In Search Of A Midnight Kiss (2007) 9/10

Starring : Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, Brian Matthew McGuire, Katie Luong
Director : Alex Holdridge
Running Time : 101 mins

Following what he considers the worst year of his life, Wilson (McNairy) desperately places a personal ad on Craig’s List advertising for some company to see in the New Year. He soon receives a response from Vivian (Simmonds), a dominant young woman who is similarly determined to see in the New Year with the perfect man, and soon their relationship starts to not ownly develop but to becoming increasingly complicated and potentially heart-breaking.

To be frank, I was stunned at how much I enjoyed this movie. There were no big names and no big writers, but the characters were vibrant and I started to feel real affection towards them. Anyone who finds themselves along on New Years Eve should sit down with a copy of this movie, and maybe even place a personal ad on Craig’s List…

You’ll like this if you liked : She’s Out Of My League

Megamind (2010) 8/10

Starring : Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross
Director : Tom McGrath
Running Time : 96 mins

When super-villain Megamind (Ferrell) finally defeats his arch nemesis, super-hero Metro Man (Pitt), he realises that he has no other purpose in life. So he makes the decision to create a new hero to battle against, Titan (Hill), but Megamind ends up having to play hero when Titan decides to destroy the world.

There seems to have been a spate of anti-hero animated movies recently, especially considering movies like Megamind and Despicable Me. I reckon that Shrek is responsible, and that’s no bad thing. Everyone knows that villains are more interesting than heroes, and by creating villains that turn good is a great way of teaching kids that everyone deserves a second chance. This is a very funny movie, even with Will Ferrell in the lead role, and the supporting cast make this a joy for both young and old.

You’ll like this if you liked : Despicable Me

Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past (2009) 8/10

Starring : Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Lacey Chabert, Breckin Meyer, Emma Stone
Director : Mark Waters
Running Time : 98 mins

Fashion photographer and serial womanizer Connor Mead (McConaughey) heads to the wedding of his little brother Paul (Meyer) to his fiancée Sandra (Chabert). There he runs into his first love, Jenny Perotti (Garner), the girl he let get away in favour of playing the field. But as the night progresses, Connor is visited by a series of ghosts, all of them important women in his life, who show him the error of his ways…

I wasn’t expecting much from this, but was pleasantly surprised that it was actually an enjoyable movie. McConaughey is perfectly cast as the Lothario of the piece, and the supporting cast are brilliant and happily not just one-dimensional stereotypes. Keep an eye out for an incredibly geeky Emma Stone as The Ghost of Girlfriends Past - she is barely recognizable.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scrooged

The Chronicles Of Narnia : The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (2010) 7/10

Starring : Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter
Director : Michael Apted
Running Time : 113 mins

Lucy Pevensie (Henley) and her brother Edmund (Keynes) find themselves whisked back into the world of Narnia, this time with their cousin, Eustace Scrubb (Poulter). Some time has passed, and they find themselves aboard the Dawn Treader, a magnificent ship captained by their old friend, Prince Caspian (Barnes).

This was a vast improvement on Prince Caspian, which was so poorly received that Disney decided not to make the rest of the books into movies. Thankfully Fox took over and have made this, a children’s action movie that is under two hours long! I never thought I’d see the day again! Outstanding praise has to go to Will Poulter who portrays Eustace Scrubb perfectly and brings some much needed humour to the Narnia series.

You’ll like this if you liked : Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

A Christmas Carol (2009) 7/10

Starring : Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth
Director : Robert Zemeckis
Running Time : 96 mins

Miserable miser Ebeneezer Scrooge (Carrey) is the meanest man around, so when he is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve - each showing him parts of his life that he could have improved upon if only he had been more generous to his fellow man – he is forced to reconsider his life.

This is a nice enough adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, but I don’t know why Robert Zemeckis keeps insisting on making these animated movies that look so horrible, The realism of the animation just isn’t something I think kids want to see, and it just distracts from enjoying the movie. Still, it was tons better than The Polar Express, and you can’t really go wrong with the story of Scrooge.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Polar Express

Witless Protection (2008) 3/10

Starring : Larry The Cable Guy, Ivana Milicevic, Yaphet Kotto, Jenny McCarthy
Director : Charles Robert Carner
Running Time : 97 mins

Small town deputy Larry Stalder (Larry The Cable Guy) comes to the aid of a women named Madeleine (Milicevic) who he thinks is being kidnapped. The men holding her are actually FBI agents and Madeleine is under their protection, but Larry soon discovers that these so-called FBI agents might actually be the criminals he originally suspected them to be.

