Two Night Stand (2014) 7/10

Starring : Analeigh Tipton, Miles Teller, Jessica Szohr, Scott Mescudi
Director : Max Nichols
Running Time : 86 mins

Megan (Tipton) is convinced by her best friend Faiza (Szohr) that she needs to meet a man, so she joins a dating website and hooks up with Alec (Teller) for one night of meaningless sex. She doesn’t really like him much and can’t wait to leave, but unfortunately a huge snow storm traps them in Alec’s apartment together and they are forced into a situation neither one of them relishes.

Although slow to get going, and having two lead characters that aren’t particularly sympathetic, this slowly turned into a fun and likeable romantic comedy that felt hopeful until the big twist towards the end almost dashes all of our expectations against the rocks of disappointment. Thankfully this was realistically turned around, and we’re left with a rom-com that may not be the best or the most memorable but is still good enough to watch more than once.

You’ll like this if you liked : In Search Of A Midnight Kiss

Absolutely Anything (2015) 8/10

Starring : Simon Pegg, Kate Beckinsale, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rob Riggle, Robert Bathurst, Eddie Izzard, Joanna Lumley, Robin Williams
Director : Terry Jones
Running Time : 82 mins

Neil Clarke (Pegg) is a teacher who dreams of being a published author and getting together with his downstairs neighbour, Catherine (Beckinsale). When an invading force of aliens use him as a test subject to see what kind of race mankind is, and to decide whether to welcome them or destroy them, Neil finds himself possessing superpowers that allow him to make absolutely anything be true.

Even though this movie doesn’t come up with any new or exciting ideas, and somehow misses the opportunity for the main character to make himself into a famous author, this is still a fun filled movie that, if not for the frequent use of bad language, could have made for a great family movie. Pegg works well in the lead, though it seems unlikely that Beckinsale would willingly be attracted to him, and the supporting cast of big names makes this a wonderful little known movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bruce Almighty

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) 7/10

Starring : Tilda Swinton, John C Reilly, Ezra Miller
Director : Lynne Ramsay
Running Time : 108 mins

Eva Khatchadourian (Swinton) is forced to take any job she can as the public treat her badly for something that happened in her past. The story goes back to the birth of her son, Kevin (Miller), an anti-social odd little child, and explains how the warning signs concerning his behaviour are ignored by everyone except Eva, eventually culminating in an act so vicious and malevolent it causes Eva to be shunned from society.

This movie is so slow paced, but because it doesn’t give away too many details it keeps you watching just to find out what the hell has happened to Eva to make everyone act towards her the way they do. I actually felt sorry for her once the big reveal occurred as, to be fair, it wasn’t really her fault that Kevin was a nut job, and she did seek help about him but no-one would believe her. An interesting movie if you can cope with the pacing.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hard Candy

Pan (2015) 7/10

Starring : Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Adeel Akhtar
Director : Joe Wright
Running Time : 112 mins

Orphan Peter (Miller) hates his life in a crooked orphanage run by nuns, so when he and his fellow orphans are kidnapped by pirates he thinks his life might be changing, but it isn’t long before he finds himself in a world of flying ships and fairies and discovers something about his past which might change his life forever.

Although it’s an interesting idea to see how Peter ended up in Neverland, it is oddly executed and just opens up more questions. Where, in the original story, it’s never questioned how Peter got to Neverland, by explaining in this it raises the question of how Blackbeard and his pirates got there. The singing really detracted from the story when they first arrive in Neverland and almost spoiled the whole movie for me, but thankfully once things got going a plot started to show itself and the story did in parts become interesting. Children will love the adventurous nature of the film, though adults might feel cheated by the lack of explanations throughout the movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Maleficent

Nativity 3 : Dude, Where’s My Donkey?! (2014) 6/10

Starring : Martin Clunes, Marc Wootton, Catherine Tate, Adam Garcia, Ralf Little, Lauren Hobbs, Jason Watkins, Celia Imrie
Director : Debbie Isitt
Running Time : 110 mins

St Bernadette’s has a new teacher, Mr Shepherd (Clunes), who is strict and by the book, but when he loses his memory it is up to Mr Poppy (Wootton) and the kids at the school to help him get his memory back and win the heart of his fiancée Sophie (Tate). But her friend Bradley Finch (Garcia) is in love with Sophie and wants to take her away from Mr Shepherd, so Mr Poppy has to wangle a free trip to New York so they can get her back.

As far as kids films go this was okay, but it had nothing really for adults. The story was basic and had no real character, and a lot of the jokes had already been played out in the previous two films, especially the fact that Mr Poppy once again manages to kidnap a whole class of children, this time taking them out of the country. Plus, and I know there was a flash mob contest, but there was far too much singing and dancing which detracted from what little story there actually was.

You’ll like this if you liked : Nativity 2 : Danger In The Manger!

A Holiday Heist (2011) 5/10

Starring : Lacey Chabert, Rick Malambri, Preston Lacy, Vivica A Fox, Chris Kattan
Director : Christie Will
Running Time : 90 mins

A group of college kids take a job helping out at the campus gallery over Christmas and decide to have a meal together in the gallery when it is closed, but what they don’t realise is that Dean McBride (Fox) plans to get two of her idiotic childhood friends to rob the place so she can retrieve the paintings and become a local hero while securing her position and a hefty pension.

Well, I’m hoping that this movie was aimed at children because the story felt like it was written by one. The villains were the flimsiest I’ve ever seen, and the point of the robbery made very little sense. Throw in a whole bunch of stereotypes and you have something of a cookie cutter movie with little or no depth and some random pairing ups at the end that make The Breakfast Club look like it made sense. So, even though most adults will find this movie repellent, small children might find it funny.

You’ll like this if you liked : Home Alone 3

Kath And Kimderella (2012) 5/10

Starring : Jane Turner, Gina Riley, Magda Szubanski, Glenn Robbins, Peter Rowsthorn, Rob Sitch, Richard E Grant, Erin Mulally, Jessica De Gouw
Director : Ted Emery
Running Time : 83 mins

When Kath (Turner) wins an all expense paid trip to Italy, she takes her daughter Kim (Riley) and her friend Sharon (Szubanski) with her on the holiday of a lifetime. When they arrive, Kim draws the attention of the hideously deformed Prince Juleo (Mulally), who thinks she is an actual princess.

Fans of the Kath And Kim series might find something to enjoy about this movie, but I was disappointed that they kept the characters of Prue and Trude who were possibly the worst creations from Turner and Riley. There are some funny moments, but people who haven’t seen the television series will probably not want to watch this either.

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

The Love Punch (2013) 7/10

Starring : Pierce Brosnan, Emma Thompson, Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie, Louise Bourgoin, Laurent Lafitte
Director : Joel Hopkins
Running Time : 95 mins

When Richard (Brosnan) discovers that he has lost his retirement fund when rich businessman Vincent Kruger (Lafitte) buys the company he works for and liquidates it, he teams up with his ex-wife Kate (Thompson) and their best friends Pen (Imrie) and Jerry (Spall) to steal back the money they are owed. They track him to a holiday destination where he is getting married, and plan to steal a very expensive diamond he gave to his fiancee Manon (Bourgoin).

This is a fun heist romp with a sterling cast of older actors putting in some great performances in this romantic comedy. The plot is simple and executed with a tongue in cheek approach, and it’s nice to see older actors being given leading roles in such movies as this instead of being hung out to dry.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tower Heist

Minions (2015) 6/10

Starring : Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, Geoffrey Rush, Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin
Director : Kyle Balda & Pierre Coffin
Running Time : 91 mins

Realising that their lives need someone despicable to make them worth living, Minions Kevin (Coffin), Stuart (Coffin) and Bob (Coffin) leave their community and head off in search of someone who can lead them to true evil. They find Scarlett Overkill (Bullock), a successful super villain who uses them to aid her in her next criminal enterprise; stealing the Crown Jewels.

Compared to the Despicable Me movies this was certainly lacking something. The Minions work well when they are background characters, and when they are paired with the much more character driven Gru, but here they are weak. Scarlett Overkill isn’t a very interesting character and the best part of the film is the end when the Minions meet a young Gru for the first time. My suggestion – unless you are under five and really liked the Despicable Me movies, this probably isn’t for you.

You’ll like this if you liked : Rio 2

2 Guns (2013) 8/10

Starring : Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Edward James Olmos, Bill Paxton
Director : Baltasar Kormakur
Running Time : 110 mins

Bobby (Washington) and Stig (Wahlberg) are two criminals who come up with an idea to rob a bank, but when it turns out that one is undercover DEA and the other is Naval Intelligence, things take a very complicated turn. When they finally realise what is going on, the two find themselves being hunted down by both the people they work for and the criminal gangs they’ve been trying to infiltrate.

This is a fun and unusual buddy movie, with Washington and Wahlberg doing sterling jobs in their roles. The plot is complex and intriguing, and at no time are we as viewers entirely sure who our heroes can fully put their trust in, let alone if we can even trust them. A great little movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Departed

San Andreas (2015) 6/10

Starring : Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi, Paul Giamatti
Director : Brad Peyton
Running Time : 115 mins

A team of scientists in California discover a means to predict when an Earthquake is about to strike, only to discover that a quake of a magnitude never before experienced in America is about to hit. Those that survive the quake are then faced with an oncoming tsunami, and rescue-chopper operator Ray Gaines (Johnson) is forced to team up with his ex-wife Emma (Gugino) to rescue their daughter Blake (Daddario) who is trapped in the path of the disaster.

Ioan Gruffudd is so over the top horrible in this that it defies belief, and some of the one-liners feel totally out of place. Fans of action disaster movies might enjoy this latest offering, which portrays the events surrounding a devastating earthquake and the resulting tsunami, yet completely ignores the fact that the land has been so damaged that it won’t be able to be built on again. Saying “we’ll rebuild” or words to that effect aren’t exactly going to do much if the infrastructure is so stuffed and saturated that the land is unfit to build on. Way to raise our hopes, Hollywood.

