Director: Seth MacFarlane
Writers: Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild
Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson

Synopsis: As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his new-found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival.

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DIRECTION
Seth MacFarlane is at it again in A Million Ways to Die in the West and he sure does bring his unique flair to the old west. If you’re expecting a live-action western-style Family Guy (as I mostly was), you may be a little bit disappointed. The story is a bit more straight forward than that but MacFarlane throws in some fun cameos and his satire on the old west is pretty great. However, the editing was pretty poor and some of the gags were poorly executed. For the most part though, MacFarlane delivers his quirky, humorous style surrounded in metaphors and silliness that you’d expect from him.

Grade: B

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SCRIPT
It’s 1882 in the Old West and Albert (MacFarlane) is a sheep farmer who’s a little cowardly, awkward and heartbroken with the recent breakup with his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried). To deal with his recent heartache, he goes out drinking with his old buddy Edward (Giovanni Ribisi) and Edward’s girlfriend Ruth (Sarah Silverman). It’s here we find out that there are a million ways to die in the west, it’s a terrible a place and that love is your only escape. After a scurry in a bar fight, Albert meets Anna (Charlize Theron) who set off on an adventure that leads to chaos, horse chases, an Indian bon fire and more Western metaphorical situations. But in the end, the film mostly uses all of that as a vehicle to move it’s themes of finding courage and confidence and following your heart. But of course, in the Seth MacFarlane-y way that he likes to do. While the script mostly works, the Edward and Ruth storyline is unnecessary and overly crude at times as well as some other gags involving Foy (Neil Patrick Harris). All in all, if you like MacFarlane’s style, you’ll mostly enjoy this film.

Grade: B
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RELATED: X-Men: Days of Future Past Video Review

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PERFORMANCES
Seth MacFarlane is not terrible but relies heavily on slapstick comedy, fun cameos and his surrounding cast quite a bit. He may not have the chops to carry the lead by himself but he’s fully aware of that and takes advantage of his strengths well. Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfriend offer some solid supporting roles, although not much effort is really going into them. They mostly stick to the metaphors and jokes carrying the characters. Giovanni Ribisi however seemed to offer a little bit more and had some interesting comedic timing, which was really effective. Neil Patrick Harris was pretty annoying and unfortunately not in a good way.

Grade: B-

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SCORE
Joel McNeely does a descent job of offering western-style tones that are mostly subtle but it offers the atmospheric tone that you’d want from a film like this. But of course, in a Seth McFarlane film, there’s always singing gags that take up the spotlight and this is no different. Alan Jackson also has a song that’s pretty good as well.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Once again, A Million Ways to Die in the West is pretty much what you see is what you get, especially if you’ve seen the trailers. There weren’t many big narrative surprises but there were several cameos that are totally worth seeing. If you like this kind of comedy, you’ll get what you want.

Overall Grade: B

Director: Bryan Singer
Writers: Simon Kinberg (screenplay), Jane Goldman (story)
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

Synopsis: The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

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DIRECTION
Bryan Singer back in the director’s chair in the X-Men universe and once again he delivers a solid film for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Singer showcases an interesting and harrowing dystopian future in the opening sequences with effective action shots that almost felt Avengers-esque. You feel the intense and urgent tone right away as the danger escalates and the story progresses. Once we transition in the storyline, Singer puts us in a pseudo-70’s era where Vietnam is ending and mutant fear is rising. Singer’s biggest win is the clarity of the story given the complexity and convolution that comes with time travel. The character blend is fantastic as well as the big action sequences in the 3rd act that make this one of the bigger X-Men films we’ve seen yet. The Quicksilver scene is easily one of his best in the franchise as well.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT
The year is 2023 and the Sentinel program has taken off and created a dystopian future where almost all mutants have been killed as well as many human casualties. A few X-Men still survive and have been surviving thanks to the powers of Kitty Pride (Ellen Page) who’s been sending other X-Men back in time to warn them of their upcoming attacks to prevent them from ever happening. They need a new and better plan. Enter Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). It’s not long before they figure out that the only way save themselves is to send Wolverine back into time to warn young Xavier and Magneto of the harrowing future and prevent the Sentinel program from ever happening. The script is actually rather simple if you just go with the flow and understand that Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is really the big key both the good guys and the bad guys are after. The character arcs of young Xavier and Magneto are extremely well blended and add some great dynamics. It’s also interesting to see Wolverine interact with both the old and young generations. Mystique also adds a layer of emotional depth to the movie that really seals it home, especially with Xavier in the third act of the film. The story does raise a lot of continuity questions and there are some small logic plotholes, but overall, it’s pretty effective.

