Classic Friday : First Blood (1982) 7/10

Starring : Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna, Chris Mulkey, David Caruso
Director : Ted Kotcheff
Running Time : 92 mins

Whilst hitchhiking through a small town, ex Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Stallone) finds himself getting picked on by local cops, who arrest him for possessing a deadly weapon – his knife. His treatment in jail causes him to have major flashbacks and, when he does escape from confinement, he starts to kill off his pursuers one by one…

A simple idea and a simple plot, this would have been the perfect stand alone movie. Unfortunately Stallone and Hollywood keep insisting on making less and less likely sequels to this otherwise fine and historically accurate movie. Dennehy is especially affective as the main cop out to get him, and Stallone seems generally confused throughout – though I’m not sure how much of that is actual acting.

You’ll like this if you liked : Predator

Panic Room (2002) 6/10

Starring : Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto, Patrick Bauchau
Director : David Fincher
Running Time : 107 mins

Meg Altman (Foster) moves into a new house, with her daughter Sarah (Stewart), following her recent divorce, but on their first night there a trio of burglars break in, searching for hidden money. Realising they can’t get out of the house in time, Meg takes her daughter and they hide in the panic room, a room so secure nothing can get in!

This wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be, considering David Fincher directed it! The idea was simple enough, and Whitaker was excellent, but Foster wasn’t particularly good, and about halfway through I didn’t really care if her and her daughter lived or died!

You’ll like this if you liked : Phone Booth

Death Proof (2007) 7/10

Starring : Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Vanessa Ferlito, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Rose McGowan
Director : Quentin Tarantino
Running Time : 114 mins

A man known only as Stuntman Mike (Russell) has a car which he considers to be deathproof, and he uses it to stalk and kill attractive young women, but with the latest set of women he’s set his sights on he might just have met his match!

This movie was incredibly slow, but once the action got started it was pretty good. The second half of the movie was much more energetic than the first, but it didn’t really pull the movie back on track following the first car crash.

You’ll like this if you liked : Jeepers Creepers

The Parole Officer (2001) 8/10

Starring : Steve Coogan, Om Puri, Steve Waddington, Ben Miller, Emma Williams, Stephen Dillane, Lena Headey
Director : John Duigan
Running Time : 90 mins

Simon Garden (Coogan) is a parole officer who has had very little success in rehabilitating the offenders he has dealt with, but he has to call on the help of those he’s helped in the past when he is framed for murder by the corrupt DI Burton (Dillane), and he finds himself breaking into a bank to recover CCTV footage that can clear his name!

This was actually a very enjoyable comedy, filled with lots of laugh out loud moments. Coogan is at his best in this movie, the character of Simon Garden being up there with the likes of Alan Partridge himself, and the supporting cast keep the comedy and the action going throughout.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hot Fuzz

Meet The Robinsons (2007) 7/10

Starring : Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Stephen J Anderson, Laurie Metcalf, Matthew Josten
Director : Stephen J Anderson
Running Time : 91 mins

In Disney's 47th Animated Classic, a young orphan named Lewis (Hansen & Fry) meets Wilbur Robinson (Singerman) who takes him into the future to escape a strange man in a bowler hat (Anderson) who is trying to steal Lewis’s latest invention and claim it as his own.

Although this isn’t one of Disney’s best, this is still a very enjoyable and well produced piece of animation. The plot is simple enough, and is handled pretty well, though with any time-travel movie there are some paradoxes present. The only problem I had was that so much more could have been done with the time-travel motif, but very little was really achieved.

You’ll like this if you liked : Chicken Little

Firewall (2006) 5/10

Starring : Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Virginia Madsen, Carly Schroeder, Jimmy Bennett, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Robert Patrick
Director : Richard Loncraine
Running Time : 105 mins

Jack Stanfield (Ford) is a security expect who is held to ransom by a group of thieves who want him to breach the security of the bank he works for or they will kill his family, but Stanfield decides that, rather than implicate himself as an embezzler, he will try to save his family on his own.

This was really clichéd, with little or no sense to the plot. Bettany is leading possibly the worse group of thieves ever, falling for some of the most obvious ploys and having possibly the worst plan ever! Why Ford agreed to make this movie is beyond me, and this is by far his worst movie to date!

You’ll like this if you liked : Ransom

Zoolander (2001) 8/10

Starring : Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller, David Duchovny, Jon Voight
Director : Ben Stiller
Running Time : 87 mins

When Derek Zoolander (Stiller) loses the Male Model of the Year award to newcomer Hansel (Wilson), he decides to retire, but is then convinced by fashion icon Mugatu (Ferrell) to front his new clothing line, “Derelicte”. However, Mugatu’s real plan is to brainwash Derek into killing the president of Malaysia, who plans to outlaw child labour and possibly costs Mugatu his business!

This is such a silly movie, you just have to love it. Stiller is at his best as the inept model Zoolander, and Ferrell is the least sinister villain ever! The guest actors are clearing having fun throughout the movie, and it was sweet to see Ben working with his dad again!

You’ll like this if you liked : Anchorman : The Legend Of Ron Burgundy

Skinwalkers (2006) 5/10

Starring : Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, Natassia Malthe, Kim Coates, Sarah Carter, Matthew Knight
Director : James Isaac
Running Time : 89 mins

Two warring factions of werewolves find themselves fighting over a young boy named Timothy (Knight) whose blood controls the destiny of all werewolf kind, one side trying to protect him, the other trying to kill him.

As far as horror films go, this was pretty dreadful. The acting was a little hammy, although that is to be expected in horror, but the ending was just appallingly Hollywood! The class of actor was firmly in the B-movie listing, with no less than two actors from DOA : Dead Or Alive which, if you’ve seen it, just goes to show how terrible the casting is.

You’ll like this if you liked : Underworld

Shoot ‘Em Up (2007) 5/10

Starring : Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci, Stephen McHattie
Director : Michael Davis
Running Time : 86 mins

A man simply known as Mr Smith (Owen) finds himself protecting a newborn baby, with the help of a lactating prostitute named Donna Quintano (Bellucci), from a gang of guntoting maniacs, led by the crasy Mr Hertz (Giamatti), who want to kill the child so it’s "father" can’t use the baby to cure himself of his illness.

I’m going to give the makers of this movie the benefit of the doubt and say that this was a very cartoony, tongue-in-cheek action movie full of clichéd one-liners. Despite this fact, I still thought this movie was pretty weak. Owen sounded like he was reading from an autocue, Bellucci was clearly employed for her breasts rather than her acting ability, and why Giamatti agreed to make this movie I don’t know! I’d recommend giving this a miss.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sin City

The Lake House (2006) 8/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Christopher Plummer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Dylan Walsh, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Director : Alejandro Agresti
Running Time : 95 mins

Alex Wyler (Reeves) moves into his new lake house and receives a letter from the previous occupant, Kate Forster (Bullock). He sends one back in return and they begin a romantic correspondence, but when Kate realises that Alex is corresponding from two years in the past, their relationship takes a very unusual twist.

I hate to admit it but I did actually enjoy this movie. It started off in the usual manner for a romantic drama, but quickly took some unusual turns as the film progressed. The performances were nothing special, but it still remains an exceptionally moving film which I would definitely recommend seeing.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Notebook

Classic Friday : Grease (1978) 9/10

Starring : John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway
Director : Randal Kleiser
Running Time : 106 mins

Following a holiday romance, Danny Zuko (Travolta) thinks he’ll never see Sandy Olsson (Newton-John) again, but when she turns up as the new student at his high school he finds it difficult to keep up the façade of being a nice decent young man when he’s actual a bit of a greaser and a gang member.

This movie actually made musicals cool, and acceptable for both men and women! Travolta and Newton-John make a great team throughout, playing both the good kids and the bad to the hilt.

You’ll like this if you liked : American Graffiti

Monster House (2006) 9/10

Starring : Mitchel Musso, Spencer Locke, Sam Lerner, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Jason Lee, Jon Heder
Director : Gil Kenan
Running Time : 87 mins

When teenager DJ (Musso) accidentally causes his neighbour Mr Nebbercracker (Buscemi) to have a seizure and is rushed to hospital, he starts getting strange phone calls from the old man’s house. With the help of his friend Chowder (Lerner), he investigates the house and discovers that it is actually alive and that it is going to eat all the children that visit it on Halloween!

This was an excellent film, which didn’t try to pander to children but instead tried to make the film genuinely creepy without bumping the certificate too high. The kid actors are brilliant in the three lead roles, and the additional cast of characters are just as good. Definitely worth watching.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ghostbusters

Rush Hour 3 (2007) 5/10

Starring : Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Youki Kudoh, Max von Sydow, Noemie Lenoir, Tzi Ma
Director : Brett Ratner
Running Time : 89 mins

After an attempted assassination on Ambassador Han (Ma), Detectives Lee (Chan) and Carter (Tucker) are lead to Paris where they find themselves protecting a French woman named Genevieve (Lenoir) who possesses a list of the Triads' secret leaders.

This wasn’t very good at all. Considering I like Jackie Chan movies, and I liked the previous two Rush Hour movies, this was quite the let down. I can see why Chris Tucker hasn’t made any other movies since starting in on the Rush Hour franchise, it’s because he’s so annoying, and in this film he’s doubly so, and Chan is pretty much wasted with only one or two moments for him to use his martial arts skills.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shanghai Knights

Inside Man (2006) 6/10

Starring : Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Director : Spike Lee
Running Time : 129 mins

An gang of bank robbers take hostages in a Manhattan bank, dressing the hostages in the same outfits they themselves are wearing. Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) is assigned to negotiate with the robbers, but discovers that the bank's president Arthur Case (Plummer) is hiding something in one of the bank’s safety deposit boxes.

To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed by this movie. It left too much unanswered for my liking, such as if Dalton Russell (Owen) got away, why was he telling the story from a prison cell? The overall feel of the movie was at times shaky and hard to follow in what seems to be an attempt by Lee to imitate Tarantino.

You’ll like this if you liked : Phone Booth

Blades Of Glory (2007) 8/10

Starring : Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer, William Fichtner, Craig T Nelson, Romany Malco
Director : Josh Gordon & Will Speck
Running Time : 90 mins

Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) were once the world's best men's figure skaters, until they were both banned for life at the 2002 Olympics. Years later the bitter rivals realise that the only way they can compete again professionally is if they form a doubles team.

I thought this was a very funny film. Heder is incredibly camp as Jimmy, and Ferrell is the ultimate womaniser as Chazz. The supporting cast are very good, and there’s loads of quick fire jokes that you really have to listen out for if you want to make the most of this fun comedy.

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

Shallow Hal (2001) 8/10

Starring : Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander, Susan Ward, Anthony Robbins
Director : Bobby & Peter Farrelly
Running Time : 108 mins

Hal Larson (Black) was advised by his father on his deathbed that he should only date attractive women, and so has grown up to only go for the perfect woman devoid of imperfections, but when he meets Tony Robbins (himself) in a lift he is hypnotized to only see women’s inner beauty, so when he meets Rosemary Shanahan (Paltrow), who weighs over 300 lbs, he sees her inner beauty and falls madly in love.

I really like this film, it’s probably one of the Farrelly borthers most endearing movies to date. Black is not as manic as usual, which seems to suit him better, and Paltrow looks at her best as Hal’s ultimate Rosemary.

You’ll like this if you liked : Norbit

The Reaping (2007) 8/10

Starring : Hilary Swank, David Morrissey, Idris Elba, AnnaSophia Robb, Stephen Rea, William Ragsdale
Director : Stephen Hopkins
Running Time : 96 mins

Katherine Winter (Swank) has the unenviable job of investigating supposed miracles and, more often than not, disproving them, but when she is called upon to investigate the small town of Haven where the river has turned to blood, even she has to admit that something supernatural may be afoot. As things become increasingly more apocalyptic, Winter finds herself under attack from plagues of locusts, rains of frogs, and half-crazed cattle attacks!

This was a very enjoyable movie which, unlike many horror films of recent years, actually felt quite original. Some have compared it to Signs, but I don’t see the resemblance other than it’s set in a small town and Swank’s family are dead. Definitely worth checking out if you get the time.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Omen

Star Trek Nemesis (2002) 6/10

Starring : Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Tom Hardy, Ron Perlman
Director : Stuart Baird
Running Time : 111 mins

The crew of the Enterprise are sent near the neutral zone to Romulus, where a new praetor, Shinzon (Hardy), a human cloned from Captain Picard (Stewart), wants to form a peace treaty with the Federation. But when Picard is captured by the Remans because Shinzon needs him as his only matching supplier of genetic material, the crew find themselves battling Shinzon and the entire Reman Empire!

Definitely not the best of the Star Trek series, so no surprise it seems to be the last for The Next Generation crew. Hardy had little or no charisma in the role and, considering he was supposed to be Picard’s clone, he was awful at behaving like him. Probably the most boring of the series, here’s hoping the next one gets a well needed boost.

You’ll like this if you liked : Star Wars Episode Two - Attack Of The Clones

Disturbia (2007) 8/10

Starring : Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Aaron Yoo
Director : DJ Caruso
Running Time : 105 mins

When Kale Brecht (LeBeouf) is put under house arrest for hitting his Spanish teacher, and his mum Julie (Moss) bans him from watching TV or playing on his Xbox, Kale takes up spying on his neighbours, particularly his attractive new neighbour Ashley (Roemer). But when he sees what he thinks is a murder taking place, Kale becomes terrified that his neighbour Robert Turner (Morse) is going to try to kill him too!

This was a very well made, suspense filled thriller. The writers and director actually allow us to get to know the main characters before the actual murders start to happen which was refreshing as with many modern horror / thrillers we’re just thrown into the action with minor information on the one-dimensional cast.

You’ll like this if you liked : Rear Window

War Of The Worlds (2005) 6/10

Starring : Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 117 mins

Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is a divorcee who is being visited by his kids Robbie (Chatwin) and Rachel (Fanning)for the weekend while his ex-wife and her new husband visit her parents in Boston. Unfortunately this is the same weekend that aliens decide to invade the Earth, and Ray find himself having to fight to protect his children from the invading menace.

Definitely not the best action movie of all time, and far from being Spielberg’s best, this is still a mildly entertaining romp which, if you try not to think about it too much, is actually quite enjoyable to watch. This has the feel of a future Christmas day movie if ever there was one.

You’ll like this if you liked : Independence Day

Classic Friday : Goodfellas (1990) 10/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
Director : Martin Scorcese
Running Time : 140 mins

Henry Hill (Liotta) works for the mob, and everything in his life is pretty much perfect until his friends and business partners Tommy De Vito (Pesci) and Jimmy Conway (De Niro) brutally murder Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), a made man in the competing Gambino crime family. This offence could get them all killed by the Gambinos if discovered, so Henry, Tommy and Jimmy set about disposing of the body, which is only the beginning of their eventual downfall, culminating in their trafficking of drugs against the orders of their mob bosses.

This is probably the best gangster movie I’ve ever seen, in many ways I even think it surpasses the Godfather itself. Pesci is both funny and frightening as Tommy, and Liotta plays the almost carefree Henry very well. Definitely one that everybody should have seen by now, and if not then get out there and buy yourself a copy!

You’ll like this if you liked : The Godfather

Fun With Dick And Jane (2005) 8/10

Starring : Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni, Alec Baldwin, Richard Jenkins
Director : Dean Parisot
Running Time : 91 mins

Dick Harper (Carrey) and his wife Jane (Leoni) are both pretty successful in the business world, so when Dick gets a promotion at work, Jane quits her job. Unfortunately Dick has been targeted as a scapegoat by his manipulative boss Jack McCallister (Baldwin), and now the Harpers are in danger of losing their home unless they resort to drastic action, but just how far will they go to keep up with the Joneses?

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and thought that it was quite underrated as there wasn’t really all that much hype about it when it first got released. Carrey was a little over the top at times for the part, but Leoni played the role well, and Baldwin did some nice George Bush routines.

