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

'Our Kind of Traitor' Review

We've all met and bonded with people who we have met on holiday. They are your kind of pals for the duration of your visit and then go off into separate ways to never see each other again. That's usually what happens but not in the case for Perry (Ewan McGregor), a poetics professor who looks to have bit off more than he can chew. 

The story follows Perry and his wife Gail (Naomie Harris) who look to be enjoying a holiday in Morocco. As Gail has to leave early, Perry is approached by Dima (Stellan Skarsgard) who then manages to convince Perry to join them on a night out and for activities the day after as well. After feeling he can trust Perry, Dima gives him information that ultimately could gain Dima and his family entry into the UK before they are executed by the Russian Mafia. Some heavy stuff to get from someone you've just met.

Perry and Gail are on this holiday to try and repair their relationship. We don't really get a sense of that apart from the one time is brought up. Gail is constantly having to cut things short due to work commitments which kind of defeats the point of going on a holiday like this. Perry acts quite recklessly by going and staying out late with Dima who he has just met and by making plans with them throughout the remainder of their trip rather than rebuilding their relationship. The issues don't seem to be too drastic for them and also just completely disappear from the rest of the story never to be looked back at.

The film throughout really isn't that eventful. Not much is able to happen in the story until Dima has to sign over his account so for quite a bit of time, we are just watching these peoples lives with nothing really there to grip you. There are some scenes that involve people having to sneak around and do things on the sly. However there isn't much tension in these scenes and they don't work nearly as well as they could have. 

This is to no lack of trying from the actors.McGregor and Harris are fine in their roles as they look to help out as much as possible. Stellan Skarsgard does a great job as Dima who's main aim is to protect his family. Skarsgard shows great emotion through this as he shows his sadness or anger from whatever stands in his way from protecting his family. Damian Lewis also does a great job as Hector, a MI6 agent who won't budge at all until he gets something useful for the governments use. Both Lewis and Skarsgard's characters look the part to be in a spy thriller, that is if you can really call this film a spy thriller.

Hector played by Damian Lewis

Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle must of relished the chance to work on this film. The scenery within the film especially those of the wonderful Alps would be a cinematographers dream to work with. Mantle deserves great credit for applying some fantastic work into the film and showing off his true talents. He deserves the plaudits for his contributions to the film.

I was not a fan of how this film ended. It seemed that things were finally getting exciting but it falls completely flat. The ending for all that happened seemed very weak and most definitely didn't help the movie. There isn't an explanation to clear things up as something big happens with no information coming to the audience regarding it. 

Final Verdict =  

A spy thriller that doesn't have as great effect as others in the genre. Some decent performances but overall not enough to make this film memorable or to allow it to stand out.

So have you seen 'Our Kind of Traitor'? If so what did you think of it? I hope that this review was helpful to you if you were planning on seeing the film. Once again thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated.