Due to my sudden decision to indoctrinate my little sister by binge watching all the Harry Potter films, and my new-found love of the U.S. Office, the second half of July wasn't very productive in terms of watching new films. The films that I did watch however, range from a 90's classic, one of the front-runners of the 2015 Academy Awards and Pixar's latest gem, all of which had their own strengths and were overall enjoyable to watch.

Dir. Bryan Singer. 1995

To be honest, The Usual Suspects wasn't a film that initially interested me, but on account of the fact that the film is famous for its twist, and I already had Fight Club spoiled for me *sobs*, I decided I needed to watch it before someone ruined it for me. I had attempted to watch it three times previously and fell asleep each time. I finally succeeded in watching it the whole way through, and the story, albeit something I found difficult to follow at first, eventually grabbed me. I thought the twist was pretty predictable in the end, I had guessed it from the start, however I thought that it was brilliantly revealed. Overall, it was okay, I probably won't rush out to watch it again but I'm glad I finally saw it.

Dir. Damien Chazelle. 2014.

Upon watching Whiplash, I was slightly confused. It really wasn't what I expected it to be at all and I couldn't confirm whether I actually liked it or not, until someone I know described it as nothing more than a large performance piece, which is a good thing, and helped me realise how brilliant it actually is. I didn't really care for the story, the character of Andy, is a bit of a douche really, however it was definitely unique. What really blew me away was the absolutely amazing camerawork and editing, which was complemented by a soundtrack that really fit the overall mood and pacing of the film. I thought that the final scene was brilliant for these reasons alone. I really recommend that everyone watches this film just because it is a truly unique experience and is different from anything I've watched before.

Dir. Pete Docter. 2015.

I actually wrote a full review of Pixar's latest creation after I saw it last week, it can be read here!.