Larry The Cable is not funny… I could stop there, but that probably wouldn’t quite give you the full impression of how bad this movie was. The jokes he makes are simply not funny, and at times manage to be offensive in a shockingly unfunny way. It was depressing to see Yaphet Kotto stooping to appearing in this demeaning and ridiculously unfunny movie, and even Jenny McCarthy could do better than this rubbish.

You’ll like this if you liked : White Chicks

Unstoppable (2010) 8/10

Starring : Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson
Director : Tony Scott
Running Time : 99 mins

When a damaged train is accidentally released onto live tracks, veteran engineer Frank Barnes (Washington) and his new trainee Will Colson (Pine) are forced to race against the clock to stop the train before it heads into the city, potentially killing hundreds if not thousands of innocent people.

In spite of this being a badly researched and ridiculously inaccurate action movie, I really enjoyed this movie. Washington and Pine are both convincing in their roles, and if you don’t allow the unlikely scenarios to get in the way of your enjoyment, this has Saturday night action movie written all over it.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3

Ponyo (2008) 8/10

Starring : Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White
Director : Hayao Miyazaki
Running Time : 99 mins

A little boy named Sosuke (Jonas) rescues the life of a goldfish named Ponyo (Cyrus), and they become firm friends, but when Ponyo’s father – the wizard Fujimoto (Neeson) tries to use hismagic to return his daughter home to the sea, Ponyo transforms herself into a little girl so she can stay with her new best friend.

This is such a cute movie, and typical of the people at Studio Ghibli. Like My Neighbour Totoro or Pom Poko, the cute characters are fun and beautiful to watch, with the kind of animation which just doesn’t seem to be around anymore. All kids will love this movie, and adults will appreciate its old style animation.

You’ll like this if you liked : My Neighbour Totoro

You Again (2010) 7/10

Starring : Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Odette Yustman, Betty White
Director : Andy Fickman
Running Time : 106 mins

Marni (Bell) has spent years getting over the tormenting times she had to live through at high school, specifically from head cheerleader Joanna (Yustman). So when she realises her brother is about to marry the very same girl who bullied her all through high school, she sets out to expose her for the bitch she was. To make matter worse, Marni’s mother Gail (Curtis) soot realises that Joanna’s auntie Ramona (Weaver) is her one-time best friend from high school who she had a big falling out with.

I thought this was a pretty good comedy, with a decent cast and an interesting plot. I especially liked the parallels between the mother and daughter and their high school relationships coming back to haunt them at the same time. Worth watching for a date or for a quiet night in with some girl friends.

You’ll like this if you liked : Crazy, Stupid, Love

Scooby-Doo And The Loch Ness Monster (2004) 6/10

Starring : Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle
Director : Scott Jeralds & Joe Sichta
Running Time : 75 mins

In the seventh of the direct to video Scooby-Doo series, Daphne Blake (DeLisle) travels to Scotland with Scooby (Welker) and the gang to visit her cousin in the Blake ancestral family castle on the shore of Loch Ness, but when sightings of a strange creature in the loch start people talking of the Loch Ness Monster, the gang decide to look into what’s really going on.

Again this movie was a little weak, probably because so much effort was being out into What’s New Scooby-Doo and there weren’t enough plots to go round. Fans of Scooby and the gang will like this, and the mystery is a little more complicated than The Monster Of Mexico, but there are still better Scooby-Doo movies out there.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scooby-Doo And The Monster Of Mexico

Let Me In (2010) 7/10

Starring : Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins
Director : Matt Reeves
Running Time : 101 mins

A young boy named Owen (Smit-McPhee) makes friends with the strange girl next door, Abby (Moretz), but when he discovers that she is a vampire living in secret with her guardian (Jenkins) his life is forever changed as she helps him contend with the bullies at his school in a very unique way.

Once again Hollywood managed to lay their hands on a perfectly good movie which had only been made two years previously and manage to water it down and make it less impressive. It manages to carry across the relationship of the two main leads, but somehow fails to have the visual impact of the original.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Ring

Sorority Boys (2002) 5/10

Starring : Barry Watson, Harland Williams, Michael Rosenbaum
Director : Wallce Wolodarsky
Running Time : 94 mins

Three fraternity brothers are accused of stealing from their fellow brothers and kicked out of their dorm. In order to find the video evidence that proves their innocence, they are forced to disguise themselves as girls to get back into their dorm rooms, but one things lead to another and they end up joining a local fraternity…

This movie was released at the tail end of the huge influx of movies coming off the back of American pie, and it’s clear that ideas were running low. The premise is poorly thought through, and the characters are one-dimensional, possibly intentionally but just not in a very funny way. You’d be better off watching something like Sugar And Spice or, if you really want men in drag, try The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.

You’ll like this if you liked : The New Guy

Due Date (2010) 6/10

Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan
Director : Todd Phillips
Running Time : 96 mins

After being mistakenly put on a no-fly list, father-to-be Peter Highman (Downey Jr) is forced to hitch a ride across the country with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) in order to get back to LA in time for the birth of his first child.

The mismatched buddy comedy road trip movie isn’t really anything new in the realm of American cinema, but this was a nice treat. Downey Jr doesn’t often get to do outright comedy anymore, instead tending towards action drama with comedic roles within them, so it was nice to see him get to grips with a comedy script for a change, but Galifianakis didn’t feel that natural in the joint lead role. Worth checking out, but it isn’t The Hangover.

You’ll like this if you liked : Planes, Trains And Automobiles

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009) 7/10

Starring : Michael Nygvist, Noomi Rapace, Ewa Froling
Director : Niels Arden Opley
Running Time : 153 mins

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Nygvist) is asked by the uncle of a murder victim to investigate her strange disappearance forty years after it happened. In order to help, Blomkvist employs the aid of computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rapace), and together they soon find a connection between the decades old disappearance and a series of other grisly murders.

Although clearly not having as big a budget as the American remake no doubt will have, this is still a very entertaining movie if you can get passed the badly chosen dubbed voices. They didn’t really work too well for me, it was like watching a late eighties anime at some points. Still, the anti-heroine Lisbeth is entertaining and manages to be sympathetic and at no time slips into being the stereotype she appears to be.

You’ll like this if you liked : Eastern Promises

Saw 3D : The Final Chapter (2010) 6/10

Starring : Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Cary Elwes
Director : Kevin Greutert
Running Time : 90 mins

In the seventh and allegedly the final chapter of the Saw saga, the remaining survivors of the serial killer Jigsaw (Bell) find themselves facing one final challenge to decide who the true inheritor of his legacy will be.

Finally, after seven years, the Saw series finally comes to an epic conclusion. The problem is, after seven years, none of the violence is anything new to its loyal audience. The deaths are no longer shocking or surprising, and it seems laughable that Cary Elwes sawing through his own ankle (off camera no less) was such a gruesome moment in cinema history. True fans will enjoy seeing the movie come full circle, but it really could have been done better (the endings showing the clue we may have missed did become slightly funny towards the end.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mirrors

The Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl In 3D (2005) 5/10

Starring : Cayden Boyd, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Dooley, George Lopez, David Arquette, Kristin Davis
Director : Robert Rodriguez
Running Time : 93 mins

Max (Boyd) is a day dreamer who is bullied by his classmates at school, but when two of his dreamed up characters, Sharkboy (Lautner) and Lavagirl (Dooley), come to life and bring him into their world Max soon realizes that his dreams could be more dangerous than even he could have imagined and is forced to help his two imaginary friends save their dream world.

Although not terrible, this movie is disjointed and relies too much on its 3D effects. The lead characters aren’t particularly charismatic, and the script is clearly aimed at pree-teens with no wiggle room for adult enjoyment. Steer clear of this unless you’re just trying to keep the kids quiet for a couple of hours – even then they’ll probably get bored sooner than half way.

You’ll like this if you liked : Spy Kids 3D : Game Over

Red (2010) 8/10

Starring : Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich
Director : Robert Schwentke
Running Time : 106 mins

Retired CIA black ops operative Frank Moses (Willis) is happily retired, living out his wilderness years in a comfortable yet boring way, so when his home is attacked and destroyed by unknown masked men, Frank decides to contact his former associates and get back into the swing of his old routine by tracking down the people responsible.

