132, Captain America: The First Avenger

Okay, some of you may need a history lesson on this one.  The Avengers are a Marvel Creation.  A group of superheroes who band together to defeat evil.  The Avengers are made up of some familiar names including Iron Man, Hulk, Spiderman, Thor and a few others, led by Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America.

Those more familiar with cinematic masterpieces would have noticed a few movie headliners themselves listed above which is a good thing as The Avengers movie set for release next year includes all of them!!!  Captain America is the last one we need an introduction too before they all return for one of the biggest anticipated Marvel Hero movies of all time.

Captain America is a genetically altered soldier from WWII.  Steve Rogers has all the heart and none of the muscle but becomes prime candidate for the experimental procedure which all goes to plan.  The main story takes place with C.A starting out as a War showpiece and jazz hands musical number, getting the soldiers of tomorrow interested in fighting for their country but its only when he starts to come face to face with the troops he so admires that he realises that the American Showman just gets laughed at.

On discovery one of his best mates has been taken captive, Rogers sets off against orders to find a captive troop of US Soldiers, taken against their will by rogue Nazi outfit, Hydra.  With the genetic modification that takes all your best attributes and makes them better, Rogers is like a one man armada who takes it directly to the masses and kicks some German ass!

On his success, Rogers get the accreditation he deserves and with the full backing of the Army sets out to defeat Hydra and its leader, The Red Skull once and for all.

The other marvel connections that set this movie up for the Avengers are continuous throughout - he is aided entirely in this movie by Stark Senior (Iron Mans Dad) and his marvelous weapon creations and I did wonder how a human soldier from the 40's could end up in modern day America fighting along side Iron Man (the son of the guy he once worked with) and a host of other modern day superheroes.  Well, luckily they cover this off at the end with the arrival of Nick Fury and everything becomes clear.

As far as special effects go, considering its set in the 40's there is only so much "space age" technology they could get away with but they have done it brilliantly.  Great ray guns for the baddies and some awesome "shield" action from the man himself.

I am a complete Super Hero nut.  I'm the sort of gut who liked Mystery Men, thought the first Hulk movie was okay and loves ALL the Batmans! So, The Avenger for me is like Christmas & Birthdays all rolled into one.

If the recent spate of movies is anything to go by with Iron Man and Thor being pretty cool then this definitely takes the cake and with the Spiderman remake on its way, Marvel is making a bit of a comeback to match the DC awesomeness of the Batman remakes.

Its a bit slower to get going than recent movies - being the first introduction to Captain America about 70% of the movie is the "getting to know you bit" which this time actually makes for quite an interesting watch but you are glad when it gets going and all this means is that when The Avengers makes it onto our screens it should be able to get stuck right in!

So, Loving Captain America, cant wait for Avengers and roll on all the other Hero moves that get thrown our way.

See this if......................................................Heroes Rock!

131, Cars 2

Its the Summer Holidays and I am sure this is the first of many kids movies I will be dragged along too.  To be fair, I don't mind most of them.  The animation keeps getting better and normally there are more famous names stepping up than you see on the Oscars carpet and the addition of Michael Caine, Eddie Izzard & Emily Mortimer made this one slightly more appealing than most.

For those of you who don't know the story, its pretty straight forward - in the first outing our hero Lightening McQueen stumbles across hick town, Radiator Springs and meets Mater, a tow truck who to be fair, is a little bit thick.  Blah Blah Blah and they become best friends and World Champions.  The end.

The sequel kicks off with the main story of a group of Spy's trying to find out who is taking over the worlds oil industry, Behind this is the back story with McQueen due home after his 4th title win.  After an invite ensues from an Italian F1 racer to the World Grand Prix he takes Mater along to keep him company.  At the inauguration party both Spy and Race cars meet up and Mater is identified (wrongly) as an American undercover agent.  you then get taken on a story of Spy vs. Villain, backed up by a buddy movie of self discovery.

So, I have probably taken the above a little too seriously.  But to be brutally honest....it did seem dull.  And long.  And dull.

Yes the animation if impressive, Yes the stars have come out again and loaned their vocal talents but it feels long.  Too long!  Its 14 minutes shy of 2hrs and you feel every minute of it.  I did go at 7pm with younger kids which was probably not the best idea.  The movie is 106 minutes.  The Ads are 30 minutes and before the feature there is a short 10 minute Toy Story sketch (which was quite good actually, all the original cast!).  In total - nearly 146 minutes of sitting still and quiet and although my 7yr old handled it pretty well, its a a little too long for some of the younger crowd - by 8.30pm 5yr old kids were running around, crying and running up to the screen, casting silhouettes across the auditorium so may be by then I was not in the best of moods.  Sorry.

I suppose the movie will attract great reviews.  Gain acclaim for its brilliant cast and the kids will certainly take on the rapture and awe of the World Grand Prix - but as Adults, we know better! (sometimes) and this just does not have the appeal of say Toy Story or Shrek.

Take the kids if they want to go but don't expect miracles.  There have definitely been better ones recently.

See this if..................................you are cornered!

130, Horrible Bosses

Well, The Whirlwind that is Harry Potter has now been and gone and finally some new(er) movies are starting to grace our local multiplexes so its time go get my head out of Hogwarts and back into some down to earth, good old fashioned movie going.

Which leads me to Horrible Bosses.

After the disappointing Hangover 2 and the absolutely brilliant Bridesmaids I was hoping for the latter to rear its head and this movie to offer up some hilarious goings on.  Lets start with the bosses.  Here the big hitters really come into their own with Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey and by far the funniest, Colin Farrell.  Lets start in reverse order - Colin is brilliant with a character extremely reminiscent of Tom Cruise's epic Les Grossman.  Its the sleaze and the pure rudeness that get the giggles with this one.  Kevin Spacey plays the egotistical power hungry Sales Director and the gorgeous Jennifer Aniston is the sex crazy Dentist who still looks amazing (and demonstrates it to great effect).

Now the "employees".  The increasingly present Jason Bateman is probably the most recognisable with Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis backing him up.

So the story, We have 3 downtrodden employees whose lives are made miserable by their "Horrible Bosses".  After taking all they can they finally break out a plan to employ a "Murder Consultant" (Jamie Foxx) who turns out to be a costly misconception but never the less they plod on and what develops is quite a comedic roller coaster of a movie.

On the bosses side Aniston is Hot, Spacey is mean and Farrell is just plain ridiculous.  For the employees, Bateman is his normal, down to earth self, Sudeikis is the moral less hound dog and Day grabs all the chuckles.

The pure naivety of our 3 wannabe murderous being as normal as they possibly could gives me a slight insight to how I would probably behave if I hated by boss!  They try to act all bad-ass but in reality none of them have a bad bone in their body and this shows with hapless attempt after hapless attempt and in the end its a sweet turn of circumstance and the assistance of a generic Sat Nav assistant that wins the day.

This for me fits in with all those little comedy movies that pop up every now and again, well acted, well written and with jokes that you cant help laughing along too.

If you were too manly to sit through Bridesmaids and missed out on the best comedy of the year then this might take a little bit of that regret away.  Its by far better than Hangover 2 and you may even fall in love with Aniston - all over again!.

See this if................................................you need something different from Wizards!

129, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Officially this all started 10 years ago but for the current installment, all you need to do is go back to Blog No. 72, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 if you need to catch up quickly.

There is a reason I waited until over a week after this movie was released to write about it, don't panic! No, I have not just seen it but I am going to talk about all of it, even the end so hopefully there is no spoiler alert needed as all of you have seen it.

Even if you rely on this blog as a "what to watch?" I am hoping that you don't need to be told to see this move, of COURSE you have seen it - who hasn't?

Lets be honest - Part 1 was a little slow - lots of Port keys around forests and the DVD actually sent me off to sleep but this is the one everyone is talking about - the Finale, the Climax, the ever looming ending that underlines a chapter in all of our lives.

And what a movie!!

Everything you want to happens happens - all the questions get answered, Snape shows his true colours, wizards snog, people die, new bonds are made and the one who cannot be named (well actually, he can now!) Voldemort, starts to show signs of weakness and you dont feel sorry for him one little bit.

The Dragons, the jokes, the magic and the treachery - this has got the lot.  I could not have wished for a more amazing finale to what has undoubtedly been the best run of movies since Police Academy. (bear with me - Mahony rules!) We have watched these actors grow into their characters and we have seen Hermione, Ron and Harry develop bonds that no evil lord can shatter.

But its not just the main three that rock, Snape plays a blinder in this, Malfoy proved once and for all he is as chicken as my last Sunday roast and who did not cheer when Mrs Weasley took to levelling the awesome Bellatrix.

Not a single minute of this movie went unnoticed from Ginny stepping up to protect her man to the passionate embrace when Hermione and Ron took out one of the remaining horcruxes.  We all gaped at how tall and lanky Neville has become and how forever young Maggie Smith continues to be.  We all hoped the final scene some years later would be captured with magnificence and it was, even down to a chubby Ron and a blow dried Ginny but nothing will replace the overpowering surge of emotion that comes over the entire audience when Voldemort realises his moment is up, especially as it happens soon after a full on mocking of the Hogwarts residents.

Yes the good guys win and yes you should all see this movie.  You don't need me to tell you that and if anyone reads this saying Harry who? Well this blog is not for you..........and none of the other 129 are either - go home!

I cant praise it more - 3D was awesome but it did not really need it.  The story carried it through with 10 years of anticipation and this movie it definitely lived up to the hype.

1 more DVD to add to the cabinet and when it does - a full 24hrs may be devoted to a start to finish HP session, anyone care to join me?

See this if..........................................you have a brain!

128, Larry Crowne

I know I have been a bit late blogging this one - I had to postpone it for at least a week as there is noting new coming out AT ALL! until Friday when Harry Potter 7 (pt2) graces us with its presence but with that being the only new release I have quickly run out of movies to watch!!

