Land Of The Dead (2005) 6/10

Starring : Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento
Director : George A Romero
Running Time : 93 mins

With the undead having taken over the world, a relatively small group of surviving humans take up residence inside the walls of a city that’s been barricaded against the undead horde,but the zombie are beginning to learn again, and are now able to work as a team in order to find their way in to find the survivors.

The problem with Romero’s zombie movies is that they look dated. Even this new one looks like it could have been made at the same time as the first three. In spite of that this was pretty good as far as zombie movies go, but not a patch on the remake of Dawn Of The Dead, which was fantastic by comparison.

You’ll like this if you liked : Resident Evil : Apocalypse

Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007) 7/10

Starring : Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
Director : Tim Burton
Running Time : 118 mins

Using the name of Sweeney Todd, Benjamin Barker (Depp) sets up a barber shop in London in the hope of getting revenge upon Judge Turpin (Rickman), who took his daughter away from him, by getting rid of London’s aristocracy with the help of a pie maker named Mrs Lovett (Bonham Carter). Together they set about killing all the big wigs in town and turning them into pie meat which they in turn sell to the general populous.

This was a pretty enjoyable musical, though Depp isn’t at his best in my opinion. This is possibly Burton’s bloodiest movie in a good while, but the over the top blood and gore only adds to the sense of wickedness that this movie portrays. Couple this with the great choice of colouring for the movie and you’ve got yourself a visual spectacular.

You’ll like this if you liked : Little Shop Of Horrors

Classic Friday : Midnight Run (1988) 8/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano
Director : Martin Brest
Running Time : 122 mins

Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) has his work cut out for him when he is hired to capture bail jumper and former Mafia accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Grodin) and bring him back to LA from New York. When he finds Mardukas, Walsh realises that this assignment may not be as easy as it first seemed when he discovers that the mob are trying to kill Mardukas.

Martin Brest does it again when he manages to direct a movie that is the perfect mix of drama and light heartedness. I don’t think De Niro had done any real comedy before this (other than The King Of Comedy), so it is quite surprising in retrospect to see him teamed up with Charles Grodin, but this movie, even today, is still refreshingly inventive and somewhat timeless in it’s natural charm.

You’ll like this if you liked : Beverly Hills Cop

Behind Enemy Lines (2001) 7/10

Starring : Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Gabriel Macht, Charles Malik Whitfield
Director : John Moore
Running Time : 101 mins

Lieutenant Chris Burnett (Wilson) is shot down over enemy territory and finds himself running for his life as he is attacked from all angles. Things take an even worse turn when the enemy lie to the American government, telling them that Burnett is already dead, prompting them to call off their search.

This was a nice enough movie, with Wilson doing his best not to come across like the comedy actor he naturally is, and he does a fine job. Hackman is a little underused in this venture, and his character isn’t that believable in my opinion, but the supporting cast managed to mask the odd blunder here and there and this made for some nice late night viewing.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tigerland

Death At A Funeral (2007) 9/10

Starring : Jane Asher, Ewen Bremner, Peter Dinklage, Daisy Donovan, Keeley Hawes, Matthew MacFadyen, Kris Marshall, Alan Tudyk
Director : Frank Oz
Running Time : 91 mins

When the father of a large family dies, it is left up to his son Daniel (MacFadyen) to organise the burial and the festivities, but when a mysterious man (Dinklage) informs Daniel that he used to be his father’s lover, Daniel finds himself having to utilise his relatives help in order to stop him from disrupting the funeral.

What a wonderful, and seemingly underrated, movie. Although there is a certain feel to this that makes it feel like it was made for TV, I still found the characters and situations to be vivid and energetic, and this made for a very entertaining movie. If only the UK could make more films of this calibre.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Importance Of Being Earnest

Constantine (2005) 7/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou
Director : Francis Lawrence
Running Time : 116 mins

John Constantine (Reeves) is a supernatural investigator and exorcist who finds himself being asked for help by a sceptical cop named Angela Dodson (Weisz), whose twin sister apparently committed suicide. As they investigate, Dodson is forced to accept the fact that demons may exist, and that they might have been responsible for her sister’s death.

