Does anyone actually remember what happened in MIB2?

I was determined I'd find out what happened in MIB2 before going to watch the 3rd instalment, but at crunch time I decided it probably wasn't important...and I was right! "Men in Black 3" can stand on it's own as a very reasonable comedy sci-fi.


The CGI and 3D effects clearly demanded a fair chunk of their budget, and thank goodness it did because it was pretty-damn-good, but for me, the real highlight, was some stand-out performances from the lesser known actors;


Josh Brolin (okay, not lesser-known, but not a headliner) playing a young Tommy Lee Jones, far surpassed my expectations and I actually had to keep reminding myself this was a different actor. 


Jermaine Clement, (Boris the Animal) was a treat to my ears, and I spent the entire film trying to place who he reminded me of...(Tim Curry in "Rocky Horror picture show" as it turns out!) He's a new name and face to me, and if he is to you as well, do me a favour, after you've watched the film, go to this link and tell me if you think his IMDB profile picture does him justice!


Another new name to me was Michael Stuhlbarg, playing future-reading alien, Griffin. Not an Oscar-worthy performance, perhaps, but he certainly managed to hold his own up against some pretty big names, and I'll certainly watch out for him in the future.


For me, the only real let down, came from the 2 headlines. Jones scarcely featured and I wonder if this caused some bitterness on his part as he played his part with underwhelming enthusiasm...and as for Will Smith, ARGH! The man makes me want to scream, and not in a good way! I know he can act, I've seen him do it, but here he just reverted back to playing the character Will Smith...


Clearly a marked improvement on, the highly forgettable, MIB2. Not without it's faults, but definitely worth a trip the cinema.

UK rating: PG

Year of release: 2012

Genre: Action Comedy Sci-Fi

Director: Barry Sonnerfeld

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson

Rating: 3 / 5

no-one's holding a gun to my head but...

Let me state for the record, no-one is holding a gun to my head, or has my family held up in the next room with a bomb, but I actually enjoyed The Dictator!


Against all of my instincts I found myself giggling throughout Sacha Baron Cohen's latest offering. Okay so the humour is a little obvious and at times even infantile, and yes it's fair to say that subtlety is not his gift, but this had me laughing! Worth a watch and have fun counting cameo appearances!

UK rating: 15

Year of release: 2012

Genre: Comedy

Director: Larry Charles

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen

Rating: 3 / 5

Dark Shadows not dark enough

My husband and I have recently signed up to Cineworld's unlimited passes in an attempt to save a little money, and so of course we want to try and take full advantage of them, but it was slim pickings this weekend I have to say. Now I'll be the first to admit I've not exactly hidden my admiration of Tim Burton in the past, and, for me, there's just one word to describe Johnny Depp - "Grrrr" - which made my choice simple. This said, however, I left feeling let down and I can find very little to praise in their latest collaboration "Dark Shadows".


The decision to set the film in the 1970s still isn't clear to me, and while it's not necessarily a bad one, and yes the soundtrack is entertaining, it was somewhat akin to watching a play while at a disco.


To list the film as a comedy was a mistake. I doubt any Burton fan would go expecting light-slapstick humour, but his trade-mark brand of dark humour was a little on the light-side and the more obvious comic moments fell a little flat.


It pains me to say it, but even Depp wasn't doing it for me. His performance seemed a little lacklustre and it made me wonder if he really wanted to do the film...


For me the only real highlight was at the climax of the story where I caught a glimpse of my old friend's style with some truly Beetlejuice-esque cinematography. 


My only advice is lower your expectations before viewing!

UK rating: 12a

Year of release: 2012

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy

Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfieffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Lee Miller

Rating: 1.5 / 5

I'm back, now bring on the films!

I doubt anyone has missed me, but I must apologise for already failing in my target of 1 review a week as I've spent much of the last month lying flat on my back - and not in a good way...slipped discs are not fun!

Anyway, I'm back and to prove it I'm here, and I bring you my thoughts on the latest comic-book caper; Avengers Assemble:

Firstly, let me say that this is very much a case of you get what you pay for - I doubt anyone would go into this film expecting plot twists and character development. This is very much meant to be a fun, sometimes silly, action film, and, thanks to the writing and direction of Joss Whedon that's exactly what you get.

It does amaze me how often critics review a film like this but try to grade it against a curve that includes the classics. Just this morning I read a Yahoo! article talking about Samuel L Jackson taking to twitter to complain about the NY Times reviewer, AO Scott, who said, and I quote;

“The light, amusing bits cannot overcome the grinding, hectic emptiness, the bloated cynicism that is less a shortcoming of this particular film than a feature of the genre.”

Oh dear! Well Mr Scott, you're watching a film which features Chris Evans wearing what can only be described as a unitard carved from an American flag, for the majority of the film, were you really expecting Shakespeare? I admit that over the last decade I've quietly groaned every time a new Marvel superhero film has been announced, but for the most part they're inoffensive and fun. Surely that's something we all go to the cinema for? Entertainment?

If you're expecting ground-breaking cinematic magic, this film probably isn't for you, but for a rainy bank-holiday-weekend amusement you can do far worse! The story develops at a good pace, which is no mean feat when you consider the amount of characters they had to bring together. The action sequences are entertaining and at points had the whole audience roaring with laughter. Good ol' Whedon keeps the humour PG but without losing his creative flare...(the "muling quim" comment still makes me chuckle)...All-in-all well worth a watch!

UK rating: 12a

Year of release: 2012

Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Director: Joss Whedon

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L Jackson, Chris Hemsworth

Rating: 3.5 / 5