Movie Reviews Vol.IV

Submitted by dreddcucumber on Mon, 01/25/2010 - 12:09.

4.3.2.1.

4.3.2.1. or to give it it's proper title 4 Girls, 3 Days, 2 Cities, 1 Chance is the latest offering from the multi talented (And Orange Rising Star Award Wiining) Actor, Director, Writer Noel Clarke. Following up on his success from the brilliant AdULTHOOD (Check it out if you haven't already seen it), embarks on his latest project 4.3.2.1. It's somewhere between Doug Liman's Go, Sex and the City (Only leagues better) and a dash of Clerks.

The story follows in a Rashomon style, following 3 days in the lives of 4 friends (Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Ophilia Lovibond & Shanika Warren-Marland) as they follow different paths and have different issues to deal with. All of them however revolve around a diamond heist that sees them getting embroiled in when they all happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The film thunders along at a cracking pace and never leaves you hanging waiting for the next sequence. It features not only Noel Clarke himself (and there's just simply not enough screen time for him here. More of Noel Clarke's charcter Tee, who seems to have one of the more interesting stories to tell, but we digress as this is about the girls...), but some of his regulars who as usual are ever dependable (Adam Deacon in particular). But the girls here are absolutely superb, in particular Emma Roberts who puts in a magnificent perfomance as the put upon Joanne. It's more than just a departure from what we are used to from her in the teen friendly Wild Child & Nancy Drew. But it's such a mature performance you have to pinch yourself to realise it's the same person. Then there's also the outstanding tuen from Tamsin Egerton too, who has the best segment of the four as the naive (Well sort of), impressionable young lady who is off to the US to pop her cherry with a guy she has met online. As you can imagine things don't go as well as planned but she more than makes up for it. Again it is such an amazing performance that Noel Clarke has brought out of her that you simply don't want that section of the film to end. Throw in Michelle Ryan putting her Bionic Woman training to good use as the shady Kelly.

Noel Clarke's direction is more assured this time out and he manages to pull all the srings togther with excellent timing. There was a real danger throughout 4.3.2.1. to become rather cliched and turgid. But Noel manages to keep the film from slipping off down that track. He has created something new here that feels strangely familiar. The film features enough excitement, humour and sultry moments to keep pretty much everyone happy. It is obvious that the cast have a real confidence in their director as it relays to the screen extrodinarily well. It looks and feels effortless for him and the film benefits becasue of this.

If you are looking for a decent alternative to the fashion porn that is Sex and the City as Noel Clarke has created the British antitdote to that with a street style version which would take on Carrie and co and beat them into submission and dump them in a back alley as if the were something you scraped off your shoe. This is REAL girl power. Noel Clarke may very well be the saviour of a flagging British Film industry. Just watch this space...

Overall Rating:

Death At A Funeral

It's the funeral of Aaron (Chris Rock) and Ryan's (Martin Lawrence) father. The family are all gathering at the family home where Asaron lives with his wife and parents. Aaron has been struggling to save enough money to move out and start a family of his own. His brother Ryan is a sucessful published author and lives it up in the city. Ryan returns home and everyone is wondering why Aaron is giving the eulogy and not Ryan. The funeral decends rapidly into a complete farce from the outset when at first the funeral directors deliver the wrong body to the house. Aaron and Ryan's cousin Elaine (Zoe Saldana) and her fiancee Oscar (James Marsden) stop off at Elaine's brothers (Colombus Short) flat. To calm his nerves Oscar takes what he thinks is a valium. It turns out to be a hallucinagenic drug that Jeff concoted, which leads Oscar to believing that the coffin is moving. After an interlude becasue of the chaos Oscar has caused, Frank Lovett (Peter Dinklage) approaches the brothers to let them know that he was their fathers lover and wants some money to stop him from telling their mother the truth. This leads to yet more chaos, shocking revelations, festering resentments, ugly threats, blackmail and a misdirected corpse unleash lethal results before the days is out . Will Aaron and Ryan ever get to let their father rest in piece before the family tear themselves to pieces?

Death At A Funeral is a remake of the very weak British movie directed by Frank Oz of the same name. Peter Dinklage is the only cast member who returns from the original cast to repise his role. The film features an amzing ensemble cast... And Martin Lawrence who does his level best to derail the entire movie by being awful throughout. Chris Rock holds proceedings together aimiably, but it's James Marsden and Danny Glover who stand out from the large cast both delivering hilarious turns, especially Danny Glover in what will no doubt be remebered as one of the most gross gags of the year. Toilet humour quite literally at it's finest. Marsden as the spaced out Oliver also gets some fine scenes to play out with the endearing Zoe Saldana. Other than that it's a by the numbers remake of a below par original movie. It's probably better than the original though in large part due to the cast, despite being pretty much a shot for shot remake.

As ensemble comedies go you would probably not find anything worse currently at the cinema, so if you are looking for cheap laughs a decent crop of actors (And Martin Lawrence) the Death At A Funeral could be just the movie for you. However if you don't like low rent sex farce with some drugs and toilet humour thrown in for good measure then you probably won't like this at all. Did we mention that Martin Lawrence is not very good in it either?

Overall Rating:

The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me is a film based on the novel by Jim Thompson. Directed by Michael Winterbottom it features the narrated story of Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) who suffers from a 'sickness' as he calls it namely that unbeknowst to everyone else he is a serial killer. He moves about town and after a trail of murders some of the locals start to suspect him and as his paranoia kicks in the more bodies that mount up. Soon though things come to a head as one of his previous victims Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba) survived her assault and lives to tell her tale. As the net closes in Lou makes arrangements of his own to ensure he doesn't get caught.

The Killer Inside Me took a long time to make it's way ot the big screen and with good reason too. It is one of the most distatseful stories of recent years to reach the big screen. Despite outstanding performances from Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba, you come away with a bad taste in the mouth because of the violent nature of the story and the even more violent scenes set before you on the screen. Featuring one of the most uncomfortable and vile scenes, Jessica Alba's character is beaten to a bloody pulp. If this had just been a few shots and then cutaway you would still understand the nature and power of this scene however Michael Winterbottom decides that this is not enough and we watch as Lou relentlessly reigns down punches in close up into Joyce's face until she is a whimpering wreck. The as if that is not enough the scene then continues until Joyce is punched unconcious... This scene runs for about 5-10 minutes and it is brutal and disturbing even to someone with a strong stomach. Then there is the other end of the violence as Lou rapes Joyce and she is seen to actually bing enjoying, so obviously thats OK too. Then there's the moment when Lou's longsuffering girlfriend Amy Stanton (Kate Hudson) comes to the realisation of what is about to happen to her too. You get the picture. The film is relentless in it's pursuit of violence and it's not entertainment whichever way you chalk it.

The film is very much marmite as you will either love or hate it. But whichever way you look at it various sequences are wholly unecessary. The direction though is superb, with beautiful acting throughout with career performances from both Affleck (Who is outstanding throughout) and Alba who kicks off her girl next door image in real style. Kate Hudson is also great but has little screen time to do anything with her role. The pacing leaves a little to be desired as much like Lou's Southern drawl is a bit slow and the entire middle section sags.

While there's a lot to commend here, unfortunately the bad out weighs all that. This turns into a nasty misogynistic piece that is trying to be art but falls at the first hurdle and doesn't even reach the bench mark of entertainment either,unless your a sadist with psyhcotic tendencies. Not one for the weak of heart.

Overall Rating:

Tooth Fairy

Dwayne Johnson is Derek Thompson a minor league ice hockey player who is nicknamed 'The Tooth Fairy' on account of his opponents losing teeth after being on the wrong end of a tackle from him. After one night almost dispelling the myth of tooth fairies. Thompson is summoned to Tooth Fairy land where he encounters Tracy (Stephen Merchant) his case worker as he stands trial for being a 'dream crusher'. He stands trail in front of the cheif fairy (Julie Andrews, yes that Julie Andrews) and discovers that his penalty is that he will have to become a tooth fairy for 2 weeks. After the intial disbelief he eventually takes to the role and delivers the tooth fairies job in his own inimitable style. After a disater in a hockey game he takes his frustrations out on everyone around him and his girllfriend Carly (Ashley Judd) tells him to stay away from her children. This being a family comedy before all is said and done Thompson will mend the bridges and save the day and get his dream job - a return to the big leagues. Or will he?

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson wanders into now familiar territory of the family comedy. Although on the outside looking in The Tooth Fairy looked to be Dwayne's The Pacifier (The awful family comedy fish out of water movie starring Vin Diesel remember him?), it is actually not and turns out to be a hugely enjoyable film for everyone to enjoy. This is down in most part to Dwayne Johnsons keen comedic talents and his ability to carry the more physical parts of the role. He is also aided by Stephen Merchant who although is just playing an extention of his usual character, is a great foil for Johnsons tough guy. It also works because Johnson has done this particular type of film before in the shape of The Game Plan, which is the same formula and payoff however this also adds in the best parts of the Santa Clause too.

