Seth Rogan is Mac Radner who along with his wife Kelly (Rose Byrne) are struggling to cope with their new parenting role and letting go of their youthful, exuberant, partying ways and becoming responsible adults. Their situation isn’t helped when the Delta Psi Beta fraternity set up off campus in a house next door and begin to party as fraternities know how to best.

Initially the Radners try to appeal to the leaders of the fraternity Teddy (Zac Effron) and Pete (Dave Franco) and initially it’s quite amicable as Teddy agrees to keep things low key as long as Mac deal with the directly and does not involve the police. The Radners are quite happy with this set up and even partake in one of the parties but it’s not long before the noise levels are just too much to ignore and the police are called. This only makes the situation worse and what then occurs is a battle of wills as the Radners try to force the powers that be to see what the fraternity is up to why dealing with increasing levels of antagonising from Teddy leading to all our war at the fraternities massive end-of-the-year party.

You generally know what you’re going to get with Rogan in a lead role and there’s nothing new here however the interaction with both Byrne and Effron works very well and he is perfect as the guy who still loves his old life but is doing his best to become a good parent. Byrne is possibly even more central to the plot as she pushes Rogans further and further into taking Effron on blow for blow. Effron does what he does best as the self centred head of house who loves nobody more than himself but is the weakest of the trio in terms of his plot and script.

In the end all the pieces are there for a good comedy movie. Director Nicholas Stoller has already given us Forgetting Sarah Marshall and get him To The Greek so he’s a great fit for this story and it all comes together to gives us a funny, if not hilarious movie, which you will laugh at but is still a repeat of the same gags we’ve seen from Rogan before with very little new material and unfortunately most of the best parts are shown in the trailer.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Chris Pine stars as Jack Ryan in a reboot of the character that has already been played by Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin. With no link to any of the previous movies Pine is studying at the London School of Economics when the 9/11 attacks occur which acts as the motivation for him to sign up for the US Army leading to his placement in Afghanistan. It is during one mission where his helicopter is shot down that he ends up in a army medical hospital convalescing and meets Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley) who is assisting with his recovery but in a Florence Nightingale like spin they end up falling in love. Pine is also approached by Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) who wishes to recruit him for the C.I.A as an expert analyser once he recovers.

We cut forward ten years and Pine is working undercover in Wall Street when he notices some irregularities in the market activity which suggests that there are large sums of money disappearing from certain accounts which are all linked to a Russian tycoon Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh), so Pine is sent to Russia under the guise of carrying out an audit to probe further and from there Pine needs to dig deep into his previous training and transform himself from pen pusher to actual spy where he uncovers a far more sinister plot being developed and when Cathy unexpectedly arrives in Moscow and discovers who Pine really is he she nearly blows his cover which only complicates things further.

Despite the jump from desk to field agent being a little far fetched the movie does a decent job or developing a Cold War style thriller which nods to both the James Bond movies of the late 1960’s and more modern movies such as Mission Impossible, in fact Pines undercover infiltration on Cherevins premises would sit right into any of those Tom Cruise movies.

Pine is fine as Jack Ryan but it’s hard to stand out when inevitably compared to the previous guises as the character. Knightly initially seemed a little out of place but once the action switched to Moscow she grew into the role more. Costner was believable as the C.I.A agent who assists Pine across the globe but it was Branagh who both acted and directed that looked like he was enjoying himself most with a completely over the top performance which was a great throwback to classic villains.

In the end the film falls back into the old action movie tropes that have all been done before but the middle section of the movie is worthy of a stand alone mention and if you enjoy the Mission impossible movies then, while not quite up to the same standard, there’s enough here for you to enjoy.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Ricky Gervais stars as Ian Finch, a radio sound engineer who  acts as an assistant to station lead reporter Frank Bonneville (Eric Bana) who’s confident swagger often gets him stories before other journalists but he is not a particularly nice person, speaks down to his colleagues and ignores his boss Geoffrey Mallard (Kevin Pollack) who tries to keep him in check.

When news arrives of an uprising in Ecuador, Bonneville bullies his boss into sending him to the action and Finch is the compatriot who draws the short straw and has to accompany him. On the way to the airport Finch loses the tickets and passports so while he and Bonneville are sitting in a local Spanish restaurant they decide the best course of action is to fake the news report using some clever sound work and Bonnevilles talent of making up lies on the spot.

