The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 26/12/11

I have read the books, seen the Swedish films so was a little apprehensive about what Hollywoodising would do to what can be at times a quite disturbing story, but thankfully my fears proved to be unfounded. They had not moved the story to somewhere in middle America, they had not made massive cuts to the story to make it more appealing and thank God they had not cast beautiful shiny people as the main characters. Rooney Mara is fantastic as Lisbeth, and she is not trying to copy what Noomi Rapace did in the original, and Daniel Craig is also good as Mikael Blomkvist. I have read some reviews where it has been said that it all feels a little rushed at the end, I can only assume that the reviewer had not read the book as it was exactly what happened there. I found the book a struggle to get into, it was only as I got to the last 20 pages I realised what a good book it was, as it all came together very fast at the end. Congratulations David Fincher, can't wait to see what you do with the second (my fave out of the three) book.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - 17/12/11

Thank goodness there are some decent films back at the flicks again!! Sherlock Holmes 2, I liked the first film, apart from the geographical inaccuracy of having Tower Bridge right next door to the Palace of Westminster (yes I am that much of a pedant!!) so was looking forward to film number 2. Well its loud with lots of explosions and in parts quite funny. Stephen Fry steals the film in my opinion he is excellent, but overall I have to say I preferred the first outing. From the basis of this film however I am guessing that Sherlock Holmes 3, will have no female characters at all in it, the ones in this one were either dead in the first 10 minutes or else standing around doing not much else. Without any of those pesky women, Holmes and Watson can just get it on as this seems to be where they are heading.

The Help - 29/10/11

I have been waiting for this film to come out for ages, as I had really liked the book and had heard good things about the film adaptation and in the whole the film was enjoyable, however..... I was really disappointed by how much of the book had been cast aside, I felt the book gave you more of a sense of the terror of the times and how much of a risk all the contributors to the book were taking, the film however almost appears to see these details as 'unsavoury' and glosses over them somehow. I did see a review of the film where is was described as "civil rights lite" and "Disney civil rights" and after seeing the film I can see where the reviewer was coming from. Viola Davies is excellent as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minney provided some laugh out loud moments, but I could not see Emma Stone as Skeeter, who in the book is described as unattractive and plain, two words that could not be used to describe Emma Stone. But I think if I had not read the book first, this would have been a much better film for me - the same could be said about most films though sadly.

Footloose - 23/10/11

I have to be honest, I love the original movie and following very disappointing remakes of other films I did not hold out much hope for this one, but decided to give it a go, and I have to say I am glad I did. I enjoyed the film, it was fluffier than the original, and I personally did not rate the Ren characters dancing that highly, but it left me smiling. I especially liked the guy that played Willard, his learning to dance had me laughing out loud, though unlike the original played by the late Chris Penn, this new guy seemed to get good suspiciously fast. When it is released on DVD I may even get a copy and have a back to back Footloose marathon

Real Steel - 16/10/11

Slow to get going, you can almost write the ending yourself after about 20 mins, but by the end it has sucked you in so you are cheering on a Robot and wincing each time he takes a hit. A fun way to spend a cold Sunday afternoon

Jane Eyre - 17/9/11

I have been looking forward to this film for months, Jane Eyre is one of my fave books and I have enjoyed other adaptations, so I had high expectations, maybe that was was I was disappointed. The actors are fantastic, Michael Fassbender as Mr Rochester and Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre, both put on fantastic performances, but I never got the sense that they were one of literatures great romantic couples. This may have been down to the way the makers of the film chose to show it, with the film starting two thirds of the way into the book and then having flashbacks, which was a new way of doing things but didn't add anything IMHO. Half way through the film I started to wonder how much longer it was going to be, never a good sign and I left the film vaguely depressed which necessitated Green Day to be played loudly on the drive home.

Cowboys and Aliens - 25/08/11

Aliens, Cowboys and Indians plus Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford!!! I was sold.

I liked the film, it had action, aliens being killed in all manner of ways, and was loud, all the ingredients for a summer movie. OK it had very little in the way of plot and the reason the aliens were there was never really explained that well but I found it to be an excellent way to spend a wet afternoon.

Zookeeper - 03/08/11

I liked this film, though others I was with would disagree, it was a typically silly summer movie. Yes it had a weak plot and was predicable but it also had a talking gorilla and a good soundtrack.

Not a film I would want to see again but an enjoyable couple of hours.

Sarah's Key - 31/07/11

Sarah's Key is a stunning film that uncovers the story of what became of Sarah a little girl rounded up in the Vel d'Hiv Round-up in 1942.

Kristen Scott Thomas is a journalist in 2009 who is writing a piece about the Round-up, which seems to have been forgotten by history. She discovers the apartment that she is about to move in to was once home to Sarah and her family, and gradually uncovers the story of what happened to Sarah, which has consequences for her in the current day. Mélusine Mayance who plays the young Sarah is outstanding and will bring you to tears on a number of occasions. The film is in English and French and I always think it is the sign of a really good film when you forget that you are reading it.

If you can find it showing go and see it.

Captain America - 29/7/11

Truly bad, from the start where the Danish men are speaking Danish with English subtitles and then the Germans arrive speaking English and suddenly the Danes also speak English, to the rip offs from a number of other films - for example the chase through the woods on motorcycles bears a stunning resemblance to the chase through the woods in Return of the Jedi, just switch storm troopers on speeder bikes for soldiers in black on motorbikes. At one point I thought that Tommy Lee Jones was about to launch into his hunt him down piece from the Fugitive and the icing on the cake was Hugo Weaving appearing the channel Arnold Schwarenegger.

I go and see a lot of films, and it has been a while since I have seen a film so bad that I actually had my head in my hands but this is how I spent a good part of the film - I am only grateful that thanks to my Cineworld unlimited card I didn't hand over any cash to go and see this turkey - it was that bad that I couldn't bear to stay to the end credits to see the alleged Avengers tease

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 22/07/11

Finally got round to going to see this film, in 2D and it was OK, nothing that I would rave about. Couple of points:

- If you are going to split a film into two parts could you at least remind us what happened in the first bit, as it has been months since I saw it and it took me a while to catch up.
- A big deal has been made about how all these films have been made in Britain by British crews - you would think therefore that they would have know the difference between Kings Cross Station and St Pancras Station,(hint - the clue is the sign outside the station). A number of people in the cinema with me felt the need to point out the error!

The Green Lantern - 19/6/11

It's summer and therefore it must be time for a superhero movie, and luckily for me is also available in 2D.

I liked this film, it was loud and implausible everything a superhero movie should be. I am not that familer with The Green Lantern, in fact everything I know about him comes from watching episodes of The Big Bang Theroy so had nothing to compare it to, which may be why I enjoyed it and lets face it watching Ryan Reynolds in a tight fitting suit for a couple of hours.................

Senna - 12/6/11

Not being a great F1 fan I was a little dubious about wheter I would enjoy this, but it was a rainy Sunday and I had heard some good reviews so thought I would give it ago.

I am so glad I did, this was one of the best films I have seen this year. I think what works is that it is all old footage and even when people are being interviewed you don't see them as they are now, you see the younger versions of them which makes it even more powerful.

I struggled not to sob at the end and for the first time in a long time the majority of the cinema all remained in their seats until the credits had finished and the lights came up - then we all filed out in a very subduded manner.

Cannot recommend this film enough.

X Men First Class - 05/06/11

Disappointing, I like a good superhero movie but in parts of this one I was at times bored. The film drags in parts and I think due to boredom little things that usually wouldn't bother you really start to get irritating, the "i'm reading someones mind, so I better frown and hold two fingers to my temple" acting from James McAvoy, and Micheal Fassbenders incredible changing accent for example.

This film was ok, but way too long in parts and as for the Wolverine cameo, you could see it coming for ages plus IMO the timelines didn't add up which added to my irritation.

Thor - 27/4/11

I liked this, it did not pretend to be anything more than what it was. I really liked Sir Anthony Hopkins over the top performance, the only character I didn't think too much of was the Natalie Portman character, but that may be due to the fact I have not forgiven her for the dreadful Black Swan yet!

It was camp, it was loud, it had implausible dialouge, everything a superhero movie is meant to be.

Source Code - 06/04/11

I was in a majority of one of the people I was in who thought this film wasn't bad - that is until the ending!!

Now I will admit to being a little bit of a sci fi geek, so that may influence my review here but .........YOU CAN'T HAVE A TIME PARADOX!!!!!! which is exactly what the end of this film is. I wonder if the film was supposed to finish earlier, in my opinion it would have been a better film if it had finished earlier, but in the way of Hollywood films you have to have a happy ending, even if this ending makes no sense and as stated before DOES NOT CREATE A TIME PARADOX!!!!!!

In all not a bad film, just a really bad ending.

Limitless - 26/3/11

I am really not sure if I liked this movie or not!! Bradley Cooper was really good, both as a rather pathetic looser and as a smooth talking success and some of the shots used especially the really fast journey though New York were amazing, if slightly nausea inducing. BUT the plot!!! It was almost as if the film was still be written as it was shot, characters were being chucked in for seemingly no reason, and you were lead up one path and then suddenly on another without any explanation.

I am not saying it was bad, but I did leave the Cinema wondering what the point of the film was supposed to be.

The Eagle - 23/3/11

Didn't have very high hopes for this film, so found myself pleasantly surprised when it was actually quite good. A few odd bits, who knew that the last of the ginger mohicans lived in the Scottish Highlands for example, but leaving aside all the leaps of faith you need to take, for an evening out - this film and a bag of popcorn is a good place to start.

Fair Game - 16/03/11

Based on the true story of the White House leaking the name of a covert CIA agent to divert attention away from the fact they had lied about WMD in Iraq to justify going to war.

In all a good film, the establishing the ground work part of the film went on a little too long in my opinion, and at the times the way it was shot almost gave you motion sickness. I thought that they could have spent less time setting the scene and more on the actual scene, and this would have made it a better film IMHO.

All in all though I would recommend this for a nights entertainment at the flicks.

Gnomeo and Juliet - 21/2/11

Going to the flicks to see a animated film during half term is certainly an experience!!

Quiet a good animation with jokes for the kids and also for the adults - the only thing I dislike about this film is because you know there are so many famous voices you spend the film trying to work out who is doing which voice.

Never Let Me Go - 19/02/11

Wow, there are some films that when they have finished you don't actually want to talk to anyone for a while, so that you can think about what you have seen, recent films like Atonement and Precious, and now I can add Never Let Me Go to that list.

I had not read the book, so can't say if it compares but this is a beautiful, but depressing film about people who have been made to be harvested and who seemingly have no other choice. I would have liked to have had more of the context however, why did they not refuse, what kind of society allows this to happen, but that was not touched on, maybe it was in the book.

Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield were fantastic.

Paul 16/02/11

I had been looking forward to this film for months, I am a bit of a sci fi geek and I love Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead so this seemed like a perfect film. But then I read some less than positive reviews so was a little concerned, and to be honest for the first 15 or 20 minutes of the film I was not that impressed. But then Paul seemed to hit its stride and the gags came thick and fast, (thankfully I did not get them all, as then I would know that I need to watch less Sci Fi) and by the end I was laughing my socks off - the agents name when revealed was brilliant.

I really should not have watch the Graham Norton show on Friday though as the "twist" at the end was ruined for me, even though on the show they kept saying that they should not ruin the twist - when in fact having SW as the guest, and telling everyone she was in the film pretty much achieved that.

In all I would highly recommend this film.

The Fighter - 09/02/11

I should start by saying that I have never actually sat through a film about boxing before - (except for The Champ, in which I am usually sobbing by about 20 mins in as I know what is coming) so was a little worried that is was going to be all about a sport I did not understand, however...

I really enjoyed this film, the acting was fantastic and I can see now why Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo have all got Oscar nominations - though a little confused as to why Mark Wahlberg didn't. The film is thankfully not all about the boxing, but is instead more about the family dynamics and how one brothers crack addiction affects those around him. I would highly recommend this film.

Hereafter - 02/02/11

Clint Eastwood directed, Peter Morgan wrote, Matt Damon starring - I had high hopes for this film and in the most part I enjoyed it. However -

I read somewhere that the screen writer had taken the outline of the film, got it agreed and then thought he would go off and finish it off and pad it out smooth out the edges - but was told "no it's fine as it is". If this is true I can understand why the film feels a bit jerky in places and some of the characters never seem to get developed. I also wondered where they found the actors who played the twin boys in the London part of the film, I am guessing from their acting ability the local youth group - their acting is so bad in parts it is distracting.

