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 Secret Life of Pets' Review

There isn't a whole bunch of animated films coming out this summer as Pixar are set to dominate the market with 'Finding Dory'. Dreamworks won't be sitting still though and bringing competition in the form of 'The Secret Life of Pets'. Coming from the minds of 'Despicable Me' and 'Minions', it would be sure to entertain, even if that were just so for kids.

Spoiled dog Max (Louis C.K) and his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) seem to have a perfect relationship together until Katie brings in a new dog. Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a large and clumsy dog is now sharing Katie's love with Max which causes a lot of conflict. The rivalry overflows and sees the duo wind up encountering dangerous felines and also the dreaded dog pound. They come across a psychotic bunny (Kevin Hart) who agrees to help them but only if the pair join him and his gang to bring the humans down.

I made this point not too long ago when reviewing 'The Angry Birds Movie' but I feel that the situation is similar in this movie. 'The Secret Life of Pets' is most definitely made just to entertain children. I would say in that aspect it is a bit more mature than 'Angry Birds' in it both it's themes and also with it's humour. This also does make the film a lot better and more enjoyable for the members of the audience who have brought their young ones to see the film.

The film takes a look at just what our pets do when we are we not home and thy are left to their own devices. The start of the film showcases a wide range of animals and what they get up to which is entertaining for both parties. From the slightly realistic to the bizarre, this does take an interesting and fun look at what our pets may get up to. Of course, this is also creates a great viewing for kids as the humour is perfect for them.

The film actually surprised me in the route that it went. It leaves the setting of the pets being at home and now becomes an animals lost in the city movie. Now this has happened quite a lot with animated movies but I don't recall any taking the same steps as this film did. Duke and Max come across a bunny, who looks soft and cuddly yet is a menace and the leader of a vicious gang of animals who look to get revenge on humans. The film essentially them becomes quite vicious which certainly surprised me considering it looked to be just a harmless and cute film. Of course it's not blood and guts but there is a whole load of threats throughout many of the scenes. It's harmless to the audience and won't be frightening and the film does do well to try and incorporate its humour into these scenes.

Kevin Hart lends his voice to the bunny in this film and he is fantastic. His voice is perfect for this character and he pulls it off phenomenally well. Hart's delivery is phenomenal and his voice is usually entertaining enough on its own and it shows in this film. He is the standout in this film and that may be down to his character being given more to work with, Louis C.K and Eric Stonestreet are fine in this film too and do provide some good moments in the film.

The film is entertaining at times and does succeed at its job for entertaining children. However I cannot say that this is an animated movie that adults will get enjoyment out of for the full run time. This is clearly due to the film not being targeted to this audience and it really shows. The film had opportunities to go a bit deeper, including a scene which could've created a moment that could've devastated the mature audience but they didn't handle it nearly as well as it could. This really showed that the intentions was just to create a child friendly, fun movie and to be fair they succeeded in doing so.

Final Verdict = 

The film is entertaining at times and should do the job to entertain younger audiences. However adults won't get as much enjoyment from this one so I cannot recommend seeing it unless you are taking children to see it. 

So have you seen 'The Secret Life of Pets'? If so what did you think of the film? I hope this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the film or not. Once again, thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor