Tooth Fairy (2010) 7/10

Starring : Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Julie Andrews
Director : Michael Lembeck
Running Time : 98 mins

Professional hockey player Derek “The Tooth Fairy” Thompson makes a name for himself by being one of the most violent players around, repeatedly knocking out the teeth of his opposing players. But when he upsets a youngster, he finds himself sentenced to become a real tooth fairy – a punishment he has to live through for seven days.

Children will enjoy this silly movie, which feels like someone took the plot of The Sants Claus and changed the word Santa for Tooth Fairy. In spite of a feeble plot and some over the top acting, this is basically a children’s movie, and all the prat falls and moral messages are something that it’s important for kids to see in movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Santa Clause

2 Days In Paris (2007) 7/10

Starring : Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Daniel Bruhl
Director : Julie Delpy
Running Time : 97 mins

In a last ditch attempt to rekindle their relationship, Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Goldberg) take a romantic trip around Europe. When they arrive in Paris, where Marion’s family live, things seem to get more relaxed in spite of her parents refusal to speak English. Sadly for Jack, it’s also the city where Marion’s myriad of ex-boyfriends live, and they all still seem interested in her.

This is a pretty slow moving film, which largely relies on the conversation between the two main characters to carry the plot. A lot more could have been done with this, but Delpy seems to want to concentrate on how increasingly frustrating life becomes for Jack as he is faced by her unwelcoming family and her intimate ex-boyfriends. Still, it is entertaining in parts, with the decline of their relationship played perfectly.

You’ll like this if you liked : In Search Of A Midnight Kiss

Robin Hood (2010) 6/10

Starring : Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston
Director : Ridley Scott
Running Time : 150 mins

On his return to England following his involvement in the Hundred Years War under Richard The Lionheart (Huston), Robin Longstride (Crowe) discovers that corruption has taken over England under the rule of Prince John (Isaac). In order to set things right, Longstride joins forces with a band of men who take it upon themselves to help out the poor disillusioned people of England by facing off against the crown.

Although visually pleasing, and filled with the kind of action you would expect from a movie directed by one of the Scott brothers, this leaves the viewer feeling a little dissatisfied with the overall story of this movie. Robin is barely introduced, and his thought processes and decision making skills seem a little disjointed. Plus, casting a pair of Antipodeans in the lead role of a classic English folk tale? Not a great move, but at least they weren’t American.

You’ll like this if you liked : Kingdom Of Heaven

Hellraiser : Inferno (2000) 7/10

Starring : Craig Sheffer, Nicholas Turturro, James Remar, Doug Bradley
Director : Scott Derrickson
Running Time : 97 mins

Dodgy detective Joseph Thorne (Sheffer) is brought in to help investigate what appears to be a ritualistic murder. At the scene he finds a strange Chinese puzzle box and he takes it home due to his fascination with puzzles, but once he solves the puzzle he starts having strange hallucinations. When he starts connecting the murder to a known killer called The Engineer, he finds his friends and acquaintances become the target of the killer.

This is so much better than Hellbound and Bloodline, yet was the first in the series to be released direct to video. Fans of the first two movies will enjoy this far more enjoyable instalment and people who like murder mysteries may also want to delve into the horror realm for this first feature length outing for Scott Derrickson, director of forthcoming horror film Sinister.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sinister

The Killer Inside Me (2010) 7/10

Starring : Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty
Director : Michael Winterbottom
Running Time : 110 mins

Seemingly unassuming Lou Ford (Affleck) is the sheriff in a small 1950s town. When he is asked to deal with local prostitute Joyce Lakeland (Alba) he is lead into a world of over the top violence and abuse that eventually leads to murder. As the bodies start to pile up, it seems more and more likely that Lou will get caught...

In spite of being a remake, this is an incredibly strong movie with a great performance from Affleck in the lead role. The only thing that lets it down is its overuse of violence. Granted, we expect there to be some violence due to the craziness of Affleck’s character, but if it had have been toned down a little this may have appealed to a much wider audience.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bad Lieutenant : Port Of Call – New Orleans

Double Dagger (2008) 3/10

Starring : Gerardo Valdivia
Director : Pablo Veliz
Running Time : 81 mins

When Alvaro (Valdivia), the owner of a jewellery store, realises that his business is going under, he decides to resort to his previous life as a world renowned jewel thief (wtf) in a last ditch attempt to save his business once and for all.

