Don't go into the long grass

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Directed by Steven Spielberg this sequel based on the novel of the same name stars Jeff Goldbulm, Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite. Four years after the events of the first film dinosaurs have been living in peace on another island until now.

A lot of this film comes of as being a sequel made for the sake of having one, the final T-rex attack on the main land for example being a prime example of a superfluous addition for the sake of another action sequence. The plot has some interesting elements as scientists and big game hunts come to the island but any ideas of depth in the story are token efforts. Mostly of the special effects are well done here although at times it does seem the CGI has been pushed a little too far and it is obvious in places.

3/5

Ham fisted?

The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)

Directed and co-written by RZA this film features it's director, Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Lui and Byron Mann. In 19^th century China various gangs fight over control of a village and a government gold shipment.

This film is a mish mash of styles mostly in the style of a martial arts film but also with elements of exploitation cinema and spaghetti westerns. It might not be Tarantino but frankly who is and what we are left with a decent genre entry. Largely the film is well made but lacks any special flair to stand it apart from other films of this type.

3/5

A world thrown upside down

Flight (2012)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis this film stars Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly and John Goodman. Following a miraculous crash landing of a commercial air plane the pilot is revealed to have a drink and drug problem.

The plot of this film mainly focuses on addiction and the fact that a person needs to want help before they can face those problems. Script-wise the film is pretty well written and the early plane crash scenes are especially tense. Largely the film is well made, again especially in the early crash sequence, but maybe could have done with showing a little more of the struggles of withdraw symptoms.

4/5

Ruby, ruby, ruby

Ruby Sparks (2012)

Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris this film stars Paul Dano and it's writer Zoe Kazan. A novelist struggling with writers block starts writing about his dream woman who suddenly appears in his life.

This is one of the more original and interesting romantic comedies that I have seen in a very long time. The script is both funny and intelligent, it looks at how having a fantasy version of a person stop us from seeing the real person. There is a good cast and unlike large swathes of this genre this film is well worth watching.

4/5

Dysfunction and drinks

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Directed by Mike Nichols this film based on the play of the same name stars Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis. An older married couple host a younger married couple for drinks after a party at a small New England college.

Clearly the main draw here is seeing Taylor and Burton go at each other hammer and tongs which may or may not have been similar to their personal lives. Largely the script is very similar to the play on which it is based but does add in a few more locations to give us some variety. The film looks great in black and white but it is the central performances that you can not get away from.

4/5

Not exactly kid Rocky

The Karate Kid (1984)

Directed by John G. Avildsen this film stars Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita and Elisabeth Shue. A high school kid learns karate to defend himself from bullies at his new school and impress a girl.

The plot of this film is pretty well constructed being slightly more than just Rocky (1976) for kids but is still pretty clearly a big slice of 80s cheese. Clearly the best part of the film is the scene in which the mentor drunkenly explains his past but otherwise this is a fairly average effort. John G. Avildsen also directed Rocky (1976) so he could pretty much phone this one in and there is not a lot that stands out about the execution of the film.

3/5

Evil in sheep's clothing

The Good Doctor (2011)

Directed by Lance Daly this film stars Orlando Bloom, Riley Keough, Michael Pena, Taraki P. Henson and Rob Morrow. A young doctor struggles to find the respect he thinks should come with the job and becomes obsessed with a young female patient.

This film starts off fairly normally but slowly takes a turn into the dark and creepy as the actions of the protagonist become more sinister. What I like about this film is the subtle understated nature of the evil on show here that both gets under your skin and shows how much trust we put in medical staff. Largely the film is well made and the real skill here is in the tone of the film being a little slower and less obviously menacing than some similar films.

4/5

Phoning in a sequel

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Directed by Shane Black this comic book adaptation stars Robert Downey, Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce. Suffering from the after affects of his actions in The Avengers (2012) Tony Stark takes on a terrorist.

There is some nice window dressing but not much substance to this film as neither the plot nor the character issues that the protagonist has to face have enough depth in this by the numbers super hero film. Even the protagonist is a real disappointment, taking a great actor and iconic comic book character to combine into a complete anti climax is a huge waste. Most of the effects and the big fight sequences are nice but there just is not enough story to really put this up there with some of the other Marvel offerings.

3/5

I am the Iron Man

Iron Man (2008)

Directed by Jon Favreau this comic book adaptation stars Robert Downey, jr. Terrance Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow. A playboy head of a weapons firm gets to see the other side of his business.

This is the film that kick started the Marvel cinematic empire and it is easy to see why as this is a well constructed film with a decent heart to it. I think a longer cut might have worked better to explain the motivations of the villain better but otherwise this is a good super hero film. Casting Robert Downey jr. in the lead is what made the piece as his charisma is what holds the whole film together.

4/5

Jlaw wins an Oscar

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Directed by David O. Russell this film based on the book of the same name stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro. After being released from a mental hospital a man with bipolar disorder meets a troubled young woman.

Like many an adaptation it appears there are some changes between novel and screen which are most evident when the film becomes a little cheesy towards the end but otherwise has a fair amount in common with the novel. The story does a good job of portraying mental illness in a realistic and mostly responsible way. There are good performances from the cast which are vital for a film of this type although maybe Jennifer Lawrence is a little young for her role but she still does a great job with it.

4/5

Script slacker

City Slacker (2012)

Directed by James Larkin this film stars Fiona Gillies, Tom Conti, Geoffret Streatfield and Adrian Lukis. A high flying business woman decides she wants to have a baby and hunts for Mr Right.

The premise of this film is not bad and contains a number of unusual elements but unfortunately that is as far as it goes. Nearly everything else in the film is a load of the same old, predictable rubbish that is poorly executed without much thought beyond sticking to the formula. Where the film is hilarious is that someone decided to remove all swearing from the film with pretty bad redubbing that sticks out like a sore thumb.

1/5

Monorail

Grassroots (2012)

Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal this film stars Jason Biggs, Joel David Moore, Lauren Ambrose and Cedric the Entertainer. A recently fired reporter helps his friend run for local city council in an amateur campaign against an experienced incumbent.

Local politics may not be the most exciting arena to set a story in but this film does a pretty good job of keeping it entertaining. Based on real events the story does a good job of showing how younger, normally disinterested, voters can get involved and make a difference. There is nothing really earth shattering about this film in any respect but it is not a bad diversion if you have a spare hour and a half.

3/5

The fake notes of history

Amadeus (1984)

Directed by Milos Forman this film based on the play of the same name stars F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce and Eilzabeth Berridge. An elderly Salieri in a mental hospital following a suicide attempt tells a priest of his rivalry with Mozart.

It seems that the major themes of this film and the play it was based on both stray a long way from what we have historical evidence for. The story works well as a tale of jealousy and envy, even giving parallels between the life of Mozart and modern pop stars but did we really need all this fiction fostered onto historical persons to tell this story? I watched the extended cut of this film and it is well made and does not drag despite weighing in at nearly 3 hours run time.

3/5

Ra-ra-America!

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

Directed by Antoine Fuqua this film stars Gerrard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett. North Korean terrorists seize the White House and only one Secret Service agent can save the day.

This is your typical American chest thumper that sees it's own country under attack in a pretty preposterous manner. People may compare this film to Die Hard (1988) but the script does not even come close to that level of personality. Largely the action sequences are well made but it hard to get past how silly the whole plot is and the holes with in it.

2/5

A western with women

The King and Four Queens (1956)

Directed by Raoul Walsh this film stars Clark Gable, Jo Van Fleet, Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes, Barbara Nichols and Sara Shane. A cowboy rides into a ghost town where four women and their mother in law live with a hidden pile of loot.

It's rare that you get a western with a decent female character so having five here makes for a nice change of pace. The plot works pretty well as the smarmy protagonist more than meets his match in the other characters. Largely the film is well made but this is a pretty average film even if it does have some novelty appeal going for it.

3/5

Staying Safe

Trouble with the Curve (2012)

Directed by Robert Lorenz this film stars Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman. An ageing baseball scout is losing his vision and is accompanied on what may be his last scouting trip by the daughter he has a distant relationship with.

You can pretty much work out nearly the whole plot of this film from the opening half hour or so but despite lacking originality it is well made. The plot covers familiar ground, stuff you will have seen in things like The Wrestler (2008) and Eastwood's character has more than a passing similarity to the one he played in Gran Torino (2008). In general the film is well made with decent performances but you get the feeling this is one that all of those involved could sleep walk through.

