Red State (2011) 7/10

Starring : Michael Angarano, Kerry Bishe, Nicholas Braun, Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Michael Parks, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Root
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 89 mins

Three teenagers respond to an invitation on a sex site asking them for a group session. They head out that night to the location specified, only to be captured by Five Points Trinity Church, a religious group opposed to anything deemed sexually deviant. When one of the teens makes a break for it, the Churches actions attract the attention of the local police and a gun fight ensues.

This starts off okay, then gets a little boring when the teens are kidnapped, but as the gunfight progresses the pacing picks up well and things really get going. The acting isn’t particularly great, and the characters aren’t that likeable, but people who like what basically boils down to a rape-revenge movie without the rape will enjoy this uncharacteristic offering from Kevin Smith.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Hills Have Eyes II

Philomena (2013) 9/10

Starring : Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham
Director : Stephen Frears
Running Time : 99 mins

Disgraced Labour MP Martin Sixsmith (Coogan) decides to go back to his previous job as a journalist and agrees to do a human interest story about Philomena Lee (Dench), a woman whose son was taken away from her fifty years earlier by a group of nuns. As he investigates he discovers there is much more to the story and that the nuns had been selling the children to wealthy Americans and then purposely keeping details of the parents and children away from those that tried to find their families.

This is a wonderfully fun yet sad story that is perfectly performed by Dench and Coogan. Midway the story seems to come to an end, but what follows shows how far the character of Sixsmith has come in the course of the movie. Fans of Dench will love her in this, and fans of Coogan will be surprised by his ability to perform drama as well as comedy. This is a true gem that everyone will enjoy.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Sessions

Stardom (2000) 7/10

Starring : Jessica Pare, Dan Aykroyd, Charles Berling, Robert Lepage, Camilla Rutherford, Thomas Gibson, Frank Langella
Director : Denys Arcand
Running Time : 103 mins

Wannabe Canadian model Tina Menzhal (Pare) is discovered while playing hockey and is soon whisked into the world of an international model. She is seemingly followed around by a documentary crew who record her rise to fame and the various pitfalls that journey entails, including how the media treat her and invade her life.

This movie takes the idea of fame and shows how the media can really turn facts around and shape them to suit their needs. Pare is suitably vapid and oblivious to what’s going on around her for the lead role, and the documentary style really helps give us an idea of how a simple individual can be affected by the actions of the media. Although a little slow in places, this is well worth watching if you are a fan of documentaries concerning the rich and famous, and is an enlightening look at how politics is so entwined with celebrity in the modern age.

You’ll like this if you liked : For Your Consideration

Saving Santa (2013) 7/10

Starring : Martin Freeman, Tim Curry, Pam Ferris, Joan Collins
Director : Leon Joosen & Aaron Seelman
Running Time : 84 mins

Bernard D Elf (Freeman) dreams of becoming an inventor, but is mocked by his peers for his crazy notions. When Santa is kidnapped by Neville Baddington (Curry), the owner of a delivery company that covets Santa’s secret of how he delivers all his presents in one night, Bernard must rise to the challenge of defeating the bad guys by using Santa’s secret – a time travel device – and his own unique brand of ingenuity.

Christmas movies are generally either really good or really bad, but Saving Santa is actually kind of mediocre. The animation isn’t the best, and the voice actors – in spite of some big names – feel a little flat at times, with the concept itself not used as well as it could have been. Children will no doubt find this entertaining enough, but there isn’t enough going on to really grip an adult audience.

You’ll like this if you liked : Free Birds

Lost Christmas (2011) 8/10

Starring : Eddie Izzard, Jason Flemyng, Geoffrey Palmer, Sorcha Cusack, Steven Mackintosh, Christine Bottomley, Larry Mills
Director : John Hay
Running Time : 89 mins

The Christmas after Goose (Mills) is orphaned when his parents are killed in a car accident, he meets an odd man named Anthony (Izzard) who has no memory of who he is but has the ability to find lost things by touching the person who has lost them. Together with Frank (Flemyng), the man Goose fences stolen goods through, they attempt to track down a valuable book that Frank lost a few days earlier.

This starts off slowly and doesn’t feel like it’s going to be anything new, then Eddie Izzard shows up and all my expectations went out the window. This children’s drama is interesting in its tone and its pure Christmas sentimentality, and makes for a thought provoking viewing experience. Fans of Izzard will be impressed by his dramatic performance, but don’t try looking for holes in the story as there are many, which is common in movies of this ilk.

You’ll like this if you liked : It’s A Wonderful Life

Nativity 2 : Danger In The Manger! (2012) 5/10

Starring : David Tennant, Marc Wootton, Jason Watkins, Joanna Page, Ian McNeice, Rose Cavaliero, Jessica Hynes, Pam Ferris
Director : Debbie Isitt
Running Time : 106 mins

Desmond Poppy (Wootton) discovers that there is a countrywide competition open to schools to produce a Christmas song, but is informed by headmistress Mrs Bevan (Ferris) that the school doesn’t have the money or the resources to take the kids to Wales for the competition. So when new teacher Donald Peterson (Tennant) starts at the school, Mr Poppy tricks him on board a school bus and drives to Wales with the kids.

This starts off cute, but soon feels like a repeat of the first movie without any of the charm. I couldn’t figure what Mr Poppy’s reasoning was behind getting Mr Peterson on the school trip considering whoever went with him he was still kidnapping a school class. Basically this film is about an unstable man who kidnaps a classroom full of kids and, although small children might find the silliness entertaining, most grown ups will just look at how dangerous the fun this movie portrays would be in reality.

You’ll like this if you liked : Little Miss Sunshine

This Christmas (2007) 6/10

Starring : Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, Columbus Short, Regina King
Director : Preston A Whitmore II
Running Time : 114 mins

It’s been four years since the Whitfield family have spent Christmas together, and finally matriarch Shirley Ann (Devine), known to her kids as Ma’Dere, has managed to get them all together, but they are all keeping secrets about their private lives from their family, and it might just take a Christmas miracle for them to open up to each other.

This drama plodded along with no real direction, and the individual storylines weren’t that impressive, specifically the one surrounding Regina King which was meant to be a bit of a comedy moment but didn’t quite work for me. It’s a shame the script wasn’t a bit sharper or the actors a bit more interested in their parts or this could have actually been a pretty fun Christmas movie that didn’t rely on the obvious resolutions or the ideas of a Christmas miracle to resolve its storyline.

You’ll like this if you liked : Four Christmases

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) 9/10

Starring : Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace
Director : James Gunn
Running Time : 121 mins

Intergalactic thief Peter Quill (Pratt) steals a valuable orb and soon finds himself teaming up with a band of disparate beings as they attempt to sell off the orb for a profit, but when the realise that the orb is in fact a weapon they find themselves in a whole heap of danger from every mercenary under the sun and are targeted by the son of Thanos, Ronan The Accuser (Pace) who plans on using the orb to destroy the galaxy.

It’s surprising that such a little known comic book that has only recently had a revival should get the big screen treatment, but it works incredibly well. Pratt is perfect as Quill, and this seems to have opened the path to Hollywood for him after his time in Parks And Recreation as he is scheduled to star in the upcoming Jurassic World. The rest of the cast are great, and the humour and drama are perfectly matched at the right level. A must see for any fan of marvels latest batch of movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : 4 : Rise Of The Silver Surfer

Cosmopolis (2012) 5/10

Starring : Robert Pattinson, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Sarah Gadon, Mathieu Amalric, Juliette Binoche, Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand
Director : David Cronenberg
Running Time : 105 mins

Billionaire Eric Packer (Pattinson) travels through the streets of Manhattan in the back of his limo, on his way to a barber’s appointment. Along the way he meets up with a wide variety of people, kills his bodyguard, and organises a meeting with Benno Levin (Giamatti), a man who wants him dead.

This was so boring it’s hard to say where to begin. Pattinson is about as charismatic as a glass of water and manages to take a dull and directionless script and suck anything redeemable about it straight back out. The supporting cast, though adept, have nothing to play with here and basically meander through the movie doing nothing of consequence while making me want to go to sleep, although the closing scenes with Giamatti did help redeem the movie in a small way. It’s possible that the dullness of this movie is supposed to be a reflection on how capitalism has drained all the life out of the world, but the fact that this was completely missed by me proves that this is Cronenberg at his worst.

You’ll like this if you liked : Crash

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After Earth (2013) 7/10

Starring : Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Zoe Isabella Kravitz, Sophie Okonedo
Director : M Night Shyamalan
Running Time : 100 mins

Thirteen year old Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) lives on Nova Prime, one thousand years after humanity was forced to flee Earth. When his father Cypher Raige (Will Smith) returns from a tour of duty, they are caught in an asteroid storm which forces their ship to crash land on an unrecognisable Earth. With his father injured and dying, Kitai is forced to become a man and try to recover their rescue beacon so that they can be rescued.

This is basically a vehicle for Jaden Smith with his dad taking the back burner for the most part. There isn’t much to the basic plot which relies heavily on visuals to get its message across, and surprisingly there isn’t really a twist in the end – something you’d expect from Shyamalan. Instead this is a sort of message of hope, wrapped in a message telling us that we are going to destroy our planet.

You’ll like this if you liked : Oblivion

The Rookie (2002) 7/10

Starring : Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez, Beth Grant, Angus T Jones, Brian Cox
Director : John Lee Hancock
Running Time : 129 mins

Chemistry teacher and baseball coach Jimmy Morris (Quaid) once dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player but never tried out. Now almost forty, some of his players persuade him to take a bet – if they win the championships he’ll try out for a professional team. When they do, he tries out and successfully lands himself a place on a team, bringing his 98mph pitching arm top the attention of the entire country.

This feel good family movie is a typical Disney everyman-makes-good flick that always appeals to the masses. Quaid does a decent job in the lead, finding his luck hard to believe for the duration of the film, and the supporting cast – though not outstanding in any way – lend credibility to his character that could otherwise have been absent without them.

