New Year’s Eve (2011) 6/10

Starring : Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara
Director : Garry Marshall
Running Time : 118 mins

Two couples compete for the chance to win $25 thousand dollars for having the first baby born on New Year’s Day. Rock star Jensen (Bon Jovi) revisits a romance with caterer Laura (Heigl), who hates him for leaving her. Office worker Ingrid (Pfeiffer) quits her job after a near death experience. Teenager Hailey (Breslin) worries about telling her mum Kim (Parker) that she wants to send New Year’s with her friends. Randy (Kutcher) and Elise (Michele) get trapped in elevator together for the night. Sam (Duhamel) finds himself broken down at the side of the road, desperate to get back to town for an important speech. Stan Harris (De Niro) is dying and wants nothing more than to spend his final hours in Times Square. And Claire Morgan (Swank) is given the task of organising the Times Square celebrations for the residents of New York City.

I wonder what the next holiday will be to be given the ensemble random story treatment. Don’t get me wrong, they’re watchable. I’m just worried that next year someone will make Easter Sunday or Memorial Day. It’s fun to see the little vignette’s play out, but it does feel like a lazy way of making money because there’s bound to be at least one actor in this film that people like and will sit through two hours to watch the ten minutes that they’re in.

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

For A Good Time, Call… (2012) 7/10

Starring : Ari Graynor, Lauren Miller, Justin Long
Director : Jamie Travis
Running Time : 86 mins

Lauren Powell (Miller) is tricked by her friend Jesse (Long) into moving in with his friend Katie Steele (Graynor) – a girl Lauren has despised since college – but when she finds herself out of work and discovers that Katie runs her own sex chat line, Lauren decides to get involved for a cut of the take by streamlining the organisation.

This movie reminds me Zack And Miri, and even features Seth Rogen and Kevin Smith! The characters are likeable, though their progression into friendship was a little too fast for my liking. Fans of gross out comedies will chuckle at the wanking scenes, but there aren’t as many disgusting scenes as you might imagine – probably the stand out is the spilt cup of urine.

You’ll like this if you liked : Zack And Miri Make A Porno

Made In Dagenham (2010) 7/10

Starring : Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Andrea Riseborough, Daniel Mays, Jaime Winstone
Director : Nigel Cole
Running Time : 114 mins

It’s 1968, and the machinists working at the Ford factory in Dagenham are disgusted to learn that they are being paid as unskilled labourers so they get the union to fight for them, but when their arguments fall on deaf ears, factory girl Rita O’Grady (Hawkins) decides to lead the rest of the girls in strike action until they receive the same pay as their male counterparts.

I actually thought this was quite an entertaining little yarn, which shows just how recently it is that women finally got pay equality for doing the same jobs as men. Hawkins thankfully isn’t annoying like she was in Happy Go Lucky which was a blessing, and the supporting cast put in some solid performances. Coupled with the light hearted approach to what could be quite a serious topic, and you’ll find a likeable and enjoyable romp.

You’ll like this if you liked : Kinky Boots

Rise Of The Guardians (2012) 7/10

Starring : Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman
Director : Peter Ramsey
Running Time : 98 mins

Jack Frost (Pine) discovers that he has been chosen by The Man In The Moon to become one of the guardians of childhood, along with North (Baldwin), Tooth (Fisher), Bunny (Jackman) and Sandy. He’s doubtful about his place amongst them as so few children believe in him, but when the guardians are threatened by the bogeyman himself, Pitch Black (Law), Frost must decide which side he will fight on.

I wouldn’t say this was favourite animated feature of the year, but it was certainly well thought out. Unlike Dreamworks more popular cartoons, such as Shrek, this is far darker and has scenes of true fearfulness that don’t have resolutions that would satisfy children. What did happen to Jack’s sister after he dies? Did she become depressed, turn to drink, die even? Nothing is said about her, and it might have been nice to make his character a bit younger so that we could see his sister as an old woman and that she was okay. I also wasn’t a big fan of Chris Pine’s voice for the role – he just sounded too old as I pictured him as a young boy. Aside from that, this is an action packed family film that will keep most kids on the edge of their seats.

