FANTASTIC FOUR [2015]

Chronicle director Josh Trank enters into Hollywood blockbuster circle with the comic book movie adaptation of the Fantastic Four, only to be swiftly tossed out of the circle.
It's the good guys origin story sloppily sharing time with a bad guy trying to destroy the world schpeal only without any sort of personality.
The first act of the film is actually kind of okay but it quickly falls apart into a dull emotionless crap-fest that seems like it can't wait to get to the end and be over with.  There's absolutely no chemistry between the four core characters, the villain means next to nothing to the big picture and it lacks any sort of humor, fun or spirit that makes the MCU films so much fun.
Even Stan Lee couldn't have been bothered with his obligatory Marvel films cameo.

1 power outage out of 5

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES [2014]

Matt Reeves steps in as director for the second of  three prequels to the Planet Of The Apes series, in the hilariously lengthy-titled Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.
Set 10 years after Rise, things are dire and beginning to resemble the world we're familiar with from the originals so don't expect any cheers 'n smiles here.  Surprisingly this film rise high above the first with it's emotional depth, intelligent storytelling, nail-biting tension and ambition to worthy of it's early predecessors.  The special effects are beyond phenomenal as nearly 99% of the time I forget these weren't even real monkeys I was investing my emotions and thoughts into.  Those eyes.  Holy fuck.  They finally got CGI eyes right.
Not only is this film a good, riveting sci-fi summer blockbuster, it's a thought-provoking emotional tale that is easily one of the best films of the year.

4 Black Holes 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

Control (2007)

Anton Corbijn makes up for that awful Joy Division video he made in ’88 by giving us a beautifully lit, sumptuous monochrome biopic of singer/poet Ian Curtis' short but affecting life. Everyone involved gives it credibility and an intense but never forced integrity. Corbijn’s masterpiece.
The cinematographer deserves a mention, Martin Ruhe take a bow.

5 wasp-swatting dances out of 5

RocknRolla (2008)

Guy Ritchie crime thriller set in London. The criminal underworld, the property market and the music business clash, while a couple of likely lads find themselves a part of the pot stirring. It’s cruelly funny in places, which was a nice surprise. Mr Shouty Butler was really good, the only time I've ever enjoyed watching him do anything other than die. Ritchie's films are always beautifully edited, but he needs to learn to hire more ruthless people, much of this could have been chopped and it would've made for a tighter film.

2½ back of the hand out of 5