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