You’ll like this if you liked : Field Of Dreams

Divergent (2014) 8/10

Starring : Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, Kate Winslet
Director : Neil Burger
Running Time : 140 mins

In the future society has divided into five distinct factions, none of which are interchangeable, and teenagers must choose their factions for life. When Tris Prior (Woodley) discovers that she is what is known as Divergent, meaning that she can easily fit into any faction while not really fitting into any one, she discovers that her life is in danger if anyone were to find out...

This was actually a reasonable teen sci-fi drama that had some pretty good acting and a reasonably decent script, though some of the reasoning behind Tris’s decisions isn’t explained very well. It was nice to see Woodley and Teller on screen again following their awesome performance in The Spectacular Now and, though the plot is reminiscent of many other teen fictions of recent years, this is still an action packed and though provoking flick.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Hunger Games : Catching Fire

13 Assassins (2010) 8/10

Starring : Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yuseke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijiro Hira
Director : Takashi Miike
Running Time : 142 mins

The evil Lord Naritsugu (Inagaki) poses a threat to the people of Feudal Japan, so a team of thirteen men are formed and set out to assassinate the Lord before he can journey back to the Akashi land. On their journey they are faced by many enemies, not the least being Naritsugu’s army of seventy men.

The setup for this movie is really what makes it, showing the feudal lord as being as evil as you could possibly imagine, with him raping, killing, and dismembering people all in the opening scenes. This is quite different to the movies that really made Takashi Miike so well-known – namely Ichi The Killer and Audition – but has all the violence you’d expect from one of his films, coupled with a solid storyline. Granted, the body count feels a little high, but the depth of the sadness the assassins feel and their righteousness in their actions make this a compelling and rewarding film.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hero

Dead Man Down (2013) 6/10

Starring : Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper
Director : Niels Arden Oplev
Running Time : 118 mins

Career criminal Victor (Farrell) decides to take revenge against crime boos Alphonse (Howard) by infiltrating his gang, but his actions come to the attention of his disillusioned neighbour Beatrice (Rapace) who, upon discovering Victors plans, blackmails him into seeking out revenge against those that have wronged her.

This is a pretty standard crime movie that had nothing special to deliver. The execution was slow, and filled with the kind of language that is becoming increasingly annoying in British gangster flicks, and Farrell and Rapace themselves were just too ordinary in their delivery and performance. Personally I wouldn’t bother with this misleadingly titled attempt at making an intelligent crime caper.

You’ll like this if you liked : Snitch

Big Mommas : Like Father Like Son (2011) 5/10

Starring : Martin Lawrence, Brandon T Jackson, Jessica Lucas
Director : John Whitesell
Running Time : 103 mins

Malcolm Turner (Lawrence) once again dons the guise of Big Momma, this time bringing his stepson Trent (Jackson) along for the ride, when the two are forced to hide from a group of villains after witnessing a murder. The two take up residence in an all girl’s school for the performing arts where a flash drive that the gang are after has been hidden.

It’s a shame that Martin Lawrence seems to have allowed himself to be trapped by the curse of Big Momma. At least the reasons for Lawrence to dress as Big Momma made a little more sense than in the second film, but his disguise still could have been less flamboyant. The addition of Jackson does nothing to help this movie, and his rapping is abysmal and made me want to cry with shame that this movie ever got made.

You’ll like this if you liked : Miss Congeniality 2 : Armed And Fabulous

Muppets Most Wanted (2014) 8/10

Starring : Steve Whitmore, Eric Jacobson, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey, Matt Vogel
Director : James Bobin
Running Time : 108 mins

Following the success of their revival show, The Muppets are approached by a shady agent named Dominic Badguy (Gervais) who convinces them to go on a world tour with their show so that they can become famous in every country in the world. But the truth behind Badguy’s plans is to replace Kermit (Whitmore) with his criminal lookalike Constantine (Vogel) so that the two of them can set out on a sinister international crime spree.

Featuring what feels like a lot more songs than the 2011 Muppet movie, I actually thought this was a far better film. The plot wasn’t as weak, and the songs were more imaginative and fun to listen to. Kids and adults alike will enjoy this latest Muppet movie, which is filled with silly humour and funny set pieces that everyone can enjoy, and on the whole the guest stars were both excellent and surprising.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Great Muppet Caper

Keith Lemon : The Film (2012) 4/10

Starring : Leigh Francis, Verne Troyer, Kevin Bishop, Laura Aikman, David Hasselhoff, Conleth Hill, Nina Wadia, Harish Patel, Kelly Brook
Director : Paul Angunawela
Running Time : 82 mins

When Keith Lemon (Francis) travels to London to try and promote his new security product, no one is interested, but there he meets fellow entrepreneur Kushvinder (Patel) offers him his invention – a buttonless cell phone – he becomes an overnight millionaire, turning his back on his girlfriend Rosie (Aikman) in favour of model Kelly Brook.

