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