Classic Friday : Carry On Screaming (1966) 8/10

Starring : Harry H Corbett, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey, Fenella Fielding, Angela Douglas
Director : Gerald Thomas
Running Time : 93 mins

Detective Sergeant Sidney Bung (Corbett) is called in to investigate a series of disappearances, all involving young girls. To his horror he discovers that the sinister Dr Watt (Williams) has been using a monster he created to kidnap women and then he transforms them into shop window mannequins! Unfortunately Bung finds himself distracted from the case by Dr Watt’s scary yet attractive sister, Valeria (Fielding).

Even though this doesn’t feature many of the more popular members of the team, such as Sid James and Barbara Windsor, this is possibly the strongest of the Carry On series with the most detailed plot. A lot of the movies that followed pretty much relied on a single central set piece and threw in the odd pun here and there.

You’ll like this if you liked : Young Frankenstein

Atlantis : The Lost Empire (2001) 7/10

Starring : Michael J Fox, Cree Summer, Corey Burton, Claudia Christian, James Garner, John Mahoney
Director :Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise
Running Time : 91 mins

In Disney's 40th Animated Classic, Milo Thatch (Fox) forms a band of intrepid explorers in search of the fables lost city of Atlantis, but when they actually find the lost city they discover they are less than welcome there, especially when it is discovered that some of Milo’s crew aren’t necessarily on the trip just for the thrill of discovery.

This was a pretty decent film, with some wonderful underwater animation, and a storyline that doesn’t pander to children but actually has quite an adult theme. Not necessarily one for the kids, but definitely well worth watching if you want a nice action adventure.

You’ll like this if you liked : Stargate

Pirates Of The Caribbean : At World's End (2007) 7/10

Starring : Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Naomie Harris, Jack Davenport, Tom Hollander, Chow Yun-Fat
Director : Gore Verbiski
Running Time : 168 mins

In what should be the final instalment of the popular trilogy, Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Rush) seek the aid of Sao Feng (Chow) in their quest to rescue Jack Sparrow (Depp) from the land of the dead. Amidst treachery and betrayal, they make their way to World’s End whilst Davy Jones (Nighy) and Lord Beckett (Hollander) pursue them in the hope of ridding the seas of all pirate kind. An alliance is suggested by the Pirate Lords to release the goddess Calypso (Harris) from the prison their predecessors set for her in order to stop Davy Jones and his ghostly crew.

This was a pretty long movie, bordering on 3 hours, and it really felt like 3 hours! A lot of stuff really could have been cut from the film, although the character of Calypso was very much underused. Overall I would class this as the least strong of the trilogy, but in no way do I mean that this was a bad film.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Lord Of The Rings : The Fellowship Of The Ring

Heartbreakers (2001) 8/10

Starring : Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Jason Lee, Ray Liotta, Gene Hackman
Director : David Mirkin
Running Time : 121 mins

Max Conners (Weaver) and her daughter Page (Hewitt) make their money by conning rich men : the mother marries them, the daughter has affairs with them, then the mother gets a huge divorce settlement. Only problem is, Page finds herself falling in love with bartender Jack Withrowe (Lee), breaking the cardinal rule of the game! Now Max finds herself having to not only keep control of their “business”, but having to make sure she doesn’t lose her business partner in the name of love.

A much underrated comedy with some great performances from all involved, including Anne Bancroft in her final cinematic role. Although a little on the long side, this movie is a definite must-see for any fan of romantic comedies that aren’t afraid to break boundaries.

You’ll like this if you liked : Wild Things

The Haunted Mansion (2003) 6/10

Starring : Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason, Jennifer Tilly
Director : Rob Minkoff
Running Time : 85 mins

Real estate agent Jim Evers (Murphy) visits an old mansion that’s up for sale he thinks he could set for life with the commission he’d make from the place, but when he finds out it’s haunted and that the resident ghost thinks that Jim’s wife (Thomason) is his dead girlfriend, thinks start to look a bit more problematic.

An entertaining enough family comedy, which will keep kids entertained with all the ghosts and special effects, but definitely not Eddie Murphy’s finest hour, nor for that matter is it Terence Stamp’s.

You’ll like this if you liked : Beetlejuice

The Mummy Returns (2001) 7/10

Starring : Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, The Rock, Freddie Boath, Patricia Velasquez
Director : Stephen Sommers
Running Time : 124 mins

The mummified corpse of High Priest Ihmotep (Vosloo) is shipped over to a museum in England where he is once again revived from the dead, this time by a direct descendant of Anck Su Namun (Velasquez). Once again Rick O’Connell (Fraser) and his now-wife Evie (Weisz) must fight the evil forces before they take over the world with their army of the dead.

This wasn’t too bad for a hasty sequel, and the introduction of a son to the mix wasn’t too annoying. Unfortunately this did at times feel like it was just a big advertisement for The Scorpion King, and the special effects on The Rock were really not that great.

You’ll like this if you liked : Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

Wedding Crashers (2005) 9/10

Starring : Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Christopher Walken
Director : David Dobkin
Running Time : 122 mins

John Beckwith (Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vaughn) are a pair of bachelors who get their kicks by crashing weddings and having sex with the most attractive women there. This all backfired however when they go to the biggest wedding event of the year : the marriage of the eldest daughter of Treasury Secretary William Cleary (Walken)! John finds himself falling for Cleary’s other daughter Claire (McAdams), whilst Jeremy finds himself being stalked by the extremely scary daughter Gloria (Fisher)!

I really enjoyed this film, and found myself laughing out loud at many of the scenarios that arose throughout the film. Fisher is genuinely frightening as Gloria Cleary, and I really worried for Vaughn’s safety throughout. Despite being over two hours long, the plot didn’t feel like it was being dragged out for the sake of racking up the minutes.

You’ll like this if you liked : Swingers

One Night At McCool's (2001) 6/10

Starring : Matt Dillon, Liv Tyler, Michael Douglas, Paul Reiser, John Goodman
Director : Harald Zwart
Running Time : 93 mins

Randy (Dillon) is a bartender who finds himself in a relationship with a mysterious woman named Jewel (Tyler) after he rescues her from what seems to be a sexual attack. Jewel is not what she seems, as Randy soon discovers when he hears about all the other men she’s been seeing, as well as the fact that the man who tried to rape her was her boyfriend, and they were planning on robbing Randy!

This was a pretty average movie transformed into an above average movie but some nice performances. Dillon’s role as the innocent straight man is inspired, and Douglas is quite good as his sounding board for the story. “ith some funny set pieces mixed in with dark humour, this is definitely worth giving a try.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sugar And Spice

300 (2007) 8/10

Starring : Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan
Director : Zack Snyder
Running Time : 117 mins

Set in 480 BC at the Battle of Thermopylae, this movie tells the story of the 300 Spartans. Lead by King Leonidus (Butler), who stood against the 100,000 strong Persian army over a simple matter of "earth and water", Despite the impossible odds and the merciless slayings of villagers by the Persian army, Leonidus stands sure of their triumph, but it only takes one single betrayal to destroy everything he’s worked for.

This was a beautifully filmed movie, full of action in the vein of the old Sinbad films mixed with the effects of The Lord Of The Rings. Expertly adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novel, Snyder manages to keep the feel of the comic book and translates it well to the screen.

You’ll like this if you liked : Troy

The New Guy (2002) 7/10

Starring : DJ Qualls, Eliza Dushku, Zooey Deschanel, Jerod Mixon, Parry Shen, Lyle Lovett, Eddie Griffin, Sunny Mabrey
Director : Ed Dector
Running Time : 91 mins

Dizzy Harrison (Qualls) is an unpopular geeks at his current high school, so he gets himself expelled and transferred to a new school where, under the trained eye of habitual criminal Luther (Griffin), he takes on the guise of Gil Harris, and soon becomes one of the most popular students at school. But when he starts getting close with head cheerleader Danielle (Dushku), her ex-boyfriend starts digging into Gil Harris’s past and discovers his deep dark secret.

Not an intelligent movie by any standard, but very watchable and fairly entertaining. This is the sort of movie you might watch on a Sunday night when you just can’t be bothered to go to bed yet.

You’ll like this if you liked : Get Over It

Classic Friday : National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982) 8/10

Starring : Gerrit Graham, Fred McCarren, Miriam Flynn, Stephen Furst, Shelley Smith, Michael Lerner, Blackie Dammett
Director : Michael Miller
Running Time : 82 mins

It’s the tenth-year school reunion at Lizzie Borden High for the Class of ‘72, and everything is just as boring as it always was, that is until Walter Baylor (Dammett) escapes from a mental home he’s been in since graduation, when he was driven insane by a prank that went horribly wrong, and gatecrashes the party!