This is actually a very entertaining movie that has its tongue firmly placed in its cheek. Willis may not be the best character - with Helen Mirren stealing scenes left right and centre when she finally shows up with her ability to underplay her role, and John Malkovich is absolutely hilarious without even having to try – but he manages to lead an all-star cast with panache. Definitely worth watching, you’ll be surprised at how funny a movie can be without going over the top into outright parody.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Losers

Body Of Lies (2008) 6/10

Starring : Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
Director : Ridley Scott
Running Time : 129 mins

Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) is a CIA agent operating out of Jordan where he uncovers what he believes to be the location of a terrorist leader, a man who is believed to be responsible for several bomb attacks on civilians. So, with the help of his boss Ed Hoffman (Crowe), Ferris plans to infiltrate the terrorist cell and find the people responsible for the bombings.

I found this movie a little too slow for my liking, and more than a little over-long. The story line isn’t particularly original, but it delivers itself in an unusual way, focusing on the character of the agents involved rather than letting the action take over.

You’ll like this if you liked : State Of Play

Alpha And Omega (2010) 7/10

Starring : Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper, Danny Glover, Christina Ricci
Director : Anthony Bell & Ben Gluck
Running Time : 88 mins

Kate (Panettiere) and Humphrey (Long) are wolves from different sides of the tracks – Kate is the Alpha daughter of the pack leader, and Humphrey is somewhere near the bottom of the pecking order. But when the two wolves find themselves thrown together when they are accidentally moved to another wildlife park they are forced to join forces in their hopes of returning home.

The animation isn’t great in what is basically a reworking of Romeo and Juliet, but it still manages to be fun filled and entertaining from start to finish. The supporting characters are interesting and appealing and fill the slow moments with elements of humour that will keep the whole family entertained.

You’ll like this if you liked : Gnomeo And Juliet

Julie And Julia (2009) 8/10

Starring : Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina
Director : Nora Ephron
Running Time : 124 mins

Online blogger Julie Powell (Adams) sets herself the culinary challenge of working through the famous recipe book, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, written by celebrity chef Julia Child (Streep) and producing one recipe a day and recording the results in her blog.

I really enjoyed this movie, probably in part because it reunites the great acting skills of Adams and Streep, who previously worked together in Doubt. The simple plot of a woman trying to meet a challenge is intertwined with flashbacks to a wannabe chef struggling to be accepted by French society as anything other than a wife. Well worth checking out if you haven’t already seen it.

You’ll like this if you liked : Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

Easy A (2010) 7/10

Starring : Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Lisa Kudrow
Director : Will Gluck
Running Time : 93 mins

When a rumour starts getting spread around school that clean-cut student Olive Penderghast (Stone) has lost her virginity, she decides to use the rumour as a way of improving her social standing, an idea she gets from reading The Scarlet Letter. Then, when she is offered moey by other social outcasts to pretend she has slept with them too, she decides it might be a good way to earn some money for her future…

This isn’t your typical teen comedy, and might actually be a little too intelligent for most teens, but if you can actually watch a teen movie and appreciate the plot then you’ll probably enjoy this movie. This has all the key ingredients of a fun teen comedy with all the typical stereotypical characters, and Stone is great in the lead role.

You’ll like this if you liked : She’s Out Of My League

Superman / Doomsday (2007) 8/10

Starring : Adam Baldwin, Anne Heche, James Marsters, John DiMaggio
Director : Lauren Montgomery, Bruce Timm & Brandon Vietti
Running Time : 78 mins

When a strange creature known as Doomsday is discovered by LexCorps employees, it is accidentally released and goes on the rampage. Superman (Baldwin) intervenes and tries to stop the creature, but the result is both of their deaths. With Superman gone, and no one left to protect Metropolis, Lex Luthor (Marsters) takes the opportunity to create a clone of Superman using DNA harvested from his dead body and plans on using the clone to help gain control of the city.

Superman fans will love this, the first in Warner Brothers’ line of DC Universe Animate Original Movies. Taking one of the most popular story lines from the comic series and bringing it to the screen was a sure fire hit for the company, and resulted in a number of copy cat movies in the years to follow. The animation isn’t great, but it’s what you’d expect from a Warner Brothers cartoon, and the voice skills and storyline more than make up for anything the animation may miss out on.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ultimate Avengers

Frozen (2010) 7/10

Starring : Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers
Director : Adam Green
Running Time : 94 mins

Three young people take a holiday to Mount Holliston to enjoy a weekend of skiing and snowboarding, but when they accidentally get stranded on the chair lift, and no-one else is around to know, they find themselves faced with life and death decisions as the temperature slowly drops below freezing…

I actually enjoyed this tense thriller. The cast were pretty convincing in their roles and manage to keep the movie interesting even when they’re basically sitting on a ski lift for an hour and a half. This will have you shouting at the screen, telling the cast not to be so stupid and to stop doing ridiculous things.

