Underworld (2003) 5/10

Starring : Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy
Director : Len Wiseman
Running Time : 118 mins

Selene (Beckinsale) is a Vampire who becomes involved in an ancient battle and is assigned the task of hunting down and killing the last of the Lycans, a werewolf race. In her travels she uncovers a sinister plot of the Lycans to overthrow the Vampire race, and finds herself falling in love with Michael (Speedman), a man who is slowly becoming a Lycan himself!

It's a miracle that this film ever got a sequel made from it, it was just so boring and slow! Beckinsale and Speedman were very boring to watch act on screen, and even Bill Nighy didn't seem his usual self. Not worth watching unless you really like vampire movies!

You'll like this if you liked : Van Helsing

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 8/10

Starring : Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin
Director : Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Running Time : 102 mins

A dysfunctional family try to take their youngest member to a beauty pageant in California but, as the trip progresses, more and more things get in their way to prevent them getting to the contest on time, including the van's gears getting stuck in third and their grandfather dying!

This film starts off as a typical family drama, giving us an insight into the various problems affecting the key family members but, as the film progresses, and the situations become increasingly silly, we are faced with a laugh-out-loud comedy which stops at nothing in it's attempts to make its audience laugh.

You'll like this if you liked : Sideways

Classic Friday : Raging Bull (1980) 9/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty
Director : Martin Scorsese
Running Time : 124 mins

Robert De Niro plays Jake LaMotta in this biographical movie based on the life of the famous boxer. In this we get to see his life progress from a successful boxer who uses his rage in the ring to consistantly win, to an alcoholic depressive who beats his wife. His rage and paranoia lead him to think that every man he meets is trying to sleep with his wife Vicky (Moriarity), including his brother Joey (Pesci), until he has isolated himself from everyone who ever cared about him.

I'm not a big fan of sports related movies, but this one had something special about it. De Niro is fantastic in the lead role, which won him a deserved Best Actor Oscar, Moriarity is just the right side of slutty for the role, and Pesci is his usual loud obnoxious self.

You'll like this if you liked : Goodfellas

A History Of Violence (2005) 7/10

Starring : Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt
Director : David Cronenburg
Running Time : 95 mins

Tom Stall (Mortensen) is declared a local hero when he stops two cold-blooded killers in his restaurant. Against his wishes, the story is plastered all over the newspapers, attracting unwanted attention from the criminal world. A gangster named Carl Fogarty (Harris) turns up in town, claiming to know Tom and saying that he used to be a well-respected hit-man in the past. Tom denies all knowledge of this supposed past existence, which leads Fogarty to begin sending threats to his family.

Despite being filled with the usual Cronenburg trademarks, such as random sex and violence, overall this was an enjoyable film - and far more mainstream feeling than some of his past efforts - thanks to Mortensen's ability to come across as a perfect innocent for the majority of the film, though I'm not sure if this can be assigned to his acting ability or his lack of acting ability.

You'll like this if you liked : The Punisher

Envy (2003) 7/10

Starring : Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Rachel Weisz, Amy Poehler, Christopher Walken
Director : Barry Levinson
Running Time : 96 mins

Nick Vanderpark (Black) comes up with a crazy idea for a spray that will disintegrate poo and offers his friend and neighbour Tim Dingman (Stiller) a partnership on the deal. Tim declines, based on the fact that the idea has no way of working but, to his horror, Nick designs the spray and becomes an overnight millionaire. After a conversation with a hobo named J-Man (Walken), the envious Tim decides to try and ruin Nick's life in a variety of more and more outlandish ways.

This movie got some really bad press, and apparently only got released in cinemas after the success of School Of Rock. However, I quite liked the film; Ben Stiller is rarely likeable, and in this he isn't trying to be. Overall definitely worth watching.

You'll like this if you liked : Neighbours

Fracture (2007) 8/10

Starring : Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, Rosamund Pike, Billy Burke, Embeth Davidtz
Director : Gregory Hoblit
Running Time : 110 mins

Willy Beachum (Gosling) is a highly successful assistant DA who finds himself at the losing end of a battle of wills with attempted murder suspect Ted Crawford (Hopkins). Beachum knows that Crawford is guilty of shooting his wife and putting her in a coma, but due to a series of technicalities it becomes more and more evident that Crawford will get away with the crime.

