Review Roundup 7

Tags

1080 Avalanche, Gerard Butler, Kathryn James, Mist, Nintendo, Oblivion, Olympus Has Fallen, Tom Cruise, Wario Land: The Shake Dimension

A recent change in my situation has made me take a look at what’s most important to me. I’m starting to make encouraging progress with my goal of becoming a children’s author and things being as they are I’ve realised I need to fan the flames and dedicate more of my time to writing. The trouble is I have a lot of time-consuming hobbies, the least important of which is blogging. I really enjoy keeping this blog and while I’d like to carry on with it as I have been doing, I just won’t have the time. But I’m no quitter; I won’t be abandoning the blog, just pushing it to the back of the agenda. For the foreseeable future you can expect to see more roundups like this one, giving brief voice to my opinions on whatever books, films and games I’ve been digesting. I will still do full reviews for anything that means something to me and hopefully someday I’ll be able to resume normal service. So with that out of the way, here’s what I’ve been checking out lately.

Film Review Roundup

Tags

adventure, Amy Adams, animation, Bill Murray, Carnage, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Waltz, Fantastic Mr Fox, George Clooney, Hayao Miyazaki, Jason Segel, Jodie Foster, John C Reilly, Kate Winslet, Kermit the Frog, Liam Neeson, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Miss Piggy, Owen Wilson, Ponyo, Roald Dahl, Roman Polanski, Studio Ghibli, The Muppets, Tina Fey, Wes Anderson, Willem Defoe

I originally intended this to be a video game review blog with added film and book reviews but thanks to my dedication to review every film I see in the cinema and buy on DVD it’s the film reviews that have taken over. I’d love to give full reviews to every film I see but the workload has been building up and I’ve taken the executive decision to start relying more on roundups like this. I’ll still be doing proper film reviews but only for titles I really want to dedicate the time to.

In Cinemas

The Muppets

Jason Segel, a person not known for his family friendly movies was the man trusted with bringing the wonderful Muppets back to our screens after a long hiatus. The fact that Kermit, Miss Piggy and co have been languishing in obscurity for the last several years is actually rather cannily used as a plot point for this new movie in which Segel stars as Gary whose felt-faced brother Walter is obsessed with the Muppets and campaigns for them to reform. Cue a rich tycoon’s plan to destroy the Muppets’ studios to drill for oil and we have a race against time for Kermit, Walter, Gary and Gary’s fiancée Mary (Amy Adams in full Enchanted mode) to track down the old gang. It’s a real delight to see these great characters back on the big screen and many of the fourth-wall breaking gags and general silliness really hits the spot but the story doesn’t have the high entertainment value of Muppet Treasure Island or The Muppet Christmas Carol. The delegation of screen time for the characters doesn’t quite achieve the right balance (there’s not nearly enough of Gonzo and Rizzo is missing altogether) and some of the songs are overwhelmingly saccharine but that doesn’t matter in this case as much as it otherwise might. After all is there anyone who doesn’t love the Muppets?

Carnage

Two sets of well-to-do New York parents meet to amicably discuss a violent incident involving their eleven-year-old sons but civility gradually descends into childish bickering in Roman Polanski’s often hilarious adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s play Le Dieu de Carnage. The impressive ensemble cast (Kate Winslet, Jodi Foster, Christopher Waltz, John C. Reilly) have a ball with the script, revelling in the vitriol they get to spout at each other and the characters are all perfectly observed. The film’s downfall is its self-imposed limitations brought on by its genesis as a stage play. The single, cramped setting lends a not inappropriate sense of claustrophobia but the single continuous scene inevitably lacks any kind of variety. It’s a fine adap but it couldn’t be more obviously an adap if it tried.

On DVD

Fantastic Mr Fox

Wes Anderson’s stop-motion adaptation of one of Roald Dahl’s best loved stories (and my personal favourite of his) really stands out from the crowd. The idiosyncratically crude animation brings to mind those annoying Compare the Market adverts and the direction and script are wry, whimsical and offbeat. The story of a cocky and anthropomorphic fox (voiced by George Clooney) busting one last heist against the three fattest, shortest and leanest farmers capitalism has ever imagined manages to be both hilarious and touching with rounded character tension and depth. The star-studded cast that includes Bill Murray and Michael Gambon deliver brilliantly confident performances, making the grown-up script sparkle. It’s a cult film and that’s mainly because the script is very mature, loaded with swearing cynically masked by the word ‘cuss’ and a consistently bonkers mood. That this film in which the hero talks about existentialism could be taken on its merits and regarded as an adult’s animation doesn’t really hold water given that it’s adapted from the writings of one of the most important kids’ writers in history and many critics have not wrongly marked it down for this. In the film’s defence I’m sure that the odd tone and general sense of fun will not be lost on young ‘uns and as such it will still find its audience. Purist’s complaints at the story’s Americanisation and relative lack of fidelity is predictable. Maybe someday people will figure out the definition of the word ‘adaptation’ and that’s coming from someone who loved the book. Whatever complaints might be levelled there’s no denying that Fantastic Mr Fox is innovative and memorable

Ponyo

I’m reviewing Disney’s important take on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid soon but first is the matter of this bolder reimagining, Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent directorial feature with Studio Ghibli. Set in a modern day version of Japan that seems unperturbed by giant sea gods Ponyo is the fishy daughter of a powerful oceanic sorcerer who escapes from his supervision to explore the human world where she meets five-year-old Sosuke with whom she forms a strong bond. It’s a more creative vision of the story that paints a vivid and slightly perilous impression of the ocean complete with tsunami made of giant fish. As bold as many of the more exciting scenes are the film is equally strong in quitter moments such as the scene in which the tots enjoy their dinner which is laced with beautifully observed cuteness. The film is primarily aimed at younger kids, but, like with My Neighbour Totoro before it, Ghibli have created a film that should maintain strong appeal for children and adults of every age. The strong English language voice cast includes the likes of Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon, with the younger siblings of teen stars playing the nippers (Miley Cyrus’ sister, the Jonas brothers’ baby bro) but Tina Fey gets the best results as Sosuke’s hilariously tenacious mum. This is Ghibli very nearly at their best.

