169, The Sitter

I was a little bit nervous about seeing this one.  The trailers made it look funny but with Jonah Hill heading up the cast I was hoping not to see him in yet another dull, stoner role that's been reprised way too many times, putting him into the stereotypical "Seth Rogan" genre of repeat performances.  luckily - this movie is so much more than that and to say I was surprised beyond belief, is an understatement.

Hill plays an over caring but lazy, out of work bum who cant hold a job and finds it even harder to hold down a girlfriend, however the opening scenes of this movie set the scene perfectly for what about to come and although he's "in" a relationship you quickly realise its very one sided.

Its only when he's asked to baby sit his Mums friends kids so they can go on a double blind date does he actually begrudgingly take some responsibility but when his dream girl invites him to a party on the promise of 'full on sex' providing he scored some drugs on-route does his selfishness take over and with kids in tow, set off in a minivan to get his perfect present!

In my eyes, this is Jonah's best performance to date.  Yes, he still has the Stoner look about him but hes far more charismatic and likable in this than most of his other flicks.  As with most films like this though he is copletely overshadowed by the three kids that accompany him on his whirlwind tour nightclubs, drug dens and back alleys and one in particular, the adorable Blithe played by total newcomer Landry Bender (about 9 years old?)  who completely steals the show.

She is portrayed as a celebrity loving, wannabe "IT" girl with her heart set on a life of parties and dancing but its here complete cuteness and naivety to the real world that makes this very funny character so totally lovable!  Mixed with her anxiety stricken older brother Slater and Mexican foster brother Rodrigo the three of them are side splittingly good with Rodrigo hell bent on blowing up lavatories with Slater discovering his true inner self.

These three kids mixed with Jonah's best performance make for a really good movie and if you can handle kids swearing on screen then like me, you should love this movie.

There are a few sub pots and some real heartfelt moments throughout but it races along quite quickly with car chases, dodgy cops, L.A Gangs, A fabulous Drug Dealer portrayal by Sam Rockwell and the now infamous, "Doublefisted Punch to the Nut Sack!"

I expected to be bored but it was the exact opposite - this was as captivating as Superbad and I just love movies where Kids get as involved in the violence as the adults do.  (Hit-girl in Kick-Ass being one of my all time faves!)

Very funny and engaging with some good morals thrown in for good measure - with the weekend coming you wont go wrong forking out for this one.

168, Haywire

So after recent female assassin movies ticking so many of my "like" boxes, namely Salt & Columbiana I had very high hopes for this most recent female ass-kicking extravaganza.  The mixed martial arts femme fatale a.k.a Gina Carano is paired with male leads Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum & Michael Fassenbender and the whole movie basically focuses around our leading lady kicking the ass out of these three colleagues. 

Its a movie about betrayal - set up for a fall by her boss, Mallory (Carano) works out her boss is trying to have her killed and sets about seeking revenge on her one partner in both home and work.

There is no denying that the fight scenes in this are not totally brilliant - Mallory certainly steals the show but its hardly tough opposition as she takes on one of the GI Joe's, a young Magneto and a Jedi Knight!  Michael Douglas also puts in a lovely little performance and its good to see him back on the big screen.

The only thing about this is it seems to fill time between the fight scenes - its all or nothing.  Lots of 'artsy' music plonks along with the storyline and then you get these three moments of brilliance where each of our male leads faces up to our heroine.  If only they could keep the attention span alive between the action it would have been far more appealing.

I don't really need to elaborate on the male performances - all are acceptable and no one really stands out.  For those who are unfamiliar with Gina Carano she was 'Crush' in American Gladiators, circa 2008 and also appeared in a host of Martial Arts movies and interviews as herself.  Shes a great looker, an even better fighter and if the story line slows you down then she definitely wont.

As I mentioned at the start, sadly it does not have the capturing elements of Salt or Columbiana which I had hoped for but it was a welcome break after some of the dross I've sat through recently.

As a time filler its fine - but none of the guys really make a lasting impression and it seems they are just there for same famous fodder for Carano to kick about.

If high kicking hotties are your thing then this is the movie for you, if not - it does not leave much for you to take away.

