FILM: Spectre IMAX (dir: Sam Mendes, 2015)

"A licence to kill is also a licence not to kill."

Everything about Spectre oozes class on the surface - direction, acting, music score, cinematography - and it is a hugely enjoyable piece of entertainment - and yet there is a nagging feeling that it is slightly less than the sum of its parts.  There may be a sense of settled familiarity that takes off the edge, and the comfortable ease of the film's construction may make the thrills seem less compelling or urgent than in Skyfall, but it does mean that the viewer can wallow in the sumptuous design and cinematography and also admire Daniel Craig's invested and convincing realisation of Bond, the actor's sardonic wit and physicality both playing very well here.  The supporting ensemble is absolutely terrific, from Christoph Waltz's wonderful villainous stillness that invests every phrase with cold menace to immensely watchable character work from Fiennes, Harris, Whishaw, Scott, Bellucci and Seydoux.  The pre-title sequence is excellent, with other set-pieces working fine if somewhat smaller-scale and controlled by comparison.  There is an interesting narrative through-thread from the aftermath of Skyfall that leads to a fair tying together of the preceding three Craig outings and what could be a reasonable resolution to this cycle of Bond films, but with a very obvious set-up for Bond 25 should the producers choose to follow the narrative through logically and unadventurously.  Nevertheless, Spectre sees the 007 franchise still riding high, and Mendes, the producers and Craig should be credited for making another modern incarnation of Bond that is smart, relevant, high-quality and undoubtedly entertaining.

FILM: The Last Witch Hunter (dir: Breck Eisner, 2015)

"Do you know what I'm afraid of?"
"Enlighten me."
"Nothing."

Playing like a more grown-up version of The Mortal Instruments, this film never really rises above adequate, from its mid-range and very variable CGI to its regular and mannered exposition through to its smug hero and unsurprising character-twist towards the end.  A small cast and limited scale of place and action within the film makes it feel curiously narrow, the set pieces are spirited but dialogue scenes are lethargic, and whilst there is lots of thunder and bluster and ominous music, very little engages emotionally.  The ending suggests further adventures, which would perhaps be better suited to TV rather than the big screen on this evidence.

FILM: Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension 3D (dir: Gregory Plotkin, 2015)

"F**k me, Ryan!  Next time I'm just gonna stay at Mom's!"

It is all relative in such as weak and silly franchise generally, but if the first Paranormal Activity was the most 'scary', this fifth and apparently final entry is easily the most fun and enjoyable of the lot.  Following the interesting diversion of The Marked Ones, number five takes us back to the core story, and as the producers promised, it makes a reasonably good stab at giving 'answers' and tying together many - but not all - of the story threads in a surprisingly satisfactory manner.  Bizarrely, this is Paranormal Christmas, which allows the Christianity/demon angle to be played out nicely, the Katie/Kristi story is made very clear, and this particular storyline has an actual end-point (but open-ended enough for a future revival).  What is clear from the outset is that there is a half-decent script with a real structure, engaging actors (unlike the third and fourth films), and a sardonic sense of humour that riffs off the events within the film rather than making the audience laugh at them.  There is a definite sense of growing menace that leads to a fairly rousing finale, and once you get past the gimmick of the 'spirit camcorder' (hence the 3D elements, which actually work in context), The Ghost Dimension provides a much-better-than-expected conclusion to a franchise that has scraped by since the phenomenon of the original film.

VOD: Paranormal Activity 4 (dirs: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, 2012)

 "So?  Did anything happen?"

The fourth annual entry in this thinly-stretched franchise is also one of the weakest.  Saddled with the placing at its centre of two of the dullest 'teenagers' imaginable, a lot of unremarkable dialogue and limply routine jump-scares, the first hour is extremely uninteresting and very little actually happens in order to move the film or the series forward.  A couple of decent ideas liven up the third act, but as this film offers nothing new in terms of terror that the series has not used before, and there is no growing sense of threat or menace - the violent acts towards the end come out of nowhere rather than develop as part of the flow of the narrative - this is an extremely pedestrian and unsatisfying entry in the Paranormal Activity series.

