Game Of Death (2010) 6/10

Starring : Wesley Snipes, Zoe Bell, Gary Daniels, Robert Davi, Ernie Hudson
Director : Giorgio Serafini
Running Time : 83 mins

Undercover CIA operative Marcus Jones (Snipes) tells his priest, Father Clarence (Hudson) the story of how he was tasked with taking down suspected arms dealer Frank Smith (Davi), and how he was betrayed by his fellow operatives who set him up to take the fall for their actions.

Although this isn’t the best action thriller to have come out of Hollywood in recent years, this still has a certain merit to it. Snipes isn’t exactly charismatic in the lead and doesn’t really do anything interesting with his role, and the villains are so over-the-top it does become ridiculous at one stage where Daniels is basically killing everyone even when it isn’t necessary. Still, the action more than makes up for the poor character development.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Hit List

Delhi Belly (2011) 7/10

Starring : Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapur
Director : Abhinay Deo & Akshat Verma
Running Time : 103 mins

Due to a series of unfortunate mishaps, a package that was supposed to get delivered by Tashi (Khan), and in turn by Nitin (Kapur), never arrives at its destination. When a local gangster, who was the intended recipient of the package, discovers that they may have stolen it from him and send his gang of thugs after them.

This was quite a funny crime caper with some interesting characters that, although typical of many movies of this type, manage to come across as both original and refreshing. Any movie that throws in a few comedy Bollywood dance numbers is sure to be a hit, but this manages to combine that with over the top violence and silly slacker humour. Worth checking out.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bhaji On The Beach

Hellraiser : Hellseeker (2002) 6/10

Starring : Dean Winters, Ashley Laurence, Doug Bradley
Director : Rick Bota
Running Time : 89 mins

Kirsty Cotton (Laurence) has all but lost her memories of her terrible ordeal with the Chinese puzzle box that nearly destroyed her life, but when she and her husband Trevor (Winters) are involved in a car crash that kills Kirsty, Trevor starts suffering hallucinations that make him suspect that he is living in his own personal hell.

For me this was a bit of a let-down, considering how Hellraiser : Inferno had made it look like things were on the upturn for this series. The return of Ashley Laurence from the original two movies should have made this something special, but her reappearance – although pivotal to the storyline – is something of a non-event. The story makes more sense than Hellraiser 3 or 4, but I just couldn’t take Dean Winters seriously after his recurring role in 30 Rock.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hellraiser III : Hell On Earth

The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) 8/10

Starring : Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas, Emily Head
Director : Ben Palmer
Running Time : 93 mins

Socially inept Will (Bird), Jay (Buckley), Neil (Harrison) and Simon (Thomas) have finally finished at sixth form college, so to celebrate they decide to take a holiday to Malia together, to take their mind off some of the terrible things that have happened to them recently. No sooner have they arrived than they are faced with terrible accommodation and rubbish bars, and Simon ends up running into the love of his life, Carli (Head), who he went on holiday to forget about.

This was a fitting end to the television series. The gang finally finish school and get to take a holiday together. The humour is just as well observed as the TV show, and fans of the show will find the expansion of the franchise to be a real treat. Plus there’s some nice closure for Simon and Carli, but I won’t spoil it by saying whether it’s a good or a bad thing…

You’ll like this if you liked : Kevin And Perry Go Large

Death At A Funeral (2010) 6/10

Starring : Peter Dinklage, Martin Lawrence, Matthew Marsden, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Luke Wilson
Director : Neil LaBute
Running Time : 89 mins

The Barnes family matriarch has died, and the assorted relatives have gathered to mark his passing, but when a man named Frank (Dinklage) turns up at the house claiming to have been their father’s lover and wanting to be paid off for his silence, sons Aaron (Rock) and Ryan (Lawrence) are forced to make a decision on how to deal with the situation.