I think the film was good, but it could have been so much better IMHO if they had left out the London part of the story all together and instead developed the France and US portions more. Saying all that I do still recommend people go see it.

The Mechanic - 30/01/11

Jason Stathman is a hit man with a strong moral code out for revenge - sound familiar.

This is Jason Statham playing the same character that he always does, it is loud, fast and the bodies start stacking up by the end but a great way to spend a cold grey Sunday afternoon

Black Swan - 26/01/11

This has to be the most overated films I have ever seen. Before I went I had read reviews about how people were feeling sick it was that terrifying, so I went with a sense of trepidation as throwing up is not high on my list of things that make a good night out.

What a load of cack - I did feel nauseous, but that was motion sickness from the camera work and the terror well ...... in the cinema I was in people were laughing at the parts I imagine the director was hoping for gasps. In short I HATED this film and if this wins for best picture at the Oscars I will loose all respect for the Academy!

Morning Glory - 22/01/11

Really enjoyable film that in parts had me laughing out loud. The only part that I felt did not work was the Rom in Rom Com - you got the feeling that the two actors really did not get on and had zero chemistry on screen.

Thankfully Harrison Ford took out his earring (Harrison why do you wear it really??) and was really funny and Diane Keaton was great.

Go and see this film if you want something fun that you don't have to think about too hard.

Conviction - 15/01/11

I usually watch this kind of film on the True Movie channel so it was odd seeing one at the flicks, but it was a good film.

The Kings Speech 08/01/11 & 19/01/11

This film is so good I had to go and see it twice!!

This film is one of the best I have seen in a long time, treated the audience like adults, was beautifully written with the odd line that had the whole cinema laughing out loud and others that almost made you cry.

I loved this film and think that everyone should go and see it.

Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader - 31/12/10

This film lacks the mega battle sequences of the last two which the BBC kindly showed on TV over the Christmas period, it was almost as if they had a deal with the film makers to drive more people to see this film.

Saying that it still has some great scenes and once you got past how really really annoying the cousin (whos name I forget he irritated me that much!) it was a good way to spend a quiet afternoon.

Love & Other Drugs - 29/12/10

Laugh out loud funny in some parts, sad in others all the things you need in a good rom com.

The Way Back - 29/12/10

A little long in parts, but beautifully shot and it is really refreshing to go to a film where they allow it to have no songtrack and just be silent, instead of filling it with noise.

I would have prefered it if they hadn't told you at the start how many people survive as I then spent the rest of the film playing 'guess who is dead next' but all in all a really good film.

Gullivers Travels - 28/12/10

Really really really not good. I would be surprised if the writers had ever seen a copy of the book much less read it. The film just allows Jack Black to do what Jack Black has done since High Fidelity which to be honest I have seen before again and again!!

Katherine Tate must also have been thrilled to be cast as Emily Blunt's mother, they must have kids very young in Lilliput and Billy Connerly and James Corden, all I will remember of them from the film is where they are pissed on by a giant Jack Black - I hope their payday was worth it.

Burlesque - 22/12/10

Totally formulaic, small town girl with a dream, gets a one way bus ticket to *insert major city here*, camera shot of bus, if going to NY crossing a bridge into Manhattern, if LA down a freeway where the Hollywood sign is visable, struggles, meets good looking guy but does not want to get involved, sudden big break, happy ever after.

Taking all this into account, I really enjoyed this film. It was one of those so bad its good film. Yes, you know what is going to happen from the first minute of the movie, the acting is at times a little dodgy, but I left the cinema really happy and at the end of the day thats all I was expecting.

My want to see list

List of films I want to see - my rule of "if it is only available in 3D i'll wait for the 2D DVD" applies.

In no particular order

Tron
Burlesque
Gullivers Travels
The Way Back
Love & Other Drugs
The Kings Speech
Green Hornet
Conviction
Morning Glory
Barneys Version
The Mechanic
Hereafter
The Dilema
The Fighter
Rabbit Hole
Never Let Me Go
The Adjustment Bureau
I am Number Four
Paul
Jane Eyre
Country Strong
True Grit
Gnomeo & Juliet
Xmen First Class
Just Go With It
Thor
Green Lantern
Harry Potter
Captain America
The Tree of Life
Bad Teacher
Zoo Keeper
Cowboys and Aliens