This being a family comedy there is the usual layers of sugary sweet moralising, happy endings and cute kids, but this is great fun with some seriously great gags in here. If there's any complaint there's a couple of moments of really bad CGI (During the Ice Hockey sequences) and did we really need the 'Here's a few of your favorite things' joke at the end (Billy Crystal to Julie Andrews)? Also you do wonder what on earth Julie Andrews is doing in this film. Billy Crystal pops up for good little extended cameo as well.

A decent family comedy which is better than most of these types of films recently. Nowhere near Dwayne Johnsons worst film (The Scorpion King), but nowhere near his best (Welcome to the Jungle) either.

Overall Rating:

[REC] 2

[REC] 2 picks from the minute the first one ends with a specialist police task force racing to the building to take over the scene and close down any 'problems' they encounter. They also have a specialist assigned to the team and they enter to take on whatever is going on inside. It doesn't take very long for it all to break down and get attacked by the zombified inhabitants of the apartment block. But now also trapped inside the building is a group of young friends who barricade themselves into a room to prevent suffering a similar fate. The police proceed to the top room where they unearth the secrets of the building and a few new ones too. Armed with their new found knowledge they try and battle their way through the remaining inhabitants while trying to keep themselves from getting infected. However one of their team is not telling them everything he knows and then a survivor turns up from the first film to increase the need to stay alive and escape only the odds are really stacked against them.

The first [REC] came out at a time when people had lost interest in the Blair Witch style films and the filmk hit a raw nerve and enlivend the whole genre. Well now they are back with a sequel that is possibly better than the original, with the same sense of dread and nerve shredding tension. It plays out quite quickly with the film playing out the twist or the genesis of the infection very quickly, which will add or detract from the film dependant on their point of view. This takes the film in a totally different direction from the first despite being hinted at in the first [REC] and fortuntely the filmmakers stick to their guns no matter how silly the plot could have got. The film follows it's dark, dank and downright creepy style with the majority of the film followed through the camera lense. This just adds to the complete claustrophobia of the whole situation and adds to your nerves and possibly your heart rate.

The film looks as great as the first one did due to the same crew making this one too. The only downfall of this movie is the twist towards the end of the movie which is fairly apparant to anyone paying attenetion from the first two movies is a little contrived. But that shouldn't put you off as this a pretty decent shocker, with enough gore and scares to keep the most ardent of horror fan happy.

Overall a worthy sucessor from the original leaving the door open for more at the end and hopefully if they keep to this standard that will be well worth the wait.

Overall Rating:

Sex And The City 2

Carrie and the girls (Well with the years passing by maybe we should say women) are back with a new adventure?! The story is basically the girls attend a gay wedding and then they go to Abu Dhabi. That's it. Seriously. Of course there are a few sub plots in there that all surround their dream endings from the first film don't turn out so well for them. But after the first 5-10 minutes even the most hardcore of SATC fans will have lost interest.

The film opens with a gay wedding that can only be described as a scene out of a surreal Mel Brooks movie, featuring Liza Manelli 'performing' Beyonce's Single Ladies. Oh how hilarious... Not. Then through some razor thin plot device Carrie with the other 3 end up getting invited out to Abu Dhabi where we are treated to big reveal of Wardrobe/scene from a balcony/large room* delete as necessary. ad infantum and then we have Carrie bump into a old flame and she doubts her marriage to Big (Yes she still calls him that despite marrying him.). We are then treated to some utterly distateful sequences involving Samantha flaunting the culture and religious beliefs of the region which at times borders racism. Then they all return home and everything turns out great. Wonderful can we go home now please?

As you can tell this film has not been well recieved. There's no thread of a plot, it's like the worst parts of several episodes have been cobbled together. The direction is entirely lacking and unoriginal. The script is even very poor. The run time is bum numbingly long at 146 minutes. Especially when the film runs out of steam after the opening credits. The wedding sequence is a complete waste of time adds nothing and seems relatively pointless other than to throw together two characters who hated each other throughout the TV Series just to elicit a oooh from the audience. Liza Manelli must really need the money... Then the whole 2 and a bit hours of Abu Dhabi is some of the most painful moments you will ever have to endure on a cinema screen, unless of course you find Samantha's heels sinking in the sand hilarious. What is the point of this film anyway they as previously mentioned all got their dream endings at the end of the first film, especially Carrie. SO now this plays out like Moonlighting did after David got together with Maddie. It lost all of the will they? won't they? and became souless. Moonlighting was cancelled a season later so we can only hope that SATC will suffer a similar fate.

Really we shouldn't be wasting anymore space on reviewing this film. A complete and utter waste of time. Boring, pointless and offensive all stretched out over 2 and half hours. But unfortunately this film has a built in audience so it is likely to do well at the box office and there is already talk of part 3 with the 'gang' all coming over to Britain for some high jinks. Oh we can hardly wait.

Overall Rating:

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

The Prince of Persia is an adapation of the popular console computer game. It follows the journey of Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) from street beggar to Prince of Persia as he is rescued from the streets after an act of kindness is noticed by the king and he has Dunstan adopted. Flash forward by 10 years and Dastan and his now brothers are leading the charge on attacking the city where Princess Tamina (Gemma Arteton) resides protecting the 'Dagger of TIme'. After a sucessful conquest Dustan and his brothers are presented to Princess Tamina, where it is decided that Dustan should take Tamina as his future wife. After an evening of celebration Dustan is framed for the murder of the king and takes flight with Tamina and the Dagger in tow where he vows he will prove his innocence. Only Dustan doesn't know the true power of the dagger until it revealed to him by accident and now he has to protect the dagger from those who wish to exploit it for their own ends and rule the world.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a Jerry Bruckhiemer movie and as soon as that label is attached then you know what you are in for. Big action, big thrills and lots of explosions. Some may be expecting Pirates of Caribbean but with lots of sand instead of boats and pirates, but you'll be diappointed as it doesn't have the pizazz or Johnny Depp to make that happen. Prince of Persia tries to be sweeping epic style action film which works in parts and fails in others. Where it works is in the cast. Jake Gyllenhaal & Gemma Areteton are simpy brilliant here and the best thing about the movie. Jake really takes to the all action hero amazingly after most people consider him a indie movie star (Donnie Darko). He's bulked up and displays all the charm of Han Solo and the action stylings of Errol Flyyn. His foil in the shape of the beautiful Gemma Arteton is also fantastic in her role of Princess Tamina with a beguiling display which draws you in everytime she graces the screen. The rest of the cast including Sir Ben Kingsley as the shady and calculating Nizam and Alfred Molina channeling the spirit of Captain Jack as Sheik Amar really make this work from a cast point of view.

However where the film falls down is in the story, continuity and pacing. The direction by Mike Newell is excellent and the scenery and locations are stunning, however the story lacks a real point and the dagger of time is fine, until they unmask it's real power then it becomes laughable. The story at time leers very close to becoming like the appalling Nic Cage film Next at times, although with Mike Newell in charge this never quitre slips over and into the abyss. The pacing is an issue though. After a huge opening battle the film slowly peters away into a stroll across the desert with ocassional comedy interludes with Alfred Molina and his Arabian Thieves. Then finally hits it's groove again towards the end with the assault on the palace, before the ludicrous pay off at the end. As for the final scene on a cliff top overlooking the land, you are almost expecting 'Voice Over Man's' dulcet tones utter phrases such as 'And they ruled for all eternity' or such like and have it descend into total farce. But fortunately it doesn't.

All in all, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is good fun, a little overlong and bogged down by exposition in the middle, but it rallies well towards the end and we can assume there will be more, but will it be as popular as Pirates of the Caribbean? Probably not.

Overall Rating:

Streetdance The Movie 3-D

Streetdance the Movie is a British effort in a similar vein to Step Up, featuring such people as George Sampson, Diversity & Flawless this should maybe be retitled 'Britains Got Talent the Movie' it centres on the story of Carly (Nichola Burley) who has to take over her 'crew' after the groups founder, leader and her boyfriend decides to leave the group to take a break from everything. This leads Carly into seeking out a place to practice as their previous venue can't be used any longer. In her part time job of delivering sandwiches, she chances across Helena (Charlotte Rampling) who is a teacher in the local ballet academy. She agrees that Carly and her crew can practice there on the premise that she works with her ballet dancers to broaden their horizons. The usual friction that turns into respect, then a team ensues and they take their bold mix of Street styles and Ballet to the UK Dance Championships where they face current champions (Flawless) and a surprise new addtion to the champions crew..

Streetdance is great fun make no mistake, while it is not about to challenge the dance movie genre with anything new, it is more than enough to challenge Step Up currently. Also, it has the added advantage of being first out of the blocks with 3-D in a dance film (Step Up 3-D is due out late summer). Featuring a cast of amazing dancers and recognizable faces the film is all about the dance offs. However in 3-D and this was made in 3-D, not a bolt on effect (Such as Clash of the Titans had) Streetdance is simply stunning, the 3-D adding a whole new element that makes the film truly come alive and pop out of the screen. There are some of the best dance sequences seen on film on display here too and the films climatic dance sequences truly raise the roof.