This works well enough until the situation in Ecuador takes a turn for the worse, mainly down to the lies they are creating and the pair are ordered to check into the US Embassy in Quito for their own safety. When they realise that they have no chance of doing so, they decide to fake their kidnapping to buy themselves some time. As one lie leads to another and with Finch’s wife Eleanor (Vera Famiga), who actually couldn’t give a damn about him, drumming up a rescue campaign to make money and gain her fifteen minutes of fame in the limelight Finch and Bonneville have to try and smuggle into Ecuador and report to the US Embassy claiming that they manage to escape their captors and during this escapade they are actually captured by Ecuadorian drug runners.

While the premise sounds great the film suffers from a lack of realism, is it plausible that this could occur, unlikely but possible, but the film spends too much time on the two leads sitting on a sofa killing time until the next report is due, which leads to a lot of drag in the movie speed. Even after they travel to Ecuador there is still a farcical feel about the who thing so the real kidnapping never feels dangerous or particular interesting.

Yes, there’s plenty of satire about how gullible the TV watch public can be, a few laughs here and there and a good concept for a film but when Famiga is the best part of a movie where she should only be a bit part player it shows how this movie missed the mark. Let’s hope that Gervais can bring the laughs more freely in the upcoming David Brent movie.

DJ Speaks rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Davis Mitchell an investment banker who’s wife Julia (Heather Lind) is killed in a car accident from which he escapes without a scratch. While in the hospital he uses a vending machine which takes his money without giving him the goods and he writes a complaint letter to the manufacturers which becomes almost confessional in content. Davis is struggling to come to terms with the passing of his wife but rather than being overcome with grief Davis can’t understand why he is feeling no grief which makes him begin questioning his own life and thoughts. His father in law Phil (Chris Cooper) is concerned and advises him to try and break down his life and examine it advice which Davis takes far too literally as he starts to dismantle his, and others if he can get away with it, material possessions to find out how they work in the  hope that it will give me some guidance as to how to find out how he ticks.

In the meantime he finds some solace in the letters to the vending company so he continues to put this thoughts and feelings down and sends the letters on a frequent basis to the customer service department, that is managed by Karen (Naomi Watts) who is touched by the honest outpouring of emotion she is receiving on paper and decides to reply. Karen has her own issues that she is struggling to cope with so they begin a relationship that makes them both rethink their concept of friendship but it’s Davis’ relationship with Karen’s son Chris (Judah Lewis) who finds a father figure of sorts in Davis despite, or perhaps because of, Davis’ unusual take on life’s expectations and he becomes a willing accomplice in the deconstruction of Davis life, that serves as the most interesting piece of the movie.

Part drama, part black comedy the movie is held together by Gyllenhaal’s ability to switch back and forth between both without ever looking like he is amending his performance which elevates the film into more than it is. Far funnier than I thought it would be given the material it reminded me a little of Silver Linings Playbook but it never reaches the heights of that movie. Credit can be given that it does not try and hit the usual drama clichés but attempts to do something different, unfortunately it fails in most cases but don’t be fooled by the trailer, there is enough humour in the movie to keep you entertained and Gyllenhaals performance, as always, is worth a watch alone.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Dev Patel stars as Srinivasa Ramanujan a self taught, Indian mathematician who’s work in the field of number theory during the era around World War I resulted in the discovery of a number of new ideas in the area of mathematics. This movie is the tale of his initially attempt to get his ideas discovered, his trip to England to work with theorist GH Hardy (Jeremy Irons) and the struggle both men faced to have Ramanujan ideas accepted.

Very similar in parts to both The Imitation Game and A Beautiful Mind but without the lead actor to drive the movie. Patel does a decent job as the overawed young man being dropped in at the deep end but there is only so much to be gained from shots of him running with his new ideas on paper and this role lacks the heart of the performance he showed in Slumdog Millionaire while his relationship with his wife Janaki (Devika Bhise) never has the impact that the situation should have brought to the screen. It is Irons who stands out and his dry humour will have you chuckling while his characters development from doubting teacher to partner and friend is the best, and most believable, part of the movie with Toby Jones turn as John Edensor Littlewood also worth a mention, even if his part is a lot smaller.

It’s a typical tale of the new kid in town, initially ostracised by most who eventually wins people over against the odds and credit must be given to the fact that they didn’t try and dumb down the movie by trying to use exposition to explain the theories and by actually filming in and around the college the atmosphere of the movie feels in keeping with the time. It is just a case that for every scene which works there are many others that don’t and the really clever ones such as the exchange by Hardy and Ramanujan about the special fact that cab number 1729 is a very special cab because it is the smallest possible number that is expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. (I’m taking their word for it) are lost among the rest of the film so it feels like there was a lot of potential with the story of Ramanujans obvious genius that was left unexplored thus the film fails to elevate itself above the many other fish out of water tales which have preceded this one.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Indian thriller movie, starring the king of Bollywood (Shah Rukh Khan) in a dual role about Gaurav Chandna who is a look alike and die-hard fan of Aryan Khanna (both played by Shah Rukh Khan). So when Gaurav wins local popidol type contest he used the cash prize to go on an expedition to meet his idol. Unfortunately upon arrival at his idols house he realises that he is just another fan in the thousands that gather around Aryans home so when he sees one of Aryans rivals, Sid Kapoor, speak out in the media he decides to get his idols attention by gate crashing his way into Sids film shoot, ties him up and forces him to apologies to Aryan, this video goes viral and a horrified Aryan has Gaurav quietly arrested where he berates him for his actions and sends Gaurav home with his tail between his legs. However, Gaurav does not take this lightly and goes home to plot his revenge against the man that he has spent his life imitating and idolising so the movie then becomes a jet setting ride of Gaurav prodding deeper and deeper into Ayrans professional and personal life in increasingly disturbing levels of volume which begins to unhinge Aryans life both on and off screen which in turn leads Ayran to take measures into his own hands and fight right back.

It’s my first step into Bollywood movies so I do not have a lot to refer this film against but I found myself looking past the subtitles and slightly overlong running time and enjoyed the excellent dual acting of the star, some very good choreography during the fight and chase scenes and the cautionary tale of whether the man makes the fan or does the fan make the man comes across very well.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Idris Elba stars as Sean Briar, a CIA agent with a troubled past who is stationed as a member of a surveillance team, in Paris in the midst of a growing level of violent activity toward the government by an anarchistic cell based in the city. Part of this gangs agenda involves planting a bomb in the offices of the French Nationalist Party however this does not go to plan when the bomber Zoe (Charlotte Le Bon) has a change of heart and decides not to go through with her mission as she believes innocent people will be hurt which was not part of the plan. This coincides with a chance encounter she has with Michael Mason (Richard Madden who it was nice to see in a role other than Robb Stark on Game Of Thrones) an expert pickpocket who steal her bag, along with the bomb, takes the valuables and ditches the remains of the bag which explodes a few moments later and kills some people.

Mason has to go on the run but at the same time he is being tracked by both Briar and the left wing gang who owned the bomb. Luckily for Mason it is Briar who locates him first and while being interrogated in a ‘safe house’ they are disturbed by members of the left wing gang and after some nice fight scenes it becomes apparent that there is more to this gang than meets the eye, so Mason and Briar need to team up in order to track down Zoe who is the only link for some information on the gang who are trying to kill them and once they do so it becomes apparent that this gang is not just a politically motivated crew and they have links to the police force.

This movie is essentially a buddy cop film (although one of them is not a cop) with the loose cannon policeman doing things his own way, with some good one liners, plenty of action and a half decent twist that, unfortunately, is a little predictable. Plus, I don’t know if it was just me but every time I looked at Victor Gamieux (Jose Garcia) the head the French Ministry of Homeland Security, I thought I was looking at a slightly older Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

The big plus in the film is the chemistry of Elba who commands the screen and fights his way through scene after scene and Madden as a fish out of water, almost comic, foil who shows his worth in the end and they both look engaged in roles that could have otherwise been bland. After watching this I think it would be great to see Elba given a chance at the James Bond role as he could do a great job as a moodier Bond such as the one we’ve recently seen in Casino Royale or Skyfall.

While it’s all been done before by this is a decent action movie which will keep you entertained and amused but won’t set your world alight.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

The 5th wave is another of the ever increasing number of films aimed at the young adult market being released and is taken from a novel by Rick Yancey. It stars Chloe Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan a run of the mill teenage girl who’s life of worrying about school, friends and boys is irreversibly changed when she is thrust into the role of a survivor of an alien invasion which comes in the form of five waves, first an EMP type attack which leaves all electrical devices useless and removes all forms of communication, secondly a giant Tsunami which wipes out all coastal cities, thirdly a variation of the Avian Flu which kills most of the remaining population, fourthly alien patrols which pick off the few remaining survivors which leaves the pending fifth wave to complete the job.

Cassies mother is killed during the third wave so she sets out with her father and brother to find a local refugee camp and it’s while they are located here that the army appears and Leiv Schreiber shows up as Colonel Vosch explaining that the aliens have found a way to infiltrate humans so all survivors are to be taken to a nearby military camp where they will be screened and protected as the human fight back is underway. However the aliens have only managed to copy adult humans and not children so all kids are to be transported in advance. This does not go down well with the survivors and Cassies father, along with most of the rest of the adults, is killed in the ensuing melee, she is also separated from her brother and left stranded and alone while the other children are taken off and put through a boot camp in order to prepare them for the fight back.