This is to Celebrity Juice what Guest House Paradiso was to Bottom. Fans of Celebrity Juice and Bo Selecta might enjoy some parts of this movie, but the humour is so juvenile there is barely a chucklesome moment in the whole film, which feels decidedly longer than its measly 82 minutes. The acting is terrible, the plot is weak, and the jokes basically revolve around sex, cocks, arses and fannies. Steer clear if you are not familiar with the works of Leigh Francis, and probably avoid if you like him because this will ruin his comedy for you.

You’ll like this if you liked : Guest House Paradiso

Oldboy (2013) 7/10

Starring : Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L Jackson
Director : Spike Lee
Running Time : 104 mins

Following twenty years of being mysteriously incarcerated in a hotel room with no contact to the outside world other than a single TV set, Joe Doucett (Brolin) wakes up in a trunk in the middle of a field. Having discovered he has been framed for the murder of his wife, he sets out to find who really killed her and exact revenge, while also trying to find his missing daughter.

Many would say that remaking the classic Korean movie Oldboy would be a huge mistake, and I’ll admit I was one of those people. But for those who have never seen the original this is an interesting and disturbing movie that admittedly is enjoyable. Lee has apparently claimed that this is based on the Manga and not the movie but, other than the very ending, this is almost identical to the 2003 version, without the bravery that that movie possessed in its final conclusion. For a watered down version of Oldboy, this is okay, but I much preferred the original and really hope (and suspect) that the rest of the Vengeance Trilogy are not translated.

You’ll like this if you liked : Taken 2

Notorious (2009) 7/10

Starring : Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie
Director : George Tillman Jr
Running Time : 123 mins

Christopher Wallace (Woolard) is a young kid growing up in the crime ridden area of Bedstuy, Brooklyn. As he grows up, following his dream of writing rap lyrics, he gets involved in drug dealing and becomes a big time dealer, eventually making a mistake that sends him to prison. When he makes friends with Sean Coombs (Luke), a record producer, Wallace soon finds himself on the road to stardom as the Notorious B.I.G.

This movie looks at the rise to fame of the Notorious B.I.G, his feud with Tupac Shakur, and how fame and fortune went to his head and lead him to cheat on his wife Faith Evans. It’s an interesting drama, and doesn’t make any false claims that Biggie is a sympathetic character, and shows that he was a rapper who actually wrote about his life, not one of those wannabes you get nowadays who just write about bitches and drugs because that’s what they think rap music is all about. This biopic is a little long, but it is entertaining and gives a good picture of how Biggie’s life was from a young age until his death.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tina

Free Birds (2013) 8/10

Starring : Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Amy Poehler, George Takei, Colm Meaney, Keith David, Dan Fogler
Director : Jimmy Hayward
Running Time : 92 mins

Reggie (Wilson) is a turkey who has discovered that he and his fellow birds are going to be slaughtered for Thanksgiving. When he is kidnapped by another turkey named Jake (Harrelson), he finds himself taken to a secret underground lair that contains a time machine, and is thrust into the past as part of Jake’s plan to end the Thanksgiving tradition of eating turkeys.

I went into this blind, suspecting it would be another Barnyard or Over The Hedge. Instead this is a bizarre time-travel comedy-romance that whizzes along at breakneck speed, delivering laughs and action as it goes. It’s nice to see one of the lesser known animation studios deliver such an action packed comedy that will appeal to both children and adults alike, and here’s hoping their next effort is just as good.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Nut Job

Road Train (2010) 4/10

Starring : Xavier Samuel, Bob Morley, Georgina Haig, Sophie Lowe, David Argue
Director : Dean Francis
Running Time : 91 mins

When four Australian teenagers get run off the road by a Road Train, they find themselves injured and trapped in the wilderness. When they spot that the truck that ran them off the road is parked a short distance from their location, they decide to steal it when someone starts taking pot shots at them. It isn’t long before they realise that there is something very strange about the truck they now find themselves driving around in.

This movie started off like a standard horror flick, and then went downhill. Apparently, and this might be a spoiler, the truck was controlling people and forcing them to feed it fuel in the shape of human corpses. I just shook my head at how stupid this concept was, and also that this was an unfunny rip-off of Blood Car. Steer clear, this may start off okay, but this isn’t worth sticking around for.

You’ll like this if you liked : Maximum Overdrive

The Mortal Instruments : City Of Bones (2013) 5/10

Starring : Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan , Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder, Jared Harris
Director : Harald Zwart
Running Time : 130 mins

When Clary Fray (Collins) starts seeing strange runes everywhere she goes, she soon discovers that she is descended from a line of half-angel demon killers called Shadowhunters. Joining forces with a group of these half-angels, Clary finds herself launched into a magical world of good versus evil.

This had potential, and this feels like a world that is filled with possibilities, but the lazy execution made this a troubling and confusing movie. Nothing is really explained (exposition is sometimes necessary) and the powers of the characters are ridiculously convenient. Things happen to characters that are later largely ignored, and the relationships between the characters have little or no relation to what they have been through together, some of them being spelled out to us and others just randomly occurring as if from nowhere. I haven’t read the books, but I’d like to just to give Cassandra Clare the benefit of the doubt. Plus, carving runes into people’s arms? Talk about promoting self-harm!!

