137, Mr Poppers Penguins

2009 was the last time we saw Jim Carrey in an actual acting role (Christmas Carol aside) with "I Love you Phillip Morris" so this is a welcome return for an actor who enthralled me with Ace Ventura, Lloyd Christmas and Stanley Ipkiss.

Mr Poppers Penguins is an adaptation of yet another book I had never heard off about an extremely successful property sales guy who rarely sees his kids and ex-wife after his work takes full priority in his life, growing up with his own father constantly touring the world Popper has developed an understanding, finding himself in similar surrounding until his own father passes away and a "gift" arrives as part of the last will and testament. 6 Penguins, and that’s when the fun begins.  

The interaction between Carrey and his 6 flightless fancies is amazing. The cuts between the CGI and real birds are seamless and you feel the communication between them all, mostly headed up by Captain.

Named after the rejects from the Seven Dwarfs our rookerie of black and white trouble makers really get going once the atmosphere in Poppers apartment is more to their liking and with the adoration of his kids neatly tied in with a new found romantic interest of his ex wife, brilliantly contrasted by his annoying neighbour (Charlie Epps from Numbers) we have a riotous rabble of rare breeds who are as much wanted to be taken into captivity by the local zoo keeper as the kids wishes for them to remain free.

So, the story unfolds, can Carrey manage work, life, relationships as well as penguins? Please his bosses, his family and most importantly - the extremely demanding (and very old) Angela Lansbury in the process? Well, the kids are going to love this and if you leave your inhibitions at the door, so will you. Carrey not at his "Dumb and Dumber" best but definitely his best show in a while.

See this if....................................The name of the movie made you smile, the content will do better!

136, The Devil's Double

Its was only 4 movie blogs ago that Dominic Cooper reared his head in Captain America, playing Stark (Senior) and already here I am again about to write about the same guy but in a very different role.  Infact, after appearances in Tamara Drew and Mamma Mia, playing Uday Hussein is quite a drastic alternation of previous performances.

But what a role!  Dominic plays both Uday (Saddam's oldest son) and Latif, the school aquaitance and now soldier picked personally by Uday to be his body double and relish in all the presidential glory that comes along with being the Son of Saddam.

Against his will, Latif is forced away from his family to take up a presidential life of sex, drugs and corruption and stand idly by a psychotic, self indulged playboy who drives his cars as fast as he takes his drugs and women.

Uday is portrayed as slightly comical nut case with a quirky high pitched laugh, gappy teeth and a very camp persuasion, until its time for him not to be so friendly and then the Devil really does shine through with quite horrific and devastating results.  Latif is the exact opposite.  Although challenged on many occasions this movie sees Latif stand for his true beliefs even when it means a beating or even his life threatened by Saddam's son but his morals shine though and you completely admire his bravery and dedication.

I loved this movie.  Cooper is completely riveting in both roles and its stitched together seamlessly.  The portrayal of Saddam himself is also unnervingly precise and you really do get a honest feel of what life could have been like.

Movies like this will only get made once.  They come and go in between huge blockbusters but they absolutely cannot be missed.  You fully believe that this actually went on and how traumatic it was for those involved.  We only see what the News broadcasts and journalists let us see with hearsay and judgement passed constantly but this opened my eyes to actual events, cut in with real archived footage and I fully believe it to be mesmerising.

1990 is the year and the backdrop to the story is America stepping in to fight Iraq after their invasion of Kuwait and this is, as above, fed back to you with real footage of both the US and Iraq Presidents standing their ground.

That's the story - you know the ending.  But its Dominic Coopers performance as Uday & Latif that make this one jaw dropping experience.

Brilliant.

See this if........................................you want to see what happens, behind closed doors.

135, Super 8

Time after time the worlds population is defined into categories.  Male / Female, Gay / Straight etc etc so lets try one more type of categorisation.  This time into thirds and see where you fit in.

Type 1, Those who hate monster movies
Type 2, Those who like monster movies with suspense
Type 3, Those who like monster movies full on, start to finish.

Okay, chosen where you fit in, well with me its Type 3 and if you're anything like me then sadly this movies is not going to be for you.

Remember Jaws? 70ish minutes until the first full sighting?  Well, this is similar.  There are shady movements, darkened corner appearances, rustling in bushes but no real sighting until about ten minutes before the end so if you like your alien movies with non stop aliens then this is not for you.

As for the other two types well you will both be happy.  The lack of alien presence means you get a movie that ideally focuses on the characters and this is well worth your time.  They are brilliant.

This was summed up for me quite poignantly by someone who I chat with on Facebook.  Think of the Goonies or Stand by Me.  Kid buddy movies that focus on the relationships and the "growing together" of real friends and then you quickly realise that this movie has all the aspects of the two just mentioned and the alien part becomes inconsequential and becomes just a means to an end.

If you happen to like your Alien movies full of suspense however then this is also going to be for you - the constant bush rustling and sheer volume of whats happening on screen is enough to make you jump plenty of times throughout the film.

Due to JJ Abrams and Spielberg's involvement its got all the big budget action without having to show off.  The effects are quietly impressive but in contrast it has to be one of the loudest movies I have ever seen (unless the volume was accidentally cranked up a notch too high).

On review, its actually a lot better then I first thought it was but that was only because I went into the cinema hoping for an all out Alien fest that ended up not to be.

What happened was my eyes were opened to a great movie about the friendships of a group of American kids set back in the 80's that just had a bit of the Ahhh! factor thrown in with some bravery and camaraderie not seen on the screen for quite a while.

See this if....................................you're a Type 1 or 2.

134, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

In 1968, Charlton Heston muttered the immortal words, "You Damn Dirty Ape!".  In 2001, Mark Wahlberg picked up the mantle and reprised one of movie history's most famous lines and in 2011, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) was the chosen character to spout it one last time - so where does this fit in with the other two movies?

Well, The '68 version sees Heston crash land on an alien planet where Apes have the brains as well as the brawn and have managed to keep Humans at bay with Heston having to lead the revolution to gain back authority.  In 2001 its pretty much a direct remake of the '68 original but in the latest turn of events we see Earth in its current state and how the Apes got to the point of executing their master plan to take over the globe. Simples!

This time we don't have Humans in Ape costumes - we moved onto to pretty impressive CGI, portrayed on screen using Andy Serkis in a ping pong ball covered jump suit, the "go to" guy for pretty much every planned, digitally created character since Gollum! The cast includes James Franco as the scientist responsible for creating the brain enhancing drug that gives the Apes (mainly Caesar) their advanced physiology and what starts out as a phenomenal advancement in science quickly turn into our greatest downfall.

John Lithgow plays the father brilliantly as the Alzheimer's sufferer who also (illegally) benefits from the brain drug but after a 5 year lapse its apparent the drug, although great for the primates among us does not bode so well for Humans.

The special effects are brilliant - there is no other explanation.  The baby Apes are cute and the adaption of the original story is brilliantly conceived, showing how our own advancements can easily transform to our most torrid time.

Yes it a tad far fetched but so was the original, there are some pretty sad moments as well as a few funny ones but in the main you do feel for the Apes.  You're heart goes out to them and you wish them all free.

Tom Felton is the first of the Potter clan to step out in a new role since Hallows pt 2 hit the screens only a few weeks ago and plays the evil Ape keeper pretty impressively.  Still nasty but great with it.  Franco is believable as the caring scientist and Lithgow as the dad is brilliant.

Brian Cox plays the sanctuary boss (and Felton's Dad) with the same air of nastiness and for the more keen eyed of you there is a great little role for Stargate Atlantis Star, David Hewlett.

As its only at "preview status" most of you wont have seen this yet although the trailer gives most of it away,  so I wont actually spoil the ending - but as for the Apes taking over the world, well stay through the end credits to see how they deal with that and make your own mind up if you feel a sequel is coming.

It does not feel that long winded either - quite a nice little time filler that trundles along at a pretty speedy pace.  I never felt "come on already!" which is a good sign.

There is no actual "stand out" performance to speak of (Unlike Paul Giamatti in the 2001 version) but all in all everyone is pretty good.  The effects are brilliant and the ending sums up everything pretty well.

All it needs now is for you lot to go and see it.

See this if.............................................You ever wondered how it all began!

133, The Smurfs

The year is 1981.  I was 5 years old and I distinctively recall one of my earliest childhood memories.......The tune stuck in my head for a further 30 years, La La La La La La, Sing a happy song, La La La La La La, Smurf the whole day long!  I was hooked.

I loved the Smurfs.  Back in the mid 80's I don't believe there was a kid that didn't!  In the times of 4 channels and Cartoons only after school and on a Saturday morning everyone tuned in.  The Legend of Papa Smurf, Clumsy, Brainy etc and always wondering why Smurfette was the only girl?  Gargamel and Azrael always trying to defeat our little intrepid blue heroes.  They have been immortalised in cartoon history and even today - you can find Stag Do's all across the world Smurfing it up for a laugh!

So, 2011 is upon us and finally, a 3D Live animation movie about one of the most beloved group of characters ever conceived is launched,  and what a Smurfing great movie it was!

The great thing about the smurfs is the language is god awful but camouflaged amazingly with the word "Smurf" included at just the right time to make it acceptable and completely innocent.  So, for Smurfs sake - pay attention to the following.

The story is pretty straight forward.  Clumsy Smurf Smurfs up quite royally and opens a Smurfing porthole to Central Park, New York where him and 5 other unlucky Smurfers end up gatecrashing life as we know it.  They bump into Neil Patrick Harris (The legend that was and always will be Doogie Howser MD) and him and his pregnant girlfriend reluctantly help them get back to Smurf village while being hunted down by the brilliant Hank Azaria (Most of the Simpson's voices) who plays the real life Gargamel.

Smurfing simple!

There is no denying that the Smurf animation in this is brilliant.  They are completely Smurfing adorable and the interaction between smurf and Human is brilliant.  Hank as Gargamel is also amazing and in my eyes steals the show but its going to take a real Smurfing hard case not to go doe eyed over Smurfette (Katy Perry) and the story behind her being the only lady Smurf in the village is covered off.  Nice!

They have kept to Peyo's cartoon origins almost exactly to the letter with the theme tune reprised throughout and there is even a little nod to the creator (Peyo) in an old spell book as well as some other lovely little appreciative set pieces that really do bring the closeness of the characters home to you.

The other surprise cast member was Sophia Vergara (Modern Family) who initially has the presence of a real slave driving boss but in the end seems to melt into loveliness.  Hmmmmmm.

So - Lets round this up quite simply.  This is a sweet, blue, funny and well written kids movie that your little Smurfing terrors will adore and for the parents over about 30ish - a real homecoming to what was arguable one of the best cartoons of yesteryear.

See this if...................................Just get your head out of your Smurf and go!

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.