Big Hero 6 (PG)

"From the makers of Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen!" claimed the poster as I ambled into a preview screening of Big Hero 6.

Hurrah for them, I thought, doesn't mean it's actually any good...

But the trailer had contained a couple of chuckles, and although it didn't look like it was going to change the world it promised to be an entertaining way to kill 90 minutes.

Sadly it was the promise that was killed. The 90 minutes just dragged.

The story is a simple one - Hiro has lost both parents and is living with his brother Tadashi and their aunt at her cafe in Sanfransokyo (no, me neither).

In a bid to stop the child genius from wasting his time in robot fights, Tadashi takes Hiro to his lab where he discovers science and stuff (because apparently he didn't actually know what his brother did all day).

One thing leads to another, tragedy ensues, lots of people run around, friendships are made, things blow up and several other films are ripped off (or referenced, depending on your point of view).

At the centre of all this is Baymax - the big white puffball you'll have seen on the posters.

Invented by Tadashi as a medical assistant, Baymax is very much the star of the film.

Cute, odd-looking, funny - he's the stuff marketing men dream off and children will love. Which makes you wonder why they take so long to introduce him.

And that's just one of the problems with this film.

Baymax is the heart of the movie, something that is highlighted when he's not on the screen. He provides the warmth and the laughs.

And this film needs laughs.

From the outset (the opening 20 minutes are basically Up) we are told Hiro has lost both his parents, so death is thrown up there nice and early. Which is handy, as it's a recurring theme.

It's as if the makers looked at Bambi and went "pft, they only kill the mum..."

Sadly, death and destruction far outweigh the laughs. To the extent that at least one child was reduced to tears in the final third.

Which would be fine if this wasn't so clearly a children's film.

But the tone isn't even the worst of Big Hero 6's problems.

As well as ripping off Up, Contact and Stargate are thrown in the mix, along with a large slice of Iron Man 3, a cheeky Superman reference and a nod towards The Avengers.

Or G-Force. They couldn't really decide.

Oh, and Gravity. That's in there too.

Somewhere in the development process of this film, someone took the idea of a boy and his brother's robot and got chatting to a bloke in marketing.

And that's where it all went wrong.

What you get is a ton of different films, a super-hero group that aren't named 'til the end (once you've seen this you'll see why that's a problem) and a mashing-up of Japanese and American cultures which does neither any favours.

And then someone else said 'let's do it in 3D'.

So on top of everything else, you get at least three scenes that add nothing to the film but look pretty with the glasses on - but sadly bore the kids, if the shuffling around me was anything to go by.

Apart from all that, though, it's not bad.

I did genuinely laugh at least three times, and when I wasn't spotting film references (even Bullitt gets thrown in) it was quite enjoyable.

If you don't mind all the stuff about death and people dying that is.

Oh, before I forget, this film comes with a short film about a man and a woman and their relationship as told through the eyes of the man's dog.

If you ignore the issue of just taking dogs off the street without first checking if they've actually got an owner, and don't focus too much on all the things you really should never feed a dog, it's quite sweet.

Granted, it does feature a dog welfare message at the end, but blink and you'll miss it. Still, at least it didn't make anyone cry.

The Theory Of Everything (12A)

And so, the new year is underway and as Michael Bay follows the money the worthy and important films are upon us as awards season looms.

This happens every year. You get a slew of quality films until the end of Feb, and then dross before the next big holiday looms.

Hollywood is nothing if not predictable.

And the first 'worthy' film out of the box this year is The Theory Of Everything, the tale of Stephen Hawking - based on his first wife Jane's book.

Which, it's fair to say, gives it an obvious slant.

For the two people left on earth who might not have heard of Prof Stephen Hawking, he wrote two books the re-defined how we think about the universe, time, space and black holes.

He also appeared in The Simpsons. And The Big Bang Theory.

What makes his achievements all the more incredible is that he has been living with Motor Neurone Disease (ALS if you're American) since the early 1960s - when he was told he had two years to live.

As lives go, it's a good one to capture on film.

And it's been captured well. Redmayne is superb as the Professor, his physical transformation over the course of the film being note perfect.

It probably helps that the Professor is such a loved figure around the world, so you feel you already know him as Redmayne first appears on screen.

And you love him throughout this film.

Likewise Felicity Jones as Jane. Granted you know nothing about her at the start, but through what is arguable a career-defining performance Jones brings to life the woman who was at Hawking's side for so many years.

It wasn't an easy life, and Jones is able to bring all of the conflicting emotions and feelings to the screen in such a way you really feel you have come to know and understand Jane.

It's the other characters that are a slight problem.

Stephen's friends and family are nothing more than passing background shapes, briefly brought to the front before being ushered back, and likewise his academic colleagues.

This is clearly a problem with the source material, as the film is taken from Jane's version of events - a point made starkly clear when Stephen's future second wife arrives on the scene.

And these aren't the only failings.

The score is bordering on the twee, there are some seriously clumsy 'this must be love' gazes and a semi-dream sequence towards the end is at best ill-judged.

But such niggles take nothing away from the film as a whole.

Thanks to the two central performances, you become wrapped up in the lives of two people who were - directly and indirectly - to change the way the world is thought of.

The journey from the 1960s - through diagnosis, discovery, children and fame - to the modern day is captivating and beautifully told.

Albums Of The Year 2014

Yeah, I know, this is a film blog - but we have to drive to the cinema you know, and you can't do that without a stereo.

And we have to have music on to write our finely-honed words too. And we walk places. Can't do that without an iPod.

So, what the hell. We're gonna get flack for our film choices this year I'm sure, so let's go the whole hog and have some abuse for our taste in music too...

As always, there were those who didn't quite make the cut, so when you've finished reading this also take the time to check out the latest albums from Linkin Park (going back to their roots a smidge) Slash (his finest guitar work since Appetite), Suzanne Vega (her best in years) and Robert Plant (he just keeps getting better).

You're welcomes.

10) Rise Against - The Black Market

With every album, this lot seem to just grow and grow, and with The Black Market their music became as focused as their message. As always, politics and the state of America are the common themes, but here they carry more punch and weight as the music is given an extra bit of polish.

9) Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye

Described by Mr Petty as probably their heaviest album, while it's all relative it's probably true. But with the heavier guitars and lyrics also comes a groove and a swagger not heard from this lot in some time. And Petty himself has never sounded better.

8) Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues

If you've taken the life-changing decision to stop being the man you were and start being the woman you knew you should be, you're going to have some tales to tell. And so it is with Laura Jane Grace. Having first faced the rest of the band, then the world, Laura and the gang have produced their finest - and most angry - album to date (and a concept one to boot). Full of passion and heart, it needs to be heard by everyone. And played loud.

7) Meg Myers - Make A Shadow EP

At some point, this woman is going to create a full album and promptly take over the world. In the meantime she continues with this, her second EP. And it's another blinder. Desire and Go will rip your head off, while Heart Heart Head will get stuck in your brain for months.

6) The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt

Finally strolling out from the shadow of their friend Bruce, Brian Fallon and friends took us all by surprise when Get Hurt hit our ears. The thinner sound of yore now replaced with a fuller sound with added soul and swing, Get Hurt proved there are many layers to the new heroes of New Jersey. Also needs to be played bloody loud.

5) Half moon Run - Dark Eyes

Released in their native Canada in 2012, then America last year, it has taken far too long for this little gem to wash up on these shores. With lilting harmonies and choruses so catchy they should come with a health warning, this bunch of folky popsters are nothing short of wonderful. They also took Hyde Park by storm last summer. Which was nice.

4) Kaiser Chiefs - Education, Education, Education And War

After bursting on the scene more years ago than I care to remember (or can be bothered to look up), this little band from Leeds seem to get a little bit lost around their third album. An interesting project where fans could pick any 10 tracks and make their own album also floundered (mainly because it was a bitch to actually find 10 you wanted). Then they come back with this. It's everything you've always loved about the Chiefs (big songs, huge choruses, a big grin on your face as you sing along) - with added oomph and pizazz. Welcome back boys.

3) Sinead O'Connor - I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss.

Sinead comes in for some flack now and then, and sure she can come out with some weird shit - but strip that away, and she's one of the finest songwriters kicking about today. Now, having grown up a bit musically and taking a new approach, she has produced possibly her finest album to date. At times haunting, always passionate and with choruses to kill for, I'm Not Boss will be in charge of your stereo for months.

2) Ricky Warwick - When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues)/Hearts On Trees

Once upon a time, Mr Warwick was the frontman for one of Britain's finest rock acts (The Almighty - go explore), then he went solo and proved himself to be an even better songwriter when handling an acoustic. Now, in between Black Star Riders albums, he has spent a short time coming up with not one but two brilliant albums. Not available to the public 'til next year (but Pledgemusic fans have it now), Ricky has recorded some of the finest rootsy rock songs you'll hear for a while. Patsy Cline will stick in your head, If You're Not Gonna Leave Me simply rocks, while Way Too Cold For Snow showcases just how gentle his voice can be. If the mainstream press aren't all over this next year, they're idiots.

1) Pink Floyd - The Endless River.

It was a toss-up between Ricky and Floyd for the top spot, and Gilmour's gang edged it by a nose for the simple reason this album simply shouldn't exist. The band are pretty much no more, people don't buy albums any more and they sure as hell don't buy concept albums that are nine tenths instrumental. So what do Pink Floyd do? Exactly. And it's beautiful. It's the chill-out album you've been waiting for. If this had been produced 40 years ago, it would be hailed a classic. And it deserves that title now, as it lives up to the legacy rather than pissing on the past.

Films Of The Year 2014

As 2015 gets underway with a slew of interesting films, what better time to look back at what 2014 had to offer?

Well, yes, last week probably, but tough - I was busy.

Busy catching up with the films that I'd missed, as you asked, which is just as well as it means the Top 10 we unveiled on the podcast has been ripped up and thrown away thanks to a couple of late entries.

It does mean that four of this year's Top 10 weren't actually reviewed in the normal way, but them's the breaks.

It also means that two other hotly anticipated flicks - Nightcrawler and Boyhood - were happily thrown on the 'ignore' pile. Providing an unusual sense of satisfaction in the process.

There were, of course, other films that came close to the Top 10, but sadly fell short - films like Captain America The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days Of Future Past, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and Blue Ruin all came within a gnat's kneecap of the final count.

But there's no prizes for second place (or first place come to that), so it's time to stop the waffle and start the countdown...


10) The Devil's Bargain
A low budget horror film that has still yet to find a general release (but is available online), The Devil's Bargain was the surprise package of the year. Evoking the 70s Hammer-era both in look and tone, impending Armageddon has never been so chilling. It also made me dig out an old Shooter Jennings album, which was nice.

9) Calvary
Never has the tale of a priest who's been told he's going to be shot been so much fun. Similar in tone to The Guard, but darker and slower-paced, Brendon Gleeson is again superb in the central role. He's not the only good performance, though, as everyone plays their part in making this an engrossing, gripping tale.

8) Guardians Of The Galaxy
Yes, I know many would have this higher up on their lists - and it would have been higher here, but for the other seven. Guardians is great though. Big, bold, brash and oodles of fun from the off, Chris Pratt and co deliver the surprise hit of the summer that leaves you with a big grin on your face. And singing If You Like Pina Coladas.

7) Locke
Sure, 90 minutes of a man driving to London doesn't exactly sound like fun - but it's Tom Hardy. And he's driving to be at the birth of a child he had with a one-night stand. And he's telling his wife on the way. While trying to co-ordinate a construction project. A project he's fired from while driving. It's compelling and gripping and you won't take your eyes off the screen for a second.

6) Paddington
This was higher up the list until a couple of late entries, but this is still the best family film of last year. It has jokes for the kids, jokes for the adults, a bear you've loved all your life, a bath ride down the stairs, a use for toothbrushes that will have you doubled-up with laughter... I could go on, but I'm just making myself want to go and watch it again.

5) The Babadook
Another, along with Locke, that got hoovered up at the end of the year, this low budget horror film will leave you sleeping with the light on. Eschewing the modern trend of 'quiet quiet quiet BANG', The Babadook (about a grief-stricken mother, her only child and a children's book) is genuinely proper scary. Five minutes from the end, I realised I hadn't moved for half an hour and had been holding my breath for at least five minutes. It's just brilliant.

4) The Grand Budapest Hotel
There are lots of reasons why this is so high up the list - first, it's brilliant. B, it's a film geek's wet dream with all the changing aspect ratios. Thirdly, Ralph Fiennes is simply hilarious. And that's not all. This is a film made with a lot of love, the jokes come thick and fast, it rips along at a frantic rate of knots and to top it all it became the number one film in the UK on word of mouth. It actually climbed the chart. And that just never happens.

3) The Imitation Game
Benedict Cumberbatch is on something of a roll at the moment, and here as the war hero Alan Turning he has pulled off one of his finest performances. Gripping, funny, exciting and with an ending that makes your furious (because you can't believe what happened to a man you've come to love and admire), this ought to be hoovering up awards for fun in the coming weeks and months.

2) '71
I actually saw this when it was out, but sadly never got the chance to write the review. Not that I'm sure I could have done this film justice. The tale of a soldier sent to Belfast during The Troubles who gets separated from his unit and has to find his way back to the barracks (crossing battle lines, hiding from everyone, running for his life and hiding from everyone else) left me breathless.

1) Pride
Another of the late arrivals, and I'm gutted I didn't get to see it sooner because I'd have had more time to watch it again and again. Telling the tale of a group of gay and lesbian friends who decided to raise money to support the striking miners in 1984, Pride has you grinning from the off and moist of eye on so many occasions the second half of the film was a tad blurry. Hilarious, moving, inspiring and with a crackin' soundtrack, this British gem has the lot and deserves to become an instant classic.

Boyhood (a moment, if you will...)

I know the rule at Unsalted Popcorn is to review the new films as soon as possible, and as soon after viewing as possible - but sometimes a film comes along that's worth breaking the rules for.

In attempting to put my films of the year together I've been catching up on the few that slipped through the net but that I really, really wanted to watch.

In the short list was Boyhood - described near-universally as simply breathtakingly brilliantly wonderful and accruing a score of 100 on Metacritic and 99 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now, contrary git that I am, as a rule of thumb I tend to walk away from such films. Everyone telling me I MUST see it makes me look the other way.

But something told me that Boyhood was actually one such film. For once, everyone else was probably right and I had to see it.

And I'm glad I did.

Because it's seriously tedious.

Directed by Richard Linklater (he of the stunning Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight films), the idea was to watch people growing up.

And by people, we're talking Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his sister Samantha (Linklater's real actual daughter Lorelei), mum (Patricia Arquette) and dad (Ethan Hawke).

The film was put together over a 12-year period, with filming taking place every year as lives went on, marriages crumbled, step-dads came and went, schools were changed etc and so on.

You get the idea.

Granted, on paper, this sounds like a great idea. In the same way waterproof phones that mean you can play Candy Crush in the shower sounds like a great idea.

But the reality is something else.

For a start, people don't really change that much year on year - so you need some clever device to labour the point that this is now another year.

Not for Linklater the clumsy, old-fashioned, on-screen captions. Oh no.

Far better to pointedly stare at some cultural reference, or shoe-horn in some clumsy dialogue to show where we're at in the film (you bought the house cheap because of a foreclosure you say?).

Essentially what we get are a series of close-ups of the latest gadgets, games consoles, mobile phones etc to show the passing of time.

And Linklater actually has to make such a point of staring at an iPod docking station, or an iPhone FaceTime chat, that the scene gets derailed.

And this happens every bloody year.

That's 12 times.

And then there's Mr Coltrane.

Granted, asking a child to hold a film together on his own is a tad tricky, so you can forgive the early years where he's almost invisible while life's dramas play out around him.

But as he gets older, his lack of charisma doesn't change. If anything it gets worse.

This isn't helped by the fact that NOTHING IS HAPPENING TO HIM.

And I can't stress that enough.

OK, sure, he moves home, survives an alcoholic step-father (something which could have been a dramatic high-point in the film but is treated with the same detachment as everything else), meets girls, discovers beer and so on - but that's just normal life.

And, in essence, normal life is quite dull.

We even get treated to Mason getting all "deep" and "philosophical" at a party during his teenage years.

Have you ever listened to teenagers when they talk like this?

It's something that should be allowed to happen quietly, without adult observation. That way they don't get reminded about it and we don't have to put up with it.

There's also the brilliant scene when Mason and friends go "camping". By that we mean break into a house under construction to drink and spend the night.

All good fun.

Hookers have been ordered too, we're told, but this would be too exciting so we don't get to see if this was a lie or not.

But what this scene shows is just how badly the film has been written, how clunky and un-lifelike the dialogue is.

What would have worked is if you'd just got the gang to improvise. Instead, it's scripted and directed and plays out like a bad school play.

And that's the film in a nutshell.

It's a collection of vignettes, loosely linked by having the same annoyingly tedious kid at the centre of it all, with no actual story to tie the whole thing together.

It's exactly the same as Mr Turner, only Mr Turner had the decency to be well filmed, well acted and funny.

Linklater has garnered praise over the years for his experimental style, for his ground-breaking approach to film-making (yes, I know he made School Of Rock, shush).

But with the Before trilogy, for example, he had characters you loved, he was telling a story, and you weren't trapped for 12 sodding years.

I understand critics go delirious over this, the idea was a great one. But it's no crime to admit it hasn't worked.

The point was made by Mark Kermode that Boyhood is as long as Transformers (and a Hobbit film), but it didn't feel like it.

He's right. It felt longer.

Transformers 4 was terrible, but at least it was so bad it made you laugh.

Boyhood just makes you want to scream.

And it opens with a sodding Coldplay song.

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

As we know, all good things must come to an end - and so, too, must The Hobbit trilogy.

After wowing us and taking over the world with his Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson is finally closing the book on Bilbo And The Trilogy That Should Not Have Been.

We're way past arguing the toss about whether Tolkien's shortest book was up to three films, but if Five Armies shows us anything it's that we were right. It wasn't.

Picking up where Hobbit 2 should have finished, Five Armies' pre-credit sequence is a showpiece of typical Jackson proportions as the town we left last December is laid to fire and waste.

And this bit is quite fun.

After that, there's a battle.

And that's pretty much the whole film.

Sure, there are lengthy conversations on friendship, loyalty, gold that makes you go mad and inter-species love, but these are all really just pauses for breath between all the fighting.

And given that Jackson has proved himself so adept at the epic battle set-pieces, it's a bit odd that this time round the whole thing feels a bit, well, detached.

Maybe it's the ongoing failure to really give us characters we love and care about, maybe it's the effect of trying to just simply do too much, but there are moments here when I was having flashbacks to my Warhammer days.

(For the internet generation amongst you, Warhammer is what we did before they invented World Of War Craft - it was hands-on dice-rolling model fighting-friends fun, rather than staring at a screen and yelling at strangers.)

If you've played the game, you'll know what I mean - but for the rest of you, the huge squares of soldiers are basically how we used to set up our armies back in the day.

Lord Of The Rings never made me think of that.

There are some good points, obviously.

For a start, the whole thing is shot beautifully. And while the odd effect might look just like an effect, the scenery is again so real you could almost smell the snow.

And Martin Freeman is, again, great as Bilbo Baggins.

Throughout these three films, he - along with Ian McKellan as Gandalf - has been the one consistent feature.

He perfectly encapsulates the reluctant adventurer, and through him any emotional pull the film may have is channelled.

Sadly this detracts from the love story Jackson felt the need to create - but this highlights the problem all three films have had.

It doesn't matter what Jackson, Fran Walsh and the other writers created to pad out the story to almost eight hours, they couldn't create anything that had the power and majesty of Tolkien's scribblings.

As a result, the characters don't mesh well.

While Bilbo, Gandalf et al are well formed and rounded, others like Tauriel have seemed flat.

Which is no reflection on Evangeline Lilly's performance, she's more than up to the task - it's just she's not been given much to work with.

Overall, though, the film is just one long battle scene.

And if that's your thing, you're in for a great time - but for the rest of us, the lack of coherent story is a massive failing.

I don't like being negative about the Hobbit trilogy, being a huge fan of the book and Jackson's ast trilogy, but over the three films it's become increasingly clear that this was a bad idea.

One film? Great. Two? Maybe.