Why Americans thought it necessary to remake and English speaking movie that was directed by Frank Oz only three years after the original is beyond me. This was okay, but I couldn’t help comparing this to the original and finding it came up lacking. There are some funny moments, but when you compare Matthew Marsden’s performance to Alan Tudyk in the original you’ll never find this coming out on top.

You’ll like this if you liked : Little Fockers

Quarantine 2 : Terminal (2011) 6/10

Starring : Mercedes Masohn, Josh Cooke, Mattie Liptak
Director : John Pogue
Running Time : 87 mins

When a passenger on a Los Angeles flight is bitten by a hamster that was infected by the virus that ran rampant in a nearby apartment block, he starts acting violently and the crew are forced to restrain him and lock him in a toilet. When they make an emergency landing they find that the plane and its passengers have been placed under quarantine, and that others have become infected.

Although it was nice that the makers of this sequel decided to go with an original storyline instead of just remaking Rec 2, it was a little disappointing that the writers replaced the demon possession element of the story and replaced it with biological terrorism. If you haven’t seen the original Rec series (or Flight Of The Living Dead for that matter), then this is quite a good suedo-zombie movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Flight Of The Living Dead

American Virgin (2009) 6/10

Starring : Jenna Dewan, Brianne Davis, Chase Ryan Jeffery, Rob Schneider
Director : Claire Kilner
Running Time : 82 mins

When abstinence queen Priscilla White (Dewan) heads off to college, she finds herself rooming with Naz (Davis),a girl who has never graduated in her seven years of college and spends most of her time smoking pot and having sex. Less than two months into her first semester, Priscilla unwittingly gets drunk on jelly shots and finds that she’s been filmed for Girls Gone Crazy!

This wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, but it still wasn’t brilliant. Gone are the days of truly funny teen comedies, and even the best of them isn’t a patch on those of days gone by. The plot sounds a lot saucier than it really is, though there are still the odd boob flash here and there, and fans of Rob Schneider might be pleased to know this is one of his better efforts.

You’ll like this if you liked : Euro Trip

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) 8/10

Starring : James Franco, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis
Director : Rupert Wyattt
Running Time : 105 mins

An experimental drug - designed to promote brain repair - is tested on a chimp named Caesar (Serkis), giving him near human intelligence. He is initially raised by the man behind the drug, Will Rodman (Franco) but after an incident with an interfering neighbour he is taken to an ape sanctuary where he decides to give the same drug to his fellow apes and lead an uprising against their captors.

I actually really enjoyed this reimagining of the Apes series and thought the storyline was well executed and well thought through. The gradual explanation of how the apes gained their intelligence, and also why they hate humanity so much, was cleverly handled and made for interesting viewing that wasn’t just an action-packed spectacle.

You’ll like this if you liked : Jurassic Park

Last Night (2010) 6/10

Starring : Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Guillaume Canet, Eva Mendes
Director : Massy Tadjedin
Running Time : 93mins

Joanna (Knightley) and Michael (Worthington) have been married for three years, and their relationship seems strong until Joanna meets Michael’s colleague Laura (Mendes) and wonders why he never mentioned how attractive she was. When Michael goes away on a business trip, Joanna starts to wonder if something might happened, but her thoughts soon turn elsewhere when her ex-boyfriend Alex (Canet) shows up in town.

This took a little while to get going, but once the intrigue of whether either of the couple will cheat on the other this actually became quite interesting. The performances of the actors may not have been the best at times, but there were some nice moments and some clever choices made by the writer and director, especially with the very ending scene.

You’ll like this if you liked : Closer

The Smurfs (2011) 7/10

Starring : Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays
Director : Raja Gosnell
Running Time : 99 mins

When the evil wizard Gargamel (Azaria) chases the Smurfs out of their village, they are accidentally transported into our world, finding themselves trapped in, of all places, New York City. Now they must find a way home to their village before Gargamel catches them.