Question? What happens when two of Hollywood's most famous faces get together?  Well, normally you could easily expect Box Office smashes from Hanks and Roberts and in their day, easily commanded some of the highest salaries around.  Sadly, this does not paint the same picture and feels a bit like Tom had nothing to do for a while so penned a movie, roped best buddy Julia in, gave a small bit part to the wife and hires Cedric the Entertainer for comedic value as well as a hapless bunch of classmates and thrown it all together in a weekend, just because they can!

This is a kind of "nothing" movie - I was hoping for a glowing review, mesmerised in the same capacity as The Blind Side that had me hooked from the opening scene but it just was not there.

I cant completely slate it though, its not that bad a movie.  The parts are played really well and Hanks goes from slightly awkward retail nerd to a pretty cool college grad by the end (with a little help obviously) and Roberts plays the "cant be bothered" lecturer with a marriage in the gutter and every determination not to attend work.    These performances paired with Cedric playing the nosey neighbour who's line of work revolves around a 24/7 yard sale and a gaggle of odd but amusing classmates does command some giggles throughout and there is a great "get your own back" moment which we could all do with at one time or another but apart from that, this movie just seemed to bubble along being innocent and slightly empty.

Is this the official end of an era?  Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts who have each made us smile, cheer, cry and fall in love over and over again.  Two actors from way before RealD, Two actors who each held the limelight both on stage and off it finally being replaced by the modern world of high drama, visual masterpieces and 3D?  Well, maybe.

Hanks last acting role was Angels and Demons in 2009, (not forgetting Woody in Toy Story 3 - 2010) and mostly his work in now producing which he gets far less credit for but overall, it was nice to see him back on the big screen.  Roberts is set to star as the Evil Queen in Snow White (coming 2012) and like Hanks, her last movie in 2010 (Eat, love, Pray) was not one of my favourites but she is forever the Pretty Woman and that's how she will stay.

Luckily, its not mind numbingly boring.  There are, as I mentioned a few glimmering moments and seeing as nothing else is due out for at least another week or two those regular movie goers will be hard pressed this week to see something new!  So, as a little time waster you cant go that wrong.  Just don't expect Oscar performances.

See this if..............................You've seen everything else!

127, Transformers: Dark of the Moon

In the Summer of 2009, 3 months before this blog started one of my childhood dreams became reality.

Its important you know a few things about me.  Growing up as a small kid in the 80's with no Internet, mobile phones or sky TV to rely on, our enjoyment completely revolved around action figures and none had the impact as the Transformers.  I had the cartoons, the Videos, and some of the toys.  My first real childhood envy came from a friend of mine I have not seen in probably 25 years, Paul had every Transformer known to man and on every teatime visit all I cared for was spending hours playing with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Starscream, Shockwave and a host of many other's who sadly, my own parents budget could not extend to.  So here we are, many years on and Transformers was released and my dreams came true.

I loved the first two movies - not just the special effects and the awesome robots but also the smaller performances - being introduced to Megan ox and chuckling along with the worlds most embarrassing parents.  Realising shat Shia LaBeouf was pretty good as the human hero and John Turturro always seemed to want to be anywhere else but on set (and I even loved that!) So I could not wait to see the third installment.

Was it everything I hoped it would be?  Well, not entirely.  Sorry.

Firstly, no Megan fox.  I know!  It was never all about her anyway but thankfully she was written out completely as the "ex" girlfriend and not replaced (which would have been sacrilege!)  Her replacement, the UK actress Rosie Huntington-Whitely was good, definitely pretty but just lacked the kick-ass(ness) of Fox who I have to say, was sorely missed.  Then the Parents, they did appear but oh so briefly and in that short time the mum still managed to handle the funniest lines in the whole movie - I wanted more!!

So what was left?, well the Transformers obviously.  Now don't get me wrong.  This is more visually entertaining and costly than the other two probably were combined - Full on 3D and jaw dropping SFX at every turn made this a true visual masterpiece and they certainly did not hold back.  More Decepticons than you could shake a stick at squaring off against 9 Autobots always seemed a little too one sided this time around but some fancy NEST assistance and the return of our favourite heavy arms division of US military and it all seemed to work exactly as it should.  Hell Yeah the USA can defeat an alien robot race, who cares if their guns are bigger and their robots eat buildings - we have Josh Duhamel to save the day!!

Simple plot - Decepticons want to enslave earth.  Job done.  Moving on then............

Its long - 150 minutes long to be precise and it did seem a little stretched out - the final fight scenes in Chicago span nearly a whole hour and although its constant explosions and action pretty much from start to finish it just seemed too drawn out.

Its a fitting end to this awesome trilogy and yes, it will adorn the DVD cabinet with a space reserved snugly along side 1 & 2.  Spielberg made it epic, LaBeouf made it believable, Duhamel made it gritty and Fox - made it empty!  (sorry Rosie, but at least you're still cute)

A brilliant ending to the Saga? - Well, an ending it is, Brilliant is debatable but I have to say yes, although its not my favourite.

As a kid from the 80's its a dream realised.  As an adult in the 2010's its a moment savoured and as a Grandad in the 2030's it will be a story handed down.  I love the Transformers and always will.  Good or bad.

See this if.....................................Dreams were meant to come true! 

126, Bridesmaids

Every now and again a movie just comes out of nowhere that defies all possibility.  In a summer riddled with Blockbusters its always nice to discover a hidden gem that excites, tantalises and teases the senses with such precision that it just makes you step back and take a deep breath of disbelief.

Overshadowed by the "lads" equivalent, The Hangover II, I was expecting this to be a cheap imitation where the girls tried to play as loud and raucous as the boys.  But alas!! This time around - The girls definitely came out on top...

To say this is the funniest movie I have ever seen is a bold statement but lets define just what that means.  Did I laugh almost constantly throughout?...Yes.  Did I even laugh at the non-funny bits, just by thinking back to the funny ones?...Yes.  Did my ribs hurt so much at the end that I found it hard to draw breath?...Yes.  So, by definition of never having that experience with any other movie I have to hand on heart say that this IS the funnies movie I have ever seen.

But why?  What makes this stand out from the pack.  Well, the cast are amazing.  Kristen Wiig as the leading role is awesome.  Co-writer and heavily involved in production she owns almost every scene and handles the many awkward comedic moments with absolute brilliance.  Supporting Kristen are the other Bridesmaids, headed up by Karen (Rose Byrne) who plays the over indulgent new best friend of the Bride Lilian, played by Maya Rudolph.  For me though (and probably many others) its the "gross" out moments that get the biggest full blown belly laughs and they mostly come from the unbelievable antics of Megan, played by the brilliant Melissa McCarthy.

She manages to take you on a journey through this movie that involves straddling a sink (epic!) to puppy smuggling but with a true heart of gold, she is there to pick up the many pieces of peoples broken hearts and all you want to do at the end is say "Megan, be my best friend?"

The comedy comes in all shapes and sized from actual amazing one liners scattered throughout to the "trailer" wedding shop scene where food poisoning takes the lead role and the gaggle of girlie's find themselves in tears of pain (much to our amusement) and desperately trying to remain as lady like as possible - which they all obviously fail at!

Another small moment of genius is the very surprising appearance from Matt Lucas as the odd (does he do anything else better?) roommate of Annie's who along with his doppelganger sister (and owner of the worlds worst tattoo!).  They manage to take "awkward" to a whole another level.  Brilliant!

If you grew up in the 80's are are female then there are loads of lines here that will rekindle some amazing memories including the Wilson Pickett reunion at the wedding where the dancing involves acting out the song lyrics...come on, you all did it! (and this is acted out brilliantly from the Bride and her Matron of (Dis)-Honour, Annie).

Chris O'Dowd (The I.T Crowd, Gulliver's Travels) again turns in a stellar performance as the underwhelmed local copper and potential love interest of Annie who is the only one in this with his feet truly on the ground.

As for us guys - Do NOT let your women tell you this is a chick flick - I laughed almost as hard as my wife while watching this movie in a heavily "female" dominated cinema and I think us guys could easily miss out!  But don't.  This will have you rolling in the aisles from the opening scenes and sadly, puts the Hangover II completely to shame.

If that was the warm up then this is definitely the main course and you will be a fool to miss it.

Every ounce of this screams great comedy and I will be hard pressed to find a movie over the past decade that made me laugh as much as this did.

It will make you cringe, laugh, nearly cry and easily turn most peoples stomachs but, as a comedy - this year at least, its unrivalled and just goes to prove that boys don't have all the fun on Stag Do's - the girls easily put us to shame!!!

See this if...................................Girls rock!

125, Green Lantern

There are very few things in this world that annoy me.  Listed easily on one hand they include missing a Grand Prix, bad drivers, negative people, running out of wine and a bad superhero movie.

Oh Dear, Number 5 has struck.  

I so wanted this to come over as a great film.  Being a DC comic the Lantern fits in with Superman, Batman and a host of other lesser known characters that in my eyes are not on the same level as that of competitors Marvel, however with a cast including the brilliant Ryan Reynolds and one of my favourite Brit actors Mark Strong I was secretly hoping that this would be on par with the amazing re-vamp of the Batman movies and set itself apart from some of the others recently released.  Set itself apart it did - but sadly as one not to adorn my DVD cabinet.

I am sure that this will appeal to the die hard fans but it was just a little too "Buck Rogers" for me.  It started off over cheesy and way too sci-fi and I understand that with any 1st timer movie we have to spend time getting to know the character and them coming to reason with their new found powers however this was just too padded out and full of fluff to be captivating.  

I might be missing a trick - for those DC readers who have followed the Lantern this may be exactly what you were expecting and indeed wanting but a big nasty cloud with a face that swallows souls is just not my kind of villain and a ring of power is not really my kind of saviour.

