Clash Of The Titans (2010) 6/10

Starring : Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton
Director : Louis Leterrier
Running Time : 105 mins

Perseus (Worthington) is sent on a quest to find a way to destroy the evil kraken when Princess Andromeda (Davalos) is offered as a sacrifice. He discovers that the only way to stop the kraken from killing the defenseless princess is by locating the mythical Medusa and using her power of turning men into stone with her gaze.

Yet another remake from Hollywood, taking a popular classic and doing nothing with it other than using modern special effects to make a kitsch classic look too smooth and professional. Fans of the original will be disgusted by this remake, but kids who haven’t seen the original might like seeing some Greek myths come to life.

You’ll like this if you liked : John Carter

The Eye Infinity (2005) 8/10

Starring : Bo-lin Chen, Yan Kam Ching, Ng Wing Cheun
Director : Oxide & Danny Pang
Running Time : 81 mins

When a group of four teenagers travel to Thailand to visit a friend, they are shown a book that tells of a way to see ghosts. Unfortunately by following the instructions in the book they release an evil into the world that causes them to have nightmarish visions even after the book has been put away.

Although not the best in the series, and definitely not the scariest, this movie still has a lot going for it. In fact, by understating the horror of the piece, the Pang brothers once again manage to give us and interesting horror that doesn’t just use shock tactics to create an atmosphere.

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

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010) 8/10

Starring : Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Wong
Director : Edgar Wright
Running Time : 113 mins

Scott Pilgrim (Cera) is an average guy in a band that aspires to greatest. When he meets Ramona Flowers (Winstead), he decides to break up with his high-school girlfriend Knives Chau (Wong) in order to ask Ramona out, but first Scott must contend with her seven ex-boyfriends, all of whom seem to possess amazing mystical powers!

I went into this not expecting to enjoy it after hearing some terrible reviews, mainly concerning Michael Cera’s acting ability, but I actually enjoyed this immensely. The simple, silly plotline made this an enjoyable romp, though I really couldn’t see what Scott saw in Ramona (and vice versa). Well worth watching if you enjoy comic-book style action and light-hearted comedy.

You’ll like this if you liked : Kick-Ass

RocknRolla (2008) 6/10

Starring : Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong, Karel Roden
Director : Guy Ritchie
Running Time : 115 mins

Mob boss Lenny Cole (Wilkinson) finds himself in deep trouble when a painting on loan to him from a Russian real estate developer, Uri Omovich (Roden), is stolen from his office wall. The prime suspect is Lenny’s son, and as Lenny sends out his best men to try and recover the painting before Uri calls in his boys.

Yet another boring heist movie from Guy Ritchie. I never even liked Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, so it was doubtful I’d enjoy this. It’s got the typical wide-boy criminal characters you’d expect from Ritchie, and not a one of them has any charisma. Only Tom Wilkinson and Mark Strong bring anything to this poor excuse for a gangster movie. Steer clear if you're not a fan of Ritchie's work.

You’ll like this if you liked : Snatch

Piranha (2010) 6/10

Starring : Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Jerry O’Connell
Director : Alexandre Aja
Running Time : 85 mins

When an earthquake opens up an underwater cavern, it lets loose a whole host of prehistoric piranha which soon start feeding on the locals. Upon discovering their presence, Sheriff Julie Forester (Shue) tries desperately to find a way to kill the flesh-eating fish, but with it being Spring Break at the beach there’s a lot of people on their menu.

This was actually better than I expected. In spite of the hokey plot, unnecessary nudity, and made-for-3D death scenes that look incredibly over the top, I still found this to be a fun filled horror packed with enough ridiculous death scenes to keep even the most hardened monster movie fan entertained.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lake Placid

The Joneses (2009) 6/10

Starring : Demi Moore, David Duchovny, Amber Heard, Ben Hollingsworth
Director : Derrick Borte
Running Time : 96 mins

When the Joneses move into a small suburban community, their new neighbours find themselves attracted to their extravagant and seemingly perfect lifestyle, combining happiness with all the latest gizmos, gadgets and accessories, but the Joneses are hiding a secret that could make them very unpopular indeed.

This was an interesting idea for a movie, but it really didn’t work for me. The characters were so gullible it became unbelievable as the movie progressed, and the Joneses themselves didn’t come across as likeable enough to have the effect on the community that they did.

You’ll like this if you liked : Killers

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid (2010) 8/10

Starring : Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, Devon Bostick
Director : Thor Freudenthal
Running Time : 93 mins

Greg Heffley (Gordon) is a sixth grader who simply despises the idea of school – to him it’s just a place to go to get ridiculed and picked on – and thanks to his best friend Rowley Jefferson (Capron) this happens a lot. Greg desperately tries to survive school by disatancing himself from his best friend and by stupidly following the advice of his older brother Rodrick (Bostick).