You’ll like this if you liked : 2012

Tuck Everlasting (2002) 7/10

Starring : Alexis Bledel, William Hurt, Sissy Spacek, Jonathan Jackson, Scott Bairstow, Ben Kingsley
Director : Jay Russell
Running Time : 91 mins

While planning to run away from home, Winnie Foster (Bledel) meets the Tuck family and falls for youngest son Jesse (Jackson). Her parents assume she’s been kidnapped, but the truth is that Winnie enjoys spending time with the Tucks. When she discovers that they are in fact a family of immortals, Jesse tempts her to stay with him forever by drinking from the fountain of youth they discovered in the woods.

So this must be where Stephenie Meyer got the idea for Twilight. Unlike that disaster in which a girl ends her life for love, this takes the sensible approach of having Winnie question immortality. Throw in Ben Kingsley as the villain trying to track down the immortals and discover their secret, and you have a likeable movie with a logical ending. And thankfully the writers decided to make Winnie older, so as to avoid the creepy paedophile feel of the novel.

You’ll like this if you liked : Peter Pan

Tomorrowland (2015) 8/10

Starring : George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Hugh Laurie
Director : Brad Bird
Running Time : 132 mins

Casey Newton (Robertson) is a young girl who discovers a pin that transports her to a magical world called Tomorrowland. She meets a girl called Athena (Cassidy) and a man named Frank Walker (Clooney) who tells her she has been recruited into a group called Plus Ultra who seek out dreamers and inventors to shape the world’s future.

This was surprisingly fun, though not that surprising when you realise it was directed by Brad Bird who has made some of the best animated movies of the past decade or so. The story is fun and harks back to a time when children’s films were so much simpler and more innocent, though it could be argued that it’s just a two hour advertisement for Disney Land.

You’ll like this if you liked : Night At The Museum

John Wick (2014) 7/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrienne Palicki
Director : Chad Stahelski
Running Time : 103 mins

John Wick (Reeves) has quit his life as a mob hit man after falling in love and getting married. When his wife dies years later, he is left with a pet dog that she bought him as a parting gift, but when a group of men beat him up and kill his dog in order to steal his car, Wick’s murderous ways bubble back to the surface and he decides to go after them out of revenge.

This comes across as a typical revenge movie, much like Taken or anything starring Segal or Van Damme in the nineties. Reeves isn’t brilliant, but he doesn’t have to be; he just has to be broody and pissed off as he tracks down the people responsible for killing his pet dog. That’s right, his pet dog. That’s why he’s out for revenge. Watch it, it’ll make sense.

You’ll like this if you liked : Taken 3

Terminator : Genisys (2015) 6/10

Starring : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney
Director : Alan Taylor
Running Time : 121 mins

Kyle Reese (Courtney) travels back in time to protect Sarah Connor (Clarke) from the time travelling Terminator (Schwarzenegger) that wants to kill her, but an accident leads him to find himself in a parallel timeline where Sarah Connor was raised by a Terminator and is better able to defend herself than he is! Now Reese has a challenge ahead of him; to reset the timeline or watch as everything her knows is destroyed...

Although this isn’t totally terrible, you can tell that the writers were trying too hard. Where the original Terminator movie managed to spawn the catch phrase “I’ll be back” without seeming to try, this movie repeated the “I’m old, not obsolete” line so much it became clear they were trying to create another memorable line; a line that is now only memorable for being over used. Clarke and Courtney have almost no onscreen chemistry, and their already troubled developing romance seems even less likely because of this. Fans of the originals will hate this for basically retconning everything that has gone before, but for a standalone sci-fi movie I’ve seen worse.

You’ll like this if you liked : Transformers : Revenge Of The Fallen

Agent Cody Banks 2 : Destination London (2004) 6/10

Starring : Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson, Hannah Spearitt, Cynthia Stevenson, Daniel Roebuck, Anna Chancellor, Keith Allen
Director : Kevin Allen
Running Time : 101 mins

Cody Banks (Muniz) is tasked with tracking down his former handler, Victor Diaz (Allen), who has gone rogue and plans on using a top secret mind control device to take over the world. Banks is forced to go undercover in London as a member of a musical prodigy group, which is run by a man who is suspected of working with Diaz.

Although I did prefer the original to this sequel which seems to be less plot based and more comedy focussed, it is still a fun kids film that anyone under the age of twelve will enjoy. Granted, Frankie Muniz has very little charisma, and Hannah Spearitt isn’t the best as the undercover Scotland Yard operative, but Anthony Anderson and some of the supporting cast do a decent enough job of keeping the laughs coming.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Spy Next Door

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) 7/10

Starring : Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Katey Sagal, Anna Camp, Ben Platt
Director : Elizabeth Banks
Running Time : 115 mins

Following an embarrassing performance that resulted in Fat Amy (Wilson) showing off her lady parts to the world, the Barden Bellas are banned from the acapella circuit which they’d been fronting. In order to regain their former position in musical society, they must win an international title, something no American team has ever managed to achieve.

