Hearts In Atlantis (2001) 6/10

Starring : Anthony Hopkins, Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Mika Boorem, David Morse
Director : Scott Hicks
Running Time : 96 mins

The life of Bobby Garfield (Yelchin) forever changes when his mother Liz (Davis) takes on a new boarder in their home, a man named Ted Brautigan (Hopkins) who appears to have special powers which he manages, in part, to pass on to Bobby. But Ted’s life is in danger from the "low men" who seek him out and want to punish him for his power.

This is a very light movie, which doesn’t go as far as the book to explain Ted’s powers, how they work, or indeed where they came from. The performances are good, and the direction is suitable for the movie, but there really needed to be something more to this to make it a truly inspirational movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Stand By Me

Broken Flowers (2005) 8/10

Starring : Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton
Director : Jim Jarmusch
Running Time : 103 mins

Aging lothario Don Johnston (Murray) receives a letter from an old girlfriend telling him that he has a child who has just turned 18 and may be on their way to meet him, so Don sets off in search of the mother. Unfortunately the letter doesn’t say who the mother is, and 19 years ago Don had more than one relationship, which makes things very tricky for him.

This was a highly enjoyable movie, giving Murray a chance to take a back seat to the varying performances from his character’s ex-girlfriends, each one being as crazy as the last. In spite of not having a definite ending to the movie, the plot and script are tight and work well, with the ambiguity of the ending leading to a far superior ending than any definite answers ever could have.

You’ll like this if you liked : Broken Flowers

Classic Friday : Footloose (1984) 7/10

Starring : Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Chris Penn, Sarah Jessica Parker
Director : Herbert Ross
Running Time : 103 mins

Teenager Ren McCormack (Bacon) moves with his family to a small town where music and dancing have been made illegal by the local Reverend (Lithgow) who enforces the law. Ren instantly finds himself falling for a girl called Ariel Moore (Singer), whose father just so happens to by the disapproving reverend, and he completely disapproves of Ren and his rock and roll loving lifestyle.

This is an interesting movie, with one of those plots that could only have worked in the 80s. Lithgow is great as the bitter reverend, and Bacon does a good turn as the bad influence of the piece. Filled with lots of energy and great music which is still popular today, this movie has aged well and is still as relevant today as it was in 1984.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dirty Dancing

Be Kind Rewind (2008) 8/10

Starring : Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz
Director : Michel Gondry
Running Time : 102 mins

When Jerry (Black) becomes magnetized in an accident, it causes him to erase all the tapes in the video store where he works, but his friend and colleague Mike (Def) comes up with the cunning plan of re-filming all the movies requested by their customers. Soon their so-called sweded version of classic movies become more popular than the originals, and they find their services in great demand.

I really thought this movie was good. Rather than make it ridiculously silly – although some parts were – this is a genuinely touching comedy which mixes good humour and inventiveness with moving melodrama and moments of tearfullness. Black is his usual comedic self, but Def proves that he is more than capable of playing a lead role and manages it with a certain skill which is missing in most singers turned actors.

You’ll like this if you liked : Click

Jarhead (2005) 7/10

Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Scott MacDonald, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx
Director : Sam Mendes
Running Time : 123 mins

Anthony Swofford (Gyllenhaal) joins the marines and suffers through the gruel of boot camp, only to be shipped out to Saudi Arabia at the outbreak of the Gulf War. His experiences at both peace and war time don’t seem to be that different, as in both circumstances he finds himself being indiscriminately shot out by the enemy and his so-called drill instructors, whilst being forced to pander to the media by putting on a brave face at the prospect at his own possible death.

This was to the Gulf War what Buffalo Soldiers was to the Cold War, except on a smaller scale. Where Buffalo Soldiers played as an out and out farce, this tried to lace the humour with a more serious note, which unfortunately watered down the overall message in my opinion. Still, this remains a very entertaining war film which manages to give an apparently accurate portrayal of life on the front lines from someone who was actually there.

You’ll like this if you liked : Buffalo Soldiers

The All Together (2006) 5/10

Starring : Martin Freeman, Corey Johnson, Velibor Topic, Danny Dyer, Richard Harrington, Amanda Abbington
Director : Gavin Claxton
Running Time : 80 mins

Chris Ashworth (Freeman) leaves his flatmate Bob (Topic) in charge of the flat to allow the estate agents in. Unfortunately Bob also lets in a couple of gangsters who take him and the estate agents hostage, and one of the gangsters has food-poisoning and an itchy trigger finger…

This was no where near as good as I hoped. Instead of an entertaining comedy gangster flick I was faced with what seemed to be a bad one off television drama. The cast seemed lost as to what was going on, and the movie just felt flat and uninspired from beginning to end. Definitely not worth bothering with; unless you really want to see it, I’d give it a miss.

You’ll like this if you liked : Snatch

Barbershop (2002) 7/10

Starring : Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, Cedric The Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Keith David
Director : Tim Story
Running Time : 103 mins

Calvin Palmer (Cube) decides to sell the barbershop he inherited from his father so that he can follow his ambition of opening up a recording studio, but as his last day goes on he starts to regret selling up and desperately tries to get the money back from Lester Wallace (David), the loan shark he sold the business to.

This wasn’t a bad movie, although I would have given it a higher mark if it was a stand alone movie and not part of an apparent trilogy. There isn’t any one thing I can put my finger on that kept this entertaining, but I did like how the many stories going on in the movie came together at the end so well. Keith David and Anthony Anderson are probably the highlights of the movie, but the rest of the cast were pretty good too, although Sean Patrick Thomas annoyed me (though I think he’s supposed to).

You’ll like this if you liked : Half Baked

Awake (2007) 7/10

Starring : Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin, Christopher McDonald
Director : Joby Harold
Running Time : 85 mins

Clay Beresford (Christensen) is due to undergo surgery to replace his damaged heart, but when he goes under he finds that he can still sense everything that is going on around him. Obviously it would be pretty bad to still be aware whilst having one’s chest cracked open, but what Clay hears during surgery concerns him more than any pain imaginable.

Depite having heard some pretty bad reviews, I actually found this movie very enjoyable. It starts off slowly, and Christensen, of course, was perfect for the role because most of his performances have been stiff and lifeless in the best, but the supporting cats, primarily Howard and Alba, were brilliant in their roles. Definitely worth watching – ignore the critics!

You’ll like this if you liked : The Brave One

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2001) 7/10

Starring : Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan
Director : Joel Zwick
Running Time : 96 mins

Toula Portakolos (Vardalos) is 30 years old and still lives in her parents house. Having finally got away from the family business by taking over her aunts travel business, she starts to date Ian Miller (Corbett) in secret. When she finally admits to her family that she has a boyfriend, they immediately disapprove because Ian isn’t Greek.

This was actually a pretty entertaining movie, with all the habits of Toula’s family being easily recognised in most families around the world. Vardalos’s transformation came pretty early on, and didn’t really look too difficult a change, but other than this little bit of an annoyance I still enjoyed the rest of the immensely.

You’ll like this if you liked : Muriel’s Wedding

Nightwatch (2004) 5/10

Starring : Konstantin Khabensky, Mariya Poroshina, Vladimir Menshov, Galina Tyunina
Director : Timur Bejmambetov
Running Time : 115 mins

Years ago, a group of supernatural beings known as "Others" had been split into two groups : the Day Watch and the Night Watch. The Night Watch have the unenviable task of keeping an eye on the creatures of the night and ensuring that they don’t break the rules of their treaty, but things take a strange turn when it is discovered that a new life form who will tip the balance of good and evil has come into being.

This was a little disappointing, based on all the hype surrounding it. The story was slow moving and confusing in places, with it being very difficult to tell the good guys from the bad. I guess this was intentional so that we don’t get too sympathetic with the cast, as the opposite view is meant to be the focus of the sequel. I’d avoid this unless you really like supernatural movie like Underworld or Van Helsing.

You’ll like this if you liked : Underworld Evolution

Vantage Point (2008) 8/10

Starring : Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Bruce McGill, Edgar Ramirez, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt
Director : Pete Travis
Running Time : 91 mins

When the American President (Hurt) is shot at a global peace summit, it becomes something of a mystery as to who was behind the shooting, and Special Agent Thomas Barnes (Quaid) finds himself facing a familiar situation to one he faced a few months earlier. Thankfully the audience are given eight perspectives on the shooting, some of them expected, others coming a little out of left field.

