Reviews

Martin Lawrence is hardly the height of great cinematic performers, during the 90's the success of comics such as Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler prevented him from getting to many high profile movies, against the likes of Carrey who is actually funny, Lawrence just didn't represent that much of a Box-Office threat. Now that a lot of those dudes are attempting more serious films, Lawrence has recently had two films released in close quarters the passable Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and this abomination. Basically the film sees Lawrence ferry his daughter around the country in order to help her find the perfect college with several other family members and assorted characters lagging behind. All are suitably "crazy" in that stupid Hollywood way, and Lawrence clearly sees himself as the star of this woeful effort, gurning and overacting his way through as many scenes as possible. Bottom line....the man ain't funny!!! A film similar to this was made not that long ago with Cedric The Entertainer called Jonson Family Vacation. It wasn't great but at least it had a few chuckle worthy moments, I don't think I was amused successfully once during College Road Trip, bar by the sheer poverty of imagination displayed by it's clearly juvenile screenwriters. The director is Roger Kumble who made the excellent Cruel Intentions just short of 10 years ago, and since has been gradually heading down hack road, he may have made a half credible film with Just Friends but 2002's The Sweetest Thing was simply not acceptable. However this is a new nadir for the man I once thought was at least semi-talented, here he directs with a bland eye and is clearly not enthusiastic about the product. Basically he wanted a bit of cash and this was the best way to get it. Comically inept and at times completely unwatchable College Road Trip is as weak a comic effort as I expect 2008 theatres will have to show, and should pop up quickly on DVD. It's an early but strong candidate for the years bottom 10, and may even be the ever irritating Lawrence's worst production to date. Sadly however one is almost certain it will enter the weekends top 5, and might even grab the coveted no.1 spot. Still when the reviews start flying it will drop fast like the dead weight it is. Avoid.

Superbad 2007, 118mins, 15 Director: Greg Mottola Cast includes: Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

It's really been Judd Apatows year, the comedy guru steered Knocked Up to #2 in the US domestic charts bettered only by the pirate fuelled adventures of Johnny Depp and co. on it's opening weekend. Then several weeks later Superbad hit theatres this time with Apatow producing, the magic still hit home the feature managed to take $32 million on it's opening weekend alone, on a mere $20 million budget. Both pictures also drew great reviews marking a mammoth year for Apatow, and based on Superbad he probably deserves mucho credit. The film depicts two pals Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) very different people in one grossly over dependent friendship. Seth is foul mouthed and obsessed with sex, Evan is more controlled and a lot less crazy about intercourse. Both are socially outcast but when invited to the last big party before they graduate the boys and their nerdy tag along Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) acquire a fake I.D and attempt to get a massive booze haul, so as to impress the girls they like and try to lose that one thing all teenage boys want to see the back off. Their virginity. The film is set really into two stories that off Seth and Evan which eats up two thirds of the screen time, and that of Fogell and two lovable but inept cops played by Seth Rogen and Bill Hader. The two are conjoined at the beginning and at the end, but the middle section splices between the two. The film is written in the same crude but clever manner that films like American Pie and The 40 year Old Virgin (another Apatow product) big hits in recent years. It's nice to see a teen comedy that whilst containing all the same elements of the genre, also has a heart, soul and some extremely familiar situations and gags. Films like Road Trip, Pledge This and Van Wilder only maintain half of that equation and as a result are only ever half as good as Superbad indeed in the case of the Paris Hilton DTV movie, they can be a lot worse than even that. The performances are all excellent, Hill can be a tad irritating at times but it's well tempered by Cera's always charming turn. The two share great chemistry, the audience truly believes in their 10 year friendship. As Fogell Christopher Mintz-Plasse really gets the majority of the laughs, he's not a character with any real emotional core but his hilarious I.D (he names himself only McLovin) and his antics with Rogen and Hader are just about the funniest things in the film. Speaking of that duo they're also very good, particularly Hader as the more unstable of the two. One of the key problems the film has is it's lack of development with any female characters. The two chicks the lead duo are after are good looking and pleasant but nothing more. The young actresses do fine with the material I expect they where given, it's just the material itself feels light in the load. The jokes are usually amusing with several laugh out loud moments interspersed within the movie. Obviously a few gags don't work (a sequence involving a young child drawing dicks didn't do it for me) but generally the observations made by screenwriters Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen are funny, witty and surprisingly affecting and familiar. Within the Summer it was released I found only The Simpsons Movie funnier. At two hours director Greg Mottola lets the film drag on 10 minutes to long, but to make the emotional points he needs the man is right to take the picture past the standard 90 minute runtime for this sort of fare. Some parties have read into a gay subtext within the production, I didn't pick up on that, just that these where two friends very close to each other. Seeing as the film also points out that both guys are going to different colleges, the film also deals with the partition of this friendship. Some of the conversations surrounding this are really well done and tug a little at the audience's heart strings. Superbad has a few flaws but none are fatal. The film is funny and emotionally engaging which is what it really needs to be, and thus some of the dud jokes and 2-D characters are easy to forgive. The film offers enjoyment and a little more, which is much more than most of it's over stuffed genre can muster. It ain't Supergood, but I'd certainly give it a watch.

Accepted 2006, 89mins, 12 Director: Steve Pink Cast includes: Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Maria Thayer, Lewis Black, Blake Lively

If nothing else Accepted has a great premise. A bunch of slackers fail to get into college and as a result form their own. The picture didn't however hit big with the public, bombing at the box-office and it's not particularly hard to see why. Whilst the film has a good idea and a solid teen cast, Accepted only shows how a tepid script and flaccid direction can undermine the quality of any production. When "B" (Justin Long) fails to get into any college much to the disappointment of his parents, he along with a group of his pals decide to set up their own the South Harmon Institute of Technology (or S.H.I.T....lame alert!!!) in order to make them look better in the eyes of their mothers and fathers. However neighbouring colleges don't like the party all day attidude of S.H.I.T and promptly it's combo of bikini babes, drunken fiestas and general craziness is put under inspection. The performances in Accepted are all fairly adequate, Justin Long is a likable (if a tad bland) in the lead, Jonah Hill is a scene stealer as his brain box best friend and Lewis Black provides a few chuckles as the fake hired Dean for the newly "opened" university. The rest of the characters are within themselves clichés, kooky girl, sports jock, hot chick with feelings and idiot with a talent. We've seen these presentations of youth a thousand times before in Animal House, American Pie, Road Trip and more recently Superbad. Accepted has as good a plot as any of those pictures, but it's constant recycling of their jokes and characters makes it far harder to warm to. The villains are all snooty and aryan, but not one is given a character. Even mediocre teen flicks like Road Trip and Slackers manage to present us with a total bastard of a bad guy, Accepted has nothing... Steve Pink's direction is uninspired and really has nothing unique to it's name. He frequently shows wasted "party dudes" doing outrageous stuff and sexy girls stripping down to skimpy bikinis but that won't satisfy anyone over the age of 16. The script is pretty lame, several gags do work quite well and Jonah Hill has a whole barrage of cheeky one liners but you won't find yourself laughing that often. Even smiles are scarce during the pictures rather short 89 minutes, more often than not your just bored. The idea would have been far better under the careful eyes of the Weitz brothers are Judd Apatow, the creative team here have done well to come up with the idea but in it's actual construction have fired far to many blanks. The PG-13 rating doesn't even allow for a raunchy style of humour, sex jokes are rare and generally juvenile and weak in Accepted. Indeed the only real one I remember is a hot girl who names her special skill as taking her clothes off, thats it.... Fans of the genre may find some stuff to like about the picture, and those to young to legally watch without a guardian might think it "totally awesome". The truth however is very dustant from that, Accepted is dull and if we're being brutally honest deserved the backlash and failure it received. Best to reject this, and try your luck with better institutions like American Pie or Superbad.

I Am Legend 2007, 101mins, 15 Director: Francis Lawrence Cast includes: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith, Dash Mihok

Written in 1954 Richard Matheson's I Am Legend is among my favourite books ever. The text is in novella format and yet along with Orwell's Animal Farm it never ceases to amaze me how potent and utterly brilliant the book is, within it's tiny format I Am Legend achieves more than the entire Harry Potter saga. It's been filmed thrice, during the 50's with Vincent Price in the lead and entitled The Last Man On Earth, twenty years later this time with Charlton Heston in the Omega Man and now in 2007 with Will Smith in the first production to maintain the sources name. Funnily for such a fan of the book this is the first adaptation I've seen, it's pleasing to see the pages brought so fluently to life on the silver screen, but in terms of book to movie transfers it's Lord Of The Rings light. The story for those unaware is that of Robert Neville (Will Smith) a brilliant Government scientist, and as of five years ago the last man on earth. The world has become thronged with vampire cum zombie monsters, a consequence of a virus that hit half a decade ago turning people into these rabid and senseless villains. They can only operate in dark and so during the day New York is Robert's playground, by night he's reduced to hiding in his sealed off house. Neville is trying desperately to find a cure and reverse the disease that has turned his fellow human sinto shadows of their former selves, but whilst he may be immune the monsters are keen to taste his blood. I Am Legend is directed by Constantine helmer Francis Lawrence, the man exhibits the same strengths he did in that picture, the visuals of New York he conjurs up are eerie yet awesome and he builds up a strong central character well. Given that the source is better and that on this occasion he's blessed with the ever watchable Smith instead of Keanu "forest" Reeves he still deserves a pat on the back for getting these elements so perfectly zoned. I can only do this review from the perspective of one who has read the text and so one of my biggest issues surrounds that, so if you're a Matheson virgin and intend to stay that way (why you would is beyond me...) bump the picture's rating up to 8/10. However there is one universal flaw and thats with the presentation of the infected, in a post 28 Days Later world these weird looking super goblins just aren't that scary and we don't really see enough of them to think otherwise. The CGI surrounding the creatures is by turns good and by turns bad. The deer we see Neville hunting in New York look great and one scene in a darkened warehouse features some fine use in terms of creating the zombies. In the better lit scenes however they aren't convincing enough, and the creature design is dubious to say the least. The film does have a fnatastic performance from Smith and in a later plot development Alice Braga. So far based on other performances this year I wouldn't hesitate to give Smith an Oscar nomination and whilst Braga isn't present for long enough she at least deserves hearty credit. The two carry the film superbly and if ever a category for "best performing animal" opens up Sam Nevilles dog deserves a look in. The connection between Dog and man is engaging and fantastic, this is one of the deviations from the book I thought worked well. Some of the other changes don't however feel as satisfying, the way in which Nevilles family perish (shown through flashback) is unconvincing and slightly clichéd and at times one feels to much is absent. In the book at least one villain is built up, here we get virtually nothing. The finale is also slightly altered, more upbeat but not in a senseless Hollywood way. The change feels fine on the big screen and is still far grimer than most endings within it's respective genre. The action is well done and there are some scenes that are pure action, others purely horror. The book doesn't contain many of these but in the end with a Will Smith Holiday movie they where going to be essential. In the end I enjoyed most of them and they complimented the fantastic cinematography well, but again there was more within the source material than big bangs and awe inspiring landscapes. In the end I Am Legend is an above average film and given the recent output like Eragon and The Dark Is Rising it's a way above average page to screen adaptation. However one feels that Cinematography, Will Smith and Alice Braga to the side the film would be a lot weaker which suggested heavily that the material has been slightly mishandled. It's more than strong enough to carry itself yet here it feels a little patchy. The movie is good entertainment and features a great central performance but it isn't legend. Richard Matheson's book on the other hand most certainly is.

