The Avengers (2012) - Josh Whedon

In all honesty despite being a huge nerd nothing about The Avengers perticuarly excited me when the film was originally announced. Superheroes just don't cut it for me, yeah i enjoyed Captain America and Thor to an extent, but who didnt? They all follow a similar plot with the same old cliches.

The Avengers however, miraculously changed my perception on superhero movies totally. This movie was ass kickingly awesome! Perhaps on their own these superheroes didnt quite set Hollywood alight, but together they did something special.

The Avengers is a sequel that follows the events of the previous Marvel Universe movies after Loki (Tom Hiddleston) (From Thor)finds his way back to Earth and steals the Tesseract – an alien source of pure energy – and threatens to enslave the human race with the help of his extraterrestrial army.

It is here that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) pulls together the worlds most talented band of superheroes in order to stop earth from anihilation and slavery. Those Six protagonists – Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Dr Bruce Banner aka Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are thrown together much to their distaste at times.

Despite such a vast array of talent on our screen at once, each superhero is given adequate screen time in which we get time to not only enjoy some intense action scenes but also learn the backstories of each member of the avengers iniative as well as a little bit about their personal grievances for example Dr Bruce Banners fear of his power or Captain Americas struggles to adept to the twenty first century.

The film also ventures into a fair bit of comedy along the way, both spoken and visual which really added to the overall product, i found myself in hysterics as well as ooing and aahing at some of the awesome fight scenes. Infact i'd go as far to say that the comedy in the film really made The Avengers the hit is was.

I walked into the Avengers a non believer i left a beliver. Josh Whedon deserves all the praise and then some for his excellent work on selling a franchise that had no interest to me in such a spectacular way.

If you've been hiding under a rock for the last few summer and havent yet seen this film i highly reccommend you do so!

Overall grade: A+

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) - Henry Joost

Forgive my rustiness as anyone who took a slight interest in my blog over the summer will know that i've since gone back to university and have had no time whatsoever too watch many new movies/play any new games. So i'm right in thinking thath perhaps my comeback review for the christmas period might be a bid shoddy.

To begin a run of what i'm hoping will be a whole month of brand new reviews i'm starting with the most recent film i've seen on the big screen, Paranormal Activity 3. Part of the cult franchise that has turned out to be an absolutely huge moneymaker for paramount pictures, despite the fact that perhaps that the franchise isnt well liked by many, and is seen as somewhat of a joke.

Paranormal Activity 3 is set in the late 1980's following a young family consisting of a young mother and her boyfriend, dennis, and her two young daughters Katie and Kristi. Kristi is haunted by an unatural presence who she refers to as Toby, her imaginary friend when in fact the presence is a demon (Hardly too much of a spoiler there). Denins, a wedding photographer notices strange goings on throughout the family home and sets up cameras throughout the house too record any of the strange goings on. Que your typical 80 + minutes of jumping out of your seat everytime you hear a strange noise or see something in the corner of your eye.

By now you'd have thought that the Paranormal Activity franchise has squeezed all it can from the homemade style horror idea but low and behold they found new ways too keep us going, one scene imperticular where Dennis straps his videocameras onto a fan too get a better perspective of the whole room whilst filming keeps the audience on standby, the tension created by the small little things like this is what really sold the film too me, as in all honesty i was execting too be less than imperssed when i went into the cinema, but i came out the cinema genuinly quite scared (Each to their own, as i know people who have gone in and came out in fits of laughter at how poor they thought it was).

All in all i genuinly found this film to be worth every penny, i wanted a scare, i got a scare. As a mild fan of the horror genre thats all i really wanted. The acting was really top notch at times and everybody on and off camera got the film spot on, i genuinly beleived that perhaps the franchise was going to die out after PA2, but here i stand told otherwise. A great watch, go and see it!

Overall Grade: B+

127 Hours (2011) - Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle deserves all the praise in the world for his adaptation of the chilling and gripping true story of Aron Ralstons fight for survival in a scenario where it seemed that all hope of survival was lost. In 2003, Aron Ralston, a climber and extreme sports enthusiast who one weekend went out hiking in the remote Blue John Canyon in Utah. He had told no one where he was going; he had no mobile phone and even with it he would of struggled to contact anyone as he was so far out in the remote canyons.Whilst the adreneline junkie is climbing through canyons he slips and falls down a crack in the ground, taking a large rock with him as he hits the bottom of the canyon the rock which fell with him trapped his hand and wrist and no matter how hard he tried he was unable to get free. This is where the horror story begins.

I'm going to give away a major spoiler in the film now, but in all honesty there really isnt much reason for me to warn you as you need to have been under a rock for a year (No pun intended, honest!) not to know the outcome of this story. As the days dwindle by after numerous attempts at trying to free himself with all the rescources he had, things were looking grim. Over the course of the four days he was trapped his food and water supply ran out and it could be said that Aron was slipping into slightly madness accompanied by weird epiphiny like halluciantions, brilliantly portrayed by his video diary he had filmed throughout the four days. In the end Ralston realised what he has to do and gruesomely breaks his arm to peices and then cuts it off in a bid to escape..