This had a lot of potential, and the possibilites for this movie were endless, but thankfully the writers settled on a simple story which makes the movie that much more impressive. Reeves doesn’t really have much of a presence in the movie, but the plot and effects more than make up for his usual lacklustre approach.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Ninth Gate

Red Dragon (2002) 7/10

Starring : Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director : Brett Ratner
Running Time : 122 mins

Will Graham (Norton) is a retired FBI agent who is brought in to try and track down the notorious serial killer known only as The Tooth Fairy. In his efforts he enlists the help of infamous cannibal, Dr Hannibal Lector (Hopkins), but soon discovers that Lector may be betraying his trust from the very start of their business relationship.

I wanted to enjoy this movie, and to be fair it was far better than Hannibal, but I couldn’t help thinking that it was unnecessary, seeing as how Manhunter was just that much more superior. Although this was basically made so that viewers could watch the whole series of films without wondering why Hannibal looked like Brian Cox in the original, this is still pretty good and worth making the effort for even if you disliked the movie Hannibal.

You’ll like this if you liked : Primal Fear

The Condemned (2007) 7/10

Starring : Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones, Robert Mammone, Victoria Mussett
Director : Scott Wiper
Running Time : 114 mins

Jake Conrad (Austin) is a convict on death row who is taken to a remote island where his skills are pitted against other convicts in similar situations who are expected to fight to the death in a controversial TV show, in which the last man standing gets forgiven for their crimes and is rewarded their freedom.

Despite how this sounds, it was actually pretty good. Granted, there are more professional wrestlers in the cast than I’d ordinarily like, but somehow this still worked as a simple twist on the Battle Royale concept. This will probably end up being shown on Channel Five between a Jean-Claude Van Damme and a Steven Seagal movie, but don’t let that dissuade you from tuning in.

You’ll like this if you liked : Battle Royale

The Cat Returns (2002) 7/10

Starring : Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Judy Greer, Andrew Bevis, Kristen Bell, Tim Curry
Director : Hiroyuki Morita
Running Time : 75 mins

When a young girl named Haru (Hathaway) saves a cat from being hit by a truck, she finds herself inundated with gifts from the cat world, but things soon turn bad when the king of the cats (Curry) demands that Haru marry his son, Prince Lune (Bevis) and join them in the cat world, so Haru turns for help to a cat known as the Baron (Elwes) who attempts to protect her from the cat king’s clutches.

This is a beautifully animated movie, filled with wonderful characters and some charming set pieces. All of the voice actors bring their characters to life with a wonderful talent, and this makes a brilliant addition to Whisper Of The Heart, the movie that inspired this to be made.

You’ll like this if you liked : Spirited Away

Deuce Bigalow : European Gigolo (2005) 7/10

Starring : Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin, Jeroen Krabbe, Til Schweiger, Carlos Ponce, Hanna Verboom
Director : Mike Bigelow
Running Time : 83 mins

Deuce (Schneider) goes to Amsterdam to lay low after an incident involving dolphins and some blind swimmers, and meets up with his old pimp TJ (Griffin), but TJ soon finds himself wanted for the murder of some of Amsterdam’s most prolific man-whores, so Deuce turns to man-whoring once again in order to raisee the money to clear TJ’s name.

I really expected this to be awful, but was actually pleasantly surprised. There was a plot, which came as a shock, and the slapstick came thick and fast, though some of it was a little hard to take. Definitely worth checking out, even if you can’t abide Schneider – he is a little annoying at times.

