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When 2 musicians witness a mob-hit in Chicago, they flee the city under the guise of 2 female musicians in an all-girl band who are heading to Florida. Complications ensue when Jerry (or Daphne as he becomes known) gets some unwanted attention from a lecherous millionaire. Whereas Joe (under the name of Josephine) is doing everything he can to impress fellow band member Sugar (under the guise of a gentile frigid millionaire). This proves to be the least of their problems when the gangsters from Chicago eventually manage to track them down...

I've seen Some Like It Hot too many times to count, but it's one of those films that still rewards the viewer with each passing viewing. Although rewatching a classic is never going to quite hit home in the same way as it does on the first viewing, Some Like It Hot still has a very amusing storyline and wonderful central performances from Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.

The slightly odd thing about this film is that it is pitched as a comedy, but contains a sub-plot involving gangsters bootlegging and bumping people off in order to set up its story. In some ways it's quite dark and shouldn't really work, but in this instance it does. Even though these gangsters are meant to be ruthless mobsters, for me they never quite come across as being as cruel or as mean as they could have been; this is mostly down to the interactions and banter that is exchanged between them and the other characters. Raft is superb as Spats Columbo and Harry Wilson as his dim-witted henchman is also responsible for plenty of laughs.

Monroe was famously difficult to work with on this film and her scene where she is talking to Junior on the phone where her eyes are darting around all over the place clearly show that she was reading her lines from some kind of teleprompter or autocue. Although this was a trying project for Wilder, I personally feel it was worth all the pain and anguish as the overall product here is so good and has left the world with a very satisfying and funny film.

The chase sequences at the end are top drawer and the film has one of the funniest and most memorable final lines in cinema history. In short, Some Like It Hot is the best of the best and even though it is now more than 60 years old it is still superb and is well worth seeing.

A grieving widow brings his wife back from the dead and reimagines her as the wife he once loved. All the while, he works for CRU (a company that makes it their business to recover AI units that go rogue). Bradwell is their lead agent, but when a shadow unit fix their sights on his wife, Bradwell does everything in his power to protect her, but is Bradwell truly up to the task?

Wifelike feels like one of a long assembly line of AI going rogue films and to a certain extent it is... the problem with this film is that, at least for around an hour it covers said territory in the most boring and uninteresting way. Genuinely the only thing that held my interest for the first hour was Elena Kampouris and her smoking hot body and pretty face....but then at just past the hour mark the film turns a corner and becomes slightly more interesting...

What eventually unfolds is a tale of unrequited love and one man's desperate attempt to get the woman he wants through any means possible...maybe it's intended as a sad love story of a deluded individual or maybe it's a terrifying allegory focussing on the rise of the machines....no matter what you try to do nothing can stop AI...heck that's more terrifying than anything that Cronenburg, Spielberg, Kubrick or Craven can put in front of us.

The turn of events towards the end were semi-surprising and made the film better than it has any right to be, but truth be told the robotic and rather boring two-thirds that proceeded the decent finale don't necessarily mean that the stoic patience required to endure this film necessarily means that the ends are in anyway justified.

This genre has become tenapenny nowadays and Wifelike is certainly no crowd pleaser and nor does it do anything to set it apart from its peers or make it in anyway remotely interesting.

The old saying goes "That if you've seen one you've seen them all" and with Wifelike that seems to be a case in point. There have been lots of AI related films and if you trawl through some earlier efforts the chances are you will find much better offerings.

The bad outweighs the good here I'm afraid so Wifelike gets a thumbs down from me.

Shy teenager Carrie White is an outcast at school and is bullied by her peers simply because she doesn't fit in. Things are made worse for Carrie when she has her period at school and rather than helping her many of the girls choose to make fun of her (one girl Chris takes things a step further by posting the video she took of this incident online). Chris gets punished for doing this and when she learns that Carrie is going to the school prom she, along with her friends plot their revenge against Carrie in the worst way possible. It is Carrie, however, who has the biggest surprise in store for everyone...

Remaking any film that either has cult or classic status is always a risk as inevitably comparisons are going to be drawn. Whilst I think that this Carrie offering is weaker than the 76 versions they both suffered from similar problems (though they are a bit more prominent in this version).

To start with the good I thought that Chloe Grace Moretz was very good as the title character - probably not quite as good as Spacek was in the original, but Moretz was only 15 at the time the film was made so some context is required here. There are 1 or 2 likeable characters whom at first don't seem this way (such as Tommy and Sue) - though in Sue's case her motivation to help Carrie is partly out of guilt, but at least she recognised that what the girls did was wrong. The mother/daughter relationship was fairly well-explored here - it seemed to be better developed here than in the original. This fraught relationship provided many a tense encounter and an interesting dynamic power/struggle continually develops as the narrative unfolds.

The downside that I found with this film is that it never quite feels like a horror film in the same sense that the original film did. The original film really got under my skin and I could feel Carrie's pain at almost every corner - Piper Laurie was terrifying in the original film and was really domineering over Carrie. In this film, Carrie's telekinesis is revealed very early and it leaves Margaret with little opportunity to properly frighten poor Carrie like she did in the original. The religious ramblings are there which are creepy and well-executed, but for the most part the real terror isn't.

So what we're left with is the final act and like the original film it is also the piece de resistance of this remake. It's what we've all come for and what we've all waited for and like the original film it doesn't disappoint. Having said that, in this film there is more of a sense of hanging around and waiting for the final act as I didn't really have the same emotional investment that I had when watching the original.

To sum up then it's not as terrible as some may say and is watchable, but there is this nagging feeling that this 2013 version of Carrie is one of several unnecessary remakes that have surfaced over the years.

When several young women are being killed in London with the only connection being that each woman has one finger severed, the police initially believe that it is the work of a madman Jack The Ripper type serial killer. All fingers (no pun intended) point to Sir George Fenwick when he is found in possession of a victim's finger. However, when Fenwick is found dead, a short time later Holmes starts to suspect that somebody else is behind the killings...

This is now the 7th Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes film that I've seen, and whilst I haven't come across a bad film in the series as of yet I definitely have some that I prefer to others. The Woman In Green is a slightly weaker offering, but it still isn't totally without merit....

Despite its modest running time (as was the case with the majority of these 40's Holmes film) Woman In Green is a little on the slow side and whilst it does improve once it gets going things don't hang together quite as well narratively (the hypnotic angle is a little unconvincing, but then again this is subjective and depends on whether you believe in this sort of thing - I'm a little sceptical truth be told).

Still outside of any narrative weaknesses, Rathbone is as terrific as always and deserves much praise. However, it's Nigel Bruce that often steals the show and as the bumbling Doctor Watson I find him growing on me more and more with each passing film - I can't deny that the entire scene surrounding his hypnotism from start to finish was hilarious to watch. I have to admit that I missed Lestradt and found Boulton's more straight-laced role of Gregson to be a much less interesting alternative.

There are the usual plot twists and turns, but they are a tad more predictable and a bit more disappointing in this film (having said that though I'm seven films in now so perhaps they are just getting easier to spot by now). In some films I've felt and seen Holmes' vulnerability, but not here I always felt that he was in control which again took away from the film slightly.

It may seem like I'm being a bit harsh on Woman In Green and I don't mean to be (it is a good film), but the bar has been set so high with some of the other Rathbone/Bruce films (such as the wonderful Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) that I feel that the criticism that I've levied against Woman In Green is justified when it's placed alongside some of the better Conan Doyle stories.

Pizzeria owner and aspiring poet Longfellow Deeds learns that he has inherited a $40 billion dollar fortune from a deceased uncle whom he has never even met. He is persuaded to travel from his home town of New Hampshire to New York to sign some paperwork before he can legally obtain his fortune. His arrival prompts lots of interest and aspiring reporter Babe Bennett befriends Longfellow in order to do an expose on him. However, when she starts to see that she is reporting on the man of her dreams she tells the company that she works for that she no longer wants to do the report...will Babe be able to tell the truth to Longfellow or will he find it out from somewhere else???

It's fair to say that when a film's funniest moments seem to stem from making echoing noises in large rooms, cats bouncing off firefighter's trampolines and a butler who can move from place to place undetected then you have yourself a real problem. The film is stuffed with cameos from a lot of the usual crew who you tend to find in Sandler's films (though I can't help but feel that Buscemi deserves better most of the time). Whilst it was fun to see McEnroe in a cameo role in this film, he isn't really given anything funny to do (he was much better in Anger Management as his cameo was better served by the plot). Winona Ryder seems a little out of place and there is a bit of a sense of awkwardness about her performance - though she does look pretty damn hot in this film.

Still focussing on the positives, the film does at least have a nice message and Sandler's character is likeable here (compared to some of the horrible characters he's portrayed in other films this came as a big relief). John Turturro's performance as the Spanish butler was one of the film's highlights and despite the film not being all that funny it has enough drive and momentum to prevent it from being a boring film.

To sum up then Mr Deeds isn't a great film and is just about passable due to the nice message that the film presents, Turturro's performance and Sandler's likeability. So yes not Sandler's best film, but believe me there are worse Sandler films out there.

Former police officer Michael MacCauley who is now working as an insurance salesman finds his life is suddenly crumbling around him when the company he is working for decides to let him go out of the blue. On his usual commute home on the train, he is approached by Joanna, a mysterious woman who gives Michael an unusual and seemingly straight-forward task; find a passenger on the train carrying a bag who is using the name Pryn - if he succeeds Michael gets $100,000. What begins as an innocuous task soon takes a deadly turn when Joanna's true intentions become clear...

For anyone who has seen Non-Stop which is another collaboration between director and star in this film then the similarities will soon become apparent. As is to be expected, this combination produces mixed results, but for me The Commuter is mostly good....

It has the sense of intrigue and mystery that made Non-Stop work so well and despite Neeson's performance feeling a bit samey now he is always a good presence in any film and sells the fear and dread that is bestowed on his character about as convincingly as he can.

Like Non-Stop, The Commuter is a fast-paced, energetic film where there's plenty going on throughout its runtime - fisticuffs, investigations, sneaking around, life/death decisions that are having to be made etc. All of these aspects ensure that the film has plenty going for it and it has to be said that The Commuter is an entertaining film.

Although The Commuter is a fun watch and flies by at a lightning pace, it's fair to say that the story and plot do struggle at times if you really scrutinise it. There are lots of things that happen throughout the film which seem far-fetched and extremely unlikely; I wasn't entirely convinced how all of the players involved here could achieve all the elaborate things that happened while everyone was on-board the train - it all has to be seen to be believed.

Still as I've said before if you've seen Collet-Serra and Neeson's other action films and have enjoyed them then you're in for more of the same here. Though you may find yourself scratching your head at times at some of the preposterous plot developments and whilst the film is occasionally an insult to the intelligence it is undeniably a reasonably fun watch.

After reading an article featuring a series of deaths that have been dubbed as the 'pajama suicides' Sherlock Holmes fakes his death whilst on holiday in Scotland and goes undercover to try to foil the female villain who is behind these so called 'suicides.' Trouble is this woman is as cunning as Moriarty and quickly sees through Holmes' guise and realises that he isn't dead. Knowing that the female villain is on to him Holmes must utilise all of skills in order to crack the case, but has he finally met his match?

Like the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes when Holmes was up against Moriarty, The Spider Woman is enjoyable pretty much for the same reason; Holmes is up against someone of equal intelligence and there is plenty of entertainment in watching Holmes go about his business in this one - there's a real sense of one upmanship about this film.

As was to become fairly typical with this franchise, Holmes finds himself going undercover; where I've been fooled in the past by Holmes' disguise I spotted this one straight away (then again it was made more obvious by Holmes suggesting he would orchestrate it in an earlier scene). Still it proved amusing that dim-witted Watson couldn't see through it and even funnier when Gilflower arrives later in the film and Watson thinks it's Holmes in disguise again. Whilst seeing Watson in this goofy role is very amusing it's sometimes hard to believe that he ever qualified as a doctor. Still I'm aware that there are those that are gifted academically, but whom don't have a shred of common sense and I suppose that Watson must be a case in point. Anyway I digress...

The ending to this film was different to other Holmes films that I have seen thus far; in this film you felt for once that Holmes wasn't in control and the fact that he is clearly vulnerable this time added a layer of tension that perhaps wasn't quite there in the other films (even if the resolution to said predicament for Holmes seemed to culminate in a somewhat contrived manner).

Still pound for pound The Spider Woman is a very good entry in what has proven to be a very good series so far (I've still got a fair few of these films to watch and really hope that the rest continue in the same or similar vein).

HONOURABLE MENTION; That final line of the film is a belter.

Pat Tate is out of the clink and he's doing fine. Except he's got a bee in his bonnet about the bloke that put him away. Pat being Pat soon masterminds a deal in Marbella and enlists the help of his friends, but will the enormity of the task at hand and the stupidity of his friends prove too much or will Pat live to fight another day...

I'm aware that this is based on a true story and that these are supposedly real people, but the film at times is so comical and so ridiculous that it is almost impossible to take serious...

Yes I'm aware that this is based on a real person and allegedly on real events, but seriously nobody in their right mind would believe anything that they're seeing here...

Pat Tate (one of the biggest psychopaths of old London town) is going to show mercy on his friends after they were responsible for losing all his money (Tony and Rolfe). I haven't seen the other films so can't comment further, but given Pat's demeanour his dismissive attitude seems unlikely.

This was an enjoyable film and one that I would recommend, but it clearly glamorises violence in a way that will upset some folk. It's Goodfellas in the sun or a low rent The Business.. still it does the job In the sense that I found it entertaining.

Reasonable entertainment, but not a brilliant film.

Scientist Dr Larry Angelo has been working on a drug that enhancing intelligence on test subjects. When his previous test subject is killed, he sees a new ideal subject in Jobe Smith (an unintelligent gardener who has the mind of a child). Although all is well to begin with, Angelo soon finds that he is no longer able to control his test subject and Jobe begins to show that too much intelligence in the wrong hands can potentially be a very dangerous thing...

The concept behind Lawnmower Man isn't actually a bad one; a team of scientists trying to create something which will improve intelligence, Angelo trying to help a man who is picked on and bullied because of his lack of intelligence. These are actually good qualities about the film. I also liked the way that the film does show the extremes of what can happen when people get involved with things that they don't understand; clearly Jobe becomes too big for everyone the more he continues with his experiments. Up to the halfway point I was sort of just about buying it, but it just started to get a bit too silly in the second half....

Up until this point, the film showcased a likeable protagonist and an interesting story which highlighted how much more Jobe was starting to get out of life by being that bit more intelligent; more respect from people and I felt that he was getting more out of life, but then....

The moment the film started to lose me slightly was when it started with all the Matilda style stuff...Jobe being able to move things using his 'powers.' In a film like Matilda which is based on a children's book which has no pretensions of it being anything other than fantasy I can go along with it and enjoy it. Although The Lawnmower Man is science-fiction it's clearly meant to be a more serious film but I saw this as being a stupid idea in this type of film - it just doesn't work.

I liked the idea of Jobe getting his vengeance against all of those that did him wrong and felt that this was a good angle to the story and given the grief he went through when he was dumb I whole heartedly supported the direction that the narrative took. Again he gains his revenge using his Matilda powers which again was just too silly to take seriously.

Another thing that has to be mentioned are the special effects; they're quite simply atrocious (even when the film was made they wouldn't have been great). The ending is incredibly contrived as well; Jobe spends ages trying to escape into the void with multiple failed attempts, but then randomnly access is granted just before the VSI compound is blown to smithereens. Perlease!!!!!

One bright spot with this film lies with Jeff Fahey who puts in a really strong performance here; he reminded me of Jeff Daniels when he was in Dumb and Dumber at the start of the film. Fahey makes this more tolerable than it should be, but his performance alone is not enough to save this turkey.

FINAL NOTE; this was apparently based on a Stephen King short story. Further proof that not all films based on Stephen King books make for good big screen adaptations.

A British subject is on his way to Washington to deliver an important document to the US government. Whilst on route he disappears and Sherlock Holmes (under the instruction of the Home Office) is dispatched to try to find out what happened to him. When Holmes learns what this government agent was carrying, he finds himself in a race against time to get his hands on this document before it ends up in the wrong hands...

I've watched a few of these Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes films now and I've enjoyed them all thus far (though naturally some have been better than others). I'm happy to report that this is one of the better films in this particular franchise that I've seen.

The plot is good here and given that the government agent disappears in a different country you feel that Holmes really has to put his thinking cap on in order to piece together who is involved and what happened to the important document. Although the 'important document' is merely a MacGuffin in this film, it is used well and it is entertaining to see where it will go, who will end up with it next and more importantly how Holmes will eventually find it.

The American setting is a nice change from the usual London or English country settings. I'm not entirely convinced of how much of this film was actually shot in Washington as I suspect green screens and rear projectors were used to try to make it look like they were in Washington - but hey at least it was something different to look at.

Rathbone and Bruce were both fine as usual - I was a little critical of Watson when I first started watching these films, but he's starting to grow on me now and I'm starting to see the pair of them as a good double act; there's a subtle goofiness about Watson that I may have missed in 1 or 2 other films.

All in all then another fine Sherlock Holmes entry in the Rathbone/Bruce cannon.

A year after her partner was tragically killed during a rock climbing incident, Becky's best friend Hunter persuades her to take on the ultimate climb; an abandoned TV tower in the middle of the Mojave desert. Whilst the girls both successfully ascend the tower, things go wrong when they try to descend it leaving the girls stranded 2,000 feet in the air with little to no signs of life and little to no hope of being rescued...

I've often said that sometimes the simplest of films with the most basic of plots can often be the most effective and Fall is another case in point. Whilst the majority of the action takes place in one location with 2 people just been stranded thousands of feet in the air, it's the way that the whole thing is put together and executed that makes it work so well.

What is perhaps most surprising is how calm the girls seem to remain for a good chunk of the film; were I in the same predicament I very much doubt I would have such a cool and collected demeanour. Their resourcefulness is also admirable and it's the varied things that the girls try in order to better their chances of being rescued that are big drivers in keeping the audience's attention. Of course interspersed within their own rescue attempts are some of the terrifying moments where things go wrong or the nerve shredding things they do in order to give themselves the best shot at being rescued (if you watch the film you'll see what I mean). There were several times when I could not look at the screen (but then again I hate heights which is a big driver in this film bringing a bit of fear my way - stuff like this, to me, is scarier than any horror film).

The acting from the 2 girls is pretty good and although they can be a bit irritating at times when it's time to bring the fear and emotion to the picture they both do surprisingly well. Director Scott Mann does a good job and though creative angles and a bit of cinematic trickery manages to create the illusion that we are viewing the action from thousands of feet above the ground - heck I don't care if what we see isn't entirely real as long as it looks real which is does in this film. The film is short, but is also briskly paced and it's fair to say that you're unlikely to encounter a dull moment.

I really enjoyed this film, but I can fully appreciate it won't be for everyone. If you like the sort of films where people try to survive against seemingly impossible odds this is a film I would highly recommend.

When a cannibalistic tribe kidnap some settlers from the small town of Bright Hope (one of which is the town's doctor) a small team which includes the sheriff and his deputy set out on a rescue mission. However, it seems that our intrepid rescuers may have underestimated their primitive foes and aren't entirely prepared for the danger that they may face...

Bone Tomahawk has the feel of an old-fashioned western; it's sprawling in nature, lots of camp fire style chats and a decent build up to what would ultimately become a fairly impressive albeit brutal and at times tough to watch finale. Ultimately it has some good qualities, but it also has its fair share of weaknesses.

One notable weakness lies with the characters; they're just not all that engaging or compelling as people and whilst lots of dialogue is exchanged between the characters much of it is not all that interesting. A more obvious problem is the length of the film and the general lack of incident for much of its run time - I'm all for slow burn, but Bone Tomahawk really stretches that term almost to breaking point.

On the plus side, the picture is well-made and the old-fashioned feel to it is intended as a compliment. The actors are all good; Jenkins, Wilson, Fox, Simmons & Russell all do a very solid job with what can arguably be described as 'underwritten characters.'

Ultimately Bone Tomahawk is just about worth the effort, but it's fair to say that you'll need to be patient as not a great deal happens until past the hour mark. If patience is not one of your virtues or if you prefer your Westerns to contain more in the way of incident, humour, or entertainment, then you may want to look elsewhere.

Gifted robotics engineer Gemma finds herself becoming the guardian of her young niece following her parents death. She finds the challenge of her hectic work schedule, and tending to the needs of her niece, to be a tricky life balance. However, a prototype which she has called M3gan may prove to be the answer... (this robotic doll creation whom it has to be said would look like how I would imagine Una Healy from the Saturdays would look like as a child) M3gan interacts and plays with Cady allowing Gemma to focus on her career. But as with any experimental AI, things don't always run as smoothly as one would hope....

There are so many AI films out nowadays that it's starting to get to a point now where a once interesting concept is starting to become stagnant. However, on odd occasions, films like M3gan come along...they're imperfect, but on the whole are entertaining and a tad creepy...

The film builds at a nice pace and the development of the relationship with M3gan and Cady is nicely handled and believable; as the psychologist said Cady just wants somebody who she can make an emotional attachment to and M3gan is clearly better equipped to fill that void than Gemma. I'm not criticising Gemma here... she's a career woman and being a guardian is something that has been thrust upon and is something that she's not prepared for.

The dangers of AI are highlighted here to a somewhat terrifying extent; whilst you could argue that very smart AI is a good thing when it goes wrong and becomes uncontrollable or unmanageable it is something that us humans are just not able to deal with. This is already the way that we are going with driverless cars...something which I'm personally very sceptical of.

There's something inherently creepy about robots and dolls, but the beauty with M3gan is that in the early stages of the film she has a sort of angelic quality about it her which soon dissipates when people push her too far. The film offers a nice balance of heart-warming dialogue and one robot carnage which is all masterfully presented.

Although the film is entertaining, creepy, a tad unnerving and swiftly paced there are 1 or 2 problems with the picture. It does suffer a bit from the 'idiot complex' i.e things that seem to happen in films that wouldn't happen in the real world... examples of this are the fact that there are clearly problems with M3gan before Gemma takes her home to Cady yet these problems are ignored...despite obvious flaws with M3gan no protocol is in place to properly shut her down - for example an override incase she fails to respond to shut down responses from primary or secondary handlers.

Still, in all honestly none of this matters so much and what you effectively have here is an AI version of Child's Play and it is a hell of a lot of fun to watch and given the plethora of dreadful AI films that have been circulating over the last few years M3gan is definitely top of the pile.

HONOURABLE MENTION: Bruce's expertly applied choke-slam to M3gan.

DISHONOURABLE MENTION: Ronny Chieng for saying "You cannot be serious" in the exact style of John McEnroe without a hint of irony.

Doctor Watson is observing the goings on at a prestigious estate, but when he has the feeling that all is not well he travels back to London to explain his findings to veteran detective Sherlock Holmes. With Holmes on board, the duo soon go to work and as usual the true culprit is brought to justice using all of Holmes skills and ingenuity...

A very intriguing and enjoyable film, Holmes faces death sees our intrepid sleuth being put through the ringer a bit (though did anyone seriously think that he wouldn't crack the case). As usual Rathbone and Bruce are at the top of their game (Bruce I've criticised in the past for having no point), but in at least one other Rathbone Holmes films he's been funny and he is quite good here... there's an incompetence about him that makes him endearing which sadly doesn't show throughout this film.

There is a lot of fun with this entry and the back and forth between Bruce, Rathbone and others makes the film worthy of viewership. As normal, Holmes entraps his victim in the most clever of circumstances (I won't reveal anymore than that, but it surprised me). Oh yeah and I thought Lestrade's incompetence and general stupidity made the film funnier ( I presume it was intentional, but whatever way it worked).

All in all, this is a very good entry in the Rathbone/Bruce cannon and is very enjoyable.

An astronaut (Mills) is on a long distance mission when his aircraft is damaged by an asteroid field resulting in him crash-landing on an unknown planet. He soon learns that he's not alone on this planet and there are several terrifying creatures who see him as a meal. Along for the ride is a young girl who is the only other survivor of the crash the trouble is they both don't speak the same language...

65 is another film that has a semi-decent concept, but has seemingly no way of developing it into anything more than merely an interesting idea...

Basic failings with the film start with the early narrative (or lack thereof). Mills is on a 2 year mission; he's doing it for his daughter, but we're never privvy as to why or what this mission is about? What is he getting for her? What is wrong with her? Some may see this as being unimportant, but for me I need to have a basic involvement in a film in order to get something out of it, something which was, very difficult to achieve with 65.

When the action moves to 65 million years BC the same problems exist, but further problems are added (I reckon Jay-Z had less problems than this film). You effectively have a young girl and a man wandering round a pre-historic Earth battling dinosaurs... had the film being either more fun or more action-packed then this may have worked but honestly the best way to describe this film would be "JURASSIC PARK on prozac." It's pretty boring, the characters of Mills and Koa have zero chemistry and barring one or two moments the film has little in the way of suspense or tension. The best moments are probably when they are trapped in the rocks.

The ending is a bit stupid and unlikely; they find their escape vessel and despite it being smashed to smithereens and knocked about left, right and centre, their aircraft has enough working parts for them to enable their escape and survive their endeavour.

Had the film being better conceived, had the characters been more engaging and interesting and had the story had more thought about it and being fleshed out better then I may have let the silly ending go....after all who doesn't want the protagonists to survive against seemingly impossible odds??

You'll get none of this here though the chances are you'll either be scratching your head at the vague non-existent narrative or the genuine lack of action and chemistry amongst the characters.

As I say all of this made a 90 minute film feel like it was 65 million years long.

3 years after the end of World War 2, a tribunal is taking place against 4 former Nazi judges who are trial for crimes against humanity whilst they were in office. Retired American chief judge Dan Haywood is presiding over their trial along with 2 other judges. As something of an outsider, Haywood must listen to all of the facts and evidence presented whilst doing a bit of digging himself to try and find out what really happened, but what will his verdict be?

No matter how much acclaim a film achieves by the awards committee or how highly its rated on IMDB I always have concerns when a film runs for 3 hours or more (rarely is it necessary for films to go on that long). However, Judgment at Nuremberg is an example of a film where the length is possibly justified. There's a lot of evidence to be presented, witnesses from both sides who need to give their testimonies etc. Haywood has to do some of his own investigations outside of the court which gives these scenes purpose and meaning... true they are probably less interesting than the trial itself, but I can understand why these scenes were necessary to the story.

The mood and atmosphere of the film are pretty much perfect; there's a sort of claustrophobia about the court scenes and a lot of the actors perform with passion and intensity. Again if I was to be critical then I would say that, at times, the film can be guilty of being a bit over-dramatised, over-acted, and maybe a tad forceful (some of the numerous zoom in shots look a bit silly in this day and age, but may have been received better at the time). However, in the grand scheme of things these are minor drawbacks and on the whole the film is presented in a powerful manner.

The directing is solid (aside from some of the points I've raised in the aforementioned paragraph). Despite the 3 hour length, both Kramer and Mann keep the film tight and focussed and there is rarely a dull moment in this cinematic epic.

At times the film is also powerful in its delivery and its hard not to be moved and possibly even slightly disturbed by what you see and hear in this film. As I say it's not all perfectly done, but it gets a lot more right than it does wrong.

I'm aware that this is a fictionalised account of the Nuremberg trial so I'm not going to take all of this as gospel, but the overall package that was presented to me here was very well done.

For fans of classic cinema this is definitely worth checking out.

When Chief Sanders discovers that 2 women with the name Maggie Moore have been murdered in quick succession, he begins to investigate as the death are too coincidental for them not to be linked. However, as he delves deeper into these deaths, he starts to realise that someone isn't telling the trouble. Things are further complicated for Sanders when he falls for the nosy next door neighbour of one of the suspects...

