Troy (2004)

Director: Wolfgang Peterson
Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Peter O'Toole, Brian Cox, Sean Bean, Brendan Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Rose Byrne
Certificate: 15
Genre: Drama, History
Awards: None

Wolfgang Peterson's epic tells the story of the invasion of Troy by the forces of Greece. The story has heroes on both sides of the war with the honourable Hector (Bana) of Troy who is trying to protect his brother Paris (Bloom) after he steals Menelaus (Gleeson)'s wife.

On the side of Greece is Achilles (Pitt) a prize fighter who is rumoured to be immortal. He has no love for his employer Agamemnon (Cox) and only agrees to fight because the warriors will be remembered in centuries to come.

Troy is a film where the war is not just black and white. There are people to root for on both sides. It reminds be of fantasy tales such as David Gemmell's. You see why each character acts like they do. I had heard that Troy was not a good film so It may not be popular to the majority, but if you are a fan of tales where good and evil are more complicated this is a film I recommend.

*****Brilliant

Troy Trailer

Gremlins (1984)

Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Corey Feldman
Certificate: 15
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Awards: None

One christmas,  Billy (Galligan) gets a strange furry creature his father bought from a strange chinese shop. The strange creature is a mogwai and it comes with certain rules. Do not let it touch water, Do not shine light on it and most importantly... never feed it after midnight.

Gremlins is a film that is very different to your average christmas films. It's child friendly, but it has enough violence to keep you entertained. The mogwai is a cute sidekick that brings some affection into the film. The fact that the creature are puppets and not CGI just makes it seem like it's more fun. re-makers beware.

****Good

Gremlins Trailer

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian Mckellan, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Steven Hunter, Dean O'Gorman, Aidan Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Andy Serkis, Sylvester McCoy, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holme
Certificate: 12
Genre: Fantasy
Awards: None

Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) is a hobbit that enjoys the peaceful life. But when a Wizard who goes by the name of Gandalf (McKellan) invites him on an adventure, his life is changed completely. A prequel to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Hobbit is mostly about Bilbo and a group of dwarves who want to reclaim their home from the dragon Smaug. But it also has a subplot of the rising of a dark power. Anybody who has seen The Lord Of The Rings will have some idea of what that is.

Martin Freeman is the perfect bilbo. He is incredibly likeable, funny and feels like a younger version of Ian Holme's portrayal. Peter Jackson has also done a good job at making all the dwarves seem different. Although they are not all memorable, no two seemed alike.

The Hobbit also has a host of villains that could almost rival Game Of Thrones. Although neither of Benedict Cumberbatch's villains are given much screen time at all, there are still plenty of others. The pale Orc is a chilling character while the Orc King is a fun and original creation. However, it is unsurprisingly Gollum who steals the show. The riddle sequence is probably the best scene of all of 2012.

The film is definitely not as dark as The Lord Of The Rings, but then it is set in a time of peace. The only problem I have with the film is that CGI may have been a bit overused. The Orcs are now all Computer Generated which makes them seem a lot more unrealistic when compared to LOTR's people in costume orcs

I would say that The Hobbit is one of the best films of 2012 and it is a must watch. Now we've got to wait a whole year for part two, nooo!

*****Brilliant

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer

Shallow Grave (1994)

Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston
Certificate: 18
Genre: Thriller
Awards: None

With Danny Boyle's vast amount of highly critically acclaimed films such as Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, his first film has become a underestimated masterpiece.

The film follows three flatmates who come across the dead body of new flatmate Henry. The three decide to bury his body and not tell anybody when they see his suitcase is filled with money. The deed starts to affect all three of the very different characters as they succumb to guilt and greed.

Christopher Eccleston really stands out here as a quiet accountant David. His transformation is creepy and somewhat saddening as he seems to lose his identity completely. The film is filled with tense moments that will keep you riveted and waiting for how it all turns out.

Shallow Grave is the unsung triumph of Danny Boyle.  It's smaller than his other films and mostly filmed in one location, but the story is cleverly played out with violence and character progression woven into it.