Although not a terrible movie, it really feels like this story line has been done to death. There seem to be only three plotlines for rebooted kids TV shows at the moment – someone or something gets lost, goes missing or is put in jeopardy! In this case the Smurfs get lost, which is fair enough, and it gives us a nice backdrop that differs vastly from the medieval backdrop of the original cartoon, as well as poking fun at some of the in jokes of the show. Kids won’t necessarily enjoy this, but some adults who remember the original might garner a chuckle or two.

You’ll like this if you liked : Enchanted

xXx 2 : The Next Level (2005) 5/10

Starring : Ice Cube, Samuel L Jackson, Willem Dafoe
Director : Lee Tamahori
Running Time : 101 mins

Convicted criminal and ex-Navy SEAL Darius Stone (Cube) has been selected by Agent Gibbons (Jackson) to be the latest agent in the XXX programme. His primary mission is to stop a splinter group in the military who plan to have the President of the United States assassinated, and his main suspect for leading this attack is his former commanding officer, General George Deckert (Dafoe).

This might have been a lot better if the CGI effects weren’t so terrible. Even the colours didn’t really match in some of the scenes. Also, Ice Cube didn’t really have much of a personality in the lead role, which is amazing considering he’s following on from Vin Diesel who isn’t exactly the world’s most charismatic man. The plot was okay, and the action sequences were passable (aside from those with bad CGI), and action fans might find something of interest in this movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Transporter

Mr Popper’s Penguins (2011) 6/10

Starring : Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury
Director : Mark Waters
Running Time : 95 mins

When divorced father of two Tom Popper (Carrey) finds himself the recipient of six penguins, he at first can’t wait to get rid of them, but when he realises that they could be a good way of getting on the good side of his two estranged children, he soon transforms his New York apartment into a winter wonderland.

To be honest, this wasn’t as bad as I thought it would. Listed on South Park as being one of this summers terrible movies (along with Zookeeper and Jack & Jill to name but two), I didn’t even think this was a real movie until I saw a poster for it! Carrey is okay in the lead role, though he tends to go a little over the top (as usual) at times, and the plot is feeble, following a generic theme of a man who is estranged from his family and wins them back with cute animal antics, but kids will enjoy this and, if you can get over the fact that this movie is predictable, you might actually enjoy it.

You’ll like this if you liked : Zookeeper

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) 7/10

Starring : Sprague Grayden, Brian Boland, Molly Ephraim, Katie Featherston
Director : Tod Williams
Running Time : 99 mins

Following what they suspect to be a series of break-ins – although nothing was ever stolen – the Rey family decide to install an intricate series of security cameras to discover just exactly what is going on. When they start to review the footage, they find that things have been moving around on their own whilst they’ve been sleeping, and soon the events become far more sinister.

In many ways I preferred this to the original movie. It was more suspenseful, had a few more clues as to where the angry spirit has come from, and had an interesting cliff-hanger ending that links directly in to the original movie. Fans of the original will enjoy this, and those who are new to the franchise will like it if they enjoy suspenseful horror flicks that prey on reaction rather than spectacle.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Last Exorcism

The Hit List (2011) 7/10

Starring : Cuba Gooding Jr, Cole Hauser, Jonathan LaPaglia, Ginny Weirick
Director : William Kaufman
Running Time : 91 mins

After a particularly bad day – having been passed over for promotion and finding his wife has been cheating on him - Allan Campbell (Hauser) decides to drown his sorrows down at a local bar. There he meets Jonas Arbor (Gooding Jr), a mystery man who suggests Alan compile a top five list of people he wishes were dead as a sort of cathartic release. But when people on the list start to turn up dead, Allan realises that he may have just accidentally employed the services of a hired assassin!

This is actually a reasonable suspense thriller. Gooding is creepily detached as the hired assassin, while Hauser portrays the panicky and bitter corporate worker to great effect. Fans of action thrillers will enjoy this thrill ride and won’t be disappointed by the action filled conclusion.

