Daddy's Home (2015)

When it comes to being the top Dad; the gloves really come off!

When a caring step father Brad Whitaker, trying desperately to get in touch with his step children, has his world turned up by a surprise visit from their biological father Dusty. What follows is a tale of nearly unbelievable one up-man-ship, as the two try to influence and impress their children. By the end, they might just learn the true meaning of family, if they don't kill each other first....

Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg team up for the first time since "The Other Guys" and once again bring uproariously laughter and fair amount of cringe worthy content to the big screen. Farrell is his usual comedic self, with the whacky facial expressions and dead pan delivery of some classic one liners. His portrayal of the desperate to be accepted "Brad Whitaker" is excellent, but at times does leave you wanting to shrink into your popcorn with embarrassment for his character. He plays the role with a feeling and sincerity which we haven't seen since "Frank the Tank" in the delightful "Old School" and it's a side of his talent which is very enjoyable to behold.

Mark Wahlberg seems to be coming up in absolutely everything at the moment and returns for the first time since his Bostonian drawl drew us all in, in "Ted 2". His portrayal of the muscle bound, hardly ever around, "Dusty Mayron" is heart felt and very enjoyable, showing a more sensitive side to his skills and his ability to work seamlessly with child actors. His initial bad-ass attitude, softens as the film goes on and by the end, he will be your favourite character.

Linda Cardellini takes on a very different role than her last outing in "Avengers - Age of Ultron" to take on the challenging task of the motherly "Sara", trying to hold together her new family while the two men in her life try their best to outdo each other. Young Scarlet Estevez brings the cute factor with her role as "Megan" while Owen Vaccaro does some superb work as the young "Dylan". The funniest character by far is "Leo Holt", played by the Mercurial Thomas Haden Church. His portrayal of a radio station manager will leave shaking you head in wonder, as story after inappropriate story rolls off his tongue.

Hannibal Duress, is a lovely surprise as "Griff" and fits in fantastically with both of the leads in this film, be sure to also keep an eye out for a cameo from WWE Superstar, John Cena.

This is a really enjoyable and heart warming film and one which most.....of the family will be able to relate to. You leave the cinema with a warm glow, but also with aching sides from having laughed too much. Well worth the price of admission!

6/10

Krampus (2015)

Be careful what you wish for this Christmas, It may just come true....

An extended family is forced to spend the Christmas break together. Things start badly with a lot of infighting, but when the youngest member of the family destroys his wish list for Santa Clause and stops believing in Christmas, it awakens an ancient being...

A paralyzing snow storm is the perfect setting for the family to discover the true meaning of the festive season. If they can work together, they may just be able to defeat a being, Hell-bent on ruining their Christmas

 A perfect comedic-horror romp, just in time for the holidays. Dark enough to frighten the kids, but comedic enough to allow adults to nervously laugh at things which go bump in the night.

It is a very hard task to mix horror and comedy and make it credible and this movie, fails to really achieve this. The cast; led by easily recognized comedy actor Adam Scott (Tony Engel) - Whose last outing was a very creditable showing the dramatic "Black Mass", he now returns to his favourite genre and although he does well, a more serious role, does seem to suit him better.

Australian actress Toni Collette, does well as "Sara Engel", the long suffering wife of Adam Scott, giving a convincing performance, as the stressed host of a large family holiday gathering.The true star of the show comes in the familiar form of  Conchata Ferrell (Better known to the world as "Berta" from 9 seasons of Two and a Half Men) - Pretty much reprises her role as the very comical "Aunt Dorothy".

Twelve year old Emjay Anthony takes on the biggest role of his young career with the semi-lead as "Max Engel". His disbelief in Santa Clause, starts all of the trouble and he does really well throughout. Austrian actress Krista Stadler, deserves a strong mention for her role as "Omi". Her wise words seemingly going unheeded as the story unfolds, but the rest of the cast learns to listen to her by the end.

The special effects team are the ones who deserve highest praise on this one, creating some very interesting, if somewhat unbelievable festively themed monsters to antagonize the family. This was an enjoyable film throughout, although I found it hard to take seriously with a well known comedian in the lead role.

5.5/10

We Bought a Zoo

When Benjamin Mee loses his wife to illness he relocates his two children and takes on the challenge by buying a zoo!

Hardened journalist Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), loses his wife to illness and after several run ins with his teenage son's school, he decides to take the plunge and move the family out of the city. While searching for the perfect home, they stumble upon a disused zoo, which Mee decides is the perfect way to find himself and try to move on with his life. The problem is, that he knows absolutely nothing about live animal management and also no idea how to handle the zoo keepers who come with the property.

With money running out, Mee needs to make some tough professional and personal decisions as he struggles to keep his family from falling apart and desperately works towards passing the inspection a week before the zoo is meant to re-open. As he comes to terms with his grief, he starts influencing the lives of others and enriches his own to find love in the most unlikely of places...

Matt Damon returns to the talent we have all missed since the days of "Good Will Hunting" and the "Rainmaker", giving one of the best performances of his career as "Benjamin Mee". His grief is real, his emotions raw and touching and his interaction with all of those around him is genuine and gripping. This is the Damon that we all wished would come back after the likes of "The Green Zone" and once again proves that this genius of an actor is best at home in a more serious role.

Scarlett Johansson takes on the role of "Kelly Foster" adding yet another example that she is a fine actress, that should stop wasting her time in the likes of "The Avengers" if she wishes to be taken seriously for the talent that she truly is. She delivers a truly classy performance in the role of a tomboy zoo keeper, and really impresses in this film. I really do hope for more serious roles from this talented New Yorker to finally proves she has what it takes to take her career to the next level.

Thomas Haden Church is superb as the older brother "Duncan Mee", always bringing some lightness to the story, which would be rather depressing without his input, but he brings a delightful softness to this story of loss, keeping the script going with his seasoned aplomb. Patrick Fugit, who will be best known to audiences for his superb performance in "Almost Famous", gives another top showing as the now very grown up "Robyn Jones", let us hope that this will be his return to main stream cinema!

Young Colin Ford, bursts onto the big screen in this one, with his powerful portrayal of "Dylan Mee", giving a performance well beyond his 14 years. His troubled character is central to the entire film and his subdued emotion after losing his mother is awe inspiring. He is one of the true stars of this piece and hopefully this will catapult him to the level at which his talent belongs.

By far the brightest star in this film is also the youngest, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, playing the role of "Rosie Mee" to follow close in the footsteps of her role in "Footloose". At seven years of age, this actress, with the face of an angel and the eyes that will melt your heart, has to be one of the most exciting talents to emerge since the rise and rise of Dakota Fanning. Her character is deep and emotive, while still possessing loads of innocence and and the child like quality which for too long has been missing in films. She is a truly superb actress and can only get better as the years go on. I am excited to see her next film and hope she lives up to the potential shown in this one.

Ironically it is the younger sister of Dakota Fanning, Elle, who also shows great talent in this one as the farm girl "Lily Miska", following her role in "Super 8" and again brings a lot of confidence that she can only get better with each film.

This is a truly special movie, it is heart breaking in places, funny, but also inspiring, and the fact that it is based on a true story, makes this film even more amazing. You will laugh, and you may well cry, but you will walk from the cinema, knowing you have seen something awesome!

8/10