You’ll like this if you liked : Harold And Kumar Get The Munchies

The Forgotten (2004) 7/10

Starring : Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Anthony Edwards
Director : Joseph Ruben
Running Time : 91 mins

Telly Paretta (Moore) is shocked to discover that no-one can remember her having a child, who had died in a plane crash. As she investigates she discovers an unusual conspiracy is afoot and that the death of her son may not have been an accident at all, and that the government may even be involved.

This started off as a bog standard thriller, with Moore playing the paranoid victim with expertise, but as it progressed things just got weirder and weirder until it just didn’t make any sense. Was there supposed to be something about aliens? I’m still not too sure, but I’ll definitely watch it again in the hope of learning something new.

You’ll like this if you liked : Frailty

Sleuth (2007) 6/10

Starring : Michael Caine, Jude Law
Director : Kenneth Branagh
Running Time : 86 mins

Andrew Wyke (Caine) lives on his own in a huge house, and invites Milo Tindle (Law), the man who has stolen Wyke’s wife away from him, to visit in the simple hope of ruining his life with his wife, but Tindle is just as clever as Wyke and a disturbing game of cat and mouse soon spirals out of control.

This was an incredibly weird movie which at points made little or no sense, and had some very strange moments which didn’t really feel like the lent to the plot at all but instead made it seem more confused. The permanent tango music was appropriate yet distracting, which at times got in the way of the acting, but Caine and Law perform admirably in the limited roles which rely entirely on their relationship with each other.

You’ll like this if you liked : Closer

Classic Friday : Clerks (1994) 8/10

Starring : Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 90 mins

Dante Hicks (O’Halloran) finds himself forced into working on his day off at the local convenience store where he finds himself faced with every annoying customer you could imagine, as well as the prospect of choosing between his current girlfriend Veronica Ghigliotti) and his ex-girlfriend Caitlin (Spoonhauer).

This is one of my all time favourite independent movies. The jokes are intelligent and come thick and fast, and there’s a lot to identify with. Granted, the acting is a little on the shaky side, and some of the visual jokes are hard to make out because of how bright the black and white film is, but that doesn’t in any way detract from the overall good humour that can be found in this little gem.

You’ll like this if you liked : High Fidelity

Kinky Boots (2005) 7/10

Starring : Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, Nick Frost, Linda Bassett, Jemima Rooper
Director : Julian Jarrold
Running Time : 107 mins

Charlie Price (Edgerton) inherits his fathers shoe company and realises just how badly it was being run. The only way he can see the company surviving is to move away from mens shoes and corner the market in another brand, and that’s when he hires drag queen Lola (Ejiofor) to help him create a new line of transvestite footwear.

This was a great little movie, very reminiscent of The Full Monty, and featured some nice subdues comedy moments. Chiwetel Ejiofor is barely recognisable as Lola, and it’s funny to see how successful he’s been since making this. There’s a certain Sunday night movie feel to this, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. Check it out and see for yourself.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Full Monty

Mr Deeds (2002) 5/10

Starring : Adam Sandler, Winona Ryder, John Turturro
Director : Steven Brill
Running Time : 93 mins

Longfellow Deeds (Sandler) comes from a small town and is amazed to find that he has inherited a small fortune when he is declared the closest relative of a dead multi-millionaire, so he moves to New York city and begins to take over his dead relative’s business and run it the way he wants to.

This was not a very good movie – it was unoriginal and weak with very little in the way of good scripting, but there were some okay slapstick moments which managed to rescue this from being completely rubbish. The cast do their best with what they’re given, but there just wasn’t enough substance in this rushed remake.

You’ll like this if you liked : Cheaper By The Dozen

Enchanted (2007) 8/10

Starring : Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Susan Sarandon, Idina Menzel
Director : Kevin Lima
Running Time : 108 mins

Princess Giselle (Adams) is tricked by wicked Queen Narissa (Sarandon) into falling through a portal which takes her from her fairytale land to the real world where she meets Robert Philip (Dempsey) a handsome lawyer who soon finds himself attracted to Giselle and her strange ways. Meanwhile the charming Prince Edward (Marsden) travels into the real world in the hope of rescuing his future princess.

