The Wedding Date (2005) 7/10

Starring : Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams, Jack Davenport, Sarah Parish, Jeremy Sheffield
Director : Clare Kilner
Running Time : 88 mins

Kat Ellis (Messing) travels to London for her sisters wedding, but in the hope of avoiding awkward questions from her ex-fiancee (Sheffield) she hires a male escort named Nick Mercer (Mulroney) to come with her as her date, but when she arrives in England she discovers some secrets about her ex-boyfriend that she’d rather have not known about.

This actually wasn’t that bad. I’m not a big fan of Debra Messing, mainly because I don’t find Will And Grace funny, but in this she was bearable. The plotline, though basic and similar to a lot of other chick flicks, was engaging and kept you guessing as to what might happen next and who’d end up with who.

You’ll like this if you liked : My Best Friend’s Wedding

It’s All Gone Pete Tong (2004) 5/10

Starring : Paul Kaye, Beatriz Batarda, Kate Magowan, Mike Wilmot
Director : Michael Dowse
Running Time : 88 mins

Frankie Wilde (Kaye) is considered to be one of the best DJs alive, until he is tragically struck down with increasing loss of hearing. As he tries to cover up his ailment, he finds it more and more difficuly=t to do his job, and finally has to decided whether he should just give up or try to struggle on with his disability.

I didn’t think much of this movie, it just didn’t keep me interested from beginning to end. The acting was weak and the humour was obvious without being that funny. Definitely not worth bothering with unless you’re a big fan of Dennis Pennis or Ibiza style dance music.

You’ll like this if you liked : Kevin And Perry Go Large

Arthur And The Invisibles (2006) 6/10

Starring : Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Madonna, Jimmy Fallon, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Bowie, Snoop Dogg
Director : Luc Besson
Running Time : 94 mins

A young boy named Arthur (Highmore) goes in search of some fabled creatures called the Minimoys, tiny beings who are so small they can’t be seen by the naked eye, in the hope of preventing his grandparents house from being demolished by discovering their long hidden treasure.

This movie wasn’t too bad – I can see what very young kids would like about it, but it did feel like it had all been done before. In spite of the less than original story line, there is some pretty neat looking computer animation, mixed with some very bright and colourful live action sequences.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Ant Bully

The Sum Of All Fears (2002) 7/10

Starring : Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Ken Jenkins, Liev Shreiber, Bruce McGill
Director : Phil Alden Robinson
Running Time : 117 mins

Jack Ryan (Affleck), an analyst for the CIA, is called upon to help investigate when a number of Russian scientists go missing, but when they turn up dead and Russia apparently launched an attack on the United States, Ryan suspects that a terrorist group might be behind the attacks, hoping to start a war between the USA and Russia and wipe them both off the map without lifting a finger.

This was an entertaining and gripping political thriller, which although had some very unrealistic moments was none the less still a lot of fun to watch. Affleck isn’t the best choice as the lead, but the supporting cast of well known actors more than make up for his below par acting abilities.

You’ll like this if you liked : Clear And Present Danger

High Heels And Low Lifes (2001) 8/10

Starring : Minnie Driver, Mary McCormack, Kevin McNally, Kevin Eldon, Mark Williams, Danny Dyer, Michael Gambon
Director : Mel Smith
Running Time : 83 mins

Shannon (Driver) and Frances (McCormack) overhear a criminal talking about a bank heist, and decide to black mail him in order to make a bit of money, but they soon realise they’re in over their heads when an unwilling participant is killed by the gangsters in their place.

This was a great little movie, another one that I missed out on the first time around. McCormack is genuinely funny when she attempts to do an English accent, though her cockney twang was no more comical than Danny Dyer’s natural brogue. I’d highly recommend watching this movie, it’s probably Mel Smith at his directorial best.

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

The Big White (2005) 8/10

Starring : Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Blake Nelson, W Earl Brown, Woody Harrelson
Director : Mark Mylod
Running Time : 97 mins

Struggling on the brink of going bankrupt, travel agent Paul Barnell (Williams) comes up with a cunning plan to stage his long missing brothers’ death when he finds a corpse in a dumpster at the back of his workplace so that he can finally make a claim on his life insurance, but things go from bad to worse when the mobsters who dumped the body in the first place want to get it back.

