Underworld : Evolution (2006)

Directed by Len Wiseman

Starring Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Derek Jacobi, Bill Nighy

Time for character development. Seline and her new found hybrid Michael, are now on the run from vampires. It turns out that Michael is a member of the family of immortals - one vampire, one Lycon. The vampire was Marcus, the head of the Vampire household Seline was once member of. Now he's been awakened, and wishes to release his captive brother.

Seline and Michael are falling in love of course - and thankfully it's not over stretched out.

Where the first Underworld film didn't deliver, this one does. The action is a bit pacier and clearer. Though still in the boys toys vein. And Kate Beckinsale got even sexier. If only her script could be the same. Her Seline character does come across as a fantasy type Lara Croft. There are even moments when her leaping and dodging of bullets do resemble a video game.

Derek Jacobi turns up not playing a villain. This is rare where the British actor gets a minor role that's not sinister.

Evolution is enjoyable, but it's tone in Gothic scenery and style has been dumbed down. Instead the characters are on the run in rural locations. This is used for more inventive fight scenes. For fans of the original, this is surely a plus point.

3/5

If you like this you should try

Predator (1987) 2/5

Batman Returns (1992) 5/5

Lara Croft Tomb Raider : The Cradle of Life (2003) 1/5

Underworld (2003)

Directed by Len Wiseman

Starring Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Sophia Myles

Vampire and Lycons (werewolves) have spent centuries battling it out. Now in a modern day European city, a strong willed vampire named Seline (Beckinsale) has found a plot of the Lycons to track down a human, Michael (Speedman). So she tails the human and in doing so causes lots of controversy within her Covenant.

Looking like a horror film but ultimately an action flick, Underworld has taken what it's seen throughout the past few years to throw into its mixer. And that's the problem. Any of the original or exciting ideas are shot out within the first thirty minutes, leaving no ammo for the duration of the film.

The action scenes are soft while the blood flow can be hard - a trick which should be the other way around.

Beckinsale is very sexy in tight black leather, so there's a fanboy relative to The Matrix's Trinity. But I don't remember any of the Matrix crew swishing around in long black leather as much as Kate does. Speedman's ugly hunk is not there much, so already there's still a direct aim to a young male demographic. You think Bill Nighy's British performance will swing things? Maybe - but only after he get away from a plaster of vampire makeup and into some dishy leather robes.

It's not all bad. The film is beautifully stylish. The unnamed European city the film is set gives a nice atmosphere. And there's a rocky soundtrack for anyone who will be playing whatever WarHammer equivalent there is to this.

2.5/5

If you like this you should try

Blade (1998) 3/5

The Matrix (1999) 4/5

Pitch Black (2000) 3/5

Queen of the Damned (2002) 4.5/5

Resident Evil (2002) 3.5/5

Far From Heaven (2002)

Directed by Todd Haynes

Starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson

The second deal where Julianne Moore gets to face repression in 1050's suburban America. The Hours she has a bit of a snog with a girl. Now she's stumbling across her husband getting it on with a guy.

Poor Julianne.

All the way through Far From Heaven is designed to look like a 1950's film. And that's gorgeous to look at. Julianne is pretty as well. And she's gracious enough to let her co-stars have screen time. But ultimately it's her film, and she deserves to shine.

Am rather glad the film doesn't use its gay theme too much. And talking to a black man isn't what's striking either. It's the ruddy neighbours. Various points I was thinking, 'Thank Christ I don't live in this time'.

And then I look out into the streets of Belfast.

Got a bit personal there.

4/5

If you like this you should try

American Beauty (1999) 4.5/5

The Hours (2002) 5/5

Bridesmaids (2011)

Directed by Paul Fieg

Starring Kirsten Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Michael Hitchcock, Chris O'Dowd

What seems to be dressed up as a chick flick sort of pleasantly dives from its conventions. But not enough.

Annie, a failed baker finds herself maid of honour for her best friend Lillian's wedding. But she faces competition from Lillian's new best friend Helen, who seems to be loaded with money and ideas of perfection. Annie must then embark on a subtle showdown with Helen, amongst the other Bridesmaids in order to show her affection.

The problems with Bridemaids' clichés are quickly covered up by good silly humour. Not surprising Judd Apatow produced this, which had me shaking with expectations of the 'f' word being spewed in every sentence, as well as some male bromance action. But the film sticks to its chick lit expectations by making sure focus on solely on Annie's constant battle with the frustrating Helen.

Matt Lucas and Chris O' Dowd show up in supporting roles. One was expecting Steve Pemberton or even Rowan Atkinson to appear.

Soon enough clichés do appear again, and to be honest, what else did I expect? Kirsten Wiig is a likeable heroine - though not as much as Bridget Jones. The film is fun crowd pleaser, and with that will do very well. But edgy comedy it is not, which is a disappointment on my behalf. Though I did laugh like a drip.

Maybe I should stop reading into film posters where the characters have cynical looks.

3/5

If you like this you should try

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) 4/5

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) 3/5

The Hangover (2009) 2.5/5

Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980)

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Starring Carmen Maura, Félix Roteata, Olvido Gara

Happy opening titles and dodgy editing can only mean low budget. Which is why I urge it to be ignored in this case. Though the treat in store is vulgar and masochistic and colourful. Not to everyone's stomachs.

Pepi lives carefree in her apartment with her weed plants. As a bribe she offers herself to her neighbour for his silence, but in turn is raped. She, with her friend Bom seek revenge. They have the advantage, with Luci – Pepi’s raper’s wife.

The three embark of discoveries of what the pleasures of drugs and sexual violence can be.

Aside from that there's nothing much to it. For such things to occur in a film, it would have to be a low budget case.

Pepi, Luci, Bom is fun and disgusting without being horrific.

4/5

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Directed by Desmond Davis

Starring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Claire Bloom, Harry Hamlin

My knowledge of Greek mythology isn't strong. Though if it was, this film would probably fair worse with me than it already is.

Perseus, Son of Zeus, finds himself in the midst of the constant punishing of humans by the Gods. But being the son of a God has its perks. First of he's destined to get the girl. And while the three Goddesses Hera, Thetis and Aphrodite have their plots to ensure revenge is set in for their mistreatment - not giving much of a leeway for our young hero.

Within a few years of Star Wars, adventure is pretty rampant. However, desolate areas and attempts at ye olde language don't seem to be pulled off. The film is dull. There's even a sense of exhaustion from the actors - and you can't get your head around Laurence Olivier playing Zeus. Maybe the opportunity of being around pretty lights appealed.

Ray Harryhausen's special effects are a joy - if you don't count a frustrating mechanical bird flapping around throughout for comic effect.

At times I don't feel this is for kids - and mainly because there's not enough for them to be interested. There's nothing benchmark about the film, which is a shame. The Empire Strikes Back appears to be the starting point of the decade's strong fantasy / sci-fi genre. Clash of the Titans however doesn't want to carry it.

1.5/5

If you like this you should try:

The Ten Commandments (1956)

Captain Sindbad (1963) 3/5

Star Wars (1977) 3.5/5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Directed by David Yates

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Waston, Rupert Grint, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltraine, Tom Felton, David Thewlis

Whether or not the final Potter film is a strong adaptation is secondary. Loose ends must be tied, spectacles must be had and even that tension between...wait, I won't spoil.

With a little more knowledge and help from a mysterious goblin, Harry, Ron and Hermione go off on another adventure - quite outside the Hogwarts frame. Already the film's pace is set. And it's really nice to see the fantasy element take real shape. With goblins, dragons, cursed pieces, I felt it was close to the stuff Terry Pratchett would go on about.

Then to Hogwarts for the final showdown and battle with Voldemort and his cloaked gang.

At around two hours, the shortest Potter film, the entire thing is a general summer blockbuster. With many special effects, pretty scenes, spell battles and British actors, Deathly Hallows Part 2 could be the most appealing of the summer's offerings.

Alan Rickman returns. All the way through he's provided the most fun I believe. Now it was his turn to shine.

What it lacks is the reinvention I often looked forward to with the previous films. But it had to end sometime. So it's only right that the film goes out with a terrific bang. The only drawback is that Harry's world isn't explored as thoroughly as we'd like it to be.

