They Will Kill You (2026)

As anyone who has been keeping track of my movie viewings will know, this is the reason I recently revisited Why Don't You Just Die! I had enjoyed the trailer for this movie, and wanted to see how director Kirill Sokolov would do with macabre fare that seemed to be aimed at a more mainstream audience (aka his English-language debut). The verdict? He doesn't do a bad job. I wouldn't call They Will Kill You great, but it certainly has one or two moments of greatness in it.

It's a familiar tale, at least on the surface. A group of rich and powerful people need to kill someone in order to retain their status. They're all inhabitants of one large building, and Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) is the new housekeeper who ends up being their new target. Asia has a hidden agenda though, and she's also very good at staying alive while dealing savagely with anyone silly enough to attack her.

Co-written by Sokolov and Alex Litvak, this may have underperformed at the box office, perhaps due to how close it was released to what seemed a very similar film (Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come), but I hope people will give it their time at home. There are a couple of twists and turns that make it much more fun than expected, and the violence on display is often as entertaining and inventive as it is savage and bloody.

Beetz is a very good lead, easy to root for and easy to believe as someone capable and deadly. It helps that the ensemble cast also includes Patricia Arquette (dubious accent choice and all), Paterson Joseph, Heather Graham, Tom Felton, Angus Sampson, and the voice of James Remar. There are many others too, including Myha'la, playing a character who provides the main motivation for the leading lady. Not everyone is at the same standard when it comes to the performances being delivered, but those who add to the fun far outweigh the few who don't.

I admit to not being won over by this from the very beginning. It seemed like it was a half-baked idea that would barely hold my interest for half an hour, let alone a full 94 minutes. The first couple of twists and turns were executed well enough to perk me up though, and then I was delighted by some superb gore gags and wonderfully-choreographed fight scenes until the curtain was pulled back for a final act that keeps delivering more of the same, but also adds even more insanity to the mix.

Sokolov proves himself as someone to absolutely keep an eye on. He has a great sense of the cinematic, is able to create stylish mayhem on a relatively low budget, and accompanies his visuals with some appropriately driving soundtrack choices. I may have been keen to see this, but I'm just as keen to see whatever he ends up doing next. And I wouldn't be disappointed if it was some contrived sequel to this. Maybe titled They Will Still Kill You. 

7/10

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Boyhood (2014)

Boyhood is a film that took around twelve years to make. Written and directed by Richard Linklater, the central idea IS that timespan. But if that was the only thing making the film worthwhile, a central gimmick that could have just as easily gone horribly wrong, then it wouldn't have been quite as well-received as it was. Thankfully, Linklater assembled a fine cast, came up with some interesting obstacles for his characters to overcome, and ended up creating something that runs for 165 minutes while never outstaying its welcome.

Ellar Coltrane plays Mason, the boy whose life viewers are invited to watch over an extended period of time. He's living with his mother (Patricia Arquette) and sister (Lorelei Linklater), enjoying occasional visits from a father (Ethan Hawke) who was AWOL for a sizable chunk of time, and finding out about life. That's really all there is to it. As the title lets you know, this is about boyhood.

Linklater has always been a writer-director able to create entertaining movies around a core of recognisable truths. That talent is invaluable here, helping the movie to stay far away from the pile of navel-gazing pretentiousness that it could have been. Boyhood pretty much allows you to take away from it as much, or as little, as you want to. There's plenty of drama, and many scenes that people can accuse of having "nothing happen", but there's also plenty of humour, plenty of warmth, and a number of key moments that people will be able to identify with.

Coltrane does well in the central role, which is essential for a film revolving so much around his character. He's not the best actor in the world but, crucially, he always seems quite at ease and natural in front of the camera. Lorelei Linklater isn't quite as naturalistic, although she's perfectly fine in her role. Arquette and Hawke both seize this unique opportunity with both hands, delivering performances that serve as great reminders of their considerable talents. Marco Perella and Brad Hawkins have the unenviable task of portraying flawed men who end up in Mason's life, and Zoe Graham is a young girl who provides him with his first bout of heart trouble (in terms of love, not any medical issue).

I could go on and on about this film. Almost every scene provides some kind of cinematic pleasure. Is it perfect? No. Some of the characters are slightly overdone (especially the one played by Perella), the last half hour feels disappointingly, although perhaps also inevitably, anti-climactic, and the soundtrack, as good as it is, often makes each song feel like what it is - a marker for the passage of time. Of course, those minor failings become even more insignificant when considering the ambition of the film. I'm sure most people will consider me picky for even bringing them up.

This is one of the best movies of the year, I have to agree with the many others who have already said the same thing. It's just not THE best.

9/10

http://www.amazon.com/Boyhood-Blu-ray-DVD-Digital-HD/dp/B00MEQUNIW/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1419694445&sr=1-2&keywords=boyhood