The Railway Man

UK Release Date: 10th January 2014

A former British Army officer, who was tormented as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II, discovers that the man responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him (www.imdb.com).

Director: Johnathan Teplitzky (Burning Man)

Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeremy Irvine, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tanroh Ishida

The Railway Man is a mixed bag of emotions. On one side is the post-stress of a prisoner of war, and the family it effects. Eric's (Firth) ordeal (he became a POW, helping the Allied forces build the 'Death Railway') is hard to watch, with new found love for Patti (Kidman) bringing out his troubled psyche. On the other side is a psychological state that's hard to digest for those who cannot see what they cannot feel. Eric's worst state awakens only when Patti enters his life, not before. We don't get the chance to see his life prior to her arrival (it's explained through friend and fellow army-man Stellan Skarsgard). The acting isn't a shame, but the The Railway Man's is. Both Firth and Jeremy Irvine, who plays the younger Eric, are on fine form, as is Sanada and Ishida, who're the older and younger Takeshi, the man who tortures Eric. The Railway Man is insightful to all, whether you're keen on WW2 history or not. It's a cautious blend of fact and true story. What Eric will do to Takeshi, once he finds him, is the ultimate dilemma.

3/5

Pitch Perfect 2

UK Release Date: 15th May 2015

After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform (www.imdb.com).

Director: Elizabeth Banks

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Adam Devine, Elizabeth Banks, Ben Platt, John Michael Higgins

Pitch Pertect 2 is actress Elizabeth Bank's first crack at directing, and she's settled in to the role very nicely. Her ability to make us laugh comes naturally; Becca (Kendrick) and the other Barden Bellas are on fine, funny form, starting with Fat Amy's (Wilson) blunder in front of the president. The Bellas' embarrassment has brought them back to square one, and the only way they can get back to the top is by winning the world championships. There's nothing much new on offer here; the music and the singing is just as good as the first, the Bardem Bellas and other competing groups bang out contemporary tunes with ease. In this respect it doesn't quite match its predecessor, but that hardly matters when there's so many memorable, amusing moments. Rebel Wilson steals every scene she's in (again), with help from The Treblemaker's Bumper (Adam DeVine). Other characters have little screen time, including Becca's boyfriend Skylar and the nerdy Benji. Some of the Bellas have become an in-joke (they're basically extras) but some solace can be found in newcomer Emily (Steinfeld). Banks reprises her commentating role alongside John Michael Higgins, only to abuse the Bellas and make a bunch of gags. Pitch Perfect 2 maybe not be as aca-perfect as 2013's outing, but it's sure to appease the fans.

3.5/5

Mad Max: Fury Road

UK Release Date: 14th May 2015

In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland (www.imdb.com).

Director: George Miller (Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Mad Max: Fury Road is a visually stunning masterpiece by George Miller. It's been 30 years since Miller's last project: the last of the orginal Mad Max films, starring Mel Gibson. Comparisons cannot be made as I've yet to watch them. There are no excuses. Max's crazy adventure may not take him very far,  but the world in which he resides is imaginative. The vast wasteland surrounding small territories show how bleak everything has become. Water is sparse and saved for the main cretin and his crew. Weird, cult-like followers, with their bald heads, white painted bodies and addiction to silvery substance, follow his orders. There's no sign of any nature, only a rumour of a place populated by trees and running water. Theron's barbaric-looking Furiosa, with her metal arm and gigantic tanker, thwarts her bosses' orders and steals that which is most precious to him. Immortan Joe (Keays-Byrne) gathers his whole force in pursuit. What emanates is a fantastically frenzied chase across the desert. MM:FR is full of insane car chases (the cars are a sight to behold in themselves), incredible explosions and well thought-out action. The 3D isn't necessary; only one part stands out in particular and the story is only strong enough to keep the action expressive.  Max (Hardy), with his gruff voice and limited dialogue, is secondary to Furiosa. His serenity and coldness towards others makes him the perfect character to explore. Flashes of his family, from a world once known, haunt him constantly. Mad Max: Fury Road isn't just creative and captivating to the very end, it sets up potential for expansion. After this ride, it'd be criminal for the film studio not to.

5/5

The Age of Adaline

UK Release Date: 8th May 2015

A young woman, born at the turn of the 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man who complicates the eternal life she has settled into (www.imdb.com).

Director: Lee Toland Kriger (The Vicious Kind, Celeste & Jesse Forever)

Starring: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford, Kathy Baker

Lee Toland Kriger's The Age of Adaline is a superb romantic thanks to its lead duo. Blake Lively is Adaline, the fair immortal who hasn't aged for several decades due to a severe car crash. She goes from relationship to relationship, from town to town, never settling down. A risky chance comes in the form of Ellis (Huisman), a stylish man whose intellect almost matches Adaline's own. Their encounters are warm, humorous and touching. Great support comes from Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker as Ellis' parents. Nudges of surrealism make TAoA vary from the usual romantic stories. Its voice-over, telling Adaline's 'miraculous' tale, is its only downfall. The unknown storyteller attempts to justify Adaline's conditions, but it comes across as a magnificent coincidence instead.

3.5/5

The Italian Job (2003)

UK Release Date: 19th September 2003

After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally (www.imdb.com).

Director: F. Gary Gray (The Negotiator, A Man Apart)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Chalize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Donald Sutherland, Seth Green, Mos Def

The latest version (there being only two.....so far) of The Italian Job has no merit to its name. Director F. Gary Gray and screenwriters Troy Kennedy-Martin and Donna Powers have taken the best out of Michael Caine's original (three Mini's in a car chase, one thought-out heist) and glamourised it (Hollywood A-listers, pristine, clean shots) but with out the charge and the adrenaline we assume that's there. Wahlberg is a flat front-man. Edward Norton makes for a suprisinggg bad guy, annoying and outsmarting Croker (Wahlberg) and his team left, right and centre. The other cast members struggle due to a lacklustre script and and its inability to succeed our expectations. You'll be least disappointed in this film if you get the chance to watch this before the 1969 classic.

2.5/5

Pitch Black

UK Release Date: 10th November 2000

A commercial transport ship and its crew are marooned on a planet full of bloodthirsty creatures that only come out to feast at night. But then, they learn that a month-long eclipse is about to occur (www.imdb.com).

Director: David Twohy (The Chronicles of Riddick, A Perfect Getaway, Riddick)

Starring: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser

Pitch Black is a decent cross-genre movie, that ups the ante the deeper it goes. Starting as a fight for survival, PB is an upheaval of frights for the marooned party we know so little about, on an unknown planet after their plane crashes. With limited food, water and no shelter, the odds are against them, especially with a known murderer in their midst. The temperature drops, sun begins to fade, and the creepy crawlies come out to play. Pitch Black holds no originality to its name, displaying facets of thrillers like Alien and Predator. The computer-generated beasts riddling the survivors' breathing space are imaginative; covered by the darkness to make our imaginations run wild, but also to hide the fact the CGI is below par. The darkness settles, scaring them and us respectively. One terrifyingly cool scene sees the group fending off hordes of monsters with big glow sticks. At the time in 2000 none of the actors were glowing stars. This means everyone and no one can survive, from Diesel's hard-edged mystery man to Radha Mitchell's likeable captain. All you need to know is what's right in front of you. Like other thrillers, the who's and the hows aren't necessary.  

3.5/5

Waterworld

UK Release Date: 11th August 1995

In a future where the polar ice-caps have melted and Earth is almost entirely submerged, a mutated mariner fights starvation and outlaw "smokers," and reluctantly helps a woman and a young girl try to find dry land (www.imdb.com).

Director: Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanna Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino

The biggest problem with Waterworld, like other major blockbuster flops, is its lack of substance. On a bleak, watery surface, is a promising, beautifully created cosmos, with plenty of love and respect put in to its composition. On the inside is a reserved, desolate hero (Costner) wasted by a dull script and even duller characters. His nonchalance towards Helen (Tripplehorn) and youngster Enola (Majorino), who accompany him on his mission to find land is incoherent, like an anti-hero without the engaging essentials. His companions are just as bad, weakened by a bombastic script, with Dennis Hopper's comical baddie getting the brunt of it. There's potential throughout this film, but not enough intensity to keep us entertained.

2/5

Oculus

UK Release Date: 13th June 2014

A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon (www.imdb.com).

Director: Mike Flanagan (Absentia)

Starring: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff

Oculus beats most conventional horrors with an extraordinary sibling pairing and a juggling with the past and the present. Kaylie (Gillan) sets out to prove to the world that a celestial presence within a mirror killed her parents, not her brother. She's hard as nuts, which goes against every femme-fatale/horror genre adage there is. Her brother Tim (Thwaites) faired less well, having treatment to see him through troubled times. These siblings occupy diametric motives; Tim believes it be a facade, conjured up in their youthful minds, whereas Kaylie's determination drives her as well as our own curiosity. Oculus is frightening, playing on many fears; of the dark, family troubles and a unwarranted presense. This film differs from most horrors, blending two time spans following the young and present day relatives. The lead up to the disaster and the subsequent teasing of the 'monster' in the mirror are stylistically overlapped with amazing cuts and visuals. Support from Cochrane and Sackhoff as the siblings' parents are foreboding as a couple on the brink of collapsing. The worst fear of them all? Seeing their parents' relationship slowly deteriorate. Oculus is a cut above the horrors smothering Hollywood these days.

4/5

'71

UK Release Date: 10th October 2015

A young and disoriented British soldier is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the deadly streets of Belfast in 1971 (www.imdb.com).

Director: Yann Demange

Starring: Jack O'Connell

'71 is Brutal. Absolutely brutal. This British film is fleshy and gripping. Fresh cadets Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) gets separated from his regiment during The Troubles in 1971. Northern Ireland is in a state of anarchy; a political and ethical war between locals who want independence and other who seek democracy. Every second is precious for the youngster. He avoids everyone but finds help in unlikely places; witnessing unbelievable horrors and astonishing kindness where it's least expected. Although history is clearly a major factor, Jack O'Connell's lonely battle for survival is what keeps our tickers on exploding point. His acting is as real and pure as it gets, contrasted by a history many are aware of but have never seen. Fears and destruction governed society and everyone in proximity. O'Connell and director Yann Demange show just how powerful and frightening war can be.

4/5

Enemy

UK Release Date: 2nd January 2015

A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie (www.imdb.com).

Director: Denis Villeneuve (Incendies, Prisoners)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Melanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon

Gyllenhaal has chosen yet another complicated, intriguing project with director Villeneuve. Enemy was filmed before Prisoners (which they collaborated) but released long after. Richard Ayoade's The Double was also released shortly before this, ruining its thunder. Gyllenhaal plays two characters; Adam, the teacher stuck in a mundane, repetitive, day to day routine, and Anthony, a second-rate movie star. Adam finds Anthony through passages of his subconscious, opening up a can of psychological worms. When they eventually meet they ignite stressful dilemmas. It's an exasperating fruition trying to guess the outcome. The confines of their relationship and the partnership with their other halves are interwoven beautifully; Gyllenhaal's characters may look the same but their psyches are opposite. Open, trivial paradoxes. They are amongst his greatest performances to date. Laurent and Gadon are partners of the lookalikes, their personanlities matching the wrong man. Look closely and you'll find some hidden meanings. Some are blatant, others avant-garde Watch Enemy a second or even a third time round to catch how detailed and sophisticated the plot is. 

4/5

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

UK Release Date: 26th December 2011

The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name (www.imdb.com).

Director: Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The /incredibles, Ratatouille)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist

MILD SPOILER ALERT

Mission: Impossible IV, also known as Ghost Protocol, holds many variations from its forebears. First, is its name. It's edgy, unique and stands out from the previous three. Second, is Ethan's (Cruise) new team. A strong cast backs Cruise. Pegg is a massive breath of fresh air with his light, off-handed humour. He's been upgraded from desk boy to field agent. Patton is the new kick-ass beauty and Renner adds muscle that's not particularly needed because Cruise has all other areas covered. The story is unsurprisingly straight forward; Ethan and co. have a new villain (Nyqvist) to take down who's crippled the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). Nyqvist has been scripted with a bland, lifeless persona. He only shows quality of any worth the moment his life ends. Just one negative point amongst a trifle of goods. Tom is as daring as ever, toppling his stunts in II and III with one that will leave you with clenched butt-cheeks and sweaty palms. The gadgets are incredible and the set-pieces are superb. One in Dubai flowing smoothly into another taking place in a dust storm. Cruise and director Brad Bird have achieved the right level of action and emotion with this MI outing. Let's hope they stick with this formula in future films.

