Month at the Movies: September

What a month at the movies September was! When you compare it to the massive disappointment that was the summer of 2016, the gap in quality is humongous. This is possibly the toughest list I have had to create as there was so much quality and I wouldn't want it any other way. I was fortunate to see 13 different movies this month in what was a very solid month overall.

If you aren't aware of this series, I pretty much go through the month and rank the movies that I saw that month based on a combination of quality and how much I enjoyed the film. So lets get into the list! 

13. Anthropoid

The only movie that I didn't particularly like this month was 'Anthropoid'. A very slow and uneventful build up made the film feel very tedious and downright boring. The finale is very solid but a poor start had already done the damage. Not the most compelling period drama you'll see and if you wanted to learn about the events surrounding 'Anthropoid', then you'd probably be best watching a documentary.

Final Verdict = C-

Check out my review for 'Anthropoid' here

12. Blair Witch

The surprise continuation of 'The Blair Witch Project' was a very mixed bag when it comes to a modern horror movie. There were many flaws in this movie, none other than the excessive use of terrible jump scares made this film hard to root for. However there are moments of genuine terror, including the final act that is truly frightening. An average horror movie that lacks consistency but still a reasonably enjoyable watch.

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for 'Blair Witch' here

11. Ben-Hur

The remake of the highly successful and multiple Academy Award winner was always facing an uphill battle. It was hard to see what would actually be done better in this remake and it appeared to be true. Nothing was done particularly bad but with nothing being improved, it makes you question why it even happened. It would be harsh to say that this is a bad movie though, just pretty average.

Final Verdict = C+

Check out my review for 'Ben-Hur' here

10. The Infiltrator

Bryan Cranston delivers yet again, this time as Bob Mazzur who is infiltrating drug dealers, a different approach to the subject matter compared to 'Breaking Bad'. Unfortunately the film struggles to find focus and doesn't get that interesting until later on. Once it reaches that point, the film does burst into life having a very strong finish. It wasn't enough though to make this a great film but a reasonably good watch nonetheless.

Final Verdict = B-

Check out my review for 'The Infiltrator' here

9. Morgan

Morgan looked set to take the success of last years 'Ex_Machina' with impressive trailers that showed a Frankenstein's monster set up. Unfortunately, the film couldn't decide between going all out with the action or to use the effective slow build apparent in 'Ex_Machina'. Anya Taylor Joy shines again though showing why she's one of Hollywoods best young actresses, see her scene with Paul Giamatti for evidence. An entertaining film throughout that could've been so much more but unfortunately didn't completely deliver.

Final Verdict = B-

Check out my review for 'Morgan' here

8. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Tim Burton seems to have more misses than hits recently but thankfully, 'Miss Peregrine' was a step back on the right track for the visionary director. A fun film with that classic Burton darkness combined fairly well with the interesting characters really helping the film. These characters could have been explored deeper which was a missed opportunity and some poor CGI holds the film back from shining. Hopefully Burton can build on from this and get back to the heights he previously had reached.

Final Verdict = B-

Check out my review for 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children' here

7. The Girl With All The Gifts

Zombie movies are one of horrors sub genres that has been exposed to death recently to a stage where you think most ideas surrounding it have already been done. 'The Girl With All The Gifts' brings a fresh look at the genre with more intelligence featuring in the film, especially with the "hungries". Paddy Considine and Glenn Close are great in this film which isn't your normal look at a zombie film. There are some puzzling aspects within the film especially surrounding the creatures but overall, this is an entertaining, morally complex film.

Final Verdict = B

Check out my review for 'The Girl With All The Gifts' here

6. Kubo and the Two Strings

From Laika comes yet another great original story, this time disguised as a Japanese myth, 'Kubo and the Two Strings' is one of the most beautifully animated movies of recent times. A fun story with interesting characters made this easy to watch with great work from the voice actors. At times there were scenes that seemed to be filled with exposition that slowed it down and hurt it but nothing too severe to sabotage the quality of this film. If it wasn't for 'Zootropolis', this would probably be my top animated movie of the year.

Final Verdict = B

Check out my review for 'Kubo and the Two Strings' here

5. The Magnificent Seven

It seems as if remakes are a constant feature at the cinema these days but I cannot deny that I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Magnificent Seven'. A phenomenal cast where Ethan Hawke shines, the classic fun western feeling is captured magnificently well. Some great action set pieces make this is a film that the summer was crying out for and was delivered just too late. True entertainment with themes of revenge running through it, this is a remake done right.

Final Verdict = B

Check out my review for 'The Magnificent Seven' here

4. Don't Breathe

I love how great 2016 has been for horror movies. 'Don't Breathe' can be added to the list of great horror movies as it's intriguing premise and dark twist work very effectively. Another example of how modern horror should be made, 'Don't Breathe' was a low budget success that deserves more attention. Tense throughout with great filmmaking aspects makes this a film that appeals to more than just your horror fans. Be sure to see this one if you can.