3/5

Pitch average

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Directed by Jason Moore this film stars Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebecca Wilson, Anna Camp and Brittany Snow. An all female a capella group at an American university seeks to over come their rivals and win the national championships.

Despite having the odd note of self awareness this film is still pretty much a paint by numbers plot which offers little in the way of surprises. The best way to look at this film is that it is cheese but pretty well made cheese. There are some decent performances but nothing in the execution of this film really makes it excel beyond a number of other similar films.

3/5

Barely Noir

Railroaded! (1947)

Directed by Anthony Mann this film stars John Ireland, Sheila Ryan, Hugh Beaumont and Jane Randolph. A young man is arrested for for a crime he didn't commit, will the truth be outed in time to save him?

This is a fairly average crime piece that really lacks any suspense or tension as it lacks a ticking clock. The film also lacks some of the ambiguity often found in the film noir genre because the audience knows everything from the start. Despite the average script the real weakness of the film is in some of the image quality being a little poor and the acting occasionally wooden.

2/5

Not the change you wanted

The Fly (1986)

Directed by David Cronenberg this film based on the short story of the same name stars Jeff Goldblum and Greena Davis. A brilliant scientist shows a reporter a teleportation machine he has invented but when he tries it on himself something goes wrong.

At first glance this seems like a standard Hollywood “don't mess with science you don't understand” film but with so many references to flesh and sex it is hard not to view it as there being something deeper going on here. Very much this seems to be a story about disease and most certainly one related to sex, it works pretty well at exploring the way this affects the different characters. The special effects might have been cutting edge at the time and while they may still have a stomach churning effect at times they are a little wobbly in places.

4/5

Upside down views

Mental (2012)

Written and directed by P. J. Hogan this film stars Toni Collette, Rebecca Gibney, Liev Schreiber, Anthony LaPaglia and Lily Sullivan. After their mother has a mental break down five girls find that a strange woman has been brought in to look after them.

This film oozes Australian at just about every turn and while at times it seems unsure who the central character is the focus of the film is clearly mental health. The question here is does it deal with a sensitive topic well and I think at times you could well argue that the film does trivialise mental health problems. Mostly the film is well made and acted but the script is a bit of a mess that holds the film back.

2/5

Lots of detail, little time

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Directed by Tomas Alfredson this film based on the novel of the same name stars Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Hurt. After being kicked out of MI6 George Smiley is brought back in to hunt for a Soviet mole at the highest levels of the service.

There is a huge amount of material to be condensed down into a 2 hour film here but the film does a really good job of capturing not only the period of the story but also the paranoia of the setting. Inevitably there will be comparisons with the earlier TV adaptation and I think this version does lack a little of the punch in the final reveal that the TV series had but it does well with in the constraints of it's run time. The direction is really good but I do wonder if someone less familiar with the material would have found the film as easy to follow.

5/5

Un-Magnificent

The Magnificent Eleven (2013)

Directed by Jeremy Wooding this film stars Sean Pertwee, Keith Allen, Philip Rhys and Jenna Harrison. A local football team made up of unemployed builders seeks sponsorship so they can keep playing together.

Allegedly this film is supposed to be based on The Magnificent Seven (1960) but if any of the film makers had even a passing familiarity with the film I would be completely shocked. The plot of the film strays pretty far from it's “source material” to become a mind numbing mish mash of rubbish. There is some weak acting and I hope Robert Vaughn got well paid for his cameo role because there is no excuse for him being in this pile of drivel otherwise.

1/5

Not completely take 2

Taken 2 (2012)

Directed by Olivier Megaton this sequel stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen and Rade Serbedzija. Following the events of the last film the gang that provided the cannon fodder for our hero are our for revenge as the hero and his family visit Istanbul.

This is probably a better sequel than the original deserves, it does nothing especially good but the script has a few nice touches that top this being a complete rerun of a fairly simplistic formula. While there may not be much in terms of character growth or a real story arc here there are a couple of nice reversals of what you would normally find in films like this that help keep the film fresh. Unfortunately when it comes to the direction Olivier Megaton is not up to a par with the original or other Luc Besson inspired action sequences.

3/5

Not masterful

The Master (2012)

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson this film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. In the years after World War 2 a US Navy veteran struggles to find his place in society and becomes involved with a cult.

This film comes with a big reputation but in my opinion the script really fails to go anywhere and is more a slow meandering piece. It is easy to see why parallels are drawn between the cult in the film and Scientology but I do not think the film ever really goes deep enough into exploring the dark, insidious sides of new age cults of the period. There are some really good performances from the two lead actors but they deserved a better script in my opinion.

3/5

Confused family fueds

The Oranges (2011)

Directed by Julian Farino this film stars Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Alia Shawkat, Alison Janney, Oliver Platt and Catherine Keener. After 5 years away a rebellious daughter returns home to cause havoc between two families.

There are a few problems with this film but the main one seems to be that it is not sure whose story it is telling, it is told from the point of view of one daughter but she gets the least screen time and is not even the focal point of events. When it comes to the moral of the story it does seem a bit like the film is suggesting you should just do what you want and ignore the possible impact on others which is not especially nice. About the only highlight of the film is Hugh Laurie who gives a surprisingly subtle performance that is excellent.

2/5

Bond vs 100% not Rupert Murdoch

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode this is the 18^th film in the Bond franchise and stars Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh and Teri Hatcher. After the sinking of a British Navy ship off the coast of China our hero is sent to investigate a media mogul who may be up to no good.

This is certainly an interesting entry into the franchise and is some what unusual in that it does everything decently but nothing excellently. The plot is fairly realistic for a Bond film and while the stunts do not necessarily have the scale of it's predecessor they are certainly well done. Michelle Yeoh gets a role that is one of the better Bond girls, in the vein of Barbara Bach's from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), certainly a character that is on a par with Bond when it comes to kicking butt.

4/5

New world order, new Bond

GoldenEye (1995)

Directed by Martin Campbell this is the 17^th film in the Bond franchise and stars Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco and Fakme Janssen. Bond investigates the theft of a space weapon in post Soviet Russia.

After six years away Bond was back with a bang and this film contains some iconic action sequences which have a real sense of scale about them. The plot is fairly average but the script adds some nice touches that show both a level of self awareness and that the world Bond is in has changed with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Largely the film is well made even if occasionally the model work is a little obvious but other than that the only other slips are in Sean Bean's accent but it doesn't happen enough to be a problem.

4/5

When your daughter goes through a phase

The Exorcist (1973)

Directed by William Friedkin this film based on the novel of the same name stars Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow and Linda Blair. The daughter of a film star is possessed by a demon and her mother seeks out the help of a priest struggling with his faith.

This film comes with a big reputation but may have been more shocking in it's day or to those with religious beliefs than I found it. The plot is a little slow to take off and never really hints at any sort of explanation at what we would probably find unexplainable were it to really happen. There are some iconic moments that certainly pushed beyond what we have seen before that are well executed with special effects though.

4/5

A slap in the face?

The Three Stooges (2012)

Directed by the Farrelly brothers this film stars Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Diamantopoulos, Sofia Vergara and Larry David. Three bungling orphans try to save the orphanage they have spent all their lives at.

The plot of this film is one that has been used in a hundred other similar films, mess ups have to come up with money to save the school/orphanage/whatever and this film adds little to that. Obviously the main draw here is the slapstick comedy and while there are some decent moments the film really lacks the energy or urgency to keep you full entertained. Mostly the film is well made but the best jokes are in the first third of the film which really lacks much originality.

3/5

Rocky Road to Retirement

Rocky V (1990)

Directed by John G. Avildsen this film stars writer Sylvester Stallone alongside Talia Shire, Burt Young, Tommy Morrison and Sage Stallone. After returning from Russia our hero finds himself broke and back on the streets where he trains a young boxer.

The premise of this film is not to bad and it certainly has more plot than the previous film in the series. Where the problems arise are in the ending of the film which by descending into a street fight goes completely against the character of Rocky and what he was trying to teach his son. Mostly the film is fairly well made although some of the music dates the film pretty badly, the fight scenes are not even close to up to par with those in the rest of the series and in general the film has a heavy handed feel.

2/5