4/5

Mission: Impossible III

UK Release Date: 4th May 2006

Ethan Hunt comes face to face with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer while trying to keep his identity secret in order to protect his girlfriend (www.imdb.com).

Director: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, Laurence Fishburne

'We put an explosive charge in your head' says Hoffan's Owen Davian to MIF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). Then BANG! opening credits. J.J. Abrams takes Mission: Impossible back to its routes by focusing entirely on Hunt. He may have found himself a new team and a cast who prove their worth, but they're secondary to Mr. Cruise and his stunt-battling, gadget wielding, free running nutter. This franchise is his baby, and no one will stand in his way. His name printed on the posters is almost as big as the title. This third outing plays on Ethan's fears and shows you what makes him tick. Weapons dealer Davian exploits this, staying two steps ahead of Hunt and his team who're sent to find him and dispatch him. The plot doesn't thicken any more than this, it's kept ambiguous so Cruise can work his magic. Abrams' effort is marginally better than Woo's conformity, and even a stretch treacherous than the first. Hunt does his best to keep his fiancee Julia (Monaghan) blissfully unaware of his lifestyle, but she becomes involved none-the-less. Davian brings out opposite emotions in Hunt; he's a Bond-esque villain with zero quirks and a full-scale attitude. He's just what's needed for Cruise to scale, climb, fall and roll his way through set-pieces and just generally be a bad-ass son-of-a-gun. The masks are gone, but that's only a tiny blip in a revitalised franchise.

4/5 

Mission: Impossible II

UK Release Date: 7th July 2000

A secret agent is sent to Sydney, to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called "Chimera" (www.imdb.com).

Director: John Woo (Hard Boiled, Broken Arrow, Face/Off)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson

Everything that made Mission: Impossible rare has been peeled away. There's no intense set-pieces, no nifty gadgets and no kick-ass team. Mission: Impossible 2 is a not so impossible mission for one. Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt has the looks, fortitude and strength the women swoon over and the men crave to be. Stripped of it's unconventional anecdotes, John Woo's M:I-2 is just another generic action movie. Cruise's greatest feat is performed before the opening credits feature and the only aspect of an impossible mission comes from Hunt's love interest Nyah (Thandie Newton), who goes undercover to find out the whereabouts of a disease called Chimera from 'crime-lord' Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott in fine villainous form). For a good chunk of the film's second act, Ethan has little to do. Newton's work overstays its welcome. When the twists and turns eventually arrive it's too little, too late. At least Cruise, with his silky mane, looks like he's having a blast, it's just a pity it can't be said for the rest of us. Even the life-like face masks are missing. It's absence is only short lived. In the mean time, Cruise gallivanting the globe will have to do.

2.5/5

Mission: Impossible

UK Release Date: 5th July 1996

An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization (www.imdb.com).

Director: Brian De Palma (Scarface, The Untouchables, Carlito's Way)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave

Tom Cruise and Brian De Palma deliver on so many levels with Mission: Impossible. It makes Pierce Brosnan's 007 era look dismal. The story is a complete maze full of gadgets, chaos, traitors and twists that's still as hard to comprehend the second, or even the third time round. De Palma has Cruise at the rudder of every scene, taking on an impossible mission to single handedly uncover the mole who betrayed him and his team. The organisation suspect him to be the rat, so choices are limited. From Prague to Washington and then to London, Ethan Hunt's hunt is cool, full of trust issues, face masks, Emmanuelle Beart's gorgeous agent trying to prove Hunt's innocence, tense set pieces and adrenaline fueled action. One particular nerve-racking scene sees Hunt infiltrating a secure vault with sound detectors and a touch sensitive floor. One of the tensest scenes in film history.  

4/5 

The Green Hornet

UK Release Date: 14th January 2011

Following the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father's large company, teams up with his late dad's assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team (www.imdb.com).

Director: Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind)

Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson

The Green Hornet is Michel Gondry's first crack at a conventional story. Based on a 1930's radio show, this new turn out evenly distributes its hits and misses. Seth Rogen, as the millionaire man-child Britt Reid, has freedom to do as he pleases. Co-writing the script alongside long time friend Evan Goldberg, there's small disparity from their previous work (Superbad, Pineapple Express) i.e less improvisation. Rogen is perfect for the role, floundering his immaturity even after his father (Wilkinson) dies. He washes away the idea of succeeding his father as CEO of the family newspaper company, rehires his coffee maker, Kato (Chou) and becomes a masked vigilante. Rogen's in the backseat of this ride; Kato is a martial arts expert, weapons maker, mechanic and a life saver. He even (almost) gets the girl (Britt's secretary Cameron Diaz). Britt squabbles a great deal but does bring the fun and amusement. They are a highly engrossing pair. Gondry plays on our expectations; Rogen and Chou are equals, the fighting is tough and adventurous and Christoph Waltz's mob-boss has idiosyncratic flaws. The Green Hornet won't make you laugh out loud but it will exceed usual linear expectations. Watch it for Franco's cameo if not for anything else.

3/5

Abduction

UK Release Date: 28th September 2011

A thriller centered on a young man who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website (www.imdb.com).

Director: John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers)

Starring: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Maria Bello, Jason Isaacs, Michael Nyqvist, Denzel Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver

With the film titled Abduction we'd at least expect (or hope) Taylor Lautner's high school-er will be abducted. No? Maybe he was abducted before, hence the parents who look nothing like him but have different skin colour too. Nathan (Lautner) also miraculously knows how to defend himself. Convincing? Not in a million years. A lukewarm story accompanied by a enigmatic script awards Lautner zero edge and maximum cheesiness. Lily Collins, although very pretty and adept at acting these days, has little to do but gawp. Their romance is ruined by one foul line and an even fouler kiss. Someone wants Nathan dead, someone connected to his real father. He's wiggled out of hiding with his surrogate parents (Bello and Isaacs) by an unconvincing terrorist (Nyqvist) who wants an important list that's kept on a mobile phone. Cleverness doesn't come in to Abduction's vocabulary. Even Nathan's psychologist Dr. Bennett's (Weaver) balloon-camera cover-up trick in a hospital feels stupid.

1/5

Avengers: Age of Ultron

UK Release Date: 23rd April 2015

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans (www.imdb.com).

Director: Joss Whedon (Serenity, Avengers Assemble, Much Ado About Nothing)

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Serkis

Too many cooks? Not when Joss Whedon's concerned. Age of Ultron follows Assemble tidally, keeping Marvel's phase 2 films in tip top condition. Ultron has the comic edge, but now with added ambivalence and cloudiness. Think Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire compared to its predecessors. It's dark, convoluted and sometimes frightening. Not for the very young or the faint hearted. The Avengers work together effortlessly, whether its making dinner, friendly repartee or kicking ass. The hot-headed Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) and the seductive Black Widow's (Johansson) romance ignites, the Cap (Evans) and Tony Stark (Downey. Jr) clash often. Thor's (Hemsworth) hammer has just as much flare as he does and we see a side to Hawkeye (Renner) we've never seen before. Stark and Banner's AI product Ultron (voiced by the incredible James Spader) brings out the best and the worst in the Avengers. They unite to kill the unkillable, but sibling 'mutants' Quicksilver (Taylor Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Olsen) stand in their way. Age of Ultron doesn't just develop important characters, it casts new ones, keeps the story interesting (albeit a little confusing) and manages to tease us with what's to come. Well done Joss Whedon, well done.

4/5

Austin Powers in Goldmember

UK Release Date: 26th July 2002

Upon learning that his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers must travel to 1975 and defeat the aptly named villain Goldmember - who is working with Dr. Evil (www.imdb.com).

Director: Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Meet the Parents, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)

Starring: Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Michael Caine, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Verne Troyer

Goldmember completes the Austin Powers franchise with little more than a nod to the 1st and 2nd films. The story's recycled again, Dr. Evil (Myers) insists on world domination, Austin Powers (Myers) awkwardly saves the day. It's not rocket science. Myers is up to his usual tricks; Evil garners the most laughs and Powers is, well, Powers. Mini Me gets the discriminated, but they're still just as funny. The 3rd installment sees two new inclusions, Beyonce Knowles's Bond-esque girl Foxxy Cleopatra, who lacks the emotional pull that Heather Graham had, and Michael Caine as Austin Powers' father, Nigel Powers, who fits his role suitably. Myers' Goldmember and the returning Fat Bastard fair less better. Still, Myers carries on doing what he does best, and that's making (most) viewers laugh.

2.5/5