Month in the Movies: June

The summer movie season has finally got underway and to say it's been a good start wouldn't be true. It's been a slow start this summer with not so many crackers hitting the big screen. Hopefully we're just getting the bad ones out of the way. However it would be unfair to say that there hasn't been some quality so far with a few films saving the season from being terrible.  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 into the list!

10. The Boss

Simple as it is, 'The Boss' is the worst film I have seen so far in 2016. This was painfully unfunny to the point where I was so close to leaving the theatre. Peter Dinklage has the worst performance of the year within this film too which is painful to say but it is true. 'The Boss' is a disaster which for your sake, you shouldn't ever watch. Lets just hope McCarthy's next venture 'Ghostbusters' is much better than this turd. 

Final Verdict = F

Check out my review for 'The Boss' here

9. Gods of Egypt

For some people, this is their worst movie of the year and I can't blame them. A uninteresting story, bland characters, poor acting, mediocre CGI and terrible casting were only a number of things that went wrong in this 'epic'. 'Gods of Egypt' may become one of those "it's so bad, it's good" movies which isn't necessarily a good thing. 'Gods of Egypt' is truly awful but is lucky that there was a film I thought was even worse in the month of June.

Final verdict = F

Check out my review for 'Gods of Egypt' here

8. Independence Day: Resurgence

20 years after the original we got a sequel that people wanted back in the 90's. Unfortunately for us, the film came nowhere near the original in terms of quality. The film failed to replace Will Smith as the new characters were not interesting or charismatic enough. The heart of the original wasn't there either as 'Resurgence' became the 'Terminator: Genisys' of 2016.

Final Verdict = D

Check out my review for 'Independence Day: Resurgence' here

7. Mother's Day

A film about a holiday that here in the UK isn't celebrated to quite the same standard as shown in the film. There was potential for this comedy to succeed as it does have some characters whose stories would make for an interesting movie. However, it is filled with and focuses on some of the most terrible characters of the year who are the main focus which makes the film hard to watch at times. Like most comedies this year, it fails to create a funny movie which is unfortunate considering some of the cast members.

Final Verdict = C-

Check out my review for 'Mother's Day' here

6. The Angry Birds Movie

The movie based off of the hit mobile based game seems to have come a few years too late. The movie is clearly aimed for kids which may explain to why I didn't get that much enjoyment out of the film as it wasn't targeted to me. However there were a few decent jokes despite all the bird puns as well as some nice animation that the film deserves credit for.

Final Verdict = C-

Check out my review for 'The Angry Birds Movie' here

5. Mr Right

'Mr Right' is a really fun movie to watch with some good comedy and performances from the two leads. However the story isn't made that well with a lot of things happening only to allow the film to progress. It's a fun movie just to sit and switch your brain off with but no more than that unfortunately. I wanted more from this movie and although it is entertaining at times, there isn't a great deal of quality the whole way throughout the movie.

Final Verdict = C

Check out my review for 'Mr Right' here

4. The Secret Life of Pets

Much like 'The Angry Birds Movie', TSLOP is a film that is targeted for kids. This comes at no surprise as it comes from the creators of 'Despicable Me' and 'Minions'. However the difference between this film and TABM is that the comedy works a whole lot more in this movie. The jokes led by Louis C.K and Kevin Hart do land a lot more which does make this kids movie a lot more enjoyable to watch. It isn't one of the animated films that will blow audiences away but it is a fine movie to say the least.

Final Verdict = C+

Check out my review for 'The Secret Life of Pets' here

3. Me Before You

'Me Before You' is one of the biggest surprises I have had the cinema this year. I really didn't expect this movie to be good at all and was pleasantly surprised. The film is very charming and has some good comedy within it. The two leads do very well which creates an enjoyable viewing. The emotional parts could have been done a little better especially the finale which seemed to have been rushed. Regardless of that, 'Me Before You' was one of the better movies this month.

Final Verdict = B-

Check out my review for 'Me Before You' here

'The Nice Guys' Review

Shane Black directing a buddy cop film starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. It really didn't take much else for me to be sold by this film.

Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a hired enforcer who makes his living by hurting people. One of those unlucky victims is Holland March (Ryan Gosling) a private investigator. In a strange twist if events, the two will now have to team up as they look to find the missing Amelia (Margaret Qualley) before she is killed. The investigation puts their lives in danger as they face trouble everywhere the case takes them.

'The Nice Guys' is probably the best start to the summer season of movies that I could of asked for. This is by far one of the most fun films of the year and its mainly due to the two leads within the film. Crowe and Gosling work incredibly well together and it creates a very enjoyable viewing. The two are most definitely an odd pairing which leads to some hilarious scenes as they try to work together. The combination is one of the highlights of the film with the performances not letting the audience down. Black's previous successful work in creating a similar duo is evident as he pulls it off incredibly well once again.

Not only does Black create the odd pairings relationship very well but also each of their individual characters. Both of the leads characters are shown to be quite tough with their job but are layered with quite troubled backstories. Crowe's character Healy is the muscle and makes his living from causing pain but all he really wants to do is to be able to make a difference for the good of people. However circumstances have not lead him to be able to do so which does seem to bother him. A fairly good change rather than the muscle having no remorse whatsoever.

The same can be said for Gosling's Holland March. March has to deal with the struggles of losing his home as well as his wife, leaving him to protect and provide for his daughter all by himself. He continuously blames himself which leads to him turning to the booze which takes its effect throughout the film. A layered back story for arguably the main cause of humour in the film was perfect and fantastically written character. Huge credit must go to Black and co-writer Anthony Bagarozzi for achieving this.

As well as being incredibly funny, the film does not let down with its action and even incorporates some of the comedy within it. The action is done to a very high standard in the film with a good mix between hand to hand combat and combat with automatic weapons. The scenes are pulled off incredibly well and are incredibly easy to keep up with as they progress. Thoroughly entertaining throughout and really helps elevate the movie.

Although the film is a blast with great comedy and action, it also leads to causing a bit of a problem for the film. As the film has a sequence which is highly entertaining, it does slow down which causes it to lose some of its momentum. It is a very small critique but it could have possibly been transitioned a bit better. Another problem that I have with the film is that the main story does end rather abruptly. You spend most of the runtime following this story and it doesn't seem to really deliver as well as you would like it to do. There aren't really any big issues with the film which helps to make it that more enjoyable.

Another thing that makes this film so great is that everything within it has a purpose. Something may seem quite odd and out of place but later on, it fulfils its purpose of being in the film. It doesn't waste your time or try to fill the movie with just complete nonsense which also is a credit to the writers. 

It was very clever how the film handled its villains by not ever giving too much away throughout the film. It leads you to believe certain things and as the story goes on, it becomes trickier to see who really is the enemy. It's not obvious from the start how this will pan out and with each of the characters being introduced, you aren't entirely sure who or what to believe.

Final Verdict = 

A fantastic buddy cop, action comedy that delivers throughout the whole film. The two leads are fantastic and create a great on screen duo. Well worth seeing!

So have you seen 'The Nice Guys'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was useful for if you were deciding to go and see the movie. I'd also like to know what are your favourite movies featuring a strange partnership? Once again, thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor