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: ****

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