You’ll like this if you liked : Eclipse

Thor : Tales Of Asgard (2011) 7/10

Starring : Matt Wolf, Rick Gomez, Tara Strong, Alistair Abell, Paul Dobson, Brent Chapman, Chris Britton, Ron Halder, Cathy Weseluck, Michael Dobson, John Novak
Director : Sam Liu
Running Time : 74 mins

A young Thor (Wolf) has been told by his father Odin (Britton) that he is not to leave Asgard due to the dangers of the surrounding worlds. So, along with his half-brother Loki (Gomez), he stows aboard the vessel of the Warriors Three, Fandral (Abell), Hogun (Dobson) and Volstagg (Chapman), in order to journey in search of the fabled Sword of Surtur, but accidentally starts a war with the frost giants.

Again the team behind the direct-to-video Marvel animated movies has decided that their audience want to see kids as the heroes of their films, something that is even reflected in the animation style. Like Next Avengers, this is clearly aimed at a far younger audience and, because of this, alienates the older viewers from the outset. But if you give it a chance it is actually far better than Next Avengers and some very interesting character development for both Thor and Loki, plus a neat plot twist towards the end.

You’ll like this if you liked : Next Avengers : Heroes Of Tomorrow

Captain America : The Winter Soldier (2014) 9/10

Starring : Chris Evans, Samuel L Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders
Director : Anthony & Joe Russo
Running Time : 136 mins

Having awoken in the present day after years spent in suspended animation, Steve Rogers (Evans) faces a world where villainy isn’t as obvious as it once was. When it comes to light that SHIELD has been infiltrated by its enemies, and that SHIELD director Nick Fury (Jackson) has been killed by the mysterious Winter Soldier, Steve dons his guise as Captain America and finds himself on the run, believed to be an enemy of the state.

This is such a different movie to The First Avenger that it is hard to compare them. Evans does a fantastic job in the lead, with Jackson actually doing some work to earn his credit in the movie. The plot, if you know anything about the comic books, is predictable but if you don’t then the set up for the identity of the Winter Soldier is pretty subtle. A great movie which, in many ways other than visual spectacle, surpasses Avengers Assemble.

You’ll like this if you liked : Captain America : The First Avenger

Justice League : Doom (2012) 7/10

Starring : Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Nathan Fillion, Carl Lumbly, Michael Rosenbaum, Bumper Robinson, Phil Morris
Director : Lauren Montgomery
Running Time : 77 mins

The Justice League find themselves facing off against some of their greatest enemies in the form of the Legion Of Doom – lead by the immortal super villain Vandal Savage (Morris) - and each member of the League is taken out one by one, with the use of plans compiled by Batman (Conroy) in the event that one of the Leagues members should turn on the others. They soon discover that the reason behind their attack is a plan to use a solar flare to destroy half of the planet, and the Legion wanted the League out of the way so they could complete their plan for world domination.

Fans of the DC universe will love this movie which, although it has an engaging character driven storyline, also features a hell of a lot of one-on-one fight scenes with everyone’s favourite characters. DC have gone back to the standard Warner Brothers animation. Which I like, and the characterizations are great, with many voice actors returning to roles they have played before (Fillion as Green Lantern is perfect).

You’ll like this if you liked : Justice League : Crisis On Two Earths

White House Down (2013) 8/10

Starring : Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Joey King, James Woods
Director : Roland Emmerich
Running Time : 127 mins

Failed secret service applicant John Cale (Tatum) takes his daughter Emily (King) on a tour of the White House as part of an attempt to help strengthen their relationship, but when terrorists attack the White House and his daughter goes missing, Cale is forced to do everything in his power to save her. In his search, he comes across President James Sawyer (Foxx) and finds himself acting as his protection duty.

From the outset this movie sounds like nothing more than another version of Olympus Has Fallen, which came out in the same year, but having watched both I actually thought this was the superior of the two movies. The characters are more lively, and have more personality, and there’s actually a much-needed injection of humour in the movie that was largely absent from Olympus. Fans of big budget action movies will really get a kick out of this.

You’ll like this if you liked : Die Hard

Billy Elliot (2000) 8/10

Starring : Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Jean Heywood, Jamie Draven, Gary Lewis
Director : Stephen Daldry
Running Time : 106 mins

While training at his boxing class in Durham, eleven year old Billy Elliot (Bell) discovers a liking for ballet, but with his father Jackie (Draven) and his older brother Tony (Lewis) stressing over the mining strikes he finds himself torn between his newfound love of dance and his loyalty to his family, and he is forced to decide between the two when he is offered an audition at the Royal Ballet in London.

This would have been a great kid’s film if all the swearing had have been removed, but this is still a good film even if young children can’t see it. Bell is great in the lead role, and the supporting cast keep things dark in what could otherwise have been a bright and fluffy flick. My only gripe is the ending – set in the future – so we don’t get to see Jamie Bell as Billy performing Swan Lake.