Boyle has indicated that the meaning of this story, its take-home message, is that it made Ralston a better person; he learned that he couldn't do everything himself, and that he should swallow his pride and learn to do things with the help of others we are given an insight into Arons life and past via his hallucinations which is what gives the film such an emotional edge, one one hand we obviously feel awful for Ralston and want nothing more for him to escape but on the other hand, his past has shown us that he has made wrong decisions and needed to learn from his mistakes, which he now understands after his time spent in the canyon.

With James Francos brilliant acting showing true emotion and fear which i really felt throughout coupled with the brilliant directing of the ever succesful Danny Boyle we are treated to a visually and mentally stunning film which has you on the edge throughout. Its an exciting and touching film that was executed brilliantly.

Overall Grade: B-

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) - David Yates

                           ** ** ** Warning there are heavy spoilers throughout this review ** ** **

It all ends here. The slogan slapped across posters for this film all across the world, for someone who has grown up with Harry Potter and has followed the trials and tribulations of our protagonist throughout my teenage years i've found myself like most people my age finding it hard to accept that this is the end. We've all read the books, played the video games and of course watched the films on endless occasions. Everything we've ever taken in about the world of Harry Potter, Hogwarts and witchcraft and wizardary has led to this point. And its due to the fact that the film has come to such an end, technically marking the end of my childhood in a scense is why i have not wrote this review sooner! (Which on the whole is quite pathethic but trust me i'm not the only one who felt bloody heartbroken when the credits began to roll!).

The second part in the two part ending of the famous series sees Harry, Hermoine and Ron fight there way back to Hogwarts too face the greatest foe the world has ever seen, he who must not be named (But hey, he's gone so i think its safe to name him now) Voldermort. But before Harry faces the dark lord himself we are treated too about 100 minutes of pure adreneline fuelled action, dragons in Gringotts, death eaters in hogwarts, giants, ghosts, teachers, wizards and spiders THE LOT INFACT! HP&TDHP2 (work it out for yourself) a visually stunning and breathtaking spectacle from start to finish. Scenes such as the multiplying goblets in Bellatrix Lestranges gringotts vault, the room of requirement fire and of course the battle scenes (most amazing the death eaters breaking the Hogwarts defences) scenes are beautifully done and i litteraly sat there in the cinema with my mouth open an awe at what i was watching.

aside from all the heart racing and exciting actions scenes we're gifted theres of course some heartwarming  moments that had the audience in jubilation or close to tears at times. Throughout the whole Harry Potter series the we've read and seen the blundering fool that is Ron Weasley and the smart and witty Hermoine Grangers relationship build and build slowly but surely and when it hits its peak in a heartfelt moment when they passionately kiss as they beleive its possibly the last time they could be together as they could lose their lifes in the battle of Hogwarts, the audience in the cinema let out a collective aww. Of course where there is good there is also bad, the hardest scene in the whole film for myself and the majority of the people around me was when Harry realises that his destiny has always been to die at the hands of voldermort as he is the last Horcrux in order for Voldermort to die himself. If i hadnt of known the outcome from reading the books a long time before i'd have been absolutely mortified at this point of the film and wanting to scream at the screen in desperation!

That isnt the only emotional rollercoaster in the film though Snapes death is one which had my own mother and an old man sat on the other side of me as well as a good portion of the cinema in tears. When it came to the scene that Snape was murdered by Voldermort your first instanct was the be pleased as of course Snapes that evil man who killed Dumbledore and is a loyal servant to Voldermort. It is revealed that, that isnt the case at all and he's infact been working on the good side all along too avenge the death of his childhood love Lilly Potter (GASP! . . .) Its all a difficult watch without wanting to bawl like a little girl.

Theres also a few little surprises throughout the film for example, the unlikely hero who saves the day is the once pathethic Neville Longbottom, who plays a pivotal role in the battle of hogwarts with his bravery and courage and oh yeah, the slight accolade of wielding the sword of Godric Gryffindor and slaying Nagini, Voldermorts snake which happens to be one of the Horcruxes. My favourite little surprise in the film came at the very end when we see all of Heros (Even Malfoy) at the Hogwarts Express with their children preparing to send them off the Hogwarts for the very first time, its a delightful scene which made me grin ear to ear.

I dont want to ramble on anymore about the plot and key points as its most likely you've seen the film and dont need me repeating whats happened. And if you've not seen the film, more fool you for reading on and ruining it when i warned you about spoilers! Overall this has to be the best in the Harry Potter series without a shadow of a doubt and takes my award for best movie of the summer just ahead of planet of the apes. I'm pretty sure i'll find myself rewatching this film in the not so distant future and i highly reccomend you give do too!

Overall Grade: A+

Captain America (2011) - Joe Johnston

Captain America is the latest release in a whole host of Marvel superhero flicks in the lead up to the 2012 summer blockbuster The avengers which will include all of the Marvel heros which i'm eagerly awaiting, despite not being a huge fan of the genre. I genuinly don't think anyone could turn down enjoying an all round 'popcorn hit' just as the other Marvel movies have been, with them being reviewed as all round great summer films for everyone to enjoy.

