Exodus : Gods And Kings (2014) 7/10

Starring : Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley
Director : Ridley Scott
Running Time : 151 mins

Moses (Bale) has been raised in the royal household of the Pharaohs, but on seeing the treatment of the Hebrew slaves he starts to question their actions. When he is told that he is actually of Hebrew decent, he is exiled and makes a bold move against his childhood friend Ramses (Edgerton) by deciding to try to free his people from slavery.

This wasn’t a bad adaptation, though I’m sure the more religious viewers out there might disagree. There are moments where non-believers try to explain away the plagues, but that just makes each one that follows more impressive. At times I actually felt sorry for Ramses because, other than inheriting slaves, he seemed at first to be a pretty reasonable guy and, to be fair, God wasn’t doing a particularly good job of endearing Himself to the Pharaoh. Fans of Bible epics could do worse than watching this – it’s much better than Noah – and the action sequences work remarkably well.

You’ll like this if you liked : Noah

Creed (2015) 7/10

Starring : Michael B Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
Director : Ryan Coogler
Running Time : 134 mins

Adonis Johnson (Jordan) discovers that he is the son of the famous boxer Apollo Creed, who died shortly before his birth. As a result of his father’s career, Adonis decides to follow in his footsteps and become a boxer, but doesn’t want people to know about his parentage. He seeks out the mentorship of Apollo’s best friend, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), and together they try to transform Adonis into a boxer his father could have been proud of...

Fans of the Rocky movies won’t be disappointed with this. The plot is believable and doesn’t give us a ridiculous resurgence from Rocky himself which would have been stupid. Jordan does a reasonable job in this, considering some of the terrible roles he’s been handed, and Stallone might not be the best actor, particularly considering some of the drama in this, but he does okay.

You’ll like this if you liked : Southpaw

Dad’s Army (2016) 8/10

Starring : Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Blake Harrison, Daniel Mays, Bill Paterson, Mark Gatiss, Sarah Lancashire, Felicity Montagu, Emily Atack, Holly Dempsey, Annette Crosbie, Julia Foster, Ian Lavender, Frank Williams, Martin Savage, Alison Steadman, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Director : Oliver Parker
Running Time : mins

It’s 1944, and the home guard of Walmington On Sea are tasked with patrolling the cliffs of Dover due to a suspected German invasion, but what they don’t realise is that they have a spy in their midst, and that it could be any one of them.

This was a well made homage to the popular British sitcom from the 60s and 70s. Fans of the original will enjoy that the actors don’t parody the original actors but instead make the roles their own (with a few catchphrases thrown in for good measure). The plot works well, and pays great respect to the original series which quite often had such serious story lines played for jokes.

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

It Had To Be You (2000) 7/10

Starring : Natasha Henstridge, Michael Vartan, Michael Rispoli, Olivia d’Abo
Director : Steven Feder
Running Time : 97 mins

Struggling author Charlie Hudson (Vartan) is left to plan his wedding when his fiancée is too busy with work to attend. He meets Anna Penn (Henstridge), who is also planning her wedding, and the two develop a coincidental filled relationship that leads to them questioning their upcoming nuptials.

This could have been better, but it actually wasn’t that bad. This movie predates Vartan starring alongside Jennifer Garner in Alias, and comes after Henstridge made a name for herself as a sex obsessed alien, so that cast is a little odd, but they work pretty well. The story line could have been tighter, and some of the scenes didn’t feel necessary, but all in all it was pure innocent fun that ended on a high note without making either of the main characters out to be the bad guy.

You’ll like this if you liked : Leap Year

Spotlight (2015) 7/10

Starring : Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schrieber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci
Director : Tom McCarthy
Running Time : 130 mins

It’s 2001, and the reporters at the Boston Globe have begun a yearlong investigation into allegations of child abuse in the Catholic Church. Their investigation into a handful of cases soon spirals out of control as they realise the sheer extent of the abuse and how many priests are involved in both the offenses and the subsequent cover-ups.

This starts off incredibly slow, and I was worried I was going to be left sitting through more than two hours of nothing, but then the plot kicked in. It’s amazing how crooked the Catholic Church comes across in this movie, and disgusting that they allow priests to carry on in their roles when they know what they’ve done. The subject matter is tricky, but it is treated in a way that won’t offend too easily and actually makes for fascinating viewing.

