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. ***

Bollcrap? #2: Blackwoods (2001)

Uwe Boll directs a anti-drunk driving campaign dressed up as a psychological horror/thriller complete with rowdy rednecks. I actually quite enjoyed this, sure its a little messy and the acting is not that good but it was certainly fun.
The plot concerns a guy traveling to the Blackwoods with his girlfriend to meet her family for the first time, however things seem a little strange and we get flashes to something that may have happened in the past, so there's some intrigue and mystery that's all pretty easy to solve but still interesting to see unravel throughout the film with its little fun twists. The film is also quite well shot with some pretty good cinematography though there is a slight overuse of slow shutter speed shots. Overall the film is entertaining and runs at a good pace and I had a fun time watching it. ***

Bollcrap? #1: Sanctimony (2000)

Uwe Boll is notorious for being a terrible film director, who according to many, has made a few of the worst films ever made. Now I myself have never properly watched any of his films, but have always kind of been intrigued to, so I've decided to finally delve into as much of his filmography as possible and see what I think of his work.
So first up we have Sanctimony which was Boll's first English language feature. Its a very generic and straight forward crime thriller that kind of bland with not much going for it. It features a typical hard nosed detective who drives a Volkswagen Beetle and is tried to catch the culprit in a string of homicides. The film however lacks any mystery or intrigue and stuff just kind of happens in a rather bland way.
The acting is also not good and full of awkward deliveries which is mainly down to the bad dialogue which is sometimes quite laughable with everyone spouting awkward one liners and using cuss words in a forced un-natural way, this also this awkward rough/rapey sex scene which apparently got cut by the BBFC for the UK release for 'sexual violence' though I struggle to think many could take it seriously.
I will say however the visual side isn't bad, the cinematography is pretty decent overall and Boll does his best John Woo impression in the climax with lots of slow mo gun shooting which is one of the best scenes in the film. Overall this a rather flat thriller that's a little fun and laughable in places, but that's about it. **

The Shallows (2016)

Shark movies aside from Jaws can be regarded has one of the trashiest sub genres in films, but every now and then, someone has a go at making one that is genuinely good, which is exactly what the Shallows is. It's a one person survival movie like 127 hours that also  involves a shark and its very very good indeed. These kind films can be hard to get right as it all comes down to the central performance and how you keep it interesting and this film manages to keep things engaging throughout and has a very solid central performance from Blake Lively. The shark is mainly CG but there's also a small use of practical effects which is pretty cool. It also has a very satisfying climax and a nice little layer of character depth and overall it's just really entertaining and well crafted, definitely one of the best Shark movies since Jaws and worth a watch. ****

Nerve (2016)

Nerve is a techno thriller that focuses on the dangers of societies heavy use of technology and social media. It highlights these issues through the films online dare game which is at the centre of the films plot. In the game you either play and do dares for money, or you watch and decide the dares. It's a rather intriguing film with some pretty decent performances but it opts for a pretty safe ending that greatly decreases the films impact. But still is quite a fun 96 minutes with its vibrant neon colours, energy and quick pace which I'm sure will be good enough for it's target teenage audience. ***