This movie was much more enjoyable than I expected it to be. The reviews had been extraordinarily poor, and my expectations were very low. Nonetheless, Williams surprised me by actually being likeable in this black comedy, as many of his roles I find to be just downright off-putting. This is worth watching even if you dislike Williams, and if you like him then you should definitely put it to the top of your to-watch list.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Whole Nine Yards

Classic Friday : Back To The Future Part II (1989) 8/10

Starring : Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F Wilson, Elisabeth Shue
Director : Robert Zemeckis
Running Time : 108 mins

Having only just returned from 1955, Marty McFly (Fox) is whisked into the future by Doc Brown (Lloyd), who has information about a disaster that is going to befall Marty’s future children. This issue is soon solved, but when Marty returns to 1985 he finds his world has been altered and has to travel back to 1955 to rectify the changes that have occurred.

Despite not being as good as the original, and a few niggly plot points which I won’t go into here, this is still a damn fine sequel with all the energy of the original. Fox and Lloyd repeat their performances as if it’s only been a few days, rather than four years, since they last played Marty and the Doc, and once again Thomas F Wilson puts in a stirling effort as the irrepressible Biff Tannen.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ghostbusters

The Eye (2008) 8/10

Starring : Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey, Fernanda Romero, Rachel Ticotin
Director : David Moreau & Xavier Palud
Running Time : 95 mins

Sydney Wells (Alba) undergoes drastic surgery to regain her sight, only to discover that her new eyes enable her to see things that no-one else can, including ghosts and past events, but when she finds out the truth about what she is seeing, Sydney becomes less sure if this new ability is a gift or a curse.

I thought that this remake was actually pretty good – having not seen the Japanese original it’s hard for me to give any sort of comparison, but I didn’t find this to be terrible in any way, although many people seem to think it was awful. Granted Alba was a little flat in the lead role, but there was still enough subdues horror and action to keep this as entertaining as possible, although the ending felt a little rushed.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Dead Zone

Foolproof (2003) 8/10

Starring : Ryan Reynolds, Kristin Booth, Joris Jarsky, David Suchet
Director : William Phillips
Running Time : 94 mins

Three geeks who get together to pull off theoretical heists – that is, they try to beat security systems without actually breaking in and stealing stuff – find themselves in a whole heap of trouble when local mobster Leo Gillette (Suchet) finds their plans and blackmails them into pulling off a multimillion dollar heist for him or go to jail!

This is a surprisingly underrated and highly enjoyable little comedy thriller. Reynolds isn’t his usual over-the-top self, and the supporting cast are equally perfect with their levels of humour and seriousness. It’s a shame this didn’t get better press when it was originally released because I’m sure it could have done a lot better at the box office than it did.

You’ll like this if you liked : Stark Raving Mad

The Man Who Sued God (2001) 7/10

Starring : Billy Connolly, Judy Davis, Colin Friels, Wendy Hughes
Director : Mark Joffe
Running Time : 95 mins

When Steve Myers (Connolly) finds his world destroyed when his fishing boat is struck by lightning and the insurance company refuse to pay out, so as a last resort he decides to sue God and His representative on Earth – the Church. When he announces this, he immediately becomes a worldwide celebrity, as he is seen to represent the little man against the insurance companies who use every loophole in the book to worm out of paying their insurers.

This movie was pretty slow going at first, but it soon picked up and turned into quite a nice tongue-in-cheek comedy, with Billy Connolly doing the best he could with what he was given. He is a bit smug in this movie, but that does mostly add to the overall charm, and Judy Davis is perfect as the reporter writing about him and makes for a perfect partner to his knowingly cynical character.

You’ll like this if you liked : We’re Here To Help

Sky High (2005) 7/10

Starring : Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Bruce Campbell
Director : Mike Mitchell
Running Time : 96 mins

Will Stronghold (Angarano) is the son of renowned superheroes The Commander (Russell) and Jetstream (Preston), but when it comes to his turn to attend the famous superhero high school, Sky High, poor Will has to face his first days without any powers, while trying not to let his parents know that he’s been deemed only fit for sidekick duty.

This was a fun movie, with enough entertainment value for both children and grownups alike. It’s very similar to Zoom, which came out shortly after and, because I saw Zoom first, this kind of spoiled things for me, but it’s in own right this is a great kids movie which will keep even the grumpiest kid quiet for a while.

