Mr Peabody & Sherman (2014) 9/10

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

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

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

You’ll like this if you liked : Free Birds

The Contractor (2007) 6/10

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

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

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

You’ll like this if you liked : Shooter

The Way, Way Back (2013) 7/10

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

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

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

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

Hulk Vs (2009) 6/10

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

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

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

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

The Other Woman (2014) 8/10

Starring : Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Don Johnson
Director : Nick Cassavetes
Running Time : 110 mins

Carly Whitten (Diaz) accidentally discovers that her new boyfriend Mark King (Coster-Waldau) is married when she meets his wife Kate (Mann). The two soon team up when they discover that Mark has been cheating on them both with sexy twenty-something Amber (Upton), and the three of them come up with a ploy to pay him back for his infidelities.

This is a likeable movie that people seem to brand as a chick flick. Personally I see this as a comedy revenge movie that is perfectly acted and filled with humorous scenes. I loved the relationship between Diaz and Mann, and how Mann latched on to the woman who normally she would see as an enemy but instead saw as an ally, a sounding board and a window into her husband’s secret life. A funny comedy that may not contain many surprises but it certainly makes up for that with laughs.

You’ll like this if you liked : This Is 40

Big Top Scooby-Doo! (2012) 7/10

Starring : Frank Welker, Mindy Cohn, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle
Director : Ben Jones
Running Time : 78 mins

In the eighteenth of the direct to video Scooby-Doo series, Scooby-Doo (Welker) and the gang take a vacation to Atlantic City, but when they discover that a string of jewel robberies - in which the victims have reported that a werewolf committed the crimes – have been linked to a circus that has been travelling the country, the gang soon find themselves involved in another mystery as they go undercover in the circus.

This is one of the better Scooby movies of recent years, with a nice bit of double bluff when the criminal is revealed. Fans of Scooby-Doo will enjoy this, but kids who like mystery movies and might not usually watch Scooby should give this a go too. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and upcoming Scooby movies will be just as good.

You’ll like this if you liked : Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo

Oculus (2013) 7/10

Starring : Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff
Director : Mike Flanagan
Running Time : 103 mins

Kaylie Russell (Gillan) attempts to clear the name of her brother Tim (Thwaites) who was committed to an institution eleven years earlier, after being accused of killing their parents. The truth, according to the siblings, is that a haunted mirror was responsible for controlling the minds of their parents and forcing them into violent deadly acts.

This slow paced psychological horror feels, at first, as if it is just a standard flick that uses spooks and clever camera tricks to garner scares out of people, but the beauty of this is it has so many layers if you care to look for them. You can either read it as it is presented – a family is tormented by a haunted mirror that gets them to kill each other – or you can see this as a clever movie that actually presents a haunted mirror that tricks people into thinking that events have happened when they are all in their head. Did the murders even take place? Or are the kids and their folks doomed from the moment they first looked in the mirror and never recovered? Decide for yourself.

You’ll like this if you liked : Mirrors

Green Lantern : Emerald Knights (2011) 7/10

Starring : Nathan Fillion, Jason Isaacs, Elisabeth Moss
Director : Christopher Berkley, Lauren Montgomery & Jay Oliva
Running Time : 84 mins

With the planet that houses the Green Lantern Corps being under threat from an enemy who wishes to destroy them all, the Lanterns evacuate the planet until their enemy can be stopped. Hal Jordan (Fillion), the Green Lantern of Earth, tells stories to new recruit Arisia (Moss), about the previous Lanterns, hoping to comfort her as they flee what had become their home.

Like Batman : Gotham Knights, this movie is more a series of stories connected by the Lantern Corp, explaining their origins and history for those who don’t already know. Unlike Gotham Knights, the animation here is consistent, which helps avoid the eye strain of multiple animation types. If you’re looking for a flowing story, then this won’t be for you, but if you’re happy to watch a series of vignettes with a common link that culminates in an action packed conclusion, then this will be right up your street.

You’ll like this if you liked : Batman : Gotham Knight

RoboCop (2014) 7/10

Starring : Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Samuel L Jackson
Director : Jose Padilha
Running Time : 118 mins

When Detroit cop Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) is badly injured, he is transformed into a half-man half-machine cyborg by a company called OmniCorp who want to introduce their robotic law enforcers into the United States. However, unlike their robot military drones, their new RoboCop holds on to its humanity even as it discovers just how little of his human side is left.

The strength of this remake lies in concentrating on the creation of RoboCop rather than just how much damage he can inflict on criminals. The moments with Murphy having to cope with being more machine than man, and realising that his basically a head with an arm, are the best moments of this movie. Fans of the original might be disappointed by the toned-down violence, but fans of futuristic sci-fi will love that the focus is on the science.

