280, Elysium

For those who saw and fell in love with the backdrops of Oblivion (Tom Cruise) then Elysium looked set to take it to another level. 

A diseased and ecologically ruined planet earth remains home for those who don't have the money to vacate its dying atmosphere and move to the ever hovering Elysium - a space station styled oasis that lets the rich and affluent live in perfect bliss with not only a fantastic climate and living quarters, but a disease free existence thanks to the help of some pretty impressive machinery that are capable of ridding cancerous cells and other ailments including everything from the common cold to broken bones.

Matt Damon is brilliantly cast as a normal working citizen who after a radioactive work accident is literally being given days to live with his only hope of survival being a healing booth on Elysium and without the acceptance of a citizen, faces certain death.

In a make or break dash to save his life he falls in with a group of rebels who have the means to convert him into a citizen but having to hijack a ship and break through the heightened security of Elysium, headed up by the ever sincere Jodie Foster proves no mean feat and once there - realises he has the chance to change the Elysium source code to  make every human on earth an Elysium citizen and finally bring peace, harmony and most importantly - perfect health to a dying race.

What a story!  I totally loved this movie.  The special effects are second to none, even with today's high standards and the casting is epic from every character listed.  Damon and Foster head it up but there are plenty of easily recognisable faces including the fantastic Sharlto Copley (Murdock / A-Team) who is almost unrecognisable as battered but devastatingly destructive Hitman, Kruger.

I don't want to give too much away regarding the plot but its one of those movies where you get a funny feeling someone is going to have to suffer for the greater good but as the movie pans out you end up wondering if its as straight forward as initially thought.

If Sci-Fi movie are your thing then this is definitely one to watch.  The Spaceships, Weaponry, Medi-Vac Doctors and most importantly Damon's exo-skeleton suit are fantastically designed and brilliantly conceived which makes for a cracking side story into Damon's own issues on a physical level as one as a medical and mental one.

I think many of you will find it hard to fault this one.  Yes, there will be comparisons to almost every futuristic movie made in the last 5 years which will include Dredd, Oblivion, Total Recall etc but this one really does shine in comparison and I urge you all to see it.

279, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Its about time another Teen Fiction Fantasy made it onto our screen after the success of Harry Potter & Twilight (not for me you understand!) but for all those lost kids needing a new focus on life.  Luckily, the Author of the Immortal instruments saga really listed and paid attention to what's already proved popular as this movie has a little bit of everything, let me explain.

Its got Werewolves, Vampires, Magic, Hidden Castles, Warriors, Demons and much much more.  The story is quite simple.  After seeing a murder take place in a club that apparently is lost on everyone else, Clara (Lily Collins) discovers she is the most recent descendant in a long line of Shadow Hunters (defenders of a dark realm) and after the disappearance of her mother realises its time to take on her own destiny as she joins a band of warriors takes with keeping the demons at bay.

Its a great idea and one that is executed brilliantly.  As you've most probably guessed - I haven't read the books but it didn't matter.  I heard it on pretty good authority from a 'reader' that in all honesty, the movie is a really good adaptation.  All of the basic requirements are covered and it quickly gets into the 'who's who' of the storyline.  Clara heads the pack, with her 'bestie' Simon (Robert Sheehan) playing the besotted puppy following her every move, albeit nicely.  They team up with the Warriors - Jace, Isabelle & Alec played by relative unknowns but all of them brilliant.

The bad guys are led by the ever impressive Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Valentine) who's right hand man Pangborn (Kevin Durand) reprises a role similar to the one he plays in 'I Am Number Four', just without the teeth! There are plenty of others characters but to name them all would wipe out the rest of this blog!

What I loved about this movie is it takes the best bit of all the preceding franchises seen over the past 10 years, drops the pointless parts and focuses on all the good stuff.  Its got all the magic and captivation of the Potter films mixed seamlessly with a Twilight styled (and albeit brief) love story that soon comes to a crashing irreversible halt (you'll see).  The Vampires are more like Zombies than sweet an innocent 'day walkers' and the Werewolves proper 'Hulk' out when needed. 

