Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Sully: Miracle on the Hudson and Passengers

Despite all the hype, I was rather disappointed with Fantastic Beasts. It seemed to me Ghost-busters meets Harry Potter. There was just nothing original about chasing fantasy creatures around New York. The story and the screenplay left a lot to be desired, sorry JK. Stick to writing books. And Eddie Redmayne, well. He didn't seem to hit the right pitch for his character. That reticent whispering was at times unintelligible which meant I didn't catch all he was saying.

However, it was great to see Alison Sudol. I have been a big fan of A Fine Frenzy for a long time but her strong performance means her music will probably take a back seat, which is a shame. But then I hear she has made a new album. Playing opposite her, Dan Fogler was very good. Director David Yates did his best with the flimsy plot and the costumes and sets were outstanding. But the only chuckles came from some of the antics of the beats. So reasonable fun, but not for me.

I was very impressed by Sully. The way the movie was constructed was remarkable. Thanks to director Clint Eastwood, what could have been a ten minute wonder turned out to be a captivating and perfectly timed hour and a half. Of course, there was no-one else who could have played Sully except for Tom Hanks and he was excellent. Tense and highly enjoyable.

I went to see Passengers on the first day it opened and had not read a single review. As it turned out, I was more positive about the movie than most of the critics. A decent enough story, given the limitations of the plot setting, and an acceptable, if a little too serious, screenplay. Thank goodness for the performance of Michael Sheen as the android bar tender. His lines may have not been that witty, (and we certainly could have done with more) but his delivery certainly was. I would give him the Oscar for best supporting actor just because he elevated the script way beyond what it deserved.

Jennifer Lawrence is always worth watching but the film suffered badly from an amazingly dull Chris Pratt. The lack of chemistry with his co-star was all his fault. A better choice of actor in his role, and I'm certain that the film would have been better received.