The Nut Job (2014) 6/10

Starring : Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl
Director : Peter Lepeniotis
Running Time : 80 mins

After being exiled from a local park by his fellow animals, a selfish squirrel named Surly (Arnett) discovers a nut store filled with goodies that will keep him going through the winter. Realising the difficulty of securing the cache on his own, Surly strikes up a deal with squirrels Andie (Heigl) and Grayson (Fraser) to go halves on what they can get, but little do they realise that the nut store is a cover for a team of bank robbers.

Although the animation is nice enough, the characters don’t really spring out as individuals other than in a purely superficial sense. The voices aren’t anything memorable, and the silly appearance by Psy singing Gangnam Style in the end credits seemed weird to me. The concept is interesting, with the bank robbers finding themselves under attack by wildlife trying to rob their hideout, but the lack of impressive characters made this an easily forgettable movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Over The Hedge

Aftershock (2012) 6/10

Starring : Eli Roth, Andrea Osvart, Ariel Levy, Natasha Yarovenko, Nicolas Martinez, Lorenza Izzo
Director : Nicolas Lopez
Running Time : 90 mins

Whilst on holiday in Chile, a group of tourists find their lives in terrible danger when an earthquake hits. Initially some are killed, and the quakes subside, but as a result a local prison is damaged and all of the criminals escape, leaving the surviving tourists wondering which will kill them first; the quakes or the criminals?

To be honest, this could have been worse, but rather annoyingly the makers decided that a natural disaster wasn’t enough to play with, and instead through in a prison break to make things even harder for the cast of characters. This starts off looking like a rip off of The Hangover, even having one cast member looking almost exactly like Zach Galifianakis (which may or may not be intentional), but after about half an hour when the nightclub starts to cave in, events turn to disaster for everyone involved. This is worth watching if you like disaster movies, but be warned that this is over the top nonsense at best.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hostel Part II

Runner Runner (2013) 6/10

Starring : Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie, Ben Affleck
Director : Brad Furman
Running Time : 92 mins

When Princeton student Richie Furst (Timberlake) discovers that he has been conned out of his money by an online gambling site, he takes a trip to Costa Rica to confront Ivan Block (Affleck), the illusive billionaire who runs the website. Apparently impressed by his ability to spot the con, Block offers Richie the chance to make an immense fortune by working with him, but when the FBI turn up at Richie’s door, he finds himself having to decide who he can trust.

This over-the-top thriller makes a man who runs a gambling site look like a Columbian drug lord. On the whole these sites are harmless, so why Affleck’s character chooses to torture people to make his money is beyond me. And the FBI agents were no better, basically beating up on a guy they want to help them out. Timberlake and Affleck are okay in this, but by no means is this Oscar worthy or even really noteworthy. Don’t bother if you’re expecting a great thriller, but try it out if you can live with watching a mediocre one.

You’ll like this if you liked : 21

Hesher (2010) 8/10

Starring : Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Devin Brochu, Rainn Wilson, Piper Laurie, Natalie Portman
Director : Spencer Susser
Running Time : 102 mins

Following the death of his mother, TJ (Brochu) finds life difficult, what with his father Paul (Wilson) suffering from depression and the school bully hassling him all the time. So when he runs into a man called Hesher (Gordon-Levitt) – who, uninvited, moves into his house – and also falls in love with a checkout girl called Nicole (Portman), he finds his life getting even more complicated.

There seems to have been a trend for these kind of movies coming out of the States in the last decade or so, where there is little plot and everything is based around characters and their reactions rather than any particular linear events that might come along to interrupt their lives. Saying that, this is still a really good film that really allows Gordon-Levitt to show that he is so much more than just Tommy in Third Rock From The Sun. Some great performances all round, even if some of the story didn’t really gel quite as well as it could have.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mud

Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit (2014) 6/10

Starring : Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, Keira Knightley
Director : Kenneth Branagh
Running Time : 106 mins

CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Pine) uncovers a possible plot to collapse the United States economy and travels to Russia to investigate Viktor Cherevin (Branagh), the man whose company holds the suspicious funds. But as his investigation continues he discovers that the plot may have far more deadly repercussions than merely affecting the economy...

Knightley really ruined this for me, mainly because I couldn’t tell if she was trying to put on the worst plumy American accent ever or if her natural accent has just started to slide further west across the Atlantic. Fans of Clancy’s books might feel cheated that this is an original script and something akin to a prequel of the series, and some of the violence used in the film feels completely at odds with the subtle plan to ruin the American economy. Still, if you like ridiculous Mission : Impossible style movies then this might keep you entertained once it gets going.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mission : Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Precious (2009) 8/10

Starring : Gabourney Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
Director : Lee Daniels
Running Time : 110 mins

Sixteen year old Claireece Precious Jones (Sidibe) is kicked out of school when she gets pregnant by her father for the second time and is forced to attend an alternative school where she is taught by the oddly named Blue Rain (Patton) who tries to show Precious and the rest of the girls in her class that they aren’t stupid and that they can have a future.