You’ll like this if you liked : Buried

Whip It (2009) 8/10

Starring : Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden
Director : Drew Barrymore
Running Time : 111 mins

Teenage tearaway Bliss Cavendar (Page) wants nothing more than to get away from her mother Brooke (Harden) and her insistence on entering her into beauty pageants, so when she discovers a roller derby league in a nearby town, she decides to lie about her age and join up.

I wasn’t expecting much from this directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, but was pleasantly surprised when I sat down to watch it. Ellen Page is always great in any movie she does, and the supporting cast manage to keep the movie interesting and fast paced, making the near two hour run time feel more like ninety minutes.

You’ll like this if you liked : Stick It

The Social Network (2010) 7/10

Starring : Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
Director : David Fincher
Running Time : 121 mins

Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) makes himself into the youngest billionaire in history by creating the social networking website Facebook, but soon finds himself under fire from his friends and colleagues who claim that they helped co-develop the site with him.

This movie is basically a long-winded courtroom drama that simply made me dislike everyone involved in Facebook. The acting wasn’t anything special in my opinion, but at least it was refreshing that the writers and director didn’t try to make the characters sympathetic (or if they did, they did a pretty bad job). Perhaps by showing the characters as being unlikeable it portrays a true irony in Facebook itself.

You’ll like this if you liked : Rogue Trader

Quarantine (2008) 7/10

Starring : Jennifer Carpenter, Steve Harris, Columbus Short
Director : John Erik Dowdle
Running Time : 90 mins

Television news reporter Angela Vidal (Carpenter) has been asked to cover a story on the LA fire department and their typical work night so joins the crew on a simple call out with her camera man, but when they discover that the building they have been called out to has been infected by an unknown virus she finds herself placed under quarantine and under attack from an unknown source of evil.

Although almost a scene by scene remake of the Spanish horror film [Rec], this isn’t quite as effective nor as scary. The acting is fine, but it was the documentary quality of the original that made it so effective, whereas this looks too slick for my liking.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Blair Witch Project

Life As We Know It (2010) 7/10

Starring : Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Hayes MacArthur, Christina Hendricks
Director : Greg Berlanti
Running Time : 114 mins

When their best friends Peter (MacArthur) and Alison (Hendricks) die in a horrible car crash, singletons Holly Berenson (Heigl) and Eric Messer (Duhamel) are faced with having to raise the dead couples orphaned daughter.

It was hard for me to imagine this being a very funny movie, especially once I saw that the premise was that the two main characters best friends get killed in a car crash, but it did manage to have some funny moments. The predictability of the two main characters getting together (I don’t count this as a spoiler, it’s just really obvious) can be seen coming a mile off, but it’s still just as satisfying when they finally do.

You’ll like this if you liked : Definitely, Maybe

Chloe (2009) 7/10

Starring : Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson
Director : Atom Egoyan
Running Time : 93 mins

Suspecting that her husband David (Neeson) is having an affair, Catherine Stewart (Moore) hires an escort named Chloe (Seyfried) to seduce him in an attempt to see how much he can be trusted, but when she starts receiving reports back from Chloe describing increasingly saucy details she starts to worry that she might have done the wrong thing…

This is a strange movie that takes what feels like a long time to reach its payoff, but the twist at the end is well worth the wait. Fans of Seyfried will love this simply for the fact that she goes nude, but try to give the plot a go too – it’s not bad to watch either…

You’ll like this if you liked : Basic Instinct

Rachel Getting Married (2008) 6/10

Starring : Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Debra Winger
Director : Jonathan Demme
Running Time : 113 mins

Recovering addict Kym (Hathaway) is let out of rehab for a few days to attend the wedding of her sister Rachel (DeWitt). Underlying the happy event is an air of tension, with Kym being upset that Rachel has chosen someone other than her to be maid of honour, their mother worrying more about her own wellbeing over that of her daugthers, and their father favouritsm towards Kym.

I found this movie slow, overlong and kind of boring. The too-tense drama made for an uncomfortable viewing experience, especially with its awkward filming and some ridiculously long and unnecessary scenes. A bit of editing could have made this a bit more interesting, especially as Hathaway was so good in this (which is pretty much where the extra marks come from), but as a whole this just seems to fall down somewhere along the way.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Savages

Tamara Drewe (2010) 9/10

Starring : Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Bill Camp, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans, Tamsin Grieg
Director : Stephen Frears
Running Time : 111 mins

Following a nose-job, Tamara Drewe (Arterton) returns to her home village of Ewedown in Dorset to sell her dead mother’s house and stirs up romance and lust among the locals.

