a slow burner that rises and then explodes at the end.

4.5/5

Hostage

UK Release Date: 11th March 2005

A failed police negotiator turned small town cop, must save the lives of a family held hostage, which draws him into a much more dangerous situation (www.imdb.com).

Director: Florent Siri

Starring: Bruce Willis, Ben Foster, Robert Knepper

CONTAINS SPOILER.

Bruce Willis does what he can do best, and that's be John McClane. And John McClane he becomes. Comparisons are drawn instantly because differences are hard to find. Jeff Talley (Willis), now a humdrum cop after a bodged negotiating job, must negotiate his way through a new hostage crisis. A middle class family are being held in their house by some lower class youths looking to score themselves some money, and get at those they deem better than them. Tensions run high both inside and outside the house. Jeff's family is being held hostage as well, which thins out the main story. Things go awry when one of the youths, played by Ben Foster, goes bat-shit crazy. His change in mentality is absurd, even if a little entertaining. It doesn't fit Hostage's composition. At least McClane's around to sort the mess out.

3/5

Skyfall

UK Release Date: 26th October 2012

Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost (www.imdb.com).

Director: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Wishaw, Rory Kinnear

James Bond, since Daniel Craig took over, is nothing like the films of old. Casino Royale and Quatum of Solace are contemporary outings, switching cheese and swatch with seriousness and sophistication. A serious overhaul was needed. Lo and behold, Skyfall, the peak of Craig's 007. Bond comes of out hiding after an attack on M (Dench) and the MI6. Other agents are being picked off, so it's up to Bond to look after M, and once again save the day. Skyfall's got Bond written all over it, except this time it's simplified, almost going back to the beginning. As Q (now Ben Wishaw) says 'what did you expect, an exploding pen?' Bond's hurt. His pride broken, beaten and scarred. He doesn't have the time to heal with Javier Bardem's former agent testing his loyalty to M and the MI5. We learn more about Bond than we've ever known. Skyfall's simple, gripping and effective, its personal touch stands out. 007 has changed, and change is for the good. 

4/5

The Martian

Release Date: 30th September 2015

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive (www.imdb.com).

Director: Ridley Scott (Exodus: Gods and Kings, Gladiator, Alien)

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor

First Saving Private Ryan, then Interstellar, and now The Martian. Matt Damon's the one to find. The go to guy. The one worthy of being found thrice over. Damon is Watney, a man stranded on Mars after his crew believe him dead. This film is about his survival. Suspension of disbelief is steady and highly believable, to the point of utter astonishment. It's incredible how Watney's time spent on Mars feels so real. No one has landed on Mars before, and no one probably will in our lifetime. Ridley Scott and the team behind The Martian have kept the physics clean. Watney painfully produces food and water for the long haul. Damon is mesmerising. Open spaces and long/wide angle shots create a feeling of solitude. He's supported by the likes of Sean Bean and Chiwetel Ejiofor, but when the screen's off Damon, it needs to be. We need to know how and what he's doing. Visually stunning effects add a balance of beauty and ambience. The contrast is definitely felt between Watney on Mars, his crew on their ship back home and the NASA workers on Earth. The Martian is a gripping blockbuster, even if it's a wee bit predictable.

4.5/5

Deep Impact

UK Release Date: 15th May 1988

Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive. Which people will survive? (www.imdb.com)

Director: Mimi Leder

Starring: Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan Freeman, Jon Favreau, Leelee Sobieski

Deep Impact has a huge number of A-list stars... too many to make any real impact on us. It gives Armageddon a run for its money, which was released in the same year. A bunch of ordinary people connected to the meteor heading towards earth find they have a slim chance of survival. A 1/150 chance in fact. All of them have very different stories. Tea Leoni and Elijah Wood are at the forefront, yet neither of them are directly saving the day. Director Mimi Leder chooses to focus primarily on the people on earth. Deep Impact is a drama. The comet and the astronauts tackling it are bit part characters. No one can fault its ending though. It's one of the most glorious epic disasters you'll ever see.