You’ll like this if you liked : Zoom

The Big Bounce (2004) 6/10

Starring : Owen Wilson, Sara Foster, Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, Charlie Sheen
Director : George Armitage
Running Time : 86 mins

Jack Ryan (Wilson) is a small time crook who is convinced to take part in a robbery by Nancy Hayes (Foster), girlfriend of rich hotel owner Ray Ritchie (Sinise), but the crime is not as straight forward as it first seems when he realises that everyone involved in the situation is trying to double-cross everyone else.

This movie was okay, but considering the cast, mainly Morgan Freeman and Owen Wilson, I expected something a little better. The plotline was confusing, as would be expected of something conceived by Elmore Leonard, but thankfully there were some saving graces, mainly in the form of Sara Foster.

You’ll like this if you liked : Wild Things

I Want Candy (2007) 8/10

Starring : Tom Riley, Tom Burke, Carmen Electra, Eddie Marsan, Michelle Ryan, Mackenzie Crook
Director : Stephen Surjik
Running Time : 87 mins

Two film students are disappointed when they realise that they are only being given two minutes by their teacher Mr Dulberg (Crook) to film what they believe is a quality movie script. In the hopes of getting money to make their film themselves, they head to London where they realise their only solution to getting funding is to make the movie into a porn film.

This was a surprisingly entertaining movie, especially when you consider some of the rubbish that Carmen Electra has been in. The characters are likeable and believable, and though the scenario is silly, there’s a genuine warmth to the storyline that will keep you actually liking the situations as well as finding them funny.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Girl Next Door

The Black Dahlia (2006) 7/10

Starring : Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Mia Kirschner, Mike Starr
Director : Brian De Palma
Running Time : 116 mins

One time boxers turned homicide detectives Dwight Bleichert (Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Eckhart) separately investigate the so-called Black Dahlia murder in 1940s Los Angeles; Blanchard becoming obsessed with finding the true killer and Bleichart finding himself lead to Madeline Linscott (Swank), the daughter of a wealthy man, who just so happens to resemble the victim of the crime.

Despite an odd, slightly miscast cast, this was a reasonable enough crime thriller. Although the plot is a little predictable and over the top, the movie keeps the viewer enthralled with this strange world of crime and seducation, and does in my opinion succeed with it’s challenge to make this fictionalised true story as entertaining as possible.

You’ll like this if you liked : LA Confidential

Millions (2004) 8/10

Starring : Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan
Director : Danny Boyle
Running Time : 94 mins

Damian (Etel) is a young boy obsessed with Saints and religion, so when a bag filled with money falls from the sky he believes it’s a gift from God. But he soon discovers that the money has in fact come from a daring robbery of the Bank Of England, who were in the process of destroying all of the British pounds in preparation for the changeover to the Euro.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. The cast were brilliant, and Alex Etel was wonderful as the slightly naïve and innocent Damian. The story was engaging, and the parallel world that were invited into was pretty much like our own, if we had decided to get rid of the pound in the UK. Definitely worth checking out, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

You’ll like this if you liked : Finding Neverland

Ultraviolet (2005) 5/10

Starring : Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright, Nick Chinlund, Sebastien Andrieu, Ida Martin, William Fichtner
Director : Kurt Wimmer
Running Time : 95 mins

Violet (Jovovich) lives in a futuristic world where she suffers from a virus called hemophagia which gives her superhuman abilities. The normal uninfected humans consider these super-humans a threat and try to design a virus which in turn can give them an edge over the hemophages, if not destroy them entirely. When Violet meets a boy known simply as Six (Bright), she soon discovers that the boy may be the weapon the humans have been creating to kill her people, so she finds herself desperately trying to prevent the normal humans from getting their hands on him.

This movie was pretty nonsensical, with a camera style similar to Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow. Jovovich once again plays a superhuman style character, but this time the plot isn’t quite so appealing. Definitely not worth bothering with unless you enjoy the kind of movies that meander on into nothingness – a bit like Aeon Flux, or The Matrix.

You’ll like this if you liked : Aeon Flux

Classic Friday : Poltergeist (1982) 9/10

Starring : Craig T Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robbins, Heather O’Rourke
Director : Tobe Hooper
Running Time : 115 mins

Young couple Steve (Nelson) and Diane Freeling (Williams) find their house to be haunted, although at first things seem okay as the ghosts are just being playful, but when their young daughter Carol Ann (O’Rourke) is kidnapped by the ghosts, the parents decide to call in professional help to deal with the hauntings.

A truly classic horror film, and penned by Steven Spielberg, this movie is still as scary today as it’s always been. The effects might not look as good after 25 years, but there’s still the deep sense of foreboding throughout the film, hinting at what is yet to come, mixed with an unnatural calm that keeps you waiting for something spooky to happen.

You’ll like this if you liked : Carrie

AVP Aliens Versus Predator Requiem (2007) 6/10

Starring : Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis, Ariel Gade, Kristen Hager
Director : Colin & Greg Strause
Running Time : 94 mins

Following directly on from AVP, one of the Predator’s has been infected by an alien, which bursts out of him and kills the crew of their ship. The ship crash lands in a small American town, where the aliens start wrecking havoc on the inhabitants, whilst the last remaining Predator on board tries to hunt down the evil creatures and destroy them before the town is destroyed by the aliens – or indeed by the US government itself!

This movie runs like a cross between The Faculty and Rambo, with monsters thrown in for good measure. Unlike all the other Alien or Predator movies, I really didn’t care about the characters, all of whom lack... well, character really. Hopefully the powers that be will decide to end the franchise here, thought I’m sure they’re already planning AVP3!

You’ll like this if you liked : Slither

About A Boy (2002) 8/10

Starring : Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Victoria Smurfit
Director : Chris & Paul Weitz
Running Time : 98 mins

Will Freeman (Grant) lives a carefree life, his only worry being how to split up with his latest in a long line of girlfriends. When he dates a single mum he realises that eventually all single mum’s will break up with him, saving him the trouble, so he poses as a single father and starts going to parents evenings in the hope of meeting women. However, when he meets 12-year-old Marcus (Hoult), his hopes for a peaceful life fall apart as Marcus starts inviting himself around to visit.

This is a really nice feel-good movie, with Grant playing a very similar character to that of Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones, except from a slightly more sympathetic angle. The script is solid and leaves nothing for improvement, and the on screen relationship between Grant and Hoult is almost as memorable as Hoult’s haircut.

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

In Her Shoes (2005) 9/10

Starring : Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Feuerstein, Anson Mount
Director : Curtis Hanson
Running Time : 125 mins

When Maggie (Diaz) discovers some hidden birthday and Christmas cards from her grandmother (MacLaine) who she thought was dead, she journeys in search of her to find out why she hasn’t been in touch. Meanwhile her sister Rose (Collette) quits her job as an attorney following a tricky breakup and becomes a dog walker instead.

I really enjoyed this movie, despite its being the ultimate chick flick. Both Diaz and Collette are likeable as Maggie and Rose, and the changes in their characters throughout the course of the movie bring them more into line with each other, making for a nice ending that brings the two back together.

You’ll like this if you liked : Catch And Release

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) 8/10

Starring : Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Mr Lawrence, Jeffrey Tambor, Scarlett Johansson, Alec Baldwin, David Hasselhoff
Director : Stephen Hillenburg
Running Time : 84 mins

When King Neptune (Tambor) has his crown stolen by Plankton (Lawrence), the blame is placed on Mr Krabs (Brown), so SpongeBob agrees to leave Bikini Bottom in search of the crown, which has been sold on eBay to a buyer in the dangerous Shell City in order to save Mr Krabs from King Neptune’s wrath.

This movie was beyond silly – everything in this from King Neptune’s bald spot to Hasselhoff’s swimming manoeuvres was all spot on, and the songs in this movie were just perfect. It’s good to see that some kids cartoons these days don’t pander to children, but instead try to project a universal appeal so that everyone young or old can enjoy them.

You’ll like this if you liked : Finding Nemo

Cloverfield (2008) 6/10

Starring : Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, TJ Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman
Director : Matt Reeves
Running Time : 84 mins

A group of young people at a Bon Voyage party find their festivities interrupted by a bizarre monster attack on New York City. The group make an attempt to flee the city to escape the devastation and save one of their friends who has become trapped in a nearby building, all of which is recorded on their handheld camcorder.

I really don’t understand what all the hype was about this movie. I mistakenly expected a comedy simply based on the presence of Lizzy Caplan, but instead got a shaky-cam monster movie with very little going for it. The idea is original, having someone filming a disaster as it happens rather than intending to film it from the get go, but the execution wasn’t to my liking in spite of some interesting moments.