You’ll like this if you liked : This Is England

A Million Ways To Die In The West (2014) 7/10

Starring : Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, Liam Neeson
Director : Seth MacFarlane
Running Time : 116 mins

Albert (MacFarlane) is a lazy sheepherder living in the old West whose girlfriend Louise (Seyfried) has left him after he backs out of a duel. When he meets Anna (Theron), a woman who is new to town, they come up with a ploy for him to win back his lady by training as a gunfighter, but Anna’s husband is the dangerous outlaw Clinch Leatherwood (Neeson), and he doesn’t take kindly to folk messing with his woman.

After the disaster that was Ted, and the fact that Family Guy has been on a steady decline for over a decade, I really didn’t expect much from this effort. Surprisingly there were a few laughs, mostly uncomfortable ones, but not as many as you’d hope for in a modern comedy. As usual with MacFarlane, there were some unnecessary racist jokes and observations (since when is calling someone yellow a slur against the Chinese?), and the strongest moments were probably the scenes that didn’t feature MacFarlane such as those between Ribisi and Silverman which were pretty funny. Fans of MacFarlane (of which I’m guessing there are millions) will no doubt find this appealing, otherwise steer clear.

You’ll like this if you liked : Anchorman 2 : The Legend Continues

American High School Teen Party (2008) 7/10

Starring : Larry Miller, Tara Reid, Gary Lundy, Kayla Ewell, Lea Thompson
Director : Nick Weiss
Running Time : 86 mins

Adam Harris (Lundy) accidentally reveals the location of this years senior skip day party to principal Dickwalder (Miller), everyone hates him for ruining their good time. So, in order to make amends, he decides to organise a replacement party at his house.

Generally known as Senior Skip Day outside of the UK, this teen comedy openly admits to paying homage to teen movies of the 80s, specifically Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Lundy feels at times to be doing an impression of Ryan Reynolds, but this doesn’t get in the way of the story and character development. Fans of teen comedies could do much worse than check this out, though it isn’t as good as recent teen movies like Superbad.

You’ll like this if you liked : American Pie Presents Band Camp

Broken City (2013) 6/10

Starring : Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Pepper
Director : Allen Hughes
Running Time : 105 mins

Seven years after quitting his job as a police officer, Billy Taggart (Wahlberg) has turned private detective and is employed by current mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Crowe) to investigate the movements of his wife Cathleen (Zeta-Jones), suspecting she is having an affair. When he discovers she is meeting with a man who is co-ordinating an opposing mayoral campaign, Taggart starts to suspect that Hostetler’s request for him to tail his wife may be for another reason when the campaigner turns up dead...

Although this has a plot that has been done to death over the years, this had the potential to be an entertaining movie. Sadly there is little or no charisma present in any of the actors involved, and there are so many clichés that you immediately know who the good guys and the bad guys are, even when you’re not really supposed to. My advice would be to watch something else, because this has so much unnecessary filler that it starts to distract you from what the main plot really is.

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

Children Of Men (2006) 8/10

Starring : Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Pam Ferris, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
Director : Alfonso Cuaron
Running Time : 105 mins

In the year 2027, 18 years since the last human birth as women have mysteriously become infertile, Theo Faron (Owen) is called back into his life as an activist by his ex-partner Julian (Moore) when a young girl named Kee (Ashitey) is found to be miraculously pregnant.

Although this is a sci-fi, set in a dystopian future where mankind is soon nearing extinction, this is perfectly accessible by those who wouldn’t normally enjoy science fiction. Loosely based on the story by PD James, this has a lot in common with an earlier book, Earth Abides by George R Stewart. It was nice that the future portrayed in this movie didn’t look that much different from our own present, aside from the animated advert posters, and by making the movie in this way it brings the message a lot closer to home.

You’ll like this if you liked : 28 Days Later

Rio 2 (2014) 6/10

Starring : Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, Jemaine Clement, George Lopez
Director : Carlos Saldanha
Running Time : 102 mins

Blu (Eisenberg) and Jewel (Hathaway), two Spix’s macaws that live in Rio with their three children, hear on the news that their previous owner Linda Gunderson (Mann) and her husband are in the Amazon seeking out another rare macaw so eventually decide to travel to the Amazon to help them out. But they soon find themselves in danger from a group of Scarlet macaws as well as some loggers who plan on demolishing their habitat.

This sequel to the wonderful 2011 original suffers from the fact that what made the original so fun has been totally ignored and the characters have moved on far too much. Blu and Jewel have a family which spoils the mystery of their romance in the first movie and their endeavours in the Amazon feel forced and at time pointless. Even the most diehard fan of the original will find it hard to find anything extremely likeable about this poor effort that has one of the most predictable plots in recent cinematic history.