Captain America was all that i expected, for saying that i wasnt aware of the plot or Stan Lee's 1960s comic adaptation. It was loud, brash and and in your face it times with we the audience getting treated too 2 hours of over the top action which in all fairness is just what i sat down to expect (as i did with Thor) and i wasnt dissapointed. Of course it was barely a pyschologically charged movie with lots too make us think, its the dead opposite at times but thats just what fans of marvel movies have paid to watch.

The plot follows a scrawny Steve Rogers a young man deemed unfit for military service, Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals. Its fair to say the film got off the a great start and i was captivated, but by the midway point i'd seen it all. Once you've seen Captain America kill a few nazi henchman with his shield you've seen it all.Which of course is what the whole Captain America character is based on, but dont tell me you dont find his loyality to using that shield incredibly ridiculous there were better alternatives which just had me grumbling to myself at times... But hey! thats me and of course my opinion is bound to be outweighed by the millions of Marvel fanboys.

In my honest opinion i think that this film was pretty standard, it had its moments but i just saw too many parts that just irritated me that put me off the film as a whole. I didnt really like the villian of the film a crazed nazi who goes under the Red Skull (who's actual villian face was bloody ridiculous). It was a souped up World War II film with the odd star wars-esque weapon. Looking at the start of my review i feel i may have condradicted myself throughout a little bit, so too summarise i'll say that the film was everything i expected from a superhero movie, although i just didnt enjoy it after the first fourty or so minutes when the action set in with all the irritating clichés and such.

Overall Grade: C-

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) - Rupert Wyatt

I sat down to this film being a newcomer to the planet of the apes franchise as i've never given the older films much of a chance in the past and i figuired where better to start than the brand new prequel? Boy am i glad i took the time to watch this film, it was an absolutely stunning and compelling mixture of brains and emotion that made this film possibly my favourite film of the summer season on par with the Deathly Hallows part 2 (Which i shall review sometime soon as it's just come to my attention i havent done so yet!).

Rise of the Planet of the Apes takes a strong look into a very real and emotive world of gene therapy, big pharmaceutical companies and animal testing gives the film relevance and credibility, something lacking in most modern sci-fi pictures where we are thrown right into the thick of things often with very little explanation. In all honesty i'm going to struggle to review this in too much depth as it is very hard not to give any spoilers away as this film is packed to the brim with an exciting, richly intense and emotive storyline. So all i can really do here is attempt to convey to you how bloody brilliant this film was without telling too much of the story.

We follow the life of the son of a genetically altered ape, Ceaser who was taken from his lab by our other main character, scientist Will Rodman (Played by James Franco)  to avoid being slaughtered. Ceaser is a naturual companian too Will and his father Charles (Played by John Lithgow) who suffers from the very disease Will is trying to combat, Alzheimers. The scenes with these three together were intense and emotional and by far some of the best moments. Of course this is a film on how it all began so of course it wasnt going to end on that note, things change dramatically for Ceaser and using his superior intelligence he and his primate counterparts begin an uprising. Of course we all know how this ends from the original films..

I was gripped from start to finish with this exceptional movie, which is something i can say is fairly rare with some of the latest releases too hit the cinema. Absolutely brillaint film i could not rate highly enough! A must see and surely in line for some serious awards come awards season thanks to its exceptional CGI alone.

Overall Grade: A+

Sucker Punch (2011) - Zach Snyder

Zack Snyder, director of the ridiculously thrilling and over the top blockbusters 300 and Watchmen makes his impact on this summers box office in only a fashion he can deliver, with Sucker Punch not at all surprising me with its quirky and unconventional scenes that thrilled and dulled the senses throughout.

Before watching the film, i genuinly hadnt looked into it at all, as far as i knew it was a film about a young woman who had been put into a mental institution by her abusive against her will and that was the plot as a whole. How shocked was i when the humerously over the top but awesome fight scenes begun out of nowhere which involved matrix style fight scenes and scantilly clad beautiful women.

The film takes the audience on a pyshcological rollercoaster with the first twenty or so minutes barely containing any dialogue and coming across as a gritty, grainy and quite frankly depressing peice movie, only for the viewer like stated earlier to be forcefully dragged into over the top and ridiculous scenarios with Snyder drawing inspiriation and motives from several video games and movies from popular culture (Prince of Persia, Call of duty, Half-life, Lord of the rings and Star wars). As impressive as these scenes were early on the further into the film we get the more predictable they become. Everything i expected to happen seconds before it happened, came true.

Its fair too say the concept and idea of the film is an incredibly good, original idea but sadly somewhere along the line it lost its way massively, it was far too much of a mish-mash of confusing and unanswered plotholes that should of been covered early on in the movie and far far too much cliché.

At times i enjoyed this film, mainly early on, but as appealing as a bunch of beautiful young women kicking ass in a humerous over the top nature is, it was a poor film, worth a watch perhaps but only a one time rental or online as its not worth buying on dvd.

Overall Grade: D+

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - Rob Marshall

Jack Sparrow and a few old friends return for the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, this time the ever charismatic 'Captain' Jack Sparrow with his ever so ruthless wit is in the hunt to find the fountain of youth, although of course nothing involving Cap'n Jack is ever so straightforward.