A very middle-of-the-road affair from start to finish, Maggie Moore never really sparks or shines. Jon Hamm can be good when the material is right, but it isn't here. The whole film has this odd stagy feel whereby dialogue is delivered and there are numerous long awkward pauses...I can't really explain it, but it just feels a bit odd. His colleague deputy Reddy is supposed to be the comedic relief one suspects, but he's given nothing amusing to work with and comes off as a bit of a blank by the film's end.

One strand of the plot sees Sanders become close with one of the suspect's neighbours...I can only assume that this was included to try to spice the film up a bit...hey with the main story not been all that interesting I suppose anything is worth a try. Trouble is for the most part, it's a dull will they or won't they and despite Tina Fey and Jon Hamm both being capable actors their romance feels forced and the chemistry is very strained.

One person who I did like in this film was Happy Anderson because he at least was a bit menacing and brought something a bit different to the table...was it me though or did he look like a young John Goodman? His performance here was one of the very few highlights that this film has to offer.

Slattery directed God's Pocket which was a film I hated with only the presence of Christina Hendricks giving it any redeeming value. Maggie Moore is a slightly better effort from Slattery, but there's this constant feeling that he never knows which direction to take the film in and tries to blend too many genres in the mix which inevitably makes the film feel a bit messy and unfocussed.

Unless you're a really big fan of either Jon Hamm or Tina Fey then Maggie Moore is a difficult film for me to recommend.

Scott Howard is a high-school loser who wants nothing more than to be the alpha male whom is the supremo of his basketball team and to be the guy who manages to score with the hot thespian. However, things do not pan out this way for Scott until he becomes "Teen Wolf" a man that all the boys want to be and all the girls want to be with...

Whilst this is a semi-amusing Michael J Fox time-passer the whole script is far too thin to care about or to be involved in. Michael J Fox does the best that he can, but without being under Robert Zemeckis direction the odds of this succeeding were always going to be about as small as Fox.

The plot is repetitive ad-nauseum and the characters about as likeable as a middle-eastern dictator. Scott is trying to score with prissy Pamela (whom loves him and then shuns him). The bigger picture does eventually dawn on Scott with Boof (genuinely the stupidest character name that I've ever heard) in that he slowly starts to learn that maybe he should love himself for who he is rather than who or what people expect/want him to be...

And folks this is what I think this film is ultimately about... it's allegorical and it is about fitting in. Scott is the dork who is not respected by his peers... he becomes someone else for a while that no-one wants him to be (metaphorical) then he reverts back to himself ultimately being the person everyone wants him to be.

Looked upon as an allegory it's quite good, but looked upon as entertainment it's quite poor. Choose your own adventure folks I didn't think it was great.

When a string of dead bodies begin to manifest themselves, the police and a small team of doctors begin to investigate. However, when both doctors and police begin to look in to things further all the evidence points to John Kramer being the suspect despite him seemingly being dead for 10 years...

Like everything that preceded it, Jigsaw is a fun entry you meet the usual antagonists...or are they protagonists??? They all have to face off in Jigsaw's fun house (oddly enough Pat Sharpe is nowhere to be seen on this occasion). Although it's the usual shlock that you'll have seen in the earlier films if you bear with this one then it does have a point and has a story to tell...

One negative, which plagues a lot of these Saw films is the general unlikeability of its leading actors; did you once care for any of these people?? If the answer is No then neither did I... I understand that a lot of Saw films are set up this way, but with this one I really struggled connecting to the characters.

It's also fair to say that the Saw films strain plot credibility, but this one really pushes the boundaries and may make you think "What the hey" Well if it did it for you then it did it for me.

Anyway all joking aside it was nice to see everything tied together here and I have to admit that I was never bored whilst watching this film.

It's a decent ride, but the franchise is skating on thin ice by now. I'm curious about the new film Saw X to see where things are going here, but I'm starting to think that the franchise is getting a bit long in the tooth by now so won't be setting my hopes too high with the latest film.

This is worth a look for the fans, but as with everything that proceeded it if you're watching it then keep your expectations on the low side.

Crooked Professor Moriarty is acquitted of a crime - Holmes seemingly has evidence that can convict him, but the double jeopardy law sets Moriarty free (my how times have changed). However, when socialite Ann Brandon starts to receive a series of bizarre letters she assigns Holmes to try and find out what's going on... As will soon be revealed, things are not as they seem and even the wonderful and smart Holmes may be merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things...

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is probably one of the best examples of a good vs evil battle royale. With Moriarty and Holmes you have 2 very smart people effectively trying to outsmart each other. It's a classic battle of wits affair, but the praise for this film, at least as far as I'm concerned does not end there.

This is the only film in the Nigel Bruce/Basil Rathbone era where I have actually seen Nigel Bruce being used well. He's a good actor and is top-notch in all of the Holmes films, but he really excels in this film... he's a bumbler, he's funny and he's almost like a stooge to Holmes.... why did this not continue in the other films? I've always questioned Watson's point in the other films, but here it makes perfect sense. The banter between Holmes and Watson and Watson's performance was exemplary and set this film apart from the others. To use American football analogy "It was good, it was all good!"

I have to admit that it's also a lot smarter than some of the other Holmes films; you have Moriarty playing games with Holmes (whom you feel is Holmes' only equal), but the whole red herring murder angle was fun as well (of course we all knew this was a red herring, but figuring out the culprit was part of the appeal).

If we look at the acting then mostly it is superb: Basil Rathbone I simply cannot fault - for me he is Sherlock Holmes. Nigel Bruce was also terrific and was given so much to do here (he's funny and was the perfect double act to Holmes). I was a bit less taken with Lupino - I just didn't see any star quality there and Alan Marshal just came across as a poor man's Clark Gable.

