Classic Friday : Escape From New York (1981) 8/10

Starring : Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau
Director : John Carpenter
Running Time : 95 mins

When a plane carrying the president (Pleasance) is shot down in New York, which is now a penal colony, the government call in Snake Plissken (Russell) to go in and attempt to rescue him from the gang who are holding him and a very important tape hostage. Plissken has 23 hours to get back with the president, or a controlled explosive will open up his arteries and kill him!

This is a very well orchestrated movie, without going over the top with ridiculous futuristic nonsense like so many other movies of it's ilk. The action is slow and limited, but that doesn't take out any of the suspense or the impact, plus it's always funny to see a movie that's set in the apparent future, this one being set in 1997!

You’ll like this if you liked : The Terminator

Zoom (2006) 7/10

Starring : Tim Allen, Courteney Cox, Chevy Chase, Spencer Breslin, Kevin Zegers, Kate Mara, Michael Cassidy, Ryan Newman, Rip Torn
Director : Peter Hewitt
Running Time : 89 mins

Jack Shepard (Allen), aka. Captain Zoom, is an ex-super hero who is called out of retirement by the government to help train a new group of young super heroes, but they soon discover that the real reason for their recruitment is to help defeat Jack’s long lost brother Conor (Zegers), who turned to evil many years ago and is now returning to seek revenge.

For a kids movie, this was pretty entertaining, but don’t expect anything high brow here. The kids were entertaining with their random super powers, and Tim Allen underplayed his role quite well. Definitely one for the kids on Christmas day, but don’t go too much out of your way to see this.

You’ll like this if you liked : Men In Black

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) 8/10

Starring : Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Sally Phillips, James Callis, Shirley Henderson
Director : Sharon Maguire
Running Time : 97 mins

Bridget Jones (Zellweger) is an unconfident thirty-something who makes the New Years resolution to turn her life around by losing weight and keeping a diary to remind herself where her life is going wrong. On her journey to a better life she starts seeing her chauvinistic boss Daniel Cleaver (Grant), whilst also secretly finding herself attracted to a rather grating acquaintance named Mark Darcy (Firth).

An exceptional adaptation, and one of the more accessible chick flicks of recent years. Zellweger is surprisingly amiable as Bridget and doesn't go too over the top with the English accent, Grant is brilliant as the slightly shady Daniel Cleaver, and Firth plays the romantic lead with his usual knowing subtlety.

You’ll like this if you liked : Notting Hill

Into The Blue (2005) 7/10

Starring : Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott, Josh Brolin
Director : John Stockwell
Running Time : 110 mins

Jared (Walker) is a small time wannabe treasure hunter in the Bahamas, where he lives a quiet existence with his girlfriend Sam (Alba), but when they discover a wrecked plane on the sea bed filled with cocaine, Jared's friend Bryce (Caan) and his new girlfriend Amanda (Scott) decide to cash in by selling the drugs to a local crime lord. However, when the drugs turn out to belong to said crim lord, things become very complicated for all four of them.

I was actually surprised to find that this was a pretty enjoyable movie, and not just because you get to see lots of shots of Jessica Alba's behind. The plot, although a little slow going, soon picks up and draws you in to the movie as you try to figure what direction the director is going to take us in. Definitely worth checking out.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Beach

The Last Mimzy (2007) 8/10

Starring : Chris O’Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rainn Wilson, Kathryn Hahn
Director : Bob Shaye
Running Time : 97 mins

When Noah (O’Neill) and Emma Wilder (Wryn) find a strange box of toys on the beach, they begin to develop amazing powers and genius level intelligence, but when Noah assembles the toys, he accidentally activates a powerful generator and blacks out the entire state. When the FBI investigate, they discover that, rather than the alien technology they expected, the toys have come from the future with a warning for all of mankind.

This was a pretty good kids movie which didn’t seem to talk down to it’s audience. The child actors were good in their roles, and the action was well paced and lead to a satisfying conclusion. The only real problem was it did get a little confusing as to what the Mimzy’s were being used for right up until the end.

You’ll like this if you liked : Five Children And It

The Guru (2002) 6/10

Starring : Jimi Mistry, Heather Graham, Marisa Tomei, Michael McKean
Director : Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Running Time : 91 mins

Ramu Gupta (Mistry) is a dance teacher for the elderly Indian women in his community, but his dream is to become a famous actor in America. But when he decides to move there to pursue his career, he discovers that becoming an actor isn’t as easy as it looks, and he ends up becoming a soft core porno actor in his attempts to be recognised as a professional actor.

This wasn’t that bad a movie, despite having some pretty poor reviews, and is the sort of thing you’d watch just to pass the time. The performances are entertaining and, in spite of a pretty ropey ending ala Grease, I think this can still be enjoyed if you think of it as nothing more than a light and frothy romantic comedy.

You’ll like this if you liked : Orgazmo

Crank (2006) 6/10

Starring : Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez, Dwight Yoakam
Director : Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
Running Time : 85 mins

Chev Chelios (Statham) is a professional assassin who is injected with a deadly poison which will kill him if he can’t keep his heart rate and adrenalin above a certain level, so he goes on a high octane search for the people who betrayed him so that he can kill them before he drops dead, whilst trying to keep his job as an assassin a secret from his girlfriend Eve (Smart)...

This was a fast-paced all action thriller, with lots of humour thrown in for good measure, but it was still only a mediocre movie at best, despite being quite an original and well thought through concept, the main problem being that Statham felt a bit wooden and one dimensional at times in the lead role, but the surprise ending does partly make up for it.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shoot 'Em Up

Corpse Bride (2005) 7/10

Starring : Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Paul Whitehouse, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, Richard E Grant, Christopher Lee
Director : Tim Burton & Mike Johnson
Running Time : 74 mins

When nervous groom to be Victor Van Dort (Depp) practices his wedding vows in a grave yard, he inadvertently finds himself married to Emily (Bonham Carter) a young bride who was murdered whilst waiting to meet her future husband. Now Victor finds himself taken away to the land of the dead, desperately trying to get back to his true bride Victoria Everglot (Watson) before she marries the dastardly Lord Barkis Bittern (Grant).

This was a very atmospheric, very entertaining movie, and in many ways superior to its predecessor The Nightmare Before Christmas despite having far less memorable songs. Depp is good as the nervous groom, with Watson and Bonham Carter playing the respective brides with quiet confidence, but it’s Richard E Grant who steals the show as the evil and conniving Lord Bittern.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events

The Terminal (2004) 7/10

Starring : Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Barry Shabaka Henley, Chi McBride
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 124 mins

Viktor Navorski (Hanks) finds himself trapped in JFK airport when his home country of Krakozhia goes to war and is wiped off the map. Now his passport isn’t valid, so he can’t leave the airport or go home as it no longer exists, so he is forced by Homeland Security worker Frank Dixon (Tucci) to set up residence indefinitely in the airport until something can be done, but Navorski’s grasp of English is poor at best and he finds it difficult communicating with the people he meets.

An interesting film, which just goes to prove that loopholes in the law can ruin lives, this concept is nevertheless handled admirably by Spielberg and Hanks. It must have been difficult to stretch out the plot to two hours, but Spielberg manages to do this without the movie becoming boring at any point.

You’ll like this if you liked : Big

Hot Rod (2007) 6/10

Starring : Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny R McBride, Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek, Ian McShane, Will Arnett
Director : Akiva Schaffer
Running Time : 88 mins

Rod Kimble (Samberg) is a wannabe stuntman who wants to follow in hisdead father's footsteps, so when he discovers that his much hated stepfather Frank (McShane) is dieing, he decides to raise the money for his lifesaving operation by performing a series of death defying stunts so he can finally prove himself to him and still have the opportunity to kick his ass. But when he finds out that his real father wasn't a stuntman at all, Rod starts to think about throwing it all in.

This movie was okay, but not as funny as I hoped. Basically the jokes revolve entirely around Rod repeatedly hurting himself throughout the movie, with his friends there for barely effectual comic relief. If you like watching movies where people just fall over, then this would probably be right up your street, but otherwise steer clear.

You’ll like this if you liked : Jackass The Movie

Classic Friday : Die Hard (1988) 10/10

Starring : Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, De’voreaux White, William Atherton
Director : John McTiernan
Running Time : 126 mins

New York cop John McClane (Willis) finds himself trapped in his wife’s office building during their Christmas party when a group of terrorists lead by the sinister Hans Gruber (Rickman) hold the staff hostage in order to steal $600 million in bonds from the buildings safe, but McClane won’t just lie down and give up as he sets about trying to stop the terrorists before any of the innocent hostages get killed.