This was actually a really enjoyable mystery-thriller, kind of in the vein of Columbo; we know what happened, but we want to see the police solve the crime and catch the criminal. Hopkins is suitably manic as Ted Crawford, and comes across as being on the verge of going insane to great effect. I'm surprised he didn't just plead insanity, that would have worked. The only thing I didn't like was the romance between Gosling and Pike - she invites him to Thanksgiving dinner with her family after meeting him maybe twice? That was a bit ridiculous.

You'll like this if you liked : Primal Fear

A Guy Thing (2003) 7/10

Starring : Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair
Director : Chris Koch
Running Time : 98 mins

Paul Morse (Lee) wakes up the morning after his bachelor party to find one of the Tiki girls from the night before (Stiles) and assumes he must have cheated on his fiancee. Things go from bad to worse when he develops a bout of crabs and discovers that the Tiki girl is in fact his fiancee's cousin. As he continues to try to cover up for his supposed one-night stand, chaos ensues!

I really liked this film, not just because the cast were well suited to their roles, but also because it felt like a nice follow up to Meet The Parents, which was also written by Greg Glienna, as it tackles the problems before the wedding. Lee was suitably neurotic, Blair was actually likeable in the fiancee role, and Stiles lit up the screen with her presence.

You'll like this if you liked : Meet The Fockers

Lost In Translation (2003) 8/10

Starring : Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Director : Sofia Coppola
Running Time : 97 mins

Bob Harris (Murray) travels to Japan to film a whiskey commercial and meets Charlotte (Johansson), the wife of a visiting photographer. Together they explore life in Japan, and grow ever closer to each other as their seperate worlds start to crumble around them.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable film, which gives both Murray and Johannsson a chance to shine without the need of ridiculous scripts or special effects. A good old fashioned film where the focus is on character and inner turmoil rather than action and plot.

You'll like this if you liked : Shopgirl

National Lampoon's Van Wilder : The Rise Of Taj (2006) 4/10

Starring : Kal Penn, Lauren Cohan, Daniel Percival
Director : Mort Nathan
Running Time : 89 mins

When it comes to unneccessary sequels, this is probably the one that ranks the highest. The character Van Wilder, as portrayed in the original movie by Ryan Reynolds, isn't even in this film. Instead, this is the story of Taj Mahal Badalandabad (Penn) as he travels from Coolidge college to Camford University in the UK. Once there he soon realises that there is a hierarchy class system in place, sending those deemed unworthy by the eletist Pipp Everett (Percival) to what they call "The Barn". There Taj meets a group of misfits who he persuades to set uo their own school house so they can compete against the historically victorious Fox And Hounds.

This film was funny in its own way, despite the standard plot and bad puns. On the plus side there was plenty of unneccessary nudity!

You'll like this if you liked : Accepted

Hellboy (2004) 7/10

Starring : Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, John Hurt
Director : Guillermo del Toro
Running Time : 118 mins

Hellboy (Perlman) was accidentally conjured up by Nazis during a black magic ritual, and rescued and raised by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (Hurt). He is eventually welcomed into the Bureau of Paranomal Research where he helps stop everyday weird happenings from reaching the public eye. But when Rasputin (Karel Roden) is brought back from the dead, Hellboy is coerced into joining forced with new Bureau Agent John Myers (Evans).

Despite a lot of negative press this was actually a very entertaining film. I went into this blind, having not read any of the Hellboy comic books, but found the majority of the film to be very well grounded. My only real problem was the ending; I know now that they were making way for the sequel, but at the time this just felt unfinished and rushed!

You'll like this if you liked : Serenity

You, Me And Dupree (2006) 7/10

Starring : Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas
Director : Anthony & Joe Russo
Running Time : 110 mins

Randolph Dupree (Wilson) moves in with newlyweds Carl and Molly Peterson (Dillon & Hudson) after losing his job and his home. After a shaky start to things, including the fact that he sleeps naked and set fire to their living room, things start to settle down. However, Carl begins to think that Dupree is after his wife, a suspicion that isn't helped due to his emasculation by his father-in-law (Douglas) who wants him to take his wife's name and have a vasectomy.

I went into this expecting one of the worst movies ever made but, despite some hokey premises, this was quite enjoyable. Wilson isn't too annoying, and it was a pleasant change to have the friend hate him more than the wife! And Douglas plays the hateful father-in-law unsettling well.

You'll like this if you liked : Meet The Fockers

Blade Trinity (2004) 5/10

Starring : Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds, Dominic Purcell, Parker Posey
Director : David S Goyer
Running Time : 118 mins

The basic plot is that Blade (Snipes) has finally been arrested for multiple homicide after being framed by the Vampire Nation and is rescued by Reynolds and Biel, though he gives little thanks for it. He then discovers that vampires have resurrected Dracula in order to use his blood in a ceremony to enable them to travel around during the day and effectively take over the world.

The people behind the Blade franchise really should have given up while they were ahead. With Blade Trinity, they took all the elements of the first two films and pretty much threw them out the window. There's Blade himself, who's heart just isn't in it, there's the female lead (Biel) who doesn't quite work in this movie, there's the comic effect (Reynolds) who just feels really wrong, and there's the villains (Purcell & Posey) who are just really weak. Overall it's a case of bad writing and bad casting, as the majority of the actors here are really good in the other movies they've made, which really brings down this movie.

You'll like this if you liked : Underworld

Classic Friday : Neighbours (1981) 7/10

Starring : John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriaty, Kathryn Walker
Director : John G Avildsen
Running Time : 92 mins

This is a really silly early 80s classic, in which Belushi and Aykroyd reunite for the last time after their success in The Blues Brothers. Belushi plays Earl Keese, who's evening takes a turn for the worse when he meets his new neighbour Vic (Aykroyd), an extremely obnoxious individual who decides to invade Earl's life. Things grow progressively worse as he accidentally drives his new neighbours car into a swamp, almost kills him, and eventually burns down his house!

People seem to have many disparate opinions about the success of this film. Many compare it to the Blues Brothers and come to the conclusion that it is an awful piece of film history, whilst others think of it as an excellent example of Aykroyd and Belushi's range. In my opinion this is a pretty good film when you watch it as a stand-alone piece and don't try to lump it into any particular group.

You'll like this if you liked : The Great Outdoors

Dark Water (2005) 6/10

Starring : Jennifer Connelly, John C Reilly, Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Ariel Gade
Director : Walter Salles
Running Time : 104 mins

Dahlia Williams (Connelly) and her daughter move into a cheap new apartment following a messy seperation. The building is extremely run down, and there's a severe leak coming from the apartment upstairs. When her daughter starts to behave strangely, her teachers' saying she has a new imaginary friend, Dahlia becomes concerned that something about her new home isn't quite right, and begins to investigate just where the mysterious leak is coming from...

The Americans once again take a pretty good Japanese horror and give it their own unique treatment. Thankfully, this was better than The Ring, and still maintained at least some of the atmosphere of the original.

You'll like this if you liked : The Grudge

Saw II (2005) 7/10

Starring : Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Donnie Wahlberg, Erik Knudsen
Director : Darren Lynn Bousman
Running Time : 93 mins

Pretty similar to the first film, except this time there are four times as many victims! Jigsaw (Bell) has kidnapped a group of people, including the son of detective Eric Matthews (Wahlberg), and Matthews has to find him before he and the others die from inhaling the lethal nerve gas that is being pumped into the building. As if that wasn't enough, the building is booby-trapped and it won't be long before someone gets killed...

Pretty good, especially compared to some recent horror sequels, and some nice connections to the original Saw. I might even give Saw III a go...

You'll like this if you liked : Kiss The Girls

Van Helsing (2004) 6/10

Starring : Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham
Director : Stephen Sommers
Running Time : 128 mins

This is one of those films which seems okay when you first watch, but the second time it's really not as good. Hugh Jackman plays Van Helsing, a vampire hunter who travels to Transylvania to do battle with Dracula (Roxburgh), with the aid of his friend Carl (Wenham), and the mysterious Anna (Beckinsale) who's family have committed their lives to ridding the world of evil.

As with most of the Universal monster movies, the effects here are pretty effective, but there's something lacking in the plot line which feels like it's been stretched too thinly.

You'll like this if you liked : The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The Island (2005) 5/10

Starring : Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi
Director : Michael Bay
Running Time : 133 mins

Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson play clones in a facility designed to breed fresh body parts for the incredibly wealthy. They are lead to believe that they are contestants in a lottery, in which the winner gets to go to the mysterious Island. Unfortunately what really happenes is they get taken away for spare parts, and when they discover this they decide to escape into the real world and expose the hypocrisy of the situation.

Now, Michael Bay isn't the finest director ever; Bad Boys was good, but this was pretty poor. I found humour where I honestly believe there was none intended, and the effect set pieces tended to make little or no sense but, for making me laugh, this did gain a little more credit than it really should.