You’ll like this if you liked : Doubt

Grimsby (2016) 7/10

Starring : Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, Penelope Cruz
Director : Louis Leterrier
Running Time : 84 mins

Nobby Butcher (Baron Cohen) has spent years trying to track down his brother since they were separated following the death of their parents. When he finally tracks him down he discovers that he is a top MI6 assassin going by the name of Sebastian Graves (Strong) who has just come upon a plot to spread a vicious disease throughout the world’s population.

This movie is difficult to judge. I did laugh when I was watching it, though I cringed too, and the kind of person who likes Baron Cohen’s other movies will enjoy this more plot driven offering. On the other hand a lot of the jokes felt forced, and sometimes the plot seemed to be written simply to make the jokes feel like they had a purpose. So, if you like gross out movies filled with the kind of gags that will physically make you gag, then this movie will suit you to a tee.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Dictator

Stuck In Love (2012) 7/10

Starring : Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Lily Collins, Nat Wolff, Logan Lerman, Kristen Bell
Director : Josh Boone
Running Time : 97 mins

Famous author Bill Borgens (Kinnear) is still in love with his ex-wife Erica (Connelly), and his choices concerning love have had a definite impact on his promiscuous daughter, Samantha (Collins), and his introverted son Rusty (Wolff), both of whom have problematic relationships with the opposite sex.

This is one of those drama movies that feels like it should be a comedy, mainly because it has Greg Kinnear in the lead role. There are funny moments, but on the whole it is a dour look at how love can blind people to what is really going on in their lives, as well as how it can such a grip on the behaviours and actions of people. Basically, in this movie, what can go wrong will go wrong, and the majority of the characters have a terrible time of things for the most part until, miraculously, things turn around for them at the end.

You’ll like this if you liked : Young Adult

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) 8/10

Starring : Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Luca Calvani, Sylvester Groth, Hugh Grant, Jared Harris
Director : Guy Ritchie
Running Time : 117 mins

After CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Cavill) helps a mechanic named Gaby Teller (Vikander) defect to West Germany, he is teamed up with Russian KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Hammer) to prevent a criminal organization from building a nuclear bomb.

Fans of the original series will not be disappointed by this updated version. It continues to be set in the 1960s in the middle of the Cold War, and the characters remain faithful to their originals. Their quirks are fun to watch, with the potential for romance between Illya and Gaby hinted at in almost every scene they are in together, and Cavill proves he isn’t just another Superman by doing a wonderful turn as Solo. This possesses the definite touch of Guy Ritchie, who does enjoy split screen, but it works well in the confines of a 60s spy movie and this is actually one of his better films.

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

London Has Fallen (2016) 6/10

Starring : Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell
Director : Babak Najafi
Running Time : 99 mins

When the British Prime Minister dies during routine surgery, all the world’s leaders collect together in the British capital to attend his funeral, including American President Benjamin Asher (Eckhart) and his body guard Mike Banning (Butler). It soon transpires that a terrorist cell are using the funeral as a means of attacking the nations of the world’s leaders in one fell swoop, and only Manning can stop them.

Well this was one of the most over the top action movies I’ve seen in a long time. The explosion scenes are absolutely ridiculous and make it look like the UK have absolutely no security, especially when the Houses of Parliament is blown up with multiple devices. Of course, this is just a silly action movie, and if you can switch off your negative judgemental side for an hour and a half it is pretty watchable.

You’ll like this if you liked : A Good Day To Die Hard

The Secret Of Moonacre (2008) 7/10

Starring : Ioan Gruffudd, Tim Curry, Natascha McElhone, Juliet Stevenson, Dakota Blue Richards
Director : Gabor Csupo
Running Time : 105 mins

When her father dies leaving nothing in his will but gambling debts and a mysterious book, Maria Merryweather (Richards) – along with her governess Miss Heliotrope (Stevenson) – are sent to live with Maria’s strange Uncle, Sir Benjamin (Gruffudd), in Moonacre Manor. There Maria discovers that she is the last of the Moon Princesses and that she only has until the rise of the next moon to save Moonacre from being cast into the sea.

This wasn’t bad for a kids film. It starts off pretty slowly, but then the random magic qualities start showing up which, at times, are pretty jarring from the remainder of the standard drama of the piece. I think it was probably the plan of the director to have the magic in the movie be gradual, but when the cook at Moonacre Manor shows up, things go off too quickly.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Golden Compass

Carol (2015) 7/10

Starring : Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson
Director : Todd Haynes
Running Time : 119 mins

In 1950s New York, twenty-something shop worker Therese Belivet (Mara) befriends forty-something mother and wife Carol Aird (Blanchett). The friendship between the two soon develops into something more, but Carol’s husband Harge (Chandler) uses the love affair to further his fight for custody of his daughter as he and his wife begin a bitter divorce proceeding.