This is possibly one of the best action movies ever made, and has stood the test of time almost 20 years after it’s original release. Willis is fantastic as that rare breed of hero who can actually be injured, but still fights on, and Rickman is at his sneering best as Hans Gruber. A definite must see for anyone who enjoys all-action movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lethal Weapon

Magicians (2007) 6/10

Starring : David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Jessica Stevenson, Darren Boyd, Peter Capaldi, Steve Edge, Andrea Riseborough
Director : Andrew O’Connor
Running Time : 87 mins

One time partner magicians Harry Kane (Mitchell) and Karl Allen (Webb) are forced to put their differences aside over a fatal accident at one of their performances when they team up years later to try and win a magic competition, but as soon as they see each other again they decide to go it alone and become bitter rivals for the honour of being named best magician and winner of the much coveted Shield.

This movie was okay, but not as good as people seemed to make out. Mitchell and Webb pretty much reprise their roles from Peep Show, and it’s the supporting cast who are doing most of the work to keep the movie entertaining, specifically Jessica Stevenson and Darren Boyd.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Parole Officer

Dr Dolittle 2 (2001) 6/10

Starring : Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Raven Symone, Kyla Pratt
Director : Steve Carr
Running Time : 84 mins

Dr John Dolittle (Murphy) has received world-wide fame for his ability to communicate with animals, but as a result has been neglecting his family life, so when he is asked to help reintroduce a circus bear into the wild in order to help protect an endangered forest, he uses the opportunity to try and rebuild his relationship with his family.

This is a great movie for the kids, but not so much for the adults. This didn’t have as many multi-level jokes as the first movie, but it has got just as much start pulling power which is made evident by the amount of stars called on to provide the animal voices and, compared to some of the rushed sequels that were around at the same time, this was much better thought through.

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

Superbad (2007) 9/10

Starring : Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen
Director : Greg Mottola
Running Time : 114 mins

Seth (Hill) and his friends Evan (Cera) and Fogell (Mintz-Plasse) have never been invited to any of their high school parties, so when they get the opportunity to make their name at the last party of high school, and possibly get laid, by getting all the alcohol, they jump at the chance, but things aren’t so simple as they are blocked at every stage by inept cops and generally nasty people.

This was such a crude, toilet humour filled movie, and I couldn’t help but love it. The characters are sick and twisted and have no concept of right and wrong, which just makes them more realistic, and their plans to get alcohol, though potentially feasible, at times border on the insane.

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

Minority Report (2002) 8/10

Starring : Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 142 mins

John Anderton (Cruise) is a new kind of cop, one who works with a team of precogs who can predict when crimes are going to happen and prevent them before they do so, but when the precogs predict that Anderton is going to commit a murder in the next 36 hours, he finds himself running for his life, trying to avoid capture whilst simultaneously trying to figure out the events that might lead to him committing such a crime.

This was a good movie, based on one of Philip K Dick’s many original novels, and runs quickly and smoothly, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seats for the majority of the movie, but the last twenty minutes or so were a little slow and took too long to reach the inevitable conclusion.

You’ll like this if you liked : I, Robot

Wimbledon (2004) 7/10

Starring : Paul Bettany, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Neill, James McAvoy, Bernard Hill, Eleanor Bron
Director : Richard Loncraine
Running Time : 98 mins

Peter Colt (Bettany) is a 30-something professional tennis player, ranked 119th in the world, and has never won a pro match until he meets tennis prodigy Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst). As their relationship progresses, Peter begins to find his focus in the game, while simultaneously Lizzie loses her, and her father (Neill) decides that their relationship has to come to an end.

This was a reasonably enjoyable romantic comedy, with a nice performance put in by Bettany. Dunst was a little weak in her role, and seemed to be exaggerating her American accent throughout the movie, and Neill just seemed to be there as a big name more than anything else.

You’ll like this if you liked : Notting Hill

Flushed Away (2006) 8/10

Starring : Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis
Director : David Bowers & Sam Fell
Running Time : 85 mins

Roddy (Jackman) is a domesticated pet rat who gets flushed down the toilet and into the sewers, where he meets Rita (Winslet) and becomes involved in the theft of a precious ruby. But it’s not the ruby that is precious to Toad (McKellen), but a very important cable which he plans to use in a ploy to rid the sewers of all rodents once and for all!

Despite all the bad things I’d heard about this movie, it was actually very entertaining and very much on a par with the other Dreamworks productions. Jackman actually manages a pretty good English accent, and McKellen once again plays the villain to the hilt, and there are even some little visual jokes such as when Roddy is choosing an outfit, and one of them is a Wolverine costume.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shrek

The Tuxedo (2002) 6/10

Starring : Jackie Chan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Isaacs, Debi Mazar, Ritchie Coster, Peter Stormare
Director : Kevin Donovan
Running Time : 95 mins

Jimmy Tong (Chan) gets a job with millionaire Clark Devlin as his chauffeur, but when Devlin is injured and ends up in the hospital, Jimmy unknowingly tries on one of his tuxedos, only to discover that the suit gives the wearer fantastic powers. Now he finds himself being paired off with a scientist named Dell Blain (Hewitt) as they attempt to battle against the forces of evil while his boss recovers in hospital from his injuries.

Despite basically being a Kung Fu version of Inspector Gadget, this was still a reasonably entertaining movie. Chan is his usual chirpy self, with Jennifer Love Hewitt providing the sex appeal, but for those who really prefer Chan’s action movies to his comedies this probably won’t quite satisfy you enough.

You’ll like this if you liked : Rush Hour

The Devil's Backbone (2001) 8/10

Starring : Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve
Director : Guillermo del Toro
Running Time : 103 mins

Young Carlos (Tielve) is left in an orphanage by his father, a Republican war hero, during the Spanish civil war of 1939. There he encounters a ghost who tells him that many of the children in the orphanage are going to die, but what Carlos doesn’t get told is just how they are going to die… or indeed who is going to kill them!

This was a very well paced movie, mixing the basic concepts of a ghost story with those of a war film, and if you can look passed the fact that this isn’t in English then I don’t see why you couldn’t enjoy it. The characters are endearing and the acting is solid, and it’s surprising that this is such an underrated movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Pan’s Labyrinth

American Gangster (2007) 8/10

Starring : Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Ted Levine
Director : Ridley Scott
Running Time : 158 mins

It’s the late 60s, and detective Richie Roberts (Crowe) has been given the unenviable task of dealing with New York’s drug problems, as it’s believed he is the most trustworthy cop on the force thanks to his past honesty. As the Vietnam War rages around the world, Roberts is tasked to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas (Washington), who is smuggling heroin into the country from the Orient.

This was an incredibly entertaining gangster movie, which breezed past despite being over two and a half hours long. The ensemble cast are very well chosen, and put in some nice subdued performances, and Scott directs brilliantly as usual. Definitely one for the gangster movie fans amongst you.

You’ll like this if you liked : Goodfellas

Classic Friday : Once Were Warriors (1994) 8/10

Starring : Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Julian Arahanga, Taungaroa Emile, Cliff Curtis
Director : Lee Tamahori
Running Time : 99 mins

The Heke family have a lot of problems, many stemming from the father, Jake (Morrison), and his group of loutish friends who are a constant presence in the family home. It’s his wife Beth (Owen) who has to keep the family together, but as the eldest son gets involved with street gangs and the younger children are faced with their fathers violence against her, Beth realises that she may not be able to protect her children forever.

This is a very powerful depiction of the different ways in which domestic violence can impact upon and eventually destroy a family. The performances from the cast are strong throughout, and some of the action is cringe worthy to say the least. This is a good film, but definitely not for the faint hearted.

You’ll like this if you liked : American History X

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007) 6/10

Starring : Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Staunton, Robbie Coltrane
Director : David Yates
Running Time : 132 mins

After saving his cousin from a Dementor attack, Harry Potter (Radcliffe) finds himself expelled from Hogwarts! When he is eventually let back in, he discovers that much of the wizarding world are in abject denial about the return of Lord Voldemort (Fiennes), and that his new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge (Staunton), is seemingly doing everything in her power to prevent the children of Hogwarts from learning how to defend themselves.

Considering this was based on what in my opinion is the worst of the Harry Potter novels, this wasn’t that bad an adaptation. The action was a little slow, and the ending felt rushed, but overall it wasn’t too bad. At least I think kids would enjoy it, even though it was a bit confused in places.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Black Cauldron

Get Over It (2001) 7/10

Starring : Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Melissa Sagemiller, Sisqo, Shane West, Colin Hanks, Zoe Saldana, Mila Kunis, Swoosie Kurtz
Director : Tommy O’Haver
Running Time : 87 mins

Berke Landers (Foster) is one of his high school’s biggest sports stars, but when he gets dumped by his longtime girlfriend Allison (Sagemiller) he finds his life begins to slowly crumble around him. In a last ditch attempt to get back together with her, he enlists the helps of Kelly (Dunst), the sister of one of his best friends, and decides to audition for the school musical to win Allison back, but in so doing he finds himself falling more and more for Kelly.