You'll like this if you liked : Total Recall

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) 8/10

Starring : Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson
Director : Michel Gondry
Running Time : 104 mins

Joel Barish (Carrey) discovers that his girlfriend Clementine (Winslet) has had all evidence of him erased from her memory in the hope of moving on with her life. Devastated, Joel decides to undergo the same process, but as his memories start to disappear, he remembers all the good times they had together and fights to keep all knowledge of her intact.

A charming film, filled with typical Charlie Kaufman motifs, this could be quite confusing for people who aren't used to the back-and-forth method of direction used to tell the story in this film. Other than that it's a fantastic movie, well worth looking into if you get the chance!

You'll like this if you liked : Being John Malcovich

Accepted (2006) 8/10

Starring : Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Adam Herschman, Columbus Short, Maria Thayer, Lewis Black, Blake Lively
Director : Steve Pink
Running Time : 92 mins

After failing to get into any college, Bartleby Gaines (Long) and his best friend Sherman (Hill) decide to invent a college website to fool Bartleby's parents. Problems arise when the parents want to meet with the Dean, so they lease an abandoned psychiatric hospital and do it up to look like a college. That's when the other students who've visited the website arrive, expecting to receive an education!

A very silly film, like a cross between Revenge Of The Nerds and Porkys, basically resting on the moral message that the young people of today should be allowed the freedom to explore their own educational needs so they can enjoy the future they want and deserve.

You'll like this if you liked : Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Garfield (2004) 7/10

Starring : Bill Murray, Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt
Director : Peter Hewitt
Running Time : 79 mins

Jon Arbuckle (Meyer) buys a new pet dog called Odie who can perform tricks, much to the shagrin of Jon's cat Garfield (Murray). But when Odie is then dognapped, Garfield - feeling responsible for the abduction - decides to try to rescue him and heads into the city to find the lost dog.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I sat down to watch this, but what I found was a pretty mediocre kids film. Basically taking the plot from "Garfield On The Town", this was pretty ordinary stuff, and nothing special. In spite of this there are some funny moments which the kids will enjoy, but I'm still not sure how this managed to get a sequel!

You'll like this if you liked : Cats And Dogs

Dawn Of The Dead (2004) 8/10

Starring : Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer
Director : Zack Snyder
Running Time : 98 mins

A worldwide plague is resurrecting the dead and turning them into flesh-eating zombies, and a small group of survivors take up refuge in a shopping mall. Whilst there they face horrific attacks from without and within!

For a remake, this was pretty damn good. This is a great little horror, with plenty of good jumpy moments, and if you want to see a nice bleak ending make sure you watch all of the end credits.

You'll like this if you liked : Hostel

Euro Trip (2004) 8/10

Starring : Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, Travis Wester, Jessica Boehrs, Kristin Kreuk
Director : Jeff Schaffer
Running Time 89 mins

Scott Thomas (Mechlowicz) is dumped by his girlfriend (Kreuk) at graduation, only to discover that his German penpal Mieke (Boehrs), who he thought was a guy, turns out to be a girl. Sadly he'd already told her to leave him alone, thinking her to be a weird gay man. So he endeavours on a European trip with three high school friends to try and find her and tell her how he feels, but things never go according to plan.

I really like the silly 80s feel of this movie, especially in its moral outlook. There are no repercussions for actions throughout, and somehow the makers managed to get no end of boobs and willies into the film without raising the certificate above a 15 in the UK.

You'll like this if you liked : Road Trip

Classic Friday : Friday The 13th (1980) 6/10

Starring : Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Kevin Bacon
Director : Sean S Cunningham
Running Time : 93 mins

Quite innovative at the time, this is probably most famous for not actually featuring Jason Voorhies in any great capacity. Basically a group of horny camp workers cause the supposed death of a young boy and, many years later, someone starts kill of workers at the same camp. Pretty predictable for anyone who knows anything about Friday The 13th, but enjoyable all the same.

You'll like this if you liked : Halloween

The Departed (2006) 7/10

Starring : Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen
Director : Martin Scorsese
Running Time : 146 mins

You'll find the ultimate in violent French farce in this remake of Infernal Affairs. DiCaprio plays an undercover cop who has infiltrated Nicholson's mob, while Damon is working for Nicholson within the police force.

