adamscastlevania2

Since as far back as the late 1970's there have only been a handful of strong entries for Bond. The series was lost in the 80's with too little bite coming from the tail end of Moore's output, and too much of it for most people's taste from Dalton's "Licence to kill". Then, like Bond himself, the series then was gone without a trace until a highlight in "Goldeneye" awoke and it was good to have the killer back once again; but it didn't last. The following entries are largely forgettable and nothing more than throwaway entertainment. "Casino Royale" was yet another new clean slate and things looked promising once again, that was until "Solace of shaky cam" got rushed out and hopefully for the last time pulled the spy toward being nothing more than a Bourne wannabe. Now though things are looking promising, and all I can say is it's about time. Sam Mendes has driven the series back on form with two of the better entries in decades. This like the great "Skyfall" has what's needed to make a good Bond film. It has the action, the style, the fun, the locations, the women, the bad guys, with sheer bags of quality to back everything up. This doesn't top "Skyfall" which would have been hugely difficult, but it gives Bond something he hasn't had for far too long: A strong back to back big hitter.

(85%) A wonderfully handsome Gothic horror that may not be the most scary film ever made, but it is by far one of the most visually stunning. The cast is top notch with big names at every turn, but it's by far the look and atmosphere dripping down from nearly every shot that's the most captivating. Even with elements of Tim Burton and Poe, this is very much a Del Toro film with its sharp attention to detail, strong build-up and painful touches of ultra, almost exploitation levels of violence that always seem to shock, yet never spoil the general quality feel. His direction is impeccable as the film and its characters are allowed to breath and have room to move and everything is far from just being a long series of dumb jump scares. There wasn't a great deal of horror released around Halloween 2015 (thanks to Mr Bond) but this will likely be one of the best entries of the year. This level of superbly crafted minute detail is what big screen entertainment is all about.

(68%) A well made space survival adventure that mixes Apollo 13, Castaway and Interstellar in a very watchable treat that marks a lighter entry into Ridley Scott's filmography. The pacing is sharp, the performances from the strong cast are solid and this never becomes anything other than a likable sit. Unlike something such as Castaway the plot is more required to follow both the captive (Matt Damon) and the rest of the cast who's only objective is to try and help rescue him, so there is a fair amount of switching between the two focal points rather than pure Matt Damon in space trying to get by. Without doubt this is a band apart from the lesser films of the year, but I doubt it will top my list mainly because for me it came and went without hardly any lasting impact. So by the end it is enjoyable while it lasts with plenty of heart and entertainment value, but it didn't send as many shock-waves upon me as it did so many others. Nice throwback soundtrack though.