167, The Darkest Hour

Here's my guide on how to make a poor, lame, cheap imitation of an Alien movie. 

First, hire a cast of nobodies but make sure one of them is mildly famous, let say the kid from Speedracer and a few cute TV actresses.  Add in an Alien force that we 'cant' see as its only energy and feeds off of our Electric supply.  Then borrow some special effects from Blade, mix that with the fact that nobody really survived an initial attach globally, reducing the need to pay extras, hire a dodgy crew of vigilantes with an armoured horse as transportation then kill off three of the main characters and end the movie with them escaping on Russian Nuclear submarine.

Well, that's what they've done with this movie.  Its so DULL!

I'm sorry,  I do try my best to find the good in most of the movies I've seen as hundreds of people have gone to the trouble of forking out hard earned cash to source locations, special effects and a B-list cast but when none of the above seem to gel together it does make out for a real waste of time.

I would have loved to love this.  its got all of my favourite movie credentials.  I adore a good Alien flick,  I'm a special effects nut and more importantly - After Ghost Protocol (a third mention in as many blogs!) Russia is my current favourite movie location but even that was not enough to swing it for me. 

Most of the acting was as wooden as that in 'Skyline' (Blog 69) and that's saying something! and it had less appeal than Attack the Block!.

Sometimes Hollywood get its bang on - Battle: Los Angeles is one of my favourite Alien flicks since independence Day (Don't moan - I love it!) but other times it just all goes wrong.  Don't spent £9 each seeing this one, Save you cash for the Muppet's Movie - Now that's going to be Amazing!.

166, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

I had to trek right back to Blog 13 in January of 2010 to find the first instalment of this modern classic and to make sure i didn't totally contradict myself read it back to re-enlighten myself with my thoughts and comments so many blogs ago.

Well, luckily nothing has changed.  London has evolved, Law and Downey Junior are even more comfortable in their newly adopted alter egos and with a new love of the character through BBC's 'Sherlock' I really felt i knew a little bit more about him this time round.

For those in the UK who have seen Sherlock, the BBC adaptation just finished its second series you will instantly recognise one has definitely decided to copy the other, I'm just not sure which way round it goes.  The introduction of Sherlock's brother (Mycroft Holmes) in both adaptations is well received and the movie version hails the legend that is Stephen Fry, albeit slightly disturbing as a 'Qi' regular to see my favourite academic almost baring all for the viewers in a performance that's only bettered by my favourite character of all time, Melchett (in whatever Black Adder guise you care to mention).

We have done away with Mark Strong's wizardry and its a far more sinister Professor Moriarty who lends his hand to the villain in this movie with a great plot which sees Holmes and his newly married sidekick have to find the missing brother of a Romany Gypsy who is believed to be part of a evil scheme to assassinate most of the European Government officials (I think?).  I say ? as again, although brilliant & riveting I don't know exactly why but as with the first movie - I dozed again!  and it wasn't even on that late.  Very annoyed as I seemed to miss the killer 10 minutes where all got explained.  Maybe it was just a little too long or maybe there is only so much 'fisticuffs' I was able to stand.  i suppose its a bump to reality after the high flying antics of Ghost Protocol but nevertheless I cant fault the actual movie.

Fry is brilliant, Moriarty is devious, Holmes and Watson are again as close to your two best mates as you would care for and the sad departure of of the beautiful Adler (Rachel McAdams) was more than made up for by the introduction of Madam Simza.

Guy Ritchie played another blinder.  Jolly good show!

165, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Can you actually believe it was 15 years ago when tom Cruise first hit our Screen as Ethan Hunt in the movie adaptation of Mission impossible!  From the first outing I was hooked.  it had a level of gadgets and gizmo's that rivalled Q-Branch and the stunts and effects were jaw dropping throughout.  15 years on and nothing has changed, if anything, its just got bigger and better.

Sadly though with the 4th instalment there are some noticeable absences and the team we have grown to love is without the brilliant Ving Rhames although its nice to see Simon Pegg as a fully fledged Spy, even though the plot means they are working with a host of dodgy second hand gear due to the IM force being discarded.

As for the plot, Mr Nasty gets his hands on some Russian Nuclear codes and sets about to start panic globally and after being framed for the destruction of the Kremlin its down to Cruise and his new team of undercover operatives to bring law and order (as well as their own reputations) back in line.

The action is spectacular with Cruise dealing with the high flying antics on the outside of the Burj Khalifa Tower himself without the help of a stunt double and to say its breathtaking is an understatement.  Jeremy Renner is a good addition to the team as his performances in recent movies is fast upgrading my liking of him and once paired with the legendary Cruise and the comedic genius of Pegg is a good "straight" man in this movie.


The plot gets almost forgotten as the villain himself is very much behind the scenes in my eyes but with the movie lasting a solid near on 2hrs 15 minutes you get plenty of time to work out whats going on among the explosions and  gadgetry. 

Being "rogue" in this and without the support of the IMF its quite comical as to how they blunder their way through most of the movie with faulty gear and Peggs adoration of "Masks" is extremely laughable, especially when his machine to make them shorts out but in the end its gold, old fashioned spy work that saves the day and if like me youre a fan of Luther, don't panic too much - he does pop up for a few minutes but you have to wait it out.
If Harrison ford is not too old to still play Indiana Jones then Tom Cruise in my eyes can play Ethan Hunt 2 or 3 more times over.  The best spy movie since Bond and not wanting to put down my beloved British Agent, IMF have better gadgets (and cars! the concept Audi? in this is spectacular!)

If action, thrills and spills, high tension and a few chuckles are what you look for in a movie then this ones got your name all over it - it might even be good enough for me to by the 4 collection box set on its release, especially as currently there is no MI5 announcement.

Enjoy - its Brill!

164, New Years Eve

Feels a little odd writing a blog about New Years Eve midway through January but due to on-going internet issues I'm running behind with my posts to apologies for the seasonal discrepency - apology over.

Remember Valentines Day?  Every Hollywood name you could mention coming together for a barrage of short and teniously linked batch of stories all based around February 14th and the trial and tribulations it can contain, well New Years Eve is in effect the sequal - with a number of the same names each taking up new roles - (simlar to Fish Called Wanda / Fierce Creatures!)

Ashton Kutcher was the central focus of this one and again he dons the actors cap in a far more reserved manor but this time the story is focussed on Hilary Swank as the organisor for the Times Square Ball Drop with all of the stories focussing around her and the location of Times Square.

The movie and plot line is pretty much non essential to the movie - its a cute, cuddly selection of love stories that range from love in an elevator to a bucket list all in one night and as with Valentines Day, the cast list is ever so impressive. 

There is no real stand out performance from the collection of A-Listers but if I had to pick a few favourites it would be the Heigl / Bon Jovi plot & the Pfieffer / Efron pairing.  These four along with Hilary Swank take up a huge chunk of the running time and its all done exceptionally well. 

I have to mention a small and perfectly formed performance from James Belushi who I love and although its a fleeting return to the big scrreen its well received.

In older blogs I would always end with "See this you like..........." so as we enter a New Year lets dispatch with an old favourite - See this if you like Michelle Pfieffer, Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Cary Elwes, Common, Jessica biel, Seth Meyers, Katherine Heigl, Jon bon Jovi, Sofia Vergara, Ashton Kutcher, James Belushi, Sarah Jessica Parker, josh Duhamel, Yeardley Smith, Hilary Swank, Ludicris, Matthew Broderick, John Lithgow, Ryan Seacrest (playing himself) and anyone else I forgot to mention!

163, Happy Feet 2

It only took 5 years but nevertheless, 2011 saw a return to the big screen of Mumble the penguin, played again by Elijah Wood with regular names as Pink & Robin Williams also sliding back into their feathered roles with absolute ease.  A little but older and a little bit wiser its Mumble and Gloria now playing the part of the penguin parents with their own little offspring Erik who is also finding it hard to get along in the icy wonderland and when disaster strikes the Emperor penguins home its Erik and his team of slightly random buddies who have to set off across the icy landscape and initiate the help of a heroic "flying" penguin to save the ones he loves.


