Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016) 8/10

Starring : Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, Adam Devine, Aubrey Plaza, Stephen Root, Stephanie Faracy, Sugar Lyn Beard, Sam Richardson
Director : Jake Szymanski
Running Time : 99 mins

When their little sister Jeanie (Beard) announces she is getting married in Hawaii, Mike (Devine) and Dave (Efron) are challenged by their family not to ruin the occasion like they usually do and to bring dates to stop them acting out. So they advertise for the perfect dates online and meet Alice (Kendrick) and Tatiana (Plaza), two girls who seem perfect at first until their ulterior motives are revealed.

I actually really enjoyed this gross out comedy. It’s great to see decent comedy actors in the leads, and not just the male leads but the female leads too. I loved Plaza in Parks & Recreation, and Kendrick proves she can do comedy just as well as drama, but it’s Beard who manages to play understated comedy amongst all the over the top action, even though the scenes she’s involved in are often some of the most silly. Fans of classic slapstick will love this, although it does feature a lot of more modern visceral comedy too.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bad Neighbours 2

Nancy Drew (2007) 7/10

Starring : Emma Roberts, Josh Flitter, Max Thieriot, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tate Donovan, Marshall Bell, Laura Harring, Barry Bostwick
Director : Andrew Fleming
Running Time : 100 mins

Nancy Drew (Roberts) and her father Carson (Donovan) move to the West Coast where Mr Drew has a job. Nancy, who loves investigating mysteries, promises her dad she won’t do any crime solving while they’re away, but when she discovers that their new home once belonged to a murdered movie star, she can’t help herself and begins looking into her mysterious death.

This was actually quite a fun kids murder mystery. The homage to the old fashioned Carolyn Keen books is subtly played, and the jokes are delicately played rather than over the top. Roberts in likeable in the lead, showing an innocence in character completely absent in her more recent roles, and fans of the old Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books will love this modern adaptation.

You’ll like this if you liked : Holes

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : Out Of The Shadows (2016) 8/10

Starring : Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Brian Tee, Tyler Perry, Tony Shalhoub, Brad Garrett
Director : Dave Green
Running Time : 113 mins

Following the defeat of the evil Shredder (Tee), a defeat that the public don’t realise was thanks to them, the turtles find themselves in even more danger when they discover that a scientist named Baxter Stockman (Perry) is planning on helping Shredder escape prison. The escape goes wrong and Shredder is teleported to another dimension where he meets evil warlord Krang (Garrett) who decides to come to our dimension and take over the earth.

I actually thought this was better than the 2014 movie. Fans of the cartoon will enjoy the far more tongue in cheek approach in this, though Tyler Perry goes a little too far with the comedy (and yes, his character was originally black – it was the cartoon that got him wrong). The plot is a lot more coherent and the actors seem more at home this time around. Definitely worth watching, even if you didn’t think much of the last movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : X-Men : Apocalypse

Zoolander 2 (2016) 8/10

Starring : Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Will Ferrell
Director : Ben Stiller
Running Time : 102 mins

Following the death of his wife and the injury of his best friend Hansel (Wilson), Derek Zoolander (Stiller) retired from the modelling business and went into seclusion, but when a number of celebrities are murdered with their final expression resembling Zoolander’s trademark blue steel look, Fashion Interpol agent Valentina Valencia (Cruz) tracks him down to help solve the crimes.

This was not as good as the first movie – how could it be after fifteen years of anticipation – but there are still some funny moments. The conceit of the story was fun, and some of the jokes might have been obvious, like Hansel’s scarring, but they were still funny. There were jokes that didn’t work so well, though most of them were very good, especially the visual ones. Fans of the original might be a little disappointed, but there are worse comedies out there.

You’ll like this if you liked : Grimsby

Batman : Assault On Arkham (2014) 8/10

Starring : Kevin Conroy, Neal McDonough, Hynden Walch, Matthew Gray Gubler, Troy Baker, CCH Pounder
Director : Jay Oliva & Ethan Spaulding
Running Time : 76 mins

When the Riddler (Gubler) threatens to make public some vital information about a secret government organisation, Amanda Waller (Pounder) reforms the Suicide Squad to break into Arkham Asylum and have him killed, but the squad soon realise that the Riddler’s information might also be important to them too.

Okay, so this appears to be in some part the foundation for the Suicide Squad movie of 2016, although the story is a little different with a few different members in the squad. There are a lot of set pieces that link in with the new movie, but this is actually far more over the top and definitely more sexual. The characters are fun, the plot is actually pretty tight, and the twist close to the end really turns the story on its head.

You’ll like this if you liked : Superman / Batman : Public Enemies

American Ultra (2015) 8/10

Starring : Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, Tony Hale
Director : Nima Nourizadeh
Running Time : 96 mins

Phobic loser Mike Howell (Eisenberg) has spent his whole life in a small town with his understanding girlfriend Phoebe Larson (Stewart), writing his comic books and getting stoned, until he discovers that he was once an experimental CIA killing machine who had his memory wiped and a fear of leaving his town put in place by operative Victoria Lasseter (Britton) in an attempt to protect him. Now he has to run for his life as the agency has located him and targeted him for termination.

This was actually a surprisingly fun action comedy – even Kristen Stewart was good in it. The cast, largely comprised of TV actors, manages to pace the changes in the action with expert ease, while allowing us to believe that Eisenberg is still a hopeless loser even when he’s demonstrating his CIA skills. Fans of tongue in cheek humour and well scripted character driven movies will love how this combines with all-out action sequences and crazy explosions.

You’ll like this if you liked : Super

Bad Neighbours 2 (2016) 7/10

Starring : Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ike Barinholtz, Kiersey Clemons, Dave Franco
Director : Nicholas Stoller
Running Time : 93 mins

Finally free of the fraternity that moved in next door to them, Mac Radner (Rogen) and his wife Kelly (Byrne) are horrified to learn that a sorority led by former frat boy Teddy Sanders (Efron) has moved into the house, causing even more trouble than the frat, but it isn’t long before the Radners join forces with Teddy to rid themselves of the sorority once and for all.

This movie is a little disjointed to start with, but when things get going it soon shows the same level of humour as the first movie. There still isn’t any real sympathy for the Radners as they attempt to get some peace and quiet, but it was fun to see how the characters have progressed in the two years between movies – in many cases they haven’t progressed at all.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates

In A Dark Place (2006) 6/10

Starring : Leelee Sobieski, Tara Fitzgerald, Christian Olson, Gabrielle Adam, Graham Pountney
Director : Donato Rotunno
Running Time : 95 mins

After losing her job as an art teacher, Anna Veigh (Sobieski) is hired as a nanny to take care of two young children, the niece and nephew of a wealthy businessman. When she arrives at their estate, everything seems normal until she starts to realise that the children may have been molested by her predecessor, and that there may be evil spirits haunting them.

This is such an odd movie, I couldn’t tell if Sobieski was nuts or if there were genuine ghosts. Loosely based on Henry James classic short story, The Turn Of The Screw, this tries to trick us in a sense by not giving enough information for us to guess if the ghosts are real or if all the problems in the movie stem from the insanity of both Sobieski and the two children. Because this is so ambiguous, it’s hard to judge if it’s any good, and by over sexualising the lead it feels like the writers have failed to cleverly adapt the story to the screen by focusing too much on the sexual nature of the piece.

You’ll like this if you liked : Crimson Peak

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) 7/10

Starring : Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key
Director : Genndy Tartakovsky
Running Time : 90 mins

Johnny (Samberg) and Mavis (Gomez) have a baby boy, but his grandfather Dracula (Sandler) is concerned that his grandson isn’t showing enough signs of becoming a vampire, so when his daughter and son-in-law go away leaving Dracula in charge of the boy, he attempts to put him through a monster make-over and turn him into a grandson he can be proud of.

This was a fun sequel that takes the plot of the original and expands on it rather than simply rehashing it. There are some funny moments, and children will love the scary monsters and the slapstick humour, but there aren’t that many decent jokes for adults, which isn’t surprising as this is in all intents and purposes and Adam Sandler movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Home

The Conjuring 2 (2016) 8/10

Starring : Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O’Connor, Madison Wolfe, Simon McBurney, Franka Potente
Director : James Wan
Running Time : 135 mins

Husband and wife paranormal investigators Ed (Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Farmiga) travel to the UK where they have heard stories of a possible poltergeist in an Enfield council house. As they investigate, the activity is revealed to be a hoax, but the Warrens suspect that this may not be the case.

This was a very entertaining sequel, and brought back lots of memories of hearing about this story when I was younger. What always makes the conjuring movies so scary is that they don’t try to scare but, instead, portray facts as they took place with very little in the way of glamorising the story. Obviously there are some tweaks to the tale, but this is one of the better horror movies I’ve seen in recent years.

You’ll like this if you liked : Insidious : Chapter 3

Wrong Turn 6 : Last Resort (2014) 6/10

Starring : Anthony Ilott, Chris Jarvis, Aqueela Zoll, Sadie Katz, Rollo Skinner, Billy Ashworth, Harry Belcher, Joe Gaminara, Roxanne Pallett
Director : Valeri Milev
Running Time : 92 mins

A young man named Danny (Ilott) discovers that he has inherited a spa resort from his birth parents. He and his friends head out to visit the place, only to find it isn’t as great as they imagined, and that the caretakers left in charge of the place are odd to say the least. It isn’t long before Danny starts to like the idea of running the place, much to the horror of his friends, but that isn’t where their horror ends...

This was an incredibly odd instalment in the Wrong Turn series, and it looks like it might be the last (at least for now). The hill folk or whatever they’re supposed to be have become increasingly unlikely as the series progressed, and their decisions in this movie beggar belief. Obviously the teens (or more like twenty-somethings) involved in this movie, like the rest of the movies, were mostly unlikable but it’s just seemed weird that they would behave in such ridiculously stupid ways, and as for the twist at the end – well, it seemed so unnatural for what happened to happen!

You’ll like this if you liked : See No Evil

Freaks Of Nature (2015) 8/10

Starring : Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Denis Leary, Ed Westwick, Vanessa Hudgens, Keegan-Michael Key
Director : Robbie Pickering
Running Time : 92 mins

Dillford is a small American town where vampires, humans, and zombies co-exist. Dag (Braun) is a normal human teenager who finds his world turned upside down when his best friend Ned (Fadem) decides he wants to be a zombie on the same day that aliens invade. Teaming up with a newly turned vampire called Petra (Davis), Dag and Ned try to rescue the abducted town folk before the aliens try to kill them too.

I really enjoyed this comedy horror, which manages to be over the top in a logical way that, though never really explained, makes almost perfect sense for some reason. The characters are likeable and their choices, though often questionable, are explained in terms of their personalities which shows good writing. Fans of comedy horrors couldn’t go wrong with this little known gem which showcases the abilities of some of the young actors of today who don’t often get a fair shake.

You’ll like this if you liked : Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

Sinister 2 (2015) 7/10

Starring : James Ransone, Shannyn Sossamon, Robert Sloan, Dartanian Sloan, Lea Coco
Director : Ciaran Foy
Running Time : 97 mins

A young single mother, Courtney Collins (Sossamon) and her twin sons move into a new home, only to discover that it is haunted by a demon named Bhughul when the deputy who was involved with the demon in the first movie discovers that their home is marked for death.

This was nowhere near as good as the first movie, but still reasonably enjoyable. The movie veered more towards horror than the first one, which was more of a psychological thriller, and the numerous ghost children throughout the film were a little annoying, but it’s still a fun enough horror film in spite of all of that.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Babadook

Feast (2005) 8/10

Starring : Balthazar Getty, Henry Rollins, Navi Rawat, Judah Friedlander, Josh Zuckerman, Jason Mewes, Jenny Wade, Krista Allen, Clu Gulager
Director : John Gulager
Running Time : 87 mins

A bunch of locals at a remote desert bar find themselves under attack from flesh-eating monsters intent on destroying the bar and killing them all in order to get back one of their own that had become trapped inside the building. Their only hope is a stranger who arrives just in time to become their hero.

This is a pretty silly horror movie that starts off playfully enough, introducing the characters as stock examples from the horror genre, but then starts to turn things around. The monsters manage to be both silly and frightening, which is an achievement in itself, and though the script isn’t the best, the setups are well done and the twists are both surprising and at times shocking. Be warned though, there are some crazy misogynistic moments in this film that some more sensitive people might find offensive.

You’ll like this if you liked : Slither

Crimson Peak (2015) 8/10

Starring : Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam
Director : Guillermo del Toro
Running Time : 119 mins

Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) is an aspiring American author who meets a mysterious stranger named Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston). The two eventually fall in love and decide to marry, moving far away from Edith’s family to England to live with Thomas’s sister Lucille (Chastain) in their dilapidated family home. But it doesn’t take long for the warnings about the Sharpe’s that Edith received from her friends and family to start coming spookily true.

Firstly, this isn’t a ghost story. As Edith says in the movie, it’s a story that just happens to have ghosts in it. If you’re looking for a jumpy horror movie, then you’re looking in the wrong place, but if you’re looking for an atmospheric murder mystery with a twist, then this is absolutely perfect. It is, at times, a little slow, but this slow pacing it what makes it more effective than if it just rushed into the moments of horror which are few and far between.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Lady In The Water

Insidious Chapter 3 (2015) 7/10

Starring : Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Lin Shaye, Tate Berney, Michael Reid MacKay, Steve Coulter, Hayley Kiyoko, Corbet Tuck, Tom Fitzpatrick
Director : Leigh Whannell
Running Time : 98 mins

Teenager Quinn Brenner (Scott) attempts to communicate with her dead mother but, when these attempts fail, she consults a psychic, Elise Rainier (Shaye). Elise warns her that she is meddling with powers that she doesn’t understand, but Quinn ignores her warnings until she starts to notice strange things happening in her home and is attacked by a violent demonic presence.

In spite of the fact that this movie has such a low certificate, it still manages to have a few jumpy scary moments without going over the top into the realm of blood and guts. The story is interesting and well paced, with a stellar performance from Shaye who reprises her role from the previous movies. It works as a great introduction to the horror genre for those too young to see the more violent and gory entries in the genre, and fans of the previous movies might even find this one a little better.

You’ll like this if you liked : Ouija

Would You Rather (2012) 7/10

Starring : Brittany Snow, Jeffrey Combs, Jonny Coyne, Lawrence Gillard Jr, Logan Miller, Enver Gjokaj, Sasha Grey, John Heard, Charlie Hofheimer, Eddie Steeples, June Squibb, Robin Lord Taylor, Robb Wells
Director : David Guy Levy
Running Time : 94 mins

Iris (Snow) is desperate to help her brother out with his medical expenses, so her brother’s oncologist Dr Barden (Gillard Jr) introduces her to a philanthropist named Shepard Lambrick (Combs) who invites her to a dinner party. When she arrives she discovers that his plan is to play a deadly parlour game in which the last man standing is awards his help.

This was an intriguing movie, though it doesn’t leave much to the imagination. The whole idea doesn’t sound that original, but by building the tension up slowly things are made far more interesting. The ending is something of a surprise, though for tainted viewers who expect the unexpected it is kind of obvious, and the predictability of who survives the dinner party will come as no surprise, though it would have been nice if someone else had won the game, though the final shock probably wouldn’t have worked with that happening.

You’ll like this if you liked : Saw III

Annabelle (2014) 6/10

Starring : Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Alfre Woodard
Director : John R Leonetti
Running Time : 99 mins

Mia Form (Wallis) is pregnant with her first child, and her husband John (Horton) buys her a gift of a collectable vintage doll for which she’s been searching for years. But when the doll is tainted during a home invasion, she loses her love for the doll as strange things begin to happen in their lives.

This had potential, but it doesn’t really meet it. Spun off from the opening scene of The Conjuring (and loosely based on a true case of an actual haunted doll named Annabelle, which was actually a Raggedy Ann doll and not a valuable porcelain doll) this tries to give a reason for the doll being possessed, but just makes it too obvious about the direction the movie is going to take. I’m sure that the true story had no logical reason for the dolls possession, but modern movie goers do need explanations in their movies for them to work, plus the true story is kind of dull.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sinister 2

Hush (2016) 8/10

Starring : Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan
Director : Mike Flanagan
Running Time : 83 mins

Madison ‘Maddie’ Young (Siegel) is a deaf author who lives in an isolated cottage where she writes her novels, but when a masked man (Gallagher) attacks and murders her neighbour Sarah (Sloyan), she finds herself in danger for her life.

This is actually a pretty clever movie, which despite what you might think isn’t completely silent. We get snatches of Maddie’s world as she comes under attack from the masked man, but on the whole we are more in the place of the perpetrator as she tries to fight him off, and we suffer the same fate as he does as Maddie tries to get the better of him. Fans of classic horror flicks that don’t have monsters in them will enjoy this, but if you prefer slashers then this probably isn’t for you.

You’ll like this if you liked : Silent House

Cooties (2014) 8/10

Starring : Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Jorge Garcia
Director : Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion
Running Time : 89 mins

School teacher Clint Hadson (Wood) returns to his home town of Fort Chicken to work at his old school as a supply teacher, but when one of the children eats an infected chicken nugget an outbreak of zombie like flesh eating madness over runs the school and only a handful of teachers remain to fight off the plague.

This movie was so much fun. Even though it feels like it’s all been done before – and not just because it’s a parody but because it feels like the parody itself has been seen before – it is still done in such a way as to be likeable and plausible even though it is clearly a comedy. Nothing is left to the imagination (aside from the ending of the movie) and most of what causes the outbreak amongst the children is explained and reasoned. Fans of comedy horrors won’t go wrong with this.

You’ll like this if you liked : Freaks Of Nature

Paranormal Activity : The Ghost Dimension (2015) 7/10

Starring : Chris J Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George, Dan Gill, Olivia Taylor Dudley
Director : Gregory Plotkin
Running Time : 98 mins

A family who have moved into their new home find some old camera equipment, and when they start to use it they discover it can see into the spirit realm, and that their home is riddled with spectral activity.

This fifth instalment tries to do something different from the rest of the movies by providing the cast of victims with a camera that can see the ghostly activity in the haunted house, and the characters are quite funny to begin with, but then we end up going down the same old road with the silly ghost cult people turning up and murdering everyone like they do in every other movie. You’d think by now that the police would be monitoring the place in case of killing sprees, but no. This was fun if you really like all the other films, but it is a bit on the samey side.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Blair Witch Project

The Huntsman : Winter’s War (2016) 7/10

Starring : Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Nick Frost, Rob Brydon, Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Roach, Chalize Theron
Director : Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Running Time : 121 mins

The Huntsman (Hemsworth) is challenged with tracking down the magic mirror which has gone missing, in order to prevent the ice queen Freya (Blunt) from using its power to further conquer the world. On his journey he is united with Sara (Chastain), his long-lost love he thought had died at the hands of the queen.