This story starts off as a tale of hope, but as it progresses some of the hope seems to dwindle, especially when Precious receives some devastating news about her health. For the majority of the time the acting is solid and feels real, and the supporting cast – including a barely recognisable Mariah Carey – put in some great performances which make this an effective and memorable movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Blind Side

The Hangover Part III (2013) 6/10

Starring : Bradley Copper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Justin Bartha, John Goodman
Director : Todd Phillips
Running Time : 100 mins

When his father Sid (Tambor) has a heart attack and dies, Alan (Galifianakis) is taken to the hospital by the Wolfpack, who believe he needs to be treated for his mental issues. But on the way, they are attacked and Doug (Bartha) is once again kidnapped by a gang who demand the others deliver the recently escaped from prison Mr Chow (Jeong) to them or they will kill him.

This was a horrible end to an otherwise great series, with a plot that has little or nothing to do with being hung over. I think the main problem with this apparently final instalment of the series is that it focuses too much on the character of Alan, who works as a secondary characters but falls apart when too much attention is placed on him. We are given an unlikeable insight into not only Alan, but the rest of the Wolfpack who, it seems, become even less likeable when they sober up. Their drunkenness worked well in the previous movies as an excuse for them, but here they have no excuse for being so unpleasant. I’d advise simply watching the mid-credits scene, which basically is what this whole movie should have been.

You’ll like this if you liked : Due Date

Mona Lisa Smile (2003) 7/10

Starring : Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin, Dominic West, Juliet Stevenson, Marcia Gay Harden
Director : Mike Newell
Running Time : 120 mins

It’s 1953, and when Katherine Ann Watson (Roberts) takes a job at Wellesley College teaching art history to young girls, she is horrified to discover that so many of these brilliant women are going to choose a life as a wife and mother rather than using their intellect to pursue the careers they are studying for. Her attempts to teach them how to view things differently is embraced by some of her students, but formidable student Betty Warren (Dunst) causes no end of problems due to her disliking of anything she deems subversive.

This wasn’t a bad movie, though it was basically Dead Poets Society for girls. The performances are on the whole effective and interesting, with a very nasty role for Dunst. Roberts could have been better, but in a way by being a pretty flat character she makes the rest of the cast seem more lively and effective as the movie progresses. The only bad thing I’d have to say about this movie is that Roberts character has barely any effect as she tries to change the lives of the girls she teaches, and it is more events themselves that cause them to change their view of the world.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dead Poets Society

That Awkward Moment (2014) 7/10

Starring : Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, Jessica Lucas
Director : Tom Gormican
Running Time : 95 mins

When Mikey (Jordan) discovers that his marriage is falling apart, his two best friends Jason (Efron) and Daniel (Teller) agree to stay single to help him through his ordeal, but it isn’t long before the three womanisers meet women that they want to spend more than just a one night stand with.

The three main characters (or at least Efron and Teller) are about as unlikeable as you can get, yet the story of these womanisers finally settling down is actually pretty good, even though the one-liners do at times feel rehearsed. It’s hard to believe that any of these guys could possibly woo any woman into their bed (especially Teller whose character has all the charisma of a damp sponge), but this just leads us into what is basically a story of three boys growing up and realising that life isn’t all about scoring with chicks and who can lay the biggest number.

You’ll like this if you liked : No Strings Attached

Being Flynn (2012) 6/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Julianne Moore, Olivia Thirlby
Director : Paul Weitz
Running Time : 102 mins

Aspiring writer Nick Flynn (Dano) takes a job in a Boston homeless shelter, where he encounters his father Jonathan (De Niro) after over twenty years of being absent from his life. When Jonathan takes up residence in the shelter, Nick starts to worry that he might end up like his father.

This slow paced drama really wastes some of the talents involved; turning what could have been a nice look at the life of a young man who wants nothing more than to not turn into his father into an at times boring melodrama. Dano and De Niro do their best with the material available, but the subtlety of Dano morphing into his father is partly spoilt by the choice to make De Niro mentally unstable, when Dano shows little sign of a similar affliction, and really doesn’t do the memoir on which this is based justice.

You’ll like this if you liked : Margot At The Wedding

The Numbers Station (2013) 6/10

Starring : John Cusack, Malin Akerman, Liam Cunningham
Director : Kasper Barfoed
Running Time : 89 mins

When he fails his psych evaluation, black ops agent Emerson Kent (Cusack) is given a seemingly simple task of looking after the well being of code announcer Katherine (Ackerman) and the remote numbers station to which she is assigned, but it isn’t long before what first seemed to be an easy task turns into his most dangerous assignment yet.

