We Are Your Friends

Set in the world of electronic music and Hollywood nightlife, an aspiring 23-year-old DJ named Cole (Zac Efron) spends his days scheming with his childhood friends and his nights working on the one track that will make his mark on the music world.

All of this changes when he meets a charismatic but damaged older DJ named James, who takes him under his wing. Things get complicated, however, when Cole starts falling for James’ much younger girlfriend, Sophie.

James helps Cole discover his own distinct voice, while he still needs to make some cash, so Cole and his friends take a job with a dodgy property developer (Jon Bernthal). But Cole is determined that this kind of work won’t be his future.

An inspiring undertone this film brings; never give up on your dreams, keep pushing forward. I feel like Zac Efron was the right audition for his role but wasn’t completely emphasised or have any creative ability in his character. It seemed a little lack-luster at times, although I do love the visuals that director Max Joseph has brought to this film. It’s defiantly worth a watch anyhow! I rate this film a 7.5/10.

Trailer: https://goo.gl/OXuSth
Poster: http://goo.gl/nfrfMo
Length: 1h 36min
Directed by: Max Joseph
Rating: 15
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
B-Roll: https://goo.gl/3jw7a4

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

After discovering the existence of an evil network of spies called The Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as Ethan Hunt, committed to destroying the IMF. Cruise — as IMF agent Ethan Hunt — attempts to track down their leader with British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and returning teammates Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner).

The ‘Mission: Impossible’ films have always been about ingenious, tense and explosive set-pieces and director Chris McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) ensures this one is no different. Also with some vehicular carnage in Casablanca is up there with the best in the franchise. It’s a jaw-dropping slice of action cinema.

Pegg delivers some big laughs, Ferguson holds her own alongside the boys, taking down more guys with her thighs and Alec Baldwin is a welcome addition as the head of the CIA.

It’s another utterly gripping entry into a franchise that has really found its feet over the past years… going to lengths of dangling from the outside of a plane! Crazy stuff. I rate this film an 8.5/10 for Pegg’s great performance and Simon McBurney’s absolutely brilliant acting. Alongside Cruise’s consistent medium can get a little sour at times, although the overall plot was great. Happy viewing!

Trailer: https://goo.gl/oPRGP9
Poster: https://goo.gl/8w4nA0
Length: 2hr 11min
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Rating: 12
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Featurette: https://goo.gl/8KUMit

Paper Towns

Nat Wolff plays Quentin, a slightly geeky high school senior who has long been obsessed by the beautiful and headstrong girl Margo (Cara Delevingne) ever since she moved opposite him when they were young in the suburbs of Florida.

Margo is a free spirit and adventurous girl whose antics have become the tales of a legend in the Florida suburb where she grew up. Suddenly she disappears, leaving behind clues that Quentin and his friends follow on the journey of a lifetime. Why did she disappear?!

I really liked Radar (Justice Smith), a whip-smart and quietly charismatic African-American kid who’s in love with his girlfriend Angela (Jaz Sinclair). I also liked Ben (Austin Abrams) who created a comedic character throughout the film which cleverly eased some of the tension-building scenes or mysterious directions the plot was facing in parts. I rate this film an 8/10 for pin-pointing the teenage male mind into each scene (it was hilarious at points) and also for the great use of pace throughout the film thanks to Schreier’s direction.

Trailer: https://goo.gl/jbxqUF
Poster: http://goo.gl/z0PgU1
Length: 1h 49min
Directed by: Jake Schreier
Rating: 12A
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
B-Roll: https://goo.gl/woDzaN

Southpaw

Boxer Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) seemingly has it all with an impressive career, a beautiful and loving wife, an adorable daughter and a lavish lifestyle.

When tragedy strikes and his lifelong manager and friend leave him behind, Hope hits rock bottom and turns to an unlikely savior at a run-down local gym: Tick Willis, a retired fighter and trainer to the city’s toughest amateur boxers.

With his future riding on Tick’s guidance and tenacity, Billy enters the hardest battle of his life as he struggles with redemption and to win back the trust of those he loves after his daughter is taken to child protection services.

Southpaw succeeds not only as an exhilarating sports movie with some top-notch fights, but as a character portrait in every sense of the word “character.” A great performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, really exemplifying a great actor showing the audience how to become a character role. I rate this film an 8.5/10, as you can tell, it’s an emotional journey that Fuqua takes you on through the struggle and misery of Hope’s life. Loved it!

Trailer: https://goo.gl/e0G8aQ
Poster: http://goo.gl/3j7ZV6
Length: 2h 3min
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Rating: 15
Genre: Action, Drama, Sport
Featurette: https://goo.gl/QvyGvs

Ted 2

John and Ted are both still living the dream in Boston, and Ted has settled down with Tami-Lynn. They’ve decided to have a baby, but their hopes are crushed when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts declares Ted to be not a person, and ineligible to adopt.

After subsequently being sacked from his job, discovering that his marriage is invalid and that adopting a child would be illegal for him, angered Ted and his pal John decide to fight for his civil rights alongside rookie lawyer, Samantha L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) and try and reclaim his “personhood”.

The plot feels a little safer and more maturely put together the second time round, following a more sitcom-like structure with rounded-out scenes.

Ted 2 is not so singularly about John and Ted but made up of Wahlberg, MacFarlane and unexpectedly well-carried performances from Barth and Seyfried, who hold their own against the scene-stealing best friends.