This isn't Scorsese at his best, but this is still a pretty good film. DiCaprio is actually very good, although Nicholson was a little underused for my liking. There was something not quite right in the editing of the film, it felt rushed and not up to the standards usually found in Scorsese's work.

You'll like this if you liked : LA Confidential

The Dukes Of Hazzard (2005) 5/10

Starring : Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds, Willie Nelson, M C Gainey
Director : Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Time : 106 mins

In Hazzard County, the cousins Bo (Scott) and Luke Duke (Knoxville) find that the corrupt Boss Hogg (Reynolds) is plotting the destruction of their home town, intending to transform the land into a huge coal mine.

Not particularly good, but with some okay moments and some pretty substantial car stunts, this is only worth watching if you like in-jokes about 70s and 80s TV shows.

You'll like this if you liked : Smokie And The Bandit

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (2005) 7/10

Starring : Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Jim Broadbent, Tilda Swinton
Director : Andrew Adamson
Running Time : 143 mins

This was a decent adaptation of C S Lewis' childrens classic, in which four children find themselves transported through a wardrobe to the magical world of Narnia. The child actors were capable on the whole, and Swinton's portrayal of the White Witch had just the right balance of evil and seduction. As for the battle scene, it was a little reminiscent of The Phantom Menace, and I kept expecting Jar Jar Binks to pop out of the crowd and start being annoying. Despite this, an excellent childrens tale.

You'll like this if you liked : Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

The Punisher (2004) 7/10

Starring : Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Will Patton, Rebecca Romijn
Director : Jonathan Hensleigh
Running Time : 119 mins

If you know the plot of every film Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal have ever made, you probably already know what this film is about. Howard Saint (Travolta) takes revenge on FBI agent Frank Castle (Jane) for the death of his son by having him and his entire family killed. Castle somehow survives and comes back to punish Saint for his wrongdoings.

Despite the hokey plotline, this was an enjoyable film with some great gun fights and nice beat-em-up scenes. For action fans only!

You'll like this if you liked : Hard To Kill

Beerfest (2006) 6/10

Starring : Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Eric Stolhanske
Director : Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Time : 105 mins

This movie started off really slow, with two brothers travelling to Germany to spread their dead uncle's ashes at Oktoberfest. When they get there they discover a secret ceremony called, funnily enough, Beerfest where real hardcore drinkers go to drink in competition. There they discover one of their relatives had stolen a beer recipe which has been lost ever since!

Pretty standard stuff, in the vein of the current Frat Pack style movies, but it did have the odd funny moment, and it definitely picked up as it went on.

You'll like this if you liked : Euro Trip

Shopgirl (2004) 6/10

Starring : Claire Danes, Steve Martin, Jason Schwartzman
Director : Anand Tucker
Running Time : 104 mins

This film was pretty slow going, and Steve Martin's character didn't make any sense to me, but it did have some entertaining moments. Claire Danes is good, and I really liked Jason Schwartzman in this. The problem was that I didn't want Danes to get together with Martin at any point in the film, and she does quite early on, despite his character not being very nice!

You'll like this if you liked : Lost In Translation

Snakes On A Plane (2006) 7/10

Starring : Samuel L Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard
Director : David R Ellis
Running Time : 106 mins

What a silly film. A mobster (Terry Chen) sets about trying to kill a witness (Philips) to a murder by putting pheremones in lathes on board a plane, which in turn make the snakes on board very angry! The plan is for the snakes to destroy the plane's working and force it to crash, thus killing everyone on board including the witness.

Despite the ridiculous premise, this is quite an entertaining film, with a lot of familiar faces to be seen throughout.

You'll like this if you liked : Deep Rising

Classic Thursday : Weekend At Bernie's (1989) 7/10

Starring : Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, Terry Kiser
Director : Ted Kotcheff
Running Time : 95 mins

As it's a bank holiday tomorrow, today will stand in for my classic review!

Richard (Silverman) and Larry (McCarthy) discover that someone has been embezzling money from their company. When they inform their boss, Bernie Lomax (Kiser), he invites then to his beach house for a weekend of fun and leisure and women as a thank you. But once they arrive, they find he's been killed! So that they don't get the blame, the duo set about trying to convince everyone that Bernie is still alive...

This film is so silly, you just have to love it. The sequel is incredibly poor, but this still stands on its own as one of the last great 80s comedies!