In this fairly long winded episode we begin with our typical escape scene we've become so ever used too at the beginning of these films, where Jack is in some sort of ridiculous situation, this time he's posing as a court judge to help rescue his old friend the ever-present Mr. Gibbs. Obviously as stated earlier nothing is straight forward for our blundering hero, who tends to never get things right on the first attempt, he finds himself in the King of England George II (Played by Richard Griffiths) with orders to assist his old first mate supposedly turned good Captain (Now Privateer) Barbossa too go seek the fountain of youth before the Spanish do as it enrages the king that perhaps Catholics may get there first, que the classic Pirates of the Caribbean themetune as jack hacks and slashes his way out of the situation in ever commical and stylish fashion refusing to assist the king and Barbossa.

Instead we find Jack re-united with former love interest Angela (Played by Penélope Cruz) who we the audience are to beleive there has been a passionate history between, although just like Captain Blackbeard (Played brilliantly by Ian McShane) its a little bit flat between the three and i myelf struggled too feel any connection. Now Jack finds himself upon Blackbeards ship against his will in the hunt for the Fountain of youth (For Blackbeards own personal use) which has turned into a three horse race between the Spanish, The England led by Barbossa and Blackbeards crew with of course deadly consequences.

In my opinion the film itself was enjoyable like its latter three releases, although i can find more flaws in this edition of the sequel than any of the others, at over 2 hours long i found myself wondering how long till it ended as there were points where it seemed to drag on, there is a notable lack of action scenes unlike the previous three which was missed and most dissapointingly there a lot less of Jacks ridiculously funny comedy moments as the plot is thick with new cast members each with seperate stories jack inclusion seems a tiny bit less important.

As per usual though, i'm always going to reccomend you give this a watch, its enjoyable of course but there were times where i wished for the inclusion of Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom who for me along with Depp make this film the success it is.

Overall Grade: C+

Despicable Me (2010) - Chris Renaud

From the moment the movie began i found myself with a goofy grin slapped across my face as this feel good animation about a career super villain named Gru (Steve Carell is his voice actor) who resides in his secret lair (Situated in an suburban american housing estate no less white picket fence and all) had me laughing at every silly joke thrown at us, jokes mainly set up by the wonderful little yellow 'tic-tac' like creatures who act as Gru's personal minions.

Unfortunately for Gru a new super villain hits town 'Vector' and it is more or less evident to the super villain world that Gru is aging and past it, so much so that the bank of evil rejects his pleas for a loan which would of allowed him to forfill his childhood dreams and go to the moon ... and then consiquently steal it! In order to gain the loan he so desperately needs for his evil scheme he needs to steal the coverted shrink ray, which he does indeed manage for all of two minutes when his younger counterpart Vector steals it from him in his plan to steal Gru's thunder.

After failed attempts to get back his so desperately needed shrink ray he comes up with the genius idea of using Vectors love for cookies too get back the most valuable of possesions by adopting three adorable orphan girls who he plans using to get his way into Vectors lair, although of course it isnt all that easy in a fun filled 95 minutes we see Gru warm to the children in a realisation that fatherhood is quite his style.

This is a feel good film that had me smiling from start to finish, especially with the brilliant voice acting from Steve Carell and Russell Brand (For the part of Dr Nefario). All in all it had the feel of a Pixar movie even though it perhaps wasnt the most original of films, i felt that i this is a film that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike and is defiently worth a watch!

Overall Grade: B-

Final Destination 5 (2011) - Steven Quale

This is the fifth installment of the highly acclaimed horror franchise final destination, both loved and despised by movie goers alike, just like its counterparts in the genre, Saw and Scream who both also have had long and succesful franchises, although it Final destination follows the same concept throughout all five of their films they do so with a creative premise unlike most horror flicks.

The movie begins with the obvious stiff and ridgid character development in which we get to know who we're too root for and hate throughout the film, as well as of course the traditional Final destination 'vision' scene in which we see the main character vision the huge disaster about to fall upon them all. Its not until a fair bit into the film that we really get into the flow of things and we are treated to some slow to build up but never the less, stomach turning death scenes.

In all truthfullness this film didnt do a very good job in comparison to its former films and at times i found myself cringing at some of the scenes, and of course the acting wasnt at all brillaint as the film never does cast high profile actors for their roles. But to any hardcore fan of the final destination series or occult horror series' in general this film is quite the delight, the director has stuck to his guns and has kept in some of the things that we've seen in all of the past films such as the subtle hints before something bad is going to happen, its the small things that make this movie worth it really (As well as the gruesome deaths obviously!).

As i was nearing the final ten-twenty minutes i discovered an absolutely huge plothole which ruined the final scenes for me and it absolutely drove me nuts, but i'm not going to reveal that here so that the film isnt ruined for anybody else. But never fear just as i was ready to write a scaving review on how much this annoyed me and brought the film in my estimations there was light at the end of the tunnel, there is an absolutely HUGE twist at the end of the film which had me gasping in delight, i would reccomend you watch this film but dont expect to love it if you're not a huge fan of the franchise already.