Grade: A-
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RELATED: X-Men: Days of Future Past Video Review

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PERFORMANCES
Let me start this section off by saying the “Xavier” scene three quarters of the way through the film is one of the Top 3 scenes we’ve seen all year. James McAvoy is incredible and on a whole new level from First Class. Both him and Michael Fassbender are just as good, if not better in Days of Future Past. Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen are wonderful as they reprise their roles but don’t have enough screen time as we would of liked to see. Still, to see the likes of them mixed with McAvoy and Fassbender was a lot of fun. Jennifer Lawrence is, well Jennifer Lawrence. She’s amazing. Ellen Page, Halle Berry and the like almost work as prolonged cameos as their roles are very minor. Peter Dinklage isn’t on screen a lot either, but was more than effective as the powerful and persuasive Dr. Bolivar Trask.

Grade: A+

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SCORE
John Ottman gets the nod to score here, his second in the franchise after scoring X2 and creating what most people are familiar with theme-wise when they think of the X-Men films. His work here is a little more gritty and dark, given the urgent nature of the story but it blends in nicely with the action and emotional sequences. His Xavier theme, Hope, is one of the best tracks of the whole year and quintessential for that specific moment.

Grade: A

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FINAL THOUGHTS
While more action would of been ideal, there are some great character moments here that this franchise is known for. There are some continuity questions and small flaws in logic that can make you wonder at times but it’s never too distracting. The Sentinels looked great and after much anticipation, they didn’t let down. I’m still waiting for that “Avengers New York” sequence that an X-Men film should have with all those awesome mutant powers, but there’s some great stuff here. Easily recommend this.

Overall Grade: A-

(ps, this trailer is one of the best of the year too!)

Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Writers: Jeremy Saulnier
Stars: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves

Synopsis: A mysterious outsider’s quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.

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DIRECTION
Blue Ruin is a dark and gritty film that is focused and moves the story forward at a stead pace. Jeremy Saulnier, in his second feature film, does a fantastic job of setting the tone early with an ambiance that only goes in one direction. The film is assembled differently from most other revenge-thrillers as the first act comes to fruition leaving wonder as to what the rest of the story will be. However, Saulnier wastes no time however as things start to unravel leaving plenty of room for some great action and character moments. The cinematography is gorgeous and there’s a strong attention to details that makes Blue Ruin one of the best shot films of 2014 so far.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT
The story is simple on the surface but is layered with deep internal struggle and pain that gives this film character. The film is centered around Dwight (Macon Blair), who is a drifter with long gangly hair and a beard that would make ZZ Top proud. We find Dwight living on the beach with no personal connection, disconnecting himself from the world and seems to have nothing really to live for. And then comes the news; the news that his parents’ killer is getting out of prison. The moment Dwight learns on this, something sparks in him and all of a sudden purpose has a name; Revenge. Without much thought, he moves with emotion and a pain that’s built up over (probably) years, with only one end goal in mind. The story framework is kind of fascinating in the sense that once the first act crystallizes, you’d almost think the film is over, when in reality it’s just beginning. We more or less see a Hatfields & McCoys rivalry begin with heavy consequences that’s thrilling and harrowing throughout. The story may be simple but the unique framework and gritty execution makes for an enjoyable, especially with such an intriguing main character.

Grade: A-
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RELATED: Neighbors Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
Macon Blair is a one man show and subtly delivers one of the year’s better performances so far. It’s not his dialogue so much as it is his non-dialogue quirks and body movement that sells this character. Perhaps it’s Blair’s inexperience that elevates the amateur qualities we see in Dwight, which is a defining trait to this intriguing character. Either way, Blair is 100 percent believable and is masterful in drawing you in to his story, regardless of the morality of his actions.

Grade: A

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SCORE
The score here is brought to us by Brooke and Will Blair who do a fantastic job of keeping the score subtle but with tones that feel like you’re sitting on a cold bench. It’s not fun nor is it comfortable but the music adds the right about chill that climaxes the thrill in a solid way.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
Blue Ruin is not a warm feast or is it one that makes you feel good when the end credits roll. However, Saulnier and Blair do a wonderful job of engaging you in this guys’ story of pain and emotion that ultimately leaves him in one direction. We see a pretty massive physical transformation in Dwight as well as a metaphorical one that was pretty fascinating.