This is such a great kids film, I’m not surprised there are already two sequels planned! The acting of the kids in this is great, the story is funny with plenty of set pieces to make the chid in all of us smile, and the morals that children will learn from this will stay with them for life. This is well worth watching by anyone with a sense of humour who can also appreciate sneakily intelligent scripting.

You’ll like this if you liked : Holes

Infestation (2009) 7/10

Starring : Christopher Marquette, Brooke Nevin, Kinsey Packard
Director : Kyle Rankin
Running Time : 88 mins

When he is called into his boss’s office, Cooper (Marquette) is knocked unconscious by a strange concussive force. When he wakes up, he finds himself trapped in strange webbing, as are his co-workers, and the office is teeming with three-foot long bugs! He manages to wake up some similarly afflicted people and together they are forced to take on the bugs...

This is a silly movie in the vein of Tremors, but I still found it quite entertaining. Marquette is perfect as the reluctant hero of the piece, and the supporting cast of stereotypes really make this work. Don’t expect Shakespeare, just sit back, relax and enjoy this comedy horror for what it is.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tremors

The Expendables (2010) 5/10

Starring : Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts
Director : Sylvester Stallone
Running Time : 100 mins

A group of mercenaries, lead by Barney Ross (Stallone), are commissioned to assassinate the military dictator of a remote South American island, but when they get there they realise that everything is not as it seems and that there are others involved in the country’s corrupt ways.

This really harks back to the early 90s action movies of Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Segal (ironically neither of whom appear in this action-star filled movie). The characters are one-dimensional, the plot is typical, but it’s the action that sells this to its target audience. Fans of deep, thought-provoking films should really not even contemplate seeing this all-action fight fest because the only people who will enjoy this are people who enjoy movies that star the actors in this flick.

You’ll like this if you liked : Nico

The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) 9/10

Starring : Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzman, John Turturro, James Gandolfini
Director : Tony Scott
Running Time : 106 mins

New York subway dispatcher Walter Garber (Washington) has his day completely ruined when a band of armed men, lead by a mysterious man named Ryder (Travolta), hijack a subway train and demand a ransom of $10 million be delivered to them within 60 minutes or they start shooting hostages, but Garber starts to suspect that the hijackers real motives behind the hijacking may not be a measly $10 million, while the police start to suspect Garber of being involved.

I really enjoyed this movie. From the very start we’re lead to doubt whether Washington is involved with the crimes of Travolta, while still routing for Washington to do what he can to stop the criminals. The very fact that Washington’s character is on probation due to suspected bribery makes his characters position all the more doubtful, and keeps this fast paced action movie full of twists until the very end.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Negotiator

Salt (2010) 7/10

Starring : Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Director : Phillip Noyce
Running Time : 96 mins

When she is accused of planning on killing a visiting dignitary, CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Jolie) decides to go on the run, but this action leads her superior Ted Winter (Schreiber) to doubt her innocence and he is forced to organise a team to track her down and take her in for questioning. But Salt won’t be taken down so easily...

This wasn’t Jolie at her finest – to be honest I thought Tomb Raider was better – but it still had a lot of action to please the action junkies out there. The plot was a little confused, though pretty standard for a spy movie, and at times a lot of things didn’t really make sense, but the ridiculous over the top action did have a habit of masking this fact and allowed the audience to switch off and just enjoy the show.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Long Kiss Goodnight

Semum (2008) 5/10

Starring : Ayca Inci, Burak Hakki
Director : Hasan Karacadag
Running Time : 117 mins

When Canan (Inci) and her husband Volkan (Hakki) move into their new home, everything seems right with their world, but when Canan starts experiencing strange feelings in the house, the couple soon discover that she has been possessed by the evil spirit Semum, the devil’s most loyal servant.

This Turkish horror movie is quite interesting in parts, but the over the top effects towards the end of the movie (highly reminiscent of Constantine) kind of spoiled it for me. By trying to be more than it was, this took what could have been an effective low budget horror and turned it into a showy waste of time.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Exorcism Of Emily Rose

Knight And Day (2010) 6/10

Starring : Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard
Director : James Mangold
Running Time : 103 mins

When June Havens (Diaz) is mistakenly thought to be in league with secret agent Roy Miller (Cruise), she is forced to team up with him in order to save herself from the agents Miller claims are trying to steal a valuable energy source from him in order to sell it on the black market.

