Beginning with a scene in ancient Egypt we see En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) using celestial technology to increase his powers to ensure he and his four mutant aides continue to rule however a twist of fate results in him being buried during the ceremony. We then cut to 1983 where CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) is tracing the legend of Nur and sees his re-awakening where he begins his search for his new assistants, also known as the Four Horsemen and recruits Angel (Ben Hardy), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender).

In the meantime Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) is recruiting more students in his school for mutants with assistance from Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and Havok (Lucas Till) which introduces us to Jean Gray (Sophie Turner), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Cyclops (Tye Sheridan). Apocalypse taps into Xaviers mind when he is using the Cerebro machine and so begins a battle for the fate of the planet as Apocalypse wants to destroy the world and build it again where he will rule as master and it is up to the new generation of X-Men to stop him.

There’s a lot of good stuff in the movie, the new x-men characters are brought in well with some decent back stories and I haven’t even mentioned Quicksilver (Evan Peters) yet who, if you thought his scene stealing moment in Days of Future Past was good then you’ll love his main moment in this movie as it is probably the best single scene in any of the X-men films so far and he seems perfect for a standalone movie. Magneto is given some superb development and it’s a great insight into the inner turmoil of the character and Beast finally get a little more fighting to do and shows that he’s not just the brainiac of the bunch.

Unfortunately, with such a large cast, some characters don’t get their due, and chief among the casualties are Psylocke and Angel who didn’t have the impact I expected. There’s been a lot of criticism towards Jennifer Lawrences acting but I think it’s as much a case of her character not being enough of a challenge as much as poor acting as Mystique is not a major player in this film. Also, Apocalypse looked and sounded great, he also showed some great moments of his power yet he felt over reliant on his horsemen and although his goal was clear it was a very long winded way of trying to achieve it.

It was nice to focus more on the mutant vs mutant battles rather than the human vs mutant tales of the first two films however given the extent of the seriousness of the situation i.e. the end of the world with huge loss of life, there was very little time given to showing anything from the human side and even McTaggert, who played such a bit role in the first to films, felt like she was added in to give Xavier a bit more depth and tie the story in with the extended universe rather than adding anything to the movie.

I liked First Class and was a big fan of Days of Future past so I was hopeful that Apocalypse would keep the standard of the X-men franchise high and for the most part it did however, despite some excellent action sequences, clever humour throughout and a good story line it just never quite reaches the same heights as the second movie but it is definitely well worth a watch for any fans of the franchise.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 Out Of 10

A spiritual sequel to director Richard Linklaters 1993 comedy Dazed And Confused. Everybody Wants Some is set in 1980 and follows a group of college baseball players in the three days leading up to the start of term and while on paper this movie shouldn’t have worked as it’s essentially a two hour look at a group of sports jocks lads partying their way through a series of events trying to act more macho than each other, yet the film keeps you interested and invested so you feel like you’re part of the group.

The main character is Jake (Blake Jenner) who not only has to gain acceptance as a freshman but given that he is also a pitcher he has to work twice as hard to gain the trust of his new teammates but given that he is a sports jock he is not short on confidence and takes to the task with gusto and while the group has a good mix of characters who all have their moments, strengths and weaknesses, no one person is bigger or more important than the other as it’s all about the team.

For these guys it’s not about making the big leagues after college, it’s about making the most of being given a chance to experience college life while playing baseball and it’s a win-win situation for them. They roam from party to party with a swagger of guys who don’t have a care in the world and no matter what situation they find themselves in, chasing girls is just an extension of the sport they play and it’s all about getting the win.

It’s a little chauvinistic in places but given the setting I’m sure that was how things went down in that era so nostalgic is probably the best word that can describe the movie. The music is great, the setting feels right with each scene moving the film along without detracting from anything else going on around it and although it may sound weird it a very enjoyable movie where not a lot actually happens yet you still end up with a smile on your face.

Dazed and Confused featured early performances from Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Matthem McConaughey, Renee Zellweger and Cole Hauser amongst others and given the similarities between the two movies it will be interesting to see if the same will be said of this group of actors.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 Out Of 10

In a tale of forbidden love in 1950’s America, that was already paranoid enough with the ever increasing rise of the Communism threat, Carol stars Kate Blanchett who is fighting with her husband Harge (Kyle Chandler) over custody of their daughter when she innocently bumps into Therese (Rooney Mara) while Christmas shopping in a New York department store and while Therese has a boyfriend there is something sparked with the initial business like transaction. When Therese realises that Carol has left her gloves behind in the store she makes it her business to ensure they are returned  and as a thank you Carol invites Therese to her home in New Jersey. It’s from there that things start to develop to the inevitable moment when they can no longer carry on their pretense. However this movie is not about the romance itself it’s more about the effect their mutual attraction has on their lives.