I really enjoyed this movie, finding it both appealing to adults and children alike. The opening animation is wonderful and it’s sad to think that Disney don’t animate like this anymore, and the acting by Adams and Marsden is just campy enough to work without going too over the top.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shrek

The Fighting Temptations (2003) 6/10

Starring : Cuba Gooding Jr, Beyonce Knowles, Melba Moore, Larry John Meyers, LaTanya Richardson
Director : Jonathan Lynn
Running Time : 118 mins

Darrin Hill (Gooding) heads back to his home town to attend his favourite aunts funeral only to discover that she has left him a lot of money in her will. The only catch to him getting the money is that he has to take over the running of the town choir and help them to win a prestigious Gospel Choir competition.

Despite a relatively slow beginning, this wasn’t a bad movie, with some reasonably funny one liners which made me chuckle. The plot feels like one Gooding has handled before, perhaps in Snow Dogs where he gets another complicated inheritance, but this is still funny and comes from a surprisingly successful director!

You’ll like this if you liked : School Of Rock

Asterix And The Vikings (2006) 7/10

Starring : Paul Giamatti, Brad Garrett, Sean Astin, Evan Rachel Wood, John Di Maggio, Greg Proops
Director : Stefan Fjeldmark & Jesper Moller
Running Time : 75 mins

Asterix (Giamatti) and Obelix (Garrett) are set the challenge of training up young Justforkix (Astin) to become a man, but a hord of Vikings kidnap him under the belief that he holds the secret of learning to fly. While Asterix and Obelix try to rescue him, Justforkix finds himself falling in love with Abba (Wood), the daughter of the Viking leader.

This was a very enjoyable cartoon which, in spite of making attempts to be more up to date, doesn’t go to far with the modern references. There are lots of in jokes for the audience, mainly to do with the names of the Vikings, and the animation is excellent. Definitely one to watch out for.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shrek The Third

Rendition (2007) 7/10

Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Omar Metwally, Peter Sarsgaard
Director : Gavin Hood
Running Time : 122 mins

Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Metwally), an Egyptian living in the USA and married to an American (Witherspoon) is kidnapped on his way back to the United States and held by the CIA under the groundless belief that he is a terrorist. As he is tortured and forced to confess to things he didn’t do, FBI agent Douglas Freeman (Gyllenhaal) starts to think that perhaps this isn’t the best method for questioning terror suspects.

This came out a little too soon after A Mighty Heart for my liking, and clearly takes some of its ideas from that true story. Nonetheless this is a solid movie with some powerful moments, both of basic drama and torture, which leaves an uneasy feeling in the stomach of anyone who’s ever had dealing with the government.

You’ll like this if you liked : A Mighty Heart

Running With Scissors (2006) 8/10

Starring : Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Alec Baldwin
Director : Ryan Murphy
Running Time : 117 mins

Augusten Burroughs (Cross) comes from an unstable home where his father Norman (Baldwin) is an alcoholic and his mother Deidre (Benning) suffers from depression. His mother starts to see a therapist named Dr Finch (Cox) and eventually sends Augusten to live with the doctor and his extended family, where Augusten learns some very unusual lessons in life.

Despite having a limited plot and very little action to it, this is nevertheless a very entertaining movie with both some deep and comical moments. It’s hard to find anything not to like about this movie; it is a little pretentious, but we as an audience know that we’re better than everyone in the movie anyway so the pretensions are largely lost on the whole.

You’ll like this if you liked : Little Miss Sunshine

Beyond Re-Animator (2003) 7/10

Starring : Jeffrey Combs, Jason Barry, Elsa Pataky, Simon Andreu
Director : Brian Yuzna
Running Time : 93 mins

Howard Phillips (Barry) takes a job at a prison where Dr Herbert West is serving out his sentence and becomes his protégé in the science of bringing the dead back to life, but things go disastrously wrong when Wets theorises that he can only bring someone successfully back from the dead by killing another living being.