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

Corky Romano (2001) 6/10

Starring : Chris Kattan, Vinessa Shaw, Peter Falk, Peter Berg, Chris Penn, Fred Ward, Richard Roundtree, Matthew Glave
Director : Rob Pritts
Running Time : 80 mins

Mafia Don "Pops" Romano (Falk) faces a stiff sentence in prison if he can’t get ahold of the FBI file that contains lots of damning evidence on him that could put him away for life. Realising that his two sons are too well known by the police, Pops resorts to getting his third son, Corky (Kattan), who until then had been shunned by the family, to go undercover and find the files for him. Unfortunately Corky is so stupid that things don’t go according to plan.

This wasn’t the best movie ever made, and certainly wasn’t going to win any Oscar nominations, but as far as slapstick comedies goes it wasn’t too bad. Kattan is pretty much the same sort of character he was in A Night At The Roxbury, and the supporting cast of Berg and Penn make light of the situation with their family secrets which make for a good few in jokes.

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

Sydney White (2007) 7/10

Starring : Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton, Matt Long, Jack Carpenter, Jeremy Howard, Crystal Hunt, Adam Hendershott, Danny Strong, Samm Levine
Director : Joe Nussbaum
Running Time : 108 mins

Sydney White (Bynes) heads to college to pledge for her deceased mother’s sorority, but finds the sorority is not to her liking. When she gets kicked out by the evil Rachel Witchburn (Paxton), Sydney goes to live with seven dorks whose halls of residence is going to be knocked down, so she comes up with the plan of getting one of the dorks to run for president of the college committee.

Despite the distracting acting technique of Bynes, who at best is a poor man’s Lindsey Lohan, this was actually a pretty decent teen comedy which lends the majority of it’s plotline to the fairy tale of Snow White. Worth watching if just to figure out which dork is which dwarf.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mean Girls

American Pie 2 (2001) 8/10

Starring : Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eugene Levy, Mena Suvari
Director : James B Rogers
Running Time : 106 mins

Jim Levenstein (Biggs) reunites with his old high school friends after their first year of college, and their usual sexually motivated antics ensue, but when he hears that Nadia (Elizabeth), the girl of his dreams, plans on paying him a visit, he seeks help and advice from his prom date Michelle Hagerty (Hannigan).

Although not as good as the original instalment, this was still a very good teen comedy. It had all of the elements of the first movie, but unfortunately with most sequels of it’s kind it didn’t really have any originality, instead relying on the jokes from the first film to be enough of a continuation for the audience.

You’ll like this if you liked : Porkys

The Ring Two (2005) 7/10

Starring : Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, David Dorfman, Elizabeth Perkins, Gary Cole, Sissy Spacek
Director : Hideo Nakata
Running Time : 105 mins

Rachel Keller (Watts) discovered that the evil tape that kills anyone who watches it within seven days is still doing the rounds, so she finds the tape at a crime scene and destroys it, but this enrages the spirit of Samara who decides to possess Rachel’s son Aidan (Dorfman) and sets about trying to destroy their family’s lives!

This wasn’t the best horror film I’ve seen recently, but at least they tried to do something a little more original with it. Rather than taking note from the Japanese Ring sequels, writer Ehren Kruger has taken the bare bones of the story and given us something new. For this and this alone I’ve bumped the rating up a little so I’d recommend giving it a chance, but don’t be disappointed if you preferred the originals.

You’ll like this if you liked : Pulse

Classic Friday : Taxi Driver (1976) 7/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel
Director : Martin Scorsese
Running Time : 109 mins

Travis Bickle (De Niro) works as a cabbie in New York, using the night shifts as a means to cure his insomnia which has come as a result of his time in Vietnam, and he soon finds himself loathing the types of people who ride in his cab at night. As his relationship with Betsy (Shepherd), a campaign worker for a state senator, falls apart, Bickle decides to make a name for himself by assassinating the senator in a vague attempt to start cleaning up the town, and also attempts to rescue a young prostitute (Foster).

The only word to suitably describe this movie is interesting. Although De Niro gives a memorable performance, as does Keitel’s hair, there isn’t anything particularly outstanding about this movie. It does feel as if it’s been over hyped over the years, and this just builds the movie up into something it’s not; it’s good, but it’s nothing that special.

You’ll like this if you liked : Raging Bull

Margot At The Wedding (2007) 4/10

Starring : Nicole Kidman, Jack Black, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zane Pais
Director : Noah Baumbach
Running Time : 94 mins

Margot (Kidman) travels to visit her sister Pauline (Leigh) who is getting married to her fiancée Malcolm (Black), but things start to get tense when a number of family secrets spiral out of control, Margot’s depression starts rubbing off on everyone else, and the neighbours want to tear down the tree Pauline and Malcolm plan to marry under.