This was an interesting film, which unfortunately did get a little annoying when it kept flipping back to events we’d already scene. Thankfully the final half hour was pretty solid and gave us all the answers we needed to enjoy the film as a whole. I wouldn’t recommend this to people who found themselves confused during such films as Groundhog Day, but I would recommend giving it a go.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Kingdom

Guess Who (2005) 5/10

Starring : Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutcher, Zoe Saldana, Judith Scott
Director : Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Running Time : 106 mins

When Percy Jones (Mac) discovers that his daughter Theresa (Saldana) is dating a white guy, Simon Green (Kutcher), all of his racist instincts rise to the surface and he takes an instant disliking to the guy. In his eyes no man is suitable for his daughter, and definitely no white man.

This had its moments, but generally it just didn’t work as well as I’d hoped, mainly because it annoys me that racism towards white people seems to be acceptable in the modern age. It was a nice touch that Mac couldn’t dance and he had to be taught by Kutcher, when white people are generally considered to have no rhythm, but there just wasn’t enough good humour to make this bearable for almost two hours. Skip it unless you’re a huge fan of Mac or Kutcher.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Honeymooners

Classic Friday : Chasing Amy (1997) 8/10

Starring : Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Dwight Ewell, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 108 mins

When comic book artist Holden McNeil (Affleck) meets Alyssa Jones (Adams), he finds himself immediately falling in love with her, unfortunately she just so happens to be a lesbian. As their relationship as friends develops, Holden’s best friend Banky Edwards (Lee) finds himself having to warn Holden of the dangers of getting involved with Alyssa as he becomes more and more smitten with her.

This is great little movie, which doesn’t rely on special effects or confusing story lines to further it’s point, but instead relies on the basics of movie making : character and plot development. Every character is transformed in the course of this movie, and no-one is the same by the end. So watch it, it might inspire you to take the plunge with that certain someone who you’re not too sure about.

You’ll like this if you liked : Clerks

Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007) 4/10

Starring : Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, Zach Mills
Director : Zach Helm
Running Time : 90 mins

A toy shop keeper named Edward Magorium (Hoffman) discovers that he is going to die, so he begins to put his business in order so he can pass it on to his long time assistant Molly Maloney (Portman), but once the store discovers that Mr Magorium is leaving it starts to throw a tantrum.

I was very disappointed with this movie. Despite people insisting that this was the first perfect kids film in many years, I felt that it lacked a certain quality that other movies, which pander to older audiences as well, all possess. There was little or no story to speak of, other than Magorium’s imminent death and Maloney’s failure to fulfil her life long ambitions. If anything this teaches kids to give up on their dreams and try to find another one instead.

You’ll like this if you liked : Nanny McPhee

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) 7/10

Starring : Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker
Director : David Frankel
Running Time : 109 mins

Andy Sachs (Hathaway) takes a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), the editor-in-chief of popular fashion magazine Runway, but she soon finds herself having to bow to every one of Miranda’s ridiculous whims just so she can last the distance and hopefully get a better, more journalistic position in the company.

This wasn’t a bad movie, and I did like the fact that Streep’s character wasn’t blown out of proportion and turned into a caricature. Hathaway’s performance was a little lifeless, but the overall effect of the movie worked for me and made for a mildly entertaining movie. Women will definitely like this flick, but guys might want to steer clear.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Nanny Diaries

Semi-Pro (2008) 6/10

Starring : Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin, DeRay Davis, Maura Tierney
Director : Kent Alterman
Running Time : 92 mins

When Jackie Moon (Ferrell) discovers that the American Basketball Association (ABA) is due to collapse, he desperately wants his team, the Flint Michigan Tropics, to be transferred to the National Basketball Association (NBA), but only the top four best performing teams will be considers, and the Tropics are lingering at the bottom end of the league, so it takes all his ingenuity to try and boost the teams performance, with the help of former NBA player Monix (Harrelson).