I actually preferred this to Snow White And The Huntsman, partially because Kristen Stewart isn’t in this, but mostly because I liked the background characters in this more. The romance between Brydon and Smith felt believable, and didn’t go too far in becoming unrealistic, though the romance between Hemsworth and Chastain couldn have used some more work. The overall plot was pretty basic but still enjoyable, and this is definitely not a big thinker of a film but will keep you entertained on a quiet Saturday night in.

You’ll like this if you liked : Snow White And The Huntsman

Son Of Batman (2014) 7/10

Starring : Jason O’Mara, Stuart Allan, Thomas Gibson, Morena Baccarin, Dee Bradley Baker, Xander Berkley, Giancarlo Esposito, Sean Maher, David McCallum
Director : Ethan Spaulding
Running Time : 75 mins

Bruce Wayne (O’Mara) discovers that he has a son, Damian (Allan), who has been raised by The League of Assassins. As a result, Damian has become violent and unruly, and as Bruce tries to turn him on to the straight and narrow, Damian discovers that his father is in fact Batman. Realising that Damian will never give up his violent tendencies, Bruce decides to turn him into the new Robin.

I really wanted to slap Damian – hard! But that was the point. He was very annoying, yet very talented, and had been wasting that talent by being a snot nose little brat. This movie shows how Bruce Wayne manages to turn his son around in the best way he cane – by turning his violent tendencies to what he deems as good. This is a fun movie and the action comes thick and fast, but doesn’t get in the way of character development.

You’ll like this if you liked : Superman / Batman : Public Enemies

Green Room (2015) 7/10

Starring : Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner, Imogen Poots, Patrick Stewart
Director : Jeremy Saulnier
Running Time : 95 mins

A struggling punk band take a gig at a bar well-known for its neo-Nazi skinhead patrons, but when they accidentally witness a murder they find their lives in danger as they are locked in the bar’s green room.

Not knowing what the plot of this move was going in, I was surprised when it suddenly turned from a simple story about a struggling band on the road into a violent and bloody movie which leaves no holds barred. The basic plot of the band trying to escape from the green room is effective as the pacing allows us to wonder if they will actually get out alive. But not making this an obvious horror film, the makers allow us to think of it more like a Die Hard style action movie until the very end.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Hole

The Secret Life Of Pets (2016) 8/10

Starring : Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell
Director : Yarrow Cheney & Chris Renaud
Running Time : 87 mins

Max (CK) loves his life in the city, living with his owner Katie (Kemper) in her apartment, but when Katie brings home a new dog, Duke (Stonestreet), Max gets jealous and tries to come up with a plan to get rid of him. Those plans soon go awry, and the two end up lost in the city, desperate to try and find their way home.

In spite of not having the most original story line – similar to other children’s movies such as Garfield and Toy Story – this is still a lot of fun. The characters are wildly over the top and manage to work against stereotypes while somehow remaining stereotypical, while the basic premise allows for a wide range of humour and action to take place. Fans of movies where the two leads hate each other but have to join forces to battle a larger foe will definitely enjoy this, no matter what age you might be.

You’ll like this if you liked : Toy Story

Mother’s Day (2010) 8/10

Starring : Rebecca De Mornay, Jaime King, Briana Evigan, Patrick Flueger, Warren Kole, Deborah Ann Woll, Frank Grillo, Matt O’Leary, Jessie Rusu, Shawn Ashmore
Director : Darryn Lynn Bousman
Running Time : 113 mins

A gang of criminals fresh out of jail return to their mother’s home to retrieve their stash of stolen money, only to find that the house has been sold to a young couple who are throwing a house warming party with their friends. The criminals take them hostage, threatening to kill them if they don’t get their money back, and soon their mother arrives to mediate between the two groups.

This is such a surprisingly engaging movie, especially when you consider it’s a remake. I thought at first it was going to be a pretty standard horror flick, but instead it becomes a tense thriller. By having the ‘children’ of the titular mother seem perfectly normal instead of horror standard freaks, the scares feel much more real and the horrors that are inflicted on those trapped in the house feel much more close to home.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Last House On The Left

The Big Short (2015) 8/10

Starring : Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, John Magaro, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Finn Wittrock, Marisa Tomei
Director : Adam McKay
Running Time : 131 mins

A handful of financial experts predict the collapse of mortgages in the USA, and take advantage of the situation as nobody believes them that what they’ve discovered could possibly reach fruition.

This is yet another interesting true life story that manages to make an entertaining movie. Unlike Spotlight, which came out the same year, this is much more of a tongue in cheek comedy, with plenty of jokey asides and breaking of the fourth wall. Whenever there’s a boring bit where something needs explaining, a celebrity shows up in an unlikely situation and tells us precisely what’s going on. The three leads do an excellent job of showing things from different angles and taking the material and showing just how corrupt the American economy truly was, and in fact still is.