This movie has probably no redeemable qualities whatsoever – at least none I could fine. The film quality is bad, the sets are unrealistic, the characters are misplaced, and the acting is so hammy it practically oinks. Please do not watch this movie unless you really hate yourself, there is nothing in this that will entertain unless you enjoy watching bad movies for the comedy value.

You’ll like this if you liked :

Space Chimps 2 Zartog Strikes Back (2010) 5/10

Starring : Tom Kenny, Zack Shada, Patrick Warburton, Cheryl Hines
Director : John H Williams
Running Time : 73 mins

Comet (Kenny) is a chimp that will stop at nothing to get into the space programme and be considered a true space chimp, but when budget cuts mean that his role in the space programme is ending that dream may never come true. So Comet visits the space ship for one last look around, accidentally sets off the launch sequence, and blasts off into space!

This is probably one of the worst cash-in-with-a-sequel attempts I’ve ever seen, perhaps second only to Blair Witch 2 : Book Of Secrets. The original didn’t look great and didn’t merit a follow up, and this sequel looks just as cheap, but at least the original has a plot line and some character development. This pretty much has nothing, and the only real appeal it will have for little kids is the colourful aliens that look kind of pretty.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hoodwinked!

Dead Man Running (2009) 7/10

Starring : Tamer Hassan, 50 Cent, Danny Dyer, Brenda Blethyn
Director : Alex De Rakoff
Running Time : 88 mins

When ex-con Nick (Hassan) is given twenty-four hours to pay back a loan shark the large amount of money he owes, he is forced to enlist his best friend in trying to raise the funds needs to pay off the debt.

This was actually better than I thought it would be. Hassan isn’t exactly the worlds most charismatic man in the lead, but he makes the role believable and you do find yourself routing for him to get the money together in time, but it’s Brenda Blethyn who really makes this movie memorable as Nick’s mum, once again playing a ditzy old lady role that will make even the most hard-hearted viewer smile.

You’ll like this if you liked : Smokin’ Aces

Sex And The City 2 (2010) 6/10

Starring : Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth
Director : Michael Patrick King
Running Time : 141 mins

Two years into her marriage to Mr Big (Noth), Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) - now Preston - is finding life far too boring for her liking, what with Big’s penchant for take-away eating and black-and-white movies, and his dislike of parting. So when Samantha (Cattrall) wangles a trip for four to Abu Dhabi, Carrie and the girls jump at the chance to get away from their humdrum lives.

This was in no way as good as the first movie – clearly it was just a way of cashing in on the popularity of the series and the first film – but big fans of Carrie and friends will definitely enjoy their further adventures. The plot is flimsy and the run time is ridiculously long, so if you were never a fan of the show then this probably isn’t the movie for you.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Devil Wears Prada

Invictus (2009) 8/10

Starring : Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge
Director : Clint Eastwood
Running Time : 134 mins

It’s 1995, and in the wake of apartheid newly appointed president Nelson Mandela (Freeman) decides to enlist the help of the South African rugby team in the hope of finally uniting his country and finally put an end to racial hatred by garnering the country a victory at the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

As usual Eastwood is more than capable at directing this tale of hope against adversity. Freeman is in his element in the lead role and manages not to let his ego as an actor get in the way of letting other actors try to shine. This movie is well worth watching if you can make it throught the two and a quarter hour runtime.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Blind Side

Iron Man 2 (2010) 7/10

Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke
Director : Jon Favreau
Running Time : 114 mins

Now that the general public are aware that millionaire Tony Stark (Downey) has secretly been acting as Iron Man, the US government are breathing down his neck to share his Iron Man weaponry with them. Stark refuses, claiming that no other country is anywhere close to perfecting weaponry like his. Unfortunately one of his competitors has in fact created weapons that could be a match for Stark Industries, and their intentions are less than honourable.

Although not quite as good as the first instalment, Iron Man 2 is a pretty decent superhero movie. It is slow in places, and its run time is a little excessive, but fans of Downey and his alcoholic portrayal of Tony Stark will thoroughly enjoy this lead up to the inevitable Avengers movie in 2012.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Incredible Hulk

Street Kings (2008) 6/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans
Director : David Ayer
Running Time : 105 mins

Following the death of his wife, LAPD detective Tom Ludlow (Reeves) has found life to be increasingly difficult, but things just get worse for him when he is accused of brutally killing one of his fellow officers. This implication leads Ludlow to dig deep into the background of some of his closest colleagues and question whether or not they are as loyal to him as he once believed.