.....it feels completely pointless. I actually reckon this along with last years The Omen redo is one of the better of a recent spate of horror remakes but unfortunately whilst The Hitcher redo is competently made and performed it just can't better the original in any way or form. The story bar a few little plot tweaks is 100% identical to that of the original, a group of teens played by Sophia Bush and Zachary Knighton pick up a stranger (Sean Bean) who turns out to be a cunning nutter, interested only in slashing their throats. After luckily disposing of him, The Hitcher continues to haunt them down the highway setting them up for crimes they didn't commit and leaving a tonne of gored up bodies in his wake. The performances here are actually decent enough, Zach Knighton is a bit weak in the role of Jim, but Sophia Bush is a bit more interesting and engaging as his girlfriend. Those who have watched the 1986 classic will know that only Jim was on the road in that movie, something which really helped escalate the tension. In this picture the scares are largely blood based and depend at times on boo moments, leaving the battle of wits element from the 1st film behind. Sean Bean is easily the best thing about the film, he is a good selection to fill Rutger Hauer's boots even if grimace for grimace he can't match the man for sheer menace. Bean manages to bring a little extra depth to a movie, which seems largely happy to be brainless entertainment. Director Dave Meyers is a newbie behind the camera and his first feature isn't particularly ambitious, a nice visual flair is the only thing that separates his direction from that of a DTV slasher. He peppers the screen with jump moments and a couple do get you, but unlike The 80's version precious few of his scares are memorable. The picture looks nice and works OK for a Friday night DVD indeed those unfamiliar with the original may take quite a liking to this one. However those who have encountered The Hitcher before are unlikely to remember this roadtrip.

The world really didn't need another Resident Evil movie, the previous outings where in no way great, indeed the second installment was for the most part god damn awful. This the third (and please studio execs final) in the series feels dull and very repetitive, the feeling of deja vu is prominent and seeing as the initial parts were pretty poor thats in no way a good thing. Milla Jovovich is the kind of actress who looks great but simply should quit and become a full time model. It's shocking how dodgy her performance is here, all wooden stares and wrist flicking knife action. The character was never sympathetic but Jovovich hasn't managed to inject any 3-D aspects into the character, which considering it's over three pictures is a bad show. I enjoyed some of the action, indeed one particular sequence which a the viewer will revel in, but altogether the director of Highlander brings the same bland tricks and turns we see in every video game movie, however the picture is pretty short ensuring it's game over pretty quick.

Mr. Woodcock is the sort of film that I usually dread going to see, a sort of Meet The Parents rip off in the same vein as recent pictures like Relative Strangers and Guess Who. To be fair this movie betters both of those considerably, mainly due to the talented cast at the directors reach. Seann William Scott is great for the first time since American Pie, in a much more subtle role. I expected many things after seeing this young man back in 1999 and The Dukes of Hazzard and American Wedding weren't among them, so to see him hit the comic notes perfectly again is quite refreshing. Thornton ever since heavy success with Bad Santa back in 2003 has been making a career of playing weirdos (usually mean ones) and as Woodcock he's a solid choice who digs up several strong laughs. Sarandon is a lot more cardboard and ultimately unmemorable in her role, you forget her character at times but I guess thats all the script wanted and shes a pretty good actress to snare for the part. The story is pretty strong and a really good idea for the most part, the whole idea should have nerds everywhere rejoicing and cringing in equal amounts. The comedy does feel slight when taken against the premise but at the same time it's never overly offensive or dumb. The script has ups and downs in terms of gags, but the overall feeling is pleasantly entertaining. I enjoyed this movie and probably would happily suggest you pick it up on DVD when it hits the Summer sales next year or indeed give it a rental on initial release.

I'll be blunt, this is a bad movie with no real pros. A few times I was amused by a joke and the lead pair share some chemistry, but the overall feeling the production induces is not one likely to satisfy cinema goers. The director is Bob Odenkirk who directed last years mediocre Lets go to jail. That film wasn't awful just not very memorable or indeed in any way original. The Brothers Solomon actually looks at one point like it might form into a decent movie, the premise isn't brilliant but it does initially seem like a solid idea for a comedy. The whole mentality of the picture is sweet and overly syrupy, I mean at times the thing should come with a dental warning. The script has one or two dcent gags in it's aresenal but not enough to make this worthwhile for anyone with an IQ over 30. Opening alongside Shoot em up it's hard to see how The Brothers Solomon could make anything more than 5 million on it's opening weekend, I haven't seen it that highly advertised and when the reviews come out I doubt they'll differ much in terms of opinion from mine. Avoid the film, or if you must see it wait until you can watch free on cable.

Just saw an advance screening of Rob Zombie's Halloween and I must say, it's actually pretty good. Now most people will recognize that this picture will never level with Carpenter's classic, but Zombie slots in lots of extra blood and some pretty scary sequences none the less. This picture looks a lot more at Myers back story which doesn't detract much from the film, but adds little extra. I found it to be an admirable idea, but sadly one that only slows the film down and actually makes the killer a lot less scary. The visual aspect of the film is strong, creepy visuals are present in strong numbers, but personally I wasn't as hooked by this aspect of the film as I was by last years The Omen remake. The performances are pretty good, most of the teens aren't top annoying and several people are developed in such a way that the audience cares about them over time. A decent horror movie but in summary if you've seen the original you've seen the better version.

I cannot begin to describe the expectations that gripped me as the Universal logo began to play prior to the beginning of DOA: Dead Or Alive. The best way to describe them would be below rock bottom, if such a place does exist. Video game movies are never more than light entertainment, and even thats a rare instance, the genre usually parking it's self closer to such terms as "awful" and "vomit inducing". In recent years we've had to brave wonderful games being turned into dogged movies, Doom and Resident Evil are surely the two best examples. DOA: Dead or Alive isn't even a particularly good game, vapid and uninteresting would be good words to describe the experience of playing said title, and so it's something of a pleasant surprise that director Corey Yeun has crafted an average actioner, and a better than usual video game adaptation out of the material. In truth the production knows how ridiculous and bad it's premise is, and as a result thw whole affair goes for spectacle leaving the rancid,plot hole buggered story in it's wake. The bikini clad babes are all impossibly good looking and seeing as Yeun is a vetern of the martial arts and action genre he crafts some brilliant fight sequences. The story assembles a group of the best fighters in the world for an event set on a remote Island. The event is DOA, a competition that pits the fighters against each other anywhere on the resort at any time. Tournament ruler Donovon (Eric Roberts) decides the various combats and picks the combatants. The participants are male and female, though the picture puts it focus very much on the women (all of whom are smoking hot) and there various conflicts. Firstly we have master thief Christie (Holly Valance) who is selected after giving a few of the local police an arse whipping (whilst half naked). Valance was the character who was most interesting during the film's runtime, though saying that doesn't mean a whole lot. Next we have Princess Kasumi (Devon Aoki) selected after making a daring escape from her palace who also wishes to find out more about her brothers death at the previous years event. Then there's pro-wrestler Tina (Jaime Pressly) who along with her wrestler father has been shipped to the competition due to her awesome fighting abilities. Then we get Helena (Sarah Carter) the daughter of DOA's recently deceased founder, about to fight in her first ever year. The film does offer a subplot about Kasumi's brother but it's entirely unimportant until the finale. The screenplay for DOA is among the worst I've ever heard. The dialog is as idiotic as anyone could possibly think and to see three full grown men credited with the writing is a little disheartening. If they'd all been ten years younger this would have been easily forgiven, but each representitive is well past the age where this kind of scripting is acceptable. Thank god for Crey Yeun then, who throws in fight and action sequences galore along with endlessly ogling Valance, Carter and Pressly with his camera. Thanks to these ahem.....visual aids the project may be dumb as nuts but it's also wonderfully entertaining in it's own silly way. With Paul W.S Anderson on hand as producer you really ought to know what you're getting from the start. Anderson has done fun stupidity (Alien Vs. Predator, Event Horizon) and god awful stupidity (Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat) but the clue's not the quality rather the fact they're all suffering from total and complete idiocy. Indeed this movie is idiotic, maybe more so than any of the films above but in terms of offering fun and entertainment value DOA levels with any of them. The performances are uber hollow but then what did you expect. No character is given anything close to an arc, possibly with the exception of the blandest member. Devon Aoki doesn't look as pretty as any of her core female co-stars, but nor does she exude any charm or cheesy moments. She looks bored, acts wooden and delivers her lines in a way that is quite frankly dead not alive. She's the person who the filmmakers credit with any sort of real motive yet she's quite frankly the worst name on the cast sheet. The other ladies are equally inept but in a funner and more engaging manner. Valance is actually quite likable (and Yeun quite rightly has her in bikini the most) whilst Pressly goes through the sassy schtick she's mastered from a season or two of My Name is Earl. Sarah Carter is awful but trys to exude some sort of energy, pretty much the difference between her and Aoki. Eric Roberts hasn't a good performance on his CV, and DOA doesn't improve his situation, he's an awful villain but is responsible for plenty of unintentional laughs. The whole film is colourful and nice to look at. At times design seems cheap but overall the shiny look compliments the silly plot. You'll find nothing dark or scary within the production, bar perhaps Eric Roberts atrocious wig. The cheerful style could be down to budget, but then it also lends the film a comic book look, not entirely out of place with it's feel. The action is quick and never far from starting, Yeun wisely papers over various plot holes and other quibbles by simply starting a fight or destroying something. Usually not a commendable method but really what else was the movie going to do. The individual fights aren't among Yeun's best work but there's no point in complaining, they still shoot high above most martial art work in terms of entertainment. Some of the special effects work is questionable, but again thats not really the point is it?

Released between 300 and Mr.Bean's Holiday, this British production never really had a chance at the Box-Office despite a clever plot, amusing trailer and presence of sex siren Carmen Electra. The film didn't score to well with critics either, comments such as "It's a dire sex comedy" and "a crude, leering poorly timed farce" where pretty much commen place. Still is the film bad enough to warrant a battering on all fronts (no pun intended)? The answer is no. The plot is a clever enough little idea, two geeky film students in attempting to sell a film pitch end up agreeing to make a porn flick for the wrong people. They are offered the service of Candy Fiveways (Carmen Electra) the worlds most famous adult film star, but even with this supposed blessing, they still have to defeat the obstacles that include suspicious parents, a lack of cash and their general inexperience behind the camera. I want Candy is still waiting on a US release and so marks one of few films we get first. The film is heavily flawed but there's a charm that carry's this picture and despite being a movie with more sex toys, lesbian love scenes and innuendos than you can count it's really quite good natured. The young cast are pretty solid and whilst I don't expect to see either Tom Burke or Tom Riley become the next Hugh Grant, both might just manage in this business. Both convey a sense of excitement and dread concerning their problem, but overall the balance really feels quite nice and realistic. More often than not we are encouraged to laugh at the pratfalls Tom and err...Tom find themselves drawn into. That grows harder as the picture goes on, indeed the audience felt a lot of sympathey for the two lads on more than one occasion, and that can get in the way of belly laughter. Electra doesn't really have any acting chops to stretch but the former Baywatch babe is a likable candy, a women who despite her career and physical attributes is intelligent and something of a film buff. In many ways Electra grounds the picture and offers as many good jokes as anybody else, probably around half a dozen or so. Pirates Of The Caribbean star MacKenzie Crook offers up a few decent chuckles as the boys teacher, and Jimmy Carr manages a neat cameo as a dodgy video store clerk. The script is a bit hit and miss particularly during the middle section of the movie, I found myself laughing more at the beginning and end. That's not so say the script isn't inspired in sections, I really was caught off guard by several of the gags but to many jokes where predictable and a fair bit of the material feels recycled. Director Stephen Surjik who directed the second and vastly weaker Wayne's Worlds should be pleased enough with the final outcome, it matches anything else on his CV in terms of quality. The production looks pretty cheap and I expect the explanation for this is also the simplest. The film can't have been made on a mega budget, indeed with US release still uncertain it's fair to say the amount of money pumped in could well be miniscule. The cinematography is weak and the film looks made for T.V, which will always distract no matter how sharp a script the film boasts. The film is bound to have a lot of people recoiling in their seats as the cringe inducing scenarios pile up. Having to listen to your mum and dad having sex whilst your locked in their en suite may be bad, but thats only a fraction of the embarrassment the boys have to suffer. Last year I watched a movie called The Moguls which starred Jeff Bridges and had a similar plot to this project. I Want Candy emerges as far the better flick, and so anybody who got a kick out the first film will almost certainly enjoy this one.

The creative team behind Evan Almighty really should have been able to make a better film. Starring one of America's favourite funnymen and helmed by Ace Ventura Pet Detective director Tom Shadyac one expects a higher laugh count than the picture provides. Hell even Steve Oedekerk who wrote and directed last years atrocious Barnyard, and attains a writing credit here has done better work. The fact of the matter is that Evan Almighty isn't the worst picture of the Summer season but it might well be the most disappointing. The title and creative team behind the picture suggest this is a sequel of sorts to 2003's Bruce Almighty. That picture had Jim Carrey in the lead, and whilst both Steve Carell and Carrey are both funny guys it's the latter who's better suited to this sort of material. I've heard that Carrey was offered this sequel before anyone else, but the actor declined staing he saw no other places for his character to venture. Thus Shadyac moved over to Carell, who ever since an amusing bit part in the 2003 original has been gunning for stardom. After sleeper hits The 40 Year Old Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine the man has become big business, and so it's him rather than rubber faced Jim who leads this production into theatres. The story see's Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) having been elected as a Congressman and thus he and his troop move house and state so Evan can find success with his job. His wife (Lauren Graham) and three kids have doubts but overall show a supportive side towards Evan, who himself looks at the future with optimistic eyes. However things start to go belly up fairly fast, God (Morgan Freeman) appears to Evan stating a flood is coming and that the politician must build an Ark. Initially ignoring the encounter, Evan is quickly granted some robes a beard that refuses to stay shaved and animals are beginning to appear two by two. Evan then begins to put the boat into construction but the neighbourhood aren't happy and neither is a fellow Politician (John Goodman). Anyone expecting the wacky laughs of some of Tom Shadyac's other films will probably be left completely cold by this movie. Ace Ventura, Liar Liar and hell even Bruce Almighty where largely very funny pictures, but all of those ;projects have one thing in commen and thats Jim Carrey's presence. Shadyac hasn't made a worthwhile film without Carrey at the helm, he's worked with Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and now Steve Carell, but still only Carrey seems to meld successfully with Shadyac. Carell after the disappointing Box-Office and critical mauling won't be desperate to work with the director again, and with Carrey now doing more serious projects Shadyac had better find a new comic muse fast. Carell himself is fairly dull here, whoever felt that his bit part in the first movie (Despite being quite amusing) deserved a full length feature should be taken out back and shot. I expect after Bruce Almighty's Box-Office draw it was Universal studios themselves, but you know when a quality comedian can't do anything with a character then the scren persona is a dud, and thats exactly the case with Evan Almighty. Lauren Graham isn't any great shakes as Evan's wife nor do any of the children strike the right note. Freeman lets it all hang loose as God in another amusing and chilled performance but he appears to sporadically to carry the piece. Indeed the most consistent source of laughter is Evan's Secretary (Wanda Sykes) and creep co-worker (Jonah Hill), both made me laugh twice as much as any other character in the project. Oedekerk's writing has been worse (Barnyard) but also better (Ace Ventura When Nature Calls) than his work on this production. His script does have genuinely funny moments but it's also full of cloying family moments and the humour is never weird or indeed offensive enough. The film takes tame and easy swipes at religion when it ought to rip the concept to shreds, indeed the opening church sequence in The Simpsons Movie shakes religion harder than Evan Almighty's whole 95 minute run. With a bit more daring and heart this could have been a far better picture. I don't doubt that the core family audience will be mildly entertained by this film, but if they'll be satisfied is a completely different question. There's a line between being watchable and being worthwhile, a line that Evan Almighty is always on the wrong side off. Maybe when you're feeling bored and the films on cable you can afford to watch, but I can think of plenty better ways to spend my time and indeed more importantly my money than tuning into this mediocre comedy.

It's clear from the opening ten minutes of Mr.Bean's Holiday if you'll like it or hate it, indeed for those who encountered the stretchy faced simpletons other motion picture or any of the T.V material you'll know before you buy a ticket or sit down to watch. It's no secret that Rowan Atkinson's Mr.Bean is a love or hate commodity, the man's antics overjoy some but repulse others, and so when I sat down to watch I was rather pleased that I belong to the former camp. The film is simple in it's plotting, Bean wins a ticket, some spending money and a camcorder to visit the south of France. Indeed the first comic set-piece is over with prior to the opening credits having been completed and Bean has found himself within the French domain earlier still. As with any adventure involving the character it's not just about a holiday, Bean quickly causes disaster and devastation, being accused of kidnapping a child and ruining a celebrated filmmakers day at the Cannes festival, along with numerous other problems. The film is well paced and presents enough amusement to keep all parts of the audience amused. I personally thought it a weaker venture than 1997's Bean, but not by all that much, the character still has enough idiotic potential and charm to make this a worthwhile project. Atkinson portrays Bean with the same manic energy we have associated with the character for nearly 20 years, and several of the jokes and gags are completely dependent on the conviction of his goofing, which thankfully cannot once be brought under critical questioning. He slips from disaster zone to disaster zone with ease and the audience will lap up that aspect of the film for sure. In support we have a rather weak set of persons however, actors ranging from Karel Roden to Emma de Caunes right back to Willem Dafoe fail to make any real impact. The latter playing a snobbish film director has a few laughs come the finale but any scene he features in prior is not made by his being there. Dafoe clearly is having a good time but he might have done more to please the audience than himself. The rest are banal and bland Emma de Caunes looks great, but makes for an unconvincing love interest and the sub plot involving Karel Roden and his lost child is stolen by Atkinson. The screenplay really can't have amounted to much (most of the film is in french) but any of the gags formulated within the script must have been quite good. The screenwriters have written for the character before and thus they have a firm grip on his stengths and weaknesses. At times a joke (usually devoid of Bean's presence) will fall flat and there are large sections of the film that are aimed strictly at the under 12's but overall if you let yourself go and don't judge to harshly this is a decent set of gags and farcical situations. The movie is bound to do decent business in the USA when it see's release later this month but having taken over £200,000,000 in Europe already the film must be classified as a success. Reviews have been hard occasionally cruel, but then thats just the nature of this beast. I enjoyed the production and will still look fondly on the character (this is supposed to be his final appearance) but not everyone will share my sentiments, and so before bothering to write a review or pay for admission think to yourself "Do I actually want to see this?" Once you know that you know what to do, and if you make the same choice as me I doubt you'll regret it.

Video games never seem to translate well to film, or most of the time anyway. Once in a blue moon you do get one that isn't a total stinker like the first Tomb Raider movie or Alien V.S predator, but even then they rarely turn out to be better than average. Silent Hill for these reasons is definitely one of the best game to film translations but that sadly, doesn't make it a great piece of cinema. Don't get me wrong its entertaining stuff, and a good Saturday or Friday night movie, but looking at the cast and crew involved along with the undeniable quality of the source material it's really a bit of a pity it isn't better. The Story follows Rose, who's daughter Sharon is sleepwalking and when she does she talks about a place called Silent Hill. Rose decides to take Sharon to the town of Silent Hill in the hope that what is clearly disturbing her daughters mind can be resolved when she see's the place. The place itself is now a ghost town, abandoned for years it would seem, however when Rose and Sharon reach the outskirts of the town they have an accident that leaves both mother and daughter knocked out. When Rose wakes up Sharon is missing, and its up to her and Police officer Cybil to find the little girl, in a town where everything is far from what it seems. The high point of silent hill is undoubtedly its visual aspects. Director Christophe Gans has created a place both creepy and hauntingly beautiful, and the monsters that inhabit the town are some of the best I've seen on the silver screen in a good while. Screewriter Roger Avery can't replicate that success in his script however. Its wooden and far to long and at times the heavy script slows the film down horribly. Its admirable what Avery's tried to do, build a little more character and humanity into a genre that so often lacks it, but in the end he doesn't pull it of. The performances on the other hand are solid and believable. Rhada Mitchell makes a good fist of the leading role, and young Jodelle Ferland who has to play multiple parts as the story develops is a name to look out for in the future. Laurie Holden and Sean Bean aren't taxed by easy parts, though when it counts they get by just fine. Its also commendable that the film has gone the whole 9 yards and grasped an R rating. The source material requires the more adult and mature rating a Pg-13 certificate would have doubtless not been enough to coax up the required effects and mature tension.

Abbey road sessions is a look (albeit not a very detailed one) at the Music Marco Beltrami composed for the 2006 Remake of The Omen. It's interesting enough and seeing how a great composer like Beltrami comes up with his music is a delight but the documentary which can be found on the DVD release of the omen also is very and fatally brief. Admittedly it's worth 10 minutes of your time and John Moore is funny when he appears but really after watching it all your left with is an urge to hunt out more about Beltramis composition, which is rather dissatisfying. The music itself is very good and I felt that in the movie it was overshadowed by what happened on screen but watching this doc really makes you take notice of the tunes and their undoubted quality. They probably aren't as good as Goldsmith's for the original movie but all the same it's a soundtrack worth buying.

Omenisms is a 40 minute doc on the making of 2006's Omen remake. It's well made and includes facts about several of the films key sequences and interviews with it's stars. The Omen 2006 DVD is quite a good one and this coupled with director John Moore' feature commentary is probably the best thing on it. Look out while John Moore mentions several times when the supposed curse of The Omen occurred on set, and for one instance in particular where he explains how after shooting one of the toughest scenes in the movie, all the film was destroyed in the lab mysteriously. We also get to see several clips of the films premier and an interesting discussion with little Damien himself, played by Seamus Davey Fitzpatrick finding out what he believes the devil to look and act like. Pleasant and informative DVD extra.

To be honest prior to being aware of Night at the museums directorial credit I was looking forward to it immensely. The blend of comic actors which included Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson and Dick Van Dyke looked to good to be true on paper. Coupled with the huge budget and exciting T-Rex teaser trailer the film offered a shimmer of hope to a Holiday season that even in August smelt like a stinker. As I said however, this was prior to being aware who the director was, because as soon as I found out my expectations dropped pretty deep. Two words, Shaun Levy managed to make me think a supposdly perfect film could actually end up being awful. There's no doubt that Levy is currently one of the worst filmmakers around churning out rubbish like Cheaper by The Dozen, Just married and last years disappointing Pink Panther update on an annual basis. So with these thoughts in mind I went to see Night at the museum on the 27th of December and was well.....entertained. I won't examine the story in great detail after all, this is on IMDb and a great summary is a fingerclick away on this very page, so that would be a waste of my time. However I will hint at the themes that set the story up and they are "fatherhood", "redemption" and generally other preachy nonsense. That may be the film's biggest flaw, an overly saccharine and syrupy story which is more likely to repulse the viewer than attract him. Also coupled with some weak performances from Carla Gugino and Robin Williams the films quality is deeply effected. That said it's far from awful and has several redeeming points. The effects are as good as the trailer promised and some sequences involving the T-Rex and Atilla the Hun are genuinely entertaining. There's also a nice comic sub story between Stiller and a monkey, native to the museum. Stiller himself puts in a comfortable and pleasant performance as does Dick Van Dyke and Ricky Gervais. The stand out's in the cast are Steve Coogan and Owen Wilson who are constantly at war with each other and whilst they learn the error of their ways the Cowboy and Roman (thats who the actors represent) learn to get along, albeit in a very funny manor. As I mentioned before the huge budget has been put to good use with the storys main protaginists coming to life in stunning detail (the T-rex,lions and minatures are the standouts)and there are some great shots of the new york sky line. However what is more important is how Levy's direction comes of. It's far from great but whats more meaningful is how it's far from terrible (the level were he has been squandering in recent years) and that represents improvement. He doesn't always grasp the emotional aspects of the tale well but he handles the comic and effects based set pieces well, something that he didn't seem capable of doing in previous efforts. So Kudos to Mr.Levy for upping his game, but to irradicate Just married from my mind he'll have to up it further still. The final line on Night at the museum is despite it's flaws it remains of higher quality than most of the other seasonal movies of 2006 and represents an adequate Standard in more general terms. So whilst adequate would have disappointed in August, after finding out several other facts about the movie and realising how sugary the story was in later months adequate does just fine.

In recent years we have been subjected to some very poor horror remakes including 2005's anaemic remake of the Amityville horror and this years poorly crafted The Hills Have eyes. Now also consider Gus Van Sants uninteresting interpretation of Phsyco and the totally abysmal Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and you could be forgiven for thinking this years remake of The Omen is one to miss. Helmed by John Moore, the man responsible for the excellent Owen Wilson war film Behind enemy lines and last years forgettable The Flight of the phoenix remake, The Omen is given no new twists are turns and stays very faithful to the original.

This no doubt will be viewed by some as a weakness, and the film then considered a pointless exercise, but for me and hopefully many more this actually made the film a more interesting experience. It used the same story and instead of the 70's it places itself in modern times and explores many new perspectives on religion and even at times touches on politics to.

The Story as mentioned above is nearly turn for turn a carbon copy of the original. Liev Screiber plays an ambassador who leaves to go to London with his Wife and son Damien. However after a series of terrible events and some weird photos it becomes clear that Damien could be the Devil incarnate.

The cast is certainly a lot stronger than most horror films can boast and it does become apparent when characters interact. Instead of getting cardboard conversations and paper thin personality's here we get offered that bit more, and it really does improve the quality of the film. Liev Screiber and Julia Stiles both play well as Damiens parents, and in scenes of peril, particularly Stiles they both come up trumps in conveying their terror. Support is really good in this movie with David Thewlis, Mia Farrow and Pete Postletwaite all delivering spooky and hammy turns in abundance, and in fact rivalling the original films cast, particularly Farrow who is great value in the form of Mrs Baylock Damiens Nanny. As for Damien himself little Seamus Davey Fitzpatrick is clearly not a brilliant actor but his eyes and stare are so malevolent you get a chill whenever he appears, and that is fine for the role.

Moore has injected plenty of menace and boo moments into the film, so as to keep the audience alert. There are some genuinely scary set pieces and all the deaths are fun and gruesome in equal measure. Fun is an important word, and a film like this needs to have plenty of it, and thats maybe why it succeeds like it does. The end suggests that Moore and co definitely gave the politics of today a thought as the presidents head, are rather the back of his head looks a lot like George Bush. The beginning of the film is my only criticism. I understand why it is there, the sequence at the vatican involving all the disasters to try and add something new, but this was well enough made to stand on its own two feet and thus doesn't need the ill judged opening as an excuse for its existence.

My final verdict is The Omen is a well made film and well worth seeing for a new look at religion are politics. Or if you want fun and a guys head getting chopped of it works well to.

Gross out comedy is fast becoming one of Hollywoods biggest industrys. The American Pie films, South Park bigger Longer and Uncut and numerous Adam Sandler movies are among the biggest grossers and in 1998 There's Something about Mary became one of the genres biggest hits. The film opened to generally positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, as years went by the films popularity grew and since then by many has been regarded as one of the funniest films of all time. I don't share that opinion. The story is simple, a guy gets asked to the prom by a girl(called Mary) he fancys only for a rather unfortunate incident to occur which prevents him from saying goodbye to her as she moves to Miami shortly afterword. Years later and now a man he realises he is still in love with Mary and hires a sleazy private investigator to find her. However he to falls in love with her and soon becomes clear There's Something about Mary..... The film doesn't contain many subtle jokes, but as the genre suggests it shouldn't specilize in them so it would be unfair to complain about that. However the abundance of Toilet humour and sex related jokes does become waring after about an hour and half of the gags fall right on their face, in saying that there are some inspired moments but to few to warrent the praise the film has received. The performances have a certain charm but Stiller and Diaz in the leads aren't really convincing enough, you could argue Dillions Sleazy detective is the only person who raises an above average laugh count but there's no arguing about the fact he carries the movie at times. The film does have entertainment value and some ideas are good, but are rarely carried of to full potential. In the end There may be something special about Mary, but there's nothing special about this movie.

The Land before Time is simply a smashing film, and no I don't just mean a kids film I mean a proper film. Helmed by Don Bluth this is certainly his finest movie and indeed it is debatable if he ever produced anything of worth again. The story is the tale of five young dinosaurs who after a terrible earthquake are making their way to the great valley, a paradise were they can again be reunited with their parents. The characters are a beautiful bunch. The main identity throughout the film is littlefoot a baby brontosaurus, though he is by no means the best character. Included in his main gang are Ducky, Cera, Spike, and my personal favourite the flyer Petrie. Each of the characters have their own splendid personality's from Sarahs pride to Duckys optimism. However the film certainly is not overly cute by any means. The film is plagued with black and earthy tones that give the film a dark feeling. However the main cause of strife in this prehistoric world is the brilliant T-Rex Sharptooth, who haunts the picture and when he appears really is scary. The animation is excellent and carries a certain charm to it, that few films have been able to capture since. To conclude The Land before Time is a must for family viewing, and even if you are on your own you could do a lot worse.

Direct to video follow ups are rarely any good, and when I heard the follow up to Don Bluths 1988 masterpiece the land before time was going to take that format, I was deeply troubled. This time Bluth has nothing to do with it, and its a wise move as the movie will only disappoint. The story begins with little foot and his gang living peaceful and happy lives in the great valley, however all that is disturbed when two egg snatching dinosaurs start to steal eggs from their home. On one occasion the gang follow the thieves only for a terrible egg mix up to occur. It brings a baby sharp tooth into the valley and opens up one of the great valleys walls to attack from the dreaded beasties. The film is weak in nearly every sense, not least in the fact the egg catching villains are pathetic. In the previous picture the villain, a T-Rex named sharptooth generated real threat and was always a haunting presence in your mind. Here the two villains are simply clowns and about as scary as Littlefoot himself. The gang are just as endearing during this outing, but the themes are simply not strong enough this time to sufficiently care about them. The animation seems a little more amateurish this time round but it takes close inspection to tell the difference. There are also, unlike the original a selection of songs though none of them are memoroble,in fact some are just plain irritating To conclude the film is what you would expect from a direct to video release, not worth bothering with.

Sequels rarely stand up to the original. Jaws, Jurassic Park and Predator are all big Hollywood franchises that started at a very high standard but as time continued they simply grew worse and worse. However there are those sequels that many believe to be better than their predecessors. The Godfather part 2 and The Empire strikes back are a few of the names but in my opinion the best of this rare breed is the 2nd in the Alien saga. Aliens. The story starts with Ripley being found in space, shes has been floating their for 56 years but due to hyper sleep hasn't aged a day. The company Weyland Yutani picks here up and brings here back to a space station, where She tells them of her encounter of the Alien, which is met with ridicule and disbelief. However the company looses contact with the farmers that mine on the alien planet and together with a group of marines Ripley returns to face her demons. The acting is the best the series ever offered with Sigourney Weaver picking up an Oscar nomination and rightly so. Michael Biehn and Lance Hennrikson are very impressive, giving great depth to their characters. Carrie Henn is a great new comer, but for some odd reason has never worked again. The thrills are in high supply here as are the often grisly scares. The Aliens look even meaner here than they did in the original and the Queen when she appears is possibly the most frightening creature ever to grace are screens. Another great point Aliens offers is the fact you care for its characters, Even the asshole marine types. This means that when ever peril is near we feel even more anxious, simply because we have grown attached to those for whom the danger looms. Few movies these days have that quality, indeed the only action orientated film of the last 15 years that had this factor is the original Jurassic Park. So to conclude Aliens is really worth seeing. Its well acted, well written and highly entertaining. You would be a fool to give this one a miss.

Bruce Almighty is exactly what you would expect from a Jim Carrey movie.Silly. It builds itself around Carrey and his arsenal of stupid expressions with the occasional laugh out loud joke and the occasional awful one. Carrey plays Bruce a news reporter who thinks God has a personal vendetta against him. However after all Bruces whining God, who is expertly played by Morgan Freeman has had enough. He grants Bruce all his powers for a period of time so Bruce can correct all the wrongs he "thinks" are in the world. The supporting cast throughout the film is a mixed bag with Steve Carrell on awesome form as Bruces enemy at the work place, but Jennifer Aniston is not convincing as Bruces long time suffering girlfriend. As for Carrey himself well he plays the same role he always does, that of the flawed but lovable goon. He is effective but if Carrey isn't careful he will kill that character and that could seriously effect his future in the industry. The jokes keep a smile on your face and make the experience of watching the film enjoyable, but there just simply aren't enough gut busters in the script to keep this film long in your memory. To conclude Bruce Almighty is a decent film, but not one worthy of purchasing on DVD are making a sequel to.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider may be the silliest movie to ever grace multiplex screens, but it may well be one of the most enjoyable to. The action is thick fast and stylish, the stunts so unbelievable you'll love them and little pieces of Angelina Jolie thrown in for good measure. The story is a B movie classic, Tomb Raider Lara Croft finds a clock that contains a powerful map. The map shows the way to the pieces of an artifact that if placed together when a planetary allignment occurs grants the bearer the power of God. However the evil group the Illumenati want the map for themselves and thus steal it from Lara. Lara then goes after the group in order to stop them from using it for evil. The acting is the campest of the year with Iain Glenn as the stand out. Jolie is the perfect person to play Lara and looks great in some of the action sequences. The supporting cast which includes Daniel Craig are very much background players but they add plenty of color and fun to the story. The Director Simon West, who is also responsible for the excellent Con Air deserves applause for catching the essence of the Video game perfectly. So sit back and relax because when it comes to Lara Croft Tomb Raider only a churl won't love it.