So cards on the table, I've not done one of these in a
So right out of gate we have the supposed revivification of the Terminator series, the fifth feature release and most definitely the dumbest title so far.
Yes, Genisys spelled that way is the true title of the film and has a plot convoluted enough to match. Robo apocalypse saviour, John Connor once again sends his younger father back to the eighties to protect his mother from a terminator to ensure his birth.
If you're new to the series then just a preemptive warning that it involves time travel and causality paradoxes by the truck load, with first two movies you could grit your teeth and get on with it, Genisys however doesn't quite have the same luxury.
This isn't so much a spoiler because the actual trailer ruined what should have been the great twist but John Connor has been reconstituted into a terminator and goes back in time to ensure the rogue AI system Skynet is created.
The film feels unnecessary and is sadly marred by actors Jai Courney and Emilia Clarke who have the intense chemistry of a bowel movement, Terminator alumni Arnold Schwarzenegger is it's only saving grace despite Clarke's Sarah Connor cringe inducingly referring to him as 'Pops'.
I can't in good conscience recommend this to even the most ardent fans.
Pixar gave toys feelings. They gave monsters and cars feelings, 2015 is the year Pixar Animation Studios gives feelings feelings and it's just short a stroke of genius.
A relatively simple tale of a small family moving away to San Francisco and the effects it has on their daughter Riley. Inside Riley's head (and everyone else for that matter) we're introduced to the five dominant emotions that pilot us: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust. The various emotions are quickly established as unique and versatile characters with each getting some good laughs in but Fear, Anger and disgust sadly being a little underused.
The story is very much about the relationship between Joy and Sadness however, Joy informs the audience early on that each emotion is essential to protect Riley, for example Fear takes the reigns to keep her from getting hurt and Disgust even helps Riley socially. Joy however cannot figure out why Sadness is there and views her as more of a hindrance, it's through their journey together however that Joy learns that she herself can't steer Riley through life by distracting her with happy things when opposition arises and that Sadness's true purpose is to alert others to when Riley needs help.
It would have been easy to sugar coat it and go for the tired old 'smile and everything will be fine' routine that Disney is famous for, Pixar does something much braver and culturally important in teaching kids and even the grown ups that it's okay to be sad sometimes.
This reason alone makes Inside Out one of the most memorable films of the year.
Marvel Studios is back again with something of a wild card that may initially put some of the more dubious viewers on the back foot, but Ant Man realises how ridiculous it sounds and has fun with it.
Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang, an ex-convict fresh out of prison who is roped into pulling a robbery to pay child support, things go a little awry however when he is roped into a heist while utilizing his new mentor, Hank Pym's shrinking Ant Man suit. Allowing Scott to shrink to the size of an insect while maintaining the strength and mass of his full size essentially makes him a bullet, the helmet also lets him control ants and believe me when I say that despite the incomprehensible premise, that Ant Man has action, humour and a surprising amount of heart.
Compared to the other Marvel entries this one feels scaled down (size puns, yay). The villain has believable motives and once the heist is under way there's palpable tension, in true Marvel style though a witty quip is interjected before it wades into taking itself too seriously and mostly by supporting cast member Michael Pena who near enough steals any scene he wanders into. At it's heart this is a story about fathers and their daughters and doing right by or repairing the fractures in their relationship, and with just under two hours these new characters are quickly fleshed out and feel organic, something summer blockbusters tend to negate.