This movie is definitely one that speaks for a time. The main plot is that gay women were considered mentally deficient and not suitable to raise children. Obviously this is a belief that has changed in the last sixty years, but it comes across as a powerful message in this movie which, on the whole, does a good job of sending the message across. What does spoil it a little – though some may disagree – is the unnecessary use of nudity which, because it was only Mara we see naked, beggars the question of why the director made the decision to have nudity if Blanchett didn’t want to do it. Why not be tactful instead of having the scene jar with the viewers?

You’ll like this if you liked : Passion

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) 8/10

Starring : Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, JK Simmons, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross
Director : Alessandro Carloni & Jennifer Yuh
Running Time : 94 mins

Po (Black) is reunited with his long-lost father Li (Cranston) and he gets the opportunity to meet the pandas from his home village. When the ghost of a villainous kung fu master, Kai (Simmons) appears and starts turning other kung fu expert in jade zombies – jombies – Po discovers that his father knows the secret of chi and can help him defeat the monster once and for all.

This was much better than the second movie, but obviously not quite as good as the first. There was some decent characterization and some good action which made it much more watchable. Fans of the originals will get a kick out of seeing Po’s birth family, and the usual background characters of Mantis and Crane get some fun scenes together.

You’ll like this if you liked : How To Train Your Dragon 2

Mr Pip (2012) 8/10

Starring : Hugh Laurie, Xzannjah, Healesville Joel, Eka Darville
Director : Andrew Adamson
Running Time : 116 mins

A young girl, Matilda Naimo (Xzannjah), living in war torn Papua New Guinea, becomes obsessed with the novel Great Expectations when her British teacher, Tom Watts (Laurie) begins reading it to her class at their newly opened school. Things come to a head as her obsession with the main character of the novel, Pip, leads her to write his name in the sand on a beach and lead rebels to think he is an opposing rebel leader.

This was a likeable enough drama, which wasn’t at all what I was expecting. The acting is spot on, and Laurie is very good as the world weary teacher who manages to find new hope in his Papua New Guinea class. There are some sad and shocking moments, but overall this is a feel good movie that doesn’t allow war to get in the way of a positive tale.

You’ll like this if you liked : Whale Rider

Brooklyn (2015) 8/10

Starring : Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters
Director : John Crowley
Running Time : 111 mins

Eilis Lacey (Ronan) emigrates from Ireland to the United States in the hope of finding a job as she can’t find full time work in her home town of Enniscorthy, County Wexford. She moves to a Brooklyn boarding house and finds a job, and secretly marries her new man Tony Fiorello (Cohen) but when her sister dies back in Ireland Eilis is forced to return and finds everyone trying to convince her to stay and trying to fix her up with men, not knowing she has a husband back in the states.

This was such a nice old fashioned romantic drama, with Ronan doing a great job in the lead. Her character’s decisions might be questionable as the movie progresses, but she makes it work and makes it feel like a plausible approach, in spite of how ridiculous it might sound from the outset. The drama is at times high, but it’s the romance that makes this movie such a winner, and don’t worry – there’s a happy ending, I promise.

You’ll like this if you liked : Angela’s Ashes

How To Be Single (2016) 6/10

Starring : Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie, Leslie Mann
Director : Christian Ditter
Running Time : 110 mins

Alice (Johnson) takes a new job at a law firm following the breakup of her relationship and meets Robin (Wilson), a free spirited woman who loves being single, so Robin takes Alive under her wing to teach her the ins and outs of the current dating scene. Meanwhile Alice’s sister Meg (Mann) doesn’t want a relationship because she’s too wrapped up in work, and Lucy (Brie) goes on a series of bad dates, not realising that her ideal man is right under her nose.

This comedy feels incredibly forced for the majority of the time, with very little natural humour, and most of it feeling like it was tagged on at the last minute for laughs. The acting feels a little stagnant, especially from Johnson and Wilson, with Mann doing a better than average job in her role and Brie just being okay. Comedy fans would do better to find something else to watch, as this isn’t particularly funny and tries too hard to be something that it isn’t. It might have even worked better as a light hearted drama than a gross out comedy movie.

You’ll like this if you liked : Drinking Buddies

Skin Trade (2014) 5/10

Starring : Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Celina Jade, Peter Weller, Ron Perlman
Director : Ekachai Uekrongtham
Running Time : 97 mins

Following the murder of his wife and the kidnapping of his daughter, New York detective Nick Cassidy (Lundgren) heads to South East Asia to track down the gang responsible for the atrocities and to bring an end to their network of human trafficking.