This was a great little movie, with a wonderful cast that make this one of the most overlooked movies of 2010. Arterton wonderfully underplays her character, the once ugly duckling who returns to her home village as the beautiful, though awkward, swan. The script is sharp and witty and creates the kind of stereotypical charactersand situations that make for great viewing. Don’t be put off by the fact that this is based on a graphic novel – the acting is sharp, the script is tight, and the direction is relaxed and great fun to watch.

You’ll like this if you liked : Death At A Funeral

Inglourious Basterds (2009) 8/10

Starring : Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz
Director : Quentin Tarantino & Eli Roth
Running Time : 153 mins

During World Warr II, Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Laurent) plots revenge against the German soldiers who murdered her family by destroying a theatre guaranteed to be filled with Nazi soldiers at the premier of a pro-Nazi movie. Unfortunately a group of American soldiers who have heard about the movie showing have had the same idea…

In spite of being very long, this is quite an entertaining movie, especially the bar scene where the Germans suspect the Americans aren’t who they appear. The actor that really makes this movie is Christoph Waltz, whose performance as the hateful Nazi Colonel should have won an Oscar.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tigerland

See No Evil (2006) 4/10

Starring : Kane, Christina Vidal, Michael J Pagan
Director : Gregory Dark
Running Time : 76 mins

When a group of juvenile delinquents are punished and forced to clean up and dilapidated hotel, they find themselves running for their lives as they are pursued by Jacob Goodnight (Kane), a psychopath who has been hiding out in the hotel while it has been closed to the public.

This was a terrible movie with a flimsy plot and bad direction from a man most famous for directing porn. The acting was atrocious and the deaths were ridiculously unbelievable, but not even in a comical way that could have made this movie entertaining but instead just makes it unintentionally funny which, to be honest, is the second worst kind of funny. Perhaps the biggest mistake was employing a professional wrestler in an attempt to sell this movie to the public – Kane doesn’t even come across as psychopathically vacant but instead just come across as being a bad actor.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hatchet II

Buried (2010) 8/10

Starring : Ryan Reynolds, Jose Luis Garcia Perez, Robert Paterson, Stephen Tobolowsky
Director : Rodrigo Cortes
Running Time : 96 mins

Paul Conroy (Reynolds) is an American military truck driver who is attacked by a group of Iraqi insurgents and knocked unconscious. When he comes round he finds himself buried alive in a coffin with nothing but a lighter and a cell phone for company. What follows is a race against time for Paul to figure out where he is so that someone can come and rescue him before he runs out of air.

This was a well-paced psychological movie that makes great use of Ryan Reynolds acting ability. The majority of this movie is placed inside a coffin, for crying out loud – there’s not many actors who could pull this off and still make the movie an entertaining spectacle.

You’ll like this if you liked : Unthinkable

Gran Torino (2008) 8/10

Starring : Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Christopher Carley
Director : Clint Eastwood
Running Time : 117 mins

Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) decides to take matters into his own hands when his neighbor Thao (Vang) attempts to steal his car. He attempts to reform Thao and get him to sever ties with his gang member friends, but Walt soon finds himself drawn into the family life of Thao, in spite of his initial prejudices.

Eastwood’s role as the ex-Korean War vet is so grouchy and grumpy you can’t help but like him. As his character develops and starts to understand the people he always thought of as enemies, he starts to show signs that he may one day change his ways, and it is the relationship between Eastwood and his Korean neighbours that makes this such an appealing and, inevitably, heartbreaking movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Reign Over Me

The Other Guys (2010) 7/10

Starring : Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Derek Jeter
Director : Adam McKay
Running Time : 108 mins

When supercops Highsmith (Jackson) and Danson (Johnson) are killed in the line of duty, two boring cops, Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) decide to try to take their place by being reckless and gung-ho, something they’ve never been comfortable doing.

