Rebel Without a Pause Button

It seems that nearly every film that Pixar creates is greeted with excitement and praise and Inside Out is no different. Following a two year hiatus, the studio has emerged with another unique and emotional film that has once again been met with rave reviews. The central idea in Inside Out is that every person has a "team" of emotions in their mind who work to navigate them through life: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. Eleven year old Riley is a happy loving-life kid, primarily controlled by Joy (Amy Poehler) but when they move from Minnesota to San Francisco, Joy and Riley's other emotions struggle to cope with the change. Sadness (Phyllis Smith) begins to turn Riley's memories negative and her key life moments escape, with Joy and Sadness venturing to recover them. The main strength of Inside Out is the characters and the voice acting. Riley's emotions are all entertaining and very likeable and are what keep the whole film together. Poehler is a defini...

Eva (Tilda Swinton) struggles with motherhood, becoming increasingly estranged from her son Kevin (Ezra Miller, in a brilliantly understated performance equalled only by Swinton), who becomes more and more destructive to his mother. While he "bonds" with his father Franklin (John C. Reilly), his chilling remarks to Eva and disturbing actions begin to send her into madness, as she struggles to maintain her love for her son. The story is well told, switching between the past and the present, where Eva is struggling to cope with the aftermath. Every incident between Kevin and Eva is exaggerated and the effect as perturbing as an act of violence, emphasised by the probing directing style which digs deep into Eva's psyche. The soundtrack is used brilliantly to juxtapose with what we see on screen, with lighthearted country music accompanying Eva's breakdown to haunting effect. The eerie ambient soundscapes that emerge towards the end are no doubt thanks to Jonny Greenw...

The original Jurassic Park was a hugely successful film, for a number of reasons: it was a landmark in special effects, the characters were believable and relatable and Jeff Goldblum was actually surprisingly convincing. Two sequels followed, trying to rehash the same formula and completely failing. Over 10 years later, it was pretty inevitable that a reboot would emerge to profit from the nostalgia and hope to survive where others had fallen. And it just about has.  The new theme park, Jurassic World, succeeds in putting a modern twist on the old park. Bigger dinosaurs and more advanced rides are incorporated pretty well without detracting from the wonder of the island. While the original was set before the official opening of the park, here huge crowds fill the park and it works in the film's favour. The classic theme from John Williams helps to conjure up the nostalgia as the doors open on the park but there is a certain limit to the amount of times the ...

(In this review I have attempted to cover as little of the film in detail as possible, as I feel going into The Shining knowing little about it will increase its impact greatly)   Stanley Kubrick's The Shining has received praise from just about everyone it seems, becoming one of, if not the best, examples of the horror genre and a benchmark for all since. The extremely unsettling atmosphere that runs through it, coupled with the bursts of brutal violence and sickening tension, is a perfect lesson in how to unnerve an audience in ways that Paranormal Activity and Saw can only dream of. Of course, every film has its critics, chiefly Stephen King, author of the book, who described Stanley Kubrick's adaptation as like "a fancy car without an engine." It is understandable that it may not have been portrayed as he had imagined it though, with King later going on to create his own television adaptation (which was awful, so who had the last ...

It may have seemed unwise at the time for the legendary Wes Craven to return to the Scream series as the general feeling was that Scream 2 and Scream 3 hadn't come close to the original. The original Scream was a game changer, a refreshing take on the traditional horror flick with its many genre references and meta plot. Of course, there was also the killer Ghostface, who remains one of the most haunting characters today. It was amazing to see such a weak, vulnerable killer who contrasted so greatly to Michael Myers, Leatherface and Jason Voorhees. So it was pleasing to discover that Scream 4 (or Scre4m, awful title) was surprisingly respectful to the original and actually rather entertaining. It begins as an imitation of the first film but with a fantastically clever twist which instantly plunges us into uncertainty, putting us at the mercy of the director. It is the trademark Scream style reveal and an example of how well Scream 4 pays homage to the original. The ce...

With a title like that, it's very hard (no pun intended) not to judge this film right away. It should act as a warning, as it suggests the level of humour that will be reached here.  James King (Will Ferrell) is a rich, successful businessman whose perfect life is ruined when he is arrested for fraud and sentenced to ten years in a maximum security prison. He employs the help of Darnell (Kevin Hart) to "train" him for prison life, believing that Darnell has been to prison before (which it turns out he hasn't). Cue "hilarity" as Darnell attempts to teach Ferrell how to act tough, fight, join a gang and engage in sexual activity with a man. Its as bland, crude and offensive as it sounds. You know all those prison stereotypes that just aren't funny? Well imagine they made a movie solely based around them. The writing is just appalling, with jokes that can be seen coming a mile away and nothing unexpected or inventive. With Will Ferrell clearly a capable...

Right from the beginning, it is impossible not to be blown away by Boyhood. It is an incredibly unique experience, a cinematic event that may never be equalled in terms of scale and pure emotion and which feels beautifully personal and human throughout.  Filmed over twelve years, with filming taking place over three days a year, means we experience the actors growing up realistically and we develop a much closer connection with each character. The film begins in 2002, with the central character being six year old Mason (Ellar Coltrane) who is an ambitious but rebellious young kid, with an older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and an often despairing mother (Patricia Arquette). While the film initially centre's round Mason, it soon spreads out revealing a wealth of fascinating characters, in particular his divorced dad (Ethan Hawke) who seems like a kid trapped in a man's body and represents the father every young boy wants: carefree, fun-loving and childish. The film s...