For its faults though - Reynolds is still quite likeable and the supporting cast of Mark Strong and the voices of Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke-Duncan as more "alien" lanterns are mildly comedic and there are some mild chuckles throughout.  For me though it just lacked pace and style and is way off the mark of some of the recent Marvel adventures.  One high point though are the powers, being able to "will" anything you wish from the power of the ring from a Tommy gun to a race track was pretty impressive, albeit a little OTT but this is super hero movie - what else would you expect! 

I am left with just one thing.  Throughout the course of this blog, all 126 episodes I have fed back my thoughts  on the introduction and rise of 3D, or Real D as its mostly referred too and time after time I have been disappointed and let down.  So let me just make one thing completely clear.  This is the WORST one yet!  The glasses just made in uncomfortable and I failed to actually identify which parts were in 3D and those that weren’t.  Let down and almost to the point of demanding a £1.50 refund for the 0D effect I would have preferred to spend the cash on the bigger popcorn deal!

So - 3D or not 3D?  Well, Not! Go for the popcorn and coke combo instead!

See this if......................................Bad Hero movies float your boat.

124, Bad Teacher

The trailers for this movie in my eyes made it one of my most anticipated comedies of the year. Diaz playing a badly behaved renegade teacher, abusing the kids and rocking up to work with a hangover and a sole intention to hook a rich hubby to take her away from the strife of everyday life.


Sadly, the trailer nailed all the best bits and what’s left is a pretty lifeless sub-comedy that focuses on Cameron's sole intentions to buy a new set of boobs and bed geeky heartthrob Timberlake who was uninspiring in this compared to his epic performance in Social Network.

I may have got it totally wrong – the surrounding audience certainly laughed a lot more than I did so maybe I went with the wrong intentions – The thing I love about school movies is the kid’s involvement. You can name loads of great examples that range from Kindergarten Cop to The Principle and I just was secretly hoping that they would act on this but it did lack the interaction I was hoping for. There was the pasty kid nicknamed “Twilight”, the fat kid nicknamed “chubbs” and all of the other stereotypical student groups were covered from the boffin with cookies for teacher at the front to the quiet reserved romantics at the back. There just should have been more of them!

Cameron Diaz took her normal turn at being the hottie with a carwash scene dressed in heels, hot pants and a “Daisy Duke” shirt while dads ogled on with awe. J.T plays the uber rich supply teacher who ends up the aim of Diaz’s antics with the quietly confident Gym Teacher Jason Segal playing a happy go lucky staff member, keen on Diaz but unprepared to put on any form of act to get what he wants. What’s great about this movie is how the relationship between these two grows throughout the movie – watching the playground antics of “hitting the girl you fancy” described by many a love struck teen as the best way to attract a female through to the realisation from Diaz that money does not always bring happiness.

The supporting “rest of the staff”, headed up by goodie two shoes teacher Miss Squirrel (Amy Punch) and the nervy confidence lacking Miss Davies (Phyllis Smith) bring a wry smile to the lips with Timberlake’s ginger haired, bespectacled character poking fun at himself with the worst song and dance routine ever conceived – bless!

The Kids deserved a greater standing in this but there is something slightly appealing about a foul mouthed, dirty minded Diaz that does make this movie tolerable so I will end on a positive.

It will get laughs and it will get praise – so for a minor giggle it’s worth a punt.

So and see this if…………………..You need a stop-gap in anticipation for HP7 & Transformers 3

123, Senna

Ayrton Senna was 34 years old when he tragically died at Imola in 1994.

At 34 years old myself I can only imagine what his family and close friends went through over this tragic weekend that also saw Rubens Barrichello luckily escape unscathed from an equally horrific accident and in Saturday qualifying, only 24 hours before Senna's accident the equally tragic death of Roland Ratzenberger (33) in what Murray Walker described as the blackest weekend in motor sport history.

Senna tracks the amazing story of the Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna from his induction to F1 in 1984 for the lower ranked Toleman team before moving to Lotus Renault. It was after joining Maclaren alongside then friend Alain Prost that one of motor sports greatest rivalries began.

10 years and 3 World Championship wins on, Ayrton joined Williams where he tragically lost his life entering the Tamburello curve at Imola, a race eventually won by a young Michael Schumacher but the sport had lost its greatest hero.

Growing up as a kid in the 80's and 90's my childhood was heavily influenced by Formula 1 Racing.  Remembering afternoons with my dad, glued to our TV, listening to Murray Walker and watching motoring legends like Mansell, Senna, Prost & Lauder risking life and limb in cars that bounced, skidded, sparked and sometimes flew around what seemed narrow and dangerous circuits.  The footage was unrecognisably grainy compared to the H.D world we now all live in and you forget how close the racing used to be, week after week.

They say you don't need to be an F1 fan to enjoy this movie but I would definitely say it helps - knowing who Ron Dennis is (almost unrecognisable with hair!), being able to spot young versions of some of today's most recognisable faces and most importantly, having an understanding of the rivalries is something that came across far deeper after watching this that I ever imagined.