You’ll like this if you liked : The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest (2009) 7/10

Starring : Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Annika Hallin, Georgi Staykov
Director : Daniel Alfredson
Running Time : 141 mins

After almost dying at the hands of Zalachenko (Staykov), Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) is recovering in hospital when someone tries to kill her, but only after killing her attacker. With the help of Millennium editor Mikael Blomkvist (Nyqvist) and his sister Annika (Hallin), Salander goes on trial for murder and must decide if she is willing to share the details leading up to her attack on Zalachenko , details that she is ashamed of revealing in public.

I did prefer this to The Girl Who Played With Fire, even though there is far less action and the second half of the film is basically a poorly scripted court case. It’s good that a lot of lose ends are tied up, especially considering this wasn’t supposed to be the last in the series, and fans of Lisbeth and Blomkvist will love seeing them finally win a round.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lady Vengeance

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012) 8/10

Starring : Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Director : Stephen Chbosky
Running Time : 103 mins

Introverted 15 year-old Charlie Kelmeckis (Lerman) has few friends as he enters his freshman year, what with his best friend having committed suicide, but one day reaches out to extroverted senior Patrick (Miller) and his friend Sam (Watson). They soon become firm friends and Charlie finds himself drawn into their world, but his struggles with mental illness soon seem like they could ruin his chances of a normal life as he suffers a breakdown following their graduation.

This film could easily be retitled The Abuse Movie; Charlie was molested by his aunt, Sam was molested by her father’s boss, Charlie’s sister is physically abused by her boyfriend and Patrick’s secret boyfriend is physically abused by his father, and it all feels so over the top that at one point I thought Paul Rudd was going to try it on with Charlie! That aside, this is a good movie that is both witty and dark and brings some important topics to light, albeit in a slightly overt way.

You’ll like this if you liked : Pretty In Pink

Cars 2 (2011) 8/10

Starring : Larry The Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro
Director : John Lasseter
Running Time : 102 mins

Race car Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is invited to take part in the World Grand Prix and invited his best pal Mater (Larry The Cable Guy) along for a much earned getaway, but when Mater is mistaken for an international spy by British spy cars Finn McMissile (Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Mortimer), he finds himself involved in an investigation into a group of terrorist lemon cars that are causing cars using the latest oil substitute to explode.

I don’t know why so many people hate this movie so much. Maybe it’s because the lead role moves from Owen Wilson to Larry The Cable Guy, and Larry has never made a great movie. Usually it is the supporting actors in his movies that improve things, but here we don’t have to look at him which helps. Granted, there isn’t enough of the supporting characters, and a lot of the characters brought into this movie are simply there as plot device, but at least there was a plot, and the plot was actually pretty good, I enjoyed seeing the cars operating in the spy world, and fans of spy movies will love this, although there could have been more in jokes relating to things like Bond and Bourne.

You’ll like this if you liked : Megamind

The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey (2012) 7/10

Starring : Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage
Director : Peter Jackson
Running Time : 170 mins

Quiet conservative Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) is forced by wise wizard Gandalf (McKellen) into taking up the challenge of being a thief in part of a quest with thirteen dwarves who need him to travel to the Lonely Mountain to help rid the area of the deadly dragon Smaug who has stolen the dwarves home from them.

I guess I expected so much from this movie that I set myself up for disappointment. I always preferred The Hobbit novel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy as it felt more innocent and was far more aimed at children, as well as being self-contained and shorter. However, expanding it to three movies, which is pretty much like translating the book as one page to every two minutes - which you could read quicker – made me get really bored really quickly, even though the effects were stunning and the acting fun and lively.

