Escape from space

Lockout (2012)

Directed by James Mather and Stephen St. Leger this film stars Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare and Joseph Gilgun. A CIA agent wrongly accused of espionage has to save the President's daughter who is being held hostage on a space prison.

Coming from the mind of Luc Besson the plot of this film is much as you would expect and has a fair amount in common with John Carter's Snake Plissken films. There are no real surprises along the way in this film and the characters rarely have much to offer apart from Gilgun's psychotic prisoner. Most of the film is green screen and CGI which shows, especially in the early Earth based sequences.

3/5

Amazing attempts to keep rights

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Directed by Marc Webb this comic book adaptation stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans and Martin Sheen. A high school student is bitten by a spider in a science lab and gains super powers.

Inevitably this film is going to be compared to the Sam Raimi films and while this film does not do much wrong in comparison it is certainly the weaker film. Where this film falls short is in weaker characterisation and not doing as good a job of exploring the themes of Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man. Mostly the film is well made but the music comes of as decidedly bland and generic adding nothing to the film.

3/5

A storm is coming

Ran (1985)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa this film stars Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Mieko Harada and Jinpachi Nezu. An ageing Japanese war lord tries to divide his lands between his three sons and peacefully enter retirement.

The plot of this film bares a number of similarities to the play King Lear but is not a straight adaptation. Exploring man's destructive nature and his relationship with warfare provides this film with plenty of depth beyond the basic tragedy. Of course the film is excellently executed with a great battle scene in the middle of the film and good use of clouds to fore shadow.

5/5

Sound of the jungle

Oka! (2011)

Written and directed by Lavinia Currier this film stars Kris Marshall, Isaach De Bankole, Will Yun Lee and a host of real Bayaka Pygmies. An ethno-muscianist returns from New York to the tribe he has befriended in the Central African Republic.

Being inspired by real events puts this film in the uneasy position of meshing fiction and fact into something that did not really happen as shown. The plot of the film is fairly average and does not show what I would consider the more interesting parts of a man going to live with hunter-gatherers in Africa. Considering many of the actors have never acted before the film is pretty well made but does not really do much to stand out.

3/5

Major misunderstanding

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2012)

Directed by Bruce Beresford this film stars Catherine Keener, Jane Fonda, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Eilzabeth Olsen. After finding out her husband wants a divorce a woman takes her two teenage children to visit her mother who lives in Woodstock.

If this is supposed to be a romantic comedy someone forgot to put in any comedy. The plot is the usual contrived rubbish that goes through the motions rather than deals with the characters issues or makes them act logically. There is a lot of wasted acting talent here and it is hard to find much to like about this film.

2/5

Chess with Caeser

The Omega Man (1971)

Directed by Boris Sagal this film based on the novel “I Am Legend” stars Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe and Rosalind Cash. A man that is immune to a plague that has wiped out most of humanity is hunted by diseased sufferers.

This is the second of three major adaptations of the same novel and like the others it differs from the novel in various ways. The film explores the ideas of man's role and responsibility for his own downfall pretty well even if not with that much depth. While there are good performances from the cast some of the make up on the infected is a little suspect.

3/5

Retired and funny

RED (2010)

Directed by Robert Schwentke this film based on the comic of the same name stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovic and Helen Mirren. A retired CIA black ops agent finds himself a hunted man by his own agency.

Clearly the best thing about this film is the cast which has some great strength in depth with support from the likes of Brian Cox, Ernest Borgnine and Karl Urban. The plot is fairly funny and light but never really manages to capitalise on all the potential this film has. There are a number of departures from the original comic which change the tone of the story which is also a bit of a shame but there are worse ways to spend 2 hours than watching this film.

3/5

Ill behaviour

Ill Manors (2012)

Written and directed by Ben Drew this film stars Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Lee Allen and Anouska Mond. Various interconnected stories set in a council estate in London play out over the course of a day.

The plot of this film is fairly standard but presented well in the form of seemingly unrelated stories that combine well. Using rap music for narration adds a unique element to film that works well and fits in nicely with the world of the film. Considering the low budget and inexperience of a lot of the cast this is an impressive first film.

4/5

Men in Time

Men In Black 3 (2012)

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld this sequel stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Jemaine Clement. Secret agent J has to travel back in time to save the life of his partner K from a killer alien.

Ten years is a long time between films in a series and a break like that does mean the previous films are probably not fresh in the minds of the audience. The plot for this film is pretty fun and keeps you superficially entertained with the usual wackiness but other than that there is not a lot going on here. Casting Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones works really well and holds the film together nicely.

3/5

I coulda had class

On The Waterfront (1954)

Directed by Elia Kazan this film stars Marlon Brando, Eva Maria Saint, Rod Steiger and Lee J. Cobb. A young dock worker gets caught up in the actions of a corrupt union and it's attempts to extort the workers.

While the plot of this film is inspired by real events it is hard not to see this film in the context of Kazan's own testimony on communists in the film industry to the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The film does a really good job of capturing the workings of a corrupt union while balancing that against a personal story that engages the audience. On it's release this film won 8 Academy Awards and it is not hard to see why with a really good performance from Brando in particular.

5/5

Turtles all the way down

The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

Directed by Josef Rusnak this film based on the novel “Simulacron-3” stars Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Dennis Haybert. The owner of a large tech firm is murdered a week after the company has made a virtual reality simulator.

The plot of the film adds to that of the novel but generally goes in predictable routes, tipping it's hand far too early to allow for much mystery. While the film poses the question how do know your world is real but does not really go much beyond this. As a leading actor Craig Bierko lacks any real personality and the time his character takes to put the clues together make for a pretty disinteresting protagonist.

3/5

No name slob

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Directed by Blake Edwards this film based on the novel of the same name stars Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard and Patricial Neal. An aspiring writing moves into the flat above an eccentric cafe society girl.

There is plenty that is iconic about this film from Hepburn's career defining performance to the style and humour of the film. It is nice that the film also has plenty of depth in Holly Golightly and her relationship with the protagonist. Where the film falls down sadly is the use of Mickey Rooney in yellow face as a racist stereotype but that is really the only blemish on an otherwise excellent film.

4/5

Unchained Melodrama

Ghost (1990)

Directed by Jerry Zucker this film stars Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and Tony Goldwyn. A banker murdered in a mugging stays on earth as a ghost to protect his girlfriend from the people that killed him.

At the time of it's release this film was a smash hit making money hand over fist but comes across as decidedly average. The plot offers no real depth in terms of exploring death and how it affects people instead being more interested in the superficial plot, while Whoopi Goldberg is the best thing in the film she is stuck in a stereotypical “magic negro” role. Some of the special effects are also starting to look a little dated, especially the shadow demons that appear.

3/5

Man in a hole

127 Hours (2010)

Directed by Danny Boyle this film based on a true story stars James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn and Clemence Poesy. An adventure nut spends a weekend climbing but forgets to tell anyone where he is going and becomes trapped.

What is most impressive about this film is that it manages to pull of a story that is essentially one man trapped alone in a hole for large portions of the film. At times the film is hard to watch, especially the inevitable way the protagonist has to free himself. It helps that he film largely sticks to what really happened with only a little embellishment but is also limited by focusing solely on the protagonist.

4/5

Never More

The Raven (2012)

Directed by James McTeigue this film stars John Cusack, Alice Eve and Luke Evans. Author Edgar Allen Poe is drawn into a game of life and death with a serial killer who is inspired by Poe's writing.

The plot for this film is pretty similar to any number of other serial killer films just using Poe and his writing as window dressing. When you have a rich literary back ground to draw on as the inspiration for this film what we end up with here is a little disappointing but not necessarily bad. It is hard to find much to recommend this film on but equally it's not the worst serial killer film you will see either.

3/5

What about the Easter bunny?

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

Directed by Cameron Crowe this film based on the book of the same name stars Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church. Following the death of his wife a man and his two kids leave the city to take up running a zoo.