You’ll like this if you liked : Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Scooby-Doo! Mask Of The Blue Falcon (2012) 8/10

Starring : Frank Welker, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard
Director : Michael Goguen
Running Time : 74 mins

In the nineteenth of the direct to video Scooby-Doo series, Shaggy (Lillard) and Scooby-Doo (Welker) attend a comic convention in the hope of meeting their heroes, TV characters the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, ans also to see a preview of the new movie. But when one of Blue Falcon’s enemies mysteriously comes to life and tries to sabotage the movie launch, the gang find they have another mystery on their hands.

Fans of the old Hanna Barbera cartoons of the sixties and seventies will really get a kick out of this. Not only does it feature Dynomutt and The Blue Falcon, but there are plenty of other cameos amongst the attendees at the comic convention. Like the early Scooby-Doo animated movies, this movies resolution features a nice double-bluff that really allows the viewer to get involved in the mystery itself.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scooby-Doo And The Witch’s Ghost

Odd Thomas (2013) 8/10

Starring : Anton Yelchin, Addison Timlin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nico Tortorella, Patton Oswalt, Willem Dafoe
Director : Stephen Sommers
Running Time : 93 mins

Small town fry cook Odd Thomas (Yelchin) has the unusual ability of being able to see the dead, as well as creatures called bodachs which feed off the death energy from huge disasters. When a large number of bodachs arrive in town, Odd finds himself investigating what they are here for, and hoping to prevent the massive disaster that they are here to witness.

I really enjoyed this adaptation of the first in the Dean Koontz series, and thought the characters were just as lively and likeable as they were in the books. All the nuances are there, as are all the comic touches, and the effects are reasonably good (you can tell this is directed by Stephen “The Mummy” Sommers). I’ve always felt that Odd Thomas had a lot to thank the TV show Dead Like Me, both for its premise and its visuals, but that doesn’t stop this from being a fun-filled supernatural detective thriller!

You’ll like this if you liked : The Frighteners

Ready Or Not (2009) 6/10

Starring : Christian Oliver, Seamus Deaver, Evan Helmuth, Jonathan Murphy, Fernanda Romero
Director : Sean Doyle
Running Time : 88 mins

For his bachelor party, Chris (Oliver) heads off to Las Vegas with three of his closest friends, but when anti-marriage Marc (Deaver) decides to fly the gang to Cabo for a few days, but they accidentally end up in Mexico where they find themselves stuck with no money and no real way of getting home.

I’m not sure if this came before or after The Hangover, but it really is the poorer sibling of the two. There is little to find funny in this buddy movie that has some pretty poor execution. The moral this movie tries to tell is a little on the weak side, and as for the ending, the whole this-was-all-a-test thing really annoyed me.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bachelor Party

Paranormal Activity : The Marked Ones (2014) 7/10

Starring : Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz, Gabrielle Walsh, Renee Victor, Noemi Gonzalez
Director : Christopher Landon
Running Time : 102 mins

After spying on his neighbour who soon turns up dead, Jesse (Jacobs) sneaks into the abandoned house and finds black magic paraphernalia. Soon strange things start to happen to him and he appears to develop telekinetic powers, and it isn’t long until he and his friends realise that he is slowly being possessed by a malevolent spirit.

It’s refreshing to have characters that aren’t connected to those in the original few movies of the series (though of course they show up towards the end), and the twist on a person being obviously possessed from the get-go made this a little more original than the previous sequels, but the found-footage theme of the series is getting a little too convenient for my liking. Fans of the series will enjoy this, but it is a little hokey in places, and some of the effects actually made me chuckle, specifically the shot-gun moments.

You’ll like this if you liked : Chronicle

Dylan Dog : Dead Of Night (2010) 7/10

Starring : Brandon Routh, Anita Briem, Sam Huntington, Taye Diggs
Director : Kevin Munroe
Running Time : 108 mins

Supernatural private investigator Dylan Dog (Routh) comes out of retirement when his partner Marcus (Huntington) is killed and turned into a zombie. The killer was a werewolf, but when the werewolf turns up dead Dylan starts to suspect that rumours of a giant killer zombie in Louisiana may be true and that a group of vampires may be responsible for a valuable artefact that has gone missing..

Fans of the comic book on which this is based have done nothing but complain about how unworthy this adaptation is, but to be fair it was okay. I wasn’t expecting much from Routh in the lead role, but he did a pretty good job as Dylan, and Huntington was likeable as the zombiefied sidekick, but I wasn’t a big fan of Briem, though thankfully this turns out to be understandable. Fans of movies like Underworld who want a lighter version to sample will like this, but fans of the comic will definitely not.

You’ll like this if you liked : Daybreakers

Curse Of Chucky (2013) 7/10

Starring : Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Brennan Elliott, Brad Dourif
Director : Don Mancini
Running Time : 97 mins

When wheelchair bound Nica (Fiona Dourif) is forced to gather her family home for the funeral of her mother, she finds a mysterious doll which was in the house when she dies. Investigation leads her to discover that this doll is a Good Guy doll named Chucky (Brad Dourif) – the same sort of doll involved in a series of supernatural murders years earlier – and when people start to drop dead around her, she starts to suspect that the cursed doll might be responsible.