Overall Grade: A-

Director: Gareth Edwards
Writers: Max Borenstein (screenplay), Dave Callaham (story)
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe

Synopsis: The world’s most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

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DIRECTION
Coming of the heels of Monsters in 2010, Gareth Edwards looked to show that his small sci-fi film wasn’t a fluke, and boy, did he deliver with Godzilla. The opening credits sequence immediately sets the tone, helped by Alexandre Desplat’s brooding score, and throws us into a wonderfully crafted exposition that never slows down. Edwards’ camera work was impeccable, fluid and moving with intense purpose. The pacing was solid, especially when it came to showing us the monsters (no pun intended) of the film. Every time we see Godzilla, it’s incredibly purposeful and perfectly timed, which ultimately just makes you lust to see more of him. Much like Pacific Rim, all of the action sequences take place at night and either in the rain or clouded in smoke and debris, however that only adds to intensity of the film (much how I felt about Pac Rim too). The fight sequences at the end between Godzilla and the monster creatures are amazing, a ton of fun, and riveting the entire time. The execution was flawless. Everything from the dangerous aesthetic, to the riveting creature design, to the robust score, Edwards showcases his skills on a high level and that he’s a director to look out for.

Grade: A+

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SCRIPT
The films starts with an amazing opening credits sequence, showcasing 1940’s/50’s footage of nuclear explosions and a newly discovered water creature that forces the creation of new government organizations to help keep this under wraps. Fast forward to 1999, Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), who is the head of a secret group who is tasked with studying these creature’s, has found a preserved skeleton of a creature similar to the one they found in 1954. However, they find a few things that make you go “uh oh” and now things are really setting in motion. We are then introduced to Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), a seismologist who is working in Japan at a nuclear facility and notices a pattern that doesn’t seem to say earthquake, yet nobody seems to really know what it is. After a series of events, we fast forward another 15 years (to present time), where Brody’s son Ford (Taylor-Johnson) is on leave from the Navy and heads home to see his wife (Olsen) and son. After a short time at home, Ford is forced to go to Japan to help his father, who has calculated a conspiracy theory regarding the nuclear facility. While we see a strain in their relationship, the two of them find themselves trying to find the truth when they are arrested by Serizawa’s group. From there, chaos ensues. A monster escapes, people are killed and panic seems to be consensus. The U.S. government and NATO are now taking control over efforts to contain the situation. From here, it’s a cat and mouse game of trying to take down these creatures, while Godzilla seems to have a similar notion when he faces up against them. The insertion of these creatures, who feed off of nuclear radiation, felt natural and real, while many of the human characters felt lost and confused. Outside of the Cranston arch, much of the human story isn’t that compelling but it doesn’t matter, when Godzilla shows up, it’s amazing.

Grade: A-
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RELATED: Locke Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
Bryan Cranston is amazing and is easily the strongest one here. His character has a lot of passion, is heartbroken and feels compelled to find the truth no matter the cost and Cranston showcases that well. In the end, I just wanted more of him. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is an actor I like, but he’s incredibly flat in this role and didn’t seem very inspired. He seemed lost and not quite sure where to take his character. As a side effect, the relationship between him and Elizabeth Olsen suffers. It’s hard to invest in their relationship, as well as the father-son relationship between Taylor Johnson and Cranston’s characters. As the main lead in the second and third acts, Taylor-Johnson is mundane and average at best, which is disappointing coming from him. Olsen is okay but is mostly wasted as we only see her in a few scenes here and there. Ken Watanabe is another great actor, but he’s in unintentionally humorous with his confused look throughout the film. It’s as if his whole time investigating these creatures, he couldn’t believe they were real, which came off kind of funny. As much criticism as Pacific Rim received for it’s acting, outside of Cranston, the acting here isn’t any better. The best performance of this film, far and away, are the two monster creatures and Godzilla. Every time they are on screen, you are on the edge of your seat.

Grade: B+

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SCORE
This feels like a strange film for Alexandre Desplat to score, but his music here was fantastic. It’s harrowing at times, intense and is more than serviceable. Desplat uses a nice layer from the original Godzilla in his main theme, which was a nice touch as well as nostalgic. Most of the music isn’t very catchy and it’s not a score you’ll listen to much outside of the film, but for the movies’ sake, it’s great.

Grade: A-

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FINAL THOUGHTS
One of my major concerns going in to this film, was going to be the crystallization of it. Planes, tanks and guns were not going to do it after watching Pacific Rim last year. And honestly, three-fourths of the way through, I started to think to myself “to defeat the monsters, we had to create monsters of our own.” However, the turn Edwards and his team makes and the fight that ensues at the end more than makes up for the absence of Gypsy Danger. It was incredible. Godzilla isn’t a perfect film by any means, but it takes aspects of what we know about Godzilla and pieced it together in a way that felt real, intense and big. Go see this film.

Overall Grade: A-

Director: Steven Knight
Writers: Steven Knight (screenplay)
Stars: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott

Synopsis: Ivan Locke, a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his careful cultivated existence.

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INTRO
Steven Knight’s Locke is an intriguing film, but more importantly, it carries a weight that hopefully people don’t just pass over.

DIRECTION
Knight has some solid camera work that is fluid and always moving, much like the pace and the film’s vehicle. As the entire film takes place in one location, the SUV that Ivan Locke is driving, Knight uses some creative techniques that keeps the film fresh and compelling. Knight beautifully drifts through the English night utilizing the highway’s natural lights and sounds, that is genuine to the location and makes you believe you’re in the car with Ivan. The pacing is executed well with perfectly timed comedic bits that don’t come out often, but when they do, it’s right on the money. In a film like this, there is potential for the film to become stale, but there’s not much redundancy and every action has purpose behind it.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT
How many times have we seen films like The Wolf of Wall Street that glorify bad people doing bad things? Probably too many to count. The importance of the film cannot be stated enough. Instead of witnessing another Dom Hemingway, we instead are thrown into the world of Ivan Locke, a concrete foreman, who is driving to London for a reason he wish he didn’t have to. Ivan is a good man. He’s married with two kids and has a job where he is highly respected and everyone loves him. However, we find out through many phone calls that Ivan, like all people, makes mistakes. And unfortunately for him, this mistake is leading to the birth of a child from a woman he hardly knows. What separates Ivan from most characters we see in film, and a lot of people in real life too, is the fact that he is aware of his circumstances and risks everything to do the right thing. He isn’t going to run away from his hardship, but rather man up and face the consequences of his action, even if that means losing everything. Meaning, he is the polar opposite of Jordan Belfort. There are several soliloquies throughout the film where Ivan deals with his past hurts, which are not going to define him. Those moments hit hard, especially right after where his sons call him to discuss the drama, where he is undone. The drama that unfolds is gripping, heartbreaking and ultimately something that will stay with me all year long. It’s about time we see a character who has character and is the example we should all strive for, especially when dealing with our own inner turmoil.

Grade: A+
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RELATED: Neighbors Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
Tom Hardy is incredible in what is easily one of his best performances. He sells the nice guy really well and as things crumble around him, we see him fight that turmoil that feels authentic and potent. Every interaction he has is via the phone and Hardy’s awareness of the situation was impeccable. He’s absolutely compelling from beginning to end. Olivia Colman and Ruth Wilson are serviceable as voices for the wife and pregnant woman, but it’s Andrew Scott who steals the show at times with is amazingly well-time comedic bits. All in all, fantastic work here.

Grade: A

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SCORE
Dickon Hinchliffe has been remarkably consistent while being mostly under the radar. His score here is subtle but fluid and has the perfect tone of the film. You won’t notice it much but when it’s gone, you feel it. It fills the space so nicely and added the right amount of drama that lifted Hardy and the elements happening around him.

Grade: B+

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FINAL THOUGHTS
There are not enough Ivan Locke’s in the world. Sure the guy made a terrible mistake, but we all do. The difference is that a lot of us aren’t willing to deal with the consequences and it says a lot about a man, that is willing to risk it all to do the right thing. A lot of the time, when we see these kinds of themes, it’s in our superheroes. This, however, is grounded in reality and feels very real. Women may view things a bit differently, as they are mostly hurt victims here (and who can blame them?), but the themes of struggle and how to fight through them is incredible. By year’s end, this will still be one of the more important films we see all year.

Overall Grade: A