This movie was a little disappointing. The plot felt too familiar, and very similar to a lot of other sports comedies that have reared their collective head in recent years. Ferrell plays his usual character, but not really with his usual enthusiasm, and the rest of the cast didn’t really seem that interested in making the movie amusing. I’d skip this unless you really like Ferrell movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : Blades Of Glory

The Majestic (2001) 8/10

Starring : Jim Carrey, Laurie Holden, Martin Landau, David Ogden Stiers
Director : Frank Darabont
Running Time : 147 mins

Peter Appleton (Carrey) is a movie writer who gets blacklisted after being accused of being a communist. He then gets involved in a car accident, which results in him losing his memory, and wakes up in a small town where he is mistaken for the son of local cinema owner Harry Trimble (Landau) and a war hero who has been presumed dead for 6 years.

I thought that this was a very enjoyable movie, despite its two and a half hour runtime. Carrey plays down his usual manic ways in this light drama, and instead plays a very strong lead who manages to make us feel for his cause from beginning to end. Landau is remarkably likeable as his presumed father, and the remainder of the cast offer strong support throughout.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Truman Show

Blood And Chocolate (2007) 6/10

Starring : Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy, Olivier Martinez, Katja Riemann, Bryan Dick
Director : Katja von Garnier
Running Time : 95 mins

Young American orphan Vivian (Bruckner) has been brought up in Romania by her aunt Astrid (Riemann), and as part of a werewolf clan she’s been promised to her cousin Gabriel (Martinez), but when Vivian meets Aiden (Dancy), a magazine writer who is researching werewolves for his publisher, they instantly fall in love. This leads to Gabriel wanting Aiden out of the picture, and he sets his pack on the poor man.

This actually wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, and was actually just as good if not better than the Underworld series of films. There’s a sense of Romeo and Juliet about the plotline, but this actually gives the actors a little more much needed characters as, although the action and storyline are fine, the characters are a little under developed.

You’ll like this if you liked : Underworld

The Time Machine (2002) 7/10

Starring : Guy Pearce, Mark Addy, Samantha Mumba, Sienna Guillory, Jeremy Irons
Director : Simon Wells
Running Time : 95 mins

In a vain attempt to stop his fiancée from being stabbed to death, scientist Alexander Hartdegen (Pearce) travels back in time to prevent her death, only for her to die in another way. Travelling a few hundred years into the future in an attempt to discover why he couldn’t save her life, Hartdegen accidentally send himself thousands of years into the future where he finds that mankind has been split into two races, one feeding off the other.

This was a surprisingly good adaptation of the HG Wells classic, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Pearce has the exact right level of melancholy to portray the depressed scientist, and it was good to see that CGI wasn’t over used, which can be distracting, and instead simple puppets were used throughout.

You’ll like this if you liked : Planet Of The Apes

In Good Company (2004) 7/10

Starring : Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson, Marg Helgenberger
Director : Paul Weitz
Running Time : 110 mins

Middle-aged advertising executive Dan Foreman (Quaid) finds himself demoted and replaced by 26 year old Carter Duryea (Grace), a young go getter who seems to have been employed solely so he can sack the majority of the work force. As if that isn’t bad enough, Dan is horrified when Carter starts to date his teenaged daughter Alex (Johansson).

This was a rather laid back comedy drama which thankfully had a suitable ending to it. Quaid plays both the worried father and the angry employee well, with Grace seeming to reprise a similar role to that he played in That 70’s Show. Johansson is gorgeous as ever, but sadly underused in her limited role, but Quaid and Grace’s opposing characters are more than enough to make up for that.

You’ll like this if you liked : 27 Dresses

Zodiac (2007) 8/10

Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr, Chloe Sevigny
Director : David Fincher
Running Time : 158 mins

Newspaper cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal) finds himself becoming more and more obsessed with a serial killer who goes by the name Zodiac, who famously committed a series of seemingly random murders during the 1960s and 1970s, making it his business to point out which of the seemingly unconnected murders were committed by him.

Although incredibly long at over two and a half hours, this movie manages to keep the viewer engrossed right up until the very end, a knack which David Fincher seems to have honed down to a fine art. The fact that the movie jumps through time so quickly doesn’t detract from the plot, but instead gives us key snippets of the important moments in the now infamous case. Well worth checking out.

You’ll like this if you liked : LA Confidential

The Fast And The Furious : Tokyo Drift (2006) 7/10

Starring : Lucas Black, Bow Wow, Sung Kang, Brian Tee, Leonardo Nam, Nathalie Kelley
Director : Justin Lin
Running Time : 105 mins

As a final attempt to avoid going to prison, repeat offender Sean Boswell (Black) moves to Tokyo to live with his father. There he gets involved with an underground gang who enjoy drift racing, and Sean finds himself increasingly becoming a fan, and also finds himself get drawn in to the world of the Yakuza, an organisation which DK, the Drift King (Brian Tee), has connections to.

I hate to say it, but I thought this was far better than 2 Fast 2 Furious, and at least on a par with the original. The plot made a little more sense than the prior two movies, and the characters seemed more real to boot. Add in the fact that Paul Walker wasn’t in it, and you have yourself a sequel that just about outstrips the original.

You’ll like this if you liked : Speed Racer

Classic Friday : Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981) 6/10

Starring : Adrienne King, Amy Steel, John Furey, Kirsten Baker, Betsy Palmer, Warrington Gillette
Director : Steve Miner
Running Time : 83 mins

Following the death of his mother Pamela (Palmer), Jason Voorhees (Gillette) appears to have returned to Camp Crystal Lake. The camp is closed, but there’s another one just next door so Jason, having witnessed his mother’s murder, goes on a killing spree to avenge her death, killing off camp counsellors one by one.

Although not as clever as the first instalment, this pretty much had everything you’d want from a horror sequel. There’s plenty of deaths and even the possibility of a supernatural villain until all is revealed. Jason doesn’t have his tell-tale hockey mask until the next installment, but even with a bag on his head he’d pretty grim.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hatchet

The Skeleton Key (2005) 7/10

Starring : Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard
Director : Ian Softley
Running Time : 104 mins

Hospice nurse Caroline Ellis (Hudson) takes a job in New Orleans looking after an elderly man, Ben Devereux (Hurt) who has recently suffered a stroke, and whose wife Violet (Rowlands) is too old to be left on her own to care for him. As she learns the history of the house, Caroline soon discovers that the place may be haunted by the victims of a brutal murder, and who are out to get anyone who trespasses in the attic of the house which can only be opened using a special key.

I was surprised that this wasn’t the haunted house movie I was expecting. Technically there are no ghosts in the whole movie, and most of the scares come from atmosphere rather than outright jumpy moments. Without wanting to spoil the plot I won’t say any more, except that this was a surprising departure from the recent influx of horror movies which have inundated the silver screen over recent years.

You’ll like this if you liked : Candyman

Slackers (2002) 6/10

Starring : Devon Sawa, Jason Schwartzman, Jaime King, Jason Segal, Michael Maronna
Director : Dewey Nicks
Running Time : 87 mins

Ethan Dulles (Schwartzman) discovers that three slackers have been cheating their way through the last four years of University, so he decides to blackmail them into getting him together with the woman of his dreams, Angela (King) or else he’ll report them to the University. The only problem is that one of the slackers, Dave (Sawa) finds himself falling for Angela in a big way!

This wasn’t a particularly enthralling movie, though it did have its moments. The characters weren’t particularly memorable – apart from Jason Schwartzman who puts in a very underplayed creepy performance. It’s no wonder that Devon Sawa hasn’t appeared in anything worthy of note since this, even though he’d been in some brilliant movies before.

You’ll like this if you liked : Porkys

War (2007) 7/10

Starring : Jet Li, Jason Statham, John Lone, Devon Aoki, Luis Guzman
Director : Philip G Atwell
Running Time : 99 mins

Jack Crawford (Statham) is an FBI agent who seeks reveange against an assassin known simply as "Rogue" (Li) who was responsible for the death of his partner Tom and his family. After years of searching, Rogue finally shows up again, but this time he’s trying to start an all out war between two Asian mobs, and Crawford finds he at least has an opportunity to avenge his partner’s death.

