MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS [2015]

Director Wes Ball returns for more pulpy YA action in the second installment of the Maze Runner series, The Scorch Trials.
Picking up right after where the previous film left us, Thomas & his buddies are on the run from WCKD and this time must deal with the deadly desert, a horde of zombie-esque creatures and a slew of colorful stragglers with questionable motives.
Like the first film, the action is non-stop and doesn't actually give any room for any sort of character development but if you've seen the first one then you probably won't be surprised.  The action sequences all do a great job at keeping you at the edge of the seat, constantly questioning what is going to get thrown next and leaves no room to breathe.  Sadly, if when it does have some downtime you're given time to pick out all it's silliness, plot-holes and questionable decisions made by the point A-to-B characters.

3 killer songs out of 5

THE MAZE RUNNER [2014]

Director Wes Ball makes his feature length debut with the first instalment of The Maze Runner series, based on James Dashner's youth-oriented sci-fi novels of the same name written.
It follows the story of a teenage boy who awakens to mysteriously find himself trapped in an all-boys imprisonment surrounded by a maze that's seemingly impossible to escape.  The creepy atmosphere and themes explored play like Lord Of The Flies found it's way into the world of LOST that makes for an enticing tale to watch unfold with many unpredictable new corners to turn in this dystopian world.  It's obviously an attempt to cash-in on popularity of The Hunger Games, but TMR is darker, stranger and filled with a cast of stronger actors with more interesting roles to play.  Right out of the gates this ball is rolling and never stops until the end credits which leaves me eagerly anticipating the films to follow.

3 nights inside the maze out of 5

2081 (2009)

An adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut Jr's 'Harrison Bergeron' short story that takes a moody, dramatic approach to the subject matter. Harrison (Armie Hammer) is portrayed older than he was in the text, but otherwise it sticks very close to it; so close that it's hard to see why some of the smaller changes were even made. His parents (Julie Hagerty and James Cosmo) are better cast and earn all of the viewer's sympathies.

If you haven't read the original short, it's well worth seeking out. See also Harrison Bergeron (1995) for a less aggressive take on the same story.

3½ heavyweights out of 5

ALL THE REAL GIRLS [2003]

Director/co-writer David Gordon Green introduces this generation to one of the first mumblecore films with the romantic All The Real Girls.
It's a quiet, dreamy heartfelt drama that perfects those familiar moments of nervous love, both happy and hurt, with poetic perfection.  Beautifully shot, well-acted and each cast member suits their role with comfort and believability.  It slow-burns it's way through the moments but it's so well done there are 15 second scenes with a single line of dialogue that speaks so much more than some films with scenes that drag on for 5 minutes.
An amazing second feature from DGG that feels like lingers like it was part of your own life.

4 clowny clown clowns out of 5

THE EAST [2013]

The East is an eco-terrorist thriller starring & co-written by Brit Marling and directed by Zal Batmanglij.
The story takes no time spinning itself into a cleverly woven espionage tale that is sure to intrigue, even if it does take itself way too seriously.  However you soon find as much as the film is driven by plot it seems to forget about the human element of these characters and therefore loses any sense of danger it might have had.
It's got some heavy strengths and weaknesses all of which make for a briskly paced thriller that doesn't quite hit the intensity it should of but never outwears it's welcome.

3 doc's named Doc out of 5

THE WOODS [2006]

Something eerie is going on in director Lucky McKee's bizarre supernatural thriller The Woods.
McKee has a stylish and imaginative flair that brings this otherwise run of the mill Suspiria clone up a few notches where it allows us to know the characters and feel the atmosphere.  It never really frightens or disturbs like the director's other works but manages to keep it spooky beginning to end.
...and let's face it, we all want to see Bruce Campbell fight trees again.

3 glasses of spilt milk out of 5

THE GREEN MILE [1999]

Frank Darabont succeeds in bringing Stephen King's serial novel The Green Mile to the screen, moving the heart in a similar fashion as he did with The Shawshank Redemption. 

It's filled with wonderful performances by actors who fully understand the colorful and fascinating characters they're portraying.  The beautiful camerawork, music and art direction help make the 3 hour plus film never feel as long as it really is.  It's a dark, grim, yet strangely uplifting, reminder that there's magic in this world and how we'll find it in the most obscure of places.

4½ mice on the Mile out of 5

EASY A [2010]

The silly and predictable cinematic ode to John Hughes, Easy A is carried by Emma Stone's dryly comedic performance along with a host of great supporting characters to back her up. In fact the whole time I was thinking "this reminds me of Friends With Benefits with it's awesome supporting characters and really trivial plot".  Turns out it was the same director, Will Gluck.
It's not a complete waste of time due to some great laughs but in the end it never adds up to much and makes you wish you'd revisited the John Hughes classics instead.

2½ Homosexual comparisons to Huck Finn out of 5

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS [2011]

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gylle--no.....Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Po--....ahh! Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake pull off some entertaining performances in this tightly wound little rom-com.
It does everything you expect it to but like Scream and Kick-Ass, the characters seem to know they're in a genre film and make a point of the following "rules". The two leads are fun to watch and likable enough but it's the supporting characters played by Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson and Richard Jenkins that are an absolute delight. It's filled with a load of cameos, including a hilarious spot by a well-known Olympic Gold medalist, that keeps the film from getting too ho-hum.

2 ½ Pantless Fathers out of 5