This movie had nothing going for it. Aside from Jack Black, everyone in this film gave a flat performance that inspired nothing in it’s audience, and it add distraction to boredom I thought Margot’s son Claude, played by Zane Pais, was a girl for most of the movie. I’d seriously suggest giving this movie about nothing a miss if I were you.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Ice Storm

The Pink Panther (2006) 7/10

Starring : Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Henry Czerny, Kristin Chenoweth, Roger Rees, Beyonce Knowles
Director : Shawn Levy
Running Time : 93 mins

Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kline) decides to hire the worst detective in France to publicly investigate the poisoning of a French football coach in the hope that he himself can perform a secret investigation to make him look good for an upcoming award ceremony. But Dreyfus didn’t realise the trouble he would be bringing upon himself when he assigns Jacque Clouseau (Martin) to the case.

I really didn’t want to watch this – it looked bad, and was directed by Shawn Levy of Cheaper By The Dozen fame - but this was actually quite an enjoyable movie. Martin thankfully doesn’t try to do an impression of Peter Sellers, in fact he seems to be just a French version of himself, and by not trying to mimic the original movies, this then turned into not too bad a movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Johnny English

Halloween Resurrection (2002) 7/10

Starring : Jamie Lee Curtis, Brad Loree, Busta Rhymes, Tyra Banks, Bianca Kajlich, Sean Patrick Thomas, Katee Sackhoff, Luke Kirby, Daisy McCrackin, Thomas Ian Nicholas
Director : Rick Rosenthal
Running Time : 86 mins

Serial killer Michael Myers (Loree) returns, and this time he plans on murdering the contestants of a reality game show, which involves the contestants having to wander around the house where Michael grew up. Unfortunately the viewers don’t realise that the "killer" is the real Michael Myers, believing that it’s all a stunt for the audience.

This actually wasn’t that bad, although it is a little bit of an imitation of Scream 3. The idea of a reality TV show going wrong is nothing new, but if you like teen slasher movies then this will be right up you street.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scream 3

Beowulf (2007) 6/10

Starring : Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright-Penn, Angelina Jolie, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover
Director : Robert Zemeckis
Running Time : 114 mins

A monstrous creature named Grendel (Glover) is terrorising the kingdom of King Hrothgar (Hopkins), so a warrior named Beowulf (Winstone) takes on the challenge of killing the creature, but when he meets Grendel’s mother (Jolie) he strikes up a bargain to become King of Denmark, but with some terrible results.

This was okay as far as it went, and adapted the epic poem well, but the whole CGI nonsense felt over the top and in most cases unnecessary. Although Winstone looked nothing like himself in regards to his build, many of the other actors appeared much as they usually would, beggaring the question as to how logical it is to spend so much money on effects that could be achieved with a simple camera.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King

Match Point (2005) 6/10

Starring : Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton
Director : Woody Allen
Running Time : 125 mins

One-time professional tennis player Chris Wilton (Meyers) takes a job teaching wealthy toff Tom Hewett (Goode) the game and starts dating Tom’s sister Chloe (Mortimer), but when he meets Tom’s American girlfriend Nola (Johansson) he starts an elicite affair with her that can only result in disaster.

This was quite a mediocre movie, with some stunted yet overtly intellectual performances that made this feel like it was written by Oscar Wilde. I was surprised that Allen didn’t appear in the movie, but there wasn’t a suitable character for him to play in any case. I’d seriously only recommend this to people who really appreciate Allen’s work, or really fancy Scarlett Johansson, otherwise steer clear.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sleuth

The Ant Bully (2006) 8/10

Starring : Zach Tyler Eisen, Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Paul Giamatti, Regina King, Bruce Campbell, Meryl Streep
Director : John A Davis
Running Time : 89 mins

Lucas Nickle (Tyler Eisen) is constantly getting bullied by the other kids in his neighbourhood, so he takes out his frustration on one of the only things smaller than him – and ant colony on his front lawn – but a wizard ant named Zoc (Cage) decides that Lucas needs to be taught and lesson so shrinks him down to the size of an ant and forces him to work in their colony.

This was a great fun filled movie with the usual amount of moral sub story that you’d expect in most modern cartoons. This movie didn’t really benefit from it’s remarkable cast, most of whom were unrecognisable in their roles, but this was still a nice movie which the whole family can enjoy, and Giamatti’s villain was outstanding.