This movie took a while to get into, but as far as martial arts thrillers go it was pretty good. Statham’s accent was as distracting as always, but I did like Li’s character and the ambiguous ending for his character was a nice touch which made for a nice twist which hopefully will not be ruined by an unnecessary sequel.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Hitman

Failure To Launch (2006) 7/10

Starring : Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha, Bradley Cooper, Terry Bradshaw, Kathy Bates
Director : Tom Dey
Running Time : 94 mins

Tripp (McConaughey) is 35 years old and still lives at home with his parents, Al (Bradshaw) and Sue (Bates), so they decide to hire Paula (Parker), an interventionist who specialises in convincing geeky mummy’s boys to leave home. The trouble is Tripp isn’t a normal case, and Paula soon finds herself breaking her cardinal rule of business : falling for the client.

I was surprised that I actually enjoyed this movie. Although some of the slapstick felt forced, and as if it had only been put there to break up the movie a bit, the remainder of the movie was fun as well as touching. I especially liked some of the background stories for the other characters, specifically Kit (Deschanel) and her trouble with the mocking bird.

You’ll like this if you liked : Wedding Crashers

Buying The Cow (2002) 8/10

Starring : Jerry O’Connell, Bridgette Wilson, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Bellamy, Ron Livingstone, Alyssa Milano
Director : Walter Becker
Running Time : 83 mins

David Collins (O’Connell) is terrified of commitment, so even though he’s been dating his girlfriend Sarah (Wilson) for four years he doesn’t plan on marrying her, so when his friend Tyler (Livingston) announces that he is getting married to a woman he’s just met, Sarah sees David’s reaction and decides they need time apart to decide what they want from their relationship. That’s when David’s friends Mike (Reynolds) and Jonesy (Bellamy) step in.

This was a great tongue in cheek gross out comedy, although some of the jokes were a little close to the bone, and I’m sure that a lot of people would be very offended by much of the content. Despite that I thought this movie was actually quite enjoyable and very watchable, with some great set pieces for both the main cast and the supporting cast alike, although in my opinion Bellamy was under used.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tomcats

Bad News Bears (2005) 6/10

Starring : Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Sammi Kane Kraft
Director : Richard Linklater
Running Time : 114 mins

Pest removal worker Morris Butterbaker (Thornton) is asked to take over the local little league team and utilise his past experience as a professional baseball player to turn them from a gang of misfits into a winning baseball team. Unfortunately the team consists of weak armed and argumentative kids who couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a rock.

Yet another classic comedy gets the remake treatment, and this time the movie is even worse. Granted, it’s nice to see a kids film that isn’t afraid to use harsh language or have kids looking stupid, but even with Thornton playing a role which he seems to have honed over the years (just look at Mr Woodcock) this is nothing special.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ernest Goes To Camp

In The Bedroom (2001) 6/10

Starring : Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei, William Mapother
Director : Todd Field
Running Time : 125 mins

Frank Fowler (Stahl) is a college kid who is dating an older woman, Natalie Strout (Tomei), who has two small children and a soon to be ex-husband, Richard (Mapother), but Richard’s attitude towards Frank and Natalie’s relationship leads to a tragedy which leaves Nick’s mother and father, Frank (Wilkinson) and Ruth (Spacek) picking up the pieces.

This is a powerful drama which takes a tragedy and dwells on it for most of the duration of the film. This is handles quite well, and shows the varying ways in which friends and loved ones cope with loss, but there really wasn’t enough substance for my liking. There are good performances from all, but the story needed to be fleshed out more and, in spite of a running time of over two hours, the ending did seem a little rushed and really creeps up on you.

You’ll like this if you liked : Candy

3:10 To Yuma (2007) 8/10

Starring : Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Vinessa Shaw, Alan Tudyk
Director : James Mangold
Running Time : 118 mins

Hard-up cattle rancher Dan Evans (Bale) agrees to helping escort a famous robber, Ben Wade (Crowe), to the train station to be sent to Yuma for trial. In return for $200, Dan must face the hazards of the Wild West, including some of Wade’s blood thirsty associates lead by the murderous Charlie Prince (Foster), as well as having to deal with the sly and conniving Wade himself.