The book this film is based on is the true account of a British family buying a zoo and there are a host of changes in this adaptation. While there is nothing really wrong with the plot of the film it is pretty cynically put together following the usual clichés for a simple “feel good” film. No doubt the real story is very interesting but this fictionalised puff piece has little to say and has no thematic depth or even considers the issues behind zoos.

2/5

Night night

Dark City (1998)

Directed by Alex Proyas this film stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly and William Hurt. A man with amnesia struggles to unlock his memories and solve the puzzle behind the strange goings on in the city he appears to be trapped in.

This film combines elements of noir cinema with science fiction to tell a story inspired by Plato's allegory of the cave. While this film has plenty of really interesting elements it never really manages to combine them all successfully, partly do to the unsatisfying lack of answers provided. Some of the special effects do seem a little dated for a film made so recently and I personally found Sutherland's performance rather hammy.

4/5

Puppets mastered

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Directed by Mamoru Oshii this anime also known as “Mobile Armored Riot Police” is based on the manga of the same name. In the near future a cybernetically enhanced police officer tries to track down an elusive hacker.

Coming with a fairly large reputation as one of the inspirations of The Matrix (1999) this film certainly lives up to it's billing. The main themes of the film are the future of man kind and role technology may play in our evolution. While the script is good it could go a little further into explaining some of the technology used in the film as I did find myself having to make guesses at what stuff was a fair amount of the time.

4/5

Control

The Stepford Wives (1975)

Directed by Bryan Forbes this film based on the novel of the same name stars Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson and Nanette Newman. A family moves from the big city to a small town where something strange is happening to the wives of the community.

Clearly this film is about men's attempts to control women and the plot works as a good metaphor for this. The slow moving thriller nature works well but at times it does feel like the male characters, the protagonists husband in particular, do not have their motivations explored fully enough. There are some really good performances from the female cast, especially when it comes to portraying the changed women.

5/5

A snake in nun's clothing

Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)

Directed by Don Siegel this film stars Shirely MacLaine, Clint Eastwood and Manolo Fabregas. During the French intervention in Mexico an unlikely team of a mercenary and a nun help the revolutionaries.

This is an entertaining western and one of a number of good collaborations between Siegel and Eastwood. There are some good moments between the two leads but the film really much depth beyond the basic plot. Filming in Mexico gives the movie some good back drops and a touch of authenticity which is a nice change from Spanish filmed westerns.

3/5

Chronic

Chronicle (2012)

Directed by Josh Trank this film stars Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan. Three teenage boys suddenly gain the power of telekinesis and it changes their lives.

The plot of this film is fairly standard with super powers allowing teenagers to act out their problems on a grand scale but I am not really sure the films offers much depth. In truth it seems like the film is more a combination of gimmicks that are largely unmotivated. Presenting the film as found footage (which is broken from once) seems to add little to the film other than someone probably having thought it was a cool idea.

3/5

Yar

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Directed by George Cukor this film based on the play of the same name stars Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey. A socialite is planning to remarry but her wedding plans are complicated by her ex-husband and two reporters.

While this film has a good cast the best part is the script which is witty through out and manages to survive despite having to use a few contrivances to get round the production code of the time. The underlying themes of the film also work well with it's anti-class bias message. About the only disappointment of the film is that the relationship between the two reporters seems under developed as it gets little screen time.

5/5

Not so lucky viewers

The Lucky One (2012)

Directed by Scott Hicks this film based on the novel of the same name stars Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner. A US Marine returns from war to find a girl from a picture he picked up.

If you have seen any other films based on Nicholas Sparks novels then you pretty much know what you are in for here. The plot is a fairly cynically constructed romance full of one dimensional characters and the usual clichés you can see coming a mile off. While there is actually some pretty good photography of the Louisiana setting for this film you probably need a lobotomy to sit through the mind numbing story.

2/5

Darkness in our midst

M (1931)

Directed and co-written by Fritz Lang this German film stars Peter Lorre. The people of a town in Germany hunt the child murderer in their midst.

As with many of his films Lang makes excellent use of expressionism here but this is his first sound film and it did seem like there are portions of the film that lack some sound. The plot does a really good job of handling the subject in a mature manner and asks all the relevant questions as to what society should do with such a killer. Given when the film was made and some of the subject matter it is hard not to view the film with half an eye on how the Nazi party would come to rule Germany but I think this might be a little more hindsight than intention.

5/5

Birth of cinema

Birth of a Nation (1915)

Directed by D. W. Griffith this film based on the novel “The Clansman” stars Lillian Gish and Henry B. Walthall. Two families are divided by the US civil war and the reconstruction of the South.

To get the obvious out of the way this film is massively racist and throws a lot of history out of the window in an attempt to promote it's racist revisions. A lot of the first hour of the film is superfluous to the plot and could probably have been cut as the film is a real slog to get through. Technically there are a lot of innovations in the film and a lot of the action sequences are really impressive for the period but this does little to mitigate the content.

1/5

As old Jack Burton always says...

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Directed by John Carpenter this film stars Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong. A truck driver and his friend attempt to get the friend's kidnapped fiancée back from gangs and mystic enemies.

This film is certainly a mixed bag, it has a cult following but was largely panned during it's release. Some of the dialogue is pretty bad, the special effects do not age well and while the plot is crazy neither it nor the characters add much depth. There is some mileage to the idea that the blundering protagonist represents American foreign policy but I think this might be reading a little too much into this film.

2/5

Punchy

Breathless (2009)

Written and directed by Yang Ik-June this film stars the director and Kim Kkot-bi. A thug that works for a loan shark in Korea makes friends with a teenage school girl.

Violence begets violence is the pretty simple message of this film as children with violent upbringings become violent adults. While the message behind the film is not exactly original this is a fairly well made film that does a good job of constructing a variety of characters to show how violence has affected them. Some of the camera work is a little on the annoying side at times but otherwise this is a well made film.

4/5

Abandoned Minds

Detachment (2011)

Directed by Tony Kaye this film features a large cast including Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks, Lucy Lui, James Caan and Marcia Gay Harden. A substitute teacher arrives at a failing school while dealing with his dying grandfather and a teenage prostitute.

A lot of the ground in this film is already well trodden but the film does a good job of presenting the issues facing teachers in struggling areas. While the script does show case the setting well it could have done with a bit more plot to fill out the film. One thing I did dislike about the film is some of the camera work has a tendency towards annoying wobbly cam and strange edits for no particular reason.

3/5

we're all fucked

Margin Call (2011)

Written and directed by J. C. Chandor this film stars Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto and Demi Moore. In a 36 hour period a major financial institution reacts to the revelation of catastrophic financial predictions.

Although a fictional story this film is definitely inspired by events during the recent financial crisis. What the film does well is give the various moral views on the banking industry a voice without heavy handedly moralising to the viewer. It would have been easy for the film to disappear under the weight of jargon but it manages to retain some without baffling the viewer and keeps the pressure on the characters through out the film.

4/5

Place it on Lucky Dan

The Sting (1973)

Directed by George Roy Hill this film stars Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw. Following the death of a friend two con men plan revenge on the mobster responsible in the form of a big con.

There is a lot to like about this film and it really captures the feel of the period, mostly though it's use of music. The plot manages to keep a good balance of showing us just enough to keep us from getting confused but always keeps the audience guessing in the final third which is a tough balance to make. Mostly this film is just a really fun heist film but it does lack a little thematic depth that would elevate this to a great film.

4/5

Prime confuser

Primer (2004)

Written and Directed by Shane Carruth this film stars it's director and David Sullivan. Two friends working on engineering projects in their garage come up with an invention that is much more than they had bargained for.

Made on a micro budget this film is probably a more realistic take on time travel than you will see in any number of high budget films. The confusing nature of the film will likely be a love it or hate it element for viewers but it does a great job of reflecting the realities of time travel. You will no doubt be left confused but the film does a really good job of posing the questions the invention of time travel would open up.

5/5