Shaolin Soccer (2001) 9/10

Starring : Stephen Chow, Ng Man Tat, Wei Zhao
Director : Stephen Chow
Running Time : 107 mins

Mighty Steel Leg Sing (Chow) is an ex-football player who discovers the art of Shaolin, and decides to try to incorporate the art form into the sport he loves, creating what could potentially be the worlds most unstoppable soccer team. Using their new found talents, the team enter a competition through which they could win one million dollars in prize money!

This movie is simply put brilliant! Chow plays the drunkard to the hilt, as well as the superstar footballer, and there are some great special effects present to make the movie even more spectacular. The over the top visual style of the movie just adds to the fun and funny story, and I look forward to Chow’s next work, which hopefully shouldn’t be too far away! A must for any fan of martial arts movies with a comic twist.

You’ll like this if you liked : Kung Fu Hustle

Bridge To Terabithia (2007) 8/10

Starring : Josh Hustcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Robert Patrick, Bailee Madison, Zooey Deschanel
Director : Gabor Csupo
Running Time : 96 mins

Jess Aarons (Hutcherson) makes friends with the new girl at school, Leslie Burke (Robb), and together they create their own fantasy world, Terabithia, a world filled with trolls and demons and all sorts of evil creatures where Jess and Leslie reign as king and queen, but it isn’t long until the real world interferes with their enjoyment, and a random accident leads to tragedy.

This is a great movie, but it’s hard to say that it’s a kid’s movie. Some of the story may upset young viewers – I know I was surprised by some of the turn of events – but even still there is a certain charm which makes this movie a fun yet dramatic journey for both children and adults alike. Well worth checking out, just to see how surprised you get by the ending.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Secret Garden

My Boss's Daughter (2003) 7/10

Starring : Ashton Kutcher, Tara Reid, Andy Richter, Terence Stamp, Molly Shannon
Director : David Zucker
Running Time : 91 mins

Tom Stansfield (Kutcher) is in love with his boss’s daughter, Lisa Taylor (Reid), so when she asks him on a date he jumps at the chance. Unfortunately she is actually asking him to house sit so that she can go out, and Tom’s boss Jack (Stamp), who is a tyrant at the best of times, will not be happy if anything goes wrong… obviously, everything does!

This isn’t the best comedy ever made, but its slapstick nature more than makes up for the predictable plot line and one dimensional characters. You’d think Kutcher would be out of place as the sensible yet put upon employee, but he manages to pull it off, though it’s a little sad to see Terence Stamp reduced to this sort of movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Meet The Fockers

Ginger Snaps : Unleashed (2004) 7/10

Starring : Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Tatiana Maslany, Janet Kidder, Eric Johnson
Director : Brett Sullivan
Running Time : 90 mins

Brigitte (Perkins) has been bitten by a werewolf and must find a cure before the next full moon or else she’ll become a full blown werewolf herself. Trying to use a substance which will prevent the change, she is found unconscious by the police who send her to rehab, but the wolf that bit her tracks her down and starts killing the other patients to get to her.

This wasn’t a bad sequel, but it wasn’t as much fun as the original. The setting hindered any real development for the story, but the writers still manage to make the film gripping and tense from start to finish. This is a very enjoyable modern horror, with a classic twist, and makes for great viewing.

You’ll like this if you liked : Beyond Re-Animator

The Bucket List (2007) 8/10

Starring : Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd
Director : Rob Reiner
Running Time : 98 mins

When Edward Cole (Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Freeman) meet in hospital and are both diagnosed with cancer, given less than a year to live, they decide to team up together and go on a road trip, fulfilling all of the desires they wanted to achieve before they die, much to the disappointment of Carter’s wife Virginia (Todd) who wants to spend Carter’s last hours with him.

This is a very entertaining movie, filled with lots of comedy and drama and with some very nice performances from both Nicholson and Freeman. Some of the special effects were a little ropey, especially the scene where they go skydiving, but the heart-filled storyline more than made up for any discrepancies in the visual look of the movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Notebook

Thank You For Smoking (2005) 8/10

Starring : Aaron Eckhart, William H Macy, Katie Holmes, Maria Bello, David Koechner, Cameron Bright, Robert Duvall
Director : Jason Reitman
Running Time : 89 mins

Nick Naylor (Eckhart) is the chief spokesperson for the cigarette industry, and is hated by most members of the public. His ability to put his own spin on any subject has meant that he is very successful in his chosen field, but when he gets the opportunity to spend some time with his son Joey (Bright), Nick starts to get a new perspective on his career.

This is a fun movie which doesn’t exploit the fact that it is filled with celebrity faces but instead relies on the underlying irony of the whole storyline. Eckhart is amiably sleazy as Nick Naylor and gives a believable performance from beginning to end. The remainder of the cast put in some nice turns from start to end, and there are some funny set pieces which make for entertaining viewing.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sideways

The Happening (2008) 6/10

Starring : Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez
Director : M Night Shyamalan
Running Time : 87 mins

When a suspected virus is unleashed in Central Park, people start randomly committing suicide, leading to a mass exodus from the East Coast of the United States. Science teacher Elliot Moore (Wahlberg) tries to get his wife Alma (Deschanel) to safety, along with his colleague Julain (Leguizamo) and his daughter Jess (Sanchez), but soon starts to suspect that perhaps something more sinister than terrorist is behind the deaths…

This movie wasn’t as bad as I suspected, but it did leave too much unexplained for my liking. I understand that this was apparently the point of the movie, but it would have been nice to have some sort of guess that didn’t get thrown out the window in the closing scenes. Wahlberg tries his best to keep the movie entertaining, but no one else seems that bothered about the movie, especially Deschanel who was far from being her usual buoyant self.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Mist

The Believer (2001) 8/10

Starring : Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Theresa Russell, Billy Zane
Director : Henry Bean
Running Time : 98 mins

Danny Balint (Gosling) is an extremely anti-Semetic man, who joins a gang of skinheads and starts attending fascist meetings lead by the highly prolific self-proclaimed fascist Curtis Zampf (Zane) – the only problem with Danny’s beliefs is, he himself is Jewish. As Danny is lead deeper and deeper into his racist life, he starts to use his knowledge of Judaism as a way of arguing against it, giving his racist peers the ammunition they need to argue their points.

There’s a very powerful performance from the relative unknown Ryan Gosling in this intriguing and engrossing movie. He manages to gain sympathy from the audience whilst still conveying self-hatred in his every move, while the remainder of the cast either discourage or fuel his hatred of all things Jewish. A very thought provoking movie, which is also based on true events.

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

Classic Friday : Dogma (1999) 8/10

Starring : Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 124 mins

Two fallen angels, Bartleby (Affleck) and Loki (Damon), discover a loophole that can get them back into Heaven. Unfortunately doing so will undo the very fabric of the Universe, so two prophets, Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) are sent to get the help of an abortion clinic worker named Bethany Sloane (Fiorentino) to stop the Angels from destroying everything.

Although controversy has surrounded this movie, it is a great flick in it’s own right. It’s got everything you could want in a movie, and more. In spite of the fact that Affleck and Damon lead the cast, this movie doesn’t suffer from their mediocre acting capabilities and thankfully the brilliant script by Kevin Smith makes this at the very least his most thought provoking movie to date.

You’ll like this if you liked : Chasing Amy

Who's Your Caddy? (2007) 4/10

Starring : Antwan Andre Patton, Faizon Love, Sherri Shepherd, Jeffrey Jones, Susan Ward
Director : Don Michael Paul
Running Time : 92 mins

Rap superstar C-Note (Patton) decides he wants to join a country club and play golf, but they refuse him entry so he takes advantage of a lapsing contract and buys part of the club. In return the club are forced to allow him entry, but club president Mr Cummings (Jone) plots to find ways to get rid of C-Note and his entourage.

This movie was pretty awful. Not only was the plot weak, but the characters were one dimensional and pathetic. It’s sad to see Jeffrey Jones in such a movie – I love Ferris Bueller's Day so this was particularly hard for me – and the overt racism, which made no sense and came from both the black and white characters, went beyond the realms of fantasy. The country club would have loved an injection of C-Note’s money into their funds! Even Terry Crews couldn't rescue this one.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scary Movie 2

Maid In Manhattan (2002) 6/10

Starring : Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Stanley Tucci, Tyler Garcia Posey
Director : Wayne Wang
Running Time : 105 mins

Marisa Ventura (Lopez) is a maid who gets mistaken by politician Christopher Marshall (Fiennes) as a guest staying at the hotel where she works. One thing leads to another and Marisa ends up going on a high profile date with Marshall, where her true identity is finally revealed to him.

This movie was okay, but there just weren’t any surprises in it. The ending was obvious, the premise from the very start was obvious, but nevertheless this was easy viewing that didn’t try to convince us it was anything less that a vague attempt at retelling the Cinderella story via Pretty Woman.

You’ll like this if you liked : Pretty Woman

Derailed (2005) 6/10

Starring : Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Melissa George, Giancarlo Esposito
Director : Mikael Hafstrom
Running Time : 102 mins

When businessman Charles Schine (Owen) meets Lucinda Harris (Aniston) on his morning train, they decide to start an elicit affair, but when they are held at gunpoint and robbed during their first attempt at infidelity, they find themselves being blackmailed by the thief, LaRoche (Cassel) who threatens to expose their relationship to their families.

Within the first half hour or so, this movie becomes quite uncomfortable to watch, but once the twist (and what a twist) is revealed this actually becomes an enjoyable thriller. Owen and Aniston are pretty mediocre in the lead roles, but Cassel makes the movie with his overbearing performance as the blackmailer.

You’ll like this if you liked : Straightheads

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) 8/10

Starring : Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Liz Cackowski
Director : Nicholas Stoller
Running Time : 106 mins

TV composer Peter Bretter (Segel) decides to take a holiday to Hawaii in a vain attempt to try and get over being dumped by his girlfriend, TV actress Sarah Marshall (Bell). Unfortuantely she’s staying at the same hotel with her new boyfriend, rock star Aldous Snow (Brand), so Peter is faced with a weekend he’d rather forget. Luckily, there’s the attractive hotel worker Rachel (Kumis) to keep his mind on other things.

This was a surprisingly entertaining comedy which takes a serious situation and throws it into a very silly scenario. The cast expertly play their roles to the hilt, and don’t take themselves too seriously which makes the movie all that sillier. This has the markings of a labour of love, and everyone involved seems in some way to be friends of the writer. Well worth checking out.

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

Crazy / Beautiful (2001) 6/10

Starring : Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez, Bruce Davidson, Taryn Manning
Director : John Stockwell
Running Time : 99 mins

When Carlos Nunez meets Nicole Oakley, his world gets turned around. Previously he’d been a model student, but now he finds himself distracted by his new girlfriend, who is something of a wild child despite her privileged upbringing and has a very self destructive personality which is starting to make his life difficult.

This is an entertaining movie with a typically upbeat Hollywood ending. This doesn’t matter, because it’s still interesting to watch the world of the characters slowly fall apart as the movie progresses. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it does have a certain substance which makes it worth watching.

You’ll like this if you liked : American Beauty

Tears Of The Sun (2003) 7/10

Starring : Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Eamonn Walker
Director : Antoine Fugua
Running Time : 116 mins

Lieutenant Waters (Willis) and his squadron are sent into war torn Nigeria to rescue missionary worker Dr Lena Fiore Kendricks (Bellucci) and get her safely across the border into Cameroon, but Waters decides to disobey orders and tries to rescue all the other refugees as well.

This wasn’t too bad a war movie, although it suffered a little from the fact that I watched the very similar Rambo a few weeks ago. Willis doesn’t come across as his usual likeable self in this movie, which partly spoiled the movie, but the fast paced action and impressive performances from most of the supporting cast made for an enjoyable movie overall.

