The Ward (2010) 7/10

Starring : Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Jared Harris
Director : John Carpenter
Running Time : 93 mins

It’s 1966, and runaway arsonist Kristen (Heard) is committed to the North Bend Psychiatric Hospital when she is caught by the police burning down a farmhouse. As she gets to know some of her fellow patients, she starts to notice that some of them have gone missing under the pretence that they have been released, and she becomes haunted by a mysterious spirit.

This is one of those movies that tries to be clever, but the only part of the movie that is clever is the resolution. Nothing in the movie really gives much of a lead in to the twist at the end, but thankfully the horror element is more than enough to keep this entertaining. This isn’t a typical Carpenter horror – in fact, in many ways, it is one of his better efforts in recent years.

You’ll like this if you liked : Identity

R.I.P.D (2013) 7/10

Starring : Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Stephanie Szostak, Robert Knepper, James Hong, Marisa Miller
Director : Robert Schwentke
Running Time : 96 mins

When Boston cop Nick Walker (Reynolds) is killed by his crooked partner Bobby Hayes (Bacon) over a stash of gold, he finds himself employed by the Rest In Peace Department – a group of dead law enforcers who are tasked with the job of tracking down escaped dead people and bringing them back in – and partnered with angry lawman Roy Pulsipher (Bridges). It isn’t long before he comes to the conclusion that Hayes stolen gold has something to do with all the dead people flooding into Boston.

If you enjoyed the Men In Black trilogy, then this will be right up your street. Basically this is Men In Black with dead people instead of aliens, and it’s even based on a little known comic book. The story is simple and fun, and I find it hard to believe that so many people didn’t like this entertaining action comedy thriller.

You’ll like this if you liked : Men In Black

Superman / Batman : Public Enemies (2009) 7/10

Starring : Clancy Brown, Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly
Director : Sam Liu
Running Time : 67 mins

When Lex Luthor (Brown) is appointed President of the United States, he creates his own team of super heroes to combat what he deems the menace of the vigilante hero, namely Superman (Daly) and Batman (Conroy). He soon frames Superman for an threat against the planet from an impending kryptonite meteor to turn public opinion away from him, and Batman agrees to help Superman win over the superheroes that are working for Luthor and prove his innocence to the public.

I loved that the animation looks just like the Ed McGuiness comic books, and this really helped me think of this as a true comic book adaptation. The sneaky Lex Luthor that everyone knows and loves is here in full force and at no point does he do anything stupid like he would in the live-action movies. Instead he is as underhanded as you’d expect and uses every trick in the book to make Superman look bad without dirtying his own hands. Fans of Superman will enjoy this, though Batman fans might be disappointed by his seemingly supporting role.

You’ll like this if you liked : Superman / Doomsday

Hit And Run (2012) 7/10

Starring : Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, Tom Arnold, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Rosenbaum, Bradley Cooper
Director : David Palmer & Dax Shepard
Running Time : 101 mins

Charlie Bronson (Shepard) decides to leave his small town home when his girlfriend Annie Bean (Bell) is offered a new job. Unfortunately Annie’s ex-boyfriend Gil (Rosenbaum) discovers that Charles’s real name is Yul Perrkins and that he is in witness protection, so he reports his identity to Alex Dmitri (Cooper), a criminal who would like nothing more than to stop Charlie from testifying against him in court.

This is kind of a cute movie – doubly cute as Bell and Shepard are together in real life and they bounce off each other so well – and the idea that Bronson / Perrkins would risk his life for the love of his girlfriend is a nice touch. Throw in a bit of crime in the guise of Bradley Cooper and you’ve got yourself a pretty entertaining little sleeper movie

You’ll like this if you liked : Killers

Age Of Heroes (2011) 6/10

Starring : Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Aksel Hennie, Izabella Miko, James D’Arcy, William Houston
Director : Adrian Vitoria
Running Time : 90 mins

A group of British soldiers that form the 30 Commando unit during World War II are put through training and sent on a very important and highly classified mission to parachute into Norway in order to take the German radar technology from the Nazis – a mission that could mean the end of the war and triumph for the allies.

This is a pretty standard war movie that doesn’t really cover any new ground. Based on true events, this concentrates more on the characters involved than the achievements they made in order to protect the Western world. There are plenty of explosions and passion filled music, but the story just loses it somewhere along the way and by the last half hour the soldiers are pretty much just sneaking about in the snow.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hart’s War

Beautiful Creatures (2013) 7/10

Starring : Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann, Emma Thompson
Director : Richard LaGravenese
Running Time : 124 mins

Ethan Wate (Ehrenreich) wishes for nothing more than the chance to leave his little home town and get away from the small minded people that live there, but when he meets Lena Duchannes (Englert), a girl whose family live in seclusion in their ancestral home, he discovers secrets not only about her family but about the history of his own.