Pound for pound though out of the classic Sherlock Holmes films that I've seen this stands head and shoulders above the rest and for me is one of the finest and best mystery films that I've seen.

Brian O'Conner is sent undercover to investigate Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers (who are seemingly involved in numerous thefts of electronic goods from trucks). However, the glamour of street racing and being smitten with Toretto's sister Mia puts O'Conner in a quandary, meaning, at times, he's never quite sure with whom his loyalties truly lie...

I've lost touch with this franchise over the years I think the last one I watched may have been the 6th film in the franchise so I've decided to try and watch them one by one from the start and although this first film is touted as one of the best I have to admit to finding it slightly disappointing.

There is a story here, but its so thin and practically inconsequential that it really isn't worth discussing or expanding on in any further detail so I'll concentrate on other areas within the film...

The acting is hardly oscar worthy, but I felt that the cast did reasonably well with what little that they had to work with; Vin Diesel is hardly the best of actors, but his gruff persona suits the material well and he comes off as being surprisingly watchable here. The late Paul Walker has never been an amazing actor, but again did OK with what he was served up with here. Rodriguez was a ballsy girl and put on a fairly good show, but Brewster was a bit bland (then again hardly her fault when character development was so weak here). A few of the other performers were little more than weak ethnic stereotypes who I couldn't help but feel deserved better.

Still where the film works best is in the chase sequences and the racing; at least these scenes are entertaining and provide the film with that much needed injection of pace - TF&TF really suffers when any kind of narrative comes in to play.

I watched this film at the cinema when it was released as a very young 19 year old man. My 19 year old self was highly impressed with the film; the chases, the action, the high-octane stuff and the hot girls were enough to effectively blow me away the first time I watched this film. As a man in my early 40's now I need more than that; whilst I have no complaints with what impressed me as a 19 year old; heck these things are still good!! Nowadays I see these things as a compliment and a decent story is needed to flesh out what is otherwise a superficial and inconsequential film which is sadly what TF&TF is when you take away all the gloss and polish.

I don't regret watching it again and will persevere with the franchise, but it's fair to say that this is probably one of those franchises that is likely to appeal much more to the younger crowd and much less to those, who like me, are sadly now just about creeping in to middle age.

Reporter Polly Perkins is investigating the mysterious deaths of a group of scientists. Whilst she is carrying out her investigations New York City is attacked by a group of giant flying robots. Joe's colleague Dex manages to find the location from which they are being sent; however he is kidnapped before he is able to pass the information on to Joe. This leaves Joe and Polly on a daring mission to not only rescue Dex, but also to find out who is behind the killings of all these scientists and what nefarious plans they have in store for humankind....

I can honestly say that Sky Captain is unlike anything that I've seen before; it has a pulpy noir feel of a film from the 1930's (which makes sense given the setting of the film), but then it also has a science fiction element to the story which also gives the film a modern era feel too. It's a strange blend and is unusual, but it does work fairly well.

The thing that stands out the most about Sky Captain is the look of the film; aside from the actors it's pretty much all digital/computer effects - this is most noticeable with the cars. In fact when I started watching the film it reminded me of watching a story based computer game where real life people are depicted using motion capture (such as the brilliant Getaway on Playstation 2).

As well as being extremely well-made, Sky Captain is also quite fun to watch; the simmering sexual tension between Paltrow and Law is played out relatively well - yet there's always this feeling that she's more into him than he is into her. The mystery involving Dr Totenkopf is engaging enough to hold interest and the pacing of the film is fairly brisk meaning that it never feels boring.

Although you're not going to see any Oscar winning performances here everyone does a pretty job; Paltrow and Law are both good and the simmering chemistry between the two of them is always entertaining - they really don't like one another to begin with but slowly begin to bond which is as to be expected in this kind of narrative. The likes of Ribisi, Djalili and Jolie all work well in supporting roles; though it was hard to take Angie seriously in her role as a commanding officer - then again the film is not meant to be taken seriously so maybe I should let that one slide.

Sky Captain is worth seeing not only for the interesting visuals, but also for the way it melds two genres that you don't often see within the same film - namely noir and sci-fi. The story isn't brilliant, but it's good enough and director Kerry Conran provides plenty of action and thrills and spills meaning that there's rarely a dull moment. In other words you get plenty of bang for your buck here.

After being bestowed with all the powers of the Egyptian gods, a former slave is imprisoned and entombed by a team of powerful wizards. 5000 years later he is awakened in the present day by Adrianna Tomaz. She sees this man (who becomes known as Black Adam) as the only hope to overthrow the brutal regime that their society is currently living under. Upon hearing of Black Adam's rejuvenation, a small team of superheroes known as the justice society are dispatched to put a stop to what they deem as his 'reign of destruction.'

It's pretty hard to fathom what is going on for most of the time in this film; it seems that the justice society are the good guys (which it turns out that they are) and Black Adam is also a good guy so we effectively have 2 sets of good guys fighting against each other for most of the film; hmmm that's a weird set up??? Eventually when both Black Adam and the justice society discover a common enemy and a young boy's life is at stake they all decide to band together to save him...

