The Lincoln Lawyer

Matthew McConaughey is Mick Haller; a slick lawyer who only cares about where his next pay check is coming from and regularly defends accused criminals.  His methods are unorthodox and he conducts his business from the back of his chauffeured Lincoln.

But the big pay day is on the horizon when one of his friends comes to him with a case that potentially could bring him in a lot of money; a rich kid, Louis, (Ryan Phillippe) is accused of beating up a prostitute.  An accusation which the kid denies and claims he’s innocent; a detail of no interest to Mick.  All Mick is interested in is the financial reward if he wins the case.  The case though isn’t as straight forward as it seems and when it takes a personal turn, Mick finds himself facing more than he bargained for.

The Lincoln Lawyer is a thriller based on the bestselling book by Michael Connelly and director Brad Furman does a good job of bringing the story to the big screen.  It is filled with action, twists and good dialogue and the actors deliver star performances.  Particularly McConaughey who arguably delivers his best performance yet and is reminiscent to his earlier work in ‘A Time To Kill’.

Battle: Los Angeles

Once again, the world is being invaded and the human species is facing the threat of being exterminated.

It begins when a swarm of meteors hits Earth at a variety of locations and lands in the sea just off twenty of the planets major cities.  But these meteors aren’t what they seem and it isn’t long before extra-terrestrial life starts emerging from the waters.  Their objective; to destroy all human life and take our planet.

With the world at war, Sgt Michael Nants (Aaron Eckhart) is given the responsibility of leading a troop of marines into the warzone that is Los Angeles with the mission of trying to save those that need saving.  A group of civilians are hiding at a police station and it is up to them to go into enemy held territory and rescue them before the Air Force strike the area.

A glance at the trailers would really tell you all you need to know about Battle: Los Angeles and give you an idea if it’s for you or not.  It doesn’t have any deep or any real storyline within it and the action isn’t as fast paced as you would have imagined but there is enough of it to enjoy and the movie offers great visual effects.  It reminded me at times of watching somebody play the video game ‘Call of Duty’ and it’s probably those game players who will like Battle: Los Angeles the most.

Hall Pass

Midlife crisis hits in the Farrelly brother’s latest movie, Hall Pass, which stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis.

Forty somethings Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) are married and living the suburban typical life but their growing tired of it and wondering where their youth went.  They’re not the only ones getting tired as their wives are getting irritated by their lack of commitment to them and their lives.  So, (as if this would ever happen), they offer their husbands a week off from their lives, their families, their responsibilities and them.  A hall pass.  A pass that allows them to do whatever they want for one week without their knowledge and no questions asked.  They don’t dwell on their offer for long before accepting it.

I find these type of movies run along a fine line where they can be brilliant, such as The Hangover, Wedding Crashers and American Pie, or they can be just too much and too over the top, such as Hall Pass.  The idea behind the movie is good because Rick and Fred are typical true to life guys who have reached a point in their lives where they feel unappreciated and undesired but the jokes supporting the story are crude and oversexed.  In saying that, that’s not saying it doesn’t have its enjoyable moments and it will have its market; appealing to anybody who is under 18 and also any guy who wishes his other half would offer him a similar pass.

Fair Game

Sean Penn and Naomi Watts star in this political thriller that is based on a true story of actions that took place eight years ago.

Valerie Palme (Watts) works for the CIA but when her husband, Joe Wilson (Penn), writes a damning article regarding the Bush administration and their war in Iraq, the government get retribution by leaking her identity which attracts a lot of unwanted attention for Valerie and discrediting her husband.  The lives of her co-operatives are put at risk, her career is destroyed and her family is hounded by the media.  Armed only with the truth, Joe and Valerie fight back against the government and feel the strain on their lives and marriage as they attempt to bring those at the White House to court and clear their names.

The fact that it’s a true story is gripping and Penn and Watts do an excellent job in conveying the heart and frustration of the story to us.  It is well written but takes a while before it ever really gets going and thriller wouldn’t be the best word to describe Fair Game as it goes at a steady pace throughout.

The Adjustment Bureau

We live in a predetermined world where we have no control over our own fates and our destinies are mapped out.  If we fall off these paths, then there are those whose job it is to make sure we get back on track.  This is what happens when David Norris (Matt Damon), an up and coming politician meets ballet dancer Elise (Emily Blunt).  Despite there being an instant connection between the two, they were never meant to be together and it isn’t long before their relationship brings the truth of the world they live in to the front and The Adjusters intervene.