However where the film comes unstuck is in the non dance moments of the film i.e. the story, as it is very much by the numbers, formulaic and poorly scripted. As for where lowly students live (In a sprawling studio apartment, overlooking the Thames, with a wide open rooftop to practice on apparantly) is laughable. However the two leads in the shape of Nichola Burley and Richard Windsor, more than make up for this as the chemistry they share is electric at times.. Also the certification flies a little close to the mark on a few occasions when dealing with the 'relationships' within the film so parents should be advised caution for the younger viewers in the audience. But your not here to worry about the story but for the previously mentioned dance sequences.

Featuring (briefly) Diversity, teen idol George Sampson and various finalists from SKY One's Got To Dance (Akai etc.) the film will surely do decent box office. How it will play overseas remains to be seen, however for anyone who likes thier dance movies, loud, boombastic and in your face Streetdance is for you.

Overall Rating:

The Losers

The Losers led by Franklin Clay (Jefferey Dean Morgan) are a group of ex special forces who are turned on after an operation in the Bolivian jungle and left for dead by their CIA paymasters, The Losers together with the mysterious Aisha (Zoe Saladana) decide that the best way to stop their handler, Max (Jason Patric) is to hit him where it hurts and in the doing stop him from buying and new type of weapon that could signal the end of the world as we know it. However it’s not the simplest of things to take on the CIA at their own game and take them down. AS they close in on Max things heat up as the truth behind Aisha's past is revealed and The Losers themeselves need to deal with in fighting within the group if they are to come out on top. With a final showdown with Max looming and the operation looking more and more like a suicide mission, The Losers plan there most audacious operation yet.

The Losers is (Yet another?!) comic to big screen adaptation that reads like a James Bond movie on Crack. With a global supervillan played with scene chewing audacity by Jason Patric and a cast that gel well together and look like they are having a blast, the story works. It’s utterly preposterous though and a plot that only a comicbook could pull off, but its rip roaring fun throughout. With more explosions than Avatar had 3D in you may come out suffering with shell shock.

The problem that The Losers suffers is that Kick Ass beat them to the punch and set the bar incredibly high for films of this ilk and with both The A-Team and The Expenables coming out later in the year this may just diappear into the ‘just another action movie’ file which it isn’t. This is one of the better action flicks of recent times and has a stunning cast and cracking script. While Kick Ass steals it’s thunder , this is less comically violent and more about kicking ass and taking names while blowing everything up. Some of the indidual sequences with Saldana and Dean Morgan are great as they trade barbs and beat each other up before burning down a hotel, this is throw away action cinema at its finest. Well worth a Saturday night out at the movies for a decent popcorner event movie.

It may not be remembered beyond it’s release but this is by far a lot better than most of the rubbish that is thrown at you with the tag ‘action’ attached to it. So make sure you drop by and give it a chance.

Overall Rating:

Robin Hood

Robin Hood, Robin Hood riding through the glenn.... Or not as Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe's vision of the Robin Hood legend is actually the story of sorts before the story. There's no battling the Sheriff of Nottingham here, no Sir Guy of Gisbourne in sight (Although reportedly Mark Strong's Godfrey is based on him) and not very much archery either. So has the story been completely ripped apart? Well in a word no, but this is more of a back story set up for a sequel.

This is the story of Robin Longstride returning from the Crusades and being involved in a seige in France. During the seige King Richard 'The Liongeart' is killed and so to is his honour party led by Robert of Locksley who is trying to get the crown back to England and the Queen Mother. When they honour party is ambushed by the traitor Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) who has sided with the French and plans to cause Civil unrest and disunity so that the French can invade and easily take England's shores. However Robin and his men intercept the party and take the crown and the identities of the Party and get the the Crown back whereby Prince John is crowned the new King.

Keeping the ruse and a promise to Robert he travels to Nottingham where he meets up with Locksleys father (Max Von Sydow) who urges him to keep up the pretence to unit e the people. Aided by his now 'pretend' wife Marion (Cate Blanchett) Robin seeks to unite the country and right some wrongs such as a tax on seed by the church and then eventually take on the French and Godfrey.

This is definetly a departure form the legend of Robin Hood for Ridley Scott as has been previously mentioned this is not the famous part of the legend more the story before that all got going. Does it work? Well sort of yes. The fears that this was going to be nothing more than Gladiator 2: The Sherwood Years should be alayed as it is not like that at all, in fact the various trailers for the film doing the rounds actually do the film a dis-service. While this is not a rip roaring, fantastical adventure with plenty of action and robbing from the rich to give to the poor, most of the staples are intact and ready to go in the sequel. For starters you have all the maion characters in place, the Merry Men, Marion, The Sheriff of Nottingham (A brilliant Matthjew McFayden) and the dispicable Prince/King John (Oscar Issac). The film is slick, with excellent look, editing and effects. However what is missing is a neatly paced film. There are simply just too many down plodding moments after a huge opening in the siege in France. It then fuddles along with a couple of skirmishes thrown in here and there as Robin gets to grips with situation he has been served until we come to a huge closing battle on beach of Dover. This takes in the best part of 2 and half hours (Aparantly there was more footage that was left on the cutting room floor too) and it at times really drags.

The cast however are superb, from Russell Crowe right through to the dastardly Mark Strong who quite simply can't do any wrong. A special not should go out to Matthew Mcfayden as the Sheriff of Nottingham who underplays his role very well, the simmering disgust and disdain for all that goes on around him, sets him up very well for the sequel which by the end of the film seems inevitable. That is also the films biggest weakness too in the fact that the entire film seems to be one (very) long set up for a sequel which will likely be a more traditional Robin hood film. What sets this apart from previous incarnations of the legend apart from the story is this seems to have a far more earthy and realistic feel as opposed to say Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Theives that was a glossy Hollywood version. you can also throw in words such as gritty and violent too as Scotts trademark flourishes are in there. The battle scenes are where the film and Scott excells and the biuggest shame is that there isn't enough of them or indeed Robin using a bow. In fact there are just 3 moments where he uses a bow in the entire film!

So as long as you are not hoping for the traditional Robin Hood in a Errol Flyn kind of mold and you don't mind sitting through 2 and a half hours of bum numbing expostition, you possibly quite like this.

Overall Rating:

Furry Vengeance

Dan Sanders (Brendan Fraser) is a real estate developer who is sent to a sleepy forrest locale in Oregon, to create a small project of houses. Unbeknownst to him his boss Neal Lyman (Ken Jeong) has much larger plans which involve destroying the whole forrest for the development. Dan has uprooted his family (Brooke Shields & Matt Prokop) for this 'short term' project and has to let them know the bad news. Unfortunately for Dan though, more than his family are upset by these developments as the main residents of the forest in the shape of the animals, led by a calculating racoon have other ideas. Unfortunately for Dan he will become the brunt of their protests. So not only do people think he is crazy that the animals are out to get him, but he has to contend with a demanding boss, an upset wife and son and a construction crew who have their own distinct way of dealing with the issues that confront them and they don't always follow the rules.

Furry Vengeance is not a subtle movie, if the idea of having green/eco themed message movies rammed down your throat, then you might be best to stay away from this. However you would be missing out on one of the most fun movies so far this year. No this isn't going to win any critics awards anytime soon and it's the kind of film you really should hate. However this is one of the most fun family movies so far this year. Full of great slapstick and pratfall moments, it features some genuinely funny laugh out loud moments. This is down in no small part to Brendan Fraser who returns to the roots of Encino/Califonia Man, Airheads and George of the Jungle etc. Fraser really excels in these types of roles and despite moving into action and drama roles recently, this is Fraser at his cinematic best. His reactions are simply believable and you can't help but feel sorry for the put upon Dan (By his boss and family) and sympathy after he is targeted by the animals. The supporting cast are top notch also, Brooke Sheilds gets in the fun as Dan's wife Tammy and High School Musical 3's Matt Prokop shows there's life outside of East High. Then the usually dependable Ken Jeong puts in his usual shift, but unfortunately his act is starting to get a little tired now. After seing him do the same thing in his last four films, he really needs to broaden up his range. But still this is Brendan Frasers movie and it's about time he put some shine back on his star, so long may he continue to put in performances like these. Welcome back Brendan, we've missed you!

The CGi animals that are on show here are quite interesting, one moment they blend so well you can't tell the difference between whats real and whats CGi and then the next it's like 1980's blue screen, where you can see the join lines. The animals themselves are not overused and actually work very well in conjunction with the main human cast. It's an interesting bunch of animals they use too, not your normal run of the mill choices. The Racoon is great with the facial expressions and thankfully, they didn't go for adding either voices or subtitles for what they are communicating the mannerisms and expressions are more than enough.

This film is going to appeal to definetly a younger audience. But there might be a fair few parents who won't mind sitting through this as it is good fun, doesn't outstay it's welcome and features an excellent cast led by the return to (Comedy) form of Brendan Fraser. Well worth a watch and if you let yourself get caught up in the film and not worry about the films (Trowelled in) message, you will no doubts have a blast. A guilty pleasure of the highest order.

Overall Rating:

A Nightmare on Elm St.