This is without a doubt the silliest of the National Lampoon movies, and it makes me chuckle every time I’ve watched it. Very few of the actors in this are still known today, although Stephen Furst will be familiar to fans of The Dream Team or Babylon Five.

You’ll like this if you liked : Porky’s

The Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King (2003) 7/10

Starring : Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis
Director : Peter Jackson
Running Time : 192 mins

In the third and final part of the trilogy, Frodo (Wood) and Sam (Astin) are almost at Mount Doom, where they need to destroy the ring, but they have been joined by Gollum (Serkis), a former possessor of the ring who desperately wants it back. Meanwhile, the former fellowship go into battle against Sauron’s forces of evil.

Despite not being as good as the first two instalments, this was still a pretty good film. Unfortunately, as seems to be the case with the majority of Peter Jackson’s films, this was just too long and felt like it should have ended a good half an hour before it eventually did.

You’ll like this if you liked : Troy

Waiting... (2004) 7/10

Starring : Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, Justin Long, David Koechner, Luis Guzman, Chi McBride, John Francis Daley
Director : Rob McKittrick
Running Time : 90 mins

This movie follows a day in the life at Shenanigans, a theme restaurant which seems to employ the most despondent people alive. It’s the first day working there for Mitch (Daley), and he finds himself surrounded by social rejects and miserable customers, and generally people complaining about how awful their lives are!

I expected more from this movie, but it was still pretty good. Reynolds plays his usual Van Wilder character, womanising and scheming to his hearts content, whilst the rest of the ensemble cast trudge their way through the movie getting more and more pissed off with their lots in life. Worth watching if you’re a fan of gross-out slacker movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : Clerks II

The Sweetest Thing (2002) 7/10

Starring : Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Thomas Jane
Director : Roger Kumble
Running Time : 88 mins

Christina Walters (Diaz) is something of a player, using men for her own sexual needs but never wanting to settle down. That is until she meets Peter Donahue (Jane) on a night out with her girlfriends. When she discovers that he has left town, her friends Courtney (Applegate) and Jane (Blair) convince her to go on a road trip to Peter’s brother’s wedding.

Although this is quite the chick flick, it is much more entertaining than it seemed from the trailers. The role reversal premise is simple yet affective, and the slapstick comedy is spot on.

You’ll like this if you liked : A Guy Thing

Lara Croft Tomb Raider : The Cradle Of Life (2003) 5/10

Starring : Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Ciaran Hinds, Christopher Barrie, Noah Taylor
Director : Jan de Bont
Running Time : 115 mins
Lara Croft (Jolie) discovers an orb that contains the secret location of the mythical Pandora’s Box, but it gets stolen by virus specialist Jonathan Reiss (Hinds) who hopes to sell the box as a weapon to the highest bidder. Lara is then recruited by British Intelligence to recover the orb before Reiss can find the location of Pandora’s Box, and she is paired up with Terry Sheridan (Butler), her one time lover.

Filled with enough action and sex appeal to keep the average teenaged boy content for two hours, this was however a rather unnecessary sequel with very little to offer other than gratuitous chase scenes, mixed with random fighting, amid sexy shots of Angelina Jolie. Despite that, this is still reasonably entertaining for those who can put up with the slow moving plot.

You’ll like this if you liked : Batman Begins

Lilo And Stitch (2002) 9/10

Starring : Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Daveigh Chase, Christopher Michael Sanders, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames
Director : Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
Running Time : 84 mins

In Disney's 41st Animated Classic, Lilo (Chase) is a young Hawaiian girl who adopts a new pet which she names Stitch (Sanders), but Stitch is not a normal pet – he is in fact a highly illegal genetic experiment who has escaped from his captors in outer space. Now he is on the run from the Galactic Federation who intend to lock him away and eventually destroying him!

This is probably the first Disney Classic to be based on an original idea. The concept, although similar in notion to other movies, comes across as fresh and new with colourful characters and interesting plot developments. Definitely a must for kids and grown-ups alike!

You’ll like this if you liked : E.T : The Extra-Terrestrial

Sugar And Spice (2001) 7/10

Starring : Marla Sokoloff, Marley Shelton, Melissa George, Mena Suvari, Rachel Blanchard, Alexandra Holden, Sara Marsh, James Marsden
Director : Francine McDougall
Running Time : 79 mins

Head cheerleader Diane Preston (Shelton) gets pregnant by her boyfriend, and her family financially cut her off! Realising that they won’t be able to afford to bring up a family on their own, Diane and her cheerleader buddies plan a bank robbery! Unfortunately her major cheerleading rival Lisa Janusch (Sokoloff) suspects what they are planning to do.

A mindless, yet enjoyable teen comedy which pokes fun at the concepts which are inherent in the genre, while throwing in some unexpected criminal activity for good measure. Definitely worth watching.

You’ll like this if you liked : Not Another Teen Movie

The Cave (2005) 5/10

Starring : Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian, Lena Headey, Piper Perabo
Director : Bruce Hunt
Running Time : 94 mins

A group of cave-divers become trapped in a newly discovered cave system in Romania when they accidentally cause a cave-in. To their horror they discover that the cave is inhabited by a symbiotic life form which infects the host and transforms them into unspeakable monsters.

This movie was not only not very good, but seemed to have ripped off a number of other movies in the process. The main plot seemed like it had been taken from the superior horror flick The Descent, whilst the creatures were a cross between the Creeper from Jeepers Creepers and the Alien from Alien, with a little bit of Predator thrown in for good measure. Add to that the fact that the cave itself seemed to exist in a permanent daytime, and you’ve got yourself a pretty run-of-the-mill horror movie!

You’ll like this if you liked : AVP : Alien Vs Predator

The Lord Of The Rings : The Two Towers (2002) 7/10

Starring : Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis
Director : Peter Jackson
Running Time : 172 mins

In the second part of the trilogy, the fellowship breaks up and Frodo (Wood) must now travel alone to Mount Doom, although Sam (Astin) insists on going with him. On their journey they meet a strange creqture named Gollum (Serkis) who offers to be their guide, but seems most interested in Frodo’s ring. Meanwhile the remaining members of the fellowship travel into battle at Isengard.

Much like when I read the book, I much preferred the Frodo and Sam sequences to the battle sequences. Thankfully Peter Jackson had the sense to intermingle the two, rather than separating them out as they had been in the books.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Chronicles Of Narnia : The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe

Jeepers Creepers (2001) 8/10

Starring : Justin Long, Gina Philips, Jonathan Breck, Patricia Belcher, Eileen Brennan
Director : Victor Salva
Running Time : 86 mins

Darry (Long) and Trish Jenner (Philips) are driving home to visit their family when they see a strange man dumping what appears to be a body into the basement of an abandoned church. When they go to investigate, Darry falls in and discovers the remains of hundreds of dead bodies.

I thought this was a great film, especially as it allows us as an audience to get to know the characters, something few modern horror films do. Clearly there was little or no budget, but the script flowed well and the characters were believable. The Creeper, though, was far too visible to the camera and should have been better shrouded in shadow.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scream

Classic Friday : Ghostbusters (1984) 10/10

Starring : Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts
Director : Ivan Reitman
Running Time : 102 mins

Three scientists get kicked out of the university where they work when their grants expire. Playing on a theory concocted by Dr Egon Spengler (Ramis) that they can actually trap a ghost, they go into business as Ghostbusters, offering their services to the public for large sums of money. Things start to look bad, however, when paranormal activity begins to rise in New York City, and they realise that an ancient Sumarian God named Gozer may be trying to find its way into the human world, with the aim of taking over and enslaving mankind.

One of my all time favourite films which stands the test of time, Ghostbusters is an 80s classic that was somewhat of a pioneer in the realms of action comedies, and made overnight successes out of Bill Murray and Rick Moranis, who until then had only really been known through Saturday Night Live and a handful of lesser known movie parts.

You’ll like this if you liked : Back To The Future

Lara Croft Tomb Raider (2001) 7/10

Starring : Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, Iain Glen, Daniel Craig, Christopher Barrie, Noah Taylor
Director : Simon West
Running Time : 96 mins

A secret society called the Illuminati is searching for a talisman that can control time, but need a special key to locate it or they have to wait for the planets to come back into alignment, which will be another 5,000 years. Lara Croft (Jolie) comes across the key where her father (Voigt) had hidden it many years ago in their mansion, but the illuminate manage to get their hands on it. Now Lara must find the talisman before the Illuminati can get their hands on it and destroy the world.

Actually a very enjoyable film, and much better than the weak sequel, this truly brought the Tomb Raider computer games to life with the only acceptable choice of Angelina Jolie in the title role.

You’ll like this if you liked : Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

Around The World In 80 Days (2004) 7/10

Starring : Steve Coogan, Jackie Chan, Cecile De France, Jim Broadbent, Ewen Bremner
Director : Frank Coraci
Running Time : 120 mins

Phileas Fogg (Coogan) accepts a wager that he can’t travel around the world within 80 days. Along with his new butler, Passepartout (Chan), he embarks on a monumental journey to prove his worth but, just as he’s leaving on the trip, Fogg is implicated in a daring bank theft, and Inspector Fix (Bremner) intends to track him on his journey and capture him at all costs!

I actually thought this film was pretty good, in spite of all the bad press it received. It managed to keep the action going throughout and I can’t recall any point where I became bored. And I liked the sub plot that had been added to explain why Passepartout was Chinese and not French.

You’ll like this if you liked : Night At The Museum

The Lord Of The Rings : The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) 8/10

Starring : Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian Holm, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom
Director : Peter Jackson
Running Time : 171 mins

In the first part of the trilogy, young Hobbit Frodo Baggins (Wood) is entrusted with a powerful ring by his Uncle Bilbo (Holm), which he is told by the wise wizard Gandalf (McKellen) he must destroy in the fires of Mount Doom, from where it was forged. To help him in his journey, a strange fellowship is formed to protect him and keep him on the right track.

A fascinating start to the classic trilogy, with lots of action and comedy thrown together into this three hour epic. In my opinion this is the strongest of the trilogy, which sadly seems to get weaker as they progress. Not to say that they aren't good though, they just don't stand alone as well as the first installment.

You’ll like this if you liked : Willow

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) 6/10

Starring : Sean Connery, Peta Wilson, Stuart Townsend, Shane West, Jason Flemyng, Naseeruddin Shah, Richard Roxburgh
Director : Stephen Norrington
Running Time : 105 mins

Allan Quatermain (Connery) is charged to lead a group of extraordinary individuals in the capture of the mysterious Fantom, a madman who has been setting off bombs all over the world in an attempt to start a worldwide war!

Not as bad as many people seem to think, although the introduction of Tom Sawyer (West) to pacify American viewers was a bit annoying. Overall this is just a fun romp, using literary characters in a way that is by and large loyal to the original books. If you go into this expecting all action and little plot, you’ll find this extremely enjoyable. If you want detailed plotlines, then this probably isn’t for you.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hellboy

Showtime (2002) 7/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo
Director : Tom Dey
Running Time : 92 mins

Detective Mitch Preston (De Niro) is a by-the-book hard-nosed cop, whilst Officer Trey Sellars (Murphy) secretly wants to be on TV. Following an indiscretion by Preston which could lead to a $10 million lawsuit, the two are partnered up for a reality TV show, in the vein of cops, Preston takes an instant disliking for Sellars, seeing him as a representation of everything he’s ever been against in the police force.

This was actually quite an entertaining movie, although the reality TV element wasn’t played on nearly as much as it could have been. Murphy is his usual exciteable self, and De Niro seems comfortable playing the straight man again.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lethal Weapon

Ghost World (2001) 8/10

Starring : Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi, Scarlett Johansson
Director : Terry Zwigoff
Running Time : 109 mins

Enid (Birch) and Rebecca (Johansson) drift through life with no real ambition and a loathing for everything that surrounds them. When they meet a middle-aged guy called Seymour (Buscemi) they decide to play a joke on him, but Enid soon discovers that she and Seymour have a lot in common and becomes close friends with him.

A great little film, and very underrated, based on the "Eightball" comic strips and graphic novel of Daniel Clowes, this takes a simple premise and simple characters and turns both into a highly entertaining movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dazed And Confused

Godsend (2004) 6/10

Starring : Greg Kinnear, Rebecca Romijn, Robert De Niro, Cameron Bright
Director : Nick Hamm
Running Time : 95 mins

Following the tragic death of their 8 year old son, Paul Duncan (Kinnear) and his wife Jessie (Romijn) agree to undergo an experimental and highly illegal form of surgery through which their dead son can be cloned. However, following the initial 8 year period, young Adam (Bright) begins to act out of character, and claims he’s being attacked by a ghostly child.

Although very atmospheric, this really wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Despite the fact that there was a very slow build up throughout the film, it never really built up to anything substantial, and left me with quite a let down feeling at the end!