The Adjustment Bureau runs along a similar idea to the Matrix where our lives are not our own and not everything is as it seems.  This movie makes you think outside the box and keeps you gripped.  There is a romantic story imbedded within the sci-fi story which helps to keep the movie grounded and is made believable with a convincing performance from both Damon and Blunt.  Definitely worth seeing.

Rango

Johnny Depp has given us memorable characters such as Captain Jack Sparrow, Sweeney Todd and now follows them up with a brilliant performance as Rango.  Rango is a lizard who is used to the life of luxury within his tank but has to face up to hard times when his life of a sheltered pet chameleon accidently comes to an end when he falls out of his tank on a highway and finds himself stranded in Dirt.  A town in the Wild West.

Pampered but not entirely useless, Rango fortuitously manages to defeat the feared hawk that has been terrorising the town and it lands him the job as sheriff.  Relishing the role, the actor in him rises to the occasion and he embellishes his role by pretending to be a feared gunfighter.  But it’s not long before it all goes awry when the town turns to him to sort out their water problems and an adversary in the shape of a land baron forms.

Rango is a good fun animation with plenty of humour and a good but simple plot that everybody can follow.  Despite not being on screen himself, Johnny Depp makes the character his own and his timing is perfect.  Adults will certainly take more out of Rango than children will and parents be warned, there is a darker element to Rango than most animations and characters do perish.

The Rite

Ireland’s own Colin O’Donoghue stars opposite screen legend Anthony Hopkins in this supernatural thriller.

Michael Kovak (O’Donoghue) is a seminary student who has gone to the Vatican to try and understand and study exorcism.  It looks to be all in vain though as he is considering dropping out for his belief is in doubt.  This leads him to Father Lucas Trevant (Hopkins), an unorthodox exorcist who has a wealth of experience, in an effort to rediscover his faith.  Together, they investigate a case of a pregnant woman who is suggested to be possessed by a demon.  It is a case that will question both their beliefs and is only the start of the turmoil they’re about to endure.

Hopkins has seemingly lost his way in recent years with his movie choices and it is no different here.  The Rite isn’t bad, but it isn’t good either.  It’s predictable and for a movie that promises thrills and screams, it offers few.  Hopkins give a good performance as always, especially when he turns sinister, and O‘Donoghue does himself no harm with his own performance but unfortunately they have nothing to do with story which is where The Rite lacks.

I Am Number 4

Three are already dead, and now it’s his turn to die.  The bestselling book has made it to the big screen in this movie adaption which sees John (Alex Pettyfer) battling to stay alive.

The movie centres around John and Henri (Timothy Olyphant) who is John’s guardian.  John isn’t an ordinary teenager but a being from another planet.  Nine of them, as infants, were sent to Earth with their guardians when the Mogdorians set about destroying Lorien, their planet.   Each assigned a number, the children can only be killed in sequence but the Mogdorians are determined to exterminate every single part of Lorien and have already killed the first three and are now hunting John.  John though is tired of running.  All he wants is to fit in to society and be with Sarah (Dianna Agron), a sweet normal girl who he’s fallen in love with.  Fortunately John isn’t completely helpless for as the Lorien children grow and reach adulthood, they start to develop supernatural powers.

Twilight meet X-men.  This teenage genre is fun and entertaining but not for everybody just like the book was.  It has plenty of action, a romantic element and is played by good-looking people, yet despite all these sure fire ingredients to make a blockbuster, there is a lack of substance that fails to take it to that elite level Twilight dwells in.  Nonetheless, still a good watch.

Drive Angry 3D

John Milton (Cage) has landed in hell with sins to pay but he manages to escape with the intentions of avenging his daughter who was murdered at the hands of a satanic cult.  But a vengeful vendetta turns into a rescue campaign because his infant Granddaughter has been kidnapped by the cult so they can sacrifice her at the next full moon.  Aided by Piper (Amber Heard), he does all he can to stop this from happening while also trying to evade the ‘Accountant’ (William Fichtner) who is on his own mission to bring Milton back to hell.

Nicholas Cage seems to be driving further away from his Oscar past in this over-the-top 3D action event.  That doesn’t mean Drive Angry is bad, it’s just never going to win any awards.  Drive Angry is simple; it’s fast paced and ferocious and will leave you struggling to catch your breath.  It is a movie filled with cheap thrills such as huge explosions, great car chases and fight scenes but if you take it for what it is and what it’s intended to be, then they all work to make an entertaining movie.

