151, Johnny English Reborn

Its been 8yrs since Rowan donned the Tux for Johnny's first outing in 2003 and believe it or not the story, character and general daftness of the whole escapade has not dated a bit!  This is definitely a movie for Rowan Atkinson fans and if you're not a fan it will come across as pretty mediocre slapstick and probably not for you.  Love Rowan on the other hand as apparently most of the audience did when I saw it and you will be rolling about in aisles.

The original character came from a string of Barclarcard adverts starring Atkinson as a bumbling British MI7 officer abroad and caught up in many compromising eventualities, saved each time by sidekick Boff who made a stellar appearance in the original alongside Atkinson.  Boff has since long departed and our new sidekick is as together and organised as you could hope for, keeping English out of  those compromising circumstances, most of the time!

Yes, there were definitely some funny "chuckle" along moments but I am convinced I was watching this alongside the Black Adder faithful as the volume of belly laughs echoing around the multiplex seemed a little over the top for what was going on on-screen.  The "Chair" scene is one of the highlights but its the Mr Bean awkwardness of Atkinson that get you laughing along, more at him than with him but this is paired with a sense of warmth towards the character and you just want to look after him and keep him safe from the big bad nasty world he lives in.

As always, its his completely trusting outlook on life that gets him into trouble and this time he's assisted by MI7 counsellor and one time "Bond" bad girl Rosamund Pike as the unlikely romantic interest and a very overacted Gillian Anderson as the "M" character who's relationship with English does not initially get off to much of a rosy start.

Its got a lush Rolls Royce as the new gadget mobile and his unwillingness to pay any attention to Black Adder pal Tim McInnerny leads him to misuse a number of awesome gadgets with very funny results in deed.

Its more "Benny Hill" meets "Carry on Spying" than "James Bond" meets "Austin Powers" and although its got some stand out scenes its definitely not as laugh out loud funny as some of the audience made it out to be.

Maybe its just me, 2011 is a little beyond slapstick humour in the cinemas but that being said and me not wanting to be a party pooper this movie made all ages laugh from my 8yr old daughter to the grandad sitting in front of us so maybe its cheesy and predictable, maybe it is daft and pointless but it bought an audience of all ages together for 2hrs and that's noting to be sneered at.

If you saw and loved the first one then this is for you, if you hated it then this one wont change your mind.

I would say they will make a nice "2 piece" collectors box once they hit the bargain bin but as far as world changing comedies go, well there a bit far off that for me.

150, Real Steel

I was expecting absolutely massive things from this movie.  I loved everything about the trailers.  Its got Jackman (Wolverine) who is brilliant, Robots (Amazing), Big Stadium Sports events (Epic!), a troubled Father / Son relationship (Cute), Laughs (Needed!), Tears (Not so needed!) but most importantly its an underdog movie and how I love those...

So when a few of my facebook friends said they saw it and it was rubbish I was shocked, all my expectations had just been flushed down the toilet and I was now starting to doubt if my own thoughts of greatness would be tarnished, well luckily for me they were wrong!  This movie is Amazing, Fact!

It just does not disappoint on any level.  Firstly, its in the future but not a "space age - never going to happen" futures, a quietly reserved, not too distant future where houses, cars etc are pretty similar to now but "sport" as we know or in fact a combination of Boxing and Wrestling has been swapped out for remote controlled, full sized "robot wars" with hi-Tech, remote controlled warriors doing awesome battles in everything from the underground black market battles to the undisputed world championships.

The Special Effects are awesome - the smoothness of the CGI working with the robotics of these impressive fighting machines completely steal the show and the best thing is, it more than imaginable that in 20 years we could easily be taking seats at the RBC World Championship bouts ourselves.

Okay, so the Robots are great but lets bring it all back down to earth, the story is easily one of the best in a while and matched with some great acting performances we are blessed with a tale that will tug the heartstrings of the toughest movie goers with the Father / Son relationship being exploited for every crack it has as well as a behind the scenes love story, a family crisis and a definite portrayal of Who knows best.

Jackman is brilliant, an arse of a dad at the start but as expected he warms up gradually throughout the movie but its the performance of the kid, played by Dakota Goyo who steals the show.  He's brilliant.  From the first encounter he's got Jackmans character totally sussed and the "flair" shown at the battles with the "shadow function" dancing with Atom are real scene stealer's. 

There are plenty more great scenes dotted throughout the entire movie though with the Zoo, the Junkyard and countless more that mean this movie does not really slow down.  Its definitely and underdog "feel-good" movie from start to finish and I challenge anyone to give reasons why they don't like it - there is something for everyone!

The Robots are somewhat human and although just a barrel of bolts manage to define their own characters throughout which really bought some depth to them, very impressed.

For me, this definitely lived up to the hype, not too unbelievable while in the same breath futuristic and brilliantly animated.  It had the passion of a love story, the action of a fight movie, the relationships of a drama and the scenes in the arenas just manage to draw you straight into the ambiance of the whole thing with the rousing music and cheers from the crowd.

One of my favourite movies all year.

149, Killer Elite

I actually saw this one about a month ago but completely forgot about it!  That's not to say the movies forgettable though as regulars will know I'm a Jason Statham fan who would watch him paint a fence if they filmed it and stuck it in the cinemas, so how does Killer Elite compare to his other recent outings?

Well, back in the 80's we find ourself with Statham and mentor assassin De Niro picking off hits like they are cup cakes until Statham decides enough is enough and wants out of the game.  Initially let go its when old friend De Niro takes an almost impossible job on and get captured by an Iraqi warlord does Statham have to re-load his guns to complete De Niro's hit and allow the Iraqi prince to release his old friend.

Quite sweet really, for Assassins that is!

Initially the plot is Statham has to take out four ex SAS personnel responsible for the brutal torture and murder of the Iraqi's eldest sons, with his youngest holding the fort at home, too scared (or too lazy) to do anything about it himself.  Ethically, Statham as a Londoner takes all of two minutes to work out if its right to "off" British service personnel for the Iraqi's but does manage to slowly start picking them off with the help of a few acquaintances.  What does make it easier, the SAS guys are complete idiots. 

Hot on Stathams heels is Clive Owen, an ex SAS guy himself working partly for the police but also for the Feathermen, a top secret band of money men who secretly protect the ex armed forces.

But not is all as it seems and each soon to be dead serviceman keeps giving clues away to the actual culprit, someone who remains elusive until near the end and that's where fact meets fiction as you have to wait and see who the main culprit actually is! 

Wether this is a fictional movie made from a factual book starring a factual character or a factual movie based on a fictional book also written by a factual character is debatable - having never read the Feathermen I can comment - but its very very good nevertheless.

Statham is his normal chiseled self, De Niro is looking slightly too old to play an Assassin and Clive Owen pulls off 80's SAS moustache brilliantly.

The cars are great, the language is gritty and the action could easily have been taken straight out of the Sweeney.  Just as you think its over it changes direction again, then again - oh, and again so you never actually know when its going to end.

I am starting to warm to Clive Owen more and more, he still has not really nailed it for me but that's because I am not always a great fan of the movies he has been in, not necessarily him.

If you want down and dirty action using fists and cars rather than hi-tech weaponry then this is a must see.........or by now, probably a must rent!

148, Shark Night 3D

Lets make this completely simple and clear from the start.

This is by far, without doubt or indeed question the worst ever movie I have seen make it onto the big screen.

I promise to take up as little of your time as physically possible with this blog as it actually bores me to write it but there are some things you should know if one of your mates says, "Who fancies watching Shark Night Tonight?"

Pay Attention!

Firstly, the only high point.  It has got Joel David Moore in it (Bones, Avatar) who I love!!  But that's it.

The rest of the cast, albeit cute - are useless.  As with Piranha 3D, they focused on looks rather than talent but being a cert 15 - in Shark Night we get to see neither!

Now the Sharks.  If I said Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus had better special effects I would not be far wrong.  Lame, dull & boring.  This belongs on the "Movies 24" channel or at a push, Sy-Fy.  Certainly not on your multiplex and I am ashamed at you Mr Cinema Manager for letting this replace Warrior!!!  Bad Cinema Manager.  You should resign immediately!

Now the plot.  You guessed it, Poor.  I cant even begin to explain it but lets just say a few of the swamp locals feel that "realising" Shark Week on the discovery channel can make them some quick cash so breed, feed and raise sharks to hunt on unknowing holiday makers.  Oh Dear.

Its just wrong, not only to charge to upwards of £7 to see this but another £1.50 for 3D and even more if you don't have glasses - plus drinks and sweets that's an easy £15 each to sit through complete dribble.

That's it - no more.  See it at your own risk. 

147, Abduction

So incase you have been living in a hole for the past few years and missed a little known movie called Twilight you can easily be forgiven for not knowing who Taylor Lautner is.  My 13 year old daughter reminds me constantly that he is the man of her dreams and the posters on her bedroom wall confirm it - so it was quite a smug moment when I got to see this movie before she did, even though I was sworn to secrecy about its content!

After Twilight I was not sure if he could survive in other roles - setting himself up as the next all American Action Hero but in all reality, he did a pretty decent job.

Okay, so his acting for me is a little wooden but this movie is packed with action, fights, car chases and the supporting cast making Taylor look good is pretty impressive including Maria Bello (Coyote Ugly), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Sigourney Weaver (Alien) and Alfred Molina (Sorcerers Apprentice).  Mix that in with the young up coming talent of Lilly Collins (Phil's daughter!) and this move manages to barrel roll along without any problem whatsoever.

Simple premise - Kid discovers his photo on a missing persons website and instantly believes he is abducted - not so much kidnappers but protectors, his parents (or so we believe) true identities are revealed as under cover agents keeping an eye on him as this real dad turns out to be one of Americas most important undercover assets.  Like father like son, Taylor then goes on a mission to escape the guys hunting him down and find out his true origins.

This movie is definitely all about launching Taylor to a wider market of fans and trying to cement him as the next action star - he is in every scene with biceps and one liners to boot and by the end of it I was actually quite convinced that if he loosened up a bit I could easily seem him as a young Ethan Hunt!

Obviously the immediate audience is his twilight following, and my daughter for one would have boycotted this movie had he not been in it - the producers have recognised this and its not long before my besotted daughter caught a glimpse of the six pack and felt satisfied that her "I Love Taylor Lautner" T-shirt was definitely worth the purchase price!!

Is it a kiddie action flick?  Well, not entirely - I was kept entertained and the supporting cast added depth and class without taking all of the attention away from our stars.

Don't let the "Wolf" put you off - 2hrs well spent.  

146, Crazy Stupid Love

So I am really running behind on these, so much so that Google have changed the entire blogger software and I spent 10 minutes learning how to use it again!  Anyway, a few to catch up on so here goes....

I am a bit of a Carell fan.  From Anchorman to Date Night I think his naive charm is really something to behold and totally look forward to seeing him pretty much anything.  Crazy Stupid Love is a movie that follows Carell as his wife decides, after plenty of years of marriage to go for a divorce and Carell, who has not been without the love of his life since college is left to fend for himself and re-enter the dating game some 20 years out of practice.  Enter Ryan Gosling (to much of the female audiences delight) who is pretty much a wealthy playboy who never fails to succeed in the pulling stakes and leaves clubs night after night with a bevy of beauties.

After seeing Carells lame attempts at ice breakers he decides to take him under his wing and pimp him up a little bit, giving him confidence and raising his levels of self esteem (with a few hilarious side effects) but eventually Carell realises that his true sole mate is the one he spent all of his life with and sets about trying to win her back.

This is a great movie - there is a brilliant twist which also comes to pass in the movies funniest scene in the Garden and you really have to keep up at this point as the lines and camera cuts come quicker than expected with literally the whole movies premise being explained in a matter of minutes.

Julianne Moore plays Carells wife brilliantly and manages to pull of caring, seductive and sexy all in one go.  The shining performance is the amazing Marissa Tomei and what starts as Carells first one night stand soon ends up with hilarious repercussions with yet another twist brilliantly executed.

Its got the laughs, it got the tears and most importantly (for the ladies) its got the Gosling! 

If anything, it could have got the end a little quicker, there were scenes that did drag on a while but its worth it in the end.

Definitely not Carell at his finest but the same brilliant awkwardness as 40 year old virgin, just not as many laughs.

If you didn't get to see this at the cinema definitely go for the DVD rental - you wont be sorry!

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.