You’ll like this if you liked : Rambo

I Think I Love My Wife (2007) 7/10

Starring : Chris Rock, Kerry Washington, Gina Torres, Steve Buscemi, Edward Herrmann
Director : Chris Rock
Running Time : 94 mins

Richard Cooper (Rock) is completely bored with married life, and finds his wife Brenda (Torres) tiresome, so when an old friend appears from the past asking for help in the ultra sexy form of Nikki Tru (Washington), Richard finds himself spending more and more time with her, and starts to wonder how long it will be before he slips and makes a mistake which could cost him his marriage.

This was an entertaining movie which finally puts Rock in the movie spotlight after what seems like an eternity. It’s hard to sympathise with his character, who makes so many mistakes it’s beyond belief, but thanks the directing not being too over the top this seemed to work in favour of the movie and made for an interesting, though uncomfortable, watch.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Heartbreak Kid

Superhero Movie (2008) 7/10

Starring : Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald, Leslie Nielsen, Kevin Hart
Director : Craig Mazin
Running Time : 82 mins

High school student Rick Riker (Bell) is bitten by a radioactive dragonfly and develops super human powers, deciding to become the superhero known as Dragonfly, but he soon discovers that multi millionaire businessman Lou Landers (McDonald) has also developed super powers that could make him live for ever at the expense of half the population!

Although this is basically Spider-Man with bum jokes, there is at least evidence that the makers have seen the movie they’re spoofing. Unlike such offerings as Epic Movie, Date Movie, and the upcoming Disaster Movie, this movie has some substance and a plotline of sorts. Worth checking out if you like the old Naked Gun movies, despite not being quite as good.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scary Movie 3

Nanny McPhee (2005) 8/10

Starring : Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Kelly Macdonald, Angela Lansbury, Celia Imrie, Imelda Staunton
Director : Kirk Jones
Running Time : 95 mins

Cedric Brown (Firth) has seven badly behaved children and no wife to help him take care of them. His only option seems to be to get married or else his Aunt Adelaide (Lansbury) will cut off his fortune and he’ll be left destitute. A further complication is he can’t keep a nanny employed to look after the children – that is until Nanny McPhee (Thompson) shows up and uses her magical powers to whip the kids into shape.

This is actually a very enjoyable children’s movie which thankfully doesn’t make the mistake of talking down to it’s audience. The story line is solid and engaging, nad actually has a few surprise moments thrown in to keep the viewer off track. Definitely worth watching for anyone who loves kids movies.

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

Classic Friday : Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) 8/10

Starring : Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins
Director : Barry Levinson
Running Time : 104 mins

Schoolboys Sherlock Holmes (Rowe) and John Watson (Cox) investigate a series of unusual suicides, suspecting that someone might be behind them. As they look further into the deaths they discover a mysterious Egyptian cult who may be behind it all, but how can they stop them without becoming their next victims?

This is a great movie, although the formula is scarily similar to the Indiana Jones series. The plot is suspenseful and, although it seems hard to believe when watching it now, the special effects were incredibly inventive for the time. A definite must for any child of the 80s to add to their DVD collection.

You’ll like this if you liked : Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

Barbershop 2 : Back In Business (2004) 6/10

Starring : Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve
Director : Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Running Time : 106 mins

Calvin Palmer (Cube) faces yet another dilemma when another barbershop plans to open up across the road from him. It’s a big chain of barbers called Nappy Cutz, and Calvin is worried that they could drive him out of business. The only solution is to try and change the running of the shop, but will his customers approve? And what will his staff think?

This movie was okay, but suffered from not having Anthony Anderson. Kenan Thompson seems to have been brought in as a last minute substitute for comic relief, but there wasn’t enough comedy in this, and even Cedric The Entertainer’s racist moments weren’t enough to make this as good as the original.