You’ll like this if you liked : Collateral

Futurama : Into The Wild Green Yonder (2009) 7/10

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

Fry (West) learns of the existence of two distinct species who have been battling for millennia over whether to preserve current civilization or to destroy all known life once and for all. When the Dark Ones return and plan on exploding a violet dwarf star to destroy the universe, Fry is tasked with the challenge of stopping the Dark One before all life is lost,

With the series already re-commissioned at this stage, it seems strange to watch this last of the four Futurama movies as it really feels like the end for all of the characters. Those who loved the show may shed a tear as Fry and Leela finally kiss, and the ambiguous ending to the movie left many in limbo until the series returned to our screens! Hooray!

You’ll like this if you liked : Futurama : The Beast With A Billion Backs

Captain America : The First Avenger (2011) 8/10

Starring : Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving
Director : Joe Johnston
Running Time : 125 mins

It’s 1942, and sickly Steve Rogers (Evans) wants nothing more than to help defend his country from the Nazi regime. After finally managing to prove just how courageous he can be, Steve is recruited into Project Rebirth, a super soldier programme that will give him the body and skills to match his inner strength, as a test guinea pig. But when the scientist behind the programme is assassinated by the evil Johann Schmidt (Weaving), Steve is left as the only super soldier and is forced to face his destiny alone.

I’ve never been a big fan of Captain America – I always thought he was just too kitschy and one dimensional – but this movie was actually really good. Chris Evans manages to breathe some realism and appeal into the man with the shield, and this works as an excellent tie in into the upcoming Avengers movie, due out next year. A must for all Marvel Comics fans who will love seeing some of their favourite characters brought to life.

You’ll like this if you liked : Iron Man

Crazy On The Outside (2010) 6/10

Starring : Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Jeanne Triplehorn, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta
Director : Tim Allen
Running Time : 97 mins

Three years after taking the rap for his friend Gray (Liotta) and being arrested for video piracy,Tommy Zelda (Allen) is paroled and finds himself back in the real world, living with his sister Viki (Weaver), and having to tell his mum he’s been living in France all this time.

Tim Allen’s directorial debut may not be laugh-out-loud funny, but it is a sweet movie about how a criminal has to cope with real life after years in prison. Some of the relationship stuff wasn’t particularly realistic – my main issue being with Allen’s relationship with parole officer Tripplehorn – and the majority of the jokes were related to how ex-cons don’t get a fair shake when they re-enter society, but if you can suspend disbelief and get past the odd repetitive joke, this wasn’t half bad.

You’ll like this if you liked : Joe Somebody

Zookeeper (2011) 7/10

Starring : Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb
Director : Frank Coraci
Running Time : 102mins

Griffin Keyes (James) is one of the most popular zookeepers around, so when they realise his love life is in need of a tune-up, the animals he looks after decide to help him out in their own inimitable ways.

From the outset this looked like another summer blockbuster that would sap my soul and make me want to kill myself. However, this was a lot better than I initially anticipated. Kevin James is actually quite likeable – he has to be, or the movie wouldn’t work as well – and the animals aren’t as annoying as they could have been. This is worth checking out for little kids who might like the animals, and older kids who might like the romantic interest storyline.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dr Dolittle

Cypher (2002) 7/10

Starring : Jeremy Northam, Lucy Liu, Nigel Bennett
Director : Vincenzo Natali
Running Time : 92 mins

Morgan Sullivan (Northam) is bored with his nerdy humdrum life, so takes a job as an industrial spy with a company called Digicorp. Things seem easy enough as he is charged with travelling around the States, recording convention meetings for his bosses, but he soon realises that the convention meetings hold a much more sinister purpose.

This is a very weird film, but it is also pretty entertaining. Northam’s gradual change from geeky nerd to undercover spy is slow and subtle, and it’s only at the end when you think to compare the differences that they become glaringly clear. It’s the confusion of the whole storyline that makes this so appealing, so if you do watch it, don’t give up half way. Watch it to the end, then everything will make sense.

You’ll like this if you liked : Total Recall