I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy this run of the mill crooked-cop drama, but I found it far too formulaic for my liking. Reeves as usual is pretty wooden - I sometimes wish he'd stuck to Bill and Ted style movies instead of trying to get into dramatic roles - and the plot itself is a little too obvious. Still, fans of cop movies will enjoy the basic set out of this film.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bad Lieutenant : Port Of Call - New Orleans

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) 7/10

Starring : Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy
Director : Samuel Bayer
Running Time : 96 mins

A number of young people in the Elm Street area have been having the same nightmare about a hideously burned man with a glove covered in razor sharp knives, so when teenagers start to drop like flies, teen Nancy Holbrook (Mara) starts to suspect that perhaps there is more to the dreams than first meets the eye.

Although nowhere near as good as the originals, this is a reasonable remake of the 80s classic. Sadly the attempt to double bluff the viewer by, at one stage, trying to make Krueger more of a sympathetic character only leds to point out how similar this movie is to the original.

You’ll like this if you liked : Friday The 13th

Did You Hear About The Morgans? (2009) 7/10

Starring : Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliott
Director : Marc Lawrence
Running Time : 104 mins

Paul Morgan (Grant) and his estranged wife Meryl (Parker) find their lives thrown back together again when they witness a murder and are placed in witness protection in a small town where their yuppy lifestyle has to take a back burner to the life of a country couple.

This movie was given something of a raw deal upon its release, but to be fair it wasn’t that bad. The supporting characters were likeable and really make the Morgans seem unreasonable and spoilt, which is this perfect back drop for a movie like this. Fans of Parker and Grant will really like this, but even if you’re not a fan of theirs, give this a chance – you might be surprised.

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

Futurama : The Beast With A Billion Backs (2008) 7/10

Starring : Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio
Director : Peter Avanzino
Running Time : 89 mins

When an anomaly is discovers that only living matter can pass through, an enormous many-tentacled beast passes through and attaches itself to all living creatures. With almost everyone under the thrall of the tentacles which are in fact reproductive organs – Bender (DiMaggio) must lead an army of robots against the beast so that he can have his friend Fry (West) back.

In spite of not being as good as the first in this series of four movies, this second instalment is still filled with all the wit, humour, and sci-fi nonsense you’d expect from the Futurama gang. Once again Bender seems to take centre stage, although by playing his storyline separately from the rest of the crew it enables some of the other characters to bloom as well.

You’ll like this if you liked : Futurama : Into The Wild Green Yonder

Walking Tall (2004) 6/10

Starring : The Rock, Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough, Ashley Scott
Director : Kevin Bray
Running Time : 83 mins

Former US soldier Chris Vaughn (The Rock) returns to his home town to find that the local mill has been closed down and replaced with a crooked Casino where people are regularly swindled out of the hard earned cash. When he tries to make a stand he is assaulted and ends up on trial for attacking his aggressors. When he is found not guilty, he decides to run for Sheriff and make a start cleaning up the town.

Basically this is another version of Rambo, except without the post-traumatic stress. At times it feels like it would have worked better as a mini-series rather than a movie so that the writers could have explored the characters more, but the short runtime results in a rushed court case scene and some pretty ridiculous behaviour from the previous sheriff and his deputies, as well as the folk who claim to run the town.

You’ll like this if you liked : First Blood

The Man (2005) 6/10

Starring : Samuel L Jackson, Eugene Levy, Miguel Ferrer, Luke Goss
Director : Les Mayfield
Running Time : 84 mins

When mild mannered dentist Andy Fiddler (Levy) is approached by a criminal who mistakes him for a purchaser of fire arms, federal agent Derrick Vann (Jackson) decides to use Fiddler to catch the man who murdered his partner. The only problem is that Fiddler doesn’t know when to shut up, and Vann is a very impatient man.

This movie is a little bit annoying, not just because of Levy’s incessant talking but also because of Jackson’s over-the-top anger. Don’t get me wrong, Jackson’s natural anger has its place, but this movie just didn’t feel like the right vehicle for him to be portraying it. I’d only recommend this to people who don’t mind watching a plot from an 80s cop comedy completely spoiled.

You’ll like this if you liked : Cop Out