You’ll like this if you liked : Spotlight

Captain America : Civil War (2016) 8/10

Starring : Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Daniel Bruhl
Director : Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
Running Time : 148 mins

When the government decide that The Avengers should not be allowed to go off and cause international incidents in the name of justice, Captain America (Evans) and Iron Man (Downey Jr) have a major falling out, one believing that the government are right to place controls on those with powers, and the other feeling that The Avengers need their freedom to ensure the safety of the planet.

The plot is slightly different from the comic book version, replacing the superhero registration act with simple oversight by the government of The Avengers, but the outcome is the same. Friend fights friend, fight scenes go on for ages, and everyone’s favourite Marvel Cinematic Universe hero makes an appearance (apart from, for some reason, Thor and Hulk). This was a fun, frivolous movie that takes all the action you’d expect from a Marvel movie and amps it all the way up to maximum. Plus it introduces some upcoming movie characters, such as The Black Panther and the new Spider-Man. Awesome family fun.

You’ll like this if you liked : Avengers : Age Of Ultron

How I Live Now (2013) 9/10

Starring : Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, George MacKay, Harley Bird, Danny McEvoy, Anna Chancellor
Director : Kevin Macdonald
Running Time : 102 mins

A young American girl named Daisy (Ronan) is sent to visit her relations in the English countryside. A terrorist attack on the capital, detonating a nuclear device in London, leaves Daisy and her cousins trying to survive as the United Kingdom is faced with the turmoil and the devastation of the aftermath of the attack.

I absolutely loved this underrated gem of a movie. Ronan proves she’s a great actress once again (‘The Host’ was just a glitch) by playing possibly the most horrible character ever, then turning it round and making you not only like her but actually sympathise with her. The plot comes as something of a surprise based on the opening scenes, but its drastic change of pace isn’t too jarring and the events that unfold are both touching and realistic, in spite of the dystopian overtones.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tomorrow When The War Began

Black Mass (2015) 7/10

Starring : Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard
Director : Scott Cooper
Running Time : 123 mins

James ‘Whitey’ Bulger (Depp) is an Irish mobster who uses his connections his state senator brother, William (Cumberbatch) to keep himself out of trouble, along with his childhood friend John Connolly (Edgerton) who now works for the FBI. After years of pretending to be an informant for the FBI, agents start to realise that his information has been taken from other informants reports, and that Whitey has never done anything to keep himself out of jail.

This was an intriguing story of how easy it was to get away with crimes in the 1970s if you had the right contacts. Depp is expertly creepy in the lead role, with Edgerton’s FBI agent being a very ambiguous character indeed, what with him trying to be loyal to those he grew up with in spite of the fact that they are all criminals. He almost comes across as a little bit backward because of this unflappable allegiance to Whitey and his gang. Fans of gangster movies will enjoy this flick, which manages to give us some great insights into how the criminal mind works, though there are moments that felt a little too over the top and unnecessary – we know Depp’s character is creepy, so we don’t need it to be rubbed in our faces.

You’ll like this if you liked : Sicario

Keanu (2016) 7/10

Starring : Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Tiffany Haddish, Method Man, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Jason Mitchell, Jamar Malachi Neighbors, Luis Guzman, Will Forte, Nia Long
Director : Peter Atencio
Running Time : 100 mins

Rell Williams (Peele) finds a stray cat and takes him in, naming him Keanu. He acts as a muse for his artistic talents in making humorous calendars, but a few days late the cat is stolen from him. With his best friend Clarence (Key), the two set out to find the kitten, only to discover that it originally belonged to a dead gang leader and they decide to pretend to be criminals themselves in order to get Keanu back.

This is one of those movies that’s starts off with a simple idea and then slowly spirals completely out of control. The humour is obvious but still amusing, and Key and Peele do a great job of building up the comedy and the tension until the conclusion of the film. If you like silly movies then this will be for you, otherwise you might find yourself getting annoyed with the choices the characters make through the duration.

You’ll like this if you liked : Walk Of Shame

Flight Of The Phoenix (2004) 7/10

Starring : Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi, Tyrese Gibson, Miranda Otto, Tony Curran, Hugh Laurie
Director : John Moore
Running Time : 108 mins

A team of oil rig workers are being taken home, their rig having been closed down due to a lack of productivity, when their plane crashes in the middle of the Gobi desert. The survivors are faced with having to try to survive, teaming together to repair or rebuild their plane in the hope of getting out of the desert alive.

This wasn’t the most exciting disaster movie, but it did have some great moments, and Ribisi is about as creepy as it gets in spite of not actually being an intentionally evil character. This movie will be fun for fans of disaster movies such as Vertical Limit, Cliffhanger, or 27 Hours, but be warned that most of the major action is confined to one crash scene near the start. if you can stand the tension that you don't often find in disaster movies, then this could be right up your street.