In 1984 a horror icon was created by director Wes Craven and is the latest to be given the dreaded 'contemporary re-imagining' by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company which previously gave us the glossy remakes of Friday 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and so on. This time though they may have bitten off more than they can chew with the modern horror classic that is A Nightmare on Elm Street. Thats not to say that this remake is bad, uneccessary maybe, but these days it's all about creating box office dollars so sooner or later Freddy was going to get his big screen return.

Several Teenagers in Springwood are having nightmares. Unfortunately for them these are not the ordinary nightmares that you can just shake off the following day, these nightmares they are all seeing the same man. Dressed in a green and red jumper, wearing a fedora and hideous facial burns, which is not the most terrifying thing. For this demon of their worst nightmares also brandishes a glove with razor sharp claws on it and if you die in your dreams then you are dead for real. Nancy Holbrook (Rooney Mara) and a few of her classmates realise that they are being stalked by this crazed killer and set off to uncover who this 'Freddy' is. As they get closer to the truth, the only thing stopping them from falling into Freddy's lethal clutches is not falling asleep. As one by one the springwood teenagers meet their grisly end they find out that Freddy Krueger was killed by their parents years ago, burnt alive for possibly abusing children at a now derelict pre school. Nancy is being drawn to building by Freddy as there is something he wants them to find, only will they live long enough to find out?

This remake is a throwaway movie of mindless silliness. However it is enjoyable silliness, thanks in no part to Jackie Earle Haley's sinister and creepy portrayl of Fred Kreuger. As he rasps and excitedly rolls his clawed fingers as he draws closer to his prey you can really believe that this version of Fred Krueger is as creepy and nasty as you suspect for a child molestor. This time it's interesting to note that unlike the 1984 version there is no ambiguity that Fred Kreuger is a paeodophile as it is very upfront about it. Back in 1984 it was seen as one step too far to suggest that so instead they made him a child murderer?!? This time though in today's society it's (Unfortunately) not that shocking anymore to potray his character that way. Is he as good as Robert Englunds version? Well no, but then Freddy back in the 80's was more 'Horror Cool' this version of Freddy is more gritty and realistic, with more than an ounce of terrifying. Also, the original was to Jaws (Afraid of going in the water) for people who like their sleep, after the 1984 version you were scared to drift off. This version you won't be so worried as it lacks that punch and sheer terror.

The teenage cast as usual are a glossy good looking bunch that are there to just die in various nasty ways, of which they do one by one. However this is one fo the films main failings. You just don't care about any of the cast as they are all potrayed as vacuous soulless teenagers, who you wouldn't miss from one day to the next. The other thing is they all seem to only have one parent, as you never see any of the 'Elm St' childrens family either just a mother or a father, so are we to be led to believe that all of the children are from broken homes? Nancy for example has no John Saxon style dad around, although one of the other 'kids' Quentin (Kyle Gallner) has Clancy Brown as his father, who you would hope for in this kind of situation as he looks like he can still take the world on. The deaths themselves are OK not overly gory and there's little suspense in the build up either. In fact the jumps and the build ups to the dream sequence deaths are so telegraphed and direct (At certain points you wonder if they have any body below the waist due to the number of direct close up camera shots) that it becomes means to an end rather than a terrifying moment that will stop you ever sleeping again.

Also, the film this time decides to dwell on the pyschology of sleep deprevation rather than the mythos of where Freddy came from. Do we really care that if you don't sleep for 3 days, that your brain will take micro naps while you are awake thus making you sleep and ready for Freddy. Also, the suggestion that Freddy might actually be innocent really takes the wind out of the films sails as you see Freddy as a sympathetic character rather than a terrifying killer. Fortunately they clear that up just before the final showdown and put back the menace to Krueger's motives. The one element that is actually quite interesting that they shoehorn in, but never expand on is the theme of Freddy being a Pied Piper type of character. Then there is possibly the single biggest failing of this and all of Platinum Dunes remakes. They flip flop between being a shot by shot remake or a new version. By having some of the classic scenes from the original, but also trying to move away from the original themes and add their own stamp on proceedings, the film becomes muddled. Is it a remake? Or is this a new start? They really need to make the choice one way or the other in future.

So overall is this new Nightmare worthy? Kind of. As long as you haven't seen and loved the originals, otherwise you may feel a little underhwelmed by the whole experience. But one thing's clear, Freddy is back and this one will run and run again (As long as they don't remake Elm St. 2 - Freddy's Revenge), so you have to ask yourself 'Are you ready for Freddy?'

Overall Rating:

Iron Man 2

Let’s get this right away, Iron Man 2 is good but not great. It was always going to have a hard act to follow on from the first Iron Man after that exploded out of the blocks a couple of years ago. There have been some pretty great Superhero sequels over the years (Spiderman 2, Superman II, The Dark Knight and X2 to name a few), but it’s unlikely that Iron Man 2 will be regarded in the same way.

Tony Stark is in trouble, as he is having ever deteriorating health issues and Stark Industries is in disarray after his initial announcement that he is indeed Iron Man. His problems are intensified after he is called before a senate hearing led by Senator Stern (a mischevious Gary Shandling) to hand over the suit. Ambushed by business rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), he barely escapes from having to hand over the Iron Man suit to the government. Then as if his problems weren’t bad enough a mysterious Russian Ivan Vanko(Mickey Rourke) with links to his past turns up with identical technology creating him more trouble with the senate committee.

Eventually Tony has to face all of his problems head on and defeat not only his various enemies but his inner demons too. Fortunately for Stark, help is on the way in the shape of the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who hands him a lifeline and a possible way of getting Iron Man back on his feet. With showdowns looming with Vanko/Whiplash, Hammer and the US Government Stark will need to call upon all the resources he has around him to win the day.

Yes the first Iron Man was spectacular and yes this sequel has a lot to live up to, but it does manage it in parts. It suffers from a slow and plodding middle section which is further dragged down by the director (Jon Faverau) insistence on giving himself a larger role in the film than required and the various plot strands of which there are a few too many. The AC/DC soundtrack thumps away and really works well with the movie in general, however the shocking level of product placement (I think I want to buy an Audi now...) almost has the film decending into farce at times. While this is not as bad as Spiderman 3 for shoehorning in as much stuff and villians as they can, at times it does come close. You find yourselves wondering who is fighting who and which battle is the real battle here? The humorous asides are layered in and at times you are waiting for the delivery of the next punch line rather than the plot building to the next big sequence. There is also plenty of Marvel character references throughout too (Captain America, Thor, The Hulk and even Luke Cage)

It has a lot of good in it to, the effects as ever are top notch and the cast are first class too even if Sam Rockwell does err towards pantomime rather than comic book villain too often. The direction lacks the punch and panache of the first, plus did we mention the amount of Audi product placement really does get distracting at times? However much like Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr. is on hand to save the day and keep this from decending completely into the abyss. Along with the excellent Mickey Rourke who we don’t see enough of or indeed more than one verbal confrontation with Downey Jr. make sure that this rises above Daredevil and Spiderman 3. A special nod must also go out to Scarlet Johansson who has the most kick ass role in the movie in one 5 minute battle in the corridor sequence. (At this rate there could a top 50 corridor battles countdown before soon...)

One for the fans and those who are easily pleased. Yes there is also another end credit 'Easter Egg' although it wasn't on the end of the print shown to the press. However some sites have chosen to spoil the surprise, this site certainly won't by Odin's Hammer!

Overall Rating:

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Pretty much the first 20 minutes of the Disappearance of Alice Creed is dialogue free as we watch the two kidnappers, purchase equipment and tools and proceed to create their hideaway where their victim will be spending her time. Alice Creed (Gemma Arteton) is snatched off the street bundled into a van and taken to the flat where she is promptly stripped,chained and tied to the bed, photographed, put in a purple jogging outfit and left in darkness with not a word of what or why. Alice Creed as we find out is the daughter of a wealthy businessman and soon the two kidnappers Vic (Eddie Marsan) and Danny (Martin Compston) have made a demand for £2,000,000 and expect to collect it and disappear without a trace, however as with anykind of criminal caper things never do run smoothly and as the plot twists and turns towards a spiralling conclusion as it all starts to unravel.

So goes the Disappearance of Alice Creed. With some resembalance to Shallow Grave, it’s the first decent BRIT thriller (That isn’t a gangster movie) for a fair while and for the most part it’s down to the stellar acting from the three leads who carry the entire movie (As they are the only people we see throughout). Gemma Arteton especially is quite simply put a revelation here. Far from the world of Bond and blockbusters such as Clash of the Titans and the forthcoming Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, this is a dark, gritty and true perfomance from Arteton who takes on everything thrown at her with aplomb. That’s not forgetting Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston who play the kidnappers who have stories of their own to tell here. They always have you on edge as you never truly know what their motivation outside of the money is.

The director, J Blakeson is a first time director here and what a debut showing it is too. He piles on the tention without being too heavy handed and gets three outstanding performances from his actors. The film plays out nearly all in the flat and creates an eeiry sense of claustrophobia as you the wheels of the story turn. You feel Alice’s despair as you are confined without any knowledge or indeed if she will survive. Some of the plots twists are clever and for the most part unseen, but as the story heads towards it’s inevitable climax, the pace quickens, however the ending becomes clearer a lot quicker.