Fans will be sad to see it go. But for me, I'm happy to put this series to rest. From film number one where we have an adorable children's film, right through to letting Ralph Fiennes don a superb villain outfit, Harry Potter has entertained, inspired and kept British actors in work for a decade.

4/5

If you like this you should try:

Star Wars (1977) 3.5/5

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 3/5

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) 3/5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Directed by David Yates

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltraine, Rhys Ifans, Helena Bonham Carter, Bill Nighy

Harry returns to Hogwarts...actually no wait.

Harry does NOT return to Hogwarts. And thus already the start of a completely different format of Potter film.

Voldemort has gained masses of power. Harry and his friends are left on the run. Bill Nighy grabs the final role going in the British series.

For fans feeling that Warner Bros' decision to turn the final Potter book into two films was a bit cynical, they could be right. For a portion of the film there are several long moments of Harry standing about the wilderness, wandering if he and his friends are ever going to have wonderful times again.

And again like its predecessors Deathly Hallows takes a darker tone. But this one is much more frightening because it's a lot more real. There isn't a magical setting for the characters to play about. The film does concentrate on Harry and his friends in a much more vulnerable state. They no longer have Dumbledore for wisdom or intervening teachers to help. This is about the three as refuges.

And because of this the film stands more as a British thriller than a kid's fantasy. It's good to see a different style. Whatever Deathly Hallows' faults are (barely no Alan Rickman and even no Maggie Smith) fans and movie goers have to brace themselves for the truth that this series is ending. So for the meantime, enjoy the presence of the three main leads. And take note that a series does need reinvention to stay alive.

4/5

If you like this you should try:

28 Days Later (2002) 5/5

Eclipse (2010) 3.5/5

New Moon (2009) 3/5

Cabaret (1972)

Directed by Bob Fosse

Starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey

Musicals are supposed to be feel good. Aren't they?

Yet Cabaret is pretty far removed from The Sound of Music. Though you do get Nazis within the deal.

Minnelli is Sally Bowles, the infamous creation of Christopher Isherwood, living poorly but extravagantly in 1930's Germany. A British teacher, Brian Roberts (Michael York) arrives, and soon the two are best friends, laughing about the absurdities of their surroundings and trying make a living. Roberts teaches English, while Bowles sings her heart out at the Cabaret.

Based on a stage musical, the transition is beautiful. From the starting surreal dance sequence introduced by Joel Grey's Master of Ceremonies to the final 'Auf Weidersehen', Cabaret is a beautiful but not overly sexualised film. Minnelli is brilliant with her script rolling off her tongue. It's useful she has those puppy dog eyes so as to remember that she's a human character and not some whore. She makes her jokes work, the songs flow and nothing stick in the way of letting Cabaret become a classic.

It's as Sally Bowles says herself; 'Come to the Cabaret.'

5/5

If you like this you should try:

The Sound of Music (1965) 3/5

The Producers (1968) 5/5

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Directed by David Yates

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltraine, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter

After Yates' success with Order of the Phoenix, it was only natural he continue the trips to Hogwarts.

Harry and his friends return to Hogwarts. Who could have seen that one coming? But they do. And all is not well. The muggle world is being intruded upon by dark forces, Dumbledore hires back old staff and Harry is fancying his best friend's sister. Sometimes the claim that Potter is a soap drama does have weight.

Potter's sixth film isn't a firm adaptation. Fans can complain all they want, but the 'Slash and Burn' process has to come into effect. Here it's not as bad as the film acts as a bridge to the previous installment to the next. And for that has a lot of creative work along the way.

If I mean 'creative', I really mean 'dark'. With the last twenty minutes taking place in a cave and at night, there's maybe even a cheeky suggestion that most of the film looks like The Lord of the Rings. I suppose with the first installment of both franchises being released in the same year, the two are never really going to lose that stigma. But it's remarkable how many scenes in Half-Blood resemble Peter Jackson's special effects.

Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy gets more screen time. Alan Rickman allows his voice to be cherished more as he swoops in his black robes around the castle. We shouldn't forget new Hogwarts entry Jim Broadbent playing a rather slimy but fun Horace Slughorn.

Even Daniel Radcliffe's acting has come along. No longer are there any cringing moments where his screams and special effects overlap one another. Time on the stage has done him good.