This is such a cheesy movie, filled with all the clichés that action movies of the 80s and 90s made so popular. Imagine if Taken had been made with Steven Segal and you’ve pretty much got his movie sussed. The soundtrack sounds like it came from a poor man’s version of The Terminator, the main heroes meet in a comic book style misunderstanding fight scene that goes on for far too long, and the nudity, though necessary for a movie with a plot revolving around the sex trade, feels tacked on for nudities sake, especially when the majority of these poor young girls who have been kidnapped from their homes and sold into slavery have very obvious breast implants. One for the hardcore action movie fan who doesn’t mind trading in good plots for over the top action.

You’ll like this if you liked : Taken 2

Our Brand Is Crisis (2015) 7/10

Starring : Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Joaquim de Almeida, Ann Dowd, Scoot McNairy, Zoe Kazan
Director : David Gordon Green
Running Time : 108 mins

Pedro Castillo (de Almeida) is a Bolivian politician running for the presidential election in his home country. He hires an American consulting firm to help him improve his image and win, and in turn the company hires semi-retired ‘Calamity’ Jane Bodine (Bullock) to manage the campaign. When she realises that one of the opposition campaigns is being run by long-time rival Pat Candy (Thornton) she decides to run a smear campaign in order to win.

Based on actual events, this movie is actually very well executed. In spite of adding comedy to the character of Jane Bodine, this is quite the downhearted drama, with information about the characters coming out as the movie progresses which makes them feel so much darker than they were at the start. People who start out as caricatures soon turn into far more complex characters which makes for an intriguing watch.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Ides Of March

X-Men : Apocalypse (2016) 8/10

Starring : James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smitt-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Ben Hardy, Lana Condor, Josh Helman
Director : Bryan Singer
Running Time : 144 mins

An ancient mutant named En Sabah Nur (Isaac) awakens from an ancient slumber and recruits his four horsemen in an attempt to take over the planet by kidnapping Professor Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and taking over his body, thus giving him the psychic ability to control the world’s population.

This is a pretty decent comic book movie which mainly suffers from making the supporting villains so one-dimensional. When you have complex villains like Magneto, it really shows when the rest of the villains (at times including Apocalypse) are so lacking in personality. I don’t know if they were meant to come across as mindless drones, but they certainly did for the most part. The best moment in the entire movie revolves around Evan Peters as Quicksilver rescuing the entire school from an explosion, which is very cleverly thought through, and there are even some comedy digs at the movie itself as some of the Xavier students go to see Return Of The Jedi and discuss it on their way home, plus you get to see Nightcrawler dress like Michael Jackson. X-Men fans will enjoy this, though the Wolverine moments felt forced.

You’ll like this if you liked : X-Men : Days Of Future Past

The Fountain (2006) 6/10

Starring : Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Mark Margolis, Donna Murphy, Sean Patrick Thomas
Director : Darren Aronofsky
Running Time : 97 mins

Three stories, each telling of a man (Jackman) who is trying to obtain the eternal love of a woman (Weisz); in the past the woman is a queen, and the man a Conquistador searching for the tree of life in order to free her from pativity; in the present he is a doctor trying to find a cure for his cancer stricken wife; and in the future the man is a space traveller trying to seek out a dying star.

This is an odd little film, which tells three parallel stories of the past, present, and future. There are some amazing practical effects, and it’s worth watching just for them, but the story is a little disjointed in a cultish way, a bit like The Nines. The overall present story is a decent story of love and loss, but sometimes the past and future stories actually got in the way rather than enhanced it.

You’ll like this if you liked : Cloud Atlas

The Hateful Eight (2015) 8/10

Starring : Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
Director : Quentin Tarantino
Running Time : 168 mins

In late 19th Century America, a pair of bounty hunters, John Ruth (Russell) and Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), are heading to Red Rock with their bounties when they are forced to take shelter from a storm at Minnie’s Haberdashery, where they are faced by a group of suspiciously unfamiliar faces and find themselves having to figure out if their lives are in danger.

Although far too long, this was a fun whodunit of sorts, with Russell and Jackson having to guess who might be trying to take their lives. The dialogue helps to make the viewer forget just how long this movie is, which is a good thing, and the pacing is generally quite fast which makes the time pass quicker. Fans of Tarantino will enjoy this movie, which has all of his hallmarks, so expect a violent murder filled joy ride filled with bad language.

You’ll like this if you liked : Django Unchained