Trailer: https://goo.gl/snS6yE
Poster: http://goo.gl/vLgFtp
Length: 2hr
Directed by: Seth MacFarlane
Rating: 15
Genre: Comedy
B-Roll: https://goo.gl/tEWQq6

Manglehorn

Trapped in the past by the memories of a lost love, Manglehorn (Al Pacino), an eccentric small-town locksmith, tries to start his life over again with the help of a new friend.Manglehorn ekes out a living unlocking car doors and fire-damaged safes for his in-a-jam customers, yet he can’t – or won’t – unlock the prison of regret he’s constructed for himself.

Although it’s Holly Hunter who supplies the story’s heartbreak. She plays Dawn, a lonely bank teller who tries to interest Manglehorn during their weekly bank meetings. It’s one of this fine actress’s best performances: alert, quietly emotional, never maudlin.

I really enjoyed Manglehorn as a drama, I feel like Holly Hunter has really shown one of her best performances by playing as Dawn. I also feel like David Gordon Green, the director, has taken the time to connect with Pacino to portray this hope-less character as Manglehorn, which he performs effortlessly with an interesting attitude. I rate this film an 8/10, great job, watch it for yourself and let me know what you thought!

Trailer: https://goo.gl/emwMo0
Poster: http://goo.gl/PcJbWW
Length: 1h 37min
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Rating: 12A
Genre: Drama
Director Interview: https://goo.gl/5U1UKb

Inside Out

Growing up can be hard at the best of times, and it’s no exception for Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness.

As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, Joy (Amy Poehler), Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, as the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

Inside Out has the perfect, uplifting ending of a classic cartoon as I felt like it had a dark underbelly theme until we understand the ending, although I think Pixar have done a great job at creating this film. I rate this film a 8.5/10, for it’s clever use of emotional scenes for the audience to grasp and feel towards – which is quite ironic as the main theme is all about Riley’s emotions.

Trailer: https://goo.gl/2ygF1Q
Poster: http://goo.gl/z6wihg
Length: 1h 34min
Directed by: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen
Rating: U
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
B-Roll: https://goo.gl/KlIAcK

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Greg (Thomas Mann) is a high school senior who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with Earl, who is more of a ‘co-worker’ than a best friend. But when Greg’s mom insists he spend time with Rachel – a girl in his class who has just been diagnosed with cancer – he slowly discovers how worthwhile the true bonds of friendship can be.

Colourful characters create the landscape of the film. In addition to Greg’s zany parents, Jon Bernthal is fantastic as Mr. McCarthy, the cool history teacher who lets Greg and Earl watch art house movies in his office, so they don’t have to eat lunch in the cafeteria. I wish I had a teacher like that!

There are a lot of interesting characters in this film, and some great performances, especially by Mann, Olivia Cooke and R.J. Cyler. It’s a magnificent essay on the nature and value of friendship. It was a refreshing to see the directing of a story from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. I rate this film a 7.5/10, it’s a nice teen-friendship story.

Trailer: https://goo.gl/5Ip8g7
Poster: http://goo.gl/7xGYZM
Length: 1h 44min
Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Rating: 12A
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Featurette: https://goo.gl/BUVZFN

Spy

A desk-bound CIA analyst, Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy), is the unsung hero behind the Agency’s most dangerous missions. But when her partner falls off the grid and another top agent is compromised, she volunteers to go deep undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent a global disaster.

On the surface McCarthy is the star of the film, but her willingness to let her fellow actors shine when an opportunity knocks to give the audience a belly-laugh is clear, and it’s the undeniable strength of the supporting cast that makes Spy a strong a film.

I really enjoyed this film, full of laughter for all the family. The clever idea of presenting different kinds of women to the screen, as McCarthy is a great example that a women in film doesn’t have a be a serious-stick figure to entertain audiences. I also loved action-star Jason Statham playing Rick Ford, It was a refreshing sight to see Statham play a different character role to his usual which ultimately showed me why he’s a great actor regardless of the role being played. I rate this film an 8/10, it’s a must-see with your family, I suspect they’ll all enjoy it! Happy laughing!

Trailer: https://goo.gl/zSNakc
Poster: http://goo.gl/PPOG1Q
Length: 1h 57min
Directed by: Paul Feig
Rating: 15
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
B-Roll: https://goo.gl/3nYa7Y

Bravetown

Being one of the countries top best dance club DJ’s doesn’t seem all that bad, although after an unexpected drug overdose, Josh Harvest is sentenced to counselling for a minor drug infraction, along with an extended stay with his estranged father, who lives in a small town in North Dakota.

Not fitting in to his new environment, a town best-known for recruiting young men off to war, many of whom never return. The Patriots; the local high schools last-place dance team really could use Josh’s talent to improve their team to compete for state championship title.

As his relationships emerge with both the team’s captain, Mary, and his therapist, Alex, each of whom have lost someone special to war, it forces all three to begin to face and heal their pasts.

I really liked this film. It’s was a great story, filled with drama, emotion and great acting by Lucas Till (Josh), Kherington Payne (Mary) and Josh Duhamel (Alex). I rate this film a solid 8/10, I’d recommend watching this.

Trailer: https://goo.gl/gey9sO
Poster: http://goo.gl/96vnZm
Length: 1h 52m
Directed by: Daniel Duran
Rating: 15
Genre: Romance, Drama
Inside Look: https://goo.gl/U1oa5y