This is a nice return to the great Westerns that were being made in the early nineties, specifically the likes of Unforgiven. Both Crowe and Bale are great in the lead roles and deliver some very intense performances, providing each other with some nice emotional battles along the way, and even the supporting cast, such as Tudyk and Foster, provide some great additions to the story.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

The Contract (2006) 5/10

Starring : Morgan Freeman, John Cusack, Jamie Anderson, Alice Krige, Megan Dodds
Director : Bruce Beresford
Running Time : 93 mins

Frank Carden (Freeman) is arrested by the FBI for being a contract killer following a car crash and is transported across the country to face trial. When some of his men try to set him free, he ends up trapped in a car travelling down the river. He is eventually rescued by Ray Keene (Cusack), a father who is trying to rebuild his relationship with his son Chris (Anderson), and finds himself on the run from the authorites as well as Keene, who wants to prove himself to his son by bringing Carden to justice.

This movie was so slow going it was almost beyond belief. The villains were pathetic and seemed to have no control over their weapons which randomly seemed to go off at the least provocation. Neither Cusack nor Freeman seem happy to be in this movie, but there are some okay moments which, sadly, were too few and far between.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lucky Number Slevin

Classic Friday : Die Hard 2 (1990) 8/10

Starring : Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, William Sadler
Director : Renny Harlin
Running Time : 118 mins

John McClane (Willis) once again finds himself fighting terrorists when a group hijack Dulles International Airport and switch off all the landing lights, meaning no planes can land until a drug baron who is being extradited back to the USA is freed from captivity. McClane’s personal interest in the issue is that his wife Holly (Bedelia) is on one of the planes, and if they don’t land soon they’ll run out of fuel and begin to crash land.

This was a little different from the original movie in that McClane has more help in this one, so he’s less of the lone wolf which made the first movie so spectacular. There is, however, all of the over the top violence and explosive action of the original which makes for good viewing. The only problem is the villain wasn’t really interesting enough for my liking, which made some of the movie fall a little flat.

You’ll like this if you liked : Speed

Novocaine (2001) 8/10

Starring : Steve Martin, Helena Bonham Carter, Laura Dern, Scott Caan, Elias Koteas, Keith David
Director : David Atkins
Running Time : 95 mins

Dr Frank Sangster (Martin) is a dentist who finds himself the prime suspect in a series of grisly murders after he prescribes drugs to a patient, Susan Ivey (Bonham Carter), who he had sex with. A mould of his own teeth is being used to leave bite marks on the victims, and it seems there’s nothing Frank can do to clear his otherwise good name.

This is an impressive movie for Martin, who has most recently been wallowing in the realm of cheap remakes and bad comedies. His performance is understated and well suited to this movie, and is quite different to his famous dentist character in Little Shop Of Horrors. This is definitely one of Martin’s better movies of recent years, and as a drama is probably his best work in a long time.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Big White

Basic (2003) 6/10

Starring : John Travolta, Connie Nielson, Samuel L Jackson, Tim Daly
Director : John McTiernan
Running Time : 98 mins

DEA Tom Hardy (Travolta) is brought in to help investigating officer Captain Julia Osborne (Nielson) look into the disappearance of Sergeant Nathan West (Jackson) and a number of recruits who were under his command. As they look into the issue they slowly discover, with the help of two of the missing soldiers, that Sergeant West may well have been killed by his troops.

This was a movie with lots of twists, but it didn’t really give enough explanation for them. It’s clear once you’ve watched the movie what actually happened, but it’s not 100% clear, despite a reasonable explanation from Travolta, what the reasons behind the events were or why they were necessary. Despite being a little confusing, this is perhaps still worth having a look at.

You’ll like this if you liked : S.W.A.T

The Holiday (2006) 8/10

Starring : Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black
Director : Nancy Myers
Running Time : 136 mins

Two women with troubled love lives, one an English columnist named Iris Simpkins (Winslett), the other and American movie-trailer editor called Amanda Woods (Diaz) decide to take some time away from their hectic lives and do a house swap for a long deserved holiday, but soon they find themselves involved in new relationships, each as complicated as their last.