This is possibly one of the last of the great teen comedies of the late nineties and early naughties, and also one of the more enjoyable. The plot is simple enough, and uses the romantic love triangle expertly, but was a little lacking in the supporting cast, with some weak performances from the likes of Sisqo.

You’ll like this if you liked : 10 Things I Hate About You

The Benchwarmers (2006) 5/10

Starring : Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jon Heder, Jon Lovitz, Craig Kilborn, Molly Sims, Tim Meadows, Nick Swardson
Director : Dennis Dugan
Running Time : 82 mins

Three grown men who have been bullied since childhood over their failings in sports set up a baseball team to play all the Little League teams in the US to prove that they can be just as good as anyone else, but disaster strikes when one of them is revealed to have been a bully himself!

This was a so-so comedy, with some clear influences from early Adam Sandler comedies such as Happy Gilmore and the like. The performances felt a little flat at times, and some of the jokes just weren’t very funny. Probably not the kind of movie you’d pay to see, but perhaps worth watching if it’s ever on television one afternoon.

You’ll like this if you liked : BASEketball

Good Luck Chuck (2007) 9/10

Starring : Dane Cook, Jessica Alba, Dan Fogler, Lonny Ross, Ellia English
Director : Mark Helfrich
Running Time : 96 mins

When Charlie Logan (Cook) refuses to kiss a goth girl at a childhood slumber party, she hexes him so that he will never know love, and that anyone he goes out with will find love with their next partner. Charlie doesn’t take it seriously until, many years later, someone posts and article about him on the internet and he begins to see a pattern. As a result, when he meets accident-prone Cam Wexler (Alba) at a wedding, he does everything he can to make sure she doesn’t get away.

This was actually a very entertaining movie, with some nice comic turns from both Cook and, surprisingly, Alba. There’s a little too much unnecessary sex throughout the movie which no doubt affected the rating, but the overall comedy overshadows this and makes for a very enjoyable movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : The 40 Year-Old Virgin

The Hole (2001) 7/10

Starring : Thora Birch, Desmond Harrington, Daniel Brocklebank, Laurence Fox, Keira Knightley, Embeth Davidtz
Director : Nick Hamm
Running Time : 98 mins

Liz Dunn (Birch) is found screaming and terrified, after being missing for almost a month. As police psychologist Philippa Harwood (Davidtz) talks to her about what happened, Liz recounts a tale of how she and some of her school friends became trapped in an old war bunker whilst trying to ditch a school trip to Wales, and how one by one they died as their friend Martyn (Brocklebank) fails to return to let them out.

This was a pretty decent psychological thriller, with some very effective set pieces which were executed quite well by its relatively young cast. Birch isn’t as good here as she is in Ghost World or American Beauty, and Knightley’s plumy accent is very distracting, but in spite of this you have here a reasonably good movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Descent

Wrong Turn (2003) 7/10

Starring : Desmond Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jeremy Sisto, Kevin Zegers, Lindy Booth
Director : Rob Schmidt
Running Time : 92 mins

A group of teenagers on a hiking trip find themselves trapped in the woods when their car breaks down, and then they become the victims of a trio of “mountain men” who, after decades of inbreeding, have become grossly disfigured and mentally disturbed. These freakish hillbillys get their kicks by hunting people down and killing them, and the teenagers are set to be their next victims.

This wasn’t that bad a horror film, even though it plays mainly on the good looks of the teenagers who are being terrorised, which seems to be a running theme in the modern horror film. Thankfully there were some interesting twists on the theme, and som original means of killed the victims to boot.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Hills Have Eyes II

Ratatouille (2007) 8/10

Starring : Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett
Director : Brad Bird
Running Time : 112 mins

After he compromises his family’s home in the French countryside, Remy the rat (Oswalt) is separated from his kin and finds himself living in a Parisian restaurant called Gusteau’s where he helps garbage boy Linguini (Romano) pass for being an excellent chef, but the current owner of the restaurant, Skinner (Holm) become suspicious of him when he finds out that Linguini may be the true owner of Gusteau’s.