You’ll like this if you liked : Beauty Shop

About Schmidt (2002) 8/10

Starring : Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney
Director : Alexander Payne
Running Time : 126 mins

Recently retired Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) is faced with the reality that he has lived a worthless life. When his wife dies, he is left to face the concept of his only daughter Jeannie (Davis) getting married to a mulletted loser named Randall Hertzel (Mulroney), and finds himself being brought into the disturbed Hertzel family.

Although this is a very slow movie, there is still a lot to enjoy. Nicholson brings his usual likeable character acting to the fore, with some very good support from the rest of the cast. There are some cringe worthy moments, some emotional moments, and some down right funny moments. Not to be missed.

You’ll like this if you liked : Broken Flowers

Reverb (2007) 3/10

Starring : Leo Gregory, Eva Birthistle, Pamela Banks, Margo Stilley
Director : Eitan Arrusi
Running Time : 84 mins

A struggling musician (Gregory) samples an old record and finds that it contains strange other wordly voices which are pleading for help. As his girlfriend (Birthistle) looks into the story behind the record, she finds out some very odd facts about the lead singer of the record’s band.

This movie was really bad, I mean REALLY bad. The acting was bad, the story was bad, the sets were bad; there was basically very little in the way of redeeming features to be found in this movie. The plot was a little more original than some, but it was handled in such a bad way that it made it difficult to sit through. Skip it! It's so bad, I couldn't even find a trailer!

You’ll like this if you liked : Pulse

Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008) 8/10

Starring : John Cho, Kal Penn, Rob Corddry, Roger Bart, Neil Patrick Harris
Director : Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Running Time : 108 mins

On their way to Amsterdam, Harold (Cho) and Kumar (Penn) are mistaken for terrorists and taken to Guantanamo Bay. When they find a means of escape ,they find themselves on the run from some of the most racist government agents imaginable, and once again meet some colourful characters on their journey to clear their names and get high.

I’d heard that this sequeal to Harold And Kumar Get The Munchies was meant to be an utter disappointment, but it was every bit as juvenile as the original. From the unnecessary day dreams of our two heroes, to the random people they meet such as Cyclops children and sexual predators, this movie was almost as good as the original but, sadly, ran a little too long for my liking.

You’ll like this if you liked : Eurotrip

No Such Thing (2001) 7/10

Starring : Sarah Polley, Robert John Burke, Helen Mirren, Julie Christie
Director : Hal Hartley
Running Time : 103 mins

Beatrice (Polley) is a wannabe journalist who travels to Iceland to investigate the disappearance of her boyfriend, only to discover that he was murdered by a human hating mythical immortal monster (Burke). After chatting with the monster, she decides to bring him back to America in the hope of finding a way of killing him to end his miserable life on Earth.

This was quite an interesting movie, which takes a unique twist on the Beauty and the Beast story. Polley is wonderfully meek as Beatrice, and the blossoming of her character, although unrealistic, is expertly achieved without going over the top. Burke plays the foul mouthed monster well, and overall this has the making of an entertaining, though slow and ambiguous, movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ginger Snaps

Alone In The Dark (2005) 5/10

Starring : Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff, Frank C Turner, Matthew Walker
Director : Uwe Boll
Running Time : 99 mins

Paranormal investigator Edward Carnby (Slater) discovers that all of the children at his orphanage have been infected with a symbiotic life form that is slowly taking over their nervous systems. As he looks further into the mystery he discovers a mysterious cult which wishes to open a portal between this world and another which is filled with evil demons who want to take over the world.

I was expecting this movie to be really bad, but instead it was just mediocre. Some of the acting was pretty abysmal, which is surprising when you have the likes of Christian Slater but not surprising when you have the likes of Tara Reid. The movie plods along quite slowly and overall there isn’t really enough substance explored to make this a worthy horror flick.

