Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 157 minutes
Director: Michael Bay


The third installment of the Transformers series, on our screens for the first time in 3D. Which, to put it bluntly, was entirely pointless. All in all there was probably about 40 seconds worth of good 3D watching - not worth the extra money for at all. The acting from newbie Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was below the standard previously set by the gorgeous Megan Fox. The plot at times seemed thin, but the action scenes made up for it. Better than the second movie, but nowhere near as good as the first. Lots of big names and faces throughout. Very sneaky product placement. I've heard talks of a fourth film already, but they've left this one at a bit of a dead end. All I can say is I hope they take more time and care with it, and make it more of a worthy watch.


Rating: ***

Paul

Certificate: 15
Running Time: 104 minutes
Director: Greg Mottola


Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back, for this sci-fi comedy about two nerds who take a trip to America, only to find themselves helping save an alien who goes by the name of Paul. We all knew it would be hard for the pair to stay on par with their previous hits, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. The CGI on Paul was good, but the jokes and pretty much everything else seemed more targeted at an American audience, rather than the rustic British style we know and love from Pegg and Frost. A disappointment to say the least.


Rating: **

Just Go With It

Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 117 minutes
Director: Dennis Dugan


Starring Adam Sandler as Danny Maccabee, a plastic surgeon intent on never falling in love. But when he meets the girl of his dreams, he has to enlist the help of his assistant, Katherine (played by Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his ex wife in order to cover up a lie. I thought the movie would probably lack substance, as have most of Sandler's more recent movies, but it went back to 90's Sandler with it's quick wit, one liners and a solid, original plot. A large part of the movie was set in Hawaii - which always makes a great location for romantic scenes. One of the best - and most original - romantic comedies I've seen in a long time.


Rating: ****

*Top 10 Family Films of All Time*

1. Shrek

2. Finding Nemo

3. Monsters Inc

4. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

5. E.T

6. Toy Story

7. Back to the Future

8. Chicken Run

9. Matilda

10. The Muppet Movie

The Fighter

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 116 minutes

Director: David O. Russell

Based on the true story of "Irish" Micky Ward, a small town boxer living in the shadow of his once promising brother, Dickie. Now addicted to crack after a humiliating defeat in the ring, Dickie begins training his younger brother for the career he could have had. The Fighter is a strong depiction starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. A worthwhile watch, with acting standard really setting the bar. Melissa Leo and Christian Bale really did deserve those Oscars. Overall, a film made rather well, in a creative, documentary-style.

Rating: ****

Love and Other Drugs

Certificate: 15
Running Time: 112 minutes
Director: Edward Zwick


Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a ladies man and med school dropout at a loose end in life. When his brother gets him a job as a pharmaceutical salesman, he meets his match in Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway). Surprised to find that this free spirit wants exactly what he does (lots of meaningless sex!), Jamie finds this girl becoming a big part of his life. For anyone who has the tendency to blush easily, you must be warned that there are a lot of steamy sex scenes. The acting was great, and the whole movie produced fairly well, but it lacked something that I can't quite work out. It also seemed very long winded, and the usual 'will they, won't they' ending of this kind of film was more of a 'it's on, it's off, it's back on, it's back off' kind of thing. A few laughs, a few tears, and a few times I thought about how bored I was. An average watch that has been hyped over far too much, in my opinion.


Rating: ***

*Top 10 Romantic Films of All Time*

1. Pretty Woman

2. Moulin Rouge

3. The Wedding Singer

4. Shakespeare in Love

5. Ghost

6. Titanic

7. Roman Holiday

8. Casablanca

9. Dirty Dancing

10. 10 Things I Hate About You

Burlesque

Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 119 minutes
Director: Steve Antin


A musical explosion about a small town girl chasing her dreams in the big city. Starring the legends that are Cher and Christina Aguilera, the story unfolds around a struggling burlesque lounge in L.A. With plenty of singing, dancing and drama, the star studded movie was at best a pleasant watch. There was nothing outrightly bad about it, but it just seemed a bit too much like Mean Girls meets Moulin Rouge. The songs were fun and carried off well, the acting good and the production overall a fairly good standard, but not amazing original or creative and a little too cliche.