VOD: Clown (dir: Jon Watts, 2014)

"One...more....child....."

This odd little film packs a reasonable punch.  It has many affectionate nods to genre favourites from the 70s/80s with some neat twists on stock characters and scenarios (young children are the graphic target of the horror here) and a deliciously dark streak of humour.  Once you buy into the somewhat bizarre set-up, the movie is played admirably straight, enabling some sound character work from Andy Powers as the demon-possessed father and Laura Allen as his wife, and Peter Stormare plays the what is effectively the Dr Loomis role with a big side-order of ham.  Whilst not earth-shattering, Clown is well-shot, effectively-directed and overall comes across much more strongly than might be expected.

FILM: The Program (dir: Stephen Frears, 2015)

"We are all the authors of our own life story."

This briskly-mounted dramatisation of cyclist Lance Armstrong's rise and fall is captivating in its dazzling mix of visual styles and material, Brit journalist David Walsh's tireless pursuit of the truth behind Armstrong's extraordinary seven-year Tour de France-winning streak, and of course, the central character's remarkable personality and public persona, here so committedly performed by Ben Foster.  Indeed, Foster generates a driven, manipulative and doggedly unpleasant character with such conviction that the extent of Armstrong's power and control becomes truly uncomfortable to watch at times.  Chris O'Dowd adds another very well-judged performance as Walsh to his increasing roster of notable strong supporting roles, and Jesse Plemons is excellent as Floyd Landis, Armstrong's 'abandoned team-mate who proved instrumental in the unravelling of this legend.  Director Frears yet again proves to be in masterful control of his material in this impressive and absorbing film.

FILM: Hotel Transylvania 2 (dir: Genndy Tartakovsky, 2015)

"Nauseated to meet you!"

After some breakneck-speed ellipsis at the start in order to move the action forward from the first movie, this sequel quickly settles into a much gentler rhythm than its predecessor.  With a more scattered storyline and more characters, the movie still delivers for its (very young) target audience, which clearly holds the first film in surprisingly strong affection, even if there are fewer jokes (and fewer that hit the mark), less invention and overall less energy - even the final whole-group number is a shadow the first film's exuberant and well-executed finale.  Thankfully, for a more character-driven story, the stellar voice cast more than delivers, and the casting of Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman as the human grandparents is genius.  It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here.

VOD: Hotel Transylvania (dir: Genndy Tartakovsky, 2012)

"If I stuck my hand in the Invisible Man's mouth, would it disappear?"

Hotel Transylvania is aimed straight at the youngest end of the film audience, and as such it has a surprisingly manic amount of energy which is maintained for long stretches, plenty of visual and verbal gags and a candy-coloured design that pops off the screen.  There are some sequences that are pure (3D) padding - a 'moving tables' scene long outstays its welcome - but the core story about daughter-growing-up and a general theme of acceptance are reasonably developed.  There is a very strong and lengthy roll-call of big names voicing the characters and clearly having fun, with even Adam Sandler making the central figure of Dracula - here an over-protective single parent - an engaging and well-realised presence.  Whilst definitely a mid-range CG animation, Hotel Transylvania is a mildly enjoyable monster movie for the little ones.

FILM: Sicario (dir: Denis Villeneuve, 2015)

REVIEW No. 600!

"I am not a soldier.  This is not what I do."

This understated, tense and absorbing thriller drew scattered applause at the end from the cinema audience, not something that happens often with today's multiplex crowd.  Director Denis Villeneuve yet again builds on his previous winners with this hard tale of an FBI agent (Emily Blunt) drawn into the U.S. Government's murky attempts to deal with Mexican drug-running.  As the audience discovers the characters' true 'objectives' through Blunt's eyes, she gives an extremely sympathetic and invested performance, matched by recent-best performances from Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, the latter in particular keeping secrets close and darting across the moral scale with intense aplomb.  Also immensely impressive is Roger Deakins's wonderful cinematography, with bleached desertscapes, impressive use of scale and a wonderful eye for detail, and a heart-pounding soundscape.  It is rare that an unsensationalised action-thriller can be such a physically and emotionally direct film as well as being morally and intellectually thought-provoking, and the slow-burn approach makes for an immensely satisfying viewing experience.