I honestly thought this was better than Bride Of Re-Animator, in spite of finding the plot a little far fetched, even for a horror movie. The reasons for Dr Phillips joining forces with West are never really explained, and surely his idea for getting to West should have been to avenge his sister’s death, but in spite of these glaring errors this is still a reasonably enjoyable horror flick.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hostel

We Own The Night (2007) 8/10

Starring : Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Robert Duvall
Director : James Gray
Running Time : 118 mins

Booby Green (Phoenix) is a night club owner who has dealings with the Russian mafia, but he finds his loyalties questioned when he is forced to choose between his friends and his family, as he’s secretly the son and brother of two of New York’s most prolific police officers who have been targeted by the mob.

I really enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. Phoenix is brilliant in the lead role, and gives a level performance throughout. Mark Wahlberg was a little weak as the brother, but thankfully this didn’t affect the overall feel of the movie which remains very much worth seeing.

You’ll like this if you liked : A History Of Violence

Classic Friday : The Nutty Professor (1963) 9/10

Starring : Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens, Del Moore, Kathleen Freeman
Director : Jerry Lewis
Running Time : 103 mins

Professor Julius Kelp (Lewis) decides to create a magical potion which can turn him from a nerdish wallflower into a confident ladies man, but once he’s transformed into his alter ego, Buddy Love, he finds that the effects begin to wear after faster and faster each time he uses the potion.

This is possibly Jerry Lewis’s most famous character, and deservedly so. Lewis gets to play both the clumsy nerd we know and love as well as the charismatic lead man in this slapstick comedy. Murphy’s remake was admirable, but the original will always be just the notch better simply because the change to Lewis’s professor is both physical and mental.

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

The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006) 7/10

Starring : Will Smith, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe
Director : Gabriele Muccino
Running Time : 114 mins

Chris Gardner (Smith) works as a medical equipment salesman, but comes upon an opportunity to become a stock broker. The opportunity is unpaid, and convinces his wife Linda (Newton) that Chris is a lost cause and she leaves him and their young son (Smith) in the lurch. Only Chris’s solid determination in the face of hopelessness keeps him and son going through the slow months of his apprenticeship.

This was a surprisingly interesting and heart warming movie, with some nice performances by both of the Smiths. This really kept you routing for the main character from start to finish, and Newton’s character, though understandable, was a bit of a bitch to him! Worth checking out if you want to watch something feel-good.

You’ll like this if you liked : Terms Of Endearment

Spanglish (2004) 8/10

Starring : Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman, Shelbie Bruce
Director : James L Brooks
Running Time : 127 mins

Flor Moreno (Vega) and her daughter Cristina (Bruce) move from Mexico to Los Angeles where Flor takes a housekeeping job for a rich family. When she is forced to live with them over the summer, Flor finds herself disliking the behaviour of the mother of the family, Deborah Clasky (Leoni), towards her daughter Cristina and begins to regret her decision to allow her daughter to see how the other half live.

I quite liked this movie. The acting felt natural and fluid, and there was a distinct feeling that we were being shown how different classes live in the USA without being preached to. As usual James L Brooks directs and writes wonderfully, but this movie has largely been overlooked which is surprising considering Brooks’ success with As Good As It Gets.

You’ll like this if you liked : Down To Earth

Juno (2007) 9/10

Starring : Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, JK Simmons
Director : Jason Reitman
Running Time : 88 mins

Teenager Juno MacGuff (Page) finds herself faced with an unplanned pregnancy by her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Cera) and sets about finding the perfect parents for her unborn child, but as time passes on she discovers that the perfect couple she seeks and had thought she’d found may not actually exist.