Where the other Child’s Play follow-ups have been comedy heavy, this instalment is a lot darker and just as violent. The darkness works well with such a creepy doll, and thank God that Dourif is still available to voice him. Fans of the originals will enjoy this, especially as it comes full circle and explains some elements of the original movie, but don’t expect as many wise-cracks as there were in Bride and Seed.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dead Silence

The Apparition (2012) 5/10

Starring : Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan, Tom Felton
Director : Todd Lincoln
Running Time : 83 mins

Following an ill-conceived experiment to contact the other side by a group of students, including one named Ben (Stan), he and his girlfriend Kelly (Greene) discover that they have let an entity into their lives. Attempting to flee from Kelly’s parent’s house to avoid the spirit, the two find the spectre following them wherever they go, but the spirit has latched on to Ben and Kelly and is haunting them!

I couldn’t figure out why the spirit was following them, when it was their friend who opened the gateway to hell or whatever. He seemed to have gotten off scot free while they were terrorised. This is a pretty weak horror, and it doesn’t help that it is aimed at a younger audience with its 15 certificate and cast hailing from the likes of Twilight and Harry Potter. Fans of Paranormal Activity should probably stick with Paranormal Activity – this is more like the bad teen horrors that came along after Scream in the late nineties and early naughties.

You’ll like this if you liked : Pulse

Hatchet III (2013) 7/10

Starring : Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, Zach Galligan, Caroline Williams, Parry Shen, Robert Diago DoQui
Director : BJ McDonnell
Running Time : 82 mins

Victor Crowley (Hodder) is finally dead and Marybeth (Harris) turns herself into the police to report she has successfully killed him, but the police arrest her, believing she is responsible for the multiple deaths in the local swamp. It isn’t long before a recovery team is sent out to collect the corpses, but the evil of Victor Crowley may not be over as it is revealed that he is cursed to come back in his original form every night, regardless of how mutilated his corpse may be.

Although still not as good as the original, this (allegedly) final instalment of the trilogy is an improvement on number two, with the characters feeling a bit more lively and engaging. Marybeth is still pretty terrible as the heroine of the piece, and she does little with the role in this, but fans of the series will enjoy the continually over the top violence and ridiculous death scenes that leave little to the imagination.

You’ll like this if you liked : Friday The 13th Part 3D

Club Dread (2004) 7/10

Starring : Jay Chandrasekhar, Bill Paxton, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Brittany Daniel
Director : Jay Chandrasekhar
Running Time : 114 mins

It’s Spring Break on the island resort of Pleasure Island, but the fun of the staff and guests doesn’t last for long when people start turning up dead. Everyone’s a suspect, and nobody is safe from the vengeance of the murderous Machete Phil – who is killing people according to the lyrics of a song by island owner Coconut Pete (Paxton) - so everyone bands together to try and figure out who the killer is and stop them before they all die..

If it wasn’t for the corny dialogue this could have been like any other teen slasher that has surfaced over the last few years. The villain is horrifically unstoppable, the victims are pathetically easy to kill, and the suspects are numerous. There is a lot that could connect this to horror sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, from the white Rasta to the island setting, but the comic twists make this silly instalment to the Broken Lizard series memorable for not being as over the top as the movies of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer.

You’ll like this if you liked : Super Troopers

The Conjuring (2013) 7/10

Starring : Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor
Director : James Wan
Running Time : 112 mins

When they Perron family move into their new home and strange things start to happen, the call on the help of famed paranormal investigator Ed Warren (Wilson) and his clairvoyant wife Lorraine (Farmiga) in the hope of easing their mind that there is a simple explanation for all the oddities, but when they declare that the house is haunted by a particularly sinister spirit it becomes apparent that their lives may very well be in danger.

Based on documented events this starts off well but once we see the spirit this gets very hammy very quickly. Thankfully that’s what fans of exorcism movies seem to enjoy; lots of vomit, lots of violence, and lots of people getting thrown around the room. The back story to the spirit gives the tale some credence, and the performances – though over the top – make this a likeable horror flick that will make most people jump at least once.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Amityville Horror

Strippers Vs Werewolves (2012) 4/10

Starring : Adele Silva, Robert Englund, Billy Murray, Martin Kemp, Ali Bastian, Steven Berkoff
Director : Jonathan Glendening
Running Time : 93 mins

When stripper Justice (Silva) accidentally kills a werewolf at the club where she works, her friends and colleagues find their lives in danger when the werewolf community come after them in force, wanting revenge for the death of one of their kind. Their only hope: to beat the werewolves at their own game.

Wow! This was not a great movie. We’re talking about a film that apparently took just £38 at the UK box office! The acting is awful, the plot is pathetic, and the soundtrack to the movie just doesn’t feel right. The actors I did recognise are all famous for being in soap operas, which is never a good sign of quality, and as for the special effects, they were almost non-existent other than the werewolf makeup. There is some entertainment value, but on the whole this was pretty bad.

You’ll like this if you liked : Lesbian Vampire Killers