FILM: Pan 3D (dir: Joe Wright, 2015)

"'Real' should be a rather fluid concept for you right now."

This latest re-invention of the Peter Pan story - a prequel - finally staggers into cinemas and is a severe test of patience.  After a reasonably engaging Oliver-style opening, the trip to Neverland shows a clear resort to visual conceits and on arrival it loses its audience - to the sound of Kurt Cobain spinning - and never really gets it back.  Joe Wright's transparent theatrical stylings almost suit the material this time, but as ever he struggles to create any kind of emotional engagement for the audience.  A re-positioning of the story to World War II is under-explored, there are (un)conscious nods to other Summer juggernauts in familiar visuals and set-ups, and the film is oddly reminiscent of Disney's recent under-performer The Lone Ranger, from blockbuster bloat that swamps the thin material to a runaway pair of (here) ships that lifts the unexpectedly lively finale.  Levi Miller is strong as the boy Peter, Rooney Mara makes a spirited Tiger Lily, Garrett Hedlund appears to be auditioning (reasonably well) for Indiana Jones, and Hugh Jackman's post-Wolverine career in seasonal pantomime is assured.  The 3D conversion is also very variable but does at times enable some beautiful creation of a sense of scale.  Taken as a whole, Pan is wild mix of inconsistent and unfulfilled ideas that does not come off too successfully.

FILM: The Martian 3D (dir: Ridley Scott, 2015)

"So, yeah...I blew myself up!"

The Martian takes a very pragmatic approach to the classic stranded/isolated story, offering a considered and thoughtful rather than sensationalised tone and style.  Ridley Scott is a consummate storyteller and visual poet, equally at home with the sweeping vistas and the intimate personal moments, and also managing to make this film distinct from his other space-set movies to a large extent.  The strong cast is uniformly solid throughout, but this undoubtedly Damon's movie, and as he is such a personable and precise actor, it is very easy to be swept along with his character's experience.  The rather serious and straightforward approach and tone are leavened by some dry and self-deprecating humorous touches and some 1970s pop/disco classics.  It is a lengthy film that mostly holds the interest, leading to a very effective finale and leaving the viewer pleasantly satisfied overall.  Following the actor credits, the first few notes of the song that strikes up over the main end credits raises a smile...

FILM: The Walk IMAX 3D (dir: Robert Zemeckis, 2015)

"I told you I was afraid of heights...."

First, a personal note: I am a grown man, I know how special effects work, and I know what I was watching was fake, but as someone who is not good with heights,  the twenty-minutes night prep/wirewalk sequence in IMAX 3D was actually distressing, and it was interesting to see a sizeable part of the audience shrinking back into their seats and covering their eyes at times.  The remainder of the film is a rather odd mix, however, as one of the most insane true enterprises ever is told in a somewhat whimsical style and in a technical and technique showcase that seems at odds with the very real life-threatening subject.  In these respects, for the most part, The Walk is akin to Scorsese's Hugo but less fitting to its content.  Interestingly, some of the incidental uses of 3D are as impressive as the finale, such as interiors of the circus big-top.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt as wirewalker Petit delivers yet another wonderful character performance, with strong support from Charlotte Le Bon, Clement Sibony and Cesar Domboy as his immediate allies.  The use of The Twin Towers inevitably adds poignancy which delivers most effectively at the end of the film, but in spite of the show-stopping wirewalk sequence itself, as Philippe Petit himself clearly feels, having achieved the feat, the feeling left is something of a curious anti-climax.