This starts off slowly, and feels like it’s about to go the way of Glee after the first season, but thankfully this picks itself back up, dusts itself off, and makes for a likeable sequel. There’s thankfully not too much focus on any one character, though Fat Amy gets more focus than most, so we are actually given some more character development for most of the leads, and not just one or two. Well worth watching if you like the first movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mean Girls

What If (2013) 8/10

Starring : Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, Rafe Spall, Lucius Hoyos, Gemima Rooper
Director : Michael Dowse
Running Time : 98 mins

Wallace (Radcliffe) has never had a good romantic relationship, both because of the women he dates and because of his own life choices, so when he meets Chantry (Kazan) at a party he thinks things are on the up, until she reveals she lives with her long time boyfriend Ben (Spall) and just wants to be friends. Their friendship blossoms over the months that follow, but the two find it difficult to just remain friends as they hold a secret spark for each other.

This is one of those romantic comedies where you pretty much know what’s going to happen from the moment the two leads meet, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Radcliffe and Kazan make a likeable and believable pair to watch, though the idea of Radcliffe flying all the way to Ireland seems a little farfetched, especially as we have no idea where his income comes from. Fans of Kazan’s work will find this an agreeable addition to her works such as Ruby Sparks and The Pretty Ones, and fans of Radcliife will enjoy seeing him do something a little bit funny for a change.

You’ll like this if you liked : Two Night Stand

Spy (2015) 8/10

Starring : Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Jude Law
Director : Paul Feig
Running Time : 119 mins

When international super-spy Bradley Fine (Law) is apparently murdered, CIA desk operative Susan Cooper (McCarthy) agrees to go undercover to find Rayna Boyanov (Byrne), the woman believed to be responsible for his death. With the assistance of fellow desk operative Nancy (Hart), Susan infiltrates the arms dealer’s life and tries to prevent a global crisis involving operatives going rogue and the sale of a nuclear weapon.

Some of Melissa McCarthy’s more recent films have been something of a let down. The Heat was okay, but Identity Thief could have been better. This brings her back on Bridesmaids form, with a surprisingly straight laced turn in the comedic lead. The supporting cast are very good, especially Byrne who shines in every scene, Fans of Feig’s movies will thoroughly enjoy this, one of his better recent efforts.

You’ll like this if you liked : Johnny English Reborn

The Dreamers (2003) 4/10

Starring : Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Anna Chancellor, Robin Renucci
Director : Bernardo Bertolucci
Running Time : 110 mins

It’s 1968 and an American teenager named Matthew (Pitt) heads to Paris where he makes friends with twins Isabelle (Green) and Theo (Garrel). The strange trio form an unusual sexual relationship while the French pair’s parents are away, and Matthew infatuation with Isabelle leads to some awkward sexual encounters.

Basically, on many levels, this films is pornography. And not very pleasant pornography at that. Granted, it’s worth the admission fee to see Eva Green with her tits out, but that doesn’t make the characters any more palatable, nor the plot any more enjoyable. By setting it against the backdrop of the student riots in 1968 Paris, I guess the makers were trying to make some sort of statement, but the overall storyline is uncomfortable to watch, and the reactions of the parents when they find the three asleep and naked is unusual to say the least.

You’ll like this if you liked : Stealing Beauty

Inside Out (2015) 9/10

Starring : Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan
Director : Pete Docter & Ronnie Del Carmen
Running Time : 96 mins

Riley (Dias) is controlled by five central emotions – Joy (Poehler), Anger (Black), Fear (Hader), Disgust (Kaling), and Sadness (Smith) – who help her make her way through her young life, but when Riley’s family move house to a new city her emotions start to run out of control, and when Sadness and Joy accidentally get sent to long term memory, the remaining emotions are left to try and control the emotional girl.

This movie, like so many of Pixar’s movies before this, is the perfect mix of comedy and drama, with this movie having some exceptionally emotional moments (obviously this movie would, what with five of the characters BEING emotions). The characters are fun and imaginative, and the dual storyline of the emotions trying to cope with getting lost and Riley trying to cope with new surroundings intertwine perfectly together to form an excellent family film.

You’ll like this if you liked : Toy Story 3

Wish I Was Here (2014) 7/10

Starring : Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Josh Gad, Pierce Gagnon, Ashley Greene, Kate Hudson, Joey King, Jim Parsons, Mandy Patinkin
Director : Zach Braff
Running Time : 107 mins

Struggling actor Aidan Bloom (Braff) is forced to look for work when his family run low on money to pay for their children’s Hebrew school. Realising that he has no saleable skills, he resorts to homeschooling his two children until the local public school has available places.

This movie had its moments, and as far as dry humour goes this had it in spades, but the story didn’t gel together quite as well as I’d hoped. The performances were pretty good, especially from up and comer Joey King. Though Kate Hudson was sort of wasted in this simple roll. Braff seems to give his character all the most memorable moments, and it would have been nice if the other characters were given the option to be more fully fleshed out.

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

Hot Pursuit (2015) 6/10

Starring : Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara, Matthew Del Negro, Michael Mosley
Director : Anne Fletcher
Running Time : 88 mins

Uptight police officer Rose Cooper (Witherspoon) is charged with assisting the FBI in bringing in a criminal turned informant, but when he is murdered Cooper is forced to flee with the man’s wife, Daniella Riva (Vergara), and the two go on the run from those out to kill them while the public believe that Copper is the one responsible for the deaths.

This is a lot like Midnight Runs but with female leads and a little less pizzazz. Witherspoon is plausible enough as the by-the-book cop that ends up being blamed for a crime she didn't commit, with Vergara putting in her usual over the top performance as the gangsters moll that joins her in their mismatched road trip. On the whole it’s an enjoyable enough movie, it just isn’t particularly imaginative or memorable.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Bounty Hunter

A Film With Me In It (2008) 7/10

Starring : Dylan Moran, Mark Doherty, Keith Allen, Amy Huberman, David O’Doherty
Director : Ian Fitzgibbon
Running Time : 83 mins

Mark (Doherty) is living a terrible life, having to dodge his landlord Jack (Allen) and keep his lack of money a secret from his girlfriend Sally (Huberman), while having to care for his disabled brother David (O’Doherty). His dream is to write a Hollywood blockbuster with his friend Pearce (Moran), but when an accident in his ramshackle flat kills his dog, a series of events spiral out of control that could land both Mark and Pearce in a whole lot of trouble.

This might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but this blacker than black comedy made me laugh in places. Granted, it is very dark and depressing at times, but if you can look past the deathly shell and find the humour beneath the surface, you’ll probably thoroughly enjoy this little known gem of a film that takes an accident and turns it into a calamity.

You’ll like this if you liked : Very Bad Things

Mission : Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) 8/10

Starring : Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin
Director : Christopher McQuarrie
Running Time : 132 mins

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) finds himself on yet another impossible mission, this time following the dissolution of the IMF. Hunt is forced to go it alone after a rogue organisation known as the Syndicate who he suspects are performing secret operations without any oversight from their home nation and, with the aid of former IMF operative Benji Dunn and (Pegg) Ilsa Faust (Ferguson), an agent of the Syndicate itself, he attempts to bring down the group once and for all.

Surprisingly the Mission : Impossible movies seem to be getting better. Considering the second movie was atrocious and that they’ve been going for almost twenty years. It seems that after the third film which introduced Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, the formula has begun to gel and now that there are more and more recurring characters the franchise could last for quite a long time.

You’ll like this if you liked : Fast And Furious 7

Seventh Son (2014) 7/10

Starring : Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Antje Traue, Olivia Williams, Djimon Hounsou, Julianne Moore
Director : Sergei Bodrov
Running Time : 102 mins

A witch hunter known as Spook (Bridges) takes on a new apprentice called Tom Ward (Barnes) and helps train him to track down the infamous witch Mother Malkin (Moore) who killed his previous apprentice. As he continues to train his apprentice, he discovers some interesting secrets about his heritage, while Tom himself finds himself falling in love with Alice (Vikander), a witch who he should in fact be trying to kill.

This movie was a lot better than I thought it might be. I was expecting a dreary drama about a man with the ability to heal or something like that. This comes across on watching as a fun children’s movie full of over the top action and spectacular special effects. The plot might be a little shaky, and there are more coincidences than you could possibly imagine, but overall it’s a pretty fun film, even though its conclusion felt a little rushed.

You’ll like this if you liked : Season Of The Witch

Jurassic World (2015) 7/10

Starring : Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Irrfan Khan
Director : Colin Trevorrow
Running Time : 125 mins

The site of the original Jurassic Park is reopened and renamed Jurassic World, successfully managing to bring a dinosaur theme park safely to the public, but when one of the exhibits – a genetically modified beast created purely as a scare tactic to encourage the public to visit – escapes from its compound and goes on the rampage, it is up to self-styled dinosaur whisper Own Grady (Pratt) with the aid of ops manager Claire Dearing (Howard) to try to bring him down before more members of the public get hurt.

This might not be as well plotted as the original movie, but it is better than at least one of the sequels. Some of the special effects are a little ridiculous, and the scenario of the genetically modified dinosaur seems like a desperate attempt to try to surprise the audience who might be more than likely made up of huge fans of dinosaurs. Pratt and Howard work well together, but there are a few loose ends to this story that it would be nice if they got addressed in the planned sequel.

You’ll like this if you liked : Jurassic Park III

The Counselor (2013) 6/10

Starring : Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt
Director : Ridley Scott
Running Time : 138 mins

A lawyer (Fassbender) becomes involved in a drug deal with a man named Reiner (Bardem), one of his clients, but a series of coincidences lead to him being blamed for the death of a valued drug courier. As he tries to protect his fiancé Laura (Cruz) from the cartel, he discovers that life with Mexican drug dealers isn’t as much fun as he hoped it would be.

Although this picked up towards the end when everything starts to go horrendously wrong, this starts out incredibly slow. Our first introduction to the main character is a sex scene, which didn’t really tell us what sort of person he was, and in hindsight you realise just how much exposition there was about what was going to happen, including the bolito story and the talk of snuff films being made of the cartel’s female victims. Personally this wasn’t my cup of tea, as I like things to be spelt out for me, and we never get a definite answer as to what happened to Laura, though the arrival of a DVD to the lawyer kind of tells us it wasn’t anything good that happened to her off screen.

You’ll like this if you liked : Killing Them Softly

Avengers : Age Of Ultron (2015) 8/10

Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Samuel L Jackson
Director : Joss Whedon
Running Time : 142 mins

A computer program designed by Tony Stark (Downey Jr) to bring peace to the world goes out of control and develops its own sentience, deciding for itself that the only way to sustain peace throughout the world is to destroy those responsible for the violence – namely, mankind! But the robot, named Ultron (Spader), decides that the perfect starting point will be to eliminate the Avengers.

The Marvel movies are always fun, and this was no exception. The combined might of some of the biggest franchises are combined once again as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, et al once again fight the bad guys. The fact that the bad guy this time is of their own making packs this with even more of an impact, and even with so many characters to manage the writers are still able to give each character enough in-depth screen time to keep them unique and interesting.

You’ll like this if you liked : Iron Man 3

Cirque Du Soleil : Worlds Away (2012) 5/10

Starring : Erica Linz, Igor Zaripov, Lutz Halbhubner, John Clarke, Dallas Barnett
Director : Andrew Adamson
Running Time : 92 mins

Mia (Linz) is a young woman visiting the circus in a small mid-Western town when she becomes enraptured with the performance of an aerial acrobat (Zaripov). When the acrobat misses a catch and falls to the ground below, Mia rushes to save him but falls with him into the bizarre dreamscape world of Cirque du Soleil where they are seprated and must work their way through the many acts to find each other again.

Personally I didn’t enjoy this, probably because I like my movies to have a plot that is decipherable and not just a series of Faustian levels in a nightmare circus tent. I suppose seeing it on the small screen meant I missed out on the theatrics and the 3D effects, but even then it would probably be better if seen live. The performances are impressive and the sets are great but I just couldn’t get into this as it felt like opera to me.

You’ll like this if you liked : MirrorMask

Fantastic Four (2015) 6/10

Starring : Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell
Director : Josh Trank
Running Time : 100 mins

Four young scientists travel through a portal to another dimension. One is killed, and the other three receive great powers, along with a fourth, Sue Storm (Mara), who is back in our dimension when the accident occurs. As they try to cope with their new abilities, one of them, Reed Richards (Teller), goes on the run while the one presumed dead, Victor Von Doom (Kebbell), returns to exact his revenge for being left stranded in a hell dimension.

Strictly speaking there isn’t anything wrong with this movie. The script could have been tighter, the plotting a little better, and it would have been nice if the girl could have been allowed the opportunity to be an explorer. The big problem with this movie is that it spent too much time setting up the accident that gives the characters their powers and not enough time exploring how they learned to use them. Plus it felt like I was watching the pilot episode for a cancelled television series as the story didn’t really go anywhere. Fans of the comic book will hate this with a passion, but those unfamiliar with over fifty years of comic history and the two previous blockbuster movies (three movies if you count the abomination from the nineties) then you might enjoy the special effects at least.

You’ll like this if you liked : Green Lantern

Wild Target (2010) 7/10

Starring : Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, Rupert Everett, Eileen Atkins, Martin Freeman, Gregor Fisher
Director : Jonathan Lynn
Running Time : 98 mins

Victor Maynard (Nighy) is an assassin for hire who is offered the job of killing Rose (Blunt), an art thief and con woman who has swindled a man named Ferguson (Everett) out of a valuable Rembrandt, but for some reason he decides to help her escape and, with the assistance of passerby Tony (Grint), the three of them find themselves on the run from another assassin, Hector Dixon (Freeman).

This was a fun movie, even if it wasn’t brilliant. The comic storyline may have had some holes in it, but the overall effect worked quite well in the long run. The performances are likeable, with Nighy remaining straight laced for the duration, Blunt being a believable kleptomaniac, and Grint a plausibly innocent victim, but I would have liked to have a bit more closure on the characters played by Everett and Fisher, who are just left in the hospital with no explanation for why they stop trying to have Blunt and Nighy killed and why they aren’t arrested.