The Demons are quite startling, taking form from everything from the sweet old next door neighbour to a snarling Rottweiler.  These are brilliantly hidden from the outside 'mortal' world leaving the Warriors to wherever possible deal their destruction in the shadows.

Lily Collins is fantastic and the 2nd part is already in pre-production for a 2014 release date so hopefully, we will get one of these a year to see the saga through and with each book taking a different direction I am hoping for a good run of films, each improving as they go. 

To be honest - I was expecting a lame Twilight rip off but this takes out all the fluff and really gets down to a cracking story line with more violence than you'd expect and a great twist that flattens any kind of romance before it really gets going, Who wants romance in a Vampire / Werewolf / Demon / Warrior movie any way?

278, 2 Guns

Any movie starring Denzel and 'Marky' Mark Wahlberg for me has to be a winner.  The sheer on-screen presence of Washington, paired with the humorous quips expected from Wahlberg make 2 Guns an exiting and action packed thrill ride that everyone will enjoy.

The movie opens almost immediately prior to the Bank Robbery the plot is focused around, only then jumping back a week for a back story to bring you up to speed.  Initially, both look like hardened Bank Robbers but slowly as the story unfolds you find out that one is DEA, the other Naval Intelligence and unbeknown to each other - believe the other to be an actual criminal.

When it turns out that the expected $3m haul is nearer to $40m, suspicions between the two grow as to they have ripped off and why and when each of their own sides turns on them - they only have each other to fall back on and find out who the money belongs too and why they are being framed.

The double act of Washington and Wahlberg is fantastic.  There plenty of one-liners as well as edge of the seat action scenes and the pair just bounce off each other brilliantly.  Denzel is by far the more aware, sincere of the two allowing for Wahlberg to play the more jovial of the pair and over the course of the movie you can see a real bond grown between the two that just wasn't there in the early stages. 

I thought the remainder of the cast was also fab.  Bill Paxton's over the top ruthless as CIA agent Earl and Bobby Trench's (Washington) girlfriend / colleague Deb (Paula Patton) play great supporting roles and you'll see X-Man Cyclops (James Marsden) play a but of a baddie too which was a nice change to his normal clean cut image.

But if I was to sum this movie up, in my mind this ones all about Wahlberg.  He will have you in fits of giggles and does the best in mixing comedy with fast paced action.  From placing a fart in a car boot to the cheeky winks bestowed upon all the pretty ladies he comes across, This for me adds another great movie to his CV and makes me want to see Pain & Gain even more than I already do!

The action is slick, car chases are brutal and Denzel shows off a bit of that hard man image seen in Training Day and Safe House which he plays on so well.  Both brilliant in their own roles but if you want to see a little piece of movie magic - then make sure 2 Guns is on your watch list.

277, Grown Ups 2

I have to admit that looking back - Grown Ups (Part 1) did have me in momentary fits of giggles and I suppose with the sequel I was hoping for more of the same.  Unfortunately - in this it seems they've tried too hard to cram as many one liners as they can into the early scenes and as such - I just felt the first 20 minutes was entirely cringe worthy.

The story basically kicks off about a year after the first movie - Lenny Feder (Sandler) and his family have moved back to his home town to raise his kids the old fashioned American way.  Sadly, there is no real point to this film other than our 4 Grown Ups (Rob Schneider is absent) acting up again and after a run in with a College Frat pack end up having to prove their 'machoism' to them as well as face off with their own childhood bullies, resulting in an 80's party at the Faders that ends up in a Grown up vs. College brawl in the back yard.

There are few sub plots along the way, the arrival of Higgins (David Spade) unknown and wayward son, Faders & Mckenzies (Chris Rock) own brood experimenting with 'College girls' and Lamonsoff's (Kevin James) continued 'mummy's boy' lifestyle he cant yet walk away from.