Even though this movie sounds like a reversed version of Twilight with witches instead of vampires – something a lot of novelists and film makers are attempting to imitate - it actually wasn’t that bad. The characters were far more likeable, which may be more thanks to the actors than the writing, and the choices they make are far more selfless than in the Twilight Saga. Saying that, fans of Bella and Edward will enjoy this, but it may appeal to a wider audience than just Stephenie Meyer fans.

You’ll like this if you liked : Cirque Du Freak : The Vampire’s Assistant

Hereafter (2010) 6/10

Starring : Matt Damon, Cecile De France, Bryce Dallas Howard, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren
Director : Clint Eastwood
Running Time : 130 mins

Three very different people try to cope with death in three very different ways; French reporter Marie Lelay (De France) almost dies in a tsunami in Thailand, and finds her memories of what she saw as she approached death have started to interfere with her everyday life; George Lonegan (Damon) has to quit his job as a professional psychic when the emotional impact becomes too much for him, but find he is unable to switch the ability off; and twin Marcus (McLaren) tries to find someone to help him contact his dead twin, who he believes is still watching over him.

This is a very unusual movie that tries its best to look at how people cope with death, near-death, and the idea of the afterlife. The performances aren’t great, but the direction really makes this a very watchable flick, which perfectly mixes action sequences with more dramatic scenes. Eastwood has done a good job with this, but it really needed a cast that appeared more involved in the subject they are discussing.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Tree Of Life

In Their Skin (2012) 6/10

Starring : Selma Blair, Josh Close, James D’Arcy, Rachel Miner
Director : Jeremy Power Regimbal
Running Time : 97 mins

Mary Hughes (Blair) and her husband Mark (Close) decide to take some time away from things following the accidental death of their daughter. They travel to a remote cottage where they plan on trying to get over their loss, but when they meet another couple they discover that their lives could be in danger when the pair decide they want to stealthier identities and take over their lives.

This is very slow paced, which works reasonably well, except the slow pacing is for the most part in the wrong places. We needed a little more time to get to know “Bobby” and “Jane” before they turn out to be nutcases, and perhaps a little less time to get to know the victims, who are basically one-dimensional anyway. Worth checking out, but this isn’t as engrossing as I thought it could have been.

You’ll like this if you liked : Funny Games

New In Town (2009) 6/10

Starring : Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr, Siobhan Fallon, JK Simmons
Director : Jonas Elmer
Running Time : 96 mins

Miami consultant Lucy Hill (Zellweger) is forced by her bosses to travel to Minnesota where she expected to help out in the restructure of a manufacturing company that are trying to cut costs and improve output. She is faced with cold weather and a very negative reaction from the locals who think she is there to close down their small towns main source of income.

This is one of those unrealistically sweet movies where the outsider is eventually won over and accepted only to be faced with a moral dilemma. Zellweger being forced to decide whether or not to close down the factory is pretty much the conclusion of the movie, and her journey towards her decision isn’t particularly realistic, but this is nice enough to watch on a Sunday night when there’s nothing else to do.

You’ll like this if you liked : Leap Year

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) 7/10

Starring : Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Jim Carrey
Director : Don Scardino
Running Time : 101 mins

Stage magicians Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Buscemi) have been best friends ever since they discovered the wonder of performing magic as children but, after years of performing the same act over and over again, and with the rising popularity of street magician Steve Gray (Carrey), the two are forced to consider updating their act or suffer the fate of so many magicians before them.

There are a lot of missed opportunities in this silly comedy that consistently loses its way when it comes to the personality of some of the main characters, possibly due to so many rewrites of the script by so many writers. In spite of this there are still some good laughs, and the story, though predictable, is a good morality tale for youngsters. My one real gripe was that I didn’t want Burt and Jane to get together, and when they did it felt forced an unrealistic.

You’ll like this if you liked : Magicians

The Three Musketeers (2011) 7/10

Starring : Matthew Macfadyen, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz
Director : Paul W S Anderson
Running Time : 111 mins

When the fames Three Musketters are forced to disband following a botched assignment, they meet a young man named D’Artagnan (Lerman) who dreams of joining them. Having won the three over, they form their own team of musketeers in order to stop the wicked schemes of the evil Cardinal Richelieu (Waltz) who plans to overthrow the French royal family.

From the husband and wife director and star of the Resident Evil series comes… The Three Musketeers? This was an unusual approach to the classic swash buckling adventure novel, but somehow it did work in places. Many have panned this adaptation as being too over the top and relying too heavily on special effects, but the effects were used reasonably well and the actors playing the leads did a good job of making their characters distinctive from previous actors that have taken the roles.

You’ll like this if you liked : Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Lay The Favourite (2012) 6/10

Starring : Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Director : Stephen Frears
Running Time : 92 mins

Part-time lap dancer Beth (Hall) decides to leave her home town of Florida and head to Las Vegas to try and get work as a cocktail waitress. Eventually she meets up with a gambler named Dink (Willis) who, realising that she is good with numbers, hires her to help him win big. Unfortunately she falls for Dink, and his wife Tulip (Zeta-Jones) starts to get very jealous.

