If John Woo and Michael Bay had a Russia baby

Stalingrad (2013)

Directed by Fedor Bondarchuk this Russian film stars Pytor Fyodorov, Dmitriy Lysenkov, Alexey Barabash and Maria Smolnikova. During the battle of Stalingrad in World War 2 a rag tag group of Soviet soldiers try to defend the apartment of a young woman.

This is not a historic film in the vein of The Longest Day (1962) but more of a fictional action film set within real events. The plot is fairly standard but at times events push towards the excess of action more in the style of John Woo and the plot favours a Michael Bay over the top melodrama at times. What the film does have going for it is some nice visuals and effects even if the plot and style are less than sensible at times.

3/5

Summer hatin' happened so fast

The Way Way Back (2013)

Written as well as directed by Nat Faxon & Jim Rash this film stars Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney. A 14 year old introverted and socially awkward boy spends the summer with his mother and her bullying boyfriend.

This is a fairly standard coming of age film but it is one of the better examples of it's genre. Where the film is a big hit is that it really captures it's characters perfectly and has a tone of charm. There is a great supporting cast with plenty of depth and really good performances from Rockwell and Janney in particular.

4/5

Like a furnace

The Heat (2013)

Directed by Paul Feig this film stars Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy and Marlon Wayans. An uptight, unpopular FBI agent has to worth with a foul mouthed, rebellious local police officer to bring down a drug lord.

Buddy cop films are something Hollywood can churn out in it's sleep and this is an effective but somewhat familiar genre effort. Having female lead characters is a nice change but this does not offer anything particularly remarkable. The film has funny moments but is too often going through a well trodden path in my opinion.

3/5

Marco, no Polo

Any Day Now (2012)

Directed by Travis Fine this film inspired by a true story stars Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt and Isaac Leyva. In 1979 a gay couple in California attempt to adopt a mentally disabled teenager that has been abandoned by his mother.

As an issues based film this is a fairly well crafted film that manages not to hit you over the head with it's agenda. The plot manages to showcase both the bigotry aimed at homosexuals as well as how children are let down by the state. Alan Cumming gives a good performance in the lead role that holds the film together but some of the other characters could have done with rounding out a bit.

4/5

Not a muppet maze

Labyrinth (1986)

Directed by Jim Henson this film stars David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. A teenage girl wishes her baby step brother away and has to go into a fantasy world to get him back before he turns into a goblin.

Despite the fantasy setting this is a fairly average coming of age tale where the protagonist has to stop being so selfish and become aware of her responsibilities. The basic theme works well even if it is a little simplistic but the overall story is a bit hit and miss with the actual events not being that interesting. David Bowie is an odd choice for antagonist and at times the musical numbers seem like they have been forced into a film where they don't belong. There are some decent effects for the period and Henson's expertise in puppet creates clearly shows.

3/5

A Eve worth watching

Cold Comes the Night (2013)

Directed by Tze Chun this film stars Alice Eve, Bryan Craston and Logan Marshall-Green. A single mother that runs a motel is held hostage with her child by a Polish criminal as he attempts to retrieve a package from a cooked cop.

As things go this is a fairly average thriller with a pretty decent if unremarkable set up. There are some decent twists and turns along the way but nothing that really makes this film stand out from a number of similar genre entries. Where the film is at it's strongest is in the performance of Alice Eve, which is excellent, and the direction which helps focus on her character nicely.

3/5

The poorly explained games

The Hunger Games (2012)

Directed by Gary Ross this film based on the novel of the same name stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks. In the future a 16 year old girl volunteers to take her younger sisters place in a battle to the death between representatives of different districts.

This film comes with a lot of hype but it never convinced me of the world it was trying to create or properly explained the status quo. I also thought it was a little weak that the protagonist was rarely the driving force, often following the ideas of others and mostly had the hard moral choices removed from her. The direction of the fight sequences was a little annoying when it came to hand to hand combat but otherwise it was a well made film with some decent performances.

3/5