This is a film that despite the violence and the sexual scenes deserves to b seen. Alice Creed is a taut complex thriller that will stay with you for days afterwards.

Overall Rating:

Centurion

After the frankly disappointing Doomsday, Neil Marshall returns with Centurion a film centrered around the story of the mysterious 9th Legion that marched north of Hadrian's Wall and never returned. This is Neil Marshall's idea of what happened and is very similar in tone to both Descent, Dog Soldiers and Doomsday. It's another movie where our heroes are up against the odds of not only nature, but a relentless enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy them. The enemy in question is the Picts. A ferocious band of Celts led by the mute Olga Kurylenko who is the woad covered tracker who chases a group of the 9th Legion back out of the north, trying to make sure they never reach their destination.

As this is a Neil Marshall film, there are pleasing amounts of gore, hacked of limbs, disembowelments and all the other staples you would expect from Mr Marshall. Unfortunately the story sometimes gets forgotten while the deaths and maimings get more creative. The cast though and what an interesting cast it is too Noel Clarke (Street style Roman) and Riz Ahmed (Asian Roman)along with the enigmatic Michael Fassbender, make sure this is never a run of the mill pursuit movie. Although at times you do wonder if Noel Clarke will threaten to 'shank' someone.

The scenery is harsh and foreboding and when we do get a break from the violence, the setting in the dank woods still keep you on edge, keeping you on the edge of your seat praying that there's not about to be a spear out of nowhere to slam into someone's head. The brief love story that is intimated late on does seem a bit strange and even a bit bolted on, but still the level of acting going on from the entire cast carry's all the quirks through. The direction is assured and the tone throughout is fairly even. If there is any complaint it would be that, that there is not enough of Domonic West and Noel Clarke, although that would have ended up with too many cast members left at the end.

Once the set up is doen away with and we get into the chase part of the film, things really pick up. In places it's pretty tense as you wonder if they will make it and/or whose next for a grisily end. Also the brief running time (97 Minutes), make sure that things never get dull or slow down. All in all a solid effort from Neil Marshall, not his best film, but not far off.

Overall Rating:

Date Night

Phil (Steve Carrell) and Claire(Tina Fey) Foster are just your average ordinary couple dealing with what life throws at them day on day, if it’s dealing with their kids or trying to make an effort for each other before the daily grind of work, they like the most of us get by. Then after visiting friends and finding out they are about to divorce, Phil decides that they should do something different for their weekly ‘date night’, before the end up another statistic. Instead of going to the same old resturant they usually goto, they decide to go up town to the latest hotspot in town for dinner. When they can’t get a reservation they take the place of a couple that doesn’t turn up. Unfortunately for them, this couple in particular are wanted by the local mobster (Ray Liotta) who has had a USB stick containing some information he doesn’t want out there, so sends a couple of hoods out to deal with the couple. Unfortunately for Phil and Claire who think they have been caught for taking someone else’s reservations the night is about to become one date night they are not about to forget in a hurry. Being relentlessly chased across town, they call on the police who don't seem interested in helping, drop in on a former client (Mark Whalberg) who doesn't like wearing shirts and get involved in a car chase with a difference. By the end of the night Phil and Claire will either make or break their marriage, but they are going to have to survive first!

Date Night is fun stuff. For any parent or working family you will immediately empathise with the couple from the outset as the children jump on the bed at 5.30am not allowing Phil or Claire any respite from the day ahead. This is what sells the movie really well too, it’s more observational sitcom than chase/caper movie. Carrell and Fey really work well as a couple too, you could really believe that these two have been married for years and are just on the daily merry-go-round. If anything the film only slows when they move into the more action parts of the movie.

There are some great set pieces on display here too including Carrells insistence that Mark Whalberg just puts a shirt on throughout (A notion no doubts echoed by all the male sections of the audience), a conjoined car chase that has to be seen to be believed and the final showdown at the night club. All in all adds to a sparkling, zippy script and plot, led by to great comedy leads makes this a sure fire winner that would actually be a decent date night fo any couple. Sure it has some glaring plot holes and at times it gets confused with whether it’s an out and out comedy or just anoher action caper movie but on the whole this is worth enjoying.

Overall Rating:

Dear John

Dear John comes from the writer of The Notebook and tells the story of John Tyree (Channing Tatum) a special forces soldier who is home from acitve duty for a couple of weeks, when he helps out Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) whose bag has been knocked off the pier and into the water. John does the chivalrous thing and rescues the bag for her and thus begins an attraction which blossoms into a full blown relationship over the next couple of weeks. Savannah gets to meet John's father a quiet intraverted man who struggles despite loving his son to communicate with him, which in turn is a onstant source of frustration to John. Thenas suddenly as they ahve met the are split apart as Savannah has to retunr to college and John to active duty. They promise to stay in touch and do so by writing each other letters over the space of the next 12 months until they can be re-united. The course of love never does run smoothly and when they get back together despite the initial joy, this too soon turns into frustration as the situations they face threaten to rip them apart. John who was to leave the service enlists for another 2 years after the events of 9/11 and Savannah has her friend and next door neighbour (ET's Henry Thomas) who has more than just a protectiv eye for Savannah as well as dealing with his autistic son. They go their seperate ways but soon tradegy strikes for both John and Savannah and their lives will never be what they once were.

Much like The Notebook, Dear john is heavy on emotive drama and will have you reaching for your handkercheifs fairly early on. The story itself is pretty much in a similar mold as the Notebook, except where there was Altzhiemers you replace it this time with Autism. You know that things are not going to go well for the couple from the outset and it's fortunate for Dear John that it's stellar leads in the shape of the dashingly handsome Channing Tatum (Which Screen One pointed out two years ago that he would be one to watch)and the beautiful Amanda Seyfried that this film is held together from being yet another by the numbers weepy. the supporting cast too are great and add depth to emotional pull that the story requires with ET's Henry Thomas putting in a compelling performance, but it is Richard Jenkin's as John's father Bill who is utterly compelling throughout. They also manage to keep things interesting for the men of the audience who at the prospect of wathing of film like this would rather have a root canal without any kind of medication, with the scenes of Mr. Tatum's exploits as a special forces soldier. Although these are kept to a minimum, it should at least get the buy in from the males.

The direction by Lasse Hallström is assured and there are scenes of absolute beauty when John is in Africa or as John and Savannah stand out by the sunset. If there is any complaints to made it would be that why in this day and age would they write letters? In the ge of email and the internet there are surely easier ways to get a message to someone. Despite John passing it off with a quick one liner about halfway through, you still have to wonnder. Also at times the leads do look a little lost in what they are trying to get aross on screen with savannah's wide eyed innocent sometimes looking a little too naive. It is also a wonder that John has survived as long as he has in the special forces as he doesn't carry himself like one. In fact it's quite possible that John is the clumsiest soldier in the US Army. Again this is picking points for what is surely a 5 star hanky movie. However overall for everyone else its a solid 3 stars.

For those of you that enjoy a good cry during your films or enjoy a good Mills and Boon novel, well this is certainly for you. For the fans of the Notebook, this is possibly a better movie, however there will be no surprisesin store as you will have seen this all before.

Overall Rating:

Whip It

Based on the novel by Shauna Cross and directed by Drew Barrymore(1st time directing), Whip It features Ellen Page (Juno) as Bliss Cavendar a teenager from a small town who drops her mothers asperations of her being a debutant for life in the local ladies Roller Derby League. Bliss works out of the towns cafe and dreams of doing something better with her life, but is forced into debutant competitions by her overbearing mother who wants to live out her dreams through Bliss. By chance one eveing Bliss goes along with her friend and co-worker Pash (Alia Shawkat), to see the locla Roller Derby league and immeadieatly falls in love with the sport. SDespite being underage and going behind her parents back, she lies about her age to join the local team of the Hurl Scouts (a team that never wins) and thus becomes an overnight sensation and starts to turnaround the hurl Scouts season and become a small time star in the process, much to the disgust of Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) who is the star of the hurl Scouts firecest rivals. Bliss has to find a way to keep on playing Roller Derby, keep her parents happy and also esape the small town that she so desperately wants to get away from.

Whip It is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut and a commendable effort it is too, fortunately for her she has a decent cast around her and has learned from some of the industry's finest (Steven Spielberg) and it shows in certain scenes where tenderness is required. However overall this just turns out to be Juno on Wheels and a not so good version either. Ellen Page as Bliss has toned down the Juno sassyness, but is still infruriatingly arrognat.Ellen Page herself is a fine actress but sometimes she needs to regin in her perfomance for the audience to feel any kind of affinity towards Bliss. Yes shes great at Debutant competitions, oh and now shes great at Roller Derby at pretty much the first try too... etc. the rest of the cast are OK although Juliet Lewis as the main bad girl over eggs it a bit and comes across hammy for the most part. Kristen Wiig and Zoe Bell are the standouts in the film and light up the screen and make it a much more interesting film to watch when they are around.