*****Brilliant

Shallow Grave Trailer

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits
Certificate: 15
Genre: Comedy, Gangster
Awards: None

How could anybody follow up a film as good as In Bruges? a comedy that's dialogue was so perfect, every single line is quotable. McDonagh's answer is Seven Psychopaths - a comedy with a screenwriter who is trying to write a film but can only think of the title - Seven Psychopaths. His friend runs a dognapping business where he steals dogs and his partner gives them back for a reward. When they steal the Shit-Zu of a crime boss, the three have to try and get out with their lives.

First of all, this is nowhere as near as good as In Bruges. It's a lot sillier and less dark. The dialogue is still funny, but it seems a lot more over the top. Both Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken shine as the comedy. Colin Farrell plays the straight guy this time and becomes the least interesting because of it.

Seven Psychopaths is still good. It's just not the second coming we were all hoping for. It's a fun film with plenty of laughs and good ideas, although the poster lies about who the psychopaths actually are.

****Good

Seven Psychopaths Trailer

The Living Dead Trilogy

Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

Director: George A. Romero

Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley

Certificate: 15

Genre: Horror

Awards: None

Night Of The Living Dead is the film that created what Zombies mean in society today. This is the first time that a Zombie (although they are not called that) was a dead person who has been brought back to life.

The film starts with Barbara (O'Dea) and Johnny, siblings who have come to put a reef on their father's grave. Afterwards, they are attacked by a strange man and Barbara flees after Johnny is killed. She hides in a house where she meets Ben (Jones). They then have to keep the creatures out of the house and try to survive.

Although the actual horror is not that scary by today's standards, it shocked people back in 1968. Gore had never been seen like this in cinema before. The film also tackled American politics at the time by casting a black actor as the hero.

NOFTD is a must see for horror fans and it is still entertaining today. The shock and horror may no longer work, but the characters' struggles and relationships are still relevant. This is the original Zombie survival film and has a killer ending that will leave you feeling different.

****Good

Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

Director: George A. Romero

Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross

Certificate: 18

Genre: Horror

Awards: None

Dawn Of The Dead follows Peter (Emge), a traffic reporter; Francine (Ross), his television executive girlfriend and two swat team members named Peter (Foree) and Roger (Reiniger). Together they escape a zombie outbreak to a shopping mall. There they have a safe place to stay and the Zombies do not seem to pose much of a problem when they have weapons.

To be honest, if there was a zombie outbreak, a shopping mall would be the best place to be (even better in America as then you have a gun store). Also, with the Zombies not posing much of a problem, the film is free to delve deeper into the characters. It's nice to see a zombie film where everybody seems to get along. There is nobody who wants to be in charge and tries to kill the others.

Dawn Of the Dead looks at gore with an almost gleeful manor that reminds me a lot of Starship Troopers. The special effects are what makes the film as good as it is. If it was a CGI film, it would not be as believable and watchable as it is.

****Good

Day Of The Dead (1985)

Director: George A. Romero

Starring: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Jarlath Conroy, Anthony Dileo JR, Richard Liberty, Joseph Pilato, Sherman Howard

Certificate: 18

Genre: Horror

Awards: None

Like Dawn Of The Dead the Zombies have already arrived in this film. And in Day Of The Dead, the characters are already in a secure place. The underground base is host to a group of scientists and a military unit who's relationship is becoming more tense by the day. Their job is to try and find out what is going on and how to stop it.

The Douche character returns here as the almost psychotic military leader Rhodes (Pilato). This character makes problems a lot worse. He openly hates the scientists and would not think twice about having them all shot.

The zombies also have a bigger part in the third film. A Zombie who has been put under experiments by the Doctor Frankenstein (Liberty) has a big part with showing how humans can control the creatures. He is given a personality and becomes quite a likeable character.

Day Of The Dead is the first of the three to still feel scary. The atmosphere is tense and the zombies are not played as comically as Dawn. The characters are not on top of the situation and panic spread into the film.