All the wife's are back as is the regular 'Sandler' movie appearance for Allen Covert but the best two additions to the cast are Faders own old school bully, Cavanaugh (Played by WWE star 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin) and older brother to Fugly Mob member Malcolm, Officer Fluzoo, played by the enormous NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.  In my mind - the best two parts in the whole movie.

The third notable addition is frat leader Andy, played by Taylor Lautner who's only redeeming feature in this movie is his impressive arsenal of martial arts roundhouse kicks and his side kick - TV 'Heroes' star Milo Ventimiglia is even worse.

Unbeknown to me at the time - the whole Sandler brood (wife & kids Jackie, Sadie & Sunny) appear as the Tardio family and the original 'opposition' team are all back too - with the brilliant Steve Buscemi reprising his role as the over nerdy but totally awesome Wiley.

I'm focusing so much on the cast here as the movie is totally shocking.  There are a few visual gags that may make some of you chuckle but on the whole - it appeared over stereotyped, badly scripted and pointless.

The 'wife's' do make up for it however to an extent with Salma Hayek dazzling on screen as she always does and with specific focus in this on her ample talent(s) I am sure that most of the bored male audience will have at least two things they can focus on. 

The highlight in this for me was guessing all of the 80's party costumes - everyone is accounted for from Hulk Hogan to Debbie Gibson and with Sandler's under whelming jeans and t-shirt (Springsteen style) its again the ladies (and Kevin James's Meatloaf) that get the 80's nods from me. 

Other than that - the stand out costumes sit with both token black guys coming in the same purple velvet 'Prince' outfits, Steve Austin as the Terminator (with Robert Palmer girlfriend in tow) and Lamonsoff's 'Bean' as one of ZZ-Top that get the most giggles.

To sum up - if slap-stick visual gags are your thing and you think Sandler should be awarded for an Oscar every year for best performance in a comedy role then this is definitely a movie for you.  Sadly, As I don't fit into that category I will make it my aim not to spend time at the cinema again watching a Sandler flick - the stereotypical character niche he has carved for himself is old and tired and I've lost interest - if you haven't - knock yourself out.

276, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is the 2nd outing for our likable Demi-God who along with his band of intrepid forest dwelling heroes have to once again fight evil forces to ensure the safety of the earth - all without any mortals knowing what's actually going on.

This is the 2nd book in a series of 5? and as you'd expect by now - I haven't read any of them but as movies - I think they work really well.  As with my write up of Red 2, being the sequel means you don't need any time at all explaining who everyone is - allowing for a far quicker take up with the plot and as before - I would highly recommend seeing the Lightening Thief before siting down to this one as not only are the heroes explained in full - but so are the baddies and although there is no inclusion of Hades in this outing - Luke (Jake Abel) is back to his evil best and a key adversary for our intrepid band of warriors.

The original cast are all back with the exception of Pierce Brosnan but his role as leader of the forest sanctuary is replaced by Stanley Tucci and Anthony Head and there are a few new demi-gods along the way, most notable is Clarisse, daughter of Ares (God of War) as a contender to Jackson's throne as Camp Hero and the brilliant Tyson - half brother to Jackson as the son of Poseidon and a Nymph! which results in Tyson being a Cyclops and initially loathed by many of his Camp mates due to history between the Cyclops race and some of the original residence of Camp Half Blood - don't panic - all will be explained.

This movie focuses around the location and capture of the fabled Golden Fleece needed to save the life of Talia's Tree that protects the Camps residence.  Meanwhile - Luke is trying to capture it for his own gain, to use it to resurrect Kronos - Father of the Gods and wreak havoc on the world as we know it.  Easy!

Although these are initially books for teens - the stories and characters are captivating and the ending of this is fantastic (***small spoiler alert***) opening up easily onto the potential 3rd instalment that sees Percy no longer as the only direct descendant of the famous three (Zeus, Poseidon & Hades) which puts into question a prophecy hanging over his own head.

The special effects for Tyson and the other Cyclops are great and seeing as no real introductions are needed for the existing cast, it gets straight into the action and the reprised roles for Percy, Annabeth & Grover are all brilliantly portrayed - moving on seamlessly from where they left off after the first instalment.

I couldn't really fault this movie at all - Sadly, I cant compare it to the original novels but as stand alone films, the first two have been well cast, well acted with captivating story lines and totally enjoyable so if you want something that will be enjoyed by parents and kids alike, you cant go far wrong with this one.

275, Red 2

Back in October 2010 (Blog 68, RED) I raved about the prequel to this instalment, stating it was a bit slow to get going but once the story actually picked up a bit of pace it was one hell of a movie  well, for RED 2 they listened to me!

John Malkovich was by far the turning point of the first movie, hilarious on screen and was a well need injection of comedy from the quite mundane Willis and in this new offering - Malkovich is back to his witty best from the opening scene meaning that his movie doesn't need anytime at all to get up to speed - it starts well and truly in 6th gear!

Willis is still with his call centre girlfriend Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) and although he is yearning after the simple retired life, Parker now has a taste from the action, far removed from her 'old' boring life and Malkovich's arrival prompts her to immediately air on the side of adventure and she laps up the new threat that sees Willis and Malkovich framed for an old undercover Op gone bad.

Now hunted by MI6 and most prominently, assassin sniper Helen Mirren (back in her original role) who of course - calls ahead to warn her old comrades of her new assignment and new super assassin Han Cho Bai (Byung-Hun Lee from G.I Joe fame) you have the recipe for a great action spy movie with laughs to boot.

For me - the best thing about sequels is you don't need to take any time introducing the audience to the original characters, allowing for a far quicker lead into the movie - of course there will be new faces, but they can be seamlessly fed in as required.

In this, Brian Cox is back albeit with the absence of Morgan Freeman but a great addition is the apparently senile, aged Professor Bailey (Anthony Hopkins) who is responsible for the original Op / weapons design and holed up in a mental ward, Willis and his band of merry men have to bust him out to get to the bottom of what they are accused of but things don't go entirely to plan!

The other nice extra is the role of Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who plays the Russian spy and an ex girlfriend of Willis which goes down great with current squeeze Parker when it appears after all these years - Katja is still Frank's 'Kryptonite' and the banter between the two ladies is brilliant in its awkwardness.

No plot spoilers from me on this one.  There are plenty of twists and turns that should keep you guessing and as with the first movie, everyone plays their parts to a tee - Mirren & Malkovich especially but as before - Willis just seemed to hold up me being to state that everyone was fantastic.

My recommendation - you will enjoy this movie far more if you've seen the first, purely because it explains how everyone came to be 'Retired - Extremely Dangerous' and also the meeting of Willis & Parker is key to understanding their relationship in the 2nd movie.  If you manage to stay wake for the first 45 minutes of the first movie you will enjoy the rest and most importantly, Red 2 will be far more enjoyable for you.

Lots of Malkovich laughs, Willis Action and Mirren as the adorable Assassin - what could be better?

274, The Heat

The Heat is a movie about a straight laced albeit un-liked FBI Agent Ashburn (Bullock) who ends up on a drugs case that takes her to Boston to meet the fiery & feisty Mullins (McCarthy) and from bitter beginnings these two have to forge a buddy buddy relationship to help each other through personal and family issues and come out the other side smiling. 

As with most cop comedies like this there has to be a fall guy and McCarthy plays her role like an absolute dream.  For most, her performance in Bridesmaids is the recognisable part that puts her top of the current funny female category and why not?  It was an amazing role and this is a far meaner and grittier performance as the foul mouthed, fists first Mullins that will have all of you in fits of giggles at her dry and witty approach to bad-guys. 

Bullock is the far more sincere FBI agent who although impressive with her arrest record is arrogant with it hence her lack of friends and McCarthy picks up on this and takes it upon her self to educate her in the street, as well as comedically in her love life too.

The two bounce off each other brilliantly and its not long before there getting along which is great considering that there is already The Heat 2 rumoured and I cant wait!

I loved this - the addition of wimpy Boston Chief of Police Woods, brilliantly cast as Thomas Wilson who everyone will recognise as Biff Tannen from Back to the Future is amazing and McCarthy's belittling of him at every turn heralds some of the movies funniest moments. 

Then there is the surprisingly cast Marlon Wayans as Boston FBI Agent Levy who for once doesn't act the joker and actually stands up as a pretty decent actor in this considering his sketchy Scary Movie past.

There are sub-plots upon sub-plots with a dodgy family relationship for McCarthy and also the recluse lifestyle of Bullock which just adds depth and backbone to the plot and makes it more than just a comedy cop movie.

To be honest - a majority of the laughs all come from McCarthy and this in part is down to the language used, lets just say its not one for the kids but as in Bridesmaids, its McCarthy's delivery of fantastic lines that make this movie and the funny trailers are just the beginning - there is plenty more where they come from.

From the hilarious bar binge scene to the search for Wood's tiny girly balls, this movie ticks a whole load of boxes that should please action and comedy junkies alike and I cant remember a movie that had the cinema in fits of laugh out loud hysterics in a long time.

When all is said and done - I doubt there is anyone out there who wont find some form of enjoyment with this movie.  Its well written, brilliantly cast and with Bullock's character taking a new post at the Boston FBI at the end of the movie, opens up brilliantly for a second outing.

273, The Wolverine

If you include the un-credited 6 second cameo in X-Men: First Class then this is the 6th appearance from Hugh Jackman as Marvel's Wolverine in the past 13 years and he's not stopping yet as he's back again in 2014 in X-Men: Days of future Past (effectively Last Stand 2).

To get you quickly up to speed, this movie is a sequel to X-Men: Last Stand where after the death of Jean Grey, (Famke Janssen) Logan goes rogue and hides away from the world until he is tracked down by a man he helped survive Hiroshima in 1945 with the wish of setting him free from his curse and giving him back mortality.

However never with things as they seem, it turns out his old acquaintance has more than rekindling old friendships on his mind as new mutant 'Viper' ensures that The Wolverine becomes far more beatable than we've seen before and Logan has to face his own demons as well as initially unwillingly team up with mutant psychic Yukio to overcome this new adversary as well as retain his own powers.

Firstly - in my eyes, 6 outings is already 3 too many for a decent movie hero in these times and although we've seen a few characters make a 6th+ outing I just felt this movie was a bit overworked. 

With Wolverines regeneration capabilities it was clear there would be endless open ended stories in his past to revisit and in its favour - the Samurai contingent and Asian connections do add another element to the movies we've not yet seen and I'm sure that die hard Marvel / Wolverine fans will love it regardless.

Jackman is as usual, on form and his visions of the now departed Jean Grey still haunt him with her wishing him to join him in the afterlife but its his relationship with Yukio that tugs on the heart strings, not romantically I may add as that's falls to another love interest but as a parental kinship its quite endearing to watch as it unravels on screen.

The fights are well choreographed but sadly, the 3D was a waste of time as I didn't actually notice anything over and above the ordinary so if you don't get 3D for free, don't bother however in comparison - the fight scene on the roof of the speeding bullet train is a movie highlight and had me on the edge of my seat.  finally - how can I wrap this up without a mention to the star of the whole cast, the Audi R8 V10 Spider.  Beautiful.

 

The next instalment mentioned above in 2014 being a sequel to First Class will again take us back in time rather than forward so Yukio will be missing but if Jackman gets a third solo outing I'm hoping she will be back and by his side. 

Its a busy week at the cinema with The Heat, The Conjuring, Red 2, Smurfs 2, Only God Forgives, Percy Jackson & Alpha Papa all making appearances over the next 10 days so you've got plenty to choose from but if you like your Marvel action movies and have followed this since 2000 then its going to be a tough one to pass on so enjoy!

272, The Frozen Ground

In essence I was slightly bemused as to why this movie was quietly slipping under most peoples radar.  It received little to no media advertising, I never saw a trailer for it at other movies and the release (at my cinema at least) of a once nightly (late) showing should have sent the alarm bells ringing.

But then, you see the plot and cast.  Nicolas Cage and John Cusack playing Cop & Bad Guy, portraying the true events of Alaska's most notorious Serial Killer, Robert Hansen.

The story focuses on Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens) a lucky victim who although suffering the torture and horrific rape at the hands of Hansen (Cusack) manages to escape death by taking a chance dash for it while her captors back is turned. 

Trying to blend back into society and a world of strip clubs, prostitution and drugs, Halcombe (Cage) tries to get her to tell her story and identify Hansen as the aggressor, saving other girls lives.  Scared for her own safety, Paulson decides against getting involved until a chance meeting with Hansen sends her over the edge and with a few twists an turns along the way has to evade him all over again as he hunts her for a 2nd time but with more girls falling to the killers mercy, can Halcombe catch the bad guy in time?

Sounds good doesn't it?  If it only it was.  Firstly, being a true story your heart will go out to the people portrayed in this film - the sheer level of humiliation, torture and 'hunt' styled death in the wilderness the poor victims succumbed too will make you ensure you lock your doors at night and with a fantastic cast I really hoped the movie would honour the important tale it tells, but for me this wasn't the case.

It was shot quite dark, making it hard to make out most of what was going on and the introduction of Curtis '50 cent' Jackson as Paulsons pimp has to win the award for worst haircut ever and sadly, all it wanted to do for the first hour was make me want to fall asleep.

towards the end though as the trail closes in on Hansen it does get a little punchier but then its a simple arrest and capture with a confession that comes all too easily and then its over.

I cant fault the idea behind this movie, the cast that were chosen or indeed the overall story but for me, it just didn't transition over to the big screen.  A fantastic serial drama over 2 or 3 episodes definitely but not a movie. 

I may be wrong, this may be critically acclaimed and my negative response may be because it was late, I was tired and the air-cons wasn't on that made me sleepy but for now, until I see it either on TV or a non descriptive streaming app on my iPad, I'll have to go with my first thoughts. 

271, The World's End

The Worlds End, starring Simon Pegg & Nick Frost (directed by Edgar Wright) makes up the third instalment of the affectionately titled 'Cornetto Trilogy' that sees this trio set out for the final time (?) after the previous two moves Shaun of the Dead & Hot Fuzz took audiences by storm. 

In this most recent and non-related outing, 5 lads from New Haven (after graduation) in the early 90's set out to complete the Golden Mile, a 12 stint pub crawl ending at The Worlds End.  Sadly, first time out they failed to reach then end and now 20 years on, Gary King (Pegg) sets out to rekindle the 'bro'mance of his former years, rally the troops and finally - finish what they couldn't all those years.

As for the story line its pretty solid and easily recognisable to anyone who grew up in leafy towns and villages.  As with the other two movies, the focal point of a pub(s) is all important so this just takes it to another level although in this one, the 4 other attendees aren't initially as keen as Gary as they've all moved on with new lives and its only King that has remained well and truly in the past.  There are deep back stories to each of the leading cast and their own reasons for deciding to tag along but on the whole - this movie mostly focuses on the relationship between King & Knightly and starts quite dark in comparison to other comedy roles they've completed.

Due to the nature of the other movies, I was hoping for side-splitting laughs almost from the outset but in all honest, for me - the laughs only started drip feeding through once the 5 of them were drunk and the sober part of the movie just looked like a cheap copy of a potentially good Simon Pegg movie.

For once, Nick Frost plays the straight guy (Andrew Knightley) in this movie in retrospect to PC Danny Butterman & Ed from the first two 'fall-guy' roles in the aforementioned trilogy and the remaining 3 pub crawlers are familiar faces Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan & Paddy Considine with the lovely Rosamund Pike as Freeman's sister and object of most of the groups desires!

The supporting cast in this for me actually outshone Pegg, although you have to give him credit for returning to a low(er) budget home-grown comedy since he landed on his feet in Hollywood with Start Trek & the recent Mission Impossible movies. 

As I said, the laughs in this just didn't come as quickly as I hoped and I wasn't alone, the cinema barely chuckled along with the first 45 minutes of this until about pub number 5 and the beer was flowing freely and that coincided with the remaining plot of the movie - where they discover that the residents of New Haven have all (mostly) been taken over by Robots, comparable to Ken & Barbie dolls (detachable limbs) with blue blood.  One thing however that I was impressed with were the numerous fight scenes - our seemingly 5 soft-lads did mash it up with the best of them when it came to the destruction of aliens and Frost stands out as a bit of a bar room brawler, as does Pegg, Considine & Freeman but sadly Marsan spends most of the time cowering in the loo's.  Even Pike goes 2-on-1 against a pair of twins in the beer garden and comes out smiling. 

So far then, Comedy - 0, Fight Scenes - 1

(If you don't want to know how it ends, skip the next paragraph) !!!Warning - spoiler alert!!!

Sadly, I wasn't too enthralled with the ending - what starts out seeing Pegg & Frost square off one-on-one with the alien leader (voiced by Bill Nighy?) and then apparently win - results in the breakdown of a 'network' that is surprising holding the World as we know it together and with its destruction - wipes out the entire economic advancements we have ever made, effectively returning the planet to the dark ages............how's that a win?

Anyway - after the brilliant Shaun of the Dead & Hot fuzz this movie sadly didn't come close to being a worthy part of the Cornetto Trilogy and although die hard 'Spaced' fans would probably disagree with me, relishing everything that comes from the pen of Pegg I have to stand alone and say it just wasn't my kind of movie - drunken frolics in a pub, definitely but there just weren't the laughs I'd hoped for.

The next outing for Pegg & Frost together comes in the form of animated 2014 release The Boxtrolls, one for the kiddies so cant really judge but I hope the next movie that's 15+ from them gets me back on side with this legendary comedy duo.

270, Monsters University

It only took 12 years but the sequel / prequel to the much loved Monsters Inc. is finally here. 

One of Pixar's most successful movies takes a jump back in time to track how Mike Wazowski (Crystal) & James P. Sullivan / Sully (Goodman) hooked up in the first place before coming the record breaking scare team that we were introduced too in 2001.

This movie kicks off early doors, getting introduced to a high school Mike, getting picked on etc as the 'little'un' in class but after a field trip to the scare room at Monsters Inc. and a close encounter behind one of the many 'child' doors that could have ended his young life, his heart becomes set on the only thing he wants to do with the rest of his life - head to M.U, study and become a world class scarer!

Now grown up, Mike enrols in the scare program where he meets Sully, the last in a long line of Scaring legends, The Sullivan's.  Convinced he can 'get by' just showing up & confident that you cant 'teach' scary he mocks the nerdy, bookworm approach from Mike and the two soon become rivals in class until a mistake from them both sees them kicked out the class and the only way to graduate is to win the Scare Games - an annual event that separates the Men from the Monsters. 

Our duo enrol in a fraternity of miss-fits called the Oozma Kappa's to bulk out their team but sadly, this hopeless bunch of cuddly odd-balls have more chance winning baking competition than the scariest games of all - its going to take real cunning, planning and teamwork plus a little bit of luck to pull this one off.

The cast are as they were 12 years ago.  Crystal & Goodman reprise their roles with ease and new additions of Helen Mirren, Steve Buscemi Alfred Molina and a host of others pick up a number of lovable characters, all complimenting the main two really well.

For me, the laugh out loud moments didn't come that quickly (sadly) and the only bits I found funny were when I was laughing at the mishaps of the Oozma's, now that was some comedy gold.

I am confident that your youngest will love this movie, even though the first outing was released before they were born but shame on you if you haven't got the DVD stashed somewhere in the back of the cabinet. 

Even though in comparison - 12 years of technology has left things looking pretty similar and standard in today's competitive animated market to what they did in 2001, the nostalgia of the aforementioned movie is still there and as before - you'll fall in love (again) with Mike & Sully but this time - their team mates are even more likable.