As for the action, well the Roller Derby which is pitched as an exciting up and coming sport, couldn't be more dull if they tried. the scenes are laboured, slow and bereft of any kind of tention throughout and you find yourself hoping that the 'action' will end sooner rather than later just so we can edge our way to the over predicatble ending. In summing up this is a valiant effort by Drew barrymore but Whip It certainly fails to set the world and indeed the Roller Skating world alight. Hopefully her next film will be an improvement.

Overall Rating:

How To Train Your Dragon

Hiccup is not your average Viking, he's small, scrawny and he's not at , all good at fighting and when your village is under constant attack from Dragons and your father is chief of the tribe the pressures on. Hiccup wants to join the battle but he's better at inventing things than picking up a sword and sheild. When one of his contraptions does indeed nail a Dragon, one of the hardest to ctach no less, no-one believes him. So he sets off to finish off his prey and bring backt he eviedence to the village to prove his worth. However when he gets there he doesn't manage to kill the dragon, but instead befriends it. Over the course of time he discovers that the Dragons aren't their enemy but there is a larger monster to contend with. Hiccup is enrolled in dragon slaying classes which because of his inside knowledge he becomes rather good at. He even manages to stop the dragons without killing them while studying his now friend 'Toothless'. Unfortunately time is running out for Hiccup as his secret is found out and the Vikings go off to destroy the Dragon nest, however when they get there, they discover the Monster behind the dragons and it comes down to Hiccup and his friends to save the day.

How To... is the latest series of children's books to be converted to the big screen and also into 3-D. Rather than using the intial book and create a series of films, they have pulled from the whole series to create one brilliant adventure movie. Unlike the recent Clash of the Titans the 3-D is exactly how it should be used as part of the story telling and not bolted on to band wagon jump... The film itself takes a little while to get going but once it does, it's one rip roaring ride to the finish with really exciting battles and charming scens where Hiccup befriends the Toothless as well.

The voice talent does there job without taking over preceedings with the 'Oh that's ......' instead of paying attention to whats going on. The visulas are stunning especially the flight sequences as Toothless swoops, soars and zooms over cliff tops, the sea and the local villages. It's brought even more to the fore with the use of 3-D and if you get the chance to see the film in this format make sure you do!! Even the final battle is really exciting and the monster that has been designed is nothing short of terrifying. The outcome is not what you would expect from a childrens story either.

All in all, this is family film making at it's best, decent story, excellent script and voice casting, outstanding visuals all add up to one superb family movie. So if you are wondering what to go and see this Easter, How To Train Your Dragon is it.

Overall Rating:

Shutter Island

Based on the book by Dennis LeHaine Shutter Isalnd is Martin Scorsese’s foray into physchological thriller territory. It’s a vast departure for him and he has managed to create a film that is very different than anything he has produced before, which works and doesn’t work in equal measure.

Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a police investigator who has been sent to Shutter island a facility for the criminally insane to investgate the disapperarance of a patient who has managed to escape despite being locked in her room at the time. As he arrives a huge strom breaks out which cuts them off from leaving and as he starts to delve a little deeper into his investgations it seems there is more going on at Shutter Island than they would like the outsiders to know about. With the myusterious lighthouse becoming central to what is going on Teddy slowly tries to cling on to his sanity as his own issues and past come back to haunt him triggered by Andrew Laeddis a patient already on the island who Teddy believes killed his wife 5 years ago. As he gets closer to the truth of what is going on his own world is in danger of crumbling as it seems that Shutter Island holds the key to his future too.

Martin Scorsese teeters on a close line between genius and vanity project throughout Shutter Island, with its surrealist scenes and at times you will sit and wonder ‘did I miss something?’ Scorsese slowly draws you into his world slowly reeling you in and colilng you tighter and tighter with every extra minute that goes by before the eventual release which still has not sure whether you believe what you are seeing or not. It’s a very clever film and at times it’s absolutely beautiful to watch, however the narrative of the story sometimes gets a little fuzzy and it can cause you to lose interest before the inevitable reveal.

One complaint though has to be the soundtrack which at times is just scratcy noises and plinking keys on on a piano which are obviously a device to unnerve, but all it actually manages to do is annoy. Leonardo DiCaprio really grows into this role and you can tell that he really knows what Scorsese wants from much like Robert DeNiro used to. DiCaprio really manages to convey the confusion and ongoing dread very well and the emotion that seeps through in the flashback sequences is astounding.

On the whole Shutter Island is probably would have been considered a masterpiece for any other director. However Scorsese has always set himself a very high bar to maintain and unfortunately this has too many flaws and distractions to really view it that way. Prepare though before seeing this though to have your mind bent out of shape before discovering the truth. In that though Scorsese has become the new master. There have been many pretenders to Hitchcock's throne over the years but here Scorsese proves that he is worthy of claiming at his own with Shutter Island.

Overall Rating:

Remember Me

R-Patz with Remember Me tries to forge out a career outside of brooding vampires in small town US, by making a film (He Co-Produces this) about brooding teenagers in New York instead... R-Patz plays Tyler a troubled teen whose brother hung himself before his 21st birthday. His relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) is strained at best and his younger sister (A scene stealing Ruby Jerins), has issues to deal with of her own. Then after an unfortunate encounter with an over zealous cop (Chris Cooper), Tyler and his best friend (Tate Ellington) Aidan spend the night in a jail cell. Upon release Aidan wants to get his own back and discovers that the cop has a daughter called Ally (Lost's Emillie De Ravin) who just so happens to be in one of Tyler's classes. Thus the plot is hatched to get theri own back through Ally by breaking her heart. As ever with films like these though, the plot doesn't go according to plan as Tyler and Ally discover they have a coomon bond as Ally was witness to her mothers murder when she was younger and also has relational problems with her father. They soon fall in love, but the course of love never runs smoothly...

Remember Me is not a happy film. In fact it's not entirely entertainment either. After a couple of hours of brooding, moping and arguements, you get to a point where you think that things are starting to look up and we are headed for a schmaltzy ending. However just as you become comfortable with that a sucker punch to the gut, comes out of nowhere guaranteeing that you will not leave the cinema happy. In fact you will probably walk away down right miserable. The legions of R-Patz fans will likely be in floods of tears and call it an emotional rollercoaster with a bittersweet ending. For everyone else though it is a full on emotional drain.

The ensemble of actors ranges from great (Chris Cooper & Ruby Jerions) to OK (Emillie De Ravin, Tate Ellington & Pierce Brosnan) and then theres Robert Pattinson.. This is not to say he is at all bad in this, his relationship with his on screen little sister are the best moments of this film and totally convincing, as is the chemistry between him and De Ravin. It's just when he has to put on his 'serious' acing hat that it all falls apart. By about half way through the film there's been so much brooding going on you are seriously considering reaching for a blade to end it all. However it's when he's clashing wih his father (Pierce Brosnan) that he really comes to life and shows some spark. Unfortunately though he is acted of the screen by Mr Brosnan who has possibly one of the best boardroom scenes in movie history when berating his son, treats the rest of his boardroom employees like naughty children too.

The film at best will do reasonably well due to the buy in from all of the Twi-Hards that will no doubt pile into the local mulitplexes to get their R-Patz fix. They will probably not come away disappointed either. However for everyone else having to endure this, they may not be so pleased with the outcome.

Overall Rating:

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first of the vastly successful (Over a million copies sold in the UK alone) Millenuim trilogy to hit the big screen. Written by the late Stiig Larsson and journalist who went into writing. He died before he saw the success that they have now become.

Mikael Blomkvist is a reporter for th investigative magazine Millenium who has just lost a case against a powerful business tycoon after printing a story about him that has been proved to be false and now facing a 6 month jail term , believes he has been set up. He decides that it would be best if he stepped down from the editorial team of Millenium to save them anymore adverse publicity. He has a few weeks before he has to start his entrance and is offered a job by ghjufu the mysterious patriarch of the Vagner corporation who believes that his granddaughter Harriet Vagner disappearance is due to one of his other family members. He asks Mikael to follow up on the information and evidence that they have on his granddaughters disappearance over 40 years ago. Reluctantly he agrees and starts to look into the case. He stumbles across a few leads that the police investigation missed and this leads to more head scratching and more clues.

He then receives a mysterious email from an anonymous source helping him with a vital piece of evidence. He tracks the sender down to be a computer hacker called Lisbeth Salander who was part of the team that was employed to research him and provide evidence for the case that has seen him soon to be locked up. He invites her to help him with the case but as they get closer to the truth the Wagner family start to close ranks as family secrets start to come out and they certainly don’t want everyone knowing the truth..

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is Sweden’s answer to Silence of the Lambs, with secrets, bluffs and double bluffs galore. The plot is thick and cleverly layered, it just grabs you by the neck and slams you up against the wall and doesn’t let up until the final credits. With a run time to match (Just short of 3 hours) And the film being in Swedish there’s an awful lot of subtitles to read, but don’t be put off by this, in fact it can actually help you understand what is going on a whole lot better.

The acting is fantastic and the film conveys the belief that everyone involved has in the project. The visuals are simple but effective and for once the film pulls no punches (Especially in Lisbeth's retribution to her Parole officer) which probably wouldn’t have happened had thi s film been controlled by the bigwigs in Hollywood.