You’ll like this if you liked : The Omen

Just Married (2003) 5/10

Starring : Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy, Christian Kane, David Moscow, Monet Mazur, David Rasche
Director : Shawn Levy
Running Time : 93 mins

Against the wishes of all of her family and friends, Sarah McNerney (Murphy) gets married to Tom Leezak (Kutcher). Everything seems to be going well for them until Sarah’s father (Rasche) send her ex-boyfriend Peter (Kane) to Europe to follow them and try to spoil their honeymoon so that Sarah will leave Tom, but he needn’t have bothered, as everything on the honeymoon goes wrong from the get go!

This film had just a little too much slapstick for my liking. Not that I don’t like slapstick, I just don’t like it when it isn’t done well! Murphy was her usual dippy self, as was Kutcher, and too many dippy actors and not enough straight ones can be quite disastrous in a comedy film!

You’ll like this if you liked : American Wedding

Chicken Little (2005) 7/10

Starring : Zach Braff, Joan Cusack, Garry Marshall, Steve Zahn, Dan Molina
Director : Mark Dindal
Running Time : 81 mins

In Disney's 45th Animated Classic, Chicken Little (Braff) has been branded a moron following an incident where he claimed the sky was falling. One year later, he finds a piece of sky and he and his good friends Abby (Cusack), Runt (Zahn) and Fish (Molina) discover that aliens are invading, but when Chicken Little tries to warn the townsfolk, his warnings fall on deaf ears due to his previous false alarm.

A simple tale turned into an animated blockbuster, this movie marks the end of Disney’s classic animation period and the advent of their computer animated era. Luckily this is still well written, and is actually better than the previous flop Home On The Range.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lilo And Stitch

Classic Friday : The Delicate Delinquent (1957) 8/10

Starring : Jerry Lewis, Darren McGavin
Director : Don McGuire
Running Time : 98 mins

Sydney Pythias (Lewis) is a janitor who is mistaken for a juvenile delinquent by the police. Thinking he’s a gang member, Officer Mike Damon makes it his duty to transform Sydney into a model citizen to prove that delinquents aren’t beyond redemption.

This was Jerry Lewis’s first film following the dissolution of his movie partnership with Dean Martin, and it’s clear to see that he works much better without his erstwhile partner disrupting his performance. Following this classic comic flipside version of Rebel Without A Cause, his movies just went from strength to strength.

You’ll like this if you liked : Carry On Constable

Bad Boys 2 (2002) 7/10

Starring : Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Gabrielle Union, Jordi Molla, Peter Stormare
Director : Michael Bay
Running Time : 141 mins

Marcus Bennett (Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Smith) are assigned to investigate the large flow of ecstasy that’s been getting into the city. During their investigation they discover that drug kingpin "Johnny" Tapia (Molla) is behind the illegal drugs operation, but he’s practically untouchable and has sued the police department in the past and won. When Bennett and Lowrey discover that the drugs are being shipped in dead bodies, it seems they might have him, but then they discover that Bennett’s sister Syd (Union) is working undercover for Tapia!

Not a bad movie, and very good for a Michael Bay film, this long awaited sequel reunites Smith and Lawrence in this all action adventure that all fans of the original will love.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lethal Weapon

Employee Of The Month (2006) 8/10

Starring : Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson, Dax Shepard, Efren Ramirez
Director : Greg Coolidge
Running Time : 109 mins

Zack Bradley (Cook) doesn’t take pride in his job as a box boy at Super Club, but when he hears that new employee Amy (Simpson) only dates the Employee Of The Month he makes it his duty to win the title for the first time in his life. Unfortunately 17 times winner and head cashier Vince Downey (Shepard) has also got Amy in his sights, and he’ll do anything to stop Zack from winning!

This was actually surprisingly good and wasn’t, as I suspected, filled with silly slapstick. Dax Shepard is very good as the vindictive and petty Vince, and as a viewer you do actually feel yourself routing for Dane Cook as he is genuinely trying his best to become Employee Of The Month

You’ll like this if you liked : Dodgeball : A True Underdog Story

The Matrix Reloaded (2003) 4/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving
Director : Andy and Larry Wachowski
Running Time : 131 mins

Neo (Reeves) has to help protect Zion from being attacked by a quarter of a million machine sentinels, who are heading there to destroy the rebels. On top of this, Agent Smith (Weaving) has escaped deletion and has returned even more powerful than before, and with a few new tricks up his sleeve.

I really didn’t like this movie, it just felt like the makers hadn’t put any proper thought into it and were just regurgitating the plot devices from the first film whilst throwing in a few more fight scenes and confusing elements to keep hardcore fans interested in the ongoing debate about whatever the hell The Matrix is supposed to be about!

