The Love Punch

Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson used to be married but then Pierce decided secretary's were a much better sexual option. They have a daughter who goes to uni and some whacky friends who look remarkably like Timothy Spall and Celia Imrie. Pierce is some bigshot business owner in London whose business is bought and shut down by a french dude. Pierce and Emma decide to go to Paris to track down this dude and get their money back, even though apparantly everything he has done is legal, if a little dickish. He says in no uncertain terms "non and get out of my house you english pigdogs", I may have paraphrased a little there. The not so happy couple then decide that the completely appropriate response to this apathy is to kidnap 4 Texans, break into a wedding and steal a $10million diamond from the french dudes fiancee whilst roping in Tim and Celia. O yeah and their son is a super hacker whose roommate is fond of public masturbation.

To say this film is awful would be an understatement. It starts with the divorced couple at a wedding and opens with a very nice little joke about the infidelity that plagued their clearly unhappy marriage, this is where the humour decides to jump ship. There are literally no other laughs in the entire film which in and of itself is no bad thing if it wasn't desperately trying to make you laugh. I honestly would have had a better time with Mike Tyson slapping me repeatedly whilst asking me "Are you laughing yet?" and biting my ear every time I said no. The storyline is complete and utter horseshit. At no point does a single character even begin to entertain the notion that stealing a diamond is illegal and insanely stupid. The best friends think its a great idea, the hacker son doesn't think twice about helping them and even the fiancee seemingly thinks what they are doing is fine. One thing I have learnt from this film is that apparently the french police are downright negligent in their duties as Emma and Pierce drive dangerously around paris, fire guns in restaurants, drug and tie up Texans, break into weddings, steal things and hack into everything they possibly can. This would all be fine if they were master criminals but they are idiots who do everything in the most blatent way possible without any form of repercussion. One of the most annoying parts is following the kidnap section Timothy Spall takes one of the Texans hats and the other three lose their shit over this theft, never mind the kidnap or planned diamond heist, no no no, this is fine but hat theft??? how dare you Timothy. The worst thing by far about this however is the talent that is in it. The 4 main actors are frankly some of our countries best, in particular Thompson and Spall, and all of them should know better. To be honest the rest of the cast should know better aswell but I forgive them because we all have bills to pay.

It's awful, just plain awful, and everyone involved should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Verdict: 0/5, yes it's that bad

Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansen and Jeremy Renner are teaming it up again and looking for things from the first film. They smash and crash and arrow people in order to recover the mind control staff thing Tom Hiddlestone used to cause a little havoc. They find it and RDJ decides the crystal thing THAT WAS USED FOR UNSPEAKABLE EVIL would make a great building block for artificial intelligence. Said artificial intellingence turns out to be a homicidal James Spader and RDJ and the gang need to get the non twin Olsen, Kick Ass and a whole bucket load of SHIELD people to help beat James before death and stuff goes down. Oh yeah and there's a colourful Paul Bettany in there aswell.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I am a supergeek who loves all things Marvel. I mean I even own the dreadful Hulk that starred Eric Bana and I've watched it all the way through and everything. Excitement levels were at an all time high walking into the theatre to watch this latest Marvel offering and it pains me to say that I was ever so slightly disappointed. The story is very good and the slight shifts in the superhero lore flow very well and are very cleverly handled. The acting is top notch from all parties and the new additions to the cast, Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, are pretty spot on. There is a lot of humour involved as always and overall it fits nicely into the narrative if a little forced in places. The action is ramped up and is nothing short of spectacular with Hulk vs Ironman a particular highlight. Joss Whedon is a man who knows how to make one hell of a spectacular film without alienating the die hard comic fans like myself. Now onto the problems.

As I said before the humour sometimes felt a little forced and this is no more evident than when Ultron himself is in the spotlight. Now he is not exactly a stand up but he does make the odd quip which feels very much out of place. When we first meet Ultron he is newly formed, in a broken, mangled body with a broken, mangled voice and is genuinely terrifying as a prospect. The shame of it all is that once Ultron gets a shiny new body he loses a little of his presence and just isn't as scary. I'm not saying I didn't like the new Ultron I just preferred the tone of the first encounter with him and wish they had stuck with that. There are also a couple of romantic story arcs in the film which feel a little out of place and honestly I could have done without them, particularly with Scarlett Johansen who has possibly the most irritating sexy voice in the film industry. This in and of itself is annoying as she is a brilliant actress and not light on sex appeal anyway so why she feels the need to overact it god only knows. Finally I have to mention Paul Bettanys Vision character, sorry if this is a spoiler for you, who is done very well but I wasn't fully sold on him. Yes this is mainly because I don't really like The Vision as a character, or a name for that matter, but it just didn't gel for me and the disappointment started to eek back in.

Overall this is a cracking watch and very well done it's just not as good as the previous film or a lot of the individual character films. Admittedly that doesn't mean much as the standard of Marvel films is remarkably high and consistently so. Great job all round.

Verdict: 4.5/5

22 Jump Street

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are cops once again who are spending their time and a hell of a lot of taxpayers money blowing up stuff in order to look for drug dealers. Their police captain person gets royally cheesed off so sends them to work for Ice Cube again. Mr Cube thinks undercover work is good for them so sends them to college to look for more drugs. At college Channings does sporty stuff and Jonah likes women and art and they may or may not work together in order to find some dude or dudette and blow more shit up.

21 jump street was a lot funnier than it could have been and was a beautiful parody of itself and the genre it fit into. That being said I was a little trepidatious when starting to play the second in the series and was a little worried it would fall flat, good thing I was wrong. Right from the off it is clear Jonah Hill, he wrote it.........or co wrote it or something, is not taking things seriously in the slightest and actively takes the piss out of sequels and how they aren't as good as the originals. I must say that I enjoyed this just as much as the first, Tatum and Hill have palpable chemistry and Tatum in particular has very good comedic chops. Don't get me wrong the writing and direction are on form aswell but Tatum gives his all and it pays off. The supporting cast are wonderfully ridiculous and Ice Cube steals the majority of the scenes he is in and is the butt of probably the best joke in the entire film when the cops first see the interior of 22 jump street.

Not completely without flaws but was more like a well ironed shirt that has wrinkles on the collar. Loved it

Verdict: 4/5

Hercules

The Rock is this big time mega fighter guy who punches lions and smashes boars in the face with bits of tree. Armies of people hear of these feats via his annoying cousin and hire him and his small band of equally awesome fighter people. One of these people is Lovejoy who is a little older than the others but kicks some mega ass aswell. They keep running around killing people until John Hurt hires them to help him slaughter some pesky rebels, or warriors, or somebody, I don't know. Some more smashing of bones and stabby stuff goes down and boredom starts to set in.

On paper this film should, and could, have been awesome. Watching The Rock punch, kick and Rock Bottom the crap out of a bunch of mythical creatures sounds like possibly the greatest fun you could ever have in a cinema, ever. Ok maybe I overdid that a little but the point stands that this film should have been much better than it actually is. Pretty early on you find out that the stories may or may not be made up by The Rocks very irritating and gobby cousin as a very early form of PR. Unfortunately this leads into a disappointingly dull film. Dwayne is solid enough in the lead role but doesn't really have much to do other than flex his muscles. His supporting cast actually give it a little more wellie, in particular John Hurt and Ian McShane who clearly are having fun seeing who can chew the most scenery, but cannot produce much more than fleeting excitement.

I was very disappointed with this film and thats a real shame. I can't even say it was a bad film, it was worse than that, it was just boring.

Verdict: 2/5

2014 Oscar round up

I have had a bit of a mission this past year. For the first time ever I wanted to make sure that I saw every nominee for the best picture category. It took me until November to achieve this but I thought I would share my thoughts on each and rank them from my least favourite to my most.

Enjoy and please feel free to let me know your thoughts either on facebook (poshbob film reviews) or twitter (@poshbob)

9. Her

This is quite comfortably at the bottom of the list. It is not the worst film I have ever seen but it just didn't do it for me. The concept was very good and the acting top notch but it plays things a little bit too far on the pretentious side for me. Shame as it started very well.
(2.5/5)


8. American Hustle

This film is a very good watch and very entertaining it just didn't blow me away. David O'Russell puts a hell of a lot of style into the film but the substance behind it is a little uninspiring. The performances are very good across the board and on a second watch I enjoyed it more however it was lacking in that initial wow.
(4/5)


7. Philomena

The story behind Philomena is pretty amazing and tragic all in one go. Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are great in the lead roles and Dame Judi in particular knocks it out of the park. The events in the film are harrowing and emotional and this is made even more poignant when nothing about it is made up, seriously its all true.
(4.5/5)


6. 12 years a slave

Now this is the film that actually won the Oscar and I am not saying that it didn't deserve it by placing it this low on the list as I did like it very much I just would be lying if I said it was my favourite of the bunch. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a cracking actor and his support cast are equally good. The reason I didn't love it was that I found myself becoming a little bored in the middle. I don't even know why I was bored I just was. Still fantastic watch though.
(4/5, I placed it higher than Philomena because of the performances)


5. Gravity

This film is probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen on the big screen. The sweeping shots of this wonderful planet we live on are awe inspiring. It only makes it to 5th on my list because the story isn't exactly the most complex nor is it the most original. Still cracking film though.
(5/5)


4. Captain Phillips

In any other year this would be much higher on my own list and on the Oscars list itself. It is an outstanding film and I am not ashamed to admit that it made me cry (Tom Hanks often does) it just happens to be competing with other stunning creations. Another cracker from Paul Greengrass.
(5/5)


3. Dallas Buyers Club

I'm starting to think I might actually be in love with the new Matthew McConaughey. I mean seriously who knew he could even act let alone pull off some of the greatest performances of recent cinema. Anyone who hasn't seen this film needs to pull their finger out, crack open a bottle of wine and watch.
(5/5)


2. Nebraska

Solely as a film this is no better than either of the previous 2 in this list but the reason it gets placed higher is the sheer surprise of it. I knew very little about this before placing the DVD in the player and fell in love with it. It is a beautiful story and deserves its place in any awards ceremonies.
(5/5)


1. The Wolf Of Wall Street

I have never seen anything like this film in my life. Yes there are lots of drug addled films out there and yes there are lots of rich people doing depraved things in films, just for me personally I have never seen it portrayed in this way. The most terrifying and exhausting thing about it is the fact it is a true story. I have never felt physically exhausted following watching a film but this just blew me away.
(5/5)

Just Friends

Ryan Reynolds is a fat, spotty teenager and is bezzies with super hot Amy Smart. Ryan loves her and tries to tell her but she plays the 'love you like a brother' crapola and rejects him. Ryan then grows up, loses the weight and becomes the sexiest man alive and proceeds to sleep with lots of women. He tells all other men he hangs with how to get women and treat them, easy for you to say Ryan with your washboard abs and your well ironed shirts. He works for a record company and his boss needs him to shmooze with the borderline psychopathic Anna Faris. For some odd reason they end up back in his home town and Amy is just as hot as she used to be. Ryan then tries to convince her that he is now hot and well worth playing hide the purple parsnip with.

I didn't know much about this film before starting to watch other than Ryan Reynolds was in it. I must admit that I like Ryan Reynolds and find him quite a charismatic screen presence, I'm not as big a fan as my friend Danny who is actually in love with him but I like him none the less. The tone of the film is set pretty much straight away with Ryan donning a fat suit and retainer to become his younger, geekier self. To say this is a stupid, silly comedy is an understatement but frankly I quite like that. It is unashamed of what it is and doesn't take itself too seriously. Ryan is his usual charismatic self in the lead and is backed up admirably by Amy and Anna. Is it groundbreaking? No. Do any of the actors stray even slightly out of their comfort zones? No they do not. Would I be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself? Yes, yes I would. I laughed quite a bit throughout the film and found myself forgiving its flaws and just allowed myself to have fun.

Now I'm not saying for one moment that it is a great film, the moral backbone alone brings it down a peg or two, but it is decent enough to keep you entertained. Better than it should be.

Verdict: 3/5

The Double

Richard Gere is a CIA super badass who has spent many years tracking some Russian dude. He is convinced the Russian is dead but new guy Topher Grace thinks he is not. The big bosses then send Richard and Topher out to find this Russian guy. We learn pretty early that Richard is in fact the Russian guy we are looking for and is a double (get it??) agent. Can Topher weed out Richards nasty little plans or will he fail and be charmed by Richard just like we all have since Pretty Woman?

This film was chosen on a Thursday afternoon off during half term and was a pretty spur of the moment choice, made whilst flicking through netflix options. Before the selection was made I had never heard of this film and knew absolutely nothing going into it, quite rare in today's share all mentality. The story is reasonable if a little unoriginal and frankly the reveal, mentioned above, is unveiled way too early. Gere is a little out of place in the lead role as a hardened double agent. His acting is pretty good but he just doesn't look like he has done a physical days work in his entire life. Topher Grace tries his best but isn't the strongest performer in the world and struggles to keep up with his older, well versed partner. The action sequences are decent enough but won't have you sitting on the edge of your seat and the drama is a little lackluster.

