Ex Machina (2015)

iRobot.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

A Newer Hope.

Smash & Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers (2013)

Diamonds are a crooks best friend.

Moneyball (2011)

Oakland Mathletics.

Stake Land (2010)

Like The Road but with more bite.

Drive (2011)

Drive feels like the kind of film Quentin Tarantino could have made 15 years ago. Gritty, stylish and further cementing Gosling as one of Hollywood's most intersting actors.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Gary Oldman strives to get the wrong one out in Tomas Alfredson's masterful follow-up to one of my favourite films in recent years.

Rango (2011)

Chameleon protagonist shouldn't find it too hard to blend in to this love letter to Westerns.

3 stars

Unknown (2011)

Thriller by numbers is reassuringly Hollywood and entertains on its own merit. How many Takens/Unknows Liam Neeson will now typecast himself from here on is the only real known unknown.

3.5 stars

Submarine (2010)

Decent Britflick from Richard Ayoade presents a coming-of-age tale with a genuine charm that cuts through the cloying schmaltz of the mass market machine. Funny, moving and nicely shot.


4 stars

The Town (2010)

Decent, just can't help but we've seen it all before and better film was hidden in there somewhere.. still worth checking out though.

Janck 3.5 stars (Feb 2011)




Enjoyable enough crime thriller which although is solidly made, does not stick too long in the memory to make it a classic. Directed by Ben Affleck, the end result is very 'safe'.

Mitch 3.5 stars

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

"Bourne meets Inception" says the film poster, however, there is unashamedly a large dose of romance, and, dare I say it, 'chick flick' cunningly disguised here. Emily Blunt is irresitible and annoying in equal measure though (no doubt due to some Hollywood exec telling her 'Oooh Emily, we just LOVE your Britishness'). Big themes of love/life/fate/choices make for a very mixed bag indeed.

3 stars

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Being a huge fan of the Alien Invasion genre, Battle: LA pulls no punches in basically just being Black Hawk Down with aliens. Battle, struggle, set-pieces, explosion, CGI, half-time and full-time results - it's all there. As is a, now obligatory, Michelle Rodriguez role as 'kick-ass female with a firearm'. Visual feast; paper thin and meaty at the same time.


2.5 stars

Black Swan (2010)

Lesbianism, madness, Black Swan. The dark side are they.

Janck 4 stars (Jan 2011)






Aronofsky's use of symbolism and metaphor are sublime in this dark, psychological mystery. Lives up to the hype; recommended, raw, and cinematic.

Mitch 4.5 stars

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Shot on a shoestring budget, Paranormal Activity is proof that you don't need to be a megabucks blockbuster to be tedious and boring.

Film Jam 2 stars
Rotten Tomatoes 82%
Metacritic 68 out of 100

El secreto de sus ojos (2009) aka "The Secret in Their Eyes"

Although my mind is still boggling at A Prophet not winning Best Foreign Language film at last years Oscars, this is still a very worthy and rewarding winner.

Janck 4 stars (Feb 2011)




Academy Award Winner. Well paced Argentinian thriller, with sub-plots, twists and turns, and a reassuring darkness at the core.

Mitch 4 stars

Monsters (2010)

Surprisingly cerebral and pedestrian 'invasion' monster movie. Action is used sparingly, which makes for an unexpected drama here. Cinematography (outstanding), writing, visual effects, and direction all from promising Brit newcomer Gareth Edwards.

3.5 stars

Akmareul boatda (2010) aka "I Saw the Devil"

(Yet) Another uber-violent, stylish revenge thriller from the South Koreans.. but, they don't half know how to make them.

Film Jam 4 stars
Rotten Tomatoes 81%
Metacritic 67 out of 100

Easy A (2010)

Easy to watch and good fun, it's a-okay.

Film Jam 3.5 stars
Rotten Tomatoes 85%
Metacritic 72 out of 100

Red (2010)

Aging stars turn up and take the paycheck here; they run around a fair bit and wise-crack even more, but the end result falls flat.


2.5 stars