You’ll like this if you liked : Willow

13 (2010) 6/10

Starring : Sam Riley, Ray Winstone, Curtis Jackson, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham
Director : Gela Babluani
Running Time : 94 mins

Vince Ferro (Riley) is strapped for cash and overhears a man talking about a money making scheme that’ll earn him millions in the next few days. When the man dies of a drug overdose, Vince finds instructions on how to get the money so assumes his identity. What he discovers is that the man is part of a deadly game of literal Russian roulette in which a number of men hold guns to each other’s heads for the chance of winning a cash prize.

This is a pretty stupid movie that, like many recent British gangster movies, has one of those endings that really get on my nerves, but it did have some interesting moments and some reasonable acting, mainly from Riley and Winstone in the lead roles. Fans of pointless

You’ll like this if you liked : The Experiment

The Babymakers (2012) 6/10

Starring : Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn, Kevin Hefferman
Director : Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Time : 96 mins

Tommy Macklin (Schneider) and his wife Audrey (Munn) have been trying for a baby for a long time. When they finally realise that this is due to Tommy’s lethargic sperm, they are faced with having to adopt, but when Tommy reveals that he has in the past made deposits to sperm banks, he and his friend Wade (Hefferman) hatch a ridiculous plan to try and get his last remaining sample back.

This wasn’t the best sex comedy I’ve ever seen, but it was nowhere near the worst. Schneider’s deadpan look helped make the over the top scenes feel more believable and more outrageous, but the concept itself didn’t have enough believability to make it truly funny.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Switch

Munich (2005) 5/10

Starring : Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 164 mins

Following the assassination of a number of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, a team of expendable Mossad agents – lead by a man named Avner (Bana) - is brought together to take out anyone who was involved in the deaths, while keeping their eyes out for any foreign agents that might be out to stop their assassination attempts..

I really couldn’t concentrate on this movie – I constantly found myself wondering how much longer there was to go and if anything exciting was going to happen. The problem with this movie is that there is little or no passion, and this clearly comes across through both the actors and the director, as well through the ridiculous run time that feels like someone just couldn’t be bothered to edit it. If you’re looking for an engaging movie from Spielberg, stick with Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Constant Gardener

Ruby Sparks (2012) 9/10

Starring : Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Chris Messina
Director : Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Running Time : 105 mins

Struggling writer Calvin Weir-Fields (Dano) has a bad case of writer’s block so he draws on a vision of a girl he saw in a dream to help him with his creative process. As he writes, he finds himself wanting more and more to spend time with his creation, Ruby Sparks (Kazan), until one day he wakes up and finds his fictional characters in his house. He thinks he’s gone insane, until he realises that other people can see her too.

I can’t quite say why but I absolutely loved this movie. At no point are we meant to feel sorry for the friendless, loveless writer who somehow creates his perfect women then tries to change her to make her more perfect and only succeeds in losing her unique qualities and forcing her into what is basically a slave, but this doesn’t stop the movie from being thought provoking and entertaining. Kazan is wonderful as Ruby, with Dano as Calvin putting in a believable and interesting performance.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mannequin

The Son Of No One (2011) 6/10

Starring : Channing Tatum, Tracy Morgan, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta, James Ransone, Jake Cherry, Juliette Binoche, Al Pacino
Director : Dito Montiel
Running Time : 90 mins

Thirty year old rookie cop Jonathan ‘Milk’ White (Tatum) is assigned to the district where he spent much of his childhood. When he discovers that some letters have been sent into the local newspaper regarding a double homicide that occurred when he was a child, White starts to worry that the new captain, Marion Mathers (Liotta), might start looking into the details of the deaths as he had been involved.

This tense thriller tries not to keep too many secrets from the viewer which in some ways can spoil a good cop drama, even the identity of the person sending messages to the newspapers is revealed less than half way through the movie. I guess the purpose of the movie is to show the cover up rather than tease us with who is revealing details of the murders, but the slow pacing of the movie really drag things along at a snail’s pace that for some might cause them to give up, seeing as they already know the killer and who is sending the letters before the movie ends, although that turns out to be a bluff.