You’ll like this if you liked : Vertical Limit

Maggie’s Plan (2015) 6/10

Starring : Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph
Director : Rebecca Miller
Running Time : 99 mins

Maggie (Gerwig) has decided that she wants to have a child on her own without the assistance of a father for the child, but when she meets married man John Harding (Hawke), he leaves his husband and married Maggie, and the two have a child together. Three years into the marriage, Maggie starts to feel used in the relationship, and starts to suspect that John’s ex-wife Georgette (Moore) might actually be perfect for her husband and so she sets out to set the tow of them on the road to reconciliation so she doesn’t have to break up her marriage herself.

This comedy drama is a little strange to say the least. The lead characters decision to save face by not asking to break up with her husband but instead set him back up with his ex is the cornerstone of the humour, but most of the humour is dry and subdued. Plus one of the early plot devices – Maggie wanting a child without a husband – is rather cleverly used to bookmark the movie with the revelation at the end but, sadly, this wasn’t enough for me to recommend this any higher than I have.

You’ll like this if you liked : To Rome With Love

Suicide Squad (2016) 8/10

Starring : Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Cara Delevingne, Karen Fukuhara
Director : David Ayer
Running Time : 124 mins

Following the death of Superman, the American government becomes concerned that the world may be vulnerable to attack from other alien beings, so they sanction a task force of ex-criminal meta-humans to use as fodder against any potential threat – but their first threat comes from far closer to home than they could have imagined.

This was such a fun movie. I was surprised that, on the whole, the characters were pretty well rounded and had back stories that could have themselves been full movies. Robbie was Harley Quinn was the standout star, even overshadowing Smith whose take on Deadshot was pretty much the straight man to the rest of the squad, and Leto’s Joker may be criticised for not being like Nicholson or Ledger, but then if it was he would have just been considered a rip-off and instead makes him both quirky and unique, something that was helped by his romance with Quinn.

You’ll like this if you liked : Deadpool

They Came Together (2014) 8/10

Starring : Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Cobie Smulders, Noureen DeWulf, Jason Mantzoukas, Michael Ian Black
Director : David Wain
Running Time : 84 mins

When Joel (Rudd) and Molly (Poehler) meet, they hate each other in an old-fashioned rom com way, but when Molly discovers that the corporation that Joel works for are planning to put her out of business things get even worse until the inevitable happens.

This is an hilarious parody of romantic comedies, taking all the stereotypical set pieces and mixing them up in an unusual way. Rudd and Poehler work wonderfully together, and their story is told in a ‘When Harry Met Sally’ sort of fashion except with the main couple telling the story. There are some ridiculous moments that will have you thinking WTF, and some other moments that will feel familiar in a new and surprising way, and as for the ending, well it isn’t the typical one you’d be used to from a rom com.

You’ll like this if you liked : When Harry Met Sally

Looney Tunes : Rabbits Run (2015) 7/10

Starring : Jeff Bergman, Rachel Ramras, Jim Rash, Maurice LaMarche, Fred Armisen, Bob Bergen, Billy West, Damon Jones
Director : Jeff Siergey
Running Time : 75 mins

When Lola Bunny (Ramras) tries her hand at inventing her own range of perfume, she accidentally includes a rare flower which the government have been trying to get their hands on which has the ability to turn people invisible. Realising her life might be in danger, but not knowing why, she ends up on the run with unrelated cab driver Bugs Bunny (Bergman).

I actually enjoyed this Looney Tunes movie, the first in almost a decade. The plot was fun and gave lots of potential for laughs, though primarily this is more of a children’s movie than one targeted at both kids and adults alike. The musical numbers were generally fun, though I didn’t like the one with the two camp gophers or whatever they were supposed to be, and the story flowed like any other buddy road movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Bolt

Get A Job (2016) 7/10

Starring : Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick, Brandon T Jackson, Nicholas Braun, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Marcia Gay Harden, Bryan Cranston
Director : Dylan Kidd
Running Time : 83 mins

Will Davis (Teller) and his girlfriend Jillian Stewart (Kendrick) have graduated college but can’t seem to find the perfect job, instead going from one job to another and discovering how terrible life in the work force can be. Meanwhile Will’s father Roger (Cranston) finds himself made redundant and discovers what life is like for a man in his fifties trying to compete with today’s youth for jobs.

This is a likeable enough comedy that doesn’t go too far in terms of slapstick. Instead the comedy revolves around how different age groups view the working world; the young as a chore and the old as a privilege. The performances are good on the whole from the ensemble cast of young actors (and a few more seasoned ones), but it would have been nice if they could have been given a bit more funny material to play with.