I’d heard some bad reviews of this apparently formulaic romantic comedy, but I actually found myself enjoying it. The characters were rich and well thought through and, in spite of a pretty long run time, this movie flowed very quickly. Granted more attention could have been afforded to the relationship between Winslet and Black, but overall this was a very enjoyable movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Love Actually

New Police Story (2004) 8/10

Starring : Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Daniel Wu, Charlene Choi
Director : Benny Chan
Running Time : 118 mins

Inspector Chan (Chan) finds himself the victim of a gang of cop haters who kill his entire police squad. Now a complete drunk, he teams up with mysterious detective Frank Cheng (Tse) to investigate the gang and try to catch them, little realising that the gang leader Joe (Wu) has links to the police himself.

This truly is an old school Jackie Chan movie, which relies on fighting and action rather than comedy to push the action forward. Chan’s character is a wholly serious man, with Tse providing most of the comic relief, and the plot itself, though predictable, is engaging and kept me interested throughout.

You’ll like this if you liked : Rumble In The Bronx

Hitman (2007) 7/10

Starring : Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper
Director : Xavier Gens
Running Time : 89 mins

A genetically engineered hitman known only as Agent 47 (Olyphant) finds himself caught up in a political plot when he is framed for murder by the very agency who employs him. As he goes on the run from the Russian mob and Interpol, Agent 47 finds himself becoming increasingly attracted to a woman named Nika Boronina (Kurylenko), a witness who he was originally hired to kill.

This was better than I thought it wouldbe, what with my instant prejudice against computer game movies that aren't Resident Evil, but thankfully this wasn’t that bad. Obviously similar story lines have all been done before, but this one was still interesting and kept me watching for the short duration. Worth watching for all action buffs.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shooter

The Amityville Horror (2005) 8/10

Starring : Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jesse James, Jimmy Bennett, Chloe Moretz, Rachel Nichols, Philip Baker Hall
Director : Andrew Douglas
Running Time : 89 mins

George Lutz (Reynolds) buys a new home for his new ready made family, little realising that the home was the scene of a series of grizzly murders. As the days go by, George finds himself having hallucinations and terrible nightmares, and becomes increasingly paranoid about the behaviour of his wife Kathy and her three children.

As far as recent remake horrors go, this one was pretty good. All the jumpy moments were there and were executed expertly, and despite some over the top moments that didn’t seem necessary, there was enough substance to make this an enjoyable horror flick which should age well over the coming years.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Omen

Kate And Leopold (2001) 7/10

Starring : Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liv Schreiber, Breckin Myer, Natasha Lyonne
Director : James Mangold
Running Time : 113 mins

Stuart Besser (Schreiber) has discovered the secret to time travel, so journeys back to meet some famous inventors, but on his trip he accidentally brings back the inventor of the elevator, a man named Leopold (Jackman). Irony soon rears it’s head and Stuart falls down a lift shaft, leaving Leopold to try and cope on his own, whilst also leaving him to fall in love with Stuart’s ex girlfriend Kate (Ryan).

This was a nice enough romantic comedy which doesn’t go far in the way of exploring the time travel motif but instead focuses entirely on making Kate and Leopold fall for each other. The movie is cute, but also very tongue in cheek with many of the scenarios revolving around Leopold trying to cope with the modern world which can’t really cope with him.

You’ll like this if you liked : Just Visiting

Stardust (2007) 9/10

Starring : Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Mark Strong, Nathaniel Parker, Robert De Niro
Director : Matthew Vaughn
Running Time : 128 mins

Tristan Thorne (Cox) travels to the fantasy world of Storhold to find a fallen star to give to Victoria (Miller), the woman he loves. When he finds the star, it turns out she’s in human form and going by the name Yvaine (Danes), and she was knocked from the heavens by an amulet which had been thrown there by the dieing king so he could challenge his surviving son’s to a contest for leadership. News of the fallen star travels to a coven of witches, and the witch Lamia (Pfeiffer) journeys in search of the star so she can steal her heart to regain her youth.

This is simply put one of the best fantasy movies I’ve seen in a long time. The plot is both dark and comical, with some great likeable characters and some wonderful performances and scenarios. Danes and Cox make a great pair to watch throughout the movie, and Pfeiffer’s villainess witch is a joy to behold.

You’ll like this if you liked : Willow