What Senna does is open the doors to a world of politics, racing and money and all from the fully archived footage of a man who strived for perfection and success - no matter who he annoys to get there, even the FIA chairman! who comes across like a regular Mr Nasty!

There is no fluff, no acting, no narrative - its all real footage strung together with a haunting soundtrack and the result is a movie that EVERY sport fan should take the time to watch.

I consider myself quite a hardcore movie buff - For example, after watching Bambi I went for a venison burger! but this categorically put a lump in my throat that remained for the whole drive home.  The final footage at Imola not only shows Barrichello's accident and the devastating shots of Ratzenbergers limp body being battered around in his seat but the "on car" footage of Senna as his steering column broke and he careered into the side wall.  Without a broken bone in his body or a cut or bruise found anywhere it was a precise hit to the head from a suspension rod that was enough to end this motoring legends life.

Throughout Senna there is crash footage of some of the most devastating wrecks you would have ever seen - something that no longer happens in today racing championships.  Its meaningful, amazing and heart stopping from start to finish.

The biggest eye opener is the relationship between Senna & Prost.  Racing for McLaren side by side, what started as friendly banter soon turned into an almost hatred and loathing of each other to the point of purpose crash allegations, cheating and an unprecedented look at what went on behind closed doors when the TV cameras stopped but the archive feeds kept rolling.  What stands out here is the raw passion displayed by all the drivers, to a point - something that might of died out (to this level) at the same time as Senna himself.

It was the restrictions and safety procedures put in by Senna's friend and then F1 Doctor that has resulted in Senna & Ratzenbergers deaths being the last that F1 has seen on a track that has only ever claimed 2 lives, both in the same weekend.  10 other tracks have claimed 2 or more deaths - with Silverstone and Brands Hatch both claiming three.  Its easy to forget exactly how many lives the sport has claimed - but with the stats remaining at zero for the past 17, years F1 has managed to keep the glitz, glamour and drama of the big show - without the tragedy.

Is it a movie? Maybe not in the direct sense but as a cinematic masterpiece it cant be missed.

There is no "See this if.............." this time - its in a league of its own and unmatched in any of my other reviews.  A different class deserves a different ending, so........................

DON'T see this if................................................you have no concept of greatness.

122, X-Men: First Class

Prequel time once more and this time we get the 5th movie from the X-Men (including the side story, Wolverine)

Stepping back in time, this story covers the making and rising of Professor X and Magneto from kids, understanding their powers through University and then, in the face of adversity meeting up to work hand in hand with the CIA as an elite Mutant Special Ops outfit against a sole ex Nazi / Mutant with his own band of unique beings.

Lets get my immediate issues out of the way - after watching this I went back and watched "Last Stand" on DVD and immediately noticed some poor inconsistencies from the end of "First Class" and the beginning of "Last Stand".  I wont spoil anything for you but First Class ends with some definitive story lines being set up which are kind of undermined by the 3rd installment.

Then there is Wolverine, Yes he appears and has the best 3 words in the whole movie which could easily have happen as at the end of Wolverine he loses all previous memories and Professor X arrives to save the rescued kids after he takes the bullet so no concerns there.

In First Class there is lifelong association between Raven (Mystique) and Charles X, something quite left out in the other 3 movies and whats good is that a number of characters of "older" age get their early beginnings fully explained, namely Beast & Mystique.  We also meet a few other mutants and the one that passed me by was a brilliant performance by Jason Flyming as Azazel - I would never have guessed!

The story is quite drawn out - its good, don't get me wrong but the movie itself is extremely wordy.  The action scenes are brilliantly done but as most of the movie is about self discovery and training they are staggered few and far between.

Kevin Bacon as the nasty Mr Shaw is quite spine chilling as the Nazi Dr and then later in the movie, reinvented as a dastardly warlord commands quite an on screen presence with his own band of Mutants setting up the scene nicely for Magneto to take over - after a few old grudges are laid to rest.

I was hoping for a bit more action, a few more battles and  bad guys with powers that would rock the multiplex and although there are there (in part) this movie is more an explanation to the battle lines being drawn between good and evil and it does so with script rather than punch.

That does not mean its not a good movie, if like me you are easily drawn into all Marvel & DC movies then as an X-Men fan you cant afford to miss it.  it does what it sets out to do brilliantly and you really get the feeling of where Eric & Charles are coming from and their aspirations behind their own definitions of whats right and wrong.  Like Batman reinvention with a darker, more mysterious and less jovial Batman taking to the screens this could easily set up for a new batch of X-Men remakes but the others are not that bad and a bit more continuity should have been thought through to make it really fit nicely in with 1,2 & 3.

That aside though - look out for Hugh Jackmans cameo and chuckle along as the rest of us did.

First Class?  Well, maybe not on the action stakes but if you want to know how the Beast became a blue hairball, Why Mystique chose not to cover up, how she came to side with Magneto and most importantly how Cerebro was conceived then this answers all your questions.

for Fans its a must and there is still another 40ish years to cover between this and X-Men 1 if they choose to do another prequel sequel?  if that makes sense.

See this if..............................................you want all your questions answered!

121, Kung Fu Panda 2

Count them - its been 12 blogs, Yes 12! since I last covered a kids flick (Rio: 109) so with Half Term upon us it's only fair that I don the "dad" cap and take my two youngest out to watch Jack Black and what can only be described as "the rest of Hollywood!" laying it on thick for the little kiddie-winks.

What can I say! as with ALL of these movies you cant fault the animation, music, blah blah blah as they are all similar in presentation, look ,colour, kiddie friendly factor and likability.

Woe betide the studio that puts out a duff kids film that's all I can say - the bar is set way too high.

So what can we talk about.  Well the cast. It seems that no matter how successful, failing or trying you are as a Hollywood starlet you have to get your name into an animation.

In this one alone there is Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogan, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Victor Garber an EVEN, the Muscles from Brussels himself, Mr Jean Claude Van-Damme!

(Okay, given that maybe two or three of these names are unknown, Google them - they have very familiar faces)

Over half of these names have had recent(ish) leading roles so either they all took a huge pay cut to take part (just to get their name in lights) or the movie is set to break all box office records!!

What's the film like? (worlds shortest review coming up...)  Its okay.

Not as funny as Toy Story 3 but very few movies are - even the real action ones!  for half term its a definite must and one to get out of the way quickly before Cars 2 & Harry Potter take over our lives.

The kids will love it.  for the Adults watching, well two games to play - 1) Just picture Jolie as Tigress, smile and relax & 2) play the "Who's- who" game.  It keeps you guessing the entire movie - then hang around during the credits for the answers, only to realise it does not tell you in the credits!  so you end up checking on IMDB when you get home and go "Oh, I thought it was him!"

Yes readers, on the first day of summer I was once again inside a dimly lit auditorium with a few randoms on preview day - the movie is set for general release on the 10th but with most places having it on for a 4 day half term preview, don't wait until the 10th - there will be far better stuff out then to go and see anyway!

See this if........................................SKAAAADDOOOOOSSSHHH! 

120, The Hangover Part II

I can not describe how much I was looking forward to this movie - I loved the first one - a true blokes movie.  Stag-do, Booze, shenanigans and Mike Tyson - what was not to love.

The sequel however is a little darker.  The language has stepped up a level as has the graphic content and its lucky to get away with the 15 cert its been given.  Alan (Zach) is completely in a different from the start.  Yes, he was always "weird" but this time he is scarily so - quite protective of his beloved wolf pack yet quite sadistic in his methods of self preservation.  He actually starts out quite annoying in this and not the lovable muppet from the first outing but you quickly warm up to him.

As before, Justin Bartha (Doug) manages to miss the whole thing and the action is purely centered around Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis (Phil, Stu & Alan) with the brilliant Mr Chow back for second helpings as this time we are on his home soil.

Take out the heartthrob Cooper for a minute - this one is all about Stu.  This time its his stag-do, fresh from divorcing the awesome Heather Graham he has now found himself with another hottie, this time of oriental decent hence the abroad wedding and as before he also ends up with the brunt of the issues surrounding the "fabled" night out. What this guy gets up to in the space of a few hours would make the biggest party animals among us jealous (well, nearly all of it - there is one bit he can definitely keep to himself!) and he even admits at the end that his "demon within" sometimes needs to get out - and my goodness it does in this one!

The action is faster paced, the language and "items" on display are far more in your face and the debauchery is second to none - all I can say is that its one mental Bangkok ride.

Yes, Mike Tyson is in it again but more as a party piece than he was in the 1st movie - shame - he comes across a bit of a tit (Sorry Mike, If you're reading) and his role in Part 1 was far more required than it was in No.2.

Cooper swoons into the ladies hearts as before with the worlds most understanding wife and the only time he really lifts an eyebrow from the audience is the diner scene, with baby in tow he drops every ones favourite swear word (Yes readers, its back!) and a gasp is heard from the back of the cinema - then a chuckle then a realisation that the Hangover Part II is not going to hold anything back.

Great little cameo from Paul Giamatti but for me its Ken Jeong (Mr Chow) & Ed Helms (Stu) that deserve the credit for this one.

If there is ever a Part III then they will have to stop short of a full blown war to better the events of this night out!

See this if.................................you ever woke up thinking......What?, did I?..........NEVER!!!

119, Blitz

3 things commonly make a great movie.  1, Its got Jason Statham in it.  2, Its set in London & 3, Its not called "Attack the Block".  So - all boxes checked - here we go!!!

Firstly, lets start with the 18 certificate that Blitz has been labeled with.  Not worthy! Yes its got a lot of violence but no sex and not a single actual gory moment, however its funny how the introduction of a single word can send people into a mad frenzy when rating movies.  So, to be specific (but not too much as I know the little kiddies read this) it has got every body's favourite swear word in it - one that only gets banded about in either extreme confrontation or that of a giggling group of friends but definitely not one for polite conversation.  And that in a nutshell is the dilemma of making a movie an 18.  Moving on........

Statham does what he does best.  A gritty London copper, plain clothed and a bit on the edge as the movie opens with him taking a hurling bat to a gang of car thieves outside his apartment / flat.  Then the credits role - so, nice guy? Well.  Yes.  He is not a dirty cop, just likes to dish out punishment to those deserving of it and his softer side comes to light a few times with his slightly odd couping of the new Gay Superintendent, transferred from Posh London to the S.E to head up the criminal unit after the untimely death of his predecessors wife leading to a leave of absence.  Between them they are like Kenneth Williams meets, well - Jason Statham!  but its has his funny moments and Statham dishes out one liners as quick as he does broken noses while keeping it non-cheesy and specific.

With an all British cast its not just Statham that stands out, Zawe Ashton (Bianca in St Trinians 2) is brilliant as an ex-undercover junkie cop who is crying out for love and support and has grown up a hell of a lot since beat boxing in Frittens Dorms!  The other cops and The Blitz himself are also brilliant and mostly are all recognisable from TV dramas.

Its great when this kind of movie comes along.  America hype up cop movies with all action, over the top drama that is well received but not ordinary of maybe an LA freeway or a New York suburb.  We manage to keep all the action and suspense while at the same time make it believable, down to earth and entertaining.

Imagine Bad Boys or Mission impossible on a smaller scale? - They would not work and they don't have too.  They make big budget worth it but this does not need the glitz and glamour of huge names - Statham is a main attraction at the best of times but in this he truly does show his down to earth roots and is backed up brilliantly.

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this even with the "C" word thrown in a few times and being a cert 18 kept the noisy kids out which left me, My wife and about another 200 movie goers in silent awe as the 90 minutes barrelled past like a freight train to Alaska.

If Pirates 4 left you excited then this a happy "down to earth with a bump" movie and one completely deserving of awesome write ups. I hope you read this Jason - Keep making them and I will keep watching them!

See this if...............................................You're proud to be British (or if American, which I know about 1200 of my readers are, This ones ours!  MI4 is yours)      

118, Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides

Instalment number 4.  For those who have started losing count it all began back in 2003 with The Curse of the Black Pearl, then in 06 & 07, Depp had back to back releases with Dead Mans Chest and At Worlds End until we find ourselves in 2011 with Stranger Tides.

There are notable unfamiliarity's, the sad losing of original cast members Bloom & Knightly in my eyes are greatly missed but with Sparrow, Barbossa & Gibbs all in attendance and the great additions of Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz & Stephen Graham as Blackbeard, Angelica & Scrum with a cracking 30 second cameo from Dame Judy. D leads to a pretty impressive cast listing, even without our much missed British double act.

So where are we - well, there is no mention of Bloom & Knightly to start, Barbossa has switched sides to the British Navy and Sparrow is still without the Pearl, taken from Barbossa by Blackbeard.  Sparrow is in London and hears that he is supposed to be collecting a crew to seek for the fountain of youth - an apparent impostor! on investigation he discovers that its old flame Angelica (Cruz) pretending to be the wayward captain, working on behalf of daddy dearest, Blackbeard himself.

Everyone meets up and Blackbeard, The Navy and a gaggle of Spaniards all race to find the fountain of youth by the way of collecting some Goblets and a Mermaids tear.  Sorted - Ahoy me Hearty's!!

I love a good pirate movie - the first three had me in stitches with laughter at Sparrows antics and the colour and settings of the Caribbean always make the dullest, rainiest days seem a joy to behold.  I was a little worried out Knightly's departure - she always bought something demure to being a pirate but Cruz manages to take over quite seamlessly, a pirate from early on she carries the charm and charisma of any of her male compatriots and manages to make a name for herself in this very male environment.

McShane as Blackbeard manages to balance evil with a small touch of mercy brilliantly and has always been destined to play this role - even since the early days as Lovejoy!  Barbossa is his normal craggy self, now minus a leg and Scragg, the new chatty pirate played by Stephen Graham (Tommy from Snatch) is as dumber a pirate as you could have hoped for.

The mermaids are tantalisingly graceful but there is not an "Ariel" in sight as these ladies of the deep are as deadly as they are beautiful and the collection of a single tear proves harder than you may believe.  But not all is lost, as you will see - they are not all like it!

There is no real plot spoiler here - its a road movie on boats with swords and as with the previous three its Johnny Depp who steals the limelight.  Depp is again amazing and I believe he truly loves this role, maybe above all others.  He IS Jack Sparrow.  Cunning, devious, funny, witty, charming & deadly, a lovable rogue.  And he continues to get better and better with each outing.

Its a good 2hrs this one and being a 12A there are some jumpy bits - We saw it in 2D but no matter - the cinema was still full and although you could tell the bits that would have jumped out at you it was a joy to behold as much without the specs as I am sure it would have been with them.

I might wait to see if there is a Fifth on the way in the next few years but if not - then the box set might be a great little investment.  There has not been a pirate franchise like this before and there probably never will be again - Not a bad word.  Loved it.

See this if..........................................You're partial to a bottle of Rum!