An absolute barnstormer of a crime thriller, unmissable and unshakeable, if the sequels (Which have already been made) are anything like this, then you are in for one hell of a ride. Sure to make a star out Noomi Rapace who plays Lisbeth. Lets just hope that Hollywood don’t mess up the inevitable US remakes.

Overall Rating:

Clash of the Titans

In a remake of the 80's classic starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Oliver and Ray Harryhausens stop motion creatures, we return to the land of Argo and Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of Zeus and his battle to save Princess Andromeda from the jaws of the mighty Kraken. But first he will have to cross to the underworld to take on Medusa and on the way take on giant scorpions, Calibos, and various other nasties. Perseus is hellped in his quest by Io (Gemma Arteton) a demi god who has watched Perseus from birth, a band of Argo soilders led by Draco (Mads Mikkleson) and a blue eyed Djin (Think mystical Chewbacca (In actual fact there are a lot of resmebelances to the Star Wars films here, the Kraken is a bit like the Rancor, Gemma Arteton makes for a very good Princess Leia and even Ralph Fiennes as Hades does a god Emperor.. But we digress)). Meanwhile Zeus (Liam Neeson) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes) are having their own battle for the control of Mount Olympus and the humans below...

Louis Letterier had a hard job on his hands with the remake of Clash of the Titans. Pretty much revered by anyone who remebered it from the 80's but has mangaged to produce a film with neither lives up to the original or ruins the memory with a bad remake. It's OK. The biggest problem that Clash suffers from is the bolted on 3-D. It potentially ruins the film. Some of the 3-D is so far off the mark that when Pegasus lands for the first time it looks like he has 2 heads and 4 wings! However for the most part that can be ignored as Clash features some very fine action and CGi sequences that make you forget about how gimmicky it makes the whole 3-D experince feel. For all the good work that James Cameron did with Avatar to push forward the case for 3-D, Clash does it's very best to help you realise all that is bad with it. But let's not get too hung up on that and move on.

The cast for the most part fit in just fine with Gemma Arteton and Mads Mikkleson coming out of the film the best. Unfortunately while not a bad actor and looking the part Sam Worthington just can't carry the film, as potentially exposed in his previous films (Avatar, Terminator Salvation), although he looks the part and does the right things, there's something about him that makes him unable to carry these films and is dependant on those around him to cover his inadequacies and help carry these films off, which once again is on display here. Although Mads Mikkleson and his band of Argo soilders are the life and soul of the quest to claim Medusa's head they collectively look like members of an 80's hair metal band and you half expect them to whip out some electric guitars and crash out a few riffs before their fates are sealed. Now to the Gods themselves in the shape of Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. THese sequences on Mount Olympus are the most risable as it looks as Mr Neeson was only employed to deliver the 'RELEASE THE KRAKEN' line and nothing else, his weirdly shimmering armour and his weirdly reshaping beard become ever more distracting and once again that dreaded 3-D doesn't help. As for Ralph Fiennes, there's a good reason why you have seen nothing of him in any of the pre release material or trailers. He looks utterly ridiculous as Hades dressed all in black with plenty of red eye makeup which just makes him look like a cery tired rendidtion of Ron Moody as Fagan in Oliver doing an impression of Voldermort in Harry Potter.. We potentially could have done without any of these sequences at all as they add nothing. Looks like Danny Houston lucked out as Posiedon as he only has 2 lines throughout the whole film and does nothing else. Easiest way to earn a paycheck for sure.

Overall it's an average action movie, with some above average performances. What should also be mentioned are the creatures. While most people will harken for Ray HArryhausens stop motion creatures, the new renditions of Medusa and the Kraken are incredible and the when the Kraken (Finally) arrives it's something to behold. (Shame they kill it off as quick as it arrives), The battle with Calbos's Giant Scorpions are excellent sequences too. It's these sections that Letterier does himself real justice as they are staged perfectly and the big monsters work mostly from his experince on the Hulk movie.

Overall as long as you don't view this film in 3-D it's a 3 Star movie, however if you do, you can take a star away. Oh and for those of you who remember the original, yes Bubo does make an appearance...

Overall Rating:

Kick Ass

With the mantra 'With no power, comes no responsibilty' you know full well from the get go that Kick Ass is not your everyday superhero movie. In fact it's almost the anti-superhero movie done with the right intentions. Matthew Vaughn (Stardust) scores big time with this film, free from the constraints of a big studio lets rip with an almighty movie that scores on all fronts.

Dave Lizewski is your common garden nobody, a tipical teenager, who gets bullied at school, goes unoticed by the famle population and has a couple of nberdy friends who get together at the local comic book store coffee shop to discuss how they could all be better off. One day Dave wonders why with all these Superheroes in comic books in this day and age no-one has ever done for real, he gets laughed at by his firends, but secretly harbours the desire to give it a go. He sets about creating his very own superhero and gives himself a cool name (The titular Kick Ass) and sets about on his first mission to rid the local population of crime. When his firsy foray doesn't go as well as he planned and he ends up in hospital after a freak accident he discovers that his nerve endings have been severed, thus creating himself an actual power abiet one where he can sustain a tremendous beating without feeling it.

After his various mishaps hit the news and You Tube, not only does he become a small celebrity, but he also kicks off a fad of copy cat, non powered superheroes. He also draws attention from the local mob boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong). Kick Ass is eventaully joined in his crusade by Hit Girl and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) would be actual assassins who can actually make a difference and Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who is possibly even worse than Kick Ass with the exception he has a cool car. Soon Dave's situation has snowballed into a very public showdown with Frank and nothing in Dave's life will ever be the same again.

Kick Ass is like a breath of fresh air that ppunches you in the gut like an old friend would. The film positively rocks from start to finish with an unrelenting pace and blistering script. Featuring characters such as the Daily Mail baiting Hit Girl (An 11 year old who dishes and recieves beatings and dismemberings of the criminal fraternity), Nicolas Cages wonderful turn as Big Daddy (With a costume that may have Warner Bros. lawyers at the ready for very possible gimmick infringement of a certain Dark Knight, but featuring one of the most hilarious parodies as he channels the spirit of Adam West's take on the Winged Warrior. Mark Strong as the resident goto bad guy is simply terrific and glues the back end of the film together without him becoming pantomime levels of villany.

This film deserves to be seen by everyone although the (Cmic book) violence may nnot be for some, it is doen in a way that you can't help but punch the air. Everything about Kick Ass hits the right note and it is nothing less than a triumph for Matthew Vaughn who puts together a action film with dollops of broad comedy that we haven't seen since Robocop. The film however belongs to Hit Girl who as previously mentioned as a 11 year old hit girl who dishes out almost as much as she recieves absolutely eats up every scene she is in and you just can't wait for more. The film from an action point of view the most feel good 'YEAH!!!' moment you will have had at the cinema for a long, long time and will live with you long after the end credits. Already a contender for action film of the year (Even with the likes of The A-Team and The Expendables on the horizon), this film you absolutely have to make sure you see as soon as you possibly can. At the risk of sounding lame this film certainly does Kick Ass!

Overall Rating:

Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart is the story of Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) a broken down, fading country star, who inbetween travelling to small town gigs, is slowling killing his reputation because of his drinking. Until one of the towns he plays in he meets young divorcee Jean (Maggie Gyllenahaal), an aspiring journalist who wants to run a story on Blake and find out what has become to this former country star. They soon fall into a relationship and this spurns on Blake to sort his life out and rebuild his career with a chance in a support slot with his former protege Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell).

Blake manages to hold it together for a while but before soon the cracks begin to show and Blake comes to a crossraods either carry on his self destructive path or get into rehab, sort himself out and put his life and career back together.

Based in part on Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard. The book is inspired by the life of country singer Hank Thompson. The film itself manages to incorporate aall of these men to create a towering perfomance in the shape of Bad Blake, thanks in no part by Jeff Bridges who lifts the entire proceedings with a masterful performance which has already garned him some awards and has him currently sitting in the red hot favorite position to carry off the Oscar at the end of March.

The story however is formulaic and would actually be pretty dull if it wasn't for the superb cast. Jeff Bridges in particular lifts this out of generic rut it could have fallen into. Add into the mix the ever dependable Robert Duvall as Blakes best friend and Gyllenhaal once again is a pure delight to watch. More surprisingly Colin Farrell can actually hold a tune and do a decent southern accent as well. Farrell only appears fleetingly but is totally convincing as the protege who has risen above his mentor and become a superstar (based on Garth Brooks?).

As mentioned about the story and direction Scott Cooper, it drags and if it wasn't for the central performnces you would be looking at a 2 star movie. Also, if you watch Walk Hard: Thje Dewey Cox Story, you can't help but think they were taking the rise out of this film. Well worth checking out though as previously mentioned due to the incredible acting performances throughout. The music is performed by the actors too and Bridges, once again scores highly as his voice sounds like he's been doing it for years.

Overall Rating:

Green Zone

Roy Miller (Matt Damon) is a squad leader charged with being the team that goes to the suspected WMD sites during the Iraq conflict. Arriving at several of these sites and findng that they are empty and look like they have never been used for the supposed sites he starts to get increasingly frustrated with the intel his team is receiving as he believes that it is completely wrong.