Overall I can't say the film is rubbish. Unfortunately it's worse than that, it's a little boring. Shame really as generally I like Richard Gere and his films, even the slightly rubbish ones.

Verdict: 2/5

Robocop

The guy from the american killing is a cop once again and is cleaning up the streets of future USA. This is a problem for Michael Keaton who wants the policing to be done by his army of robots. The Guy manages to get blown up by some shifty criminal types and ends up losing about 90% of his body. This leads to Gary Oldman convincing Amber Heard to let them give The Guy robot bits and turn him into ROBOCOP!!! ROBOCOP!! then gets employed by Michael to clean the streets and become an advocate for a robot controlled police force. Guns, criminals and lots and lots of violence occur and ROBOCOP!! smashes the crap out of everything.

I've got to admit the remake sensation that is occurring currently in cinema is starting to grate on me. It is particularly irritating now as the fashion at the moment is to remake 80s classics and these are the films that were a big part of my youth and helped me to become the cinema obsessed nutjob I am now. Despite this prejudices I was willing to give this reboot a chance and I'm happy to say it isn't awful. The lead role is played pretty well by the guy from the killing but to be honest it doesn't require the most diverse acting in the world. Gary Oldman is always brilliant as is Michael Keaton and the both of them are joined by Samuel L Jackson who also raises the acting bar considerably. The story is OK but nothing groundbreaking and it does rely a lot on the ability of its cast. Now unfortunately whilst I can't say it's awful I also can't say it's amazing. The main problem is it has literally been done before and all it does is make you want to watch the original. Herein lies the problem with all of these remakes. The filmmakers can either make a shot for shot remake or change the story so that it is something new. Neither of these things are easy or sensible to do because both will make viewers miss the once great originals. Overall it's an average film that passes an hour and a half easily enough but will not make anybodies top ten list.

Verdict: 2.5/5

Draft Day

Kevin Costner is the general manager of the Cleveland Browns American football team. It is the day of the draft and he has spent the night doing Jennifer Garner who also works for the Browns spending cap money and stuff. Kevin then spends a lot of time on the phone with upcoming players, one who is managed by P Diddly himself, and chatting with Dennis Leary about who they should draft. A lot of American football jargon then occurs and most normal people not obsessed with this sport become very confused and probably fall asleep.

I'm a big fan of sports films and jump on board any that fall across my path and I am also a big fan of American Football (come on you Bears!!) so understandably I was very keen on watching this film. The best comparison that can be made is with the fantastic film Moneyball which centred around another of the US's favourite games, unfortunately this isn't quite as good for a couple of reasons. The first is the inaccessability of it. Moneyball was about baseball but kept the barrage of information in palatable chunks so that even people, like myself, who have no interest in the sport are able to enjoy the story. Draft Day doesn't quite achieve this as evidenced by me having to explain to Sara how an NFL draft works and subsequently what the hell everyone is talking about. It is a problem as without the explanation Sara literally would not have had a clue what was going on.

The second issue is the story itself. I very much enjoyed what was going on and the tensions felt by a General Manager and Head Coach both fighting for their jobs whilst doing the right thing for the team. This is unfortunately soured a little in the draft itself which ramps up the cheesiness to ridiculous levels. I understand this was done for dramatic emphasis but for me personally I liked the subtle drama that occurred in the build up. Admittedly this is a minor part of the film but as it is the climax we have been waiting for it does leave a slightly bitter taste in the mouth.

Despite both of these issues I very much enjoyed myself. Costner is great in the lead role and his support cast pulls their weight admirably. It also does a very good job of showing some of the possible behind the scenes action that occurs during a very important part of a sport I have come to love very much. Overall I did like this film very much but will admit it is limited in its appeal to non NFL loving people.

Verdict: 4/5

Maleficent

Baby Angelina Jolie has wings and lives in the forest with fairies, trees and other creatures. She meets tiny District 9 guy who is stealing stuff from the tree people and instead of beating him to death she decides to befriend him. This friendship continues until Angelina becomes old and anorexic and District 9 becomes Irish or Scottish or south African, I'm not entirely sure. District 9 all of a sudden thinks its a good idea to piss Angelina off, I mean seriously D9 she does magic and casts spells and you can barely do accents, idiot. Then starts a slightly different version of sleeping beauty which contains Dakota Fannings infinitely irritating sister as the beauty in question.

Sleeping beauty was never one of my favourite Disney films and to be brutally honest it resides pretty firmly in the bottom slot. I never got on board with the princess section of the Disney universe so this updated version didn't exactly begin on the best footing for me. I did try to watch without any prior prejudice but unfortunately the film is awful. The story is fine but doesn't really make much sense overall. The premise is that the original sleeping beauty was propaganda against Maleficent and in reality she was a nice person. Mmmmm well she's not exactly nice, admittedly judging by this new story she is perfectly justified in what she does but she isn't nice. Jolie does a very good job in the lead role and seems to be enjoying herself immensely but her support cast cannot live up to her standards. District 9 guys acting is fine but the accent thing is way too distracting for him to have a coherent performance. Fannings little sister overacts to within an inch of her life and is so sickly sweet you would seriously consider slapping her until she hates the world. On top of all this the film is a little bit boring and I did not enjoy myself.

Verdict: 1/5

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Its time for the third instalment of Martin Freemans hairy toes. This time Benedict Cumberbatch is really pissed off and decides to burn a town by the lake. Once the burning is done the lake people move into some buildings just outside Richard Armitages mountain castle thing. The guy from pushing daisies gets wind of all this and turns up to take some jewels from Richard. Richard is a bit of a greedy dick and says no to everybody causing the lake people, pushing daisies guy, some orcs, Billy Connolly and a 5th army to have a big ol' to do.

Right so finally seen all three Hobbit films and can comment on them as a trilogy. I'll start with this as a standalone film and I can say from the off that I loved it. It starts at the moment the last film finishes and is a spectacular opening set piece with Smaug decimating the people of Laketown. As in the second one Smaug is beautifully animated and looks as real as a giant talking dragon could. The tempo relaxes slightly following this scene but not much with the vast majority of the film occurring in the mountain hold of the dwarves. While the first two films focussed on Bilbo this one is very much Richard Armitages film. He pulls off a cracking performance as the internally tormented king of the dwarves. Martin Freeman once again shows us he was made for this role and the supporting cast are spot on. The film is not unfortunately without flaws with it feeling ever so slightly strung out, much like the first one did, however I will admit this is me nitpicking. Viewing the Hobbit as a trilogy I have to admit it is a triumph and makes me want to pick up a sword and swing it into some pesky orcs face whilst a dragon flies overhead burning all it sees. Overall they are not as good as the Lord of the Rings trilogy but frankly in this genre nothing is.

Verdict: 5/5

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Martin Freeman has hairy feet again and is still hanging out with a bunch of dwarves. The dwarves are still looking for gold and are heading towards a mountain where there is some. In this mountain there is also a stone that looks suspiciously like the galaxy marbles from Men In Black. Richard Armitage reeeeeaaaallllly wants this stone so that he can become king of the mountain and dwarves again. Problem is Benedict Cumberbatch is in the way and has wings and a terrible attitude. Also going on is Sir Ian McKellen trying to figure out who the dark wizardy guy is that is sending his albino orcs to kill stuff.

I will admit that I wasn't 100% sold on the first hobbit film. Don't get me wrong I really liked it but it had a lot to live up to in the shadow of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This second section of the Hobbit story on paper should have a little more to it than the first. Luckily it met these expectations and more. The story is developed well and there isn't any 'dwarves having dinner for 40 minutes' nonsense going on. The moment all Hobbit fans were waiting for however must be the meeting with Smaug the dragon which is frankly outstanding. The CGI is beautiful to look at and Benedict Cumberbatch's voice is perfect to add power and gravitas to the big fiery one. His interaction with Bilbo is by far the best thing in the film and it is stunningly well done. The rest of the cast are equally perfect in their roles with Richard Armitage in particular pulling a sterling performance as Thorin Oakenshield. Now I know there are some slightly odd additions to the story, namely Legolas appearing earlier in the story than he should and Evangeline Lily's brand new character, but putting the source material aside for a moment they actually work pretty well. The greatest compliment I could pay to the film is the fact that despite the 3 hour running time I didn't want it to end. Loved it.

Verdict: 5/5

Lego Movie

There's this Lego guy who lives in a fascist society controlled by Lego Will Ferrell. He gets up every day and builds stuff along with his colleagues. He has a guide book on being the best Lego guy he can be and wants nothing more than to be everyone's friend. When looking for friends he meets this Lego lady who can build stuff real good and without any guides. This lady is part of a rebel group who wants to defeat Will Ferrell and SHE IS FRIENDS WITH LEGO BATMAN!!!!!!! They all then build stuff without instructions and Lego batman is a douche.

Like many human beings I loved Lego when I was a kid and was somewhat excited when this film was announced. First thing to say is it is completely bonkers and when I say completely I mean a big pile of plastic blocky insanity. This is by no means a bad thing as the insanity is beautifully crafted and reminds you of the wonder that is building your first Lego spaceship and having it fight with a ninja pirate captain who drives a sports car. The story is bonkers but coherent and crashes along at a blistering pace. The voice acting is spot on and this may contain the greatest incarnation of batman ever committed to film. I cant really say much more other than 'EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!!!'

Verdict: 5/5

Nativity

Martin Freeman is a teacher of the young people and is a miserable git at that. He doesn't like Christmas because his bitch of a girlfriend left him at Christmas. His boss tasks him with running this years nativity play and gives him an assistant in the form of an oversized moron. Between the two of them they somehow end up lying and convince people Hollywood want to come and film their play. Some kids then act, sing and dance their little cotton socks off in order to impress some american dude.

Now on paper this film seems god awful. A bunch of school kids have to put on a play designed by The Hobbit and some guy called Mr Poppy and they do it all whilst keeping hold of the U certificate. I thought I would absolutely hate this rubbish but put it on as it was Christmas and this is the only time of year my ice cold heart thaws a little and honestly I really enjoyed it. Martin Freeman is a great leading man and is the real heart of this film. Mr Poppy is frankly annoying as hell but is reigned in somewhat by Martin and the absolutely charming kids. I'm not a massive fan of kids in general, they're noisy and they smell, but the ones in this film are genuinely funny and keep the entertainment at a high level. The story is a bit of nonsense but it doesn't really matter as the content is good enough to keep you interested and rooting for all concerned. I have heard dreadful things about the sequels but this first instalment is well worth a watch. Surprisingly good.

Verdict: 3.5/5

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller is a really boring dude. He has a job doing something with photographs for Life magazine and spends his time staring creepily at Kristen wiig and imagining jumping off buildings and being in snow. Sean Penn is the guy who sends him photos and one special one gets lost. Ben tries to get hold of him but due to a match.com winking issue he decides to go find Sean and get the pic himself. Lots of american style hopping on planes and getting to literally anywhere in a couple of hours ensues and Ben goes on a big adventure. Maybe he will discover who he really is or maybe this is all so he can do the horizontal tango with Kristen.

I remember when the trailers for this film came out as they really did work on me and my interest was well and truly peaked. Ben Stiller in a life affirming semi serious film you say???? Damn right and it actually pulls it off for the most part. Ben is very toned down as the titular character and plays down and depressed schlub very convincingly. The support cast is equally as toned down and does not feel the need to throw in cooky or wacky performances in the search for laughs. The only problem on this front is the new bosses at life who are unfortunately a little over the top but I can forgive this due to their relatively infrequent screen time. The story is very sweet, if massively unbelievable, and plods along at a very nice pace. Stiller is likeable in the lead role and makes you feel for the poor guy. Now all that said it isn't going to be topping anyones favourite film lists but it was an entertaining watch and one that I would be happy to have again.

Verdict: 3/5

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Jennifer Lawrence has won a game of death amongst children and now lives in a big mansion next to Woody Harrelson and Josh Hutcherson who also spent some time killing teenagers. As a prior winner Jennifer gets to travel round and rally all the people who live in poverty in the various trade based districts that make up her world. As she travels round people keep flipping her the bird which Donald Sutherland reads as a revolution amongst the underclasses. As a result of this Donald hires Philip Seymour Hoffman and sends everybody back into the arena to kill not only teenagers but older people aswell. Is Donald right about revolution or is he just a big paranoid white haired mess?

The Hunger Games is very well established in culture nowadays with pretty much everyone having read or at the very least heard of the books. When the first was translated into film world many had their doubts but it turned out to be a pretty decent effort. As someone who has read the books, the first two anyway as Sara won't let me read the third before reading it herself even though it has been YEARS since she started it, I found some flaws in the first but still very much enjoyed myself. The second does a similarly decent job but just isn't quite as good. The same could be said about the books with the second hunger games event just feeling a little old hat. That being said the story does develop well in this second instalment with politics being focused on a little more and kids killing each other a little less. The acting is just as good as it was first time round and the addition of the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman adds bucket loads to the talent. Overall it is well worth a watch and I will be seeing the third and (yawn) the fourth film.

Verdict: 3/5