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