The effects are better than ever with stomachs being ripped open and an eyeball showing after the skin of a man's face is torn off. It's fun to watch just to see what Romero can think of next.

****Good

Overall I like all three very much. Each has their own feeling and atmosphere. Night shows claustrophobia and almost resignation to the inevitable. Dawn feels a lot safer and more comical as the characters have a better hold of the situation. Day has the feel of panic as the character seem to be ahead but start to slip up after they start fighting.

If you like zombie films, this trilogy is a must see as they are the originals. They created the sub-genre and still stand up as good films today.

Day of the Dead Trailer

Dawn Of The Dead Trailer

Night Of The Living Dead Trailer

Predators (2010)

Director: Nimrod Antal
Starring: Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktorov, Danny Trejo, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Mahershala Ali, Laurence Fishbourne
Certificate: 15
Genre: Action, Sci Fi
Awards: None

Predators is - as the title says - a sequel to Predator with more than one of them. A group of the toughest killers are left in a jungle and have to survive against a group of predators. They are all from military or criminal backgrounds so they should give the predators a run for their money.

Predators plays with the same aspects as the original and really just keeps it that. The only real variation is that there are more of them. Actually, Predators takes a lot from it's older sibling. Some characters seem to do the same thing and weapons look incredibly familiar. Lines are cut and pasted into this word from word.

However, the film is definitely fun. The deaths of  characters one by one is enjoyable in any film and this does not go against the crowd. The predators are cool and the atmosphere makes the characters seem alone.

This is not Aliens. It does not add anything new and impressive to the franchise. It is more for the fans. It has however brought it back from death and hope to see a new Predator film in the coming years.

****Good

Predators Trailer

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Director: Garth Jennings
Starring: Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Stephen Fry
Certificate: PG
Genre: Sci Fi, Comedy
Awards: None

The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is based off the first book in the series written by Douglas Adams. It follows Arthur Dent (Freeman) - a normal seeming person - as he is taken on an adventure in space after the earth is destroyed in order to create a new hyper way.

The film is fairly respectful to the book and seems to follow the same sort of story - albeit adding more things for the Vogons to do. However, I don't think a film can convey the humour of the book as well. Adams' writing can sometimes not be put visually. It's not all about the characters and what they do but how he can play with different perspectives. Some of this is shown with a cartoon being narrated by Stephen Fry. These are arguably the best bits which brings up the point if the film should just be an audio book narrated by Fry.

I also have a problem with the character of Ford Prefect (Def). He is supposed to be an alien who was stranded on earth and acts quite strangely in the books. Def plays him a bit too human and he becomes just a forgettable character. The rest of the cast seem to fit quite well. Even the smallest roles are given to a variety of well known British and American talent (Helen Mirren, Bill Bailey and John Malkovich among them).

THHGTTG is still funny, but it doesn't really feel like it is needed. Fans of the books will already know most of the quotes and humour off by heart and will therefore feel like they are just reading them again with half the pages ripped out. If you haven't read the books, heard the radio show or watched the TV show, you will find this a witty little film that feels incredibly British. However, you might as well just read the books and have a better experience.

***Okay

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trailer

Mission Impossible II (2000)

Director: John Woo
Starring: Tom Cruise, Thandie Newton, Dougray Scott, Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh, Brendan Gleeson
Certificate: 15
Genre: Action
Awards: None

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) returns in this sequel where he has to take down an ex-coworker who has stolen a genetically modified disease. His target takes him to Australia where he sets up his new team including Thief Nyah Nordoff- Hall (Newton) who used to be in a relationship with the target. That's it basically.

MI2 is a massive disappointment. John Woo's slow motion is overdone so much with slow mo shots of pigeons flying and Tom Cruise looking moody. And the love story. Oh god the love story. It's so cheesy it's hard to bear. The villain is incredibly boring and the story is as forgettable.

**Pretty Bad

Mission Imposible II Trailer