The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman
Certificate:12
Genre: Superhero, Crime, Action
Awards: None

The Dark Knight Rises has the hardest job to impress out of the trilogy as it has to live up to the hype that has surrounded it since it was announced. After The Dark Knight gained so much love it was going to be hard to outdo it. Luckily, TDKR is everything the fans hoped for.

Taking place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne (Bale) is retired and very rarely seen. After a new villain in the shape of the muscular Bane (Hardy) arrives on the scene, Batman has to return to save Gotham City. However, master thief Selina Kyle (Hathaway) may make that more difficult.

TDKR is a mix of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Batman is back in the spotlight but other characters also get their time to shine. You see how Gordon (Oldman) is coping with lying to Gotham and Alfred's (Caine) increasing trepidation about how far Batman can go. But there is also a new character in Gotham. Blake (Gordon-Levitt), A hothead cop who recognises Bruce Wayne for what he really is. Blake is a really good character that nobody really saw coming.

What makes The Dark Knight Rises different to other superhero films is that it has a proper ending. Unlike the spiderman trilogy , there is a conclusion to the story. The end is absolutely perfect and I could not picture it in any other way.

I think The Dark Knight Rises is the best of Christopher Nolan's trilogy. It has the best of the last two films and ups the stakes. If there is one film to watch this year, this is it.

*****Brilliant

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (2012)

Directors: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier
Starring: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Penelope Cruz, Peter Dinklage, Keke Palmer, Queen Latifah
Certificate: U
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Adventure
Awards: None

I had one thought when going to see Ice Age 4, Will it be like Ice Age 2 (Bad) or Ice Age 3 (Good) - because we all know the series will never make another film as brilliant as the first one. Luckily it's more like Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. The film gets kudos for giving the more annoying characters less screen time. I almost forgot Crash and Eddie were in the film and actually cheered at the part where they looked like they fell to their doom.

Putting the three original characters on their own again was a moment of genius on the writer's part. Sid Manny and Diego are best when away from the colourful and crazy characters from the sequels. Plus we have our first talking villain since Soto in the first one, The pirate monkey Captain Gut (Game Of Thrones's Peter Dinklage) is a great change to the silent villains that have plagued this franchise.

However, there are problems. The story of Manny's daughter Peaches (Palmer) is boring and pointless. The reason I think it was included was to add in pop stars Drake and Nicki Minaj into their voice talent. I can now safely say add these characters to the list of creatures I want to drop into a volcano.

Altogether Ice Age 4 is a good attempt to keep the franchise going. There are a few lines taken from the first film that reminds you how good it was. How about for Ice Age 5, they bring back the kid when he's all grown up. It doesn't even have to be the main part of the story. Just have the kid save the heroes from a predator and then he recognises them. That would be a really deep and touching scene. Basically, If you liked Ice Age 3, you'll like Ice Age 4 as it's more of the wacky colourful humour the series has turned into.

****Good

Ice Age: Continental Drift Trailer

The Hitcher (1986)

Director: Robert Harmon
Starring: C. Thomas Howell, Rutger Haur, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Certificate: 18
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Awards: None

Rutger Haur is the Hitcher; A hitchhiker who kills the people who picks him up. When Jim Halsey escapes him, he destroys the would-be victims life by stalking him a framing him for all the murders the hitcher has done.

The Hitcher is a masterpiece of the thriller genre. The music is eerie and creepy, as is Haur's mysterious killer. The best thing about the film is that the killers motives are never explained. This makes him seem inhuman and even more dangerous. Plus, the film is not afraid to make things real messy but doesn't disgust the audience. It's not a gore fest. A lot of the killings are offscreen and we see characters react to  them but don't see the bodies or their last moments. This gives the film a higher class than the horrors which just want to show you torture and death in every minuscule detail. This is more about the menace of the villain than the way he dispatches his victims.

*****Brilliant

The Hitcher Trailer

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Director: John Hughes
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Paul Gleason
Certificate: 15
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Awards: None

The Breakfast Club is the name given to saturday detention in a high school. In the detention this week are the various stereotypes of high school students. The Prom Queen (Ringwald), The sporty one (Estevez), the nerd (Hall), the repeat offender (Nelson) and the weird one (Sheedy). They are overlooked by the unfriendly Principal Vernon (Gleason). In detention they begin to learn more about each other and make new friends.

The Breakfast Club is funny, realistic and has some well thought out characters. Each feels like they have problems of their own which makes them more than just cardboard cut outs. This film isn't for everyone, but if you want a teen movie with relatable characters you could do worse than this.

****Good

The Breakfast Club

AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Raul Bova, Lance Henrikson, Ewen Bremmer, Colin Salmon
Certificate: 18
Genre: Sci Fi, thriller
Awards: None

Putting two of the most famous monsters of film history in the same movie and  having them kill each other should have been a flawless plan. Both the Alien and Predator franchises have a giant fan base that would definitely watch this film.

To be fair, the audience get what they come for. Aliens and Predators are killing each other left right and centre and unlike it's terrible sequel, you can actually see what is going on. Unfortunately it's the characters that let the film down. I found that I did not care about a single character in the whole film. Unlike Alien, Predator or even Alien: Resurrection, I wasn't rooting for the characters to survive. I found the main girl irritating and couldn't wait for her to be turned into a snack for E.T.

This film may be tons better than AVPR, but that's not hard to do. Alien vs. Predator has a poor story, cringe worthy dialogue and unlikeable cardboard cut-out characters. If you've just come here to see Predators and Aliens clawing at each others throats however, you will be satisfied.

***Okay

Alien vs. Predator Trailer

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Director: Robert Hamer
Starring: Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson
Certificate: U
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Awards: None

Louis Mazzini (Price) and his mother were cast out of their rich family when his mother married someone below her status. After the death of his mother, Louis is set on avenging himself on the family by killing the eight heirs to the dukedom. All eight and the duke are played by Alec Guinness.

Kind Hearts and Coronets show how good an actor Guinness is. The film is definitely his show although Dennis Price makes a good dark protagonist. Although the story was clever and had a good imagination it was not as funny as I expected it to be. It's a dark comedy so it is more subliminal humour, but compared to another ealing comedy -The Lady Killers- it's really just not funny.

However, The story was good and it had a clever ending. If you're a fan of Alec Guinness this is absolutely essential watching material.

****Good

Kind Hearts and Coronets Trailer