I honestly thought this movie was going to be a one trick pony, with Ferrell playing his usual over the top character and Wahlberg being unnaturally placed in a comedy, but instead Wahlberg was surprisingly good and Ferrell actually downplayed his role. Well worth watching for fans of buddy cop movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : Cop Out

Imagine That (2009) 7/10

Starring : Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Yara Shahidi
Director : Karey Kirkpatrick
Running Time : 103 mins

Financial executive Evan Danielson (Murphy) is finding that his career is going down the pan, especially since all of his associates have started listening the crazy rantings of Johnny Whitefeather (Church), but when he discovers that his daughter Olivia (Shahidi) has a security blanket that can give people insights into the world that could help his career, he starts spending some much missed father-daughter time with her in her imaginary worlds.

This is a cute kids movie that will appeal to the imaginations of children young and old. While Murphy delivers his usual over the top and vibrant performance as the failing executive forced to start spending quality time with his daughter, Shahidi delivers a very cute performance as the daughter with a big imagination.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bedtime Stories

Despicable Me (2010) 9/10

Starring : Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews
Director : Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin
Running Time : 91 mins

In his secret hideout in a suburban neighbourhood, super villain Gru (Carell) hatches his latest scheme – to steal the moon and hold it ransom to the world! But when three little orphan girls show up at his house, wanting Gru to be their dad, he finds himself struggling to continue to hatch his evil plans with three kids running around after him.

I loved this movie – the plot is silly and the characters are fun. The minions (the little yellow things) are great secondary characters, and Gru manages to transcend his villainous character and become something of an anti-hero that all viewers will be routing for from start to finish.

You’ll like this if you liked : Monsters Vs Aliens

The Perfect Catch (2005) 7/10

Starring : Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon
Director : Bobby & Peter Farrelly
Running Time : 104 mins

When career focused Lindsey Meeks (Barrymore) meets laid back Ben Wrightman (Fallon), they start off a relationship that at first seems perfect. But when baseball season begins, Lindsey finds herself competeing with the Boston Red Sox for Ben’s affections.

This remake of Fever Pitch doesn’t have any of the originality or sparkle of other Farrelly Brothers movies – even their remake of The HeartbreakKid was stamped with the obvious Farrelly Brothers feel that has been made so popular by movies such as There’s Something About Mary and Shallow Hal. Still, this is an entertaining movie that manages to be entertaining, even without the gross-out moments so often associated with these directors.

You’ll like this if you liked : Fever Pitch

Death Race (2008) 6/10

Starring : Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Natalie Martinez
Director : Paul W S Anderson
Running Time : 111 mins

In the near future, where criminals serving life sentences are forced to race each other in armoured cars until only one driver remains, Jason Ames (Statham), wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, is persuaded to take the place of a mysterious masked driver who is popular with the public but has died in the races. As the race begins, Ames soon realizes that they may be fixed...

As far as remakes go, this wasn’t the best effort I’ve ever seen - the acting was lackluster and the story was predictable - but action fans will appreciate the over the top violence. To be honest, Paul W S Anderson to stick to what he knows best, Resident Evil movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Fast And The Furious

Eclipse (2010) 5/10

Starring : Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Director : David Slade
Running Time : 123 mins

Bella Swan (Stewart) is forced to choose between vampire Edward (Pattinson) and werewolf Jacob (Lautner) as she finds her life in danger as the vampire mate of a deceased vampire seeks revenge against her for his death.

Wow. I though these movies couldn’t get less interesting. It’s a shame the books were written first, or else more focus could have been pulled away from Bella and focused on other characters. Unfortunately the majority of this movie involves Bella trying to choose once again between necrophilia and bestiality and choosing poorly. I sometimes wonder if Stephenie Meyer secretly wanted fans to be up in arms about Bella’s decision to be with Edward instead of Jacob as he is such a bad choice. I’m dreading the next installment – who knows what nonsense will happen next?

You’ll like this if you liked : Twilight

The Town (2010) 6/10

Starring : Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Director : Ben Affleck
Running Time : 125 mins

Following a bank robbery in which bank manager Clare Keesey (Hall) is held hostage for a short time, one of the robbers, Doug MacRay (Affleck) decides to start a relationship with her in order to find out just how much she learned about her captors. He soon discovers that she has information she has kept from the police that could identify his friend James Coughlin (Renner), but by this time Doug has started to fall for Clare.

Normally movies have police officers infiltrating criminal operations, so it’s a nice twist to have the criminal infiltrating (in a sense) the people investigating his crimes. It’s just a shame that the acting isn’t really that engrossing, and the ending seems a little rushed and almost tagged on.