The main the issue with the movie is that, once again, we are asked to believe the all survivors are good looking teenagers who act smart one minute then lose all reasoning when a member of the opposite sex turns up and the hormones are turned all the way up to eleven and despite the lack of amenities they all still seem to be able to look their best at all times. However on the flip side I liked the premise and the spin that was taken on the invasion, some of the apocalyptic sets are excellent and would stand up to most big budget movies and the CGI is good so perhaps this movie suffers from taking a step too far in taking material from a novel and instead of staying true to the material it tries to make it fit with the usual Hollywood clichés as it feels like a lost opportunity.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Based on a J.G Ballard novel from the 1970, High Rise is a dystopian tale of the effects on social class and human nature while in the confines of a ultra modern high rise building and stars Tom Hiddleston as Robert Laing a neurologist who moves into an apartment on the 25th floor and is soon befriended by free spirited Charlotte (Sienna Miller), his neighbour above and documentary filmmaker wannabe Richard Wilder (Luke Evans) who lives on the lower levels with his brood of children and heavily pregnant wife Helen (Elisabeth Moss).

Laing is also extended the pleasure of meeting the buildings architect Anthony Royal (Jeremy Irons) on the penthouse floor who explains the setup of the building in terms of the floor layout and amenities, he also outlines how he wanted the building to be a crucible for change and a grand social experiment. It’s during this period that he also spends some time mixing with the more affluent members of the upper floors but realises that he has nothing in common with them and drifts back to socialising with the people on his own and lower floor.

It is not long after this that Wilder becomes more and more frustrated with the treatment he, and the other members of the lower floors, are receiving as they have to deal with power cuts, broken lifts, minor food restrictions and cordoned off areas that the higher floors do not have to deal with. This escalates and Wilder becomes a figurehead for the lower floors as they begin to fight back against what they believe to be tyrannical treatment from Royal and his upper floor friends so what begins as protesting and demonstration soon descends into full scale madness as the power cuts and food shortages become more frequent and drastic. Soon the whole building is in the throes of an internal civil war, with murder, rape, drug taking and general violence all becoming the normal state of play as the whole building descends into one long orgy of violence, sex and partying with the upper floors living a lavish lifestyle to absurd levels of aloofness to the situation, that in essence they created, which is creeping towards them unstoppably. While Laing initially tries to abstain from this madness he is slowly drawn into things as the lower floors see him as a gateway to access Royal and the upper floors see him as a pawn to try and control Wilder and his followers and he is increasingly pressurised on both side until he too snaps and joins the anarchy of the situation.

Some of the problem with the movie is the amount of secondary characters who drift in and out of the movie but don’t really add anything substantial to the occurring events so you have cuts to characters who haven’t been developed properly and take away from the main players in the ongoing struggles. Also, while Laing is the middle of the struggle, on the middle floor and is, presumably, supposed to be representative of the audience as the middle ground everyman, given his job and social life he is a long way from the everyman who will watch this film so in essence there is no empathy towards his plight which leads to a state of apathy towards all of the characters and the movie in general. It’s probably more the character of Wilder who gives a closer to accurate portrait of today’s everyman, at least until his descent into madness, in terms of his standing in social structure.

There are a lot of similarities to the 2013 film Snowpiercer which was also about class war but based on a train instead, although that movie showed the classes in a more open and divided way and didn’t have as many dream sequences, but there are also moments in this movie when it echoes the anarchy of A Clockwork Orange and even the social breakdown of Lord of The Flies so while it’s far from being a bad movie, as it still had me thinking long after I had watched it, I’m still not sure if this is a satirical look at how easily human nature can be sent back to primeval ways through the loss of basic amenities or if it’s a thriller based on how the human psyche can be manipulated by pressing the right buttons at the right time or, after watching the final scenes, whether it’s all just a dream or not.

Don’t let that last paragraph put you off completely, there is some fantastic use of symbolism and metaphors all through the film, the score is excellent, in particular the use of the ABBA hit SOS but done with an unnerving twist by Portishead and the 1970’s feel of the movie is great so if you enjoy a movie that gets you thinking and is a bit off center then you will enjoy it as it certainly opens up many discussion topics, but it’s not an easy movie to watch so make sure you are in the right frame of mind for this otherwise you’ll just end up hating it and won’t give it the time is deserves.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10