With the recent Twilight, Half-Blood feels a lot more routed to entertain with teenage troubles than trying to give weight to them. Relationships and love are played out. It's pretty clear however that these type of things seem to happen only to the younger cast. This is put straight when Dumbledore says, 'Good to be young and feel love's keen sting.' It's almost as if being an aristocratic British actor isn't enough to get others in the mood for love.

A lot of the humour is driven from this. And that's good for what is actually Potter's darkest hour. Quite literally. At times it's impossible to see what's going on. One could put it down as Harry Potter for the recession. Where elements couldn't be purchased, so it had to be obscurred from view.

The time between Potter and Dumbledore is well put. This along with Nicholas Hooper's musical score assert that Potter's world is much older than what we believe. And where Yates was successful in bringing about a British air in Phoenix, he has now placed in a boarding school feel that was brought in at Goblet of Fire but not so securely set.

Again this isn't a strong adaptation. And with very little action the pace of the film may bog down younger viewers. In one sense this a triumph for the franchise. With the adult actors getting more screen time and a much more classic style, this could be 'period drama' of the series.

Potter's adventures may be ending, but for the meantime this installment stands strong as a way of spending time with the characters and knowing that with whatever is ahead, they're growing up well. And dare I say that Michael Gambon's Dumbledore could give Ian McKellen's Gandalf a run of fire?

4/5

If you like this you should try

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 3/5

Twilight (2008) 3.5/5

The Guard (2011)

Directed by John Michael McDonagh

Starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong, Fionnula Flanagan

Anyone wanting a repeat of In Bruges may be disappointed. Already the fact that Gleeson is holding a dark comedy is enough to sway the audience to believe that.

But that shouldn't stop the audience from going to see it.

Gleeson, not a bad mark on his career, takes his time preparing himself for the laughs. Which aren't out loud. But they aren't absent either. The Guard is a general Irish humour film. Where naughty language and the imagination of outrageous goings on are rampant. One could even fall into old memories of Father Ted. His character, Sergeant Gerry Boyle, is an old fashioned, corrupt, yet heart of gold type.

Cheadle, the FBI agent one the trail of drug smugglers, finds himself in Gleeson's shadow, and doesn't do much to get out of it. Maybe he realises himself it's going to be a tough job. Oh, and I suppose catching criminals is a bit difficult as well. Especially when the Irish loud mouth Boyle finds himself more interested in his day off, which becomes a shock of someone prioritising holidays over work. We can't all be workaholics.

The Guard is probably, secretly, a buddy movie. But it holds on to its secret pretty well by not giving the two main leads enough screen time. I say this is good, because the whole thing could have been a dreadful Hollywood wannabe otherwise.

There's probably not enough blood or violence to warrant it as one of the meaner stories of Irish crime, but it's certainly got a mouth on it. And Gleeson has the film's heart on him.

4/5

If you like this you should try:

Divorcing Jack (1999) 4/5

Waking Ned (1999) 5/5

In Bruges (2008) 4/5

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Directed by David Yates

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltraine, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs, Helena Bonham Carter

David Yates, a director of television dramas, gets the directing helm of Warner Bros. most profitable series. And the surprise is it works.

Maybe because he's British.

Harry and his friends are to return to Hogwarts under a dire disbelief that the old enemy, Voldemort, has returned. At the magic school Harry and all other students are to face Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), a fiercely right wing politician from the Ministry of Magic. Her goal is to see that all rumours of Voldemort are snubbed, before setting a harsh curriculum of no magical learning. So it's up to Harry to train other Hogwarts students, whilst fighting off strange dreams.

Order of the Phoenix is probably the finest of the Potter series so far. And there are notes that nod back to the previous installments. An overwhelming sense of British storytelling not seen since the first film and the darker elements that Alfonso Cuaron perfected, Pheonix manages to sway the longest J.K. Rowling book into a nicely paced Sunday afternoon type fantasy. Fans may find it disappointing and the action scenes are limited - especially after the previous film's mini adventure sequences. But these are the type of films I like. And with a new score from Nicholas Hooper, the texture of Harry's world has become a lot closer to what the book set out to do.

4/5

If you like this you should try:

Toy Soldiers (1991) 3/5

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) 4/5

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 5/5