Paul

It’s been just over three years since the last Simon Pegg and Nick Frost collaboration, their last being Hot Fuzz, but they’re now back on the big screen with Paul.

Paul is an alien who has been kept locked up in a military base for over 60 years.  His usefulness to the military operation is coming to an end though and Paul, not wanting to wait for a decision on his future, takes it into his own hands and escapes the compound.  Needing a ride desperately, he hops onto a RV that’s going his way which is owned by Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings.  Graeme and Clive eventually come around to the fact that Paul is an alien and against their better judgement, go up against federal agents in an effort to get Paul back to his mother ship so he can go home.

Paul, played by Seth Rogen, is the star of the movie.  His fun loving, carefree attitude and foul language is a refreshing change from all the other ‘I want to eat you’ alien movies.  Pegg and Frost, as always, have brilliant chemistry together and combined with Rogen, make Paul a very enjoyable and amusing movie.

Big Mommas House Like Father Like Son

Martin Lawrence reprises his role as Big Momma in the third instalment of the Big Momma’s franchise.  Hopefully it’ll be the last.

FBI agent Malcolm Turner has to put on the wig once again when his stepson, Trent (Brandon T. Jackson), witnesses a murder.  Deciding he needs to be placed into protection, he throws Trent into an all-girls school in disguise, posing as Chairmaine.  However, Trent struggles to adjust to the life as a woman and it is down to Malcolm to keep him from blowing his cover while at the same time, not giving himself away.

I didn’t find the first Big Momma’s House funny, or the second one, and this third instalment felt more like an endurance test rather than anything else.  But I’m not twelve and I realise it’s not my type of humour so if you liked the prequels to Big Momma’s house, then the likelihood is that you’ll like this one too.

Yogi Bear

The well-known picnic basket stealing moronic bear has made it to the big screen in this fun filled animated adventure. 

Yogi (Dan Aykroyd) and Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) put their differences aside with Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) when their home is placed under threat.  The Mayor has decided to sell Jellystone Park to the logging companies, leaving Yogi and his friends only a week to try and save their home.  Putting their heads together, along with documentary maker Rachel (Anna Faris) they form a plan to stop the sale going through but Yogi can’t stick to the plan which inevitably creates trouble.

Yogi Bear is for the young audience.  For the older audience looking to have some reminiscent memories of their Saturday mornings in front of the TV, you might find yourself disappointed as Yogi and Boo Boo don’t carry that loveable charm that they had in the cartoon.  What matters though is the younger generation seemed to enjoy it though and laughed plenty at all the mischievous moments Yogi created.

Sanctum 3D

“What could go wrong?” is a line from Sanctum.  The answer; when you’re exploring uncharted caves and a cyclone hits, then everything can go wrong.

Director James Cameron brings us Sanctum which is a man vs elements movie that is inspired by a true story.  A team of explorers, led by Frank McGuire (Richard Roxborough), set off in Papa New Guinea’s Esa-Ala caves where one of the biggest network of caves in the world may be located.  When a flash flood hits the cave and blocks their planned exit, it forces Frank and his team, which includes his son Josh (Rhys Wakefield), to delve deeper into the caves in search of another.  But one by one the water is picking them off and all they have to rely on to survive is their wits and each other.

This thriller is a different kind of thriller to past movies.  It’s like The Descent, except without the monsters, so the thrills come from the claustrophobic situations that the characters face and it does well to terrify because of the realistic possibilities that the movie holds.  Because of what it is, most will find this movie gripping, but after a while may grow tired of watching the same situation taking place just in different part of the caves.

Just Go With It

If you’re into Adam Sandler movies, then just go with it.

We kick off in the ‘80s where we meet Danny (Sandler), a heartbroken young man who has discovered that his fiancée is sleeping around.  Fit to only drown his sorrows, he seeks comfort at a bar but his embellished heart-breaking story and his wedding ring reels in a gorgeous woman.  Move along twenty years and we see Danny is a rich and successful plastic surgeon with a wedding ring on his finger which he uses only to help him attract women.  A wrench is thrown into his perfected plan when he falls for Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) and not able to come clean about not having an evil soon-to-be ex-wife, he begs his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his evil wife along with posing as the father of her two children.  This leads to a holiday in Hawaii with everybody but as Danny’s web of lies keeps developing, he starts to see that love was always there right in front of him.

Human emotions aren’t taken into account as you have to believe that Palmer would want to meet Anniston, go on a holiday with her and be fine with her going on a date with her new boyfriend.  That aside, juvenile laughs are a plenty, including heimlich attempts on a sheep and as I stated in the opening line, if you like Adam Sandler and are into romantic comedies then you should just go with it.

