Alice in Wonderland

2010

Mia Wasikowaska, Johnny Depp, Stephen Fry, Crispin Glover, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Matt Lucus (and so many more)


Alice has had visions all her life. Of a strange place where cats and rabbits can talk. She is now 19 and betrothed to a perfectly horrid English lord with a digestion problem. She starts to see a white rabbit while at a garden party and as her horrible husband to be proposes she runs off and accidently falls down a rabbit hole. She enters the world of 'Underland' not remembering who she is or why she is important but she needs to remember and fast. The Jabberwocky awaits.

Really really enjoyed this! Much better than Tim Burton's previous Charlie and The Chocolate Factory which was a tad annoying. The colours of Underland were fantastic and i would love to have seen it in 3d to enhance this even more.

Special mentions go to the strangely attractive Crispin Glover as the strangely attractive Knave of Hearts, Ilosevic Stayne....he likes largeness and the very cute Bayard the bloodhound who just wanted to get back to his wife and puppies. 

8/10

District 9

2009

Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt

It is 1982 and an alien ship has appeared over Johannesburg bringing with it a strange alien population branded with the derogogatory name of 'prawns'. They are welcomed with open arms by the general population. Twenty eight years later, this welcome has faded. The prawns now live in a ghetto called District 9, are manipulated by Nigerian gangs for weapons and Inter race prostitution, all for the addictive cat food which they crave so much! Multi national corporation has decided to evict the prawns and send them to military concentration camps to make better use of them and stop them swarming the streets scavenging for food. Wikus (Copley) is the man in charge of the evacuation, but unforseen circumstances cause him to need the prawns help before too long.


I LOVED this film. My mum recommended it (yeah you heard me) and said i would have quite a few throw things at the television moments. Which i did LOL. The acting is superb. I loved the documentary style of filming at the beginning and throughout.....really made you believe these events did actually occur. the fact that the Prawns are all CGI are just amazing, as they interact with their surroundings so well. I really do recommend this film to everybody. Music, cinematography is just spot on. Unknown actors also helps as they are less of a distraction.


10/10

Wild Wild West

1999

Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek

Former Civil War Hero Jim West (Smith) is as cowboy as a cowboy can get. When he has to team up with the uber geek Artemus Gordon (Kline) to help rid of the world of the crazed psycho Arliss Loveliss (Branagh), who loves to build the craziest machines which would not have been available in the real wild west, chaos ensues as egos clash and a girl gets in the way.

It is silly, spectacularly stupid but i really liked it......I have never seen the original series it is based on so i have no previous bias and i think that is a good thing, as i can enjoy it for what it is. A great family romp. Smith and Kline make a really good onscreen team and do not ask me why, but i found Kline rather attractive :) Just don't take it seriously and you will enjoy it!




The giant mechanical spider is AWSOME!


6/10

Men In Black II

2002

Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Rip Torn, Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson

Jay (Smith) is back.... and searching for a new partner, as Kay (Jones) has long since left MIB and gone back to his wife and mundane job in a post office. However, when a dangerous alien crash lands on earth hell bent on finding the mysterious Light of Zartha, Jay soon realises that he needs Kay back...and fast.

Not quite as good as the first, but not half as bad as i thought it was going to be. It lack the punch and originality of the well, original film but it makes up for it in the double act that is Jones and Smith. Lara Flynn Boyle is a great surprise...who knew she could act. The special effects are just as good the second time round and Smith again delivers on a cracking soundtrack.


7/10

Men In Black

1997

Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Rip Torn, Linda Fiorentino

Jay (Smith), just happens to be the policeman who runs down an alien who proclaims the end of the world. Agent Kay (Jones) would like to recruit him as his new partner in the government agency 'The Men in Black'or MIB for short. Thinking this is just going to be a little game of cowboys and aliens, Jay is sceptical but agrees to be taken on. However, when a bug crash lands on earth hell bent on destroying everything in it's path, Jay realizes he is in way over his head.

I have always loved this film....i can't believe it is 15 years old. Will Smith and Tommy Lee at their best. The special effects of the aliens are superb and Will does a fantastic job of the main soundtrack. Love love LOVE everything about it :)

9/10

Monster In Law

2005

Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda Michael Vartan, Wanda Sykes

Charlie (Lopez) has never found her Mr Darcy...until now. She falls head over heels for the stunning Kevin Fields (Vartan). He is perfect, bar one teeny tiny problem! The mother in law.

I actually enjoyed this far more than i thought i would.  Not since Out of Sight, has Jennifer Lopez actually looked like she has any acting capability at all. Her and Jane Fonda as the evil mother in law are just a hilarious twosome. Wanda Sykes as the outspoken personal assistant also gives a hilarious comic turn.

It isn't going to win any prizes for being the most creative film in the world, but that doesn't matter because it is pretty damm funny :)

8/10

Gran Torino

2008

Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her

Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is a grumpy old racist Korean war veteran, who has just lost his wife. As well as mourning her death, he is also mourning the loss of his American neighbourhood to the Korean family who have moved in next door. His only prized possession is a 1972 Gran Torino which he keeps in mint condition in the garage. When his young neighbour Thao (Vang) sets out to steal the car for his gangland cousin, Walt catches him in the act and makes it is business to reform the teenager, not realising that he too would become embroiled in gang warfare!

The positives of Gran Torino are the cinematography, music and Clint Eastwood. The man can go no wrong, in front or behind the camera. The bad......Vang and Her just can't act. Their performance is so wooden and scripted, i am surprised Eastwood allowed it. It is an enjoyable film with a heartbreaking ending...but lack of acting skills makes the kids tedious to watch.

7/10

Downfall (Der Untergang)

2004

Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Kohler, Heino Ferch, Thomas Kretschmann

Downfall tells the story of Hitler (Ganz) and his last days within the confines of his bunker. It is told from the perspective of his young secretary Traudl Junge (Lara). The Russians are closing in, Parkinson's is clouding his judgement and even his closest allies are sceptical about the state of his mental health. Of course we all know the outcome, but seeing it from the inside gives the story an almost human perception.

Of course what Hitler did to the Jews was absolutly horrendous but people forget, that within every dictator is the ability to act completely normal with those they love and cherish. Far from making me sympathise with him, this film actually shows how scary it can be to be so close to someone who can change their personality at the drop of a hat. They may have done some horrendous things under the leadership of Hitler, but the majority of soldiers felt they had no choice. It was do as he says or i will die.

There are some absolutly horrendous scenes but they are so very powerful, there are no duff performances, everyone gives as good as they get. Ganz should have had that Oscar for this one...his likeness to Hitler is quite frightening.

One of my all time fave films, for cinematography and music.

10/10

Volcano

1997

Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Don Cheadle

Los Angeles is heating up....moreso every day, but nobody knows why! When a group of construction workers are badly burned in the sewers, Policeman, Mike Roark (Jones) heads down to investigate. What he finds will set off a whole catastrophic chain of events which almost sees LA drowning in lava.

First off.....it's a bit of a silly film but it doesn't pretend to be anything other than that. If you enjoy action movies with a charismatic lead then Volcano has it by the bucketful with TLJ! Just don't expect something wonderful and you will enjoy it.

7/10

Addams Family Values

1993

Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack, Christina Ricci

In this equally funny sequel to the fantastic 1991 original, the kookiest family around are back to wreak havoc. There is a new baby in the house and Wednesday (Ricci) and Pugsley don't want to be left out by mum and dad. So they try to kill him, as you do! Morticia (Huston) and Gomez (Julia) realise that this can not be allowed (even though pain is fun) and decide to hire a nanny. They hire the stupidly sweet Debbie (Cusack) who Uncle Fester (Lloyd) falls in love with. Only problem, is, she is a killer who is wanted and on the run.......

I love the original. This does not disapoint.Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are one of my fave on screen couples. I adore when they randomly make out while spouting french at each other and promising each other painful things in the bedroom later on. It is so funny.

7/10

Taxi Driver

1976

Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel

Travis Bickle (De Niro) is an ex Vietnam War Vet who is more than a little unstable. He works the long night shifts as a New York taxi driver in the sleazy and violent neighbourhoods. His only little perks are watching porn films at the local sleaze joint.  After meeting the cold but alluring Betsy(Shepherd) at a presidential campaign he feels his luck is finally turning, but can he control his mood swings  long enough to make something of it?

I love De Niro, lets just get that out of the way. He can do no wrong. He brings a certain naivity to Bickle but also makes you realise that this guy isn't stable. Shepherd is brilliant as the ice queen Betsy. Jodie Foster is one of the best moments of the film as the 13 year old prostitute Travis tries to rescue off the streets. You could tell how good she was as an actress from a very early age.

Music was melancholy and iconic. New York was dark and dingy....not much i couldn't love :)

10/10

Avatar

2009

Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez

Paraplegic Marine, Jake Sully (Worthington) is sent to the planet Pandora to take over his brothers mission, who has just died. He learns he will be taking an avatar body of the alien species Navi in order to penetrate the Navi's inner workings so that the greedy corporation he works for can mine the native land for a precious material which lies within.. However, he finds himself fallking for more than just the native life.

I absolutly loved this when it first came out in 2009. I saw it in 3D and was amazed at the colours and shapes coming out of the screen at me.........

The story is actually good if you can get past the CGI....something unfortunatly my parents could not.

Everyone puts in a steller performance and introduced me to an adorably cute Sam Worthington. Special mention to a cool Michelle Rodriguez, who i just love as the kickass fighter pilot.

8/10

The Pursuit of Happyness

2006

Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton

Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is having a hard time providing for his family. The hospital scanner business he put all his life savings into is not proving popular and he can't sell them! His wife Linda (Newton) is having to work day and night to feed their son Christopher (Jaden Smith). This is causing a great strain on their relationship. Chris sees how apparently happy all the high flyers are working in the Dean Witter Stockbroker building and after seeing an application for an apprenticeship, decides to go in for it! It will change his life.

I absolutly love this film. Will Smith is on top form here. One of his best. The scene in the toilet shows just how good an actor Smith can be if given the right project. I think it also helped that he was playing dad to his own son, which must have affected him on a personal level. Jaden is fantastic as the son........although for some reason he was a better actor then, than he is now....how that happened i don't know. More of an ego now? Thandie Newton....will she ever play a character i like? She is an absolute *&%$* in this...but that's why she is good.

Music is fantastic...the theme song is lovely...and now im sitting humming it in my head haha!

9/10

Bosque de Sombras (The Backwoods)

2006

Gary Oldman, Paddy Considine, Virginie Ledoyen, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon

Paul (Oldman) and his wife Isabel (Gijon) have friends Norman (Considine) and Lucy (Ledoyen) to stay at their home in the Basque region. Some of the locals are not entirely friendly and when Paul and Norman find a young deformed girl hidden away in an old abandoned house in the forest, a game of cat and mouse ensues to get the girl to safety.

This could have been a fantastic film. Had echoes of Straw Dogs and Deliverance. I very much enjoyed hearing Gary speak in Spanish, he seemed to enjoy speaking the language. The music was good and very atmospheric, as was the cinematography. Monsoon rain in the middle of a forest and men holding guns to each others heads is always a winner.......

However, i hate loose ends in stories that never get rectified. And this is where the film falls....which is a shame, as i enjoyed it!

7/10

Pay It Forward

2000

Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Jon Bon Jovi

Trevor(Osment) is a quiet kid, starting year 7 at school. When his new teacher Eugene Simonet (Spacey), sets a year long assignment for them to do something that will make the world a better place, Trevor comes up with the idea, pay it forward. He will help three people and they in turn will help another three and so on! However, as a child, Trever soon realises the world is not that simple.

A cute little film with a not so cute little ending. It was very unexpected. Haley was in his element as a child actor at this point and was just about to be seen in AI! Helen Hunt is surprisingly good as a trailer trash alchoholic mom. Spacey is fantastic as usual as the quiet but highley intelligent Eugene.

A fantastic score from Thomas Newman....i instantly recognised his work.

8/10

Silent Hill

2006

Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Alice Krige, Jodelle Ferland

Rose and Christopher Da Silva (Mitchell and Bean) have a problem in their young adopted daughter Sharon (Ferland). She sleep walks and puts herself in great danger. She also talks about a mysterious place called Silent Hill in her sleep. Rose believes that to cure the problem, she must take Sharon to Silent Hill. On route, they are involved in a car accident while trying to outrun a police bike. Rose wakes up and find Sharon is gone. She ventures into Silent Hill in search of her daughter and finds things not as they should be.

Based on the popular computer game of the same name but updated to a  Hollywood style, Silent Hill is a very freaky film full of ethical (yeah i seem to like ethics right now) questions about religion and personal blame. I really enjoy it and i know there are some who would say, oh it's nothing like the game...well it doesn't have to be. It's enjoyable as a stand alone film. The sound effects can be frightening, and im not usually one who gets scared but there are a few squirm in your seat moments. The grotesque deformity of Silent Hill at night, is one of the most frightening aspects of the film and makes you feel uneasy but that is the point.


Acting wise Radha Mitchell does well as any mother would, worried about their lost child. Jodelle Ferland is fantastic as the young girl. She is an incredibly creepy actress. Others i can't really comment on or i will ruin the storyline :)

8/10

Being John Malcovich

1999

John Malcovich, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Cusack

Craig Schwartz (Cusack) isn't really living the high life, stuck in eternal unemployment as noone wants a professional puppeteer these days, and with an unattractive and whiny wife who he lost interest in a long time ago. He takes a filing job on the 7 1/2 floor of a very odd office bulding for an equally odd boss. After knocking a file behind a cabinet, Craig stumbles up the portal into the head of John Malcovich.....should he tell anyone about this and make something of his dreary life?

One of the oddest and most enjoyable films i have ever seen. It must have been quite a good feeling to be John and have have a whole film written about being inside of his head. Everyone gives a fantastic performance and Diaz is almost unrecognisable  as the ugly and confused Lottie.

The score is fantastic and really emphasises how music can be used to convey our emotions when words are not enough.

10/10

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

2001

Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Conner

A young couple trial a mecha (robot) boy as a new child for them as their son is terminally ill. However, when the boy's human mother (O'conner) imprints on David (Osment), ethical implications are put into place and David will stop at nothing to get the unconditional love of his mother.

I have always loved this film, even if the ideas within it still freak me out 11 years later. Should we give emotions and feelings to robots who don't have the ability to control them? Should we rely so much on technology? and when robots become old should we desecrate them in front of a baying crowd for our own sick pleasure? The Flesh Fair has to be the most disturbing aspect of AI!

The acting by Osment is heartbreaking, he was certainly one of the best child actors of his time. Jude Law plays one of his best characters in one of his best performances as a sex robot with a heart......


A disturbing look into the future, with a heartbreaking ending.

10/10

I Robot

2004


Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, James Cromwell, Bruce Greenwood

Set in a futuristic Earth (2035), where Robots are seen as another race and live peacefully alongside humans, while also being used as, well slaves. These robots are three laws safe, they can't kill a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to be harmed. They must do whatever a human being tells them as long as it does not conflict with law one. They can also defend themselves, if it doesnt conflict with the first two laws. Detective Spooner (Smith) is a cop who through a terrible series of events, doesn't consider the robots our friends. When he is sent to investigate the murder of the father of robotics, Alfred Lanning (Cromwell), on the eve of the distribution of the new upgraded NS5 robot, his life turns into a game of cat and mouse and ethics and paranoia!


Although it is a Hollywood Blockbuster and stars Will Smith, I Robot is an incredibly intelligent film. Working alongside the idea of whether it is ethical to give robots human feelings and emotions, because like us they will evolve and learn to manipulate them, for better or for worse.

The music and cinematography is excellent.  It draws you in and has someexcellent action sequences.
Bad point is Bridget Moynahan, pretty, but not the best actress in the world.

9/10

The Big Lebowski

(1998)

Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski,(Bridges)  is a down and out bum  who occasionally partakes in a bit of bowling. After a misunderstanding over some random hitmen urinating on his living room rug, he is thrown into a world of kidnap, ransom and violence, which the cool casual "dude" is not used to.

Why it has taken me so long to see this, i do not know. Actually i do, i was too young (11 when it came out) and didn't fancy sitting listening to my mother go "ooo" after each expletive. I would have never heard any of the bloody film haha. It was absolutly hilarous.  Enjoyed every minute and Jeff Bridges had me in stitches with his cool dude attitude......he was so cool, i think a gust of wind would have just blown him over.

John Goodman is extremly annoying, but i think thats the point.....he almost reminded me of his other extremely annoying character in Arachnophobia.  That is why i liked him :)

The supporting cast give as good as it gets....and it's quite sad to see what Tara Reid was, to what she is now. 

Great soundtrack, just an overall great film.

10/10

I wonder if they ever did win their bowling tournament?

The Wrestler

(2008)

Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson ( is a washed up professional wrestler way past his prime. No wife, a daughter who doesn't want to know him and declining health. When a heart attack nearly kills him, Randy has to reavaluate his life and figure out what his priorities are.

If ever a film was specifically written for an actor or actress, The Wrestler is it. Randy Robinson "is" Mickey Rourke. It must have been a sense of deja vu for Rourke when reading the script. Fantastic soundtrack and cinematography. Rourke is heartbreaking. His beaten up and broken face shows a weathered and battered life. Marisa Tomei provides his female equivalent as an aging exotic dancer who just can't bring him into her life other than a customer at the club she dances at. Evan Rachel Wood is fantastic as Robinson's beaten down and mentally unstable daughter. They have amazing chemistry.

I havenot watched Milk yet, but i can categorically say Rourke should have won the Oscar. Political views and un pc acceptance speeches should not stand in the way of beautiful and perfect acting. The acadamy need to concentrate on what they are watching and not what goes on behind the scenes. Unless it is horrendously bad of course.

10/10

Withnail and I

(1987)

Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths

Withnail(Grant) and Marwood (McGann) are two unemployed actors living in London in 1969. Bored with life and relying on drugs and slowly driving each other crazy, they decide to embark on a holiday to Withnail's gay uncle Monty's (Griffiths) holiday cottage in Penrith. However, living a country life, is not quite what they imagined.

Possibly one of the funniest films i have ever seen in my life and one i frequently quote. Based on a true story and really captures the end of the sixties. The soundtrack is fantastic with a little bit of Hendrix thrown into the mix. You have to feel sorry for Marwood who is trying desperatly to get out of the rut but can't because Withnail is always there scuppering his chances. As coarse and dirty as Withnail is, its impossible not to love him by the end.

10/10

Donnie Darko

2001

Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Daveigh Chase, Drew Barrymore, Holmes Osbourne, Mary McDonnell, Patrick Swayze, James Duval

Donnie Darko (J Gyllenhaal) is a young schizophrenic man who is saved from being crused to death one night by an aeroplane engine by the manifestation of a  giant bunny rabbit called Frank. Frank tells him the world is going to end in 28 days and sends him off on a path which Donnie himself questions but has little control over.

Probably one of the first cult type films i ever saw and loved ever minute. Not quite sure i understood it all. In fact, im not quite sure i understand it all 11 years later haha.

It is atmospheric, the music is amazing. For Whom The Bell Tolls can make me cry every time .

Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic and has such great on screen chemistry with his sister. He is very cute and dorky in his big screen debut and gives a little hint of the hearthrob which was to come. 

It takes a good few viewings but is a little gem of a film, about growing up and making the right choices in life!

10/10

Murder In The First

1995

Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman

Henri Young (Bacon) is put into Alcatraz for the petty crime of stealing £5. After a foiled escape attempt he is put into solitary confinement and beaten and tortured by the horrendously violent warden Milton Glenn (Oldman). After Henri snaps and murders another inmate, the young lawer James Stamphill (Slater) is brought in to defend him....but uncovers some horrible secrets which will be the fall of Alcatraz.

Kevin Bacon was absolutly fantastic as the abused and emotionally disturbed Henri. Why he was not nominated for an Oscar i will never know. Reminds me of the effort put in by Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. Very intense and difficult character to play, but he does it perfectly.

Oldman does what he does best, an evil prick.....and although he is not in it for very long, you absolutly hate him. Reminds me of Warden Norton in Shawshank.

The music is fantastic and again is very like Shawshank. Alcatraz is disturbing and forboding. Would have been horrendous to have been there.

Fantastic underrated film.

10/10

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

2011

Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch

When a goverment Mi5 agent is brutally murdered in a mission gone wrong in Istanbul, George Smiley (Oldman) is brought out of retirement to help Control (Hurt) put the pieces together.......however, the deeper Smiley gets to the truth, the more he realises it is right in front of his nose.

Now, i have never seen the original series so i am purely going by the performances in this film. I thought it was bloody brilliant, and a pure credit to British acting and filmaking......why they don't make more like this i will never know. Oldman truely deserves his Oscar and Bafta nominations.....and i hope he wins, i really do! Understated cinema perfected!