For such a simple story, this was a highly enjoyable movie with some very down to earth situations made to seem extraordinary. Page is wonderfully cast as Juno, a decision made no doubt based on her performance in Hard Candy, and Cera shows that he has potential for some nice comic turns following his role as the relative straight guy in Superbad. This movie is a definite must for any true movie buff.

You’ll like this if you liked : High Fidelity

The World's Fastest Indian (2005) 8/10

Starring : Anthony Hopkins, Saginaw Grant, Diane Ladd, Walton Goggins
Director : Roger Donaldson
Running Time : 122 mins

Burt Munro (Hopkins) is an optimistic New Zealander who has spent most of his life repairing a 1920 Indian motorbike in the hope of travelling to the USA to compete against other bikers and make his mark in history. With little knowledge about the country he plans to visit, Burt makes his way to America and begins his journey into the history books.

I was amazed to find myself actually enjoying this movie, as at no point does the story drift off into nothingness. There is plenty going on aside from the bike race itself, and Hopkins plays Munro with an excellent level of naïve optimism from start to finish.

You’ll like this if you liked : Forrest Gump

Something's Gotta Give (2003) 8/10

Starring : Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Frances McDormand
Director : Nancy Myers
Running Time : 128 mins

Harry Sanborn (Nicholson) is in his sixties and has a taste for young women, but when he meets the mother of his latest girlfriend he finds himself quickly falling for her when he is forced to recuperate at her house following a near fatal heart attack.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable movie, though Nicholson’s excellent performance came as no surprise. Although the plot is obviously predictable in parts, the end result is no less enjoyable and makes for a delightful movie which everyone can enjoy.

You’ll like this if you liked : As Good As It Gets

Bee Movie (2007) 9/10

Starring : Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock
Director : Steve Hicker & Simon J Smith
Running Time : 92 mins

Having recently graduated from college, Barry B Benson (Seinfeld) finds himself faced with the prospect of only one career in life – making honey. However, when he is rescued by a human named Vanessa (Zelwegger), he discovers that mankind has been stealing honey from bees for years, and decides to sue the human race and get the honey back to it’s rightful owners.

This was actually a very entertaining kids movie, with some nice ideas and some interesting cameos. Seinfeld hasn’t lost his sense of humour since the days of his sitcom, and the supporting cast do a wonderful job of keeping the movie feeling fresh from start to finish.

You’ll like this if you liked : Finding Nemo

Bandidas (2006) 8/10

Starring : Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Steve Zahn, Dwight Yoakam, Sam Shepard
Director : Joachim Roenning & Espen Sandberg
Running Time : 93 mins

Two Mexican girls, one a poor farm girl named Maria (Cruz), the other a spoilt rich girl named Sara (Hayek), join forces to become infamous bank robbers when their village is threatened by an American bank who are buying up all the local banks so they can evict farmers from their land with plans to build a railway line through Mexico.

This was a lot better than I expected it to be, and not just because it features Hayek and Cruz in various stages of undress. Though it started off slow, this soon picked up and was actually well thought through, and I was both disappointed and relieved that this didn’t have a standard Hollywood ending.

You’ll like this if you liked : Wild Wild West

Super Troopers (2001) 8/10

Starring : Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Brian Cox
Director : Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Time : 99 mins

A group of State Troopers, who spend most of their working day playing practical jokes on the general public, find themselves on the brink of losing their jobs when the state decides it can’t afford to run their department unless they start turning their work ethic around, so when they discover a drug ring running through the area they jump at the chance to investigate.

This started off with a distinct feel that this would just be a series of silly situations held together by a feeble plot, but thankfully after about 20 minutes the plot became apparent. The cast were amiable enough, and though the plotline did feel predictable in places, the overall effect of the movie work brilliantly. A definite must for fans of the Broken Lizard gang, and if you enjoy this check out Beerfest for more of the same.