This was actually very good, I was surprised to see that there was an actual plot to this film despite how it looked from the trailers. It’s a nice tale about people (and indeed rats) helping each other out so that they can better themselves, and it just goes to prove that even the villains of the piece can soon be turned around for the better.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Incredibles

Eight Legged Freaks (2002) 8/10

Starring : David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scott Terra, Scarlett Johansson, Doug E Doug
Director : Ellory Elkayem
Running Time : 96 mins

Chris McCormick (Arquette) returns to his home town to help re-open the town’s mines, only to discover that the exotic spider sanctuary on the outskirts of town has been affected by toxic waste dumping in the water supply which has turned the spiders into giant mutant killers who have taken up home in the mines and have started kidnapping people to feed to their queen!

This was a very entertaining kids movie, with some scarier moments for the grownups. There were some good characters in the movie, and the plot flowed comfortably enough without any points where you just wished it would get on with it. My only problem was with one of the end scenes, but you can check that out and decide for yourself.

You’ll like this if you liked : Evolution

Planet Terror (2007) 8/10

Starring : Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn
Director : Robert Rodriguez
Running Time : 106 mins

When a chemical gas is released into the atmosphere, turning thousands of Americans into zombie-like flesh-eating creatures, a small group of resistance fighters, including one-legged stripped Cherry Darling (McGowan) and her mysterious mechanic boyfriend El Wray (Rodriguez), find themselves battling the forces of evil in order to stop themselves from becoming infected as well.

I was shocked that this took so long to be released in the UK, especially as it is so much better than Deathproof, it’s partner in Grindhouse. This was treated in a much clever way than Tarantino’s movie, with some far better attempts to date the movie and make it feel like it truly had been rescued from the cutting room floor, including a "missing reel".

You’ll like this if you liked : Dawn Of The Dead

Classic Friday : Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978) 8/10

Starring : Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy
Director : Philip Kaufman
Running Time : 111 mins

Matthew Bennell (Sutherland) becomes suspicious of the unusual behaviour of some of his friends, but when he witnesses one of them being cocooned by a strange plant like creature, he realises that aliens are invading and replacing people with emotionless clones of their former selves, and now he doesn’t know who he can trust.

For a remake this was pretty good and in many ways surpasses the original, much in the same way as The Thing did four years later. It’s a shame that someone has decided to make yet another remake of this with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, as there is littleor no chance that it will be as atmospheric. There were a few odd moments which seemed unnecessary, but this is to be expected with Kaufman’s films, but overall this is a well structured and highly enjoyable film.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Thing

Ocean's Eleven (2001) 7/10

Starring : George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Carl Reiner, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac
Director : Steven Soderbergh
Running Time : 112 mins

Danny Ocean (Clooney) is an ex-con who gathers together a group of criminals in order to rob three of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas during a major boxing match, but the icing on the cake for Danny is that at least one of the casino’s is owned by Terry Benedict (Garcia), who is dating Danny’s wife Tess (Roberts).

This was an okay heist movie, with plenty of cameos but very little of anything else to begin with. It’s incredibly slow to get going, but once it does it soon picks up momentum about halfway through. The performances are solid enough, except for Don Cheadle who does possibly the worst British accent I have ever heard in my life!

You’ll like this if you liked : The Italian Job

2001 Maniacs (2004) 8/10

Starring : Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Giuseppe Andrews, Jay Gillespie, Marla Malcolm, Dylan Edrington, Matthew Carey, Gina Marie Heekin
Director : Tim Sullivan
Running Time : 85 mins

A group of college students heading for Daytona beach find themselves guests in the small town of Pleasant Valley after following a series of phoney detour signs. The inhabitants seem friendly enough, and even invite them to their annual barbecue, but it isn’t long before the kids start to question the motives of the towns folk, especially when some of them start to disappear.

I thought that this was so over the top, you just had to laugh along with it. Clearly this was designed as a comedy horror and not to be taken seriously, but some of the deaths were pretty gruesome and gratuitous. Englund is brilliant as Mayor Buckman, and the slow pacing of the horror makes it all the more scary. Yet funny.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hatchet

Bubble Boy (2001) 6/10

Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Marley Shelton, Swoosie Kurtz, Danny Trejo
Director : Blair Hayes
Running Time : 84 mins

Jimmy Livingston (Gyllenhaal) has lived his entire life in a hermetically sealed bubble because he was born without an immune system, but when he discovers that his childhood sweetheart Chloe (Shelton) is going to be married, he decides to build a portable bubble and trek across the country to stop the wedding and declare his love for her.

