Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

One of the most beautiful films of the year and Laika's best film they've made so far, Kubo is a wondrous and totally compelling experience, featuring some incredible stop motion animation, that is utterly stunning and  awe-inspiring. Laika are clear masters of this craft and its something I'll always adore. The animation combined with some top notch voice acting and a story ripe with emotion, excitement and a heartfelt message, makes this a really great film and probably one of my favourites of the year. I was just hooked from the get go and it never let up, great stuff. ****1/2

Don't Breathe (2016)

Here's a tense home invasion thriller that is super good.  The film is directed by Fede Alvarez whose previous film was the Evil Dead remake and he actually made Don't Breathe in response to the criticism he received from Evil DEad and fair play to the man he has done a great job of proving himself. He's managed to create a very gripping experience, one that is filled with twists and tension and very solid acting across the bored with Stephen Lang playing the role of a blind war veteran perfectly.
The visual Aesthetic was is also very good including the cinematography which includes a great use of steadicam and lighting, with particular praise to one scene thats played out in total 'darkness'.
All in all this was a great horror thriller that utilises many of the genre tropes in its own interesting way and I highly recommend it.

Morgan (2016)

Ridley Scott's son makes his directorial debut and it's a pretty solid one at that. A sci-fi film that bears similarities with Ex-Machina (thought not as good) and has clear influences from his fathers work. The film is an engaging piece with some solid acting that lightly touches on the complex morals and questions regarding artificial intelligence. I say lightly because after fantastic scene involving Paul Giamatti the film loses some steam and turns into a more superficial thriller/action affair that is still rather enjoyable but lacks the same strength and intrigue as its first half, though it does end on a good note. Overall I think this is a well executed movie that is pretty solid and has a couple of great moments scattered throughout it. A good first effort from Luke Scott. ***1/2

Sausage Party (2016)

This balls out and vulgar adult animated comedy might well be my favourite comedy of the year so far (not that there's much competition). It was very funny and highly enjoyable from start to finish and I think what makes it so good, is how the food worlds reflects the real word in an obvious but funny way, rather than just be a random display of nonsense and vulgarity. It just seems like that kind of wacky film I would make except maybe not as crude and obscene as this was, which is sure to put off alot of people. All in all though I thought this was a lot of fun and really liked it alot. A very funny and entertaining comedy. ****

The Purge: Election Year (2016)

The lukewarm film series continues with it's new third entry that is another slight improvement over the previous two films but still nothing great. The story is pretty run of the mill but enjoyable enough and the acting is pretty decent, what brings the film is up though is the little details inhabiting the film's reality, like seeing how different people act on Purge night. Those details always seem to be the most interesting aspect of these films and they are especially intriguing here, its just a shame that the main story and characters don't have the same level of engagement or interest. It does have a nice amount of action though with lots of people getting shot up which is kind of fun. The series is definitely improving bit by bit with every film, so if it continues we may actually get a masterpiece by the 10th film. So all in all this is a pretty decent thriller that deals with timely themes (albeit in a superficial way) and has enough there to keep you entertained for it's run time, nothing outstanding but its fine for what it is. ***