Overall Grade: C-

West Is West (2010) - Andy De Emmony

Its taken over a decade for this belated sequel to hit 1999 film East is East to reach our cinemas and homes, a film infact that i wasnt aware even existed until i came across it by accident in my local blockbusters yesterday, which to my delight i imediately made sure i took it home too watch straight away as i only recently watched and reviewed East is East and i absolutely loved it!

Initially you would expect the film to be just as hard hitting and pressing on the subject on the way Islamic familys and other ethnic identidies got along in the 1970's as this film is set 5 years from its prior, in 1976 a time which still saw huge struggles for many from a different background. The film follows George Khan the father of the family try drags his son Sajid (the only child left the Khan's Salford household, as the rest have since flown the nest) off to Pakistan for what was presumably a holiday to meet the Pakistani side of his family and open his eyes to his heritage.

The viewers (and of course Sajid) are snatched from within their comfort zones of the bleak rainy Salford terraced housing estates and are thrown into the colourful, eye opening country that is Pakistan a whole world away from England in so many ways. In this film we meet Georges bitter and submissive first wife and his extended family who George left behind 30 years ago and never looked back, which brings great shame upon himself for doing.

In comparison to East is East this is much more of a serious film and there are far less comedic moments aside from the odd one or two as well as a fair few culture clash moments which come later on in the film. The cinematography in this film is visually stunning and the soundtrack gives the it that extra edge, kudos to De Emmony for what he has achieved with this film.

Overall Grade: B-

The Hangover Part II (2011) - Todd Phillips

The wolfpack returns for a second helping of hazy hillarity dished out in the most over the top and side splitting of manners. This time the gang find themselves in a Bangkok hotel after a seemingly innocent couple of drinks on the bach in preparation for Stus big wedding turns into something far far more. From here on out the audience is treated to 102 minutes of watching the boys endure a series of humiliating disasters which led to their current prediciment.

Once again the plot follows the men Alan, Phil and Stu (With Doug pretty much out of the picture again apart from a the odd few scenes) with each character living up to their personalitys set in the first film. Phil being the straight guy who pulls the other two along throughout the film, stu the serial worrier and with the short fuse and of course Alan once again brilliantly played by Zach Galifianakis, the village idiot, although in this sequel it seems that Alans stupidity has rose to new heights, almost bordering on the retardation at times (That is not an overstatement). A welcome addition to gang (occasionally) is Mr. Chow, the lovable eccentric asian gangster who without a doubt gets some of the biggest laughs throughout.

Just as its predecessor the films biggest laughs and plause is its shock value, which we are treated too vastly. However, the film does heavily rely on that shock value and sight gags, which can only carry it so far. It is also a lot darker and grittier than the first film taking away that sharp edged humour at times and replacing it with a bit more seriousness at times. Having said this though its still good for plenty of laughs.

All in all, the film is admitedly a carbon copy of the first hangover just in different setting, but who am i too complain? I got some laughs out of it and i enjoyed it thoroughly which is the sole intention of the film really, who cares if its a bit samey? Not me! I'd reccomend this film fairly highly allbeit not as much so its predeccesor.

Overall Grade: B-

East is East (1999) - Damien O'Donnell

East is East is a charmingly funny yet at the same time a down to earth, hard hitting film set in the 1970s. It follows the struggles of the cultural differences of those living in a country not of their own and trying to raise a family with trict Pakistanni beliefs and values. This is proven to be quite the struggle for George Khan the father of the family, a strict Pakistanni muslim who has married a loud mouthed white woman from Lancashire who have raised six children in their small terraced house in Salford.

George Khan (Played by Om Puri) fully expects his two eldest sons to marry two painfully ugly Pakistanni girls from Bradford, the family come to a near collapse. The main theme running through the film is that of rejecting certain traditions and beleives, the children of the family are very much anti-pakistan (with the exception of one son) and each of them have their own quirky personalitys that clash in such a wonderfully funny way, for example the youngest of the family, Sajid is constantly picked on by his elder siblings after it is revealed he isnt circumscised  from birth and has to go through the operation at his later age to his horror and the delight of his brothers and sister.

Whislt the audience are treated to a steady flow of great comedic scenes such as the occasional fat jokes against one of their neighbours too a prosphetic vagina being revealed in the most hillarious of fashions in a moment of utter chaos. Of  course though this film gets most of its praise due to some of the more serious scenes, the audience throughout sympathises with George Khan, a man who only wants his family to be like everybody elses a perfect muslim family he can be proud of, obviously this does not go his way throughout and we see moments of pure emotion conveyd by George & his wife Ella in scenes in which we see George take out his rage on his wife and family as the dark cloud of abuse hangs around the film.

Another Great British film here which i would thoroughly reccomend to anybody looking for a few laughs as well as a bit of a serious film, you'll be treated too heart breaking moments coupled with seeing a great dane try and mount an overweight woman in a hideous multicoloured flowered dress on a salford housing estate.

Overall Grade: B+

Adulthood (2008) - Noel Clarke

Before you read this a warning, there is spoilers to the first film Kidulthood in this review, so if you havent seen the first film, please do not read on.