You’ll like this if you liked : Reno 911 Miami

The Kingdom (2007) 6/10

Starring : Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Director : Peter Berg
Running Time : 103 mins

Following a bombing in a US compound in the Middle East, a group of specially trained FBI agents is secretly sent in to investigate and try to catch the man or men behind the bombing, but are faced with resistance from the Saudi government who wish to capture the terrorist on their own terms.

This movie was really slow, and not particularly entertaining until pretty near the end. The plot plodded along with little or no impetus, and made for some pretty dull viewing for the first hour or so. If not for the bombing scenes and the final half hour, this would have been an incredibly pointless piece of American propaganda, but give it a chance and you might find yourself liking it towards the end.

You’ll like this if you liked : A Mighty Heart

Classic Friday : Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) 9/10

Starring : Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys Davies
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 122 mins

Indiana Jones (Ford) travels in search of his missing father, who has vanished without a trance whilst in search of the fabled Holy Grail, but once he finds his father Henry (Connery) it becomes a veritable race against time to locate the Holy Grail before the Nazi’s find it and use it to make their entire Arian race immortal in their struggle to take over the world.

This was an extremely enjoyable movie, which gave us some much needed insite into the past of Indiana Jones. We get to meet his dad, and also get to see Indy as a young boy, which explains his fear of snakes and also how he came by his famous hat. Plus, of course, this returns to the Nazis from the original movie, and makes for a marginal improvement on Temple Of Doom.

You’ll like this if you liked : Pirates Of The Caribbean : At World’s End

Two Weeks Notice (2002) 7/10

Starring : Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, Alicia Witt, Dana Ivey, Robert Klein, Heather Burns
Director : Marc Lawrence
Running Time : 102 mins

After taking a job with a large construction company in the hopes of stopping the destruction of historical landmarks from within, lawyer Lucy Kelson (Bullock) resigns from her job, belieiving that she is being treated more like a PA than a lawyer by her boss George Wade (Grant).

This was a fun, light-hearted, what you might call gentle comedy with some nice performances and a simple enough plot. It’s hard to say what’s really good or bad about this movie as it is standard fair really for both the lead actors, but personally I found it enjoyable enough and I couldn’t see anything out-right wrong with it.

You’ll like this if you liked : Music And Lyrics

Pierrepoint (2005) 8/10

Starring : Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson, Cavan Clerkin, Eddie Marsan
Director : Adrian Shergold
Running Time : 88 mins

Albert Pierrepoint (Spall) is one of Britain’s most high profile hangmen, but as his profession slowly changed over the years, ranging from war time gratitude from the nation to out and out disgust in the middle fifties, Pierrepoint began to greatlt regret his choice of profession, especially when faced with some questionable executions.

This is an incredibly dark and disturbing movie, with some great performances from the cast. Spall is actually very empathetic as Pierrepoint, even at the points where we might think he’s a bit arrogant, and Marsan is very good as Pierrepoint’s friend and associate Tish.

You’ll like this if you liked : Schindler’s List

Garden State (2003) 7/10

Starring : Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm, Peter Sarsgaard, Jackie Hoffman, Jean Smart
Director : Zach Braff
Running Time : 99 mins

Aspiring actor Andrew Largeman (Braff) returns to his home town in New Jersey to attend his mother’s funeral and, faced once again with his controlling father (Holm), decides to lay off the drugs he’s been prescribed since childhood and starts to realise that his life isn’t what he imagined it to be, and starts to change his attitude when he meets a similarly troubled young woman named Sam (Portman).

This was an odd little movie, but still quite enjoyable. Some of the characters didn’t really get fleshed out enough for my liking, but the main two characters, Braff and Portman, were likeable in a strange way. The ending was a little too Hollywood for my liking, but the overall effect was pleasant enough and made for an entertaining, though subdued, 90 minutes.

