145, 30 Minutes or Less

I am officially a huge Jesse Eisenberg fan.  From Zombie & Adventureland through to the Social Network and even Blu I have totally bought into the awkwardness of his characters and love how they manage, against all odds to always overcome adversity.  From the early on-set of this movie you are again thrown into Eisenbergs world, a loser pizza delivery guy with an Indian best mate who manages to be ever so slightly more awkward than Jesse himself, albeit holding down a job as a teacher.

Listen early on and there is a little sweet jibe at "Social Network" with Jesse's character taking a "poke" at Facebook, claiming he does not go in for any of that, being completely off the grid and a few knowing chuckles emerge from the cheap seats.

So the plot, two hapless wannabe criminals call in a pizza to then abduct Jesse, knock him out and strap a bomb to him claiming if he does not rob a bank to get the $100,000 they need to pay a hit man to kill off one of their Dads so they can scoop a £10mil inheritance he will explode after the 10hr deadline.

So, first stop - a School! (which is brilliantly conceived) to rope in "best buddy" Chet to assist him in this foolhardy scheme.

Now onto the bad guys.  Well, its Danny McBride and his slightly goofy sidekick Nick Swardson who in my eyes, actually let this movie down slightly.   At this point I think it fair to let you know I don't get McBride.  I just don't find him funny and although he is genuinely cast in this as a completely retarded criminal with the mind capacity of a dodo, he still manages to overact his role and is best portrayed when only wearing the monkey mask.  Rant over.

Chet is brilliant - immediately goofy with a complete lifestyle crisis ensuing when it comes to robbing the bank.  however its his keeness to help his friend that manages to turn him into Rambo with a plastic gun and even manages to impress himself with his Bad-ass(ness).  Throw in the fact that Jesse is ever so slightly in love with Chet's sister and then on the flip-side, Chet being the reason that Jesse's parents split up causes for some riotous chuckles and you end up being swept along in this movie that barely covers 85 minutes of your entire life to complete.

There swearing, boobs, guns, bombs and even a flamethrower in there for good measure which keeps the movie racing along and with the worlds fastest Datsun as a getaway car what more could you ask for!

The Bank robbery scene is great, the Bomb and the cop scene is exactly what most people would do in that situation (forget "Protect and Serve") and the underlying love story of Jesse and Kate, although short is quite sweet.

Eisenberg fans will love this from start to finish and hopefully he might even grab a few new ones along the way.

144, I Don't Know How She Does It

Carrie (Sex and the City) Bradshaw has been on our screens for what seems like forever and like Rachel from Friends, its hard to imagine the actress behind her in another role.  Well, Jennifer Aniston has managed it after a few attempts and now its the turn of SJP to shed the glam and glitz of the big city, lose the Louboutin's and swap Prada for Parenting as she becomes working mum extraordinaire.

"I Don't Know How She Does It" focuses on a working mum and her equally hard working husband (Greg Kinnear) trying to manage busy corporate careers as well as trying not to miss the all important moments of having kids.  Torn between work commitments, Kate (SJP) has to manage a busy social life and a husband that although understanding to her position, craves simple moments of calm with his wife.  Throw in a high powered business deal that requires loads of travel from state to state, a suave business partner (Pierce Brosnan) and a greedy colleague hell bent on stealing all of her thunder, as well as work obsessed Momo (who is brilliant the way) you have a fast paced mix of comedy, romance and uncertainty.

Is it a chick flick? Well, probably.  It does not have the comedy of Bridesmaids but still manages to keep you entertained and there is the constant will they / wont they between SJP and Brosnan and the juggling of home meets career to see if a happy medium can be reached.

SJP is going to take a little time to shake off the stigma of Sex and the City but so far she has made Seven (non SATC) movies since the TV show ended in 2004, all pretty easily forgettable, barring did you Hear About the Morgans? in 2009 and she has two more in the pipeline.  SATC fans will probably love it, there were certainly gaggles of girlies in the screening but plenty of couples too.

Not the world longest blog, not the worlds greatest movie but a time filler either way and one that might raise a few smiles.

143, Colombiana

Its been 13 years at the tender age of 21 that Zoe Saldana graced our screen in an uncredited role in Law & Order and since then, turns in Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek and Avatar have well and truly put her on the global map.  A natural beauty, she wowed audiences in Avatar as Neytiri and did a stellar performance as the re-invented Uhura and will do again in the 2012 sequel.