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

Shooter (2007) 8/10

Starring : Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Danny Glover, Kate Mara, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra
Director : Antoine Fugua
Running Time : 126 mins

A top military marksmen named Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) is asked to come out of early retirement when a conspiracy to assassinate the president of the United States is unearthed, and it is believed that he might have some insight into the marksman’s strategy. Unfortunately Swagger is soon double crossed by the people he thought he was helping and finds himself on the run for attempting to kill the president, as well as the murder of the Ethiopian prime minister.

A very entertaining movie, filled with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Wahlberg plans the hermit-like Swagger very well, and Pena is very sympathetic as rookie FBI agent Nick Memphis who helps Swagger throughout.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Bourne Identity

View From The Top (2003) 6/10

Starring : Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Mark Ruffalo, Candice Bergen, Mike Myers, Kelly Preston, Rob Lowe
Director : Bruno Barreto
Running Time : 84 mins

Donna Jensen (Paltrow) dreams of becoming a flight attendant, despite having never flown before in her life. Realising she could go far in the industry, she becomes determined to work for the same flight company as her heroine, Sally Weston (Bergman), but when she mysteriously fails the exams for entry, thing start to look bleak for Donna.

An enjoyable comedy, although not laugh-out-loud funny, with some decent cameos and supporting actors, this probably could have been a lot funnier if not for the makers apparent worry of offending people following the disaster of 9/11. Mike Myers was pretty good as the glass-eyed John Whitney, but other than that the characters were pretty forgettable, even Christina Applegate who is usually very good.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bubble Boy

Prime (2005) 6/10

Starring : Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep, Bryan Greenberg, Jon Abrahams
Director : Ben Younger
Running Time : 106 mins

Recently divorced Rafi Gardet (Thurman) begins dating a young man named David Bloomberg (Greenburg), only to dicover that not only is her 14 years her junior, but that his mother is her therapist, Doctor Metzger (Streep). When Metzger discovers this fact, she soon starts going back on everything she’s advised Rafi to do about the relationship thus far.

Although this was a little bitter sweet, and quite slow going, this was still a nice little movie with quite a surprising non-Hollywood ending. Thurman isn’t particularly impressive in this, and relative new-comer Greenburg is flat and a little dull, but Streep keeps the movie going with her scheming character.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shopgirl

The Last King Of Scotland (2006) 9/10

Starring : Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Simon McBurney, David Oyelowo
Director : Kevin McDonald
Running Time : 118 mins

Doctor Nicholas Garrigan (McAvoy) travels to Uganda to assist in a poverty stricken hospital, but he soon meets the new president of Uganda, Idi Amin (Whitaker) who invites Garrigan to be his private physician and personal advisor, but as the years pass Garrigan finds himself a virtual prisoner of the increasingly insane dictator.

This was possibly one of the best dramatic movies I’ve seen in a long time. Whitaker deservedly won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Amin, as he comes across as every bit the frightening yet charismatic madman.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hotel Rwanda

Flightplan (2005) 6/10

Starring : Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Kate Beahan
Director : Robert Schwentke
Running Time : 95 mins

Kyle Pratt (Foster) is travelling home with his husbands dead body when her daughter mysteriously vanishes during their flight, and no-one on board remembers seeing the girl. When she gets Captain Rich (Bean) to check the manifest, it’s discivered that her daughter was apparently never on the flight at all! Is Kyle going crazy, or is something more sinister at work?

This wasn’t the best thriller I’ve seen, but it was still fairly engrossing. Foster didn’t really seem to find her feet in this Hitchcockian thriller, possibly due to the weak supporting cast, but this was still a decent movie, well worth checking out.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Forgotten

Free Jimmy (2006) 7/10

Starring : Woody Harrelson, Kyle MacLachlan, Jim Broadbent, Simon Pegg, Phil Daniels, Jay Simpson, Samantha Morton, Emilia Fox, Douglas Henshall
Director :Christopher Nielson
Running Time : 83 mins

A group of criminals get offered £3,000 each to take a job with a dodgy Russian circus by their old friend Roy Arnie (Harrelson), who plans to use a circus elephant named Jimmy, who’s been continually mistreated and kept dependent on drugs for the past fifteen years, to smuggle a million pounds worth of heroin out of the country. Unfortunately an animal rights group have set their sights on the self same circus which is performing in Norway, and they plan to set Jimmy free.