This movie is simply a case of poor casting. Cusack really didn’t feel like he was the right person to play the lead in this thriller, and Ackerman is just too good looking to be holed up in a remote numbers station. The plot is one that I’ve come across plenty of times before, with the added twist of Cusack being an assassin that doesn’t like assassinating people anymore but finding himself forced to kill over and over again.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mercury Rising

The Ledge (2011) 7/10

Starring : Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, Terrence Howard
Director : Matthew Chapman
Running Time : 101 mins

Detective Hollis Lucetti (Howard) is called in to talk down Gavin Nicholls (Hunnam), a man attempting to jump from a building. As he tries to persuade him not to jump, Lucetti is told the reasons behind Nicholls suicide attempt – he is being blackmailed into killing himself to save someone else’s life.

It's probably the climax of the movie that makes it so interesting. This pits religious fanaticism against stubborn atheism in a most unusual way. By threatening Hunnam, Wilson tries to prove that his religious beliefs are stronger than Hunnam’s belief in his love for Tyler, but what transpires forces the viewer to question who is right; the man who believes in an afterlife or the man who is willing to leave this life to save a loved one. Some interesting thoughts can be found here, but a lot of the execution is a little one-sided.

You’ll like this if you liked : Phone Booth

Mr Peabody & Sherman (2014) 9/10

Starring : Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann
Director : Ron Minkoff
Running Time : 93 mins

Super intelligent dog Mr Peabody (Burrell) won the right to adopt a human boy, Sherman (Charles), and together they travel through time with the aid of a machine called The Way Back to learn more about their world, but when school bully Penny Peterson (Winter) hijacks the time machine they find themselves having to prevent the very destruction of reality itself.

This is a fun and, surprisingly, educational movie that manages to mix humour and action with expert ease. It’s nice to see a remake that is so well done and actually pretty decent, plus the amount of puns were so groan worthy that you couldn’t help but laugh. Granted, Sherman did say he didn’t get it a few too many times for an apparent genius, and the relationship between Sherman and Penny moved far to unrealistically unless you look at it as a friendship based on what Sherman could get for Penny, but all in all this is a very entertaining kids film with enough to keep adults amused as well.

You’ll like this if you liked : Free Birds

The Contractor (2007) 6/10

Starring : Wesley Snipes, Eliza Bennett, Lena Headey, Ralph Brown, Charles Dance
Director : Josef Rusnak
Running Time : 95 mins

Years after a failed operation in which he allowed the escape of a terrorist cell leader, former CIA agent James Jackson Dial (Snipes) is approached by his former boss Jeremy Collins (Brown) with news that the escaped criminal has been captured in London. Dial is given the opportunity to take him out, but when things don’t go according to plan, Dial finds himself on the run when Collins frames him for murder.

Snipes gives his usual level of performance as the man framed for something he didn’t do, but in this movie he actually did commit a murder, just not the one he’s being chased for. On the surface the plot sounds complex, but it is actually a little hokey and generic with the crooked cops and helpful kid thrown in to really make this as simple as possible. Fans of Van Damme and Seagal will enjoy this, but if you prefer your action movies complex and character driven, then steer clear.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shooter

The Way, Way Back (2013) 7/10

Starring : Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Liam James
Director : Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Running Time : 104 mins

Fourteen year old Duncan (James) is forced by his mother Pam (Colette) to spend the summer at the summer place that belongs to her boyfriend Trent (Carell). There he makes friends with water park manager Owen (Rockwell) – a forty-something big kid who loves to wind people up – and finds himself realising his isn’t as big a loser as he once thought himself to be.

Like many other movies, such as Little Miss Sunshine or The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, this movie is more about a mental journey for the characters rather than actually having a plotline. Thankfully there is some light humour from Rockwell, and although James isn’t the strongest of leads, the supporting cast and their changes through the movie make this a pretty fun drama.

You’ll like this if you liked : Youth In Revolt

Hulk Vs (2009) 6/10

Starring : Fred Tatasciore, Matt Wolf, Steve Blum, Graham McTavish, Grey DeLisle, Nolan North, Bryce Johnson
Director : Sam Liu & Frank Paur
Running Time : 83 mins

Hulk (Tatasciore) is lured to Asgard by the evil Loki (McTavish) to destroy his brother Thor (Wolf) by separating the Hulk from Bruce Banner (Johnson) and taking control of him. Then, when Hulk shows up in Canada, he finds himself facing off against Wolverine (Blum) who thinks he is responsible for the massacre of a village, but soon discovers that those behind the attack are his old Department H colleagues.

These two Marvel comics short animated stories, combined into one feature, are nowhere near as good as they could be. The animation is great, but the characters are a little lacking. Fanso f Hulk, Wolverine or Thor will enjoy seeing them in action, but basically that’s all there is to it on the whole – the Versus Wolverine story doesn’t even really have an ending.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Invincible Iron Man