We know who done it

Silent Witness (2011)

Directed by Peter Markle this TV movie based on the novel of the same name stars Dermot Mulroney, Anne Heche and Michael Cudlitz. After years away a lawyer returns to his home town to defend his best friend in a murder case.

It is hard to find much to praise about this film, the script is dripping with clichés and no twist in the plot can not be spotted from a mile off. When you do not recognise a single member of the cast it is never a good start and while most of the performances scrape by there is the odd dodgy moment here and there. Ultimately there are better ways to spend 90 minutes than watching this rehash of a number of similar films.

2/5

How Green was my Ireland

The Quiet Man (1952)

Directed by John Ford this film based on a short story stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald. A man who left Ireland as a boy returns home to the village he was born in and falls in love with a fiery young woman.

As with any John Ford picture this film has it's fair share of nice landscape shots but this time Ireland provides the back drop rather than America. The plot of this film is not much to write home about and the story provides a somewhat idealised version Ireland that likely never existed. This was one of the first films made in Technicolor and some of the image quality is not the greatest but is not bad enough to inhibit watching the film.

3/5

To stay or to go

Blue Valentine (2010)

Directed by Derek Cianfrance this film stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. A married couple's relationship start to unravel and we see flashbacks of their initial courtship.

Until you realise what is happening some of the flashbacks are a little confusing but otherwise this film works well. The main theme of the film is if it is better for couples with a child to stay together or break up once their relationship breaks down as contrasted by the main characters parents. There are good performances from the cast and a surprisingly visually impressive end title sequence.

4/5

#spideyproblems

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Directed by Sam Raimi this film once again stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco. Peter Parker is finally getting some good press as Spider-Man but Mary Jane's career is not going so well and as always there are bad guys that need thwarting.

I prefer this to the first sequel in the series as it actually gets to grips with the story elements left over from the first film rather than not moving forward the conflict between Peter and Harry. Bringing in Venom works well as a metaphor for either alcohol or drugs but is not a theme that is really explored fully. Again there are some moments that stray into Richard Lester Superman territory but otherwise this is a well made film and it is a bit of a shame this is where the series ended.

4/5

Coming down to earth

The Big Lift (1950)

Directed by George Seaton this film stars Montgomery Clift, Paul Douglas and a host of military personnel playing themselves. In 1948 the Soviets blockade Berlin, the Americans and British attempt to keep the city supplied by air lift.

Despite this obviously being a propaganda piece the plot of this film eventually takes some interesting turns, especially when exploring the experiences of post war Germans and American attitudes to them. It does take a long while for the film to really get going but it works pretty well despite having very few professional actors on the cast. There are plenty of good sequences showing the conditions faces by pilots and the film does a good job of explaining the radar assisted landing systems used.

4/5

G Man

J. Edgar (2011)

Directed by Clint Eastwood this biopic stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts. We follow the life of the FBI's first director as he builds and ruthlessly maintains his empire while hunting down criminals.

The life of Hoover is intertwined with many of the great social changes of the first half of the last century in America so he makes an excellent choice for a biopic. DiCaprio gives a really good performance in the title role, transforming into the elderly Hoover especially well. Where this film falls down is that it makes explicit the parts of Hoover's life that were open to rumour instead of hinting at what we will never know for sure even if it does handle the sensitive subject well.

3/5

A British coming home

Resurrected (1989)

Directed by Paul Greengrass this film stars David Thewlis, Rudi Davies, Tom Bell and Rita Tushingham. A soldier returns from the Falkands war after being missing and presumed dead for seven weeks only to find he does not fit in any more.

Fitting easily into the coming home genre this film covers the sort of territory you would expect, looking at how no one wants to deal with soldiers suffering from the scars of war. A number of films, especially those about the Vietnam war, cover similar issues but this film does in a complete and balanced way. There are some good performances from the cast and first time director Paul Greengrass does a good job on what was obviously a low budget.

4/5

Mustang

Bullitt (1968)

Directed by Peter Yates this film based on the novel Mute Witness stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset. A policeman in San Francisco is given the job of baby sitting a witness planning to testify against the mob.

If this film is known for one thing it is the iconic car chase which you have to wait for but lasts a good ten minutes. Other than having one of the best car chases in film there is not that is new or interesting about this film. The rest of this film is on the average side but is still a passable crime piece.

4/5

The thin green line

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Based on the novel of the same name this film from writer/director Terrence Malick stars Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel and a host of other actors. During WW2 a group of American soldiers try to take a Japanese held hill on Guadalcanal.

After nearly 30 since his last film Malick returned to make this war film which is more about the experience of war rather than a specific battle. What the film does really well is get inside the head of it's characters and reveal to the audience what they think of the nature of war. Throughout the film there is a slow pace that works really well alongside some excellent shots of the landscape.

5/5

One wedding, no funerals

Notting Hill (1999)

Directed by Roger Michell this film from writer Richard Curtis stars Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. A recently divorced owner of a book shop that specialises in travel books meets and fails in love with a big film star.

Nothing about this film is revolutionary or evolutionary either in terms of being a genre piece or the work of Richard Curtis but it does what it sets out to do. There is plenty of humour in this film that helps carry the film and Rhys Ifans does a pretty good job of stealing every scene he is in as well as nearly the entire film. Richard Curtis very much sticks to the world he knows when writing this film which is both a strength and a weakness as at times there are one or two scenes that do come off a little like middle class people whining about first world problems.

4/5

Spiderman, spiderman, rejects the call whenever he can

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Directed by Sam Raimi this sequel stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and Alfred Molina. Peter Parker struggles to deal with balancing his personal life and his life as a super hero.

There is a lot to like about this film and it does have some really good moments but the problem with this film is when you put it in context of the story of the original. Nearly the entire first film was about the consequences of the protagonist “rejecting the call” and coming to terms with being a super hero so going over the same ground again in the sequel does feel redundant. As a pure piece of entertainment the film is pretty good although it does threaten to veer into Richard Lester Superman territory at times with the comedic interludes.

3/5

A script of terror

Cleanskin (2012)

Written and Directed by Hadi Hajaig this film stars Sean Bean, Charlotte Rampling, Abhin Galeya and Tom Burke. British born Muslim terrorists are hunted by two black ops agents trying to stop their suicide bombing campaign.

I think this film suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, not being sure if it wants to be a serious look into why people turn to terrorism (which I am not sure it does very realistically) or be a slightly less serious thriller. My problem with the plot is that towards the end it takes the clichéd “inside job to restrict our rights” which pretty much undermines any attempts at credibility the plot had. If you can turn off your brain this is not to bad of a thriller but the script could have done with a few more drafts.

2/5

99 problems and a wolf is one

The Grey (2012)

Directed by Joe Carnahan this film stars Liam Nesson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney and Dallas Roberts. A hand full of survivors of a plane crash in Alaska are menaced by a pack of wolves.

This film starts out well with some good atmosphere and plenty of potential but I do not think it ever really capitalises on this. My main problem with the ending is that it is rather abrupt and does not fit in with the character arc of the protagonist, it just seems to come out of nowhere and does not offer is any kind of resolution. It would also help if the threat from the wolves was more consistent rather than cynically brought back every time there is a lull in the pace of the film.

2/5

You talking to me?

Taxi Driver (1976)

Directed by Martin Scorsese this film stars Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel. A lonely veteran in New York struggles to find companionship in a world that disgusts him.

There is much to like about this film straight from the slow burning nature of the story to some of the great cinematography. We get a glimpse of a really dirty, gritty and more realistic world that a lot of Hollywood had portrayed up to that point. When it comes to the plot the story works really well and the subtle nature of the ending makes a really enjoyable change.

5/5

Bond goes to Spain and Switzerland

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Directed by Peter Hunt this sixth Bond film stars George Lazenby, Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas. After two years hunting for his arch enemy Bond finally gets a lead from a rival crime boss in exchange for convincing the boss's daughter to marry him.

Reviews for this film are often mixed and the performance of Lazenby tends to divide people but this is one of the better entries in the series. What the film has going for it is that it sticks closely to the source material and has probably the only truly emotional moment of the entire series. There are some continuity errors that arise from the films being made in a different order to the books and the occasional jump cut that likely comes from second unit work but otherwise this is a well made film.

4/5

Don't forgive

Another Earth (2011)

Directed and co-written by Mike Cahill this film stars it's other co-writer, Brit Marling and William Mapother (Ethan from Lost). On the night an identical twin of our planet appears in the sky a promising young student drives drunk and kills a man's wife and child.

Despite there being a lot of promise in the set up of this film it largely skirts around the edges of being interesting, never really fulfilling it's promise. Scientific implications are largely ignored in favour of a small character piece but I am not a fan of the resolution that gives a simple and unearned way out for the protagonist. Considering the film was made on such a small budget the production values are high and the affect of the second earth work well.

2/5

Bond goes to Japan

You Only Live Twice (1967)

Directed by Lewis Gilbert this fifth film in the franchise stars Sean Connery, Mie Hama, Donald Pleasence and Akiko Wakabayashi. After having his death faked Bond investigates the kidnapping of American and and Russian astronauts from space.

This is one of the first films to depart largely from the book it is based on with the script provided by well known children's author Roald Dahl. Japan provides a fresh and interesting back drop for the series but it does open the door to hints of racism, especially in the case of Bond supposedly transforming into an Asian. The plot is a little on the silly side but not excessively so and it helps that this film has one of the better theme songs of the series.

3/5

Abuse and scandals

Oranges and Sunshine (2010)

Based on real events this film from director Jim Loach stars Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham. In the 1980s a British social worker helps adults find their families after they were forcibly relocated to the colonies as children.

It seems that this film largely sticks to historical fact although it does focus specifically on children sent to Australia while it appears the scheme the film is about also sent children to other countries as well. What the film does really well is handle delicate issues in an understated nature without going over the top and becoming a melodrama. David Wenham has the best character in the film as one of the adults that was sent to Australia, his character is complex and it takes nearly the whole film to unwrap.

3/5

Sense and over sensing

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

Directed by Stephen Daldry this film based on the novel of the same name stars Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and Thomas Horn. A young boy struggles to make sense of the loss of his father in the September 11^th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

It appears there are a few changes between the novel and the film which both received mixed reviews but on the whole I would say this is a good attempt at dealing with a delicate subject. The plot does a good job of showing the protagonists frustrations at his inability to make sense of the world around him without straying into a conclusion that is overly sentimental. There are some good performances from the cast and only occasionally do you get the feeling that the direction is trying over milk emotional beats.

4/5

This means bore?

This Means War (2012)

Directed by McG this action-comedy stars Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. Two best friends that work as spies for the CIA end up fighting over the same girl.

You can pretty much work out who is going to get the girl in this film from pretty much the start and there are not a huge amount of surprises along the way. While the film is fairly fun it really lacks enough humour to make up for the script which is suspect in a number of areas. If you can over look the flaws of the film there are worse ways you could spend an hour and a half.

2/5

Judy Moody and the Bummer Film

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (2011)

Directed by John Schultz this film based on the book series Judy Moody features Heather Graham as the adult picking up a pay cheque. A third grader's friends all go away for the summer holiday leaving her stuck with her wacky aunt and Bigfoot obsessed younger brother.

Obviously I am not the target market for this film but I think even young kids might find this a film you end up suffering through. The protagonist is self obsessed and at no point seems to learn to even consider other people. While there is a slightly garish assault of colours and sounds through out the film that did not bother me too much but I was left wondering what Heather Graham was doing in this film.

2/5

Sharing is not all it's cracked up to be

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Directed by Sean Durkin this film stars Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson and Hugh Dancy. A young woman struggles to overcome her time living with a cult while she stays with her sister.

This is a real slow burner of a film which has a great ambiguous ending but these strengths are also the weaknesses of the film. The plot is a bit on the thin side, not showing us how the protagonist joined the cult is an error in my opinion, but it does provide an interesting character study. Elizabeth Olsen gives a good haunted performance in the lead but I was always left wanting more detail from the story which relies a little too much on not telling.

4/5

Hi hi my little droogs

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick this film based on the novel of the same name stars Malcolm McDowell, James Marcus and Warren Clarke. In the future the leader of a gang of young thugs gets caught and punished for his crimes.

Despite deviating a little from the source material this film does a great job of posing the questions of what is goodness and how our criminal system should work (punishment, revenge, reform). There is some great use of language which is a sort of mix of slang and Shakespeare that really brings the world alive. While there are some iconic sequences it does look like the film was made on a limited budget some of the locations and sets date the film.

5/5

Not for turning in something worth watching

The Iron Lady (2011)

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd this film stars Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Coleman and Anthony Head. The daughter of a greengrocer grows up to become the leader of the Conservative party and eventually Prime Minister.

The problem with this film is that it would probably work really well as a piece of fiction but does not as a biography of a real person. Where the film goes wrong is that it is more interested in speculating about the thoughts of Thatcher in retirement and a possible decent into dementia rather than getting to grips with the often controversial nature of her time in power. Of course the best thing in the film is Meryl Streep who gives a really impressive performance as Thatcher but this is not enough to hold together the film.

2/5

Slumbering

Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein this third sequel stars Kate Beckensale, Stephen Rea, India Eisley and Michael Ealy. Humans are now hunting down the vampires and lycans in an attempt to rid the world of them.

All the problems with this film are to do with a paper thin plot that is fairly unoriginal and I have little time caring about despite the series trying to make some big changes to keep things fresh. After years of vampires and lycans killing humans to survive it's really hard to care that the humans are now trying to wipe out the monsters that have preyed on them. None of the action sequences do much to stand out and the best thing about this film is that it is over in 90 minutes.

2/5

Changing fears

Targets (1968)

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich this film stars Boris Karloff, Tim O'Kelly and the director himself as a film director. While an ageing film star decides to retire from the film business a young man goes on a killing spree.

While this film is loosely inspired by a real life spree killing in 1966 it could easily have been inspired by recent spree killings as there are many similarities. What is also interesting about the film is it shows both the changing tastes of horror film audiences and the changing nature of violence in the world we live in. The only real downside to the film is that it lacks tension and could have done with some more character depth.

4/5

Outsourcing old age

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

Based on the novel “These Foolish Things” this film from director John Madden stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson. A group of ageing Britons set off for retirement living in a hotel in India.

This is film is pretty much what you would expect, a fairly light comedy with a positive outlook on life. There are decent performances from the large cast but with so many characters it does feel like one or two get short changed and some of the stories are a little simplistic due to time constraints. One thing you do have to wonder given recent news stories on India is that this film is certainly not a warts and all portrayal of life in India and just how rose tinted the world it offers is.

3/5

man child problems

Dark Horse (2011)

Written and directed by Todd Solondz this film stars Jordan Gelber, Selma Blair and Christopher Walken. A spoilt man child falls in love with a melodramatic, over medicated, depressed girl and things go strangely.

Despite only an 84 minute run time this film suffers from a plot that especially in the final third meanders and does not go anywhere. The jaunting switches between fantasy and reality sequences are not too bad although I am not sure when the final few scenes shift to the point of view of another character. It is hard to find much charm in the self interested characters and the few moments of dark comedy are not really enough to carry this film.

2/5

If it wasn't for those pesky kids

Disturbia (2007)

Directed by D. J. Caruso this film stars Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, Sarah Roemer and Carrie-Ann Moss. A high school student is stuck under house arrest for the summer but thinks one of his neighbours may be a serial killer.

Obviously the plot of this film owes a lot to the Hitchcock classic Rear Window (1954) but it does a good job of updating the premise for a modern, younger audience and is even darker. For what the film is it is good, it has plenty of tension but maybe strays a little into teen romance too much occasionally. There is plenty of tension through out the final half of the film and the performances of the cast are good too.

4/5

Not in Kansas anymore

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Based on the novel of the same name this film mostly directed by Victor Fleming stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan and Margaret Hamilton. A young girl and her dog run away from home only to be transported to a magic land during a tornado.

Despite being a children's story and having a host directors and writers work on the project this film ends up with a surprising amount of depth. Visually the film is very impressive, the special effects as well as the differences between Kansas and Oz work very well. When it comes to the story it can be interpreted as either the classic adolescent need to rebel or the acceptance of coming adulthood.

5/5

There was an accident

The Machinist (2004)

Directed by Brad Anderson this film stars Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh and John Sharin. A machinist suffers from serious insomnia, paranoia and weight loss as he begins to become unhinged.

With out doubt the most impressive thing about this film is the execution, including the dangerous levels of weightless from Christian Bale in the title role which is decidedly unsettling. The plot itself is not bad but with a slow pace seems to suffer from a lack of urgency or drive. Overall this is a well made puzzle film but lacks a little bit more mystery to really hook the audience in.

4/5