This was a very silly movie, not at all the sort of thing you might expect Gyllenhaal to do nowadays, but it did possess a unique charm which largely carried the movie, as the plot was very minimal and mainly focussed on the joke of a boy living in a bubble rather than anything substantial.

You’ll like this if you liked : Larger Than Life

Wonderland (2003) 7/10

Starring : Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Ted Levine, Lisa Kudrow, Christina Applegate
Director : James Cox
Running Time : 104 mins

One time porn legend John Holmes (Kilmer) finds himself on the slippery slope to drug addiction following an otherwise successful career. He’s separated from his wife Sharon (Kudrow) and is clinging into a tumultuous relationship with his mistress Dawn (Bosworth), but when he becomes involved in a drugs heist he finds himself the key suspect in a brutal massacre which left four people dead.

This was an interesting movie, with most of the action told from the point of view of one of the gang involved in the robbery, which makes the testimony a little more suspicious. Kilmer plays the problem riddled Holmes extremely well, and Josh Lucas puts in a good turn, but Bosworth and Kudrow were a little weak as Holmes’ past and present lovers.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Usual Suspects

Idiocracy (2006) 8/10

Starring : Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews
Director : Mike Judge
Running Time : 85 mins

Private Joe Bauers (Wilson) is assigned to be cryogenically frozen for one year as part of a government experiment, but following the project being closed down he finds himself 500 years in the future with the prostitute (Rudolph) who was frozen with him, and the future is a bleak place as the average IQ has dropped well below that of the 21st Century,and idiots are ruling the world.

This was a very enjoyable, very silly movie, taking the idea of a future utopia ala The Time Machine and turning it on its head. The idea of a future world run by morons may not seems a million miles away from the world of today, but this goes that extra step further and brings the world into utter chaos.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mars Attacks!

TMNT (2007) 6/10

Starring : Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mako, Patrick Stewart, Zhang Ziyi, James Arnold Taylor, Mitchell Whitfield, Mikey Kelley, Nolan North
Director : Kevin Munroe
Running Time : 83 mins

Following the disappearance of The Shredder, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles find themselves leading a pretty boring life, and Leonardo (Taylor) has gone off alone to learn proper leadership, but when their friend April O'Neill (Gellar) discovers that tycoon Max Winters (Stewart) has enlisted the aid of the Foot clan to help revive four ancient stone warriors from the dead.

This wasn't as enjoyable as I hoped, and probably wouldn't appeal to people who aren't fans of the current Fox series as there's a lot of back story to get through for the cinema audience. However, once it got going, the simple plot was easy enough to follow, but I doubt there'll be a sequel.

You’ll like this if you liked : Surf’s Up

The Others (2001) 8/10

Starring : Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Alakina Mann, James Bentley
Director : Alejandro Amenabar
Running Time : 105 mins

Grace Stewart (Kidman) lives peacefully with her two poorly children, who suffer from a rare illness which means they can not be exposed to direct sunlight, but when some new servants come to work for her, strange disturbances start to occur throughout the house, many of them revolving around her children.

Despite it's low certification, this was a genuinely creepy and atmospheric movie, not relying on cheap special affects or gore to scare it's audience. This harkens back to the classic days of horror, where the scares came from making us jump, not from making us sick.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Sixth Sense

The Lookout (2006) 7/10

Starring : Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino
Director : Scott Frank
Running Time : 99 mins

Years have passed since Chris Pratt (Levitt) caused a car crash that killed two of his friends and badly wounded another. He himself suffered damage to his frontal lobe which causes him to forget things and means that he can only take lowly paying jobs. When he runs into Gary Spargo (Goode), who claims he went to the same school as Chris, he finds himself being slowly reeled in by Spargo and his friends, eventually causing him to join in their plan to rob the bank he cleans at.

This was a little slow to begin with, but once it got going it really lured you in to becoming involved with the characters and seeing things from their point of view. Although Levitt is usually extremely captivating in his movies, it’s Daniels who helps make this work by giving some light entertainment to an otherwise humourless movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Memento