Rating: ***

Rio

Certificate: U

Running Time: 96 minutes

Director: Carlos Saldanha

From the creators of Ice Age, Rio tells the tale of blue macaw called Blu (so clever - I bet they spent days thinking up that one!), a domesticated bird that can’t fly, living in Minnesota. But now the last male of his species, he retreats to his native country of Brazil by order of an ornithologist to save their kind. The casting was awful; the usually brilliant Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg and Jamie Foxx have very annoying voices for animation. Will.I.Am was also thrown into the mix - also hugely irritating. George Lopez and Jemaine Clement were the only characters worth watching. The actual animation of the film was really well done, and was definitely the best part of the whole movie. Very predictable, with a plot layout copied from about a million other animated epics, and almost every scene and character seemed based upon something or someone previously seen on our screens. For example, look out for the first scene in which you see the monkeys - remind anyone of the opening scene of the lemurs from Dreamworks’ ‘Madagascar’? If it was one of the only animated movies in the world, easily 5 stars. But it isn’t. 

Rating: **

Bright Star

Certificate: PG

Running Time: 119 minutes

Director: Jane Campion

In a little village on the outskirts of London, a struggling poet takes on a fatherless girl in her demand to learn poetry. They shortly find a mutual attraction to one another, but the relationship develops very slowly over three years. Based on the real life and times of classic British icon John Keats, I believe this film did not do him justice. I was expecting an artistic movie with passion, poise and poetry, however the acting of Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw felt forced and the plot did not flow well. As a fan of Keats later work, I really wanted to enjoy this. I have to say, a mediocre effort and not to everyone’s liking.

Rating: ***

*Top 20 Comedy Films of All Time*

1. Zoolander

2. Big Daddy

3. There's Something About Mary

4. Wayne's World

5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
6. Water Boy
7. Shrek
8. Hot Fuzz
9. The Full Monty
10. Monty Python's Life of Brian
11. American Pie
12. The Wedding Singer
13. Team America
14. Shaun of the Dead
15. The 40 Year Old Virgin
16. Borat
17. Dumb and Dumber
18. You Don't Mess With The Zohan
19. The Nutty Professor
20. Airplane!

Clash of the Titans

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 106 minutes

Director: Louis Leterrier

Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arterton star in this action packed film about the Greek Gods. It definitely ticks all the boxes on paper, but in actual fact was not as well made as it should have been. I kept putting off watching it as I thought as much, which explains why this review is so late. The movie wasn’t as long winded as I expected it to be, and it did exceed my expectations. This would have been a compliment had it not been for my expectations starting out rather low in the first place. An average film, pretty good in some places, but not very consistent. 

Rating: ***

Little Fockers

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 98 minutes

Director: Paul Weitz

Back in 2000, Meet the Parents hit the big screen and made the world laugh with their hilarious one-liners and lovable characters. For those of us who were brave enough to see the second film - Meet the Fockers - it became apparent that the ‘Fockers Films’ were definitely a one hit wonder. This is clear once again with their latest flick, Little Fockers. Gaylord/Greg and Pam now have their own house and two beautiful children, but their happily ever after is still far off in the distance. I expected at least a few laughs, but received nothing but disappointment and boredom. Here’s hoping they’ll leave the film series to rest now, as proven that the laughter and magic has been fully drained. One of the worst films I’ve witnessed in a while.

Rating: *

True Grit

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 110 minutes

Directors: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon star, along with newcomer Hailee Steinfeld about a daughter’s quest for justice and revenge. Set in the old West, a man is robbed and killed by a sought after criminal. On a bid to avenge her father, Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) goes about hiring a Marshall (Bridges) to capture the brutal man in question. The film based on a tale by Charles Portis, was depicted well. The acting was of a high standard, and the set and special effects were also of good quality. I assure you that it won’t disappoint. But with the Cohen Brothers and Steven Spielberg behind it’s making, you should expect no less.

Rating: ****

127 Hours

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 94 minutes

Director: Danny Boyle

James Franco stars in this epic film brought to us by the amazing Danny Boyle(who brought us the likes of Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later), based around the true story of a man, literally, trapped between a rock and a hard place. The film was well made, and some of the effects were brilliant. James Franco did well considering he had to pull off a one-man show. As usual, praise to Danny Boyle, who won’t bring us anything less than great. Well worth the watch, as long as you aren’t someone who cringes easily. Definitely one of the top films of the year so far, but just misses out being on par with the likes of Black Swan and The King’s Speech. 

Rating: ****

***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***

You can now follow ReView on twitter.. 


Just search for @GITRJfilmreview..


Would love to hear your comments, and any review requests from you..


Also, updates about my reviews will be posted up on twitter for you to keep track of and up to date.


Thanks to all my readers. x


P.S. Review for 127 Hours will be uploaded shortly. :-)

The Expendables

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 103 minutes

Director: Sylvester Stallone

A huge cast list - Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Eric Roberts and more. The team are paid to overrule a South American dictator, but things don’t always go smoothly. A few laughs, plenty of action, but not overall worth a watch. This all-star cast should have held the weak plot together between them, but it’s safe to say they didn’t. An ultimate lad’s night in movie, but nothing more.

Rating: ***

*Top 10 Action Films of All Time*

1. Die Hard

2. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

3. The Bourne Identity

4. Terminator

5. Gladiator

6. Batman: The Dark Knight

7. From Russia With Love

8. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings

9. Predator

10. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Tangled

Certificate: PG

Running Time: 100 minutes

Directors: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard

Based on the classic fairytale by Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, rumour has it that Tangled (as their 50th animation) will be the last animated film to come from Disney. So, you would think that they would have made it go out with a bang. Sure, they threw enough money at its production. But I wouldn’t call it a success exactly. As a Disney fan since I was a child, I was disappointed to say the least. The whole thing needed to be a lot stronger, casting could have been better and singing should have been scrapped altogether. However, its animation was by far amazing quality, and it is an okay film for kids, families and adults alike. 

Rating: ***

Family Guy - It's a Trap!

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 56 minutes

Director: Peter Shin

Just like many people in the world, I am a Family Guy fanatic!! I couldn’t wait to see the third installment of these star wars parodies, and I was hoping it would be just as hilarious as the first two and the television series. It wasn’t as humorous, and it certainly seemed as  though they had run out of ideas. In fact, they even ran out of characters as they ‘borrowed’ a couple from American Dad and The Cleveland Show. Overall, it wasn’t a waste of time to watch, but not a scratch on the first in the series.

Rating: ***

The King's Speech

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 118 minutes

Director: Tom Hooper

Academy Award winner Colin Firth stars alongside the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter and the brilliant Geoffrey Rush in this regal movie about the tribulations of King George VI and his stutter. Based on true events, the tale depicts the King’s relationship with his family, wife (Bonham Carter), and speech therapist (Rush) as he comes to terms with his childhood, the pressures of royalty, and the duties of a King that he thought he’d never have. Easily the best film of 2010/11. Deserved all the awards that it got. Amazing acting, costume, music, screenplay and more. Highly recommended. 

Rating: *****

Black Swan

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 108 minutes

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Natalie Portman stars in this artistic portrayal of a female ballerina in America. Do not be fooled, it isn’t the warm hearted fairytale you may think it is. Among the dancing and production of Swan Lake, characters evolve around drugs, violence, and sex. An obscenely dark plot with a creative and artistic beauty to add to it’s magic. Natalie Portman gelled to the role perfectly, well deserving the Academy Award. This is the first truly new movie plot line in quite a while. Well worth a watch, and deserves nothing but praise.

Rating: *****

83rd Academy Award Results :-)

It truly was a night to remember!! Congratulations to all the worthy winners - especially the exceptionally talented Colin Firth!!!