You'll like this if you liked : Licence To Drive

V For Vendetta (2006) 8/10

Starring : Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, Stephen Rea
Director : James McTeigue
Running Time : 128 mins

I'm not a fan of the Wachowski Brothers, who wrote this and The Matrix, and everything by Alan Moore that gets translated to the screen gets butchered something rotten. Moore even refused to put his name to this film, or to take any money for it, giving all the money to the artists of the comic, David Lloyd. Based on this, I was expecting something on a par with The Matrix Reloaded, but this was pretty damn good. Weaving's voice alone acts better than anyone in any of the other Wachowski movies, and Portman is belieavably swayed in her part, and I always like a slightly downbeat ending.

You'll like this if you liked : Fight Club

Jersey Girl (2004) 6/10

Starring : Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Raquel Castro, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Biggs
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 102 mins

This film is in no way Smith's finest hour, but it isn't as bad as it could have been. The genius stroke of killing Lopez in the first fifteen minutes perked me up and made me want to enjoy the film regardless of the outcome. As it stands, this was a little too bitter sweet, despite Smith's best efforts to throw in his usual level of quick-talk humour and slapstick. Overall worth watching, but only for die-hard Smith fans.

You'll like this if you liked : A Simple Twist Of Fate

X-Men : The Last Stand (2006) 7/10

Starring : Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart
Director : Brett Ratner
Running Time : 106 mins

Okay, this was in no way the best of the X-Men movies (after much thought, and despite popular opinion, I still prefer the first one!), but it was still an incredibly enjoyable comic-book movie. The regular mutants are joined here by a literal cast of thousands, with far too many characters to keep track of as they try to stop scientists working on a cure for the mutant gene. Perhaps if this had a few less characters and a bit more focus, it could have been better than the previous two installments...

You'll like this if you liked : Spider-Man 2

Wolf Creek (2005) 8/10

Starring : John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, Nathan Phillips
Director : Greg McLean
Running Time : 97 mins

A great little film, and very under rated, Wolf Creek tells the story of three backpackers who visit a meteor site in the Outback, known as Wolf Creek, where they get stranded when their car won't start.

Full of nice (and some not-so-nice) surprises for all true horror fans, including the now-famous "head-on-a-stick" scene which has to be seen to be believed, and no rubbish genetically mutated mountain men to worry about, this is a definite must watch for anyone who likes a good horror, thriller or, scarily, true story!

You'll like this if you liked : Saw

Mission : Impossible III (2006) 7/10

Starring : Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Maggie Q, Laurence Fishburne, Simon Pegg, Michelle Monaghan
Director : J J Abrams
Running Time : 125 mins

Cruise once again plays super-spy Ethan Hunt, who has now retired from active duty to train new IMF agents, but he is called back into action to confront the toughest villain he's ever faced, Owen Davian (Hoffman), an international weapons and information provider with no remorse and no conscience.

Unlike M:I 2, this was actually pretty enjoyable and full of clever stunts and interesting, though convoluted, plot twists. Philip Seymour Hoffman is always good as the villain, and Tom Cruise was actually likeable in this third installment.

You'll like this if you liked : True Lies

Christmas With The Kranks (2004) 5/10

Starring : Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, M Emmett Walsh
Director : Joe Roth
Running Time : 95 mins

Despite being filled with ham acting and schmaltz, I secretly found this film reasonably entertaining. Allen and Curtis are terrible as the parents who decide to skip Christmas in favour of a relatively cheaper Caribbean crusie, only to find that their friends and enighbours are appalled at the notion of anyone not celebrating Christmas in the community. Thankfully, the acting is so bad it actually makes the film funnier, and would probably keep most kids entertained for an hour or so.

You'll like this if you liked : Home Alone 2 : Lost In New York

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) 4/10

Starring : Emilie de Ravin, Kathleen Quinlan, Ted Levine, Aaron Stanford, Dan Byrd
Director : Alexandre Aja
Running Time : 106 mins

The Carter's decide to take a family vacation around America, and mistakenly find themsleves broken down in an apparently abandoned nuclear test site that is now inhabited by mutant freaks who don't take kindly to strangers.

This was probably one of the worst horror films I'd seen in a long time. Not only was it an unoriginal remake, but it was directed and acted in a truly terrible way. I had little or no sympathy for a single character, and really didn't care when they got killed. This film is to be avoided unless you're really into slasher movies and don't mind if there's no substance or real plot.

You'll like this if you liked : The Devil's Rejects