10/10

Shame

(Contains scenes of a very sexual nature)

2011


Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan

Brandon Sullivan (Fassbender)live in New York and has his own flat, a great job and a seemingly perfect life. He has a dark secret addiction which controls everything he does. His sexual desires lead him to the seediest parts of life that most people stay away from. He seems unconcerned about these aspects of his life until his younger sister Sissy (Mulligan) comes to stay. With this unwanted burden spoiling his need for sexual gratification and bringing up unwanted memories of an abusive childhood, Brandon's life slips out of control.

I had never seen Fassbender in anything until now, actually, i had never seen Mulligan in anything either, so their chemistry on screen was a lovely surprise :) They were both absolutly fantastic and Carey's "New York, New York" scene was heartbreaking. The cinematography is  fantastic and  the scenes of New York are beautiful. It should win an award for its musical score as it really captures the moment.

Only gripe i had were that Carey's singing scene was a little drawn out....and it had a bit of a oh, thats it? type ending. Other than that loved it. :)


9/10

Barney's Version

2010

Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Dustin Hoffman

Barney (Giamatti) is old, worn out and very very bitter.As a book is published on his friends disapearence about 20 years ago (which he was blamed for murdering him), we see him reliving his past experiences and 3 failed marriages and wondering where it all went so wrong.

This is a lovely film, but very sad and very depressing. Sometimes we make the wrong choices in life and then realise that it is to late to make everything as it was, but you can still make amends..Hoffman was brilliant as Barney's very Jewish dad....i want him at my wedding, he would be a great laugh.

8/10

Limitless

(2011)

Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro, Anna Friel

Eddie Morra (Cooper) is a down and out wannabe writer who just needs his big break but is to lazy and unmotivated to seek it out. He soon finds his break in the form of his ex brother in law who fits him up with a wonder drug called NZT. This allows Eddie to access all the parts of his brain which he couldn't get to before. However, NZT, like any other drugs, has a major come down.

When i went to see Unknown, the trailer for Limitless was shown. I was excited, but never got round to seeing it on the big screen. Im glad i didn't waste the cinema ticket. It really didnt live up to my expectations. The acting was good. The idea behind NZT and addiction was good. The actual playing out of the storyline was so contrived  beyond belief and made the drug addict out to be the good guy. It was full of stupid stupid plotholes and unbelievable scenarios, when on NZT, just wouldnt have happened. De Niro was the best thing but was wasted and thrown to the side in a ridiculous ending.

All in all, music good, setting good, acting good.......script and storyline. bloody awful. Which is a shame........as it had SO much potential.

6/10

Source Code

(2011)

Jake Gyllenhaal, Michele Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffery Wright, Michael Arden

Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) wakes up on a Chicago bound commuter train, across from a beautiful woman called Christina (Monaghan), and is being called by completely different name and is a completely different person in the mirror. Just as he is trying to get to the bottom of what is going on, there is a massive explosion and Stevens wakes up in a strange pod with noone telling him why he is there or who he is!

Its actually impossible to review this without giving the whole storyline away but all the performances are fantastic  and it really does mess with your head.

9/10

Red Riding Hood

(2011)

Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Virginia Madsen, Lukas Haas, Julie Christie

Valerie (Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman who lives in a medieval villiage which is being plagued by a werewolf. If that isnt enough to deal with, she is torn between her childhood love Peter (Fernandez) who is the bad boy every girl falls for and the goody two shoes, Henry (Irons) whom she cannot see herself ever loving. When the wolf kills her sister, it sets the villiage off on a game of whodunnit and like the Crucible creates an air of blame and suspicion. In comes the famous wolf hunter Father Solomon(Oldman) who will do anything (and i mean anything) to avenge the death of his wife, who had been plagued by a werewolf some years ago.

I only really wanted to see this because of Oldman, but i found myself actually quite enjoying it so much more than Catherine Hardwickes previous attempt Twilight (read the books, so much better). It is dark, quite eery at some points and kept me guessing until the end.

Bad points were the stupid use of modern music.....why? it was not needed and just seemed like a silly attempt to make the film cooler. Second bad point is Max Irons, surely with Jeremy Irons before you, there should be more than one expression in your ability.

That said, enjoy it for what it is. The scenery and colours are beautiful.

7/10