Lucy

After getting herself caught up in some dodgy deal with a group of Korean gangsters, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) manages to turn the tables on her captors when the drug she is injected with accidentally activates. The side effects dramatically limit her life span but gives her special abilities that make her untouchable.

2014 Catch up part 5

When Nicholas McCarthy's film was originally released at the IFC Midnight film festival it was titled Home - a title that would not look amiss on the DYI channel - but it got the name change to something rather more exciting. At the Devil's Door is Nicholas McCarthy's sophomore effort (his second feature film following the impressive The Pact) and it shows signs that McCarthy is a perfectly capable director as his latest film is a technical accomplishment. The film certainly has its moments, there are some good chills, particularly in the film's superbly creepy opening  and film's refreshingly ambiguous ending but the film's best ideas are taken from more accomplished and better horror films such as Rosemary Baby and The Omen.

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

The Battle of the Five Armies starts off where The Desolation of Smaug ended with Smaug desolating the settlement of Laketown. After the dragon is killed the dwarfs, led by Thorin (Richard Armitage), seek shelter inside the mountain, ready to defend it from any threats that converge on the mountain. Inside the mountain, Thorin is driven mad by the treasures inside, but on the outside five armies are ready to do battle varying to claim to the riches within the mountain. 

Deliver us from Evil

The films starts off in Iraq (not too dissimilar to The Exorcist) as it follows three soldiers who explore an underground tunnel and encounter something not of this world. The action zooms six months into the future where NYPD detective Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) is responding to a 911 distress call concerning a domestic assault. The perpetrator just happens to be one of the soldiers from the prologue, who is swiftly arrested. Following this Satchie responds to the 911 call from a zoo who report that a women threw her two year child into the lion enclosure, the women in question shows signs of strange behaviour. Ralph Sarchie leads the investigation, teaming up Edgar Ramírez's Mendoza, and discovers that the three soldiers brought back something evil and demonic.

Into the Storm

The sleepy small town of Silverton is blissfully unaware of the devastation about to befall them as on the day of the school's graduation ceremony a tornado will strike the town. The film follows three sets of people, four storm chasers tracking the storm, two daredevils who enjoy risky stunts and a stern father and his two boys. A series of coincidences allows the three groups of people to converge as they fight to rescue Gary's (Richard Armitage) son Donnie (Max Deacon), who is trapped underneath a pile of rubble.

2014 Catch up part 4

A homeless man's (Macon Blair) life is turned upside down when the murderers of his parents are released from prison. The man decides to embark on the mission of vengeance to avenge the murder of his parents. Jeremy Saulnier's film was an award winner at Cannes and a hit among the critics, and it quite easy to see why. The film looks terrific, the editing is marvellous and the cinematography is glorious as Jeremy Saulnier expertly creates a film that looks superb. Where the ball is somewhat dropped is the pace, Blue Ruin is a slow burner almost to the extent that it makes it difficult to engage in the character and his quest, however, it is engaging enough to be tense and exciting during the more dramatic moments. The film also lacks some development as his relationship with his estranged family is left malnourished. Macon Blair's performance is effective and film is bleak and hard hitting making Blue Ruin a decently effective revenge thriller but one that doesn't match the critical acclaim given to it.

3/5

Hercules

The legend of Hercules was fiddled around with in Steve Moore's Hercules comics (of which the film is based) as it presents Hercules as mercenary motivated mostly by money and not the supposed son of Zeus who defeated the 12 labors. When Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) is approached by Ergenia  (Rebecca Ferguson) pleading for him to help her father, Lord Cotys (John Hurt), in his fight against the evil Warlord Rheseus (Tobias Santelmann) Hercules agrees to help, but there are more sinister things afoot.