Frozen (2013)

Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk
Certificate: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Musical
Awards: Best animated film, best original song

Frozen is Disney's continuation of their fairytales for the new age, following Tangled. This time it's a loose adaption of Han's Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. Two sisters are left isolated after their parents (the king and queen) die and the elder discovers powers she can't reveal to the other.

When it comes to the coronation of Elsa (Menzel), havoc is unleashed and the land is turned into an eternal winter. Annie (Bell), the younger sister goes to bring her sister back, after she flees the kingdom, while also meeting a variety of fun characters.

The main feature of Frozen is its musical numbers which are extremely catchy, yet the story is also incredibly engrossing. All the characters are given a quirkiness we saw in Tangled making them very likeable and entertaining. Although on a closer inspection, the story doesn't make much sense it is a very entertaining, very memorable film that leaves you in a sense of wonderment.

*****Brilliant

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly, Jasper Newell
Certificate: 15
Genre: Drama
Awards: None

Kevin (Miller) is the creator of a high school massacre. Now with him in prison,  his mother, Eva (Swinton), remembers his strange and childhood while also being targeted by the neighbourhood. The film is mostly shown in flashbacks from Kevin's birth to the crime and it is left for the audience whether or not his upbringing or something else was the cause of Kevin's strange nature.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is a genuinely upsetting film with a depressing and horrifying atmosphere throughout. Both Miller and Swinton bring in great performances and even though we know what happens in the finale there are still extra shocks added. The problem I do have with the film is how the families of the dead react as I don't believe that would happen under theses circumstances but then again I'm not an expert on human nature.

*****Brilliant

Calvary (2014)

Director: John Michael McDonagh
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly, David Wilmot, Chris O'Dowd, Aiden Gillen, Dylan Moran, Domhnall Gleeson, Isaach De Bankole, M. Emmet Walsh, Killian Scott, Owen Sharpe, Orla O'Rourke, Marie-Josee Croze
Certificate: 15
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Awards: None

Calvary is another black comedy by John Michael McDonagh, the director of The Guard. Yet Calvary draws more comparisons to his short film The Second Death with its much darker tone. The film follows Father James Lavelle (Gleeson) who has been told during confession that he will be killed in a week to prove a point.

The supporting cast is perhaps the selling point of the film. Almost everyone is a face you probably know from TV (Game Of Thrones, The IT Crowd, Black Books) and who are always cropping up in films as small roles. But it is of course Gleeson who owns the show.  He navigates himself around the despicable people of his village who treat him like dirt while also coming to terms with his imminent death.

Calvary is very dark and often eclipses the comedy with the matters of suicide, rape and murder. Its an engrossing piece yet people looking for black humour may find the lack of laughs disturbing. If you know the actors well, it's also very easy to guess who the killer will be as the voice is very distinctive.

****Good

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Director: James Bobin
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey
Certificate: U
Genre: Comedy
Awards: None

After the muppet's resurrection in 2011, there was always going to be another film. Yet with Jason Segel stepping out, nobody really knew where it would go. What we eventually get is a story about Kermit being replaced by a criminal mastermind so that he can steal the crown jewels with cameos and musical numbers aplenty.

Muppets Most Wanted has some great parts - Ty Burrell's interpol inspector and sam the Eagle almost steal the show - yet it all feels a bit too thinly spread. With all the characters given their own little stories, nobody is given that much time to shine.

However, Muppets Most Wanted is an entertaining and fun film which may not match up to its predecessor but does not fail to keep its audience happy.

****Good

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders
Certificate: 12
Genre: Superhero
Awards: None

Captain America has arguably always been the least interesting of the avengers, being a selfless America loving soldier whose only power is being a bit strong doesn't really cut it when being compared to a norse god or someone who is even stronger.

Now that Captain America is stuck in the present day, he is working for shield so he still feels like he is working for his country. However, Shield hides a dark secret that may compromise the Captain's morals and threaten the world...

From other reviews of this film, I'd have to say Captain America: The Winter Soldier is overrated. It is a decent film but definitely the weakest of the Marvel's phase 2. The identity of the villain is easy to guess as it is the one character we haven't met before while the story becomes very predictable. While the end may surprise people, I'm not sure if it will have any effect on future films as I can't see Marvel going down that road.

****Good