Colombiana sees Zoe take on her largest leading role to date as the child who witnesses her parents murder by a Colombian drug cartel.  Even at the young age of 10 (played by Amandla Stenberg) she shows the signs of an aged assassin by evading pursuers and making her way to the safety of a US embassy where the information given to her by her father moments before her death secures her passport to the USA and into the loving, yet deadly arms of her Uncle and his family.

Still a child and determined to take down the cartel that murdered her parents a defiant Cataleya refuses school in the search for training to be a killer however after a slightly unbelievable and impromptu display of violence from her Uncles firearm outside an American School in the middle of the day, with no one saying a word, or in-fact the police taking him out quicker than a bomber in an airport our child heroine learns to bide her time and grow up, gracefully.

Ten years pass and now working as a contract killer, Cataleya is back to her revenge seeking ways and starts to close in on the people responsible for her families murder.

There are parts in this that sadly beg belief!  The school incident (mentioned above) is one of the immediate "That could never happen" moments but there are a few more that you end up chuckling along at even though you know they are not supposed to be funny but those aside, I couldn't help loving this movie.

Since Angelina Jolie took off the Croft gun Belt the cinema has been crying out for a replacement all-action lady and with the agility of a ballerina, the looks of a model and the stealth of a ninja, Zoe Saldana certainly ticks all of the right boxes.

Its fast paced, all action and as grizzly as it is seductive and by the end I was completely taken in by Saldana's performance.  Its already been and gone like a thief in the night in my local cinema and I know that as far as critics reviews go its not been that greatly received but what do they know!

As far as an action movie goes then its got the moves, if assassins are your thing then its got the stealth and its even got a few moments of clarity when Cataleya (Saldana) takes refuge in the only part of "normal" that appears in her life in the guise of "come and go" boyfriend, Danny who bless him, knows as little about his on/off squeeze as I do about MI6.

There are some quirky moments, some unbelievable moments and some sexy moments.  For me, a great movie.

142, One Day

I was not quite sure about this one and would have been quite happy to easily pass it by, however with nothing much to do and a spare evening we headed out to see Hathaway's latest release, albeit slightly concerned it would be a waste of time.

Well, this movie follows two college graduates, Dexter and Emma who are romantically thrown together after their graduation, albeit slightly unsuccessfully.

The movie then follows the next 20(ish) years of Dexter's life, checking in on him every year, on that same day in history.  Each year we see how the relationship between Dexter and Hathaway's character, Emma is getting on through its highs and lows, being together and being apart but always being in communication from everything through his TV stardom in the 90's, into fatherhood and subsequently divorce thrown together with equal career lows and then ending up in modern day.

The question is though - does our adorable Emma eventually get her man that she pinned over and morally accepted for the past two decades, even with his many flaws?

Well, I hate to give away the end of movies and even though I thought this one was a little ploddy in places the story was bearable but even I cant bring myself to give away the ending on this one.  You need to see it for yourself.  Its, unexpected?

The movie is a definite staple of current cinema.  A movie that focuses entirely on characters and their own development, the relationships between men and women and also the underlying fact that you cant help who you fall in love with.  Its sweet in places, cringeworthy in others and as the years count down, Hathaway managed to remain eternally young and beautiful with the ageing process of Dexter easily more believable.

There is not much else to talk about.  Some of you may adore this movie for its script and character development and the ever present love story, others may think its soppy and long winded - either way, there is a story to be told and the ending is worth the long wait.

Not worth a DVD purchase in my mind as I wont need to see it ever again but i have to slightly admit, I was glad of the opportunity to catch it as a one off.  The biggest disappointment of it all though was Anne's very poor English accent.  She could quite easily of researched using old episodes of Eastenders and Emmerdale as language reference points and botched them together in a kind of way that makes the UK look like we all speak the same.  Error on all levels! What she managed to come up with was a miss-mash of north and south which just did not work.  Sorry Anne, can we still be friends?

141, Friends with Benefits

After seeing trailer after trailer of this and the same jokes in each and every one I was hoping that they had not just picked the funniest bits leaving very little for the movie itself.

Luckily I was not disappointed as the Kunis / Timberlake relationship starts quite comically with a great airport scene and her immediate confidence as a recruitment professional making sure J.T gets to his GQ interview on-time.  From then on a great friendship blossoms with both of them coming from damaged relationships.  It takes a few beers and chat about sex being a necessity, not just a relationship perk that leads our two adorable stars into the sack.  From then on it becomes quite an obvious plot line as what started out as "Just Sex" soon becomes a whole lot more!

In my eyes though, although Kunis and Timberlake are great is the Woody Harrelson role that seems to get all the chuckles.  As the gay sports journalist from GQ he get the best lines and the one in the trailer about taking the "Ferry" is just one of his highlights throughout.

Aside from all the sex there are great relationships between the parents and families on both sides with Kunis's Mum being the equivalent of an 80's groupie, falling through the door drunk, picking up random guys and constantly disappointing her ever understanding daughter and then the Timberlake clan with his older sister caring for their poor dad who is suffering from early dementia and although saddening, quite comical with Timberlakes association with him making light of his illness with quite a heart warming airport scene.

The movie is brilliantly conceived with quite deep characters and family values.  The sex scenes are brilliant with the first, main one getting all of the laughs.  Imagine taking the romance out of sex and just being able to say exactly what you want and how without hurting the others feelings - well, that about sums it up and maybe not one to watch with the in-laws!

Timberlake in my eyes is just getting better and better as an actor.  Social Network was brilliant and although I was not entirely taken with Bad Teacher he continues to poke fun at his early NSYNC / dancing days much to my own amusement.  Mila on the other hand is completely adorable and after the success of Black Swan and a host of other titles in the pipeline (as well as the accolade of voicing Meg Griffin in Family Guy) I am sure that another Hollywood sweetheart has well and truly come among us.

It will make you laugh out loud as may times as it tugs at your heartstrings and with everything from Flash-Mobs to Kriss Kross thrown in for good measure, whats not to like!  Its a great little movie.  No complaints.

140, Conan the Barbarian

For those of you like me, Jason Momoa is better known for playing Ronon Dex in Stargate Atlantis however he was first cast much earlier, finding (part) fame in Baywatch Hawaii and a few other lesser known titles.  It was Stargate that launched him onto the world stage and after 5 years of that along with a role in Game of Thrones at Khal Drogo we find ourselves face to face with him as Conan - a role originally played by regular hard man, Schwarzennegger himself!

So how does this compare to the original? Well, seeing as its been 29 years since Arnie hacked and slashed his way across the war torn wastelands the graphics, script and story have definitely improved.  Jason is awesome as the barbaric warrior and this is demonstrated even more brilliantly by Leo Howard, the actor responsible for the "young" Conan and the one who really shows where the skills were honed with an awesome fight scene early on where he easily takes down a number of slightly beastly enemies, resulting in a presentation of their heads to his father and leader of his people played by Ron Pearlman.

This part of the movie is longer than you would expect but really does set the scene brilliantly for the remainder of the movie.

The fight scenes are similar to that of the recent Spartacus programmes being shown on Sky 1 with the easy releasing of blood and guts being flung around like confetti at a wedding and the sound effects of skulls smashing against rocks is as realistic as you could ever wish for.  If full on swords and slayer action is your thing then you wont go far wrong with this.

Pearlman is brilliant as the endearing father, even though he's training a savage killer and later in the movie the father / daughter relationship of the enemies, Zym & Marique is just as lovable, albeit it slightly creepy and dare I say it, scarily incestuous?

Either way, its Conan that steals this one from start to finish and with a few warrior mates along for the ride he pretty much takes down armies single handedly, something his predecessor also managed with ease.  Arnie managed to play Conan twice (Barbarian & Destroyer) and I am hoping Mr Momoa will don the bearskin pants again and wade his way through more baddies, spilling their insides all over the place.

Its gory, its bloody and Conan also manges to get his rocks off a few times in between slaying creatures which seemed similar to the Orcs of "The Rings" movies which in a way is slightly gratifying.

Don't expect a super in-depth storyline, its all about revenge and destroying an evil army to get it, so hold your lunch down and enjoy!!!

139, Cowboys & Aliens

What a better premise!  James Bond and Indiana Jones in a Western, battling Aliens with Olivia Wilde along for the ride, could a description get any better?

When this trailer first hit the screens nearly 6 months ago everyone chuckled, it looked like a joke.  But with some real actors and some pretty cool Alien effects it soon became clear that the dodgy title was backed up with a pretty gritty movie that covered the best bits of yesterdays Wild West with the Sci-Fi World of tomorrow and the excitement started to grow.

The movie starts pretty fast with Daniel Craig dumped in the desert with no knowledge or recollection of who or where he is.  As the story plays out we discover our leading man is "wanted" with a pretty bounty on his head and local hard man and renown bad-ass Harrison Ford is the one wanting to collect!

It does take a while for things to get going but in this movie you need it, you need to get to know the characters, plot and back stories otherwise Aliens just popping up would look slightly odd and the regular flash backs and memory lapses are enough to let you gradually into whats happening before the Aliens rock up and take it to the Cowboys.

The special effects are pretty cool with a grappling hook style way of capturing humans (quite fitting as a space-age hog tie) and its also amusing to see Smith & Western 6 shooters playing off against space aged lasers but as expected, Bond has a special weapon on his side that Q-Branch would be proud of and how he obtained it also get explained so don't panic!

Ford and Craig are brilliant in quite different roles and the leading lady, Wilde is her stunning self as she was in House MD & Tron Legacy and shows no signs of sitting back and relaxing with 8 more movies in production between now and 2013 - Lucky us!

The remaining Cowboys are actually easily forgettable with a slightly annoying presence playing Fords wayward son and some pretty stereotypical hairy, smelly brutes with less teeth than a new born baby who are quickly picked off by the Aliens.

The Aliens themselves are actually quite scary with Piranha style faces and teeth, the agility of and strength of a 10 foot walking He-Man and an "inner" set of hands that vaguely reminded me of an uglier version of Quato from Total Recall! (The original Arnie one - not the 2012 re-make)

So, its an easy decision, Who would not love Cowboys and Aliens?  Well, if Sci-Fi and Westerns don't make you smile then probably quite a lot but if you are normal, then its all smiles!

138, The Inbetweeners Movie

So, hopefully by now each and every one of you in the UK who reads this has not bothered to wait for this blog and taken yourselves off to the cinema to catch a glimpse of this small piece of genius.

The Inbetweeners lasted 3 short seasons of literally 6 episodes a piece, resulting in no more than 9hrs of actual screened footage which somehow managed to draw in not just a cult following but a far wider audience than anyone ever expected.  With this overnight success someone extremely clever decided a full blown lads movie in Malia was the next step forward before our school leavers became to old to pull it off and somehow we have ended up with one the UK's biggest ever opening weekends and some legendary dancing scenes that have been captured forever on You Tube.

There is no denying that the Inbetweeners movie is a gross out, garish, loud, brash, rude & crude comedy that ticks every box for a lads holiday movie.  Will, Jay, Neil & Simon are everything you want from best mates.  The Romantic, The Idiot, The bullshitter and The Nerd.  If we are honest - we all fit in there somewhere and the best of us, well we manage to incorporate all 4 at some point.

What this movie does is take a little known TV series and max it right out.  They have gone "no holes barred" in this from Jay and his processed ham and goggles in the opening scene to grab a granny night at the worst pub in Greece and the best thing about it is...................you will love every second!

The boys completely excel themselves in this and supported by four lovely ladies that each lend their stereotypes to The Cute one, The Fat one, The Romantic one and The Geeky one mean you can see from early on that love could actually be in the air for or four hapless wonders - and not just in another of Jays wild stories!!

When you talk about this movie at work afterwards (and you will talk about it) one bit comes out straight away in every discussion;

The dancing.

Throughout the entire 3 series shown on TV, Neil is caught many times busting a move or 8 on a random dance floor or living room so its magical to have an entire section of this movie dedicated on this epic event.  The difference this time is after a few seconds of Simon and Will seeing Neil show how its done they also decide to cut a mean rug and then before you know it the whole cinema is in stitches for a good few minutes as they miraculously manage to work their way over to our femme fatales in the worlds dullest nightclub.

Its got everything you want from a good comedy movie.  Its got the laughs, the tears and even the revenge!  There are fights, bad language, dry humping and drugs.  There is romance, sex, bullying and ants.  Yes my friends, this movie has it all!

If you ever watched the TV series and thought it was not for you then the movie could change your mind quite easily.  Although crude, its done with a level of professionalism not seen in Series 1.  Our four amigos have improved their own acting ability since those early days and although still slightly wooden, manage to draw you into their world quite comfortably.

Its awesome.  I loved it.  If you have not yet seen it and want a bit of history first then Series 1 to 3 are currently showing on most on-demand services right now so take a Sunday out and watch the lot before heading to your final cinema showing of it on a Sunday evening.  There are definitely worse ways to spend a day off and in my eyes, not too many better ones!

See this if.........................................Just hearing the word "clunge" makes you smile.

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!