3/5

Vacation (2015)

UK Release Date: 21st August 2015

Rusty Griswold takes his own family on a road trip to "Walley World" in order to spice things up with his wife and reconnect with his sons (www.imdb.com).

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein

Starring: Ed Hemls, Christina Applegate, Skler Gisondo, Steele Stebbins

Vacation is a not-so long coming sequel of Chevy Chase's National Lampoon film of the same name. Ed Helms and his family's trip to Walley World is raucous and over-the-top, but a complete barrel of laughs. Their trip takes them on some outlandish trials, none of which are realistic. Ed Helmsdoesn't quite measure up to the rest of the family. He's the alpha male trying to do the best he can, but to no avail. Christina Applegate is the one to watch, and the son's fighting and bickering is class humour. Vacation's biggest downfall comes in not having a story. It's non-existence. There is no point to it. Just a family on a journey. Like a boring documentary, with comedy. 

2.5/5

Spooks: The Greater Good

UK Release: 8th May 2015

When a terrorist escapes custody during a routine handover, Will Holloway must team with disgraced MI5 Intelligence Chief Harry Pearce to track him down before an imminent terrorist attack on London (www.imdb.com).

Director: Bharat Nalluri

Starring: Kit Harington, Tuppence Middleton, Jennifer Ehle, Peter Firth

Spooks: The Greater Good, or MI-5 as it's known in the U.S., attempts to relive the series of old, but struggles when only one original member remains. This film should drop the Spooks tag. Peter Firth has gone rogue, humiliated after an error in judgement cost him a terrorist to roam free. It's neither certain whether he's helping out this criminal or using young agent Kit Harington to rectify his mistakes. Firth has become a bland, bit-part character, with focus switching to Harington, who looks to young for this I-can-do-anything-and-not-worry-about-the-outcome special-agent role. Other characters amble through the simple story, with little affection for one another. The only emotions conveyed on screen are ones that don't involve smiling. By the end, two poos couldn't be given about who survives, who's on which side and ultimately, if the mission is successful. 

2/5

Sicario

UK Release Date: 8th October 2015

An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico (www.imdb.com).

Director: Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy)

Starring: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya

Sicario, starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, is a giant explosion, right to our senses. Blunt is a straightforward FBI agent whose world is turned upside when she's called upon to join a team that tackle the drug issues on the U.S./Mexico border. Things aren't what they seem as she's kept out of the loop. Brolin's the head of the operation and Del Toro is an associate with a mysterious persona and few, choice words. We're with Blunt all the way, knowing just as little, but feeling just as restless. Some tense scenes make the heart stop. A stand off on the border shows Sicario's peak in tensity. When Blunt's not being shot at, she's collecting thoughts and gathering emotions. Sicario's not just a powerful action film, with stunning performances from its leading trio, it's a thrilling drama as well, hitting the emotions hard and leaving you reeling at the same time.

5/5

Big Hero 6

UK Release Date: 30th January 2015

The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes (www.imdb.com).

Director: Don Hall, Chris Williams (Winnie the Pooh, Bolt)

Starring: Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Alan Tudyk

Big Hero 6 is a Disney film true to its core. All of the original Disney themes are present: loss, redemption, friends and family are number one etc etc. Its very essence broadens our senses. The world in which the protagonist, Hiro, lives in is rich and vibrant, a world with so much detail it strengthens our sense of disbelief. Centered around two, loveable characters, BH6 finds Hiro bonding with his brother's inflatable robot, Baymax, whose main purpose is to treat medical conditions. With the help of their new friends, Hiro and Baymax track down the person who stole Hiro's new invention. His four friends are sweet, their different personalities bouncing off each other with cheeky satire. Hiro and Baymax's innocence make them straightforward and easy to care for; the youngster seeks revenge whereas Baymax's best interest is Hiro's health, and will do what he can to make him feel better. BH6 sets the tone right depending on the situation, and not one point does it falter. Adults may enjoy this film more than the young audience it is aimed at.

4.5/5