Gnomeo and Juliet

Shakespeare’s love story has been brought to life in this animated showing with the parts of Romeo and Juliet being played by garden gnomes.

Gnomeo (McEvoy), the son of Lady Blueberry (Maggie Smith), lives in the garden of Miss Montague (Julie Walters).  Just over the fence in the next garden resides the Blueberry’s sworn enemy, Lord Redbrick (Caine).  The two gnomes despise each other but when Redbrick’s daughter, the adventurous Juliet (Blunt), goes out one night in search of an orchid, she bumps into Gnomeo and a spark immediately forms between the two which blossoms into love.  Can their love withstand though the pressure of their families at war?

Just like in Toy Story, the gnomes come to life when their owners aren’t around which gives the characters a likeable charm.  For those that ever found the story of Romeo and Juliet too much, Gnomeo and Juliet is done with the younger generation in mind.  It runs smoothly and is easy to follow and in summary, very enjoyable.

The Fighter

For those that live in the shadow of their siblings, this is the movie for you to go see.  For those that don’t have such a problem, this is still the movie for you to see.  From the very first moment, Christian Bale enhances his Oscar credentials by giving a gripping performance in this true story of a man’s will to win that immediately ropes you in and doesn’t let go until the final bell is rung.

Struggling boxer Mickey Ward’s (Mark Walhberg) career can’t seem to get going due to constantly being screwed over by the irresponsibility of his drug addicted older brother and local boxing legend Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) and his mother Alice (Melissa Leo).  Tied down by his allegiance to his family but going nowhere fast, Mickey’s life and career take a drastic change after the introduction of Charlene (Amy Adams).  She sees that in order for him to succeed, he must first overcome his biggest hurdle which is his family.  Her love and belief in him makes him believe that not only can he succeed but maybe he can finally step out from Dicky’s shadow.

The entire cast delivers a powerful performance which has been rightfully rewarded with Oscar nominations, even though Walhberg has wrongly been overlooked.  The one thing that has to be said is that those looking for a boxing movie might be disappointed as this is more about fighting against a dysfunctional family in pursuit of a dream and even though the boxing is the theme, it is not the heart and soul of the movie that drives it on.

Tangled

Alongside the big Oscar hitters, there’s also a movie for the kids this week in the cinema with the modernised version of the classic tale of Rapunzel which can also be seen in 3D.

The plot is simple and easy to follow and modernises the classic tale of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), the girl with the insanely long magical hair who has been locked away in a tower all her life so that old Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) can use her hair to stay young forever.  On the eve of her 18^th birthday, Rapunzel gets an urge to escape and ventures out of the tower for the first time in her life in the quest for love when she spots a passing bandit that steals her heart.  The bandit, Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), along with his trusty steed, agrees to take her to the big city away from the tower.  But Mother Gothel is not prepared to give up her youth without a fight.

There’s lot of colourful action and songs and the kids will love the gags from the animals that all seem to be smarter than the humans which all in all makes the movie very easy to watch for both children and adults.

The King's Speech

The King's Speech has emerged from under the shadow of ‘The Social Network’ these last two weeks to become the leading contender to pick up the Oscar for Best Picture as well as Colin Firth riding the wave of momentum on his quest for Oscar gold as best actor. 

World War II is on the horizon and it’s down to the recently crowned King George VI (Firth), after his brother, the rightful heir following his father’s death, abdicated from the throne, to rally England but such a task looks beyond him due to suffering from a speech impediment.  With Hitler and the threat of his army looming, King George has no choice but to find his voice in order to lead his country to war.

Under the instruction from his supportive wife Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), he goes to see a speech instructor, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).  Their relationship is one of teacher and student which develops over the course of the movie into something quite close.  Their friendship is what makes this movie so memorable and engaging.

Probably not for the young or the action hearted but it is a brilliantly told true story and make no mistake about it, Firth deserves his Oscar nomination and he also deserves to take home the prestigious award.  His amazing performance where he portrays a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders as he fights his stutter and lisp from bringing a man and a nation to its knees is remarkable.

Black Swan

The psychological thriller that has everybody talking is Black Swan and stars the Oscar nominated Natalie Portman along with Mila Kunis who perhaps unfairly has not been given the recognition she deserves for her part in this cinematic masterpiece.