You’ll like this if you liked : A Bug’s Life

White Noise (2004) 7/10

Starring : Michael Keaton, Chandra West, Deborah Kara Unger, Ian McNiece, Sarah Strange, Nicholas Elia
Director : Geoffrey Sax
Running Time : 94 mins

Architect Jonathan Rivers (Keaton) becomes obsessed with contacting his dead wife through apparent medium Raymond Price (McNiece), and when Price is murdered Rivers decides to try and contact her on his own. Using Price’s equipment, Rivers soon realises that the dead people he is getting in contact with are not dead at all, but are calling him for help!

This is a very entertaining movie with some nice twists throughout. Keaton plays the lead admirably, not overplaying the role at any time, and the limited use of scary moments makes the actual scary moments all that scarier.

You’ll like this if you liked : Stir Of Echoes

Dog Soldiers (2001) 8/10

Starring : Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham
Director : Neil Marshall
Running Time : 102 mins

A group of British squaddies on a training mission in the Scottish Highlands find themselves under attack by wolves in the middle of the night. Realising the danger they are faced with, they take refuge in a small cottage, only to realise that the creatures attacking them are in fact werewolves, and they’ve just taken refuge in their house!

This was a very good tongue-in-cheek horror, a little in the vein of An American Werewolf in London. Although the effects weren’t all that impressive, they really didn’t have to be as the plot and the acting carried the story along better than any cheap CGI ever could. I highly recommend checking out this little jem, it's an instant classic.

You’ll like this if you liked : Severance

The Brave One (2007) 9/10

Starring : Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Nicky Katt, Naveen Andrews, Mary Steenburgen
Director : Neil Jordan
Running Time : 118 mins

Following a brutal attack which leaves Erica Bain (Foster) brutally injured and her fiancée David Kirmani (Andrews) dead, Erica takes it upon herself to become something of a vigilante and take on New York crime all by herself, deciding that the police will never catch her fiancée’s killers.

This was actually a surprisingly enjoyable and, whether intentionally or not, funny film. Nicky Katt is hilarious as Detective Vitale, offering a much needed sense of humour to the movie with his knowingly tiresome opinion of police work, and both Foster and Howard give a believable performance as the angry victim and her problematic romantic interest.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Punisher

Classic Friday : Edward Scissorhands (1990) 8/10

Starring : Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker
Director : Tim Burton
Running Time : 107 mins

An Avon lady, Peg Bogs (Wiest), discovers a young man named Edward (Depp), who was built by an Inventor (Vincent Price) who died before he was complete. Now left with scissors for hands, Edward finds himself entering the outside world to live with Peg, and discovers a knack for hair styling and exterior design, whilst falling in love with Peg’s daughter Kim (Ryder).

This is a charming little tale, inspired in parts by both Pinocchio and Frankenstein, and makes the rather creepy-looking, leather-clad, knife-wielding Depp into a heart warming character that everyone can love. Burton’s manages to do something truly unique with this movie, and it’s good to see that much of his later works have held the same level of uniqueness.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Nightmare Before Christmas

Alvin And The Chipmunks (2007) 8/10

Starring : Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney
Director : Tim Hill
Running Time : 88 mins

Dave Seville (Lee) finds his home invaded by a trio of talking Chipmunks, who inspire him to improve his waning career as a song writer by ustilising their unique voices in a series of new songs. Unfortunately Dave’s sensible ways soon push the Chipmunks into the clutches of dodgy music exec Ian Hawke (Cross).

This was a great fun-filled family movie, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Jason Lee portrays Dave perfectly, and I liked the way the Chipmunks slowly grew into their personalities throughout the film. A definite must for anyone with kids, or for those who are just young at heart.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ratatouille

Analyze That (2002) 5/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Joe Viterelli, Cathy Moriarty
Director : Harold Ramis
Running Time : 95 mins

Following a stay in prison, gangster Paul Vitti (De Niro) once again calls on the services of his one-time analyst Dr Ben Sobel (Crystal). This time Sobel is forced to keep Vitti as a house guest under the orders of the FBI, and the usual chaos ensues.

This wasn’t very good at all. I don’t know what De Niro, the star if such great movies as Goodfellas and Raging Bull, was thinking when he agreed to make this feeble sequel, but I’m guessing he was strapped for cash. It’s pretty much the same as Analyze This, just less funny.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mickey Blue Eyes