You’ll like this if you liked : We Own The Night

Alex Cross (2012) 6/10

Starring : Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Rachel Nichols, Edward Burns, Jean Reno
Director : Rob Cohen
Running Time : 102 mins

Alex Cross (Perry) is brought in on a case where a young woman has been brutally beaten, tortured and murdered by an unknown subject who becomes known as Picasso (Fox). As he gets more involved in the case, he discovers that Picasso plans on killing again, and pretty soon he finds his colleagues and his family might be in danger from the crazed killer.

I’m not ashamed I don’t like Tyler Perry. When he writes or directs a movie they tend to be formulaic and repetitive, and also make very little sense. Here we get to see him following someone else’s direction and someone else’s script, and clearly he isn’t very good at it. His rendition of Alex Cross is boring and flat, as are the performances of supporting cast members Nicholls and Burns, and it is only thanks to a good performance from Fox that this wasn’t a total wash.

You’ll like this if you liked : Kiss The Girls

Burlesque (2010) 6/10

Starring : Cher, Christina Aguilera, Eric Dane, Cam Gigandet, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, Peter Gallagher, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci
Director : Steve Antin
Running Time : 119 mins

Small-town girl Ali Rose (Aguilera) moves to Los Angeles in the hope of becoming a performer. Failing all of her auditions, she finally takes a waitressing job at The Burlesque Lounge, run by retired dancer Tess (Cher), and there she finally succeeds in fulfilling her dream of performing on stage but things take a major step for her when her voice becomes the club’s main attraction.

This is pretty much a standard rags to riches style movie that shows the put upon lead, Aguilera, finally given a chance amongst people who dislike her and managing to become the most important cog in the wheel that keeps their lives going. Aguilera is okay in the lead, with Bell very much underused as the nemesis of the piece, but the basic plot of saving the Burlesque club from being closed down has been done to death.

You’ll like this if you liked : Coyote Ugly

Now Is Good (2012) 8/10

Starring : Dakota Fanning, Jeremy Irvine, Paddy Considine, Olivia Williams, Kaya Scodelario, Egdar Canham
Director : Ol Parker
Running Time : 103 mins

Tessa Scott (Fanning) is diagnosed with leukaemia and is told by her doctors that there is nothing than can do to stop the cancer from spreading. Her only wish from that day forward is to live her life to the fullest and to do everything she’s ever wanted to do, including having sex. When she falls for Adam (Irvine), the boy next door, she finally finds something in her life that can make her happy.

This is a surprisingly emotional movie that really shows that Dakota Fanning has progressed from her early cutesy movie career in such movies as Charlotte’s Web. Her English accent is actually pretty good, and her portrayal of a dying teen is both touching and well observed. There’s no get out of jail free card with this movie, so have the hankies at the ready for this witty look at how people cope with the idea of an imminent death.

You’ll like this if you liked : My Sister’s Keeper

Death Sentence (2007) 7/10

Starring : Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler, John Goodman
Director : James Wan
Running Time : 106 mins

When Nick Hume (Bacon) witnesses the murder of his son as part of a gang initiation, he is told that by identifying the culprit they may get three to five years imprisonment. Instead Hume tells the court that he couldn’t identify the youth and takes the law into his own hands, but the repercussions are that the gang come after him and the rest of his family in full force.

Most films about people seeking revenge will end with the vengeance being exacted upon those that have done wrong. Instead this has Bacon get his revenge around the halfway mark and the remainder of the movie has the gang trying to get their revenge, then Bacon getting his revenge again. There’s just so much vengeance in this movie it’s like watching three movies starring Jean Claude Van Damme! Fans of vengeance movies (obviously) will love this, but some viewers might get tired of the repetitive nature of the violence, which I suspect is the point of the movie – that vengeance never ends.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Brave One