This is the first computer animated movie to come out of Norway, but it still looks very good. There’s a lot going on in this movie, and all the storylines merge in a very satisfying way. Clearly this is not designed for kids, which is probably it’s one major drawback, but it’s still very entertaining for adults.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels

Smokin’ Aces (2007) 6/10

Starring : Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, Davenia McFadden, Joseph Ruskin, Nestor Carbonell, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg
Director : John Carnahan
Running Time : 109 mins

Dying mob boss Primo Sparazza (Ruskin) puts a contract on the head of his one-time protégé Buddy "Aces" Israel (Piven), a Las Vegas magician who is due to testify against him. The $1 million contract draws the attention of a large number of hired guns, as well as the FBI, and they soon start trampling each other to get to their target.

This could have been a lot better, but then it could have been a lot worse. Piven plays the troubled Buddy Israel with aplomb, going from manic to depressive at the drop of a hat, but with such a great ensemble cast I expected so much more.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Departed

Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny (2006) 7/10

Starring : Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Tim Robbins, Troy Gentile, Jason Reed, Ronnie James Dio
Director : Liam Lynch
Running Time : 95 mins

JB (Black) runs away from his religious home to Hollywood in the hope of becoming a rock legend. There he meets KG (Gass) and the form a band, calling themselves Tenacious D, but discover that rock and roll God hood isn’t as easy as it looks. Upon discovering a legend concerning a mystical guitar pick forged from one of Satan’s teeth, they head off in search of the magical item

When this started, I actually thought it was going to be a musical! The first ten minutes is non-stop singing, which I thought might get dry pretty quick, but once the story got going this was quite an enjoyable movie, slightly reminiscent of Wayne’s World in many ways.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey

Classic Friday : Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) 9/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Hal Landon Jr, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman
Director : Stephen Herek
Running Time : 86 mins

A time traveller named Rufus (Carlin) travels back in time to prevent Bill Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) from failing their history exams and preventing the end of all future civilisation. So he gives them a time travelling phone booth, and they set about travelling through time to meet some of the historical figures they’re supposed to write their report on.

This movie was made on a relatively small budget, but still manages to last the test of time. It is full of silly one-liners and memorable moments, and the supporting cast of historical figures all play their parts magnificently. The very idea of two slackers being the foundation of future society is somehow both comforting and disturbing, but it is played quite well and makes for a charming little tale.

You’ll like this if you liked : Waynes World

Knocked Up (2007) 7/10

Starring : Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr
Director : Judd Apatow
Running Time : 124 mins

Ben Stone (Rogen) is an unemployed slacker who meets ambitious Alison Scott (Heigl) in a night club. They get drunk and have a one-night stand, and Ben thinks that’s the end of their relationship but then, two months later, he receives a phone call from her telling him she’s pregnant!

Although I did enjoy this movie, I was a little let down due to all the hype surrounding it. There were some very funny moments, but there were also moments of almost nothingness which could have been cut out of this overlong romantic comedy.

You’ll like this if you liked : She’s Having A Baby

The Hills Have Eyes II (2007) 6/10

Starring : Lee Thompson Young, Daniella Alonso, Eric Edelstein, Jessica Stroup, Jacob Vargas, Ben Crowley, Michael McMillian, Flex Alexander
Director : Martin Weisz
Running Time : 89 mins

A group of trainees from the National Guard arrive at the fabled Section 16 to bring supplies to the people installing a monitoring station there, only to discover that everyone is gone. A distress signal forces them to mount a rescue mission into the hills, but there they discover a group of deformed mutants who’s only wish is to kill them all!

This was thankfully a lot better than the 2006 version. I could actually see what was going on, as opposed to the largely pitch black first instalment. Granted, the acting wasn’t really up to much, and the characters were pretty flat and one dimensional on the whole, but in spite of this I still thought it was pretty entertaining.