Best Film - The Kings Speech
Best Direction - Tom Hooper for 'The Kings Speech'
Best Lead Actor - Colin Firth for 'The Kings Speech'
Best Lead Actress - Natalie Portman for 'Black Swan'

Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner - Christian Bale for 'The Fighter'
Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner - Melissa Leo for 'The Fighter'
Animated Feature
Winner - Toy Story 3
Art Direction
Winner - Alice in Wonderland
Cinematography
Winner - Inception
Costume Design -
Winner - Colleen Atwood for Alice in Wonderland
Documentary (Feature)
Winner - Inside Job
Documentary (Short Subject)
Winner - Strangers No More
Film Editing
Winner - Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter for 'The Social Network'
Foreign Language Film
Winner - In a Better World from Denmark
Makeup
Winner - Rick Baker and Dave Elsey for 'The Wolfman'
Music (Original Score)
Winner - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for 'The Social Network'
Music (Original Song)
Winner - 'We Belong Together' from 'Toy Story 3' by Randy Newman
Short Film (Animated)
Winner - Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann for 'The Lost Thing'
Short Film (Live Action)
Winner - God of Love
Sound Editing
Winner - Richard King for 'Inception'
Sound Mixing
Winner - Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick for 'Inception'
Visual Effects
Winner - Inception
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Winner - 'The Social Network' adapted by Aaron Sorkin
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Winner - 'The King's Speech' written by David Seidler

The Blind Side

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 129 minutes

Director: John Lee Hancock

Quinton Aaron stars as Michael Oher, a teen from the american slums waiting for an opportunity in life. That lifeline comes in the shape of Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), a wealthy housewife who welcomes him into her home. Michael Oher learns the true meaning of family, happiness and american football. Based on the true story of the football star, this heartwarming tale shows that it only takes one person to change someone’s life. Sandra Bullock deserved the Academy Award that she was given. I would certainly recommend this film.

Rating: ****

Inception

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 148 minutes

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an expert at inception; the ability to lure people into a dream-like state in order to uncover their deepest secrets. As he struggles to overcome his personal life, he must pull off his biggest job to date in order to change his life. He assembles his finest team, but even the best-planned ideas can go wrong. Directed by the amazing Christopher Nolan (known for both Batman films), and also starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Ken Watanabe. The special effects were out of this world, and the plot was unique, inspiring and slotted together perfectly. I’m very impressed. 

Rating: *****

BAFTA Results 2011 :-)

Sunday night was truly a night to remember. Apart from being one of the only times I haven’t found Jonathan Ross irritating, there was plenty of acting talent and some well deserved awards. Leading up to the Oscars build up, will the BAFTA’s be an outline for the winner’s of the Academy Awards?!

Academy Fellowship - the very talented, humble Sir Christopher Lee

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema - The Harry Potter Films

Best Film - The King’s Speech

Outstanding British Film - The King’s Speech

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer - Four Lions, Written and Directed by Chris Morris

Director - David Fincher for The Social Network

Original Screenplay - David Seidler for The King’s Speech

Adapted Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

Film Not in the English Language - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Animated Film - Toy Story 3

Leading Actor - Colin Firth for The King’s Speech

Leading Actress - Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Supporting Actor - Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

Supporting Actress - Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech

Original Music - The King’s Speech

Cinematography - True Grit

Editing - The Social Network

Production Design - Inception

Costume Design - Alice in Wonderland

Sound - Inception

Special Visual Effects - Inception

Make Up & Hair - Alice in Wonderland

Short Animation - The Eagleman Stag

Short Film - Until the River Runs Red

Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award - Tom Hardy

The King’s Speech pretty much wiped the floor with all the other films. With a total of 7 wins, including Colin Firth for Best Leading Actor (well done, Colin!), The King’s Speech is set to win big at the Oscars. The main challengers appear to be The Social Network, Inception and Alice in Wonderland, although for all us film buffs, we could have guessed that anyway. Congratulations to all the winners, and condolences to the runner’s up.