You’ll like this if you liked : The Island

The Grudge (2004) 6/10

Starring : Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, William Mapother, Clea DuVall
Director : Takashi Shimizu
Running Time : 91 mins

In this remake of the classic Japanese horror, Karen Davis (Gellar) is an exchange student from the US training in Tokyo. When she covers for a nurse and goes to visit an elderly woman, she doesn’t realise that the house she lives in possesses a powerful curse which destroys the lives of all those who enter it.

A pretty bland remake, although it thankfully didn’t carry on in the footsteps of the American version of The Ring by taking a great, suspenseful movie and pretty much butchering it. This had the same director as the original, so stayed reasonably true to the story without throwing in too many meaningless scary moments.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dark Water

School Of Rock (2003) 8/10

Starring : Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman
Director : Richard Linklater
Running Time : 105 mins

Dewey Finn (Black) is a no-hoper with no job, no qualifications, and a mountain of debt. When he takes a call for his school-teacher housemate, Ned Schneebly (White), Dewey takes on his identity and takes the school job. When he gets there, he realises he doesn’t know how to teach, so he falls back on the only thing he knows anything about – rock music!

This was a great film, even the kids in it weren’t annoying, and that’s quite the achievement! There were plenty of laughs to go around, and despite Black’s character being essentially one dimensional, he never gets boring throughout.

You’ll like this if you liked : Wayne’s World

The Notebook (2004) 8/10

Starring : Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands
Director : Nick Cassavetes
Running Time : 119 mins

Noah Calhoun (Gosling) falls head over heels for Allie Hamilton (McAdams). They begin a whirlwind summer romance, but this is cut short by Allie’s parents who disapprove of Noah due to his poor upbringing. Following a long separation. During which time Allie has gone to college and Noah has gone to war, they finally meet up again and all their old feelings resurface. The only problem now is that Allie is engaged to another man.

An interesting film, with an incredibly sad ending, this film is told in hindsight by James Garner to a senile Gena Rowlands as he tries to remind her of their past relationship. A definite tearjerker and not for the faint hearted.

You’ll like this if you liked : Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe

Hulk (2003) 6/10

Starring : Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte
Director : Ang Lee
Running Time : 128 mins

Bruce Banner (Bana) is involved in a terrible gamma ray accident which causes his inner emotions to come to the surface, and he turns into a giant green monster when he gets angry. General Ross (Elliott) is given the task of capturing the monster, not realising that it is the unfortunate scientist that he must capture.

With some great special effects, I actually did quite enjoy this film. It had all the elements of the early comic books, but unfortunately none of the humour from later years. A nice injection of Peter David humour was much needed for this film to be a huge success but, sadly, this was not to be the case.

You’ll like this if you liked : X2

Ice Age : The Meltdown (2006) 7/10

Starring : Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott
Director : Carlos Saldanha
Running Time : 87 mins

Manny (Romano), Diego (Leary) and Sid (Leguizamo) discover that their valley is going to be flooded due to the ice wall that surrounds it beginning to melt. They decide to migrate in order to get away from the danger, and along the way they meet Ellie (Latifah), a mammoth who thinks she’s a possum! After much protest, Manny starts to fall for her, but first they have to contend with prehistoric monsters, volcanic eruptions, and vicious tidal waves of peril!

This was quite a good film, with the Scrat sequences providing most of the entertainment throughout. I actually preferred Sid’s character in this than in the original, maybe it’s because he looked a bit better animated. Another bonus is that this wasn’t as sentimental as the original movie, so you can happily laugh without being brought back down by the sad moments..

You’ll like this if you liked : Madagascar

50 First Dates (2004) 7/10

Starring : Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Blake Clark, Sean Astin
Director : Peter Segal
Running Time : 97 mins

Henry Roth (Sandler) works in Hawaii as a vet, and spends his time going on dates with the latest attractive holiday maker to come to the island. Then one day he meets Lucy Whitmore (Barrymore), and island dweller who he falls for straight away. But when he meets her the next day, she can’t remember who he is or ever having met him as she suffers from short-term memory loss.

Another bitter-sweet comedy featuring Adam Sandler; it seems to be his thing at the moment! This is worth watching though; despite being a bit mushy towards the end, this is still a decent film with a few laughs and a nice “moral message”.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shallow Hal