Although having 2 sets of good people fighting against each other is an odd narrative device this isn't actually the worst thing about this film. The bigger problem lies with the tone; as was established a few years ago with the Fantastic Four reboot a serious dark tone to a superhero film seldom works (unless you're Christopher Nolan). Superhero films should be fun, the characters should be fun and there should be some humour - at least in my opinion though this is clearly a subjective viewpoint. Black Adam takes itself far too seriously and the characters themselves are rather weak; The Justice Society represent possibly the worst ensemble of superheroes I think that I've ever seen; they are so colourless and devoid of personality that it becomes impossible to care about anything that they say or do; I genuinely can't remember one interesting or amusing thing that came out of any of their mouths. Atom Smasher seems to be dressed up in a Deadpool costume, but has the same powers as Ant-Man. He's meant to be the comic relief guy, but every time he spouted what were meant to be funny lines I kept being reminded at how good Ryan Reynolds was as Deadpool - in other words Centineo was a distraction more than anything else. The girl is some kind of computer whizz, but I don't remember this skill ever been relevant to the plot. Pierce Brosnan wow what the hell was he doing here? Very strange casting choice. I thought Aldis Hodge was the best of a bad bunch, but this is faint praise when all is said and done. Dwayne Johnson does the best he can here, but he's proven himself to be fairly good at comedy and had this film had a more light-hearted tone I think that this would have benefitted his style of acting a little more.

Perhaps the biggest problem with this film lies with the choice of director; don't get me wrong Jaume Collet-Sera is a good director and has directed several films that I have enjoyed such as Orphan, Unknown, Non-Stop and Shallows, but these are all horror/thriller/action films and he's never directed a superhero film. Whilst I understand his desire to get his toe in the water with a superhero film - they usually make big bucks at the box office so given the opportunity I can see this as a no brainer to most directors, but he really is out of his depth here. He directs the film too much like an action film and not a superhero film; humour and characterisation is not quite as important in film genres that Sera is skilled in, but the absence of those things here pretty much sink the film. He's a good director and with the right advice I could see him eventually being good in this area, but he's got a long way to go in my humble opinion.

Overall I found Black Adam to be a bit boring and a very hard film to care about; as I've said the flat characterisation, the serious tone and the messy narrative don't do the film any favours. It's a shame as I've liked a lot of the director's previous films, but I think he needs to adopt a different approach to this kind of material if he is to direct any sequels or other superhero based films.

DISHONOURABLE MENTION: Shameless product placement; the boy drops loads of comic books on the floor at the start of the film, but the wonder woman comic book lands face up and prominent to the camera, several Batman & Superman posters are shown in plain view as well. I think at one point a Spider-man poster gets sliced in half which could have upped this to an honourable mention had the film not been so terrible and if the DC product placement had been toned down a bit.

In the year 1982, filmmaker and super fan Marty DiBergi decides to make a film on legendary English heavy metal band Spinal Tap on what is to be their US comeback tour. Will Spinal Tap be able to replicate their earlier success or will this US tour prove to be their last hoorah?

This is a film that I've wanted to see for so long, but it was so rarely on TV that I never managed to catch it. Recently it was on BBC2 so I decided to give it a go and my feelings on the film are rather mixed...

To start with the good; I thought the film was very well made and as host and filmmaker I thought Rob Reiner did a very good job - it's rare that you see him in front of the camera, but as it turns out unlike some directors he's not a bad actor. I also felt that the film offered a decent insight into life in a band and life on the road so to speak; although it's clearly an exaggeration and a spoof of rock bands and the rock band scene it all comes across quite convincingly and believable. I could well believe that musicians, managers, promoters etc would have some of the squabbles and issues that are depicted in the film. In fact, this is where the film is at its best; the backstage stuff, the interviews and so on are the more interesting aspects of the film. There were a couple of funny moments such as the artificial limb scene at the airport and the stonehenge debacle.

The downside of the film for me lay with some of the characters; although some of what they say and do can be of interest they're all a bit thinly drawn and many claim that this film is an hilarious spoof of the rock n roll scene. Personally I would categorise this film as being a mildly amusing film, but certainly not a laugh out loud spoof. I also hoped I'd get more from the actual music side of the film, but even the songs weren't all that memorable - then again as its meant to be a spoof maybe that was the point.

Although the main stars did a solid job I just wish that they'd have had a bit more about them; when watching films I like characters with something about them, somebody who you can understand, identify with and I just didn't get much of that here.

This is Spinal Tap is an interesting insight into the rock n roll music scene (albeit an exaggerated offering) and for this reason it is worth seeing - particularly if you are a fan of the genre of music which is being spoofed. However, its best to keep your expectations low and ignore all the hype surrounding the film. That way, at least, you should find the film to be moderately enjoyable.

FUN FACT; this film is apparently the only film on IMDB to have a rating out of 11.

In the midst of World War 2 strange broadcasts begin to appear across the radio from a man who simply calls himself "the voice of terror." To help them to track down the voice of terror, a security council contingent bring in Sherlock Holmes to investigate. Whilst all signs point to the broadcast originating in Germany, Holmes becomes convinced that the threat is much closer to home...

There's something atmospheric about these old Sherlock Holmes films being filmed in black and white; it gives these films a certain creepiness and seediness that I don't think could be recaptured in the same way through the use of colour.

Of course these things are all well and good, but a film needs more than that and the voice of terror delivers well in pretty much every other area; the story is a pretty decent one (though in retrospect releasing this film during the middle of World War 2 must have been a pretty brave call). Holmes once again showcases his intelligence and his powers of deduction which strike fear amongst even the most determined of criminals.

At a shade over an hour long pacing is never an issue with the film and it moves along very well; Holmes and Watson cut through the story nicely and one by one you can see all the pieces start to come together. The acting is good; particularly from Rathbone, but the support cast all do their bit as well.

If I have one slight reservation with the film then it lies with Watson; nothing to do with Nigel Bruce's performance I think that he's good as Watson, but I'm still trying to get to grips with what he's doing here; Holmes can seemingly function well enough on his own without an assistant. Whilst this may be explained in more detail in the books or possibly in other films I just find him a puzzling addition ( I may well come back and edit this review when I have seen more films or got more information). It's only a minor niggle though;

Voice of Terror is an enjoyable Holmes entry with a solid investigative structure and enough intrigue to ensure that you'll remain invested in the story. It's well worth seeing.