Adulthood is set six years after its predecessor kidulthood in which we saw the menacing Sam Peel kill the ever-popular face that was Trife. Now Sam is on the outside, his intentions are to start a new life and get on the straight and narrow after facing six abuse filled years that pushed him to the bring of suicide in prison were he learnt being a 'big man' wasnt all it was cracked up to be. By now each induvidual has moved on in their lives since kidulthood getting on with their own thing, except for Jay. Since the death of his best friend Jays life has spiralled out of control and he finds himself becoming a violent drug dealer with nothing but revenge on the mind, and once he finds out that Sam is out of prison he's out to get him.

Meanwhile, Sam has struck up an unlikely friendship with Lexi  a friendless drug addict with a shady past (Played by ex-eastenders cast member Scarlett Alice Johnson) who also happens to be the cousin of Kidulthoods Becky (How has now fled for unknown reasons). Lexi vows to help Sam make peace with the people he hurt. The other main character from kidulthood that features heavily in the life is Mooney, a beacon of hope for society, the young man has left his violent and drama ridden past to study law at univeristy, but will he be dragged into the fray for jays revenge against Sam?

Adulthood is a fascinating watch if you've seen Kidulthood, purely for the sake that our former Villian Sam plays the Anti-Hero and vice versa with Jay (Loosely). Clarkes hard work and effort with the script shows as we are fighting the whole way through the film in Sams corner, his determination to show that his past is his past and he regrets his actions. The film has a great pace too it and there was only a couple of moments throughout the whole film where i felt let down.

Personally i prefered Kidulthood to this film as good as adulthood was, i felt at times i was being forced through certain scenes and felt that some characters were negelected, or just added for the sake of it for example, the young boys paid to carry out a hit, and the drug lord (or whatever you want to call him) i would of prefered a bit of a back story for these rather than just throwing them right in there at the start. Although saying all this it was still a great film and it fit perfectly into the ever growing genre that is Great British grit.

Overall Grade: C+

Kidulthood (2006) - Menaj Huda

Kidulthood is a raw, sleek and girtty portrail of 24 hours in the life of a group of youths growing up in a urban area of London. The plot primarily follows two perticular people Trife (Played by Aml Ameen) and Alisa (Played by Red Madrell) after being given a day of school after a suicide rocks their school. The 24 hours we see involves a bit of everything you'd expect in the down to earth drama, violence, drugs, booze, sex and stealing.

Whilst many critics have condemned this film to being just an over the top and bleak i think Hudas depiction of Urban life is fairly on the dot, of course the film crams in it into 24 hours and its fair to say that perhaps the goings on in the film could not happen such a short span, but unfortunately its possible and it happens the thats the way our country operates in some of the poverty stricken boroughs of London and the sad reality for our youths portrayed brilliantly by the cast.

The documentary style camera work in this film is something to be applaued, the style in which Huda has filmed Kidulthood give it an extra sense of raw realism and immediacy, this coupled with the dialouge in the film (Heads up Americans and anyone not from the United Kingdom, you're going to struggle with some of te slang, although it'll be a real eye opener for you!) makes for a great peice of cinema.

My last bit of praise for the film goes too its Soundtrack, the cutting-edge hip-hop and grime tracks from Dizzee Rascal and The Streets really add that bit of spice and feeling to certain scenes, especially the suicide scene at the beginning the music coupled with the way the scene had been played out/filmed really had me gripped.

Whilst perhaps this film can be said to be over the top at times, i cant really knock it, i thoroughly enjoyed watching and it even though at times i felt uncomfortable watching some of the scenes, but thats what Huda was going for when he made the film. He set out to make a raw and gritty drama about the life of youths in our poverty stricken areas that made us open our eyes, and thats certinarly what he did.

Overall Grade: B+

Arthur (2011) - Jason Winer

Jason Winers remake of the 1981 comedy featuring Dudley Moore was film was given a poor reception by film critics alike across the globe, which in my opinion is totally wrong as this film was not at all poor, Russell Brand may not be to everybodys taste, but i think the man is bloody hillarious and i could not think of a better actor/comedian to play the part of the Billionaire socialite.

The film follows Arthur, a reckless young billionaire (funded by his mothers business empire) steamrolling his way through life flaunting and splashing millions of dollars on lavish things he need not have as well as squandering his intelligence and bringing a bad name to his familys empire jepordising any future he may have within the company thus severing his ties with his money.

Arthurs steady flow of millions comes to an end when the family empire is put at risk by Arthurs hijinks, his other decides to give him an ultimatum, marry a woman whom he does not love (His ex-girlfriend and employee of his mothers with a very high up family of socialites) or lose his $950 dollar trust fund, the offer he relunctuntly agrees too. This is until he meets the girl of his dreams in a New York subway station whilst doing what he does best and is flaunting around New York in one of Abe Lincolns suit, swinging a cane round as he throws away more money. The girl in question is an unlicensed tour guide by the name of Naomi (Played by Greta Gerwig) whom Arthur spends countless efforts trying to win the womans affection over to no avail. Although of course Arthurs family do not approve of Naomi thus causing him to chose between his heart or his cash.

The casting in this film is very well done in my opinion, as stated before many slate Russell Brand for his perfomance in this film but lets be honest, who else could of pulled this off? Russell is basically playing himself before he married Katie Perry. (As he was when he played Aldous Snow in forgetting Sarah Marshall & Get him to the Greek). And of course i cannot write this review without mentioning Helen Mirrens involvement in the film she plays Arthurs nanny Hobson, who has been looked after the billionaire socialite since birth, she seems unfazed by his recklessness and has grown very much acustomed too it. Mirren adds that touch of witty humour and sarcasm that the film so very much needs too slow the pace down, as well of course as some raw emotion at times. Kudos goes to the casting of Luis Guzman playing Bitterman Arthurs loyal driver and Jennifer Garner as money grabbing Susan.

Ultimately this comedy based on excess and my lord is filled with excess (Once again who better to cast other than Mr. Brand.) and is very good for a laughs at times and is balanced out nicely with a love story that warms the heart. Although as an absolutely huge fan of Russell Brand this movie is perfect for myeslf (And anyone else looking to get their fix of Brand) and i could not fault it, although thats not to say this film and the humour from Brand is everybodys cup of tea.

Overall Grade: B+

Bridesmaids (2011) - Paul Feig

It took some courage for me to watch this film as on the outside this just looks like another boring old rom-com chick-flick, or whatever you'd like to call it, and i am not one for those kind of films. My friend suggested to me yesterday that i watch it as he claimed it was just as funny as the inbetweeners movie we had just seen, of course i refused to beleive that until i saw it for myself so this afternoon i sat down and faced my fear of the dreaded rom-com.

Bridesmaids is a film based on the strong bond between friends and one womans search for love, okay from that description alone i would've shrugged the film off as yet another average movie. But after settling into the film after an awkward opening and fairly slow opening i started to let my gaurd down, mainly because of the couple of good laughs i got from the best character in the film by far, Megan (Absolutely brilliantly played by Melissa McCarthy) who in my opinion made this movie what it was!

The films main character, Annie is a thirty-something single woman whos life is spiralling out of control at a fast pace, with a non-exsistant relationship, unfulfilling job and not much going for her is entrusted by her childhood best friend to be the maid of honour at her upcoming wedding which is all fine and dandy until Annie comes face to face with her best friends, 'newer' best friend the gorgeous, wealthy Whitney (Played by Jessica St. Claire) gets competitive and the pair fight it out over who can organise the wedding, resulting in some hillarious and at times irritating scenes.

Of course this being a rom-com there had to be a snippet of romance somewhere in there, and to my shock the leading man in this movie was none other than Chris O'dowd (From the hit channel 4 series the IT crowd) who at first seemed to me to be hideously out of place in this kind of film, but further on in, it seems that it was a genius bit of casting. Sadly i cant say the same for the addition of Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson who play an oddball brother and sister combo, which quite frankly didnt fit in at all and made me slightly embarrased to be British from the way they were portrayed (Especially Rebels character)!

Overall i'd say this film wasnt so bad at all, mainly thanks to humour sprinkled in throughout which in places i believe they got wrong where they failed to get even a chuckle out of me, but i cant slate it too much really as it was well done. The film which in all honest gave me an ill impression of the opposite sex (Not that i didnt know already) but kudos for the writers turning the tables and showing the woman as the immature, unbalanced sex for once, whilst at the same time balancing it up with other major plot points i wong go into, until you've seen it yourself!

Overall Grade: C+

The Inbetweeners movie (2011) - Ben Palmer

For me this was one hundred percent my most anticipated movie of the summer, being a nineteen year old university student this film absolutely ticks every box for me as my god, i can relate. Every cringeworthy scene had me thinking, thats me and my mates! Many critics were unsure whether Ben Palmers hit E4 show could make the transition from small to big screen, but personally i think they did it flawlessly, many would say its just an extended episode which it may be, but who cares? thats what we wanted too see!

The film itself follows a group of socially awkward lads from the south of England taking the first steps into adulthood leaving their innocent teenage years behind by upsholding the long standing British tradition of going on a lads holiday. You dont even have to think twice to know that the idea of following a group of lads on a messy coming of age holiday is going to be bloody hillarious!

Without giving away the prime comedy scenes, the film starts with an absolutely hillarious scene involving a packet of ham, a snorkel and an eastern european woman myself and the rest of the cinema were in stiches, comedy gold which only someone who has seen the inbetweeners before could really stomach. As we get into the film, the plot opens Simon is dumped by his girlfriend Carly, devasted the lads do their best to cheer him up by taking him on a lads holiday to Malia to get drunk, and get 'knee deep in clunge' as Jay so often says to the delight of the audience in the cinema.

The film is an emotional rollercoaster which at times when things dont go to plan and it had the audience groaning at screen, cringing and pure utter silence at the tense scenes, kudos to cast and behind the scenes team for captivating the audience in such a way i didnt think would be possible for the sitcom to do. Like the rest of my reviews i dont wish to give much away to plot but i will hilight some of the quality moments in the film that produced ultimate belly laughs and tears streaming down my face. The film is chocablock with cringeworthy scenes with Neil the 'slower' lad of the group (Lets be honest we've all got a neill in our group) providing the laughs, especially with his 'unique' pulling power and his slow wit producing one of the greatest moments in film history (If this were a well read review i'd be slated by every critic on earth for saying this but its just my opinion) when Neill has a run in with the 'Childrens toilet' in his run down apartment.

Its fair too say this film is most likely an aqquired taste and will only be well received in the UK but nowhere else as British humour is quite unique, something America has tried to recreate themselves with their god-awful remake of Skins, Shameless and now The inbetweeners but i imagine they wont even get close to the brilliance that is Will Buckley, Sim Bird, Joe Thomas & Blake Harrison. This coming of age comedy is a film a highly reccomend you must go see this summer. Its charming simplicity makes for a well spent hour and a half.

Overall Grade: A+

Machete (2010) - Robert Rodriguez

I sat down to watch this film today after seeing the fake trailer for this film in directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarrintinos grindhouse film Planet Terror. I was absolutely enthralled by the trailer and i told myself i was going to watch this film first thing the next day as it looked brilliant. At first glances the film should of been an instant hit with a host of great actors such as Danny Trejo, Robert De Nero, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan. Despite an allstar cast i have never felt more let down by a film before..

Despite one early scene of action, the film got off to an incredibly slow start, with us being introduced to the films protagonist Machete Cortez, our ugly post-modern mexican hero in a ludicris fight scene including steven seagal as a mexican drug lord. It all seemed a bit silly from the start. After the early scenes we are treated to a good half an hour or so of slow paces scenes involving a taco truck and the occasional gun being flared. It wasnt enjoyable.

In the films defence, as we progress further into the film the plot does thicken and it has a certain ammount of sparkle too it, Machete, our hero is offered $150,000 to assasinate Senator John McLaughlin (Played by Robert De Nero) who is a racist, mexican hating hard assed son of a bitch. Like my other film review so far i dont wish to go into the plot too much for the beneifit of anyone who hasnt watched the film (And i genuinly dont wish that upon you) But i can say as the film goes it becomes even more distasteful, dull and genuinly hard to follow.

 I can honestly say by the end of the film i more than confused as to who the bad guys really were and i was stunned by the ammount of plot-holes stiched into this awful film, of course Rodriguez made the film in the style of a B-movie but that didnt mean that the acting had to look so shoddy, i expected better from the cast and i've been left with a bitter taste in my mouth.

The film also carried a strong political message about immagration and the 14th Amendment, but i'm not going to go into that as i know nothing about American politics or American/Mexican relations and i have no intention of going down that road!

The film was good for a few cheap thrills but really was just an incredibly dull uncomfortable 105 minutes.

Overall Grade: F

Cass (2008) - Jon S. Baird

Cass is a gritty part biopic, part coming of age film following the life of a young black orphan raised by a white family in the east end of London, all based on a true story of a former football hooligan who is now a succesful author and family man.

The films main focus to begin with is young Carol Pennants (Carol being Cass's real name his estranged Jamaican parents gave to him which he hates which a passion due to cruel jibes from bullies) struggle with racism in a narrow minded society unable to get deal with the change in multiculturism in lower class Britain, it does make for uncomfortable viewing early on but its well played upon and helps the viewer make in instant connection with Cass. In one of the early scenes in 1960s Wolverhampton in which a young Cass and his friends get their first taste of hooliganism is brilliantly done, we him make his first connection with the ICF (West hams notorious branch of football hooligans the Inter City Firm) who have been covered heavily in other films the firm and green street.

Fast forward to the distant future where Cass is now one of the leaders of the ICF, he is played by Actor Nonso Anozie an actor with a truely menacing pyshique and demenour we get a great impression of what Cass as a leader, who himself has stood up in the face adversity and made a stand. Cass considers himself a proud east londoner who will stand toe to toe with his West Ham brothers to protect the ICFs reputation. Kudos goes to casting for having Leo Gregory on set as Cass's right hand man the Green Street veteran fits brilliantly into the role as lieutenant as well as injecting a little bit of comedy into his role as well.

As well as focusing on Cass's time leading the ICF to battle in various footballing cities across the country (In the film we see the ICF visit Leeds and Newcastle) we focus on Cass's time spent in prison, where once again the theme of race rears its head once more, this is the turning point in Cass's life and the viewer is led to believe that perhaps this is the end of his reign over the firm as Cass gets into a relationship with a young lady Elaine (Played by Natathalie Press) and has responsibilitys to think about. Without giving too much of the plot away we see the plot thicken hastility into a downwards spiral for cass after a run in with a rival firm when all was looking up.

Throughout the film we have a voiceover heralding us through the life of Cass, this is not perticuarly needed in order for it all to work as it isnt difficult for the viewer to follow, although it does add a certain sense of realism and helps us engage on a more personal level with Cass, which for one i felt carried me nicely through the entire film.

Cass is a gripping tale of one mans fight with society for acceptance and an escape from a violent past after finding an adoptive family in his band of east london hooligans. The film had a great cast and was well made, it certinarly made me want to know more about the man himself and has given me an appetite for gritty british films which didnt perticularly appeal to me beforehand.

Overal Grade: B+