Month in the Movies: May

May is the last stop before summer movie season arrives and the blockbusters flow out into theatres. This month I was lucky enough to catch 12 films this month with a wide range of genres within the list.  If you aren't sure what this post is about, each month I look back at the movies I seen in that month and rank them based on a combination of how good the movie was and how much I enjoyed it.  So lets get started with number 12!

12. Warcraft

The adaptation from a highly successful video game series contained bland characters and a messy story. The search for a good video game movie continues as Warcraft was a huge disappointment. Fans of the franchise may enjoy it but not one for the casual audience.

Final Verdict = D

Check out my review for Warcraft here

11. Bad Neighbours 2

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to this film. Many have enjoyed it but it just didn't connect with me. The rivalry wasn't close to that of the first one and due to that the comedy never quite hit with me. I really struggled with this film and it wasn't a pleasant viewing for me.

Final Verdict = D

Check out my review for Bad Neighbours 2 here

10. Alice Through The Looking Glass

The new film in Underland was better than the first but that isn't saying much. The film is visually beautiful but has some terrible performances and a messy story that heavily hinder it. An opportunity missed to get the franchise back on track which was missed.

Final Verdict = C-

Check out my review for Alice Through The Looking Glass here

9. Our Kind Of Traitor

A spy thriller that seemed to lack both the spy and thriller parts. An average film which gets fairly boring at times due to it being pretty uneventful. Some decent performances help the film as well as some great cinematography.

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for Our Kind Of Traitor here

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Another film that is better than the first instalment but again mainly due to the lack of quality in the first one. However the film does build on things it desperately needed to to make the franchise better overall. It does let itself down by rehashing parts of the first film and with some of its human characters too.

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for TMNT: Out of the Shadows here

7. Demolition

Jake Gyllenhaal tries his best within this film but it doesn't reach the standard of his latest films. Some plot points shoved in for extra unnecessary drama with an ending that seems pretty odd. An enjoyable watch though with some good comedy within it.

Final Verdict = C+

Check out my review of Demolition here

6. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Tina Fey and Martin Freeman shine in this comedy set in Afghanistan. The two create a very enjoyable viewing with some truly funny moments. The film struggles at times to follow a clear story which does hinder it.

Final Verdict = C+

Check out my review for Whiskey Tango Foxtrot here

'Everybody Wants Some' Review

'Everybody Wants Some' follows the days before college of a baseball team who look to start living together before the school and sport seasons come ahead. A movie featuring male college students, you can be sure that there are loads of shenanigans within this one!

The aspect of the lives of these college students is by far the most entertaining part of the movie. As new students come in to join the current crop, it doesn't take long for the group to bond and as you would expect, alcohol helps do the trick. As the group grows closer, the antics start to ensue and from there the movie continues to get better. The childish pranks are fun to watch and seem like something that you would expect these guys to do within their college homes.

The characters within the film are all different with unique traits about them. From the ladies man to the dimwitted and clueless one, the characters created work very well to make some funny moments. The guys in this film all carry one similar trait though and that is their competitiveness. Again this creates some very funny moments as they challenge each other at anything from ping pong to knuckles. As you'd expect from young adult males with high testosterone, the loser doesn't react well leading to more funny moments.

The films main protagonist is Jake (Blake Jenner) who is by far the most bland out off the characters in the house. However I feel that this actually works pretty well as he is the normal one who we would like to say that we are like within the cast. This also allows for their to be a character who has to deal with these eccentric and different personalities, much like how most new people would when being first introduced to this group of characters. Amongst having the wild characters I believe it is good to have a more grounded character. Makes it more realistic and also creates another contrast between them which allows them to not be too similar to each other.

The film looks to use a lot of 80's nostalgia to help throughout the runtime. This is apparent from the likes of dress sense and the music that is being played. Although both do decent jobs especially the great soundtrack, it never really had an effect on me. Being a late 90's kid, most of the tropes didn't have that connection with me and this may be a problem for those who didn't grow up during this time period. However I can see it being highly nostalgic and will bring back great memories which in turn will create a better experience for that specific audience. For the film to have parts of nostalgia within it and will only be a hit to those who lived it. Unfortunately I couldn't get the full effect of this as it wasn't my time period.

'Everybody Wants Some' doesn't really follow a story. It is all mainly a whole load of shenanigans that go on without any main goal. The film really is just the time period before college and doesn't have a specific story to follow. This may hinder the film at points as it doesn't look to progress or really have much of a meaning to it.

The main protagonist Jake does seem to get lost within the film at times. This is most apparent in the baseball scene where the other characters take the main stage for a good 20+ minutes with Jake not appearing throughout that duration. This could've hurt the film much more if it hadn't been from the great characters filling the void but it is quite odd for the lead to be put to the side for quite a long period of time.

Final Verdict = 

As the tagline says, here for a good time. Despite lacking a clear story and the nostalgia not having as much of an effect on me as it would others, 'Everybody Wants Some'  is an entertaining comedy that will most definitely get some laughs out of you. One of the better comedies of the year.

So have you seen 'Everybody Wants Some' what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were undecided on whether or not to see it. Once again thank you so much for reading, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor