21 Jump Street (2012)

by Adam Edwards

Before going into this film, I was certain I would not like it. Not being a huge Jonah Hill fan and the tagline of 'The only thing getting blown tonight is their cover" screamed teen sex humour and bad humour at that. However, only ten minutes into the film, I found myself giggling like a little school girl to intelligent humour and slapstick alike. Very amusing.

A strangely likable double act, Tatum and Hill bounce off each other perfectly. The film avoids the obvious cliches of teen movies and it even manages to work the fact that it is an 80's sitcom remake, very cleverly!

Overall, I would recommend this film to all, especially the skeptics.

Best Bits: Actual funny drug humour, hilarious violence, explosions...or not?

Worst bits: The lack of recognition it deserves.

For fans of: Hot Shots, Breakfast Club, Naked Gun, Superbad

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

By Daniel Bradley

Yippeee-K… yeah. I was apprehensive, it's all been done before. But this film must have been several Soviet tonnes of fun to work on.

So was this a vain attempt to milk more money from the franchise? A cynic might say so. But did we enjoy it? Certainly.

Playing the part of a disgruntled parent trying to talk sense into his estranged-delinquent son, Bruce has the care-free attitude of my own father. Unafraid of the authorities, the general public, and quite prepared to run an armoured transport off the road in Moscow if he feels he's not being listened to. Not believable in the slightest, one keeps thinking 'You can't do that, bollocks!' - and yet, you go with it because it's so attractive. Going abroad and reeking merry hell, the action sequences, car chases and set pieces were quite satisfying.

But this feels like only 4/5ths of a movie. It's missing a few scenes that I'll be heartbroken to find on the cutting room floor section of the special features. Extra, 2 minute scenes of more havoc and chaos caused by everyone's favourite white vested vigilante cop would have made a good film perfect. What we see is a string of long, well done action sequences that are astounding realistic. (Example: The car chase has been done before, but can you remember seeing the drivers in their vehicles as they flip end over end?)

The immortal line is uttered, the vest appears, we're reminded continually that 'I'M ON VACATION', but whereas we're used to seeing John crawling around vents, this is more like John behind enemy lines. And he's so much more confident with it. Most excellent.

Best Bits: *gun shots* 'I'm on VACATION!' *more gun shots* - The wonderful 20 minute car chase.

Worst bits: Not long enough, they got the pacing slightly wrong.

For fans of the Die Hard Quadrilogy, MacGyver, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Rating: 7/10

This Means War

By Adam Edwards

With Chris Pine and Tom Hardy starring, this film could hardly go wrong. Laughs and action aplenty and a decent romantic link this will keep film fans from all walks of life enthralled through out.

With a normal rom-com premise of two best friends falling for the same girl, you may think you have seen this film before. However, due to them both being MI5 agents, there are spy jokes and gadgetry throughout.

Well recommended for men as well as women, very enjoyable and very amusing.

Best Bits: Spying on each other, fight scenes, FDR's apartment

Worst Bits: A few obvious rom-com cliches, Weak ending

Rating: 7/10

For Fans of: Oceans 11, Austin Powers, Hitch

Men in Black III

By Adam Edwards

As a fan of the original film, I could not resist completing the trilogy, despite the fear of the film being a bit of a money-grabber. However, it works very well and completes the story loop very nicely.

The premise of the film is very clever, though there are obvious time travel plot holes (though lets be honest, what time travel story doesn't have holes!) There are many moments that cracked a smile but not enough that actually got a laugh. The casting of Emma Thompson and Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame were high points and Josh Brolin could actually be a young Tommy Lee Jones.

Overall the film is well worth a watch with an unexpected ending that almost beings the trilogy full circle.

Best Bits: Time travelling sequence, Jermaine Clement, 60's MIB central

Worst Bits: The film not entirely shaking the idea that ir was purely a money grabbing trilogy completer.

Rating 6/10

For Fans of: MIB 1 and 2, Will Smith, Time Travel.

A Dangerous Method (2011)

By Jamie Lawrence

As a psychology graduate, this film helped me understand my deeply repressed father and mother issues through the form of psychoanalysis. Of course, it is the story of Freud. Good old Freud. The man who gives 'father issues' a whole mother meaning (pun intended). It tells us the wonderful story of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud as the inventors of psychoanalysis, their work with patients and their strained relationship and conflicting beliefs. Despite the lack of action and shocking moments that you would expect from a story involving Freud, the story felt real. As if you had exclusive access to their ideas and experiences over 100 years ago.

Best Bits: Keira Knightley's acting - absolutely outstanding. And resulting from Michael Fassbender doing to her what many of us have only dreamt of doing. What? Oh you think I mean... No, I mean psychoanalysing her... honest.

Worst Bits: (Annoyance alert) Freud sounding oddly similar to Bane from The Dark Knight Rises - once you hear it, it won't go away.

Rating: 7.5/10 - A great story at the forefront of psychological theories - a must-watch for budding psychologists.

For Fans of: One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, A Beautiful Mind, Black Swan,