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

Black Water (2007) 7/10

Starring : Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, Andy Rodoreda, Ben Oxenbould
Director : David Nerlich & Andrew Traucki
Running Time : 86 mins

A group of friends get stranded in the mangrove swamps of Northern Australia and find themselves under attack from a very big, very clever crocodile, which immediately eats their guide Jim (Oxenbould). As the survivors hide from the crocodile up a tree, they start to fear that they may never escape as no-one knows where they are.

This was a tense horror movie which doesn’t use jump tactics and gore to drive the story forward. Instead there is a very well paced use of tension which progresses through the movie, using as little as possible to get the most reactions from the audience. Well worth watching if you like tense thrillers or gore free horrors.

You’ll like this if you liked : Open Water

Straightheads (2006) 6/10

Starring : Danny Dyer, Gillian Anderson, Anthony Calf, Ralph Brown
Director : Dan Reed
Running Time : 77 mins

On their way home from a party, Adam (Dyer) and Alice (Anderson) are beaten up by a gang of country folk who gouge out Adam’s eye and rape Alice. The two find it very difficult to get on with their lives, but when Alice finds out where one of the culprits lives, the two decide to exact their revenge on the gang by paying them a visit.

As far as Danny Dyer movies go, this wasn’t too bad. The actual plot does kind of sneak up on you as you’re watching, as I thought this was going to be some sort of May to December relationship movie. The drama is used pretty tamely considering the subject matter, but there are some later scenes which are a little cringe worthy, and try not to let the ending disappoint you as I felt it was too underplayed.

You’ll like this if you liked : Kill Bill : Volume Two

What Happens In Vegas (2008) 8/10

Starring : Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Corddry, Lake Bell
Director : Tom Vaughan
Running Time : 95 mins

Joy McNally (Diaz) and Jack Fuller (Kutcher) meet in Las Vegas, get very drunk and wake up to find that they’ve got married. Not wanting to stay married to complete strangers, the two decide to immediately get a divorce as soon as they get home, until Jack wins $3 million dollars, and the two start fighting over the money, whilst a pissed-off judge gives them a decision to either attend marriage counselling or lose the money.

This was actually a very enjoyable movie, although it did feel one sided in favour of Diaz over Kutcher. The bitter petty squabbles soon escalate out of control and make for both an entertaining and frustrating movie which does sometimes make you want to slap the main actors, but also has you sympathising with them at points.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Break-Up

Classic Friday : Child's Play (1988) 9/10

Starring : Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif
Director : Tom Holland
Running Time : 83 mins

All Andy Barclay (Vincent) ever wanted for his birthday was a Good Guy doll, so when his mother Karen (Hicks) manages to get him one he’s ecstatic, but little do they know that the doll has been possessed by the spirit of a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray (Dourif) and now the doll, going by the name of Chucky, plans to take over Andy’s body.

This is one of the best horror movies of the 80’s, filled with suspense and very slow action which doesn’t allow us to see the doll of Chucky come to life for a good while into the film. Vincent is one of the best kid actors I’ve ever seen in a movie, and it’s a shame he stopped acting as I’m sure he’d have gone far. Dourif’s rendition as Chucky is probably one of his most memorable roles, and Sarandon puts in a good performance as the disbelieving cop.

You’ll like this if you liked : Fright Night

The Producers (2005) 7/10

Starring : Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell
Director : Susan Stroman
Running Time : 130 mins

Following a visit from accountant Leo Bloom (Broderick), theatre producer Max Bialystock (Lane) decides that the only way to make money out of a theatre production is if the play fails, so he sets about, with the aid of Bloom, in making the world’s worst musical, a play entitled "Springtime For Hitler".

This remake of the classic Mel Brooks movie of the 1960’s was actually quite a pleasant surprise. After a slow start this finally starts to pick up the pace, though the long runtime does seem a little unnecessary. It was hard to picture anyone other than Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder in the lead roles, but Lane and Broderick manage to pull it off, although a lot of the time they do seem to just be doing impersonations of the original cast.

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

Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003) 8/10

Starring : Beatrice Bonifassi, Lina Boudreau, Mari-Lou Gauthier
Director : Sylvain Chomet
Running Time : 78 mins

Madam Souza and her dog Bruno enlist the help of The Belleville Triplets when her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour De France. As they investigate they discover that Madam Souza’s grandson is being used as part of an underground gambling ring where people can bet on the outcome of mechanical bicycle races.

This was an interesting movie which uses little or no talking to convey the plot of the piece. The characters are lively and each have a personality of their own, whilst the background artwork and character design itself is worthy of Disney. This movie is great fun and filled with visual humour which will make most viewers want to watch it again and again.

You’ll like this if you liked : Steamboy

Charlie Wilson's War (2007) 7/10

Starring : Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director : Mike Nichols
Running Time : 100 mins

US representative Charlie Wilson (Hanks) has basically coasted through life, doing as little as possible to sustain his career whilst enjoyjng the finer things in life such as drink, drugs and women, but when he is coaxed into looking into the issues in Afghanistan by Joanne Herring (Roberts) he decides, with the aid of CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Hoffman), to help aid the Afghans in their fight against the Russians by providing them with money for weapons.

I wasn’t expecting too much from this movie, but I was glad that it wasn’t the over the top comedy I was expecting. Hoffman really steels the show as Gust Avrakotos, proving once again that he’s an actor to keep your eye on, but as usual Hanks manages to pull off a performance that is both funny and emotional.

You’ll like this if you liked : Buffalo Soldiers

Seance (2006) 6/10

Starring : Kandis Erickson, Tori White, Chauntel Lewis, Joel Geist, AJ Lamas, Adrian Paul, Bridget Shergalis
Director : Mark L Smith
Running Time : 85 mins

A group of students spending the holidays in their college dorm hold a séance in a vain attempt to rid themselves of the troublesome ghost of a little girl who has been haunting their rooms, but the séance goes horribly wrong and they end up bringing back the spirit of a serial killer (Paul).

Although the production value on this movie was low, to say the least, I did actually enjoy parts of it. The pacing of the horror was pretty well executed, with no-one really being seen to die for over half the film, it’s just the shoddy camera work and cheap looking sets that make the film not as good as it could have been. A swift injection of cash into the budget could have made this one of the better horrors of recent years, and a change of ending wouldn't have hurt.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Grudge 2

Rambo (2008) 7/10

Starring : Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish
Director : Sylvester Stallone
Running Time : 88 mins

After leading a group of Christian Aid workers into a situation where they are all taken hostage, John Rambo (Stallone) is asked to take a group of mercenaries into Burma where the workers were last seen by him. As he ventures further into the war torn country, Rambo starts to find himself falling into his violent ways again, as a matter of necessity rather than a case of want.

Having only ever seen the first Rambo film, this is a far cry from that thought provoking movie. Although there is a lot of scenes of human suffering, this doesn’t really have the heart of the original, and instead focuses on the violence rather than Rambo’s internal conflicts.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Kingdom

Transamerica (2005) 7/10

Starring : Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Elizabeth Peña, Fionnula Flanagan, Burt Young, Carrie Preston
Director : Duncan Tucker
Running Time : 100 mins

Pre-op transsexual Bree (Huffman) is about to have her final operation to become a woman when she discovers that she has a son called Toby (Zegers) from a past relationship. Her councillor Margaret (Pena) insists that Bree speaks to her son before the operation, so Bree meets up with Toby under the pretence of being a Christian missionary.

I didn’t expect to, but I actually found moments of this movie to be quite funny. Granted there were a lot of moments of high drama, and the subject matter itself is nothing to laugh at, but when you look past all the grim moments and terrible things some of the characters have to go through, this is quite a warm and touching movie with a nice ending that really does show hope for the future of both Bree and Toby.