This was an okay comedy drama, and Bruce Willis was pretty good as Dink. Rebecca Hall plays ditzy very well and her American accent is pretty convincing, so much so that I didn’t even recognise her straight away – maybe she’s had surgery or something. Fans of lacklustre comedies that don’t have over the top slapstick but instead rely on situations and character traits will enjoy this, but it isn’t the best of its kind.

You’ll like this if you liked : 21

Falling Up (2009) 6/10

Starring : Joseph Cross, Sarah Roemer, Snoop Dogg, Rachael Leigh Cook, Claudette Lali, Joe Pantoliano, Mimi Rogers, Annette O’Toole
Director : David M Rosenthal
Running Time : 95 mins

When his father unexpectedly dies, Henry O’Shea (Cross) is forced to quit his life as a nursing student and take a job at a swanky hotel as a doorman to make ends meet for his family. There he meets rich kid Scarlett Dowling (Roemer), and the two start an unlikely romance much to the anger of Scarlett’s mother Meredith (Rogers) and Henry’s boss George (Pantoliano).

This was an okay romantic comedy, but there was very little in the comedy department. The differences between the two leads didn’t feel to me like they were different enough, and the attitude of both Scarlett’s mum and Henry’s boss seems really unlikely, especially as Scarlett’s mum seems happy for her to hang around with a raving alcoholic.

You’ll like this if you liked : Adventureland

Star Trek : Into Darkness (2013) 9/10

Starring : Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve
Director : JJ Abrams
Running Time : 133 mins

Captain James T Kirk (Pine) and his Enterprise crew of explorers find their lives in danger when they come across a terrorist called Khan (Cumberbatch) who wants to destroy Starfleet, but when the truth comes out that someone in Starfleet is involved with Khan and that Khan is a genetic experiment from 300 years in the past, Kirk finds that danger can come from any direction.

Now, many true fans of Trek disliked this movie, mainly due to petty things like Cumberbatch being white or because of the romance between Spock and Uhuru, but as a Star Trek fan myself I didn’t feel that these elements affected the overall appeal in any way, shape or form. Cumberbatch is great as the villain, though sometimes a little campy, and you don’t have to be a Trek fan to enjoy this sci-fi epic.

You’ll like this if you liked : Star Trek

August Rush (2007) 6/10

Starring : Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams
Director : Kirsten Sheridan
Running Time : 114 mins

Musical prodigy Evan Taylor (Highmore) believes that he received his musical abilities from his parents - Lyla Novacek (Russell) and Louis Connelly (Rhys Meyers) – who left him at an orphanage as a baby. Eleven years later he decides to travel to New York to find his parents, but his musical abilities lead him to both good people who want to help him and bad people who want to exploit him.

This movie intersperses the tale of Evan Taylor looking for his parents with the story of how his parents met, so there is something for young and old. It’s a little slow and slightly dull in places, and this could have done with a child actor who is bit less goody two-shoes than Highmore (though his recent TV role as Norman Bates might change that).

You’ll like this if you liked : Once

That’s My Boy (2012) 7/10

Starring : Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, Eva Amurri Martino, Susan Sarandon
Director : Sean Anders
Running Time : 117 mins

As a teenager Donny Berger (Sandler) fulfils the ultimate teen dream and starts a relationship with his sexy teacher Ms McGarricle (Amurri Martino & Sarandon), but when they get found out and she gets pregnant, Donny finds himself stuck with a son, Han Solo Berger (Samberg), who grows to despise him. On his 18th birthday Han moves out and wants nothing to do with his father, but when Donny starts to run out of money he decides to look for his son and discovers he has changed his name to Todd Peterson and is getting married!

The very premise of this movie is gross out offensive comedy, but it works pretty well. Whoever came up with the idea of casting Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri Martino as the young and older version of Ms McGarrickle was a genius and, thought Sandler is his usual puerile self, Samberg does a good job playing the easily offended son, with some good turns from Leighton Meester and, surprisingly, Milo Ventimiglia.

You’ll like this if you liked : Meet The Fockers

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011) 8/10

Starring : Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb, Lake Bell, Michelle Borth, Nick Kroll, Tyler Labine, Angela Sarafyan, Lindsay Sloane, Martin Starr
Director : Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck
Running Time : 92 mins

When thirty-something Eric (Sudeikis) discovers that his family home is being sold so he won’t be able to throw parties there for his friends any more, he decides to hold one final party to end all parties. It isn’t long before he and his friends come up with the ultimate grown up party idea – a good old fashioned orgy!

In spite of a silly story line, this is a pretty entertaining comedy that finally brings Jason Sudeikis into a lead role after so many supporting ones. The cast are likeable and play their characters to great effect, and the relationships between the leads are both believable and humorous. This is a must for any slapstick, gross-out comedy fans.

You’ll like this if you liked : Superbad