Final Verdict = B+

Check out my review for 'Don't Breathe' here

3. Deepwater Horizon

Based on the 2010 BP oil spill, 'Deepwater Horizon' is one of the most powerful movies of the year. It tells the story of the crew where 11 men died on that unfortunate night and director Peter Berg displayed the horror and braveness that occurred. Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and John Malkovich all do great jobs in making this film even more impactful in a film which shows a side of the story that wasn't documented so well. A true disaster film that did a great job of portraying these men as the heroes they are on the Hollywood screen.

Final Verdict = A-

Check out my review for 'Deepwater Horizon' here

2. Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Perhaps the best comedy of the year has once again came out of the wacky and brilliant mind of Taika Waititi. The story follows the incredible journey of a young wannabe gangster and a grumpy Sam Neill in the New Zealand wilderness and the results are fantastic. Funny throughout the whole film, this film really is one that has snuck up on audiences. Again, this film needs more attention and is well and truly worth seeing.

Final Verdict = A-

Check out my review for 'Hunt For The Wilderpeople' here

'Morgan' Review

Last year, 'Ex_Machina' hit the big screen and its story featuring Artificial Intelligence was one of the best of the year. This year 'Morgan' looks to take a slightly different look at this sci fi sub genre whilst looking to make a similar impact. It's safe to say that 'Morgan' is no 'Ex_Machina', but it is still an effective thriller in its own right.

Morgan (Anya Taylor Joy) is a bioengineered child who exceeded the expectations of her creators by learning and adapting to the world in her first few years. However, Morgan has a very aggressive side to her and when she attacks one of her handlers, corporate risk assessor Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) is sent to the facility to make a decision on whether she is safe to keep alive or not. Things turn south as Morgan breaks free and now the staff and Weathers have to deal with a murderous synthetic human.

What really holds 'Morgan' back from being a great movie as it seems to not know what it wants to be. At times, it shows potential to be a sort of Frankenstein like story as a creation has turned bad and is running amok. On other occasions, it showcases the film to be a very effective drama. The film continuously bounces between the two ideas and doesn't decide on one until late on, This does cause a problem with the film as it can't choose which way it wants to go and never settles on where it's going with its story.

However the films biggest strength does come with its drama which the talented cast have to take a lot of credit for. Kate Mara and Anya Taylor Joy are two of the standouts as they appear most in the film and play vital roles in the ever-growing tension and unpredictability that the film holds. The two do very well with Joy giving a chilling performance as Morgan and really gets to show her range of acting, all performed to a very high standard. In fact, the best part of this movie has Morgan come face to face with Paul Giamatti, as Giamatti interrogates her surrounding her recent behaviour and the consequences that may be a foot. This scene is fantastic as Giamatti shows just how good he is in an incredible scene. This is the highlight of the film by far and is one of my favourite scenes of the entire year.

As the film progresses, the tittle character becomes a ruthless killer and is on the loose. This leads to some very brutal scenes with Morgan acting like Hannibal Lecter and brutally clubbing one of her handlers to death with a handgun. Morgan was shown to be ruthless and showed no remorse but only towards those she considered "friends". This was very bizarre for me as she didn't keep this level of ruthlessness the whole way through which was clearly just to prolong the film. This hurts the film as you sit and are baffled by the fact that she was so clinical in some cases and nowhere near so in others.

The action film is very hard-hitting with some really good fight scenes, again with Joy and Mara standing out once again. The pair do fairly well with some tough fight scenes where they don't hold back and you can clearly see the effect that it is taking on each other, especially with Mara's face being bloody and broken by the end of the conflict. After coming out of the cinema, some of my friends were not impressed by how much of the action that they seen. To an extent, I agree with them as there is an abundance of cuts that does really hinder the action. At some points, it does work by not showing exactly what is happening. There are some moments that would probably be genuinely hard to look at and the film uses beautiful sound editing to make sure you know what is happening and what effect it is taking. The film really shows that action featuring female characters can be just as brutal and hard-hitting as they do with male and hopefully opens the door for more like it.

There is a pretty huge twist at the end which really is hit or miss. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't a huge fan of the twist. Looking back, I can recall a moment where it may hint at it but a second watching would be needed to fully see if it was hinted clearly throughout the movie. It seemed very abrupt and left me puzzled as it happened and I couldn't quite understand how it was possible. The film does explain it a little at the end but it just didn't fully impress me unfortunately.

Overall, 'Morgan' has some great moments, especially from its talented cast. Anya Taylor Joy builds on from the 'The Witch' to show that she is one of Hollywood's finest young actresses. Kate Mara also shines with Paul Giamatti doing fantastically well. Some problems such as undeciding on what story to go with and inconsistencies with the tittle character really hold this back from being a great movie. Entertaining throughout with an intriguing premise but the excecution wasn't quite perfect.

Final Verdict = 

So have you seen 'Morgan'? If so what did you think of it? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor