Must Love Dogs (2005)

By Daniel Bradley

A quick talking romantic comedy starring John Cussack and Diane Lane as spurned, divorced forty-somethings who are forced to start dating again by friends and relatives.

Light-hearted laughs come every couple of minutes, showing up in the form of smart comebacks from both main and supporting cast. The male and female leads are likeable and believable.  

I would warn against going in expecting a perfect rom-com recipe. It has all the ingredients, don't get me wrong… the well accepted cliches, the dramatic irony, the token gay best friend, the trailer park step-mother, the one in a million chance encounters… but it's slightly under done.

This film comes with a firm recommendation for those that love rom coms, dogs & John Cussack. If you're looking for something diverting with the other half of an evening, this film is spot on. Not too taxing, not too long, and certainly more feel good than Marley & Me.

Best Bits: the Dogs, the wise-cracking.

Worst Bits: If it weren't for the clever dialogue, you'd think it had all been done before.

For fans of You've Got Mail, Hitch & Serendipity.

Rating: 6.8/10

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,

Prometheus (2012)

By Jamie Lawrence

Despite Ridley Scott heavily denying that Prometheus is NOT a prequel to the Alien series of films, fans of those films need to see this. Even if just to discover the variety of hidden references. And yes, they are frequent and extremely subtle. (Apart from the ending, but I will not spoil it for you, my dear reader). If you've ever watched Alien (the 1979 classic) and thought 'what happened before that?' - then this film gives you the answers. And gives you a few more questions. But Prometheus 2 should help with them...

Back to the film; it is a future of technology that, in my opinion, is far too advanced to be a reality, even in 2093 when the film is set. But putting aside these annoyances, the visual scenes and creative ideas are spectacular. The idea of reaching other solar systems and Earth-like worlds has long been a goal of humankind, and Prometheus grabs this passion and puts its own spin on how that would be possible, and how we would discover this world. And what we would find when we get there.

Best Bits: Stunning visuals and links to Alien

Worst Bits: The final scene. It's like they forgot to link it to Alien. Then remembered. But too late. You need to see it for yourself.

Rating:  6/10 - Aesthetically pleasing, but too many 'grrrr', 'sigh' and 'oh that's just silly' moments throughout.

For Fans Of: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection,  Alien vs. Predator, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

By Jamie Lawrence

A familiar slow-paced,  heartfelt high school film set in 1990s following Charlie through bullying, making friends and falling in love with Sam. However, unlike its many comedy feel-good counterparts, this high school storyline has the added recipe of gritty emotions and troubled pasts. It is a little dark in places but mainly a comforting hour and 45 minutes that hooks you into wanting to be part of their friendship group.

Although it was heavily advertised as starring Emma Watson (mainly due to the new, unrecognised cast), her appearances are not as frequent nor important as you would assume. It was, however, time she broke away from the Hermione Grainger character that she is easily associated with, and the convincing American accent and new look executed this perfectly. With great performances from some new, young and unknown faces in the acting world, it is a film for the younger adult who wants to see Emma Watson in a more challenging role.

Best Bits: Emma Watson in sexy Rocky Horror Show attire, a fresh-faced cast.

Worst Bits: The slow pace of the film and lack of deep, hard-hitting exploration of the characters' pasts. Also, one very important scene where Sam's emotions contradict the story she is telling.

Rating: 7/10 - Easy to fall in love with the characters, but slightly harder to do so with the film.

For Fans of: Garden State

Life of Pi (2012)

By Daniel Bradley

You'd be foolish if you miss this one before it leaves the big screen. A very simple story, told in flashback with a poignant spiritual message that goes beyond religion. If you're open to international film, this one deserves to win many awards.

Visually spectacular, the animal CG is done well, disbelief is not difficult to suspend. Funny, sensitive and sad in places, the one will make you homesick for a country you've never seen before. If you want something to make you feel and take your breath away, this is it.

Good bits: The scale of the journey, the graphics, the realism, the thoughtful treatment of religion, the humour. The reveal at the close.

Bad bits: F*cking meerkats?

For fans of Castaway, Titanic & Avatar.

Rating 8/10

Dredd (2012)

By Daniel Bradley

I had heard good things about this film before I went in, as well as terrible things about the Stallone version from 1995. Missing it at the cinema, I gave it a go after hearing about it on the Empire movie podcast.

As a graphic novel adaptation, I loved it. He nailed the part for me and I was drawn in to the world, ready for mindless, bloody violence and clever choreography. Dredd did not disappoint. They did not patronise the patron with an overly complicated plot… there was a simple, logical progression to the gorefest. Drug barons, hoboes, guns and colourful language to match blood splatter that Dexter Morgan would weep over.

Good points: Some wonderful slow-motion, some enjoyable tower-block carnage, some nod-worthy gun-totage.

Bad points: Not worth watching if you want something stimulating. Comic book film that takes itself too seriously at times.

For fans of The Punisher (1989), Die Hard.

Rating 6/10

God Bless America (2012)

By Daniel Bradley

This is the movie I've been waiting a long time for. 

When one thinks of America, the mind easily draws a picture of advertising gone mad, unrelenting reality TV and a culture predominantly red-neck in nature. Whilst this is a sweeping statement, a gross generalisation, it would appear many Americans now feel the same way. Indeed, many see the consumerist road they are on and are ashamed by it.

And this is where our protagonist comes in. Imagine a man driven slowly mad by a society he can't bear. Then imagine the same man lives in a country with the 'second amendment' and woefully inadequate gun control.

Good bits: The film's ability to show you what you want to see, without making you feel guilty. The blood and dialogue.

Bad bits: The fact many Americans missed this at the theatres last year.

Rating: 9.5/10

Beginners (2010)

By Daniel Bradley

Another Focus Features film. Quirky and slow, the dog steals the show.

Mild mannered, soft comedy marking the passing of the protagonists father and his 11th hour homosexuality. If I'm honest, the trailer to this film with give you enough to be carrying on with. If you like it and want more of the same, keep watching. Ewan was marvellous, his relationship with his father and hound is utterly believable, and how he copes with the loss of the former, doubly so. 

I wasn't really sure what the message was in this film. Bereavement, homosexuality, age, love, loss, it appeared to come in half way through a story and leave in a similar fashion. A good deal is narrated, in a pleasant and honest way, subtly comical interactions take place throughout and you're left with a wistful feeling of time passing and doors opening and closing in your own life.

Best bits: The dog. The narrating. The flash-story telling. The preaching of tolerance.

Worst bits: Pacing.

For fans of Philadelphia, The kids are alright, The art of getting by, I love you, Philip Morris.

Rating: 6.5/10

Ten Canoes (2006)

By Daniel Bradley

I stumbled across this film whilst searching for something to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon outside of the football season. A fan of documentaries, foreign cinema and canoes, I saw the name Ten Canoes and felt compelled to stop and watch a while.

I was taken in immediately by the laid back narrator, this film is a First nations production from Australia, a story written for a Western audience (with moments of unexpected 'western' (read: universal)), set in the distant past. A story about a man's designs on his brother's wife, but it's so much more than that. It's about life and death, respect and a different way of life. If you want a window into tribal Australia before the dawn of the modern age, and a bit of a hoot to boot, watch this.

Good bits: Fragmented, original filming techniques that are simple, and yet unconventional. Light hearted humour throughout and an eye-opening view of an underrepresented culture. And gratuitous nudity.

Bad bits: Length of the death ceremony.

For fans of Australia.

Rating:  7/10

Safe (2012)

By Daniel Bradley

Jason, you've done it again.

This one may be predictable, may have all the elements of every other gangster/Jason Statham film you've seen before, (disarmed bad guys, compact fight scenes, gun battles, drugs, money, gangs, car chases, bent coppers and a conspiracy that goes straight to the top)… but it stands solidly on it's own cliches.

You can easily put this in the pile of Jason S films you'll get round to seeing, I did, but I saw it out of some loyalty to the genre. I felt like a lighthearted, mindless action film where the plot doesn't matter and the next bullet is only minutes away. And 2012 answered with Safe.

Good bits: Direction, the use of mirrors for multi-directional action.

Bad bits: Story. The last minute antagonist. The apathy for the main characters.

For fans of: The Transporter, War, Crank. 

Rating: 5/10

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

By Daniel Bradley

When you have such a well loved trilogy to live up to, and you only have a small 300 page paperback to go on, and you're making the first third of that paperback, questions of quality, pace and repetition immediately spring to mind. Will it keep the same film as the first Peter Jackson Middle Earth gems, will there be enough to keep the viewer interested for 3 hours, won't this be exactly the same story mode again, wasn't this a semi-thought out children's book..?

Well, ignore the Press. This movie has the style of the previous films, no question, but it feels new and fresh - it has life! They tie the story really nicely to it's predecessors and the same tone, humour and score that worked so well previously is ever present throughout. Edge of your seat cinematography, well worked plot lines and large scale events go some way to reminding you how packed those initial 6 chapters were. If you read this as a kid, it's a pleasure to see it all grown up.

Good bits: Old friends, Martin Freeman's second to none acting, riddles in the dark.

Bad bits: 3D… don't do it. The Orc antagonist that shouldn't exist but drives the plot.

For fans of The Labyrinth, Harry Potter, Snow White & the Seven Dwarves.

Rating 10/10

The Hunger Games (2012)

By Daniel Bradley

A film is made out of a successful teen book trilogy and I'm already put off by the idea. It worked for Harry Potter, but this is not a light-hearted work of magical fantasy. I read about the plot and caught the trailer at another movie, and was completely, 100% put off the idea. And yet.

I was told to see this by some very good friends. I'd seen films with similar premises before and found them brutal and marginally entertaining. But, I relented, and it quickly became one of my favourite films on bluray, I bought the books and sung it's praises immediately. 

It could have gone over the top, but was shot beautifully and carefully, with emphasis on character development, context and story rather than children killing one another. The 2 worlds, (the districts and the capital) are rendered believably with attention to detail, design and costume and the acting is spot on, not something one can say about other Teen classics.

Best bits: Depth, believable injuries, Lord of the flies politics.

Worst bits:  The hounds at the close.

For fans of The Condemned, The Truman Show.

Rating: 8/10

Fargo (1996)

By Daniel Bradley

Recommended by an old teacher of mine who knew I enjoyed The Big Lebowski, this film is labelled from the off as a true story by the Coen Brothers. Not wanting to spoil anything, the elements are true, however the big picture is a fable. That being said, the humour is ridiculous, the bumbling cops and bad guys are a joy to watch and the knuckle-biting cock-ups leave you cringing into your late night cup of tea.

A man, down on his luck after a bad business deal, decides to hire 2 gormless goons to kidnap his wife to extort his father-in-law. When things don't exactly go to plan, a heavily pregnant cop gets on the case following the string of gruesome crime scenes to tie up the whole affair. Wonderful accents, great dialogue and genuinely amusing laugh out loud moments when things start going wrong make this the cult classic it is today.

Best bits: The kidnap scene, interrogation and conclusion.

Worst bits: Perhaps this film goes on 20 minutes too long overall.

For fans of The Big Lebowski, Quite ugly one morning.

Rating 7/10

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

By Daniel Bradley

When I found out they were planning on remaking this, I could not contain my excitement. An 80's sci-fi children's classic, Whilst other parents weened their kids on Snow White & the Seven animated Disney classics, (I was indifferent to these), my Mum and Dad brought me up on a healthy diet of Escape to Witch Mountain, Short Circuit and Flight of the Navigator.

Imagine a boy wakes up after a fall and 7 years have passed for the rest of the world, whilst he hasn't aged a day. Then imagine the same boy's head is suddenly, inexplicably & subconsciously full of star charts and NASA want him in connection with a crashed UFO…

Back when muppets were new and NASA was one big conspiracy, this film is equal parts sinister child thriller/ridiculous puppet sci-fi adventure.

Best Bits: Solid science-fiction story, classic 80's feel, portrayal of aliens as puppets, gas-filling station scene.

Worst Bits: "Compliance, Daaaavey."

For fans of Escape to Witch Mountain, Return from Witch Mountain, Short Circuit.

Rating 7.5/10

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)

By Daniel Bradley


There aren't many independent British 'down the pub' movies. Far fewer about 3 chaps, shooting the sh*t and debating time-travel paradoxes… however…

If you want base, laddish humour, sarcasm, inexplicable bathroom time-shift phenomena and bar-side capers, this is your film. It's not grossly funny, it doesn't pretend to be a genre changer, it was never going to set the world alight, and yet, like The Last Lovecraft, it keeps you coming back for more. I'd liken it to a good Chinese buffet without the starters.

Best Bits: Toilet scenes, cos-players, the blood bath, post-credits scene.

Worst bits: the Women.

For fans of The Last Lovecraft, Doctor Who -Rowen Atkinson Comic Relief special.

Rating: 6.5/10

Cherrybomb (2009)

By Jamie Lawrence

Fans of Skins and Misfits will like the troubled teenage destruction that will be familiar to them, especially with Robert Sheehan as one of the main narratives. It's a gritty, emotional and slightly dark storyline that, in all honesty, doesn't really go anywhere. The Irish accents from the three (along with the one James Nesbitt has become so famous for) are a delight, and despite having his perfomrances in Harry Potter criticized, Rupert Grint shows a dark, evil side which is a welcome change to his debut films.

It is slow-paced, slightly boring at times, but the three damaged characters (all damaged in their own way) are fantastic to watch.

Best Bits: The parties: wanting to party with them (and wishing your teens were as much fun) and the fact it was only 1 1/2 hours long.

Worst Bits: The slow pace and lack of storyline.

Rating: 5/10

For fans of: Skins, Misfits.