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

Vertical Limit (2000) 8/10

Starring : Chris O’Donnell, Robin Tunney, Bill Paxton, Scott Glenn
Director : Martin Campbell
Running Time : 120 mins

Professional climber Peter Garrett (O’Donnell) is forced to relive one of the darkest moments in his life when his sister Annie (Tunney) and her climbing team get trapped on a part of K2 where the limits at which they can survive are forced to breaking point.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable action movie which fans of Cliffhanger or Twister will enjoy immensely. The acting might not be that great from the leads – I didn’t even remember that Chris O’Donnell was in this – but the action and suspense more than make up for this as the movie builds up to its epic conclusion and the clock slowly begins to run out…

You’ll like this if you liked : Cliffhanger

Unthinkable (2010) 7/10

Starring : Samuel L Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michael Sheen
Director : Peter Woodward
Running Time : 98 mins

FBI agent Helen Brody (Moss) is tasked with finding the location of three potential bomb threats when a video tape is delivered to the government by terror suspect Steven Younger (Sheen). However, when she is introduced to a professional CIA interrogator who calls himself H (Jackson), she starts to wonder if they are taking the whole interrogation a bit too far.

This is possibly Samuel L Jackson’s least likeable role, including his loveable rogue Abel Turner in Lakeview Terrace. His role is probably a little too true to life, making Americans look like the kind of people who think they can fight terrorism by performing terrorist acts. Do not watch this if you are a patriotic American – it’ll probably just make you angry. If your not a patriotic American, you might actually find something of interest here…

You’ll like this if you liked : Vantage Point

The Invisible (2007) 6/10

Starring : Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Marquette
Director : David S Goyer
Running Time : 112 mins

Nick Powell (Chatwin) is beaten up by a gang at school and left for dead, but when he wakes up he soon realizes that perhaps he is closer to death than he first imagined. No one can see him or hear him, and it doesn’t take long for Nick to realize that the only person who might be able to figure out his situation for him is a girl named Annie Newton (Levieva), who just happened to be the person who may have killed him.

This is an okay movie, but not quite as good as the Swedish original – the thing that lets it down the most is the fact that at times you could almost make the mistake of thinking you’re watching the original. The only reason I realized I was watching a different movie was that Marcia Gay Harden and Chris Marquette were in it. Watch the original – it much better.

You’ll like this if you liked : Premonition

Resident Evil : Afterlife (2010) 7/10

Starring : Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts
Director : Paul W S Anderson
Running Time : 93 mins

On her seemingly never ending journey to stop the increasingly evil Umbrella Corporation and their hoards of zombie like monsters, Alice (Jovovich) meets up with a small group of survivors who tell her of an apparently untouched safe haven called Arcadia where they desperately want to relocate to.

It’s nice to see characters from previous Resident Evil movie survive into the sequels, as Alice can get to be a little tiresome with her deadpan approach to battling evil. I actually thought this was an improvement on Resident Evil Extinction - maybe because Paul W S Anderson is back in the directors chair - although things are starting to become more and more predictable as the series progresses. Resident Evil 5? Bad idea but yep, it look that way…

You’ll like this if you liked : Predators

Old Dogs (2009) 6/10

Starring : John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston
Director : Walt Becker
Running Time : 89 mins

Long time friends and business partners Charlie (Travolta) and Dan (Williams) live and work in Manhattan where they have made quite the success of things. But life takes a turn for the worse when Dan discovers that he is the father of twin seven year-olds and has to take care of them while their mother Vicki (Preston) spends two weeks in jail for political protest.

It’s not often that you see Williams and Travolta in comedies nowadays, not unless their primarily aimed at children or if there’s a gangster involved. This made for a welcome change of pace, even though it did feel very similar to Williams 1997 comedy Father’s Day, but still, at least he was a little more subdues here.

You’ll like this if you liked : Father’s Day

Jonah Hex (2010) 5/10

Starring : Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, John Malkovich
Director : Jimmy Hayward
Running Time : 82 mins

Jonah Hex (Brolin), a disfigured bounty hunter who can talk with the dead, is made an offer from President Grant in return for dropping charges against him; to catch and stop a man named QuentinTurnbull (Malkovich), a potential terrorist who also happens to be the man who murdered Jonah’s family in front of him.

It seems that ever since Marvel Comics made X-Men in 2000 and Spider-Man in 2002, any comic book going will be transformed for the silver screen. Sadly these aren’t always successful transitions, and in the case of DC Comics Jonah Hex there is basically nothing of much interest in this supernatural Western that doesn’t take enough from either the supernatural or the western.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hitman