You’ll like this if you liked : Elysium

Les Miserables (2012) 8/10

Starring : Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen
Director : Tom Hooper
Running Time : 158 mins

Escaped criminal Jean Valjean (Jackman) finds himself on the run from single-minded Inspector Javert (Crowe) for eight years, soon taking a new identity and the role of mayor in a small French town. Having failed to help a working class woman named Fantine (Hathaway) after she is fired from her factory job, Valjean takes it upon himself to take care of her orphaned daughter against the background of the French Revolution.

I was actually surprised that this was quite enjoyable, not being a huge fan of conventionally dramatic musicals (I do have a soft spot for comic musicals such as Little Shop Of Horrors and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum). The actors perform wonderfully in this overly-long movie which, if you can sit through the almost three hours of practically non-stop singing, remains entertaining with lyrically pleasing songs that easily depict exactly what is happening without creating too much exposition.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Phantom Of The Opera

In A World... (2013) 7/10

Starring : Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Alexandra Holden, Nick Offerman, Geena Davis, Eva Longoria
Director : Lake Bell
Running Time : 93 mins

Vocal coach Carol Solomon (Bell) is tired of living in the shadow of her father, famed trailer voice-over actor Sam Soto (Melamed), so she decides to try and become a voice over actor herself. When she is offered a lucrative job, everyone is stunned, including her father who jealously tries to steal the job from under her.

This is a movie that raises a very interesting point – why don’t more movie trailers have female voices over them? Bell expertly directs and stars in this comedy drama that explores love, life, and the competitive streak parents find they have against their own children. There are some slow moments, but the performances more than make up for this, as does the original and refreshing subject matter.

You’ll like this if you liked : Drinking Buddies

Puncture (2011) 7/10

Starring : Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, Michael Biehn, Brett Cullen, Marshall Bell, Jesse L Martin, Kate Burton, Vinessa Shaw
Director : Adam & Mark Kassen
Running Time : 100 mins

Mike Weiss (Evans) and Paul Danziger (Kassen) are lawyers who are hired by a nurse named Vicky Rogers (Shaw). She tells them of how she contracted AIDS from a needle stick, and that her friend Jeffrey Dancourt (Bell) has invented a retractable needle that will bring needle stick cases down from thousands to zero, but hospitals will not buy the needles. As they investigate they discover a monopoly on medical supplies that ignores progress in favour of value.

Scarily based on a true story, it is terrifying to think that hospitals would rather save a few bucks than protect their staff. There’s a little too much focus on the drug habits of Chris Evans character, which didn’t feel that necessary for the action to move ahead, but I guess if the person he is portraying had a drug habit the writers shouldn’t just ignore the fact, plus it becomes important towards the end. This is slow in places, and there are moments where it feels like someone has forgotten the point of the movie, but this quickly gets back on track and makes for an informative and dramatic watch.

You’ll like this if you liked : Extraordinary Measures

Cuban Fury (2014) 8/10

Starring : Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd, Olivia Colman, Ian McShane
Director : James Griffiths
Running Time : 98 mins

As a child Bruce Garrett (Frost) and his sister Sam (Colman) won a number of salsa competitions, but after Bruce is beaten up for wearing outlandish costumes he gives up on his passion. When he meets his new boss, American Julia (Jones), he finds himself falling for her and, upon discovering that she loves salsa dancing, he decides to refresh his skills. But competition for Julia’s affections lies in the guise of co-worker Drew (O’Dowd) who will stop at nothing to get into her pants.

This likeable romantic comedy allows Frost to literally take the lead and really show his comedy genius without the help of his often-partner Simon Pegg. The supporting cast work wonders in this simple tale of love and salsa, with O’Dowd being an interesting and definitely unlikeable foil for Frost’s advances on Jones, with Jones managing to portray a character that is perfect for that played by Frost. A must see for all fans of rom-coms.

You’ll like this if you liked : Shall We Dance

Bad Kids Go To Hell (2012) 7/10

Starring : Amanda Alch. Marc Donato, Augie Duke, Roger Edwards, Ali Faulkner, Jeffrey Schmidt, Cameron Deane Stewart, Ben Browder, Judd Nelson
Director : Matthew Spradlin
Running Time : 93 mins

A group of school children find themselves in Saturday detention for various levels of bad behaviour, but when one of them collapses during an impromptu séance, the kids find themselves terrified for their lives as they all start acting out against each other.

I’ve read a lot of reviews for this teen comedy-thriller that have said just how terrible it is, but I actually thought it was pretty enjoyable. The plot soon explains itself when we realise towards the end what this group of kids are actually responsible for and the over-the-top bad kid identities of each character works beautifully. Fans of late nineties teen horrors like Scream or The Craft will enjoy this movie that hails back to the good old days of silly scary movies.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Hole

Machete Kills (2013) 6/10

Starring : Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Carlos Estevez, Damian Bichir, Mel Gibson
Director : Robert Rodriguez
Running Time : 104 mins

Machete Cortez (Trejo) is offered United States citizenship by the American President, Rathcock (Estevez), if he kills a man named Mendez (Bichir) who plans on launching a nuclear attack on Washington DC. Machete soon finds himself facing off against a weapons dealer named Luther Voz (Gibson) stationed in Mexico, who plans to set off a nuclear war before escaping into space.