You’ll like this if you liked : Broken Flowers

The Butterfly Effect (2004) 8/10

Starring : Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters, Amy Smart, Elden Henson, William Lee Scott
Director : Eric Bress & J Mackye Gruber
Running Time : 110 mins

Evan Treborn (Kutcher) has suffered from black outs since he was very young, and has tried in later life to get over his spells which seemed to have occurred at moments of stress. As he gets older and looks through his blackout diaries, he discovers he is able to go back to the points where he had blackouts and actually affect the future and change it – but depending on what he does, this tends largely to change for the worse…

This movie surprised me by actually being good. Kutcher plays every version of Evan differently, which makes for an intriguing and continually changing performance, and the supporting cast – mainly Smart and Henson – make their also differing roles something to behold. Well worth watching, although I hear the sequel is terrible.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Time Machine

Chaos Theory (2007) 8/10

Starring : Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend, Sarah Chalke
Director : Marcos Siega
Running Time : 88 mins

Frank Allen (Reynolds) relies on his organisational skills to such an extent that, when his wife Susan (Mortimer) causes him to run ten minutes late for a meeting, his entire day falls apart, and a case of mistaken identity involving an amorous admirer and a stranded pregnant woman lead Susan to believe that Frank has been leading a double life. And when Frank tries to prove his innocence things really start to take a turn for the worse.

This movie is so underrated it isn’t funny. Reynolds is brilliant as Frank Allen, and the pacing of the movie and how his life slowly falls apart over such a small issue is wonderfully rendered by both the writer and the director. With so many bad recent movies looked upon with high praise, I’m astounded that this little gem seems to have slipped right through almost unnoticed.

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

Joe Somebody (2001) 7/10

Starring : Tim Allen, Julie Bowen, Kelly Lynch, Greg Germann, Hayden Panettiere, Patrick Warburton, James Belushi
Director : John Pasquin
Running Time : 94 mins

Joe Scheffer (Allen) is a mild-mannered, hard working man who has been looked over for promotion for ten years, but when he is beaten up by work bully Mark McKinney (Warburton) in front of his daughter Natalie (Panettiere) he decides to stop letting people walk all over him and decides to fight McKinney. This change in his personality has a knock on effect which actually seems to improve his standing in his company, and Joe finds himself becoming something of a somebody in his office.

This is actually a well thought out movie which looks at how the laws of the playground more often than not leak into our adult lives. Allen is well suited to the lead role, and plays the put upon employee as well as the show off that he later becomes equally well. Definitely worth checking out – don’t believe the bad reviews.

You’ll like this if you liked : See Spot Run

Classic Friday : Cinderfella (1960) 7/10

Starring : Jerry Lewis, Ed Wynn, Judith Anderson, Anna Maria Alberghetti
Director : Frank Tashlin
Running Time : 97 mins

Following his father’s death, Fella (Lewis) is left in the hands of his stepmother (Anderson) who turns him into a veritable slave around the house, but when Fella meets his fairy Godfather (Wynn), he is convinced that he can leave his life of servitude and marry Princess Charmein (Alberghetti).

Along with The Nutty Professor, this is probably one of Lewis’s most remembered and most loved performances. The movie has the usual Lewis style which ignores convention and has the appearance of a stage rather than a movie set, and the story – a classic in its own right – is nicely turned on its head for a more 20th century feel.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Ladies Man

Venom (2005) 6/10

Starring : Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson, Laura Ramsey, DJ Cotrana, Rick Cramer, Meagan Good
Director : Jim Gillespie
Running Time : 83 mins

When Ray Sawyer (Cramer) gets bitten and killed by some snakes which were being used in a voodoo ritual, his corpse comes back from the dead, possessed by 13 evil spirits, and starts murdering people around town armed only with a crowbar and his tow truck. When local waitress Eden (Bruckner) realises what is happening, she calls upon the help of her friend Cece (Good) whose grandmother was a practising witch.

This was a pretty standard teen slasher, which surprisingly came from the team who made I Know What You Did Last Summer. Although not as good as that, this still had the right level of over the top violence to keep any slasher fan happy, and there’s the added bonus of it being very short so there’s no time to get bored. The performances could have been better, but it’s a horror film, and acting isn’t high priority.

You’ll like this if you liked : Halloween : Resurrection