The fragile and perfection Nina Sayers (Portman) is a ballet dancer performing in the New York City production of Swan Lake.  When the leading role becomes available, Nina looks a certainty to fill the departing star’s (Winona Ryder) shoes.  However, the lead role, Swan Queen, requires one to portray not only the innocent White Swan but also the dark and passionate Black Swan who is better suited to the newest member of the team, the free spirited Lily (Kunis).

Despite his reservations, the production director goes with gut instinct, sensing a passion locked away within Nina, and gives her the part and casts Lily as her understudy.  The road to opening night though is a long one and with it comes mounting pressure which makes Nina take a dark psychological journey of hallucinations and also a growing sense of paranoia that her understudy is conspiring to take her part away from her.  The deeper though that she delves into the darkness, the better she performs as the Black Swan.

Due to some graphic sexual scenes, it probably isn’t for the younger viewers but it is a must see.  Director Darren Aronofsky delivers a psychological masterpiece that shows the sacrifice, dedication and the brutality performers of the arts must endure to deliver something as majestic and beautiful as ballet.

Morning Glory

Rachel McAdams is one of those actors that you can’t help but like and you know that she is just waiting for that one movie to elevate her to the next level and unfortunately, despite its enjoyable element, it’s not Morning Glory.

It all starts off when Becky Fuller (McAdams) is fired from her morning news program in New Jersey.  Not to be beaten, the determined and an ambitious young TV producer sets off to New York where she is given the chance to shine when she is handed the job of lifting the fortunes and ratings of ailing breakfast show DayBreak.  Her problems don’t stop though at lifting the ratings as crusty Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) and Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), the hosts of the morning show, make Becky’s job even more difficult through their constant squabbling and demands. The hosts bickering interaction with one another plays out brilliantly on screen and is one of the highlights of the movie.

Morning Glory is a good movie that’s worth seeing but it won’t win, or be nominated for any Oscars, and as I said earlier, it won’t raise the stock of McAdams.  It’s just one of those light, fun movies where you find yourself rooting for the main character to turn it all around as her world collapses around her.

The Dilemma

What would you do if you found your best friend’s partner having an affair?  That’s the situation Vince Vaughn finds himself in in The Dilemma.

The movie is centred around Ronny Valentine (Vaughn) and Nick Brannen (Kevin James) who have been best friends since college and are business partners.  Nick is the brains of the business, despite his awkwardness, while Ronny is the handsome and charismatic one.  Together, they have managed to become successful and are on the verge of a crucial business deal.

Early on, we find that Ronny idolises Nick for his commitment to his college sweetheart, Geneva (Winona Ryder), and how he admires him and them for managing to stick together for twenty years.  His idolising bubble is popped though when he catches Geneva kissing a much younger and handsome guy called Zip (Channing Tatum).  Now he is in a dilemma; does he tell Nick what he knows about his wife and risk destroying their marriage and jeopardising their business deal or does he say nothing and let his best friend continue living in a sham of a marriage.

The Dilemma is billed as a comedy however that really isn’t the case.  There are a few laughs here and there but not as many as you would think and in all honesty, The Dilemma is an unintentional drama that just so happens to star funny men Vince Vaughn and Kevin James.  If you want to see a comedy, I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you’re interested in a story of how two friends work through a difficult situation, then it may be worth going to.

The Green Hornet

From the writers of The Pineapple Express and Superbad comes this tongue in cheek family fun superhero adventure, The Green Hornet, the often forgotten superhero franchise that was brought to us in 1936, three years before Batman even existed.

The story goes that after his father passes away, playboy Reid (Seth Rogen) inherits the responsibility of running the family business – The newspaper empire that is the Daily Sentinel.  Not something he’s ready for or wants but he has the help of Lenore (Cameron Diaz), his love interest, to help make sure the paper is running without hiccups.  His ambition though is not to run a business but to fight crime and through the help of his father’s former assistant, Kato (Jay Chou), he gets to realise that dream as The Green Hornet.

The gags lie in the chemistry between Reid and Kato as Kato is a mechanical genius and a master of the martial arts while Reid is incompetent and needs constant saving.  Despite being so overwhelmed by his partner’s skills, Reid’s ego tries to demote Kato from partner to sidekick which is not appreciated by the masked wonder. Chistophe Waltz makes a good job of playing the megalomaniac villain kingpin, Benjamin Chudnofsky, who will stop at nothing in order to make a profit.

With impressive action scenes and a mindless, humorous and easy to enjoy story, The Green Hornet is a superhero movie that you can lean back and laugh out loud with.