You’ll like this if you liked : Starship Troopers

Alex And Emma (2003) 6/10

Starring : Kate Hudson, Luke Wilson, Sophie Marceau, Rob Reiner
Director : Rob Reiner
Running Time : 93 mins

Alex Sheldon (Wilson) is a wannabe novelist and gambler who has borrowed money from some loan sharks, and has to churn out a novel within thirty days or face their wrath! To help him do this he hires a stenographer named Emma Dinsmore (Hudson) under the pretence of working for a law firm, but soon they discover that their mutual input makes for a much more entertaining tale.

This movie was okay for what it was, but I think it really needed some fleshing out to be truly brilliant. Wilson and Hudson did a decent enough job in the lead roles, but this was nothing particularly special.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Notebook

Reno 911 Miami (2006) 9/10

Starring : Carlos Alazraqui, Mary Birdsong, Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Cedric Yarbrough
Director : Ben Garant
Running Time : 84 mins

The Reno police force are invited to a police convention in Miami, but upon arriving discover they haven’t been booked into the convention hotel. They book into another, seedier hotel, and as a result are the only police officers in Miami not to become infected during a terrorist attack. As the only law enforcers in town, they are tasked with patrolling the streets of Miami until a cure can be found.

This was possibly the silliest comedy I’ve seen in a long time. The plotline was thin, the concept was dubious, but the overall effect was fantastic. I highly recommend this movie to anyone with a crude sense of humour, and if possible check out the Comedy Central TV series too.

You’ll like this if you liked : Police Academy

Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002) 7/10

Starring : Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Seth Green, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, Michael Caine
Director : Jay Roach
Running Time : 90 mins

Austin Powers (Myers) travels back in time to 1975 to rescue his father, Nigel Powers (Caine) who has been kidnapped by Dr Evil (Myers), who has joined forces with the evil Goldmember (Myers). Dr Evil’s latest plan is to use a tractor beam designed by Goldmember to pull a golden meteor into the Earth melt the polar ice caps and cause global flooding, and only Austin Powers can stop them!

Not as good as the first instalment, but on a par with the second, this looks as if it will be the last outing for Secret Agent Austin Powers. The plots were getting a little on the weak side by this stage, and a lot of the jokes were recycled from the first two films, but this is still mildly amusing and still entertains more than some of the comedies out there.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Naked Gun

Vacancy (2007) 8/10

Starring : Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson, Frank Whaley, Ethan Embry, Scott G Anderson
Director : Nimrod Antal
Running Time : 86 mins

After getting lost on the highway, David Fox (Wilson) and his wife Amy (Beckinsale) find themselves at a lonely, rundown motel with only the manager for company, but when they find recording devices in their room, and frightening home made movies in the VCR, they realise that their lives might be in danger.

I thought this was a really good scary movie, and it managed to be truly frightening without having an over-the-top amount of deaths. Both Wilson and Beckinsale are excellent as the estranged couple, and the villains themselves are believable, veryday folk, and not weird mutated freaks like in some movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hostel

Shark Tale (2004) 7/10

Starring : Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie
Director : Bibo Bergeron
Running Time : 90 mins

Oscar (Smith) finds himself dubbed the “sharkslayer” when he is found next to the body of a dead shark, who turns out to be the son of a mob boss, Don Lino (De Niro). Oscar plays up the role to his adoring public, until he realises how much danger he could be putting himself and his loved ones in.

Not a bad cartoon from Dreamworks, but this is unfortunately saddled with the problem of being compared with Shrek because of its production company. The characters aren’t that memorable, and overall this felt like it was just riding along on both the popularity of Shrek and the recent bout of under-the-sea movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : Finding Nemo

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) 8/10

Starring : Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, Joan Allen
Director : Paul Greengrass
Running Time : 112 mins

Jason Bourne (Damon) finds himself once again being tracked down by government agents, this time because they’ve discovered plans to replace the Treadstone group with something called Blackbriar. With this new information, they track down Bourne and send agents out to kill him, while Bourne tries to find out more secrets about his past.

This basically took all the good parts from the first two films and successfully put them all into one, whilst simultaneously answering all of the questions posed in the earlier instalments.

You’ll like this if you liked : Enemy Of The State