This was a tolerable action movie in the vein of Mission : Impossible, but the twists and turns of the plot just seemed to be filled with too many holes. Cruise is annoying for the majority of the movie, basically putting Diaz’s character in danger in the first place, and Diaz – although playing the role as ditsy as possible – isn’t quite ditzy enough to be belieavable. Action fans will like this, but don’t expect to be challenged.

You’ll like this if you liked : Killers

17 Again (2009) 7/10

Starring : Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry, Michelle Trachtenberg
Director : Burr Steers
Running Time : 102 mins

Mike O’Donnell (Perry) realises his life hasn’t turned out how he once hoped and starts looking back at his time in high school when he was the star player on the school basketball team. His dreams seemed to end when his girlfriend announced that she was pregnant at an important basketball game and he decided to drop out. As an adult, he saves the life of a man who is trying to kill himself by jumping off a bridge, and when he gets home he finds that he is seventeen again and has a second chance at reliving his childhood, but he has to keep his real identity secret from his wife Scarlet (Mann) and his daughter Maggie (Trachtenberg).

Yet another Big style movie, but this time without most of the drama. In spite of a simple story and some obvious plot twists, this is still an entertaining comedy that has a few laughs – mostly from Thomas Lennon – and some interesting set pieces.

You’ll like this if you liked : 13 Going On 30

Percy Jackson & The Olympians : The Lightning Thief (2010) 8/10

Starring : Logan Lerman, Brandon T Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean
Director : Chris Columbus
Running Time : 128 mins

When he is attacked by a fury disguised as one of his teachers, Percy Jackson (Lerman) soon discovers that he is in fact the son of Poseidon, and that the reason for the attack is that the mighty god Zeus (Bean) believes that Percy has stolen his magical lightning bolt and give him two weeks to recover it or he will commence with a civil war amongst the gods.

This was actually a very entertaining children’s adventure in the vein of the Harry Potter series. Not surprisingly this was directed by Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potters, and his expertise and making a movie appealing to kids clearly shows through in the impressive first instalment. Filled with action and adventure, this has enough going for it to keep both children and adults entertained.

You’ll like this if you liked : Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Splice (2009) 6/10

Starring : Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delhpine Chaneauc
Director : Vincent Natali
Running Time : 104 mins

Two genetic scientists, Clive Nicoli (Brody) and Elsa Kast (Polley), have made some major medical breakthroughs by creating creating Dren (Chaneauc), a creature that could greatly benefit medical science. When they are ordered to stop work by their employers following a disastrous presentation, they take Dren so they can continue their work in secret, but as Dren starts to get older, her sex drive kicks in and the two scientists realise just how dangerous their work has become.

This was a very weird movie that has some very twisted ideas behind it. Dren’s attraction to Nicoli culminates in one of the most disturbing consensual sex scenes I can remember, and the creature itself is both attractive and terrifying. Fans of movies like Species might enjoy this movie, though the creature is no Natasha Henstridge.

You’ll like this if you liked : Species

The Karate Kid (2010) 7/10

Starring : Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P Henson
Director : Harald Zwart
Running Time : 128 mins

Single mother Sherry Parker (Henson) is forced to move to China for work with her twelve year old son Dre (Smith). There Dre falls for one of his classmates, but when he is faced with a challenge from a male classmate for her affections, he finds himself easily beaten down. His only option is to try to learn self defence, so he enlists the help of maintenance man Mr Han (Chan), who is secretly a master of Kung Fu.

This wasn’t so much a remake as a reimagining of the original Karate Kid. Here the martial art is Kung Fu rather than Karate, and the protagonist is a lot younger. The plot was simple – a young boy fights for the love of a girl – but perhaps it’s not the best example to be portraying to children. Fighting doesn’t necessarily solve all problems, and Dre could have easily gotten killed.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Bad News Bears

It's Complicated (2009) 7/10

Starring : Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell
Director : Nancy Meyers
Running Time : 121 mins

When they attend their son’s college graduation, divorced couple Jane (Streep) and Jake (Baldwin) find themselves attracted to each other again. The problem is, Jake is remarried to a younger woman, and Jane has found herself falling for architect Adam (Martin), who is madly in love with her.

This was a likeable comedy in which Streep manages to shine as usual. Baldwin is his usual annoyingly arrogant self – a role he has made his own in recent years from starring in 30 Rock – and Martin is surprisingly good as the cuckolded boyfriend of Streep, a role he could have easily overplayed and thankfully didn’t. Fans of Meyers longwinded yet affective comedy writings will definitely enjoy this latest example of her work.

You’ll like this if you liked : Something’s Gotta Give