You’ll like this if you liked : Big Nothing

Man Up (2015) 9/10

Starring : Lake Bell, Simon Pegg, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Ophelia Lovibond, Olivia Williams, Rory Kinnear, Sharon Horgan, Stephen Campbell Moore, Ken Stott
Director : Ben Palmer
Running Time : 88 mins

Thirty-four year-old Nancy (Bell) is tired of being set up on blind dates, but when she is mistaken for Jessica (Lovibond), a twenty-four year-old city worker by forty year-old divorcee Jack (Pegg), who is meeting her for a blind date, Nancy decides to keep up the pretence of being Jessica when she finds she has so much in common with him.

This is such a fun movie, and thanks to Lake Bell’s flawless English accent there is little to complain about in this French farce of a British comedy. The script is tight, the acting is solid, and the case of mistaken identity isn’t overplayed. My one gripe would be that the ending feels a little rushed, and the reactions from Jessica when Jack reveals he isn’t interested are a little unlikely and amazingly convenient.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Inbetweeners Movie

The House Of Magic (2013) 7/10

Starring : Murray Blue, George Babbit, Shanelle Gray, Grant George, Doug Stone
Director : Jeremy Degruson & Ben Stassen
Running Time : 86 mins

A cat named Thunder (Blue) is abandoned and finds himself in a mysterious house, owned by a magician named Lawrence (Stone) and filled with all of his magic act animals. A rabbit named Jack (Babbit) has it in for Thunder and tries to get rid of him, but ends up putting the magician in hospital, which gives his estate agent nephew Daniel (George) the opportunity he’s been looking for for years to sell his uncles house out from under him. Now Thunder, Jack and the rest of the magic house inhabitants must unite to stop him from selling their home.

This movie was actually not that bad. I didn’t expect much, what with it being made by a movie studio I hadn’t heard of before (nWave Pictures?), but the characters were likeable and the story was fun and easy to follow, though it was a predictable plot that has been done to death many times before. There aren't any big names in the voice cast, but still, the kids will love it.

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

She’s Funny That Way (2014) 7/10

Starring : Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Kathryn Hahn, Will Forte, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Aniston
Director : Peter Bogdanovich
Running Time : 94 mins

Isabella Patterson (Poots) is a call girl who would love nothing more than to become an actress, and when the opportunity for a high profile roll emerges she jumps at the chance. Unfortunately the director, Arnold Albertson (Wilson), just so happens to be one of her clients, and the playwright, Josh Fleet (Forte), happens to be dating her therapist, Jane Claremont (Aniston).

This is an old fashioned French farce of a film that comes across as if it were written by Woody Allen. The story is simple enough to follow, but it is the confusing relationships between the characters that make this a fun film to watch. It’s a little pretentious, and Poots’ Brooklyn accent is very distracting, especially as she is English, but that aside this is a fun movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Love And Other Disasters

The Informant! (2009) 7/10

Starring : Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Melanie Lynskey, Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt
Director : Steven Soderbergh
Running Time : 109 mins

Mark Whiteacre (Damon) is the vice president of ADM, a company that works on the development of lysine, but when he decides to claim that someone is sabotaging the plant he works in so that he can cover up the problems his department has been facing, he opens up a can of worms that has him turning informant for the FBI in regards to the companies price fixing activities.

This is a confusing movie that doesn’t really get into the idea of Whiteacre being a compulsive liar until quite far into the movie. We as an audience are lead to believe that everything he tells us is true, especially as some of the things he has actual evidence of. By mixing the lies with the truth he creates a mishmash that is almost impossible to work through to discover what is fact and what is fiction, and this leads to a very fun and highly entertaining movie that could quite easily have been flat and boring.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Men Who Stare At Goats

Poltergeist (2015) 8/10

Starring : Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, Jared Harris, Jane Adams
Director : Gil Kenan
Running Time : 94 mins

The Bowen family move into their new home only to be disturbed by strange noises in the night, with electrical appliances turning themselves on and a mysterious box of clowns being found in a closet. The youngest daughter of the family, Madison (Clements), starts speaking to an invisible friend, and when she disappears in a closet the family are forced to face the fact that their new home may be possessed by evil spirits.

Fans of the original should still enjoy this movie which pays homage to the original. A lot of the story is the same, but there are enough differences to make it just as interesting, and there are even jokes made at the expense of the original, with jocular mention of Indian burial grounds and the like. There’s plenty of action and creepy moments (though I still don’t understand how the box of clowns got into the house) and the special effects are good without overshadowing the storyline.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Conjuring

Ginger Snaps Back : The Beginning (2004) 7/10

Starring : Katherine Isabelle, Emily Perkins, Nathaniel Arcand, JR Bourne, Hugh Dillon
Director : Grant Harvey
Running Time : 91 mins

Sisters Brigitte (Perkins) and Ginger (Isabelle) arrive at a Canadian trader fort after being attacked by wild animals. They soon realise that the fort is surrounded by werewolves, and that one of them may already have become infected with the lupine syndrome.

Although not as good as the first film – in fact it is very different in almost every sense – this is a pretty decent mystery thriller where we have to guess who the werewolf might be. Obviously we know the girls are going to be affected, but that doesn’t detract from the overall storyline which is solid to say the least. Fans of the original might miss some of the humour and the whole teenage angst element of the movie, which are both pretty much absent here, but there is still a strong werewolf story here for horror fans.

You’ll like this if you liked : Red Riding Hood

What We Do In The Shadows (2014) 8/10

Starring : Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stuart Rutherford, Karen O’Leary
Director : Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi
Running Time : 82 mins

Three vampires sharing a flat together in New Zealand face the horrors of modern life, such as who to trust with their secret life, how to keep money coming in to the household, and how to keep up with the never-ending household chores.

This movie may not be laugh-out-loud funny, but it manages to find humour in every aspect of potential vampiric life. The leads keep the dry wit coming thick and fast, and it’s always surprising to find that the movie actually had a direction in which it was headed, rather than just being random comedic scenes. Fans of comedy horrors can’t go wrong with this hidden gem, which manages to mix genuine horror with a witty script.

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

Halloween II (2009) 6/10

Starring : Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor-Compton
Director : Rob Zombie
Running Time : 118 mins

Michael Myers (Mane) is still alive and trying to find his sister Laurie Stroude (Taylor-Compton), killing anyone who gets in his way. When Dr Sam Loomis (McDowell) releases a book on the life of Michael Myers, detailing the reasons behind his violent way, Michael realises where Laurie now lives and goes on yet another killing spree.

Even though this was better than the first remake, and in my opinion better than the originals which I was never overly fond of, there is still a little too much sympathy to be felt for the mindless killing machine known as Michael Myers. I did like that there were so many horror film actors in this, ranging from bigger names in horror like Brad “Chucky” Dourif and Danielle Harris, who appeared in a number of original Halloween movies as well as the sequels to Hatchet, to less remembered ones like Margot “Amityville” Kidder and Caroline “Texas Chainsaw & Leprechaun” Williams. Aside from these interesting homages, and a confusing double-bluff ending that actually worked quite well, this wasn’t that great, so only bother with this if you really love horror movies, or the films of Rob Zombie.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Devil’s Rejects

The Babadook (2014) 7/10

Starring : Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Daniel Henshall, Barbara West, Ben Winspear
Director : Jennifer Kent
Running Time : 94 mins

Following a car crash that killed her husband, Amelia Vanek (Davis) is forced to deal with the psychological repercussions that seem to be affecting her son Samuel (Wiseman) as his behaviour worsens, ranging from violent outbursts to fears of monsters under his bed, until one day she starts to suspect that the monsters might be real...

This movie uses atmosphere more than anything to get its scares across, and it actually suffers a little when The Babadook starts to rear its ugly head. The pacing is slow to crawling, but that just builds up the tension, and the main leads do a decent job of keeping the scares coming. I’d love a copy of the book from this film, it looked so cool, but the movies ending felt like an unfunny imitation of the ending to Shaun Of The Dead.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sinister

Fright Night 2 : New Blood (2013) 4/10

Starring : Will Payne, Jaime Murray, Sean Power, Sacha Parkinson, Chris Waller
Director : Eduardo Rodriguez
Running Time : 98 mins

Charley Brewster (Payne) travels to Romania to study with his best friend Ed Bates (Waller) and his ex-girlfriend Amy Peterson (Parkinson), but when Charley discovers that one of his professors, Gerri Dandridge (Murray), is in fact a vampire he fears for not only his life but the lives of his friends, especially Amy who is a new moon virgin and as such would be perfect for one of Gerri’s vampire ceremonies.

Holy hell! I really enjoyed the 80s Fright Night movies, and I liked the remake with Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell, but this sequel stroke reimagining was a mess! Here’s me thinking this was going to be a remake of Fright Night Part 2, but instead I’m subjected to a badly written, badly acted version which has no bearing on the original other than the fact that this time the vampire is a woman. There’s not even any references to the first remake, otherwise they would have recognised Gerri’s name at the very least. Do not watch this, it is awful!

You’ll like this if you liked : Dracula 2000

Devil’s Tower (2014) 6/10

Starring : Roxanne Pallett, Jason Mewes, Frances Ruffelle, Jessica-Jane Stafford, Emma Buckley, Eddie Webber
Director : Owen Tooth
Running Time : 85 mins

After a falling out with her mum Kim (Ruffelle), Sarah MacColl (Pallett) moves into a rundown tower block, filled with shady characters and shrouded in mystery. After someone is found dead in the lifts, she meets a squatter named Sid (Mewes), whose best friends has gone missing, so they team up to find out what exactly is going on in the tower block.

This had a lot of potential, but it just didn't measure up to it. I liked the idea of a sprit in the security cameras that was causing people to attack each other, but the execution was terrible. People start turning into animatronic zombies and go on a killing spree through a tower block filled with people who are other having sex in cupboards or trying to sell drugs. Some of the lines in the script make this sound like it’s meant to be a comedy, as do the makeup effects which are pretty ropey, and when you have to admit that the best actor in a movie is Jessica-Jane Clement (going by Stafford in this) you know you’re in trouble.

You’ll like this if you liked : Parasitic