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: ***

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: ***

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: ***

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: ***

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: ***

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: ***

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: ***