At one of the sites in a playground in the middle of a town one of the locals comes forward and informs Roy that there is a meeting going on jjust down the road with some high level Iraqi officials. Roy takes the chance on the news and storms the house. They capture several Iraqis but Ayad Hamza or as he is more commonly known to the US troops the Jack of Clubs (The most wanted appeared on a deck of playing cards during the conflict which were handed out to the groud troops so they would know if they came across any of them) but he manages to escape. When bringing back the prisoners they are hijacked by a US special forces team and taken off their hands.

Even more frustrated Niller managed to hide a diary that one of the prisoners had which reveals all of the safe houses for Ayad Hamza’s people. Miller realising not is all that is seems is approached by a member of the CIA who confirms Millers thoughts. Now working alongside the CIA it’s a race against time as the Special forces seek to ‘keep quiet’ any chance of the secrets that they hold getting out and wiping out any chance of getting the truth out there.

With the whole of the team that brought us the Bourne movies you know you are dealing with a high quality level of film making here. The setting and cinematography makes Iraq look vast and labrynthian at the same time and beautiful despite the destruction that has raged during the conflict. The action sequences are handled effectively with enough crash bang wallop added in to keep you glued to the mystery that unfolds before your eyes.

The cast are solid with Damon looking especially comfortable in the lead role, which since Bourne seems to be able to just drop into. Unfortunately we don’t get to see nearly enough of Jason Issacs as Briggs the leader of the special forces team and his fantastic moustache.

The Green Zone at times is electrifying with bullets wizzing and Miller trying to just reveal the truth and prove that there is more going on here than just a simple search for WMDs. We all now know the truth about what really happened and you just can’t help thinking how much of this film is based on fact? A solid thriller with heavy doses of action. For anyone who liked the Bourne films or a decent War film then this is for you.

Overall Rating:

The Wolfman

Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) receiveing a letter from his brothers fiancee Gwen (Emily Blunt), who informs him his brother is missing and she implores him to help with the search. When he gets home he discovers he is too late as his brothers body has been found in a ditch by the road. Stricken with grief, old memory returns of the untimely death of his mother, his father (Anthony Hopkins) does little to console him. He travels to the local village of Blackmore where the locals are rife with tales of the crazy man who is doing the killing, others however feel it is the work of something entirely more sinister.

Gwen asks Lawrence to find out who killed hhis brother and his investigations take him to the nearby gypsy caravan. When he gets there a local mob also arrive intent on taking revenge on the gypsys as they believe they may have something to do with the killings as they started soon after they arrived. Unfortunately for all of them the beast also decnds on the carvan and leaves little left after tearing through the group. Lawrence escapes with his life barely, but after being bittetn finds himself undergoing the transformation into a werewolf on the next full moon. In his quest for answers he discovers that the answers to all his questions may lie closer to home than he may have wanted. With the law closing in on him led by the driven Aberline (Hugo Weaving) time is running out for the Talbot's...

The Wolfman is a throwback to the old school art form of horror school making with more reliance on the natural jumps, double bluffs and scares in a style long forgotten in a CGI age. With more than a passing resembelance to Francis Ford Copolla's take on Bram Stokers Dracula, this is briming with Gothic foreboding. The Wolfman effects are incredible and terrifying at the same time. The gore is kept in check but at the same time doesn't leave much to the imagination as the full horror of the Wolfman's rampage takes place.

The cast are superb with Del Toro leading the way with the troubled Lawrence. Anthony Hopkins is in maleovent form as Sir John Talbot in a perfomance which features some of Lecter simmering away in the background. Emily Blunt shows once again why her star is rising fast and Hugo Weaving is the glue that holds this gothic jigsaw puzzle altogether as the relentless Scotland Yard Inspector Aberline. The cast outshine the effects which is excellent as you are mesmerised by their performances as this modern gothic horror unfolds.

Joe Johnston is once again in his element directing the beasts and controlloing your emotions asyou wonder where the next scare is coming from. Jurassic Park III and Jumanji held him in good stead for this. Overall the old school and even the new school CGI gore hounds should enjoy this at times very scary gothic rollercoaster with ease. At last a remake that does it's original justice by keeping enough of the original while adding the modern film making element in.

It's time to bay at the full moon once more... OOoooowwwww!!!!!

Overall Rating:

Edge of Darkness

Mel Gibson returns to the front of the camera for the first time in 7 years to star in Martin Campbells conversion from TV to Movie version of the 80’s drama Edge of Darkness. The story follows cop Tom Craven, whose daughter is brutally slain on his doorste after she comes for a surprise visit. At first Tom is believed the intended victim but after a few anomalies come to light it seems that his daughter was embroiled in a cover up operation involving the Government and a local nuclear powerplant. His quest for answers are sometimes helped and sometimes hindered along the way by the mysterious Darius Jedbah (Ray Winstone) reaching an inevitable violent climax as the shocking truth strarts to come to the surface.

In what is Mel Gibsons first acting job in 7 years you think he would have gone all out with a full on action pic or comedy, but what he chooses here is the film that tries hard but ultimately fails as it repeadtledy is it’s own undoing with some ghastly plot devices, scripting and denoument. Mel Gibson delivers an accent which sounds like Mickey Rooney for the most part, his cop on the edge is nothing more than a collision of Mad Max and Martin Riggs from Lethal Weapon. Ray Winstone is no better, woefully out of his depth in a role that was originally intended for Robert De Niro, he is the weakest link showing up at the most inopportune moments and doesn’t add anything to the overall plot. The insistence on doing deep voice talking (made famous by Christian Bale in the Batman films) to sound scary is borderline ridiculous.

The direction however is strong enough to hold the weak movie together. It should be as Martin Campbell has been through this story once before as previously mentioned he directed the original TV series. As with these remakesthe action has been relocated to America, which doesn't necessarily add anything, maybe a bit more realism as you can imagine this kind of underhanded type of behaviour happening. Overall this is a sub par thriller featuring a bunch of characters you don’t care about. So when the ending creeps in you will know there is only one way it is going to turn out considering the people Tom is up against.

Overall Rating:

Avatar

James Cameron is back directing for a major blockbuster for the first time since his last effort, a little indie epic you may have heard of called Titanic. Well after recreating the most expensive movie of all time with dazzling special effects, Cameron is back with reportedly the most expensive movie ever that has dazzling special effects. Avatar is set on the planet Pandora where a mining operation for the planets natural resources is underway, however the project has stopped because the indigenous population (The Na’ Vi) have their home and sacred grounds on top of the largest stockpiles of these resources.

In a bid to generate better relations with the Na Vi the Avatar Project has been created whereby humans can inhabit a Na Vi host to communicate with the locals. Enter Jake Scully (Sam Worthington), whose identical twin brother has died and he is sent in his place to inhabit one of these Avatars as he has the identical DNA to his brother, thus making him a perfect replacement. However Jake’s brother was a scientist, Jake is a former Marine now confined to a wheelchair, so he strikes a deal with the bases security chief and military leader Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) to gather information so they can just storm the land.

As Jake spends more time with the Na Vi and learns their ways he eventually becomes one of the tribe his priority’s change and he goes native and prepares the Na Vi for the oncoming onslaught…

Avatar has been hyped as the biggest thing to happen to cinema since Technicolor, which is a bit of a stretch. If this had been the first of the Digital 3-D films then we might have been inclined to agree, however this is the end of a year with over 30 movies featuring this so while it raises the bar on the 3-D movie by a long way, Avatar is not the most amazing movie ever.

Visually Avatar is immense featuring some of the most incredibly immersive scenery you have seen. The attention to the slightest detail in the 3-D makes you feel like you are right there. From it seeming like ash is floating out of the screen to the leaves bristling in the wind right in front of your face, Avatar should be the one film you see in 3-D year or if you haven’t seen a 3-D film here is a great start.

Now once you get past the visual aspect you come to the rest of the film i.e. the story. James Cameron as usual throws in all the clichés that you would expect from Cameron… anti-war sentiment, save the environment etc. And the story is comes across much like Dances with Wolves in Space. Not a bad pedigree, but the film just doesn’t seem like anything new from this perspective, Dashes of Aliens, A Man Called Horse, even Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest has an influence. The cast are all worth the price of admission. Especially Sam Worthington who is starting to show real star quality and will be the one to watch in 2010. Sigourney Weaver reunites with Cameron to play the head of the scientific division Grace who is also trying to forge links with the Na Vi and is reticent of using Jake at first but realises how useful he is as he joins the Na Vi. The rest of the cast flit in and out but in most part play second fiddle to the effects. Only Stephen Lang really stands out with a really menacing pantomime villain of a military commander. His pomp and military grunts are great fun to watch as he tries valiantly to steal the film out from everyone.

However this is about the 3-D and the future of 3-D films. Avatar has now shown how great this can be and while it’s not the greatest movie ever this is the benchmark for all future 3-D films. How James Cameron is going to top this however remains to be seen.

Overall Rating:

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Movie Reviews Vol.IV

Crazy Heart

The Wolfman

Edge of Darkness

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