83rd Academy Awards Nominations :-)

Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees; Javier Bardem in ‘Biutiful’, Jeff Bridges in ‘True Grit’, Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’, Colin Firth in ‘The King’s Speech’, James Franco in ‘127 Hours’

Most Likely to Win - Colin Firth for ‘The King’s Speech’

Deserves to Win - Colin Firth for ‘The King’s Speech’

Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees; Christian Bale in ‘The Fighter’, John Hawkes in ‘Winter’s Bone’, Jeremy Renner in ‘The Town’, Mark Ruffalo in ‘The Kids Are All Right’, Geoffrey Rush in ‘The King’s Speech’

Most Likely to Win - Christian Bale for ‘The Fighter’

Deserves to Win - Geoffrey Rush in ‘The King’s Speech’

Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees; Annette Bening in ‘The Kids Are All Right’, Nicole Kidman in ‘Rabbit Hole’, Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Winter’s Bone’, Natalie Portman in ‘Black Swan’, Michelle Williams in ‘Blue Valentine’

Most Likely to Win - Natalie Portman for ‘Black Swan’

Deserves to Win - Michelle Williams for ‘Blue Valentine’

Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees; Amy Adams in ‘The Fighter’, Helena Bonham Carter in ‘The King’s Speech’, Melissa Leo in ‘The Fighter’, Hailee Steinfeld in ‘True Grit’, Jacki Weaver in ‘Animal Kingdom’

Most Likely to Win - Amy Adams for ‘The Fighter’

Deserves to Win - Helena Bonham for ‘The King’s Speech’

Animated Feature Film

Nominees; ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, ‘The Illusionist’, ‘Toy Story 3’

Most Likely to Win - Toy Story 3

Deserves to Win - How to Train Your Dragon

Art Direction

Nominees; ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1’, ‘Inception’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘True Grit’

Most Likely to Win - Alice in Wonderland

Deserves to Win - The King’s Speech

Cinematography

Nominees; ‘Black Swan’, ‘Inception’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘The Social Network’, ‘True Grit’

Most Likely to Win - The Social Network

Deserves to Win - Inception

Costume Design

Nominees; ‘Alice in Wonderland’, I Am Love’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘The Tempest’, ‘True Grit’

Most Likely to Win - The King’s Speech

Deserves to Win - Alice in Wonderland

Directing

Nominees; Darren Aronofsky for ‘Black Swan’, David O. Russell for ‘The Fighter’, Tom Hooper for ‘The King’s Speech’, David Fincher for ‘The Social Network’, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for ‘True Grit’

Most Likely to Win - David Fincher for ‘The Social Network’

Deserves to Win - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for ‘True Grit’

Documentary (Feature)

Nominees; ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’, ‘Gasland’, ‘Inside Job’, ‘Restrepo’, ‘Waste Land’

Documentary (Short Subject)

Nominees; ‘Killing in the Name’, ‘Poster Girl’, ‘Strangers No More’, ‘Sun Come Up’, ‘The Warriors of Qiugang’

Film Editing

Nominees; Jon Harris for ‘127 Hours’, Andrew Weisblum for ‘Black Swan’, Pamela Martin for ‘The Fighter’, Tariq Anwar for ‘The King’s Speech’, Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter for ‘The Social Network’

Most Likely to Win - Black Swan

Deserves to Win - 127 Hours

Foreign Language Film

Nominees; ‘Biutiful’ from Mexico, ‘Dogtooth’ from Greece, ‘In a Better World’ from Denmark, ‘Incendies’ from Canada, ‘Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)’ from Algeria

Most Likely to Win - In a Better World

Deserves to Win - Biutiful

Makeup

Nominees; Adrien Morot for ‘Barney’s Version’, Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng for ‘The Way Back’, Rick Baker and Dave Elsey for ‘The Wolfman’

Most Likely to Win - Barney’s Version

Deserves to Win - The Wolfman

Music (Original Score)

Nominees; ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, ‘Inception’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘127 Hours’, ‘The Social Network’

Most Likely to Win - The Social Network

Deserves to Win - The Social Network

Music (Original Song)

Nominees; “Coming Home” from ‘Country Strong’, “I See the Light” from ‘Tangled, “If I Rise” from ‘127 Hours’, “We Belong Together” from ‘Toy Story 3’

Most Likely to Win - “I See the Light” from ‘Tangled’

Deserves to Win - “Coming Home” from ‘Country Strong’

Best Picture

Nominees; ‘Black Swan’, ‘The Fighter’, ‘Inception’, ‘The Kids Are All Right’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘127 Hours’, ‘The Social Network’, ‘Toy Story 3’, ‘True Grit’, ‘Winter’s Bone’

Most Likely to Win - The King’s Speech

Deserves to Win - The King’s Speech

Short Film (Animated)

Nominees; ‘Day & Night’, ‘The Gruffalo’, ‘Let’s Pollute’, ‘The Lost Thing’, ‘Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)’

Most Likely to Win - The Gruffalo

Deserves to Win - Day & Night

Short Film (Live Action)

Nominees; ‘The Confession’, ‘The Crush’, ‘God of Love’, ‘Na Wewe’, ‘Wish 143’

Most Likely to Win - God of Love

Deserves to Win - The Crush

Sound Editing

Nominees; ‘Inception’, ‘Toy Story 3’, ‘Tron: Legacy’, ‘True Grit’, ‘Unstoppable’

Most Likely to Win - Toy Story 3

Deserves to Win - Inception

Sound Mixing

Nominees; ‘Inception’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘Salt’, ‘The Social Network’, ‘True Grit’

Most Likely to Win - The Social Network

Deserves to Win - Salt

Visual Effects

Nominees; ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1’, ‘Hereafter’, ‘Inception’, ‘Iron Man 2’

Most Likely to Win - Alice in Wonderland

Deserves to Win - Inception

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Nominees; ‘127 Hours’, ‘The Social Network’, ‘Toy Story 3’, ‘True Grit’, ‘Winter’s Bone’

Most Likely to Win - The Social Network

Deserves to Win - 127 Hours

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Nominees; ‘Another Year’, ‘The Fighter’, ‘Inception’, ‘The Kids Are All Right’, ‘The King’s Speech’

Most Likely to Win - The Fighter

Deserves to Win - The King’s Speech

The Academy Awards are to be announced 27th February 2011.

Salt

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 100 minutes

Director: Phillip Noyce

Angelina Jolie is Evelyn Salt, one of the best CIA agents in America. But after she is accused of being a Russian spy, she goes on the run from her respected colleagues. Through all of the action, we also learn vital information about her past. Is she really working as a spy, or is she just simply being set up? Great acting, as per usual, from the bold and beautiful Angelina, who is said to have done all of her own stunts. This epic movie reportedly was originally scripted for Tom Cruise as the title role, then rewritten for Jolie when he backed out. Overall, a pretty good film.

Rating: ****

The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 144 minutes

Director: Michael Haneke

A foreign film about a small German village, and the strange events that take place over a couple of months. Without giving too much away, bad things have started to happen within the village, people are suffering, and it seems the culprit is yet to be identified. The whole movie seemed a bit pointless and got nowhere, and it seems there can’t have been many foreign films out last year, as it was nominated for an Academy Award. Quite a disappointment in truth.

Rating: **

Best Movies of 2010

1. Precious
2. The Social Network
3. Inception
4. Kick-Ass
5. Alice in Wonderland


*Based on films released in the UK in 2010

The Worst Movies of 2010

1. All About Steve

2. Twilight Saga: Eclipse

3. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

4. Tooth Fairy

5. I Love You Phillip Morris

6. Paranormal Activity 2

7. Furry Vengeance

8. The Joneses

9. Marmaduke

10. Resident Evil: Afterlife

*Based on films released in the UK in 2010