You’ll like this if you liked : 21 & Over

Hunky Dory (2011) 6/10

Starring : Minnie Driver, Kristian Gwilliam, Aneurin Barnard, Tom Rhy Harries, Adam Byrd, Danielle Branch, Kimberley Nixon, Kayleigh Bennett, Darren Evans
Director : Marc Evans
Running Time : 111 mins

Vivienne Mae (Driver) is a school drama teacher whose class find the teaching of Shakespeare irrelevant and old school as they would rather be listening to music and having sex so, to liven things up, she decides to incorporate modern music into the performance to make things a bit more modern for them.

This drama, set in the scorching English summer of 1976, isn’t the best or the most interesting. The performances tend to range from stale to over the top, and there isn’t really any cohesive plot. Still, fans of the music of the time will enjoy the flashbacks to days gone by and may even relish the idea of relviing how school life used to be if they happened to have been born around 1960.

You’ll like this if you liked : Hamlet 2

Superfast! (2015) 5/10

Starring : Alex Ashbaugh, Dale Pavinski, Lili Mirojnick, Andrea Navedo, Daniel Booko, Omar Chaparro
Director : Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer
Running Time : 100 mins

Rookie cop Lucas White (Ashbaugh) is sent undercover to infiltrate a gang of illegal street racers led by Vin Serento (Pavinski) who are suspected of working with renowned kingpin Juan Carlos de la Sol (Chaparro), but White soon starts to like his new criminal friends and is reluctant to turn them in.

This spoof of ‘The Fast And The Furious’ isn’t as terrible as some of the spoofs made by Friedberg & Seltzer. Thankfully they don’t thrown in too many irrelevant popular culture references like they did in the likes of ‘Epic Movie’ or ‘Disaster Movie’. Instead they’ve tried to follow the formula that ‘Airplane!’ did so well – take an existing movie and play the script for jokes. They tried this with ‘Vampires Suck’ and failed miserably, but here they do a little better. It’s still not laugh out loud funny, but it has its moments that aren’t completely cringeworthy.

You’ll like this if you liked : Date Movie

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) 8/10

Starring : Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, Christopher Abbott, Billy Bob Thornton, Nicholas Braun
Director : Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Running Time : 112 mins

Kim Baker (Fey) is offered a three-month assignment in Afghanistan to work as an on-camera reporter, but when she arrives in the war torn country she soon realises how unprepared she is for the job, finding herself surrounded by sexist colleagues and a culture she knows nothing about.

This comedy drama manages to be both whimsical and dark at the same time. By having Fey in the lead role we are lulled into a false sense of security where we believe nothing truly bad can happen but, as the movie progresses, increasingly horrible things happen to her character, from getting cheated on by her boyfriend right up to being involved in bombings and outright death. This is an interesting look at the life of a reporter working in a country plagued by warfare.

You’ll like this if you liked : Our Brand Is Crisis

Justice League : War (2014) 7/10

Starring : Sean Astin, Zach Callison, Christopher Gorham, Justin Kirk, Michelle Monaghan, Shemar Moore, Jason O’Mara, Alan Tudyk, Steve Blum
Director : Jay Oliva
Running Time : 80 mins

When Earth’s greatest super heroes discover that aliens have been secretly invading the planet in order to terraform it for the use of the evil Darkseid (Blum), they form an alliance and create the Justice League in order to the world as they know it from being destroyed.

Although not as good as the previous direct to video movie, ‘Justice League : The Flashpoint Paradox’, this is still a movie that ticks all the boxes in terms of character appearances. Pretty much all of the major DC characters are in this, and it looks like even those that aren’t are likely to show up in the ‘Justice League : Throne Of Atlantis’ follow-up of sorts. Fans of Batman. Superman, or any of the DC big hitters will love this movie which sees the creation of the Justice League for the very first time, though the recent ‘Batman / Superman’ movie does sort of spoil this cartoons effect by forcing viewers to compare this to a far inferior work.

You’ll like this if you liked : Superman & Batman : Apocalypse

Daddy’s Home (2015) 7/10

Starring : Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Thomas Haden Church, Scarlett Estevez, Owen Vaccaro, Bobby Cannavale
Director : Sean Anders
Running Time : 96 mins

Brad Whitaker (Ferrell) is the step-father to the children of his wife, Sara (Cardellini), and wants nothing more than for them to treat him like a real dad as he can’t have children of his own. When their biological father Dusty (Wahlberg) shows up again, Brad finds himself playing second fiddle until he finds out that there might be a chance he can have a child of his own with his wife, but this plan to solidify his place in the family is met with resistance from Dusty.

This isn’t the best screenplay written by Sean Anders (that would have to be a toss-up between Hot Tub Time Machine and She’s Out Of My League) but it still has some funny – albeit cringe worthy – moments. Wahlberg is perfect as the angry ex who tries to ruin things for Ferrell, though Ferrell himself is a little over the top at times playing the wussy second husband. Fans of Wahlberg and Ferrell in ‘The Other Guys’ will be happy to see them back together, though the setting is very, very different.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dirty Grandpa