So that's the plot and story, very "cutesy" and the opening 15 minutes is a show tunes epic with Pink and a selection of lady penguins bashing out hits that will all be known to your own little cherubs and before you know it you too will be toe tapping in your seat.  But it does not end there - there is a second story line and one that for the older audience will far outshine the sickeningly adorable fluff balls skipping around on glaciers and that's the story of Bill & Will the Krill.

What the film makers have managed to do here is take the planets most insignificant life form, Krill and make a funny, adventurous and laugh out loud sub plot and whats even more impressive have ropes in ocean double act Brad Pitt and Matt Damon to voice them. 

Imagine the scenario - "Krill" on mass have no concept of the big wide world outside of their own swarm and one specific member (Pitt) decides enough is enough and wants to leave the safety of his swarm and face what is sure to be certain death.  What develops however is quite different and with friend in tow (Damon) they manage to break free of the swarm only to discover that on reflection they are merely food for Whales which distresses our minuscule mites beyond compare! 

They set off on a voyage of self discovery to take on the big wide world which involves trying to take down a Seal for food, attempt to survive on dry land and finally results in assisting the lovely penguins with their own issues so even though it takes the whole movie to get there - there's a great link, no matter how insignificant.

Pitt and Damon are the funniest I've seen in a while with Damon being the scared follower to Pitts Gun-ho leadership qualities and to take something so small and overlooked and make what could easily have been their own movie from it is sheer class.

Forget the penguin's - its all about the Krill!    

162, Chipmunks 3, Chipwrecked

Well, Even I cant see every movie that gets released and luckily, this was one I was quite happy to miss out on as unfortunately, Chipmunks don't really do anything for me.  so, not to let the kiddies down my 8 year old daughter Leah toddled herself along with her Mum to see Chipwrecked and decided she wanted to write the blog instead - so without further ado, here is Leah's first blog.  Enjoy!

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"Justin long, Matthew Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate all squeezed into one, big, joyful movie.

Dave takes everyone out on a nice family vacation, (family? their Chipmunks!!!) they go on a luxurious cruise called the carnival, there mascot is a pelican, alert, alert, Uncle Ian is back, (otherwise known as David Cross)

Ian’s the pelican!!! Anyway, let’s get back to the basics, Alvin, (the mischief maker) he’s gliding,   on sun cream!!! But now, it’s time to shake your tail because it’s time to take a trip to the casino.

Dave is having dinner with Captain Correlli to apologise for what everything Alvin did. But he didn’t know, did he? Before he exited the room, he said to Alvin he trusts him (has that man gone crazy!!!)

Dave said they could watch a movie. Instead of watching happy lolly (Theodore’s suggestion) Alvin put on jungle monster 2. After Alvin convinced Theodore to watch a horror film, he ripped of his hoodie and came out in white evening wear. When Alvin left the suite Simon ran after him yelling “Come back here Alvin!” But then the Chipettes wanted to hit the dance floor.

My best bits probably have to be when they were zip lining to Zoe’s hut, Brittany made a better hut than Alvin and at the international music awards when they sung firework by the amazing Katy Perry and born this way by the world famous Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga should be in this film because her songs are in it not 1, but 2 times!!! There are some other songs mentioned in the film like, firework by Katy Perry, and survivor by destiny’s child. But hey, let’s not forget Bad Romance sung one again by the world famous Lady Gaga." 
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So there you have it - Chipmunks 3 written by an 8 Year old.                          

161, Hugo

What could be more entertaining?  How about the new Martin Scorsese movie starring great names such as Ben Kinglsey, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Jude Law & Sacha Baron Cohen, all in a movie my 8 year old daughter could and more importantly wanted to see.  Well, something had to give - nothing is this easy and I was right.

I totally get Scorsese is a legend and the cast probably flocked to his castings without a care for the size of their fee or even how big their part was purely because of who was directing it.  I get that Ray Winstone and Jude Law only shared about 5 minutes of screen time between them and I totally get that in 3D, this could have been one of prettiest movies yet (although I cant comment as we saw the 2D version).  I even get that although set in 1930's Paris, no one speaks French and sadly, Sacha's accent is debatable as to where its supposed to be from but after getting all of the above - I totally did not get this movie.

It just seemed slow, dull and a little tedious if I'm totally honest, disappointing.

On the up side though you could not fault the acting from anyone.  Ben Kingsley was brilliant in the adult lead with the two kids, played by Nanee McPhee's Asa Butterfield & Kick-Ass's "Hit Girl" Chole Moretz holding their own among such a strong cast.  Short, sweet and perfectly formed performances from Jude Law and Ray Winstone and Sacha Baron Cohen as the inept Station Inspector and the required comedic addition with an accent as dodgy as his braced leg.  The rest of the cast were made up of stall holders at the Station where the movie is set and each had their own little side stories going on which were quite sweet.

The downside was the story.  It just did not seem to really get going at any point.  I know a lot of people will go to see this movie so I don't want to spoil the ending but the interaction of the clockwork man I though would be far more featured in the movie when in fact it was more the meaning behind him and the memories he held being to focus point of the movie.

Even after all of that though my daughter still loved it.  She loved the scuttling behind the station walls, the hobbit style existence of Hugo and the dappy Station inspector.  She loved the sweetness of Kingsley towards the end as he warmed up a little and the sadness of Hugo's lonely existence.  When all was said and done - a sweet little movie.

Whether or not this is actually a kids movie though is debatable.  I can see plenty of under 10's getting bored very quickly with the slow paced storyline and at almost 2hrs long, it really does seem to hang about when it comes to getting to the point.  There were not that many kids in the audience and I think the lure of Scorsese is enough for a majority of adults to book their seats on this one, regardless of having kids in tow but for us, although my daughter enjoyed it I was left underwhelmed.  Sorry Scorsese fans, but this one was not for me.

160, Immortals

Movies like this one normally (& sadly) get slated.  Clash of the Titans got panned, Percy Jackson was never going to win any oscars (after saying that, apologies if it did!) and I think thats a shame.

As soon as "God's" get involved Hollywood feel that they need to throw huge budgets at them and build them up so much and eventually, what gets released are good movies but never really live up to the hype surrounding them.  I rememeber as a kid watchng Jason and then Argonauts and Clash of the Titans from '63 & '81 and loving their dated cheapness.  It was what made them stand out for me. 

It was visionary for its time and now with the level of special effects we have available I think the expectation is just too great, even with 3D now on its 3rd lap of honour I feel that no movie surrounding any level of introduction from Thor, Zeus, Psoiden etc will ever get any real credit.  That said,  I thought Immortals was worthy of quite a written accolade and here's why.

It covers a time relatively early on when the "Immortals" as they were known at the time discovered that they could actually kill each other.  A great War fell upon them and the winners declared themselves Gods (Zeus, Thor etc) and the losers were branded Titan's and sent to the underworld.  This is where most movies pick up from that focus on these events so it was a welcome break to get some of the back story.

some years pass (1200 BC) and one King, (Hyperion), played brilliantly by Mickey Rourke sets about to hunt down an ancient bow, able to open the titans cage and with them, rule the known world.  The Gods, forever watching are unable to assist the Humas as they get slaughtered village by village by Hyperion and his hoardes as it would invalidate a treaty set in history where Gods can only interviene if the Titans do and with them being in a current state of incapacity, have to sit idly by and hope Humans can stand together to defeat Hyperion.

Plot sorted.  So now onto the good bit.  Its a cert 15 and there is no denying this is a gory one.  The fight scebnes are epic and the if you saw Spartacus on Sky 1 recently then this will take you straight back to the blood spilling and vengeance that show displayed on a regular basis, without the nudity (sadly).

Made by the same team behind 300, this has all the traits of a good old blood fest as was with Gerard Butlers pre-mentioned adventure but be warned, it did take about 30 minutes to really get going. 

There are a few recognisable faces in some of the smaller roles.  Keep an eye out for Twilight's Emmet as one of the Gods and a gracefully aging John Hurt as the village mentor which also carries a nice little twist.  Other than that, Stephen Dorff makes a welcome return in his most noticable role since Public enemies in 2009 (although he has had 5 releases this year and 4 in the diary for 2012) and with the beautiful Freida Pinto (Planet of the Apes / Slumdog Millionare) as our leading lady the cast is all but complete.

There is blood, there is death.  There are great fight scenes deserved of a movie where gods are credited and its as brutal and brilliantly shot as any other movie you will see this year.  As for the 3D, well you can take it or leave it - nothing really jumped out for me so save your cash although its hard to find a 2D version circulating at the moment.

I loved it, but if I had one criticism it would be that it just took a little too long to ge going and for a movie that lasts 110 minutes it could have been easily done and dusted in 90.

To end on a high though, rourke is amazing.  His pure evilness shines through and although you hate the character by the end of it you have to admire the man behind him - again, Rourke proving that all it takes is a 2nd chance - well played Mickey.

159, Arthur Christmas

I know, I know.  Its only November and the fist Christmas movie is among us.  Made by Aardman (The people behind Wallace & Grommit) this magical mystery movie takes us all the way to the North Pole and the military style operation that takes place on every Xmas Eve to ensure the safe delivery of about 2 billion presents in a window of about 6 hours.

There is no denying that the beginning of this movie is ace - We start on Christmas Eve with Santa en-route in a UFO style sleigh with the help of about 10,000 bungee jumping elf's who under Santa's lead manage to spectacularly deliver the worlds gifts in about 4hrs, overseen by a hoard of mission control elf's and their Tech Supervisor, Santa's oldest Son and heir, Steve.

Our Hero, Arthur (voiced by James McAvoy) manages the "Santa's Letters" department and apart from a few elf's, still sees Christmas as a magical time rather than a military op where numbers count and not the little kiddiwinkies!

Its pointless going on about the level and quality of the animation, obviously its amazing - very smooth and lifelike with great character effects and a epic layout of Santa's grotto but as with all animations its the script and voices that also make the movie and to say this has a few A-lister's is an understatement.

In addition to McAvoy in the title role keep your ears out for Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Michael Palin, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Robbie Coltrane, Joan Cusack, Andy Serkis and Dominic West...........just to name a few!

See what I mean - its as much fun for the adults to spot the star as it is for the kids to watch the movie.

What does help is its also a sweet little story that will tug on the heartstrings especially in the run up too Christmas and its easy to see the subliminal messages throughout of Christmas becoming an "operation" rather than a time of family and magic and it wraps itself up very nicely at the end with smiles throughout.

As far as Christmas movies go this ones pretty good by me but make sure you have kids to take and if not, borrow some (with parents permission obviously!) as you will look out of place watching this without them.

Merry Christmas! xx (I know its November but where's your Christmas Spirit!) 

158, Twilight - Breaking Dawn, Part 1

It was all the way back in July 2010 that my 45th Blog was about Twilight Eclipse.  The Penultimate book in the Vampire Saga that made heartthrobs of then Ex Harry Potter Star R-Pats and my daughters favourite - Mr Taylor Lautner.

Well, not much has changed in the near on 18 months since our heroes last adorned our screen.  Firstly, My Daughter is still besotted with Lautner (I'm guessing she is not alone) and the story is still one of love and romance, not blood sucking horror - Shame!

So, Breaking Dawn Part 1.  The is where the story starts to wind itself up with the long coming marriage of Bella and Edward much to the anger of Jacob.  Dad is still none the wiser of her daughters life choices and the family of Vamps are as attractive as they have been previously.

However, if you thought Eclipse was slow then this one is even worse!  I know, I'll get lynched for slating this but the whole first hour is a ploddy, lovey dovey story line where everything is perfect, the marriage is beautiful, the honeymoon is awe inspiring, Werewolves and Vampires are getting on, The Voltori are no where to be seen and you really start to wonder if you are going to get any blood and teeth at all!

Well, in my mind it was all about the 2nd part of the movie where things stated to come to life.  The last 40 minutes really ramped up the action with some great special effects and a real teaser set up in to the final installment due out in another 12 months - Even Harry Potter did not make us wait that long between the final two movies.

Its tough  to say any more about it - I don't want to give the plot away but chances are if you are a fan then you have read the books and know the ending.  If not, then a brief heads up that hopefully wont spoil too much!  The "baby" is adorable - I don't think anyone will mind me saying that and the twist for the "non" literate of you (including me) who have not read ahead  comes between Jacob and the Baby but that all becomes clear as the story progresses.

There is definitely more flesh on show in this one than previous outings.  For starters, Taylor lasts all of about 32 seconds into the movie before whipping out the abs and even Bella bares far more shoulder and thigh than her quiet and normally reserved self would allow and the pretty side of Kristen finally starts to shine though towards the end of this movie and you know that in the next one it will be hard to find someone more glam than her on screen - you will see what I mean!

The last part of this really does capture you and take you along for a ride and even I was left wanting the final part to come along quicker than is planned but whats 12 months after all, it will be here before we know it!

By the way, don't get up and leave thinking its over after seeing Bella's eyes.  Hang around for the end credits and catch a little extra bit which re-introduces the Voltori and their "plans" for the Cullen's which is where the final installment takes you, and it looks good!

The Final Harry Potter movie was the far the best one they did and by the looks of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn Part 2 is all geared up to be a non stop blood fest where I may finally get the all out action Vamp frenzy I have been waiting for.  Be under no illusions though, this move (as with the last) is a love story - Action fanatics stay away.  Let the Mrs go on her own!

157, Tower Heist

Its been at least 2 years since Eddie appeared on our screen not disguised as a Donkey sand I was hoping it would be a great return to form of his old Beverley Hills Cop days and I was not disappointed.  Eddie controls each scene he is in with the famous Murphy chuckle making an appearance a few times throughout and his character of Slide, an ex-con bailed by Stiller to help them steal $20mil in change from the richest resident of the Tower, the most expensive real estate in New York where resident Mr Shaw (played by Alan Alda) has scammed all of the staff of their pension funds and is facing FBI federal charges.

The relationship between Stiller and Murphy reaches back to grade school albeit unbeknown to Murphy at the time and the mix of hotel employee's, bankrupt wall street investors and thief are a great mix-up for an unlikely band of Robin Hood's. 

Matthew Broderick (aging gracefully) is a shadow of his Ferris Beuller days but still manages to keep the momentum up alongside Casey Affleck and Michael Pena as the crooks with a great FBI supporting cast mostly headed up by the still lovely, Tea Leoni.

This movie is not as "laugh out loud" as I was hoping it would be and does manage to pull off a far more serious side with a heartwarming back up story of one mans plight to make good on some poor decisions and see the people who trusted him get back what they deserve, even is self sacrifice is on the cards.

Stiller plays a more down to earth role in this movie than normal and has to share the screen with Murphy far more than he normally would with any other leading roles but the two bounce off of each other really well with Murphy's hard case exterior and Stiller as the more personable of the pair making for a nice on-screen double act.

Alan Alda is deviously creepy as Mr Shaw but one of the maids, Gabourey Sidibe (from Precious, 2009) plays in to Murphy's and Stiller comedy excellence with simple ease as the maid / safe cracker.

The end is a little over the top when it comes to the Steve McQueen's Ferrari but you will have to go along and watch it for yourself as no spoilers in this one.

If you are a Murphy fan of old then this definitely does take you back to the old days, before the fat suits and the CGI and even though he would have made one of the best Oscar hosts of all time, sadly this is all you will now see him in this year and with one movie in the pipeline for 2012 and a yet announced release date for Hong Kong Phooey (another animation) he wont be around much in the future either.  Take this as an opportunity to see Murphy at his best and don't let it pass you by.   

156, The Awakening

Ghost story time and in a Downton Abbey meets Paranormal Activity 3 stylie this rather dark and dusky movie [on opening night] made it into the cosy screen 9 which was a little disappointing but with Tin Tin, Immortals & The Rum Diary all hitting the screens as well as Johnny English, In Time, Para 3, Tower Heist and The Help still being banded about it was a wonder they gave this any screen time at all!

The setting for this movie is quite inspiring, a stately home turned boarding school in a time not long after WW1 sees an intrepid Ghost Hunter, or more specifically, a Hoax Exposer and Author of a best selling book being invited to seek the Ghost of a young boy who is believed responsible for the death of one of the students.  Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton are the three main leads in this and pretty much the only recognisable ones with a host of young boys holding their own as the student body.

This Ghost story does not have the immediate captivation or suspense of Paranormal Activity 3 or indeed the American Twang of Insidious but it does manage to draw upon the good old English love of  spooky houses, dodgy caretakers and atmospheric, albeit dreary backdrops to make what in essence is just another run of the mill Ghost story.

Nothing really made this a "one to watch" for me - there were a few jumpy bits and in a full cinema I'd have expected more people to let out a little yelp or scream other than a sole lady near the front but it was just not that jumpy to make people really sit up and pay attention.

I challenge anyone to work out the twist before its announced towards the end of the movie although in good movie tradition, once explained you get some little flashbacks stitching the whole plot line together but it just seemed to have all been done before. 

If anything, this movie is mixture of The Sixth Sense meets The Haunting with the scenery of any Period Drama you would care to mention.  Nothing really managed to stand out and the only redeeming feature was that I didn't work it out which is always a bonus and sometimes a nice surprise.

The performances matched the movie, everything and everyone just plodded along at a leisurely rate with a few bumps in the night but nothing to make those hairs stand up on end.

If you like any of the movies mentioned above then you may be able to take away something from this but recently I have had my eyes opened to a genre of spooks and frights that I never really adopted before and to put this in that category would be a great mis-justice.

Its kind of sweet and tender in places but if all out Ghostly screams are what you are after then this is not one for you.

155, In Time

Picture the scene - no one ages over 25 years old as far as looks are concerned but on your 25th birthday your clock starts ticking.  1yr to go until death and in a world without money you earn and spend time.  The rich live for seemingly ever with so much time they literally live their lives carefully with accidental death being their only possible demise and the poor, well they live minute to minute and fight everyday to stay alive where a 4 minute charge for a cup of coffee or a 90 minute bus fare could result in them not getting to work, ever again.  For the rich on the other hand, a new futuristic E-Type Jag will set you back a few hundred years so its all relative!

This is explained early on with J.T's mum (supposedly 50 years old) played by the beautiful Olivia Wilde (House, Tron Legacy) who looks no older than 25.  I know, slightly random when chatting up girls as your catch could be anything between 25 and 200 but never mind, all part of the fun. 

So, a world where no one ages over 25? sounds great doesn't it, but its all too much for one rich kid who in a bid for freedom bumps into Timberlake in a bar and after having his arse saved by our leading man gifts him his accumulated Century of time and J.T sets about making a break for the high life.

Just to put this all into perspective the below photo is a wife, daughter and mother-in-law, see what I mean - Tricky!

This is a unique look at a potential future and although highly improbable does make for a great watch.  Other characters including the Timekeeper (Cop) Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow in Batman) and Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia, Red Riding Hood) are both brilliant and more on these two later.

Firstly, Timberlake himself.  After hitting form with The Social Network and then laugh out loud comedy Friends with Benefit,s J.T seems to be a million miles away from his N-Sync and Mr Spears days and hopefully the dodgy pop past is now well and truly behind him as he continues to impress on the big screen. 

The on-screen relationship with him and Seyfried as the Bonnie and Clyde meets Robin Hood styled time thief's is mesmerising and really draws you into the plot line, in a way knowing what they are doing is bad but totally getting it and almost sitting alongside in the back seat as they dish out time to all who need it the most.

Murphy is the ethical Timekeeper and although hunting down J.T and Amanda, in effect making him our movie villain you have to admire the characters self disregard to milking the system and literally living on borrowed time, most of the time which could easily have been written the opposite way as a dirty cop but that would certainly not have had the same impact.

There is a great plot line between Seyfried and her father who basically runs the whole "time" thing and the contrast between New Greenwich and the Ghetto, even down to the poor running everywhere to "save time" is brilliantly explained and easily understood.

It could have had a bit more action for my liking, the trailer builds it up to be a non stop thrill ride but there is definitely more story and plot lines that you first imagine there could be but fear not, for those boys who's Mrs drag them along to see the "Trousersnake" in action Seyfried does not disappoint either with a cute bob an a very expensive bra, either that or she has had significant work done since Mamma Mia!

Really impressed with this one so if you get the chance, don't let time pass you buy (chortle!)