This movie is so over the top it beggars belief, but it’s supposed to be. With villainous contraptions that turn people inside out, 3D sex-scenes that are reminiscent of Rodriquez’s broken film moment in Planet Terror, and some of the hammiest acting ever committed to film, not to mention the unconcealed rip-offs of Star Wars, this will appeal to those who find these sort of parodies hilarious. But be warned, some will not realise that this is a parody and feel that this is a badly scripted Van Damme-esque flick with little potential.

You’ll like this if you liked : Black Dynamite

3 Idiots (2009) 8/10

Starring : Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani
Director : Rajkumar Hirani
Running Time : 172 mins

Two friends reunite to visit their friend Rancho (Khan) at their old college, where their teachers frowned upon their attitude towards work and life as they chose happiness over the expectations of their families. Rancho was responsible for teaching them not to do what others expect of them and instead to follow their dreams or run the risk of facing suicidal tendencies due to pressure from those around them.

This fun comedy drama will no doubt divide many people into three camps – those who absolutely love it, those that think it’s over rated, and those that though it was just okay. Personally I’m in the last camp, finding that there were moments of old school slapstick that were quite funny, but that some of the characters were on too much of a pedestal to feel real. Worth watching, and there isn’t that much singing throughout, with what there is being relevant and not just random.

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

X-Men : Days Of Future Past (2014) 8/10

Starring : Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage
Director : Bryan Singer
Running Time : 130 mins

With their lives in perpetual danger from the mutant hunting Sentinels, the X-Men send the consciousness of Wolverine (Jackman) back to the seventies to try and derail the Sentinel programme before it can begin by preventing the death of Dr Bolivar Trask (Dinklage) at the hands of shape-shifting mutant Raven (Lawrence), an event which pushed the programme through congress and convinced the public of the danger of mutant kind.

Although an at-times confusing movie that might force many people to give up if they think too much, this is a decent action flick that allows fans to see some of the lesser used characters from the comic books take centre stage in the Sentinel-filled future. The plot is complicated, but if you just let it flow over you, you will no doubt enjoy the error filled time-travel nonsense that manages to be so engrossing.

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

The Words (2012) 8/10

Starring : Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana
Director : Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal
Running Time : 103 mins

Struggling writer Rory Jansen (Cooper) has been writing his novel for three years, but can’t find anyone who is willing to take a chance on him and publish his work. When he receives an old briefcase as a present from his wife Nora (Saldana), he finds inside the manuscript for a novel. Reading it, he realises just how good it is and, through a misunderstanding, gets the book published as his own work. When he meets an old man (Irons), the actual author, he is faced with a life-defining decision...

Jeremy Irons really makes this film with his slightly sinister yet defeated performance, but to be fair the entire cast are pretty impressive. I especially enjoyed the ambiguous ending that, although it does lean in one particular direction, leaves the actual conclusion of the story open to interpretation. Fans of Cooper and Saldana will find them especially good in this drama that really gives them a chance to prove themselves.

You’ll like this if you liked : Being Flynn

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Stranded (2013) 5/10

Starring : Christian Slater, Brendan Fehr, Amy Matysio, Michael Therriault
Director : Roger Christian
Running Time : 88 mins

A team of astronauts, led by Colonel Gerard Brauchman (Slater), find themselves caught in a meteor shower that damages their moon base and released a deadly gas into their air supply. When crew member Ava Cameron (Matysio) is sent out to repair the damage, she is infected by a spore that impregnates her and she soon gives birth to a shape-shifting beast that takes on the form of one of the crew members and goes on a killing spree.

There is mention in the beginning of this movie that the gas that is escaping into the ship may cause hallucinations, so it would have been nice if the alien turned out to be an hallucination, but at no point does anyone actually have any visions, and the alien turns out to be real. There isn’t even an attempt at double-bluffing the audience. The disappointing lack of special effects aside, this wasn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but the script could have done with some serious tweaking to make the characters a lot more believable.

You’ll like this if you liked : Dark Star

Million Dollar Baby (2004) 7/10

Starring : Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel
Director : Clint Eastwood
Running Time : 133 mins

Boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is reaching the end of an incredibly successful career, so when Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) - a thirty-something waitress who has decided on the spur of the moment to take up boxing – he refuses to train her, but his estranged relationship with his daughter leads him to take more of an interest in Maggie’s professional standing and takes the reigns as her trainer. It isn’t long before Maggie starts winning every fight she competes in...

Fans of fight movies will enjoy this twist on the traditional tale – not only do we have a female fighter, but she is hardly an underdog as the tale unfolds. The fight scenes are convincingly done, and some of Eastwood’s instructions to Swank on how to fight did make me chuckle. Worth watching, and the last half an hour or so is incredibly sad and moving.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Wrestler