Terminator Salvation

Release date: 14 May 2009 (Hollywood, USA)

Directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol (aka McG), Terminator Salvation is a very good action film that lacks soul. Well acted by Christian Bale (as John Connor) and Sam Wotherington (as Marcus Wright) and with an engaging story that continues to weave the past/future of our hero, John Connor, the film works well as a visual smorgasbord. Sadly, that power is lost as the emotional bits ring hollow since they are so dreadfully blatant, and as such, carry no meaningful impact. Smaller roles by Helena Bonham Carter as the evil Dr. Serena Kogan and the always cliched Michael Ironside as General Ashdown add a campy factor to the film that really works.

Terminator Salvation is a furiously fun film, and while soulless, gets my rating of 8 out of 10.

The Proposal

Release date: 1 June 2009 (Hollywood, USA)

The Proposal is one of those films a reviewer drags their feet to attend expecting to detest it immensely as trite, formulaic, and tiresome. So, gosh, what a surprise seeing it - lesson learned. Starring Sandra Bullock as Margaret Tate, a dragon-lady book editor in the Devil Wears Prada-mold and Ryan Reynolds as her much hackneyed executive assistant, Andrew Paxton. When the dragon-lady is faced with deportation due to a citizenship glitch, she browbeats Andrew in agreeing to marry her ... in Alaska. Toss in a Department of State bureaucrat bent on proving it's all a farce marriage; Andrew's parents, Grace (the always wonderful Mary Steenburgen) and Joe (Craig T. Nelson) and Andrew's free-wheeling grandmother, Annie (Betty White) and you have a pretty wonky, and hilarious, two hours of nuptial zaniness. Directed, perfectly, by Anne Fletcher and with a nod to Pete Chairelli's great writing, The Proposal is worth a walk down the aisle.

My rating 9 out of 10.

Adventureland

Release date: 19 January 2009 (Sundance Film Festival)

Director Greg Mottola seemed to believe a movie about his teenage adventures at an amusement park would make a good film. Unfortunately translating his recollections to the screen leaves this reviewer bored senseless. Jesse Einsenberg plays James, a kid with artsy aspirations to visit Europe before starting college that go awry when his dad is demoted and James is forced to cancel the trip to work as a game attendant at Adventureland. There he meets the love of his life Em (Kristen Stewart) and an assortment of circus freaks he calls friends. The acting is solid but the vibe is all wrong as the film struggles to decide if it is trying to be a comedy or drama (it falls woefully flat on both fronts). To use the film’s own tag line to sum-up, “It was the worse job film they ever imagined”. Avoid.

My rating 0 out of 10.

Domino

Release date: 25 September 2005 (Montreal Film Festival)

Based on a true story that is truly unbelievable, Domino recounts - granted loosely - the story of Dominio Harvey, a near-do-well lass from England who tossed aside her silver spoon upbringing and modeling career to become a bounty hunter. Keira Knightley stars as Domino and Mickey Rourke in his pre-The Wrestler days (though you can see the seeding of that character here) is Ed Moseby, Domino’s bounty hunter boos. A host of stars play minor roles in this wonky tale that’s so far-fetched it works, including: Jacqueline Bisset, Dabney Coleman; Macy Gray; Mo’Nique; and Brian Austin Green even. While the story is a shamble, what makes this film work is its style. Directed by Tony Scott, it is a collage of images and song that play like an MTV video. While decidedly not for everyone - Domino is a film you’re going to hate or love, no middle ground - its tongue-in-cheek campiness and totally off kilter approach was both refreshing and fun.

My rating 8 out of 10.

Suspect Zero

Release date: 27 August 2004 (USA)

Aaron Eckhardt is Thomas Mackelway, an FBI agent with a past, who is sent to Albuquerque to investigate the murder of a traveling salesman found with a zero etched on his body. When other bodies start appearing - all serial killers - Mackelway is led to a retired FBIer named Benjamin O'Ryan (an ever superb Ben Kingsley), who has the ridiculous/silly (take your pick) skill of being able to 'see' what serial killers see. Rolls eyes. Directed by E. Elias Merhige, this is a thriller built in the Seven-style and has Carrie Anne Moss stumbling around - looking pretty granted - as Mackelway's sidekick. The hokeyness aside, Suspect Zero is engaging for the most part by fails ultimately as it can't decide who's story to tell - O'Ryan or Mackelway's.

My rating 6 out of 10.

It's Complicated

Release date: 10 December 2009 (California, USA)

Nancy Meyers directs the always brilliant Meryl Streep in this comedy romance about letting go and moving on. Streep plays Jane, a divorced baker with three older kids and who is working to renovate her home. At her son's graduation, Jane runs into her exhusband Jake (Alec Baldwin) who despite being remarried with a young son, still feels something for Jane. Predictably they land in bed together and when the kids discover the misadventure all sort of woe-is-me moments ensure. This story has been done many times previously and in an attempt to mix it up a little Steve Martin arrives as Adam, the architect Jane has hired to renovate the house, whom she also starts misadventuring with. The film is fun and silly and has some genuinely hilarious bits. While Streep and Baldwin are great and do carry the film, It's Complicated is anything but.

My rating 7 out of 10.

The Shining

Release date: 23 May 1980 (USA)

Directed by the one and only Stanley Kubrick, this is a magnificent example of how novels (in this case Stephen King's The Shining) ought to be brought to screen. The Shining tells the classic tale of the Torrances and the winter of discontent and mayhem they spend housesitting a haunted resort - The Overlook Hotel. Starring Jack Nicholson (as writer-slowly-going-mad Jack Torrance); Olive Oyl, er, Shelley Duvall (as Wendy his wonky wife); Danny Lloyd (as their son-with-Shining-power, Danny) and Scatman Crothers (as Dick Hallorann, the hotel's cook and savant). The Shining works in every single respect and is classic horror with each and every frame a testament to Kubrick grasp of the novel and his auteur. The film is pregnant with famous moments: Jack announcing, "Wendy, I'm home" with axe in hand; son Danny (as Tony) with his talking finger saying, "Danny's not here Mrs. Torrance"; the blood pouring from the elevators; "Redrum, redrum"; "Heeere's Johnny" to mention but a few. The Shining shines like few horror flicks can and is, in a word, exquisite.

My rating 10 out of 10.

Stone of Destiny

Release date: 21 June 2008 (Edinburgh Film Festival)

This is a film for Scots, and, as an Englishman, I have to announce that upfront. Directed by Charles Martin Smith, it recounts the true story of the robbery of the the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey in 1950 by Scottish nationalist Ian Hamilton (Charlie Cox). Known as the Stone of Destiny or Coronation Stone, it historically was used during the crowning of Scottish Kings and resided at the now ruined Scone Abbey. In 1296 the stone was captured by King Edward I and subsequently incorporated into the Coronation Chair used by English kings/queens since. The film is a too-long-drawn-out retelling of its emancipation from the English and its return to Scotland. Seems Director Smith wanted to give us every blessed moment of the journey which, let me tell you, makes for a lot of boredom. The film's utter monotony is only made bearable thanks to Robbie Carlyle's presence as John MacCormick, who helps to finance the theft. Stone of Destiny will appeal to any Scot in the house and reinforces to us English the fact we shouldn't have bothered conquering their sorry arses in the first place.

My rating, with a yawn, 5 out of 10.

Just Like Heaven

Release date: 16 September 2005

Reese Witherspoon stars in this ah-gee-shucks romantic comedy that takes Ghost to a different place. When Elizabeth (Witherspoon), a surgeon with no time for love, ends up crashing her car on route to a date, she awakens to find David (Mark Ruffalo) living in her house. Course only David can see her and it seems - and here's the twist to the Ghost genre - Elizabeth is not so-much dead and ghostly but - wait for it - in a coma. Seems comas are just like heaven. Anyway, there's plenty of comedy that works here as David and Elizabeth try to figure out how to get her spirit back in her body, all the while falling inevitably in love. Both Witherspoon and Ruffalo are great and while I wasn't expecting to like this film, once it ended, I was both satisfied and happy.

My rating 7 out of 10.