You’ll like this if you liked : Little Miss Sunshine

Paprika (2006) 9/10

Starring : Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Furaya, Koichi Yamadera, Katsunosuke Hori
Director : Satoshi Kon
Running Time : 91 mins

When a piece of electrical equipment used by doctors to look at peoples dreams, called a DC mini, is stolen, people start to notice their dreams are interfering with their waking life and find their lives in terrible danger. As a small group investigate the phenomenon, they soon realise that the entire population are stuck in a waking dream and that the dreams are slowly taking over the world.

This is a highly imaginative piece of Anime which has all the imagination you could expect from any similar cartoon. The characters are full of life and the scenarios are so overwhelmingly alive with passion you can really tell that the animators just loved making this. Definitely worth the time to check out.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ghost In The Shell

Runaway Jury (2003) 7/10

Starring : John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Bruce Davidson, Bruce McGill, Jeremy Piven
Director : Gary Fleder
Running Time : 121 mins

Following the death of an attorney who was shot by a disgruntled ex-employee, his widow decides to sue the gun manufacturer, but Rankin Fitch (Hackman), a jury consultant who believes the verdict is too important to be left to a jury sets about trying to fiddle the result. Unfortunately for Fitch, he hadn’t reckoned with juror Nicholas Easter (Cusack), who seems to have an agenda all of his own.

For some reason the subject of tobacco in the book is changed to guns, making this seem like a far less unique movie. The subject of tobacco would have made for a far more interesting story, and the desperate attempts to change things over by the writers do appear clumsy in places, but overall this made for a good courtroom drama, filled with action and suspense as well as some interesting twists.

You’ll like this if you liked : Fracture

Sahara (2005) 6/10

Starring : Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz, Steve Zahn, Rainn Wilson, William H Macy, Lambert Wilson
Director : Breck Eisner
Running Time : 124 mins

Dirk Pitt (McConaughey) and his trusty sidekicks go in search of a missing battleship used during the Civil War that apparently lies somewhere in the Sahara desert, but when they meet Dr Eva Rojas (Cruz) they realise that the battleship may be linked to a more modern day problem relating to a man named Yves Massarde (Lambert Wilson) whose plans for waste disposal could result in a global catastrophe.

This movie was okay, but didn’t really have any character to it. The majority of the characters are pretty one dimensional, and almost from the outset this movie is quite predictable, but it is still action packed and enjoyable, with enough explosions and gun fights to keep even the most difficult to satisfy action junkie happy.

You’ll like this if you liked : National Treasure

Serving Sara (2002) 7/10

Starring : Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, Vincent Pastore, Bruce Campbell, Cedric The Entertainer
Director : Reginald Hudlin
Running Time : 100 mins

When process server (Perry) is hired to serve divorce papers to Sara Moore (Hurley), she comes up with the proposition of hiring him to serve her husband first in return for $1 million, ten percent of her divorce settlement if she gets to him first. The only problem is her husband (Campbell) finds out what they're up to and sets about making life as difficult for them as possible.

In spite of having an incredible amount of bad press, this wasn’t really that bad a movie. The plot is a little hammy and the acting could be better, but over all it’s a thoroughly enjoyable flick. Perry does his best in this limited role, and the supporting cast give enough laughs to keep any viewer amused for the duration.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sweet Home Alabama

Captivity (2006) 6/10

Starring : Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Michael Harney, Laz Alonso
Director : Roland Joffe
Running Time : 92 mins

Fashion model Jennifer Tree (Cuthbert) wakes up on a strange room, and realises that she has been kidnapped. As she tries to escape, she finds that there is another captive named Gary (Gillies) in the next room to her, and that he has no idea why he is there either. Together they try in vain to escape, but liitle does Jennifer realise how much danger she is really in.

This movie could have been a lot better, but the writers and actors didn’t seem to really care what they were doing, and really went overboard with the violence at the beginning as if to compensate. Cuthbert is poorly classed in this role, and the guys playing the policemen don’t seem to know anything about procedure, but that could just be the writers fault. Only worth watching if you’re a die hard thriller fan.

You’ll like this if you liked : Saw IV