With themes of loneliness and longing running through the whole movie as Therese spends much of her time people watching and torments herself as she sees members of more conventional relationships engage in hand holding, a brush of hair from a face or interaction with their children, all of which she realises she will never be able to do in public with Carol which brings a form of tragedy to the relationship even though it makes her happy. While Blanchett plays the role with such poise that even her innocent actions seem calculated so when she does open up it seems even more raw and out of character. Despite the joy both women gain from the relationship they still feel the loss of not being able to openly show their love for each other so the constant cycle of highs and lows strains their relationship just as far as Harges threats to use Carols sexuality against her in their fight for their daughter.

From beautiful outdoor settings to dingy motel rooms and hotel lobbies there is a fantastic feel of 1950 New York about the movie and when coupled with the excellent acting from both leads and the topical subject matter it’s no surprise that it was one of the most critically acclaimed movies of last year and while I wouldn’t rate it as highly as some there is no doubt that the movie deserves most of the praise.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 Out Of 10

Tom Hiddleston takes the reins as Hank Williams in this biopic of the Country & Western music star. Hiddleston deserves credit for his immersion in the role, singing his own music for the film, and putting on a great southern accent. According to reports he spent months learning to play guitar and practicing with country singer Rodney Crowell and it pays off as he mimics the yodeling styles of Williams excellently. He is joined along for the ride by the ever more impressive Elizabeth Olsen as Audrey his wife, manager and sometimes singing partner.

I couldn’t help to compare the movie to the similar film Walk The Line and this just never reaches the same heights despite being a more tragic tale since Williams was cut down at the young age of 29 after a life of excess where he essentially drove himself into an early grave.

The movie seems to lack real tension or emotion outside the pieces involving his turbulent marriage to the equally strong willed Audrey or when he is performing on stage but I’m not sure if that is down to Williams life itself or director Marc Abrahams interpretation and while first part of the film where Williams finds his feet, hones his talents and forces his way onto the Grand Ole Opry through sheer persistence as well as his obvious talent is intriguing and entertaining the second half then becomes a decline into alcoholism, drug abuse and womanising which, while perhaps accurate, slow the movie down as we essentially watch Williams drifting towards his demise, only interspersed with small moments of interest. While I don’t know a huge amount about the man I can’t say that the movie feels like it does justice to the life of a legend of music.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5 Out Of 10

Meryl Streep, as usual, breezes her way through this performance as Florence Foster Jenkins a socialite in New York’s high society of the 1940’s who believed she was a talented opera singer but was ridiculed for being tone deaf yet she was very popular due to the amusement her singing provided. This movie focuses on her later life as she is shielded from the reality of her delusion by her husband and failed thespian actor St.Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) and ably assisted by her, initially reluctant, accompanying pianist Cosmé McMoon (Simon Helberg)

Bayfield spends all his time shielding Jenkins and ensure that all of her performances are all in front of either paid off members of the musical circles who are more than happy to play the pretence and take the cash in exchange for good reviews in the newspapers, or close friends who are happy to play along with the facade which culminates in her insistence to put on a show at Carnegie Hall for war veterans where Bayfield cannot control the proceedings and thus opens the door for all and sundry to see the realism behind her questionable talents.

While the material may not seem like the most intriguing of subject matter, director Stephen Frear, who previously worked with Streep on The Queen, has put together an enjoyable and sentimental movie which is aided by great performances by it’s three leads who grab your attention and ensure that despite the potential for the film being a bit of a one trick pony there is a certain charm to the movie that you can’t help but be entertained by and despite the main selling point being the comic irony of the situation there is a sub theme which is tinged with a certain tragedy but is handled superbly without ever dragging the story into depressing waters.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 Out Of 10

I still think the original movie is an absolute classic and the crudeness of the Farrelly brother script fit perfectly with the tale of the two idiots Harry & Lloyd however after the awful attempt at a prequel in Dumb & Dumber & Dumberer, which in fairness was nothing to do with the Farrellys, and the numerous attempts that have been made at sequels to classics which have fallen flat on their face in the meantime, it was with some trepidation that I watched this film.

There are some good moments such as when Lloyd Christmas is asked if his surname is based on the holiday to which he replies no, the tree, which would have fit right into the original movie but most of the time it’s a regurgitation of bodily function jokes and general bathroom humour based around a very loose tale of Harry needing a new kidney and finding out he has a long lost daughter who lives in Maryland so a second Harry & Lloyd road trip is required to source this potential organ donor.

Now, I wasn’t expecting a plot or writing which would be making an Oscar shortlist but this really is a case of one step forward and two steps back as each time there’s a gag which hit it is followed by at least two that don’t meaning it’s a stop – start affair that builds your hopes and memories of the classic original only to rip them away by returning to obscurity just as quickly.

Both Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels have shown that they can do serious action with roles in such movies as Terms Of Endearment, The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and The Purple Rose Of Cairo so let’s hope that they both return to serious acting and leave these two characters in the retirement home where they belong, and hopefully I haven’t just given anybody an idea for a third movie.

DJ Speaks Rating: 4 Out Of 10