But no more.

And I'd forgive Jackson the film's shortcomings if it wasn't for his attempt, right at the end, to tie the whole thing into the Lords Of The Ring trilogy.

You've filmed them in the wrong order, Peter, that's fine. Don't then try and make them "work" if you watch them in the proper order.

And it's that one line (you'll know it when you see it) that ruins the whole film. It makes you realise that, in essence, this trilogy has been created just to set up a trilogy we've already watched.

St. Vincent (12A)

Bill Murray has, in the years since Ghostbusters, gone from great comic actor to the stuff of internet legend.

He famously can never be contacted (and yet has never been busier), he apparently steals people's chips (or fries, depending on where you live), and he buggered off for years to create a whole new acting persona.

What he also did was continue to be brilliant.

After shambling back to us with Lost In Translation - in itself another myth as he'd never actually stopped working - he has cemented his position as one of cinemas finest talents.

A position that will be further cemented (can that even be done?) after St. Vincent.

Playing a miserable old git (of course), Murray's Vincent is a loner who drinks, smokes, pays a pregnant lap dancer for home visits and generally ignores the world.

That is until Melissa McCarthy's Maggie and her son Oliver (played by the stunning Jaeden Lieberher) move in next door.

Then his life changes.

Albeit only as much as he wants it to.

Taking the old faithful 'odd couple' riff and mixing it in with staple 'old and young learn from each other' motif, on the face of it St. Vincent isn't doing anything a thousand films haven't tried to do before.

But the gift here isn't what they're doing, it's how they're doing it.

For a start, Murray is having the time of his life.

Understated as ever, he gets the laughs in early and keeps 'em coming, and when the time comes to bring out the pathos and emotion he delivers in every scene.

What could have been a two-dimensional caricature is fleshed out and made whole by Murray.

He is living and breathing the role of Vincent - and clearly having the time of his life doing it.

It's a measure of how well McCarthy does - and just how damn good Lieberher is on his full-length debut - that neither are overshadowed by Murray's presence.

In fact, in the same way this is probably Murray's finest role, McCarthy has stepped up several notches and shown just how good an actress she is.

We already knew she could make us laugh (you can't blame her for the Mike And Molly scripts), but here she shows she can do so much more, making you really empathise with the daily struggles of a single mum going through a messy divorce.

Lieberher, meanwhile, is one seriously talented kid.

Sharing most of his screen time with Murray, his transformation from shy and gawky Oliver to a more rounded, street-wise and bookie savvy Oliver is as sweet and endearing as it is funny.

He's so natural in front of the camera, he makes Naomi Watts looks like she's acting.

That's not to say her role as the Russian lap dancer cum Lady Of The Night isn't well done, but at times it feels like she's concentrating so much on the accent she's forgotten how to walk and talk at the same time.

Mind you, in her defence her's is probably the least well-rounded of the lead characters. And it doesn't help when a young boy is effortlessly upstaging you.

Of the supporting cast, Chris O'Dowd continues to do his good name no harm as the priest teacher - again understated, getting the laughs without feeling the need to go all Father Ted on us.

Terence Howard, meanwhile, continues to look and act like a man still struggling to understand how he managed to screw up being in the Iron Man franchise.

Howard, Watts and the schmaltzy ending, though, are no reasons to not see this film - their shortcomings are far outweighed by the heart and warmth that flood off the screen.

Yes, you know what's coming.

Yes, there are precious few surprises.

Yes, all loose ends get tied up in exactly the way you'd expect.

In fact, it is what it is.

But none of that is important.

What's important is how this film makes you feel.

You love Vincent from the off, despite all his flaws, and you are friends with Maggie the moment you see her.

And your heart will be stolen by Oliver the moment he mutters "This is going to be a long life".

As I said, the final 20 minutes or so a schmaltzy, but given that it still reduced me to tears I think we can call it good schmaltz.

A film doesn't have to be edgy, daring or ground-breakingly original to be wonderful and brilliant.

It can be, but first and foremost it needs to connect with the audience on an emotional level, so you care about what happens to each character.

And this film will make you care.

In fact it will grab you by the heart and refuse to let go (which is a lot nicer than it sounds, trust me).