Film Review Roundup 1st February 2012

Tags

A Monster in Paris, animation, Coriolanus, Daft Punk, Interstella 5555 - The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, Jude Law, Leiji Matsumoto, Mark Strong, Ralph Fiennes, Robert Downey Jr, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Vanessa Paradis, Vanessa Redgrave

I’d like to be able to give full reviews to every film possible but the backlog has really been building up lately which can only mean one thing, roundup time and four mini-reviews for the price of one.

In Cinemas

Coriolanus

I saw this one with Ryan and Tom’s sister Harri, or rather most of it as I confess we were rather late to the cinema, our bus having not stopped where it was supposed to. Ralph Fiennes, who I’ve always greatly admired for his performance as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List stars and for the first time directs a lesser-known Shakespearean tale about a Roman war hero who struggles with the position of power he is given. Removed to the modern day and a vaguely eastern European setting that fits the story well the film’s triumph is in making one of the Bard’s obscurer plays extremely easy to follow, understand and appreciate. Fiennes is as intense in the title role as you’d expect from him, Vanessa Redgrave soars as his fierce and loyal mother and the supporting cast are all on fine form. Gerard Butler’s never been better.

A Monster in Paris

This fairly unambitious French CG toon makes good use of clean animation and some catchy musical numbers to elevate the 1910-set story about a cocky delivery driver and his timid cinema projectionist buddy’s accidental creation of a giant singing flea. Vanessa Paradis voices glamorous nightclub singer Lucille (who goes straight into the cute animated ladies hall of fame) and literally takes centre stage casting the flea in her musical show. A likeable bunch of characters and decent script give this one some credit and there are some great sequences to accompany the tunes but it’s not ultimately that memorable. Nice though and one animation connoisseurs like me should definitely give a look.

On DVD

Interstella 5555 – The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

My surprise Christmas present from my cool flatmates turned out to be a DVD copy of this unusual film that combines two of my favourite things, anime and Daft Punk. The French house band approached their favourite Japanese animator Leiji Matsumoto to create a sci-fi silent film for their album Discovery. The story follows an alien music band who are kidnapped and brought to Earth to be a maniacal record producer’s next big thing while loveable spaceman Shep sets out to rescue them. Some of the story sequences fit the thumping tracks better than others, the standout would be Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger but there are plenty of other highlights. As a film it’s an interesting curiosity that works reasonably well but is unlikely to demand any repeat viewings among casual audiences. If that’s you subtract a star. For anyone like me, who loves both animation and Daft Punk it’s a tremendous treat.

Sherlock Holmes

Having reviewed this film’s sequel A Game of Shadows HYPERLINK #1 not took long ago it seemed a bit redundant to give a full review to the original too so here it is in the roundup instead. Robert Downey Jr’s Holmes and Jude Law’s Watson successfully apprehend Mark Strong’s satanic Lord Blackwood who is hanged for his heinous crimes. But when he seems to rise again from his tomb London is gripped by paranoia and history’s most famous consulting detective must put an end to his chaotic plans. The character chemistry and CG recreation of Victorian London charmed audiences and the film remains better than the recent follow-up.

3DS Ambassador Games Review Roundup

Tags

3DS Ambassador, Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong Jr., Ice Climber, Mario and Yoshi, NES, NES Open Tornament Golf, Wrecking Crew

In order to boost the sales of the ailing 3DS Nintendo recently gave the handheld system a drastic price cut, a move that might have disgruntled those who had already picked up the console were it not for the Ambassador program. By way of apology to their most loyal fans Nintendo has promised no fewer than twenty games will be made available to anyone who registered their machine on the Nintendo eShop before the date of the price drop for free. Instead of new games the list is made up of ten NES and ten Game Boy Advance titles (only half of the GBA games have actually been confirmed at this point). The NES games, which are already available for ambassadors will also be made available to everybody else at a later date but they’ll have to pay for them. The GBA games however will remain exclusive to ambassadors. It’s a pretty sweet deal to make up for the missed saving and I happily downloaded all ten of the NES titles, a handful of stone cold classics mixed with a number of rather more forgetable games, at the first opportunity. Here’s the full list.

Super Mario Bros.

The Legend of Zelda

Zelda II – The Adventure of Link

Metroid

Donkey Kong Jr.

Wrecking Crew

Ice Climber

Mario and Yoshi

NES Open Tournament Golf

Balloon Fight

For this review roundup I will be considering six of these games. I reviewed The Legend of Zelda quite recently, you can read it by searching in the Game Reviews category. That game’s sequel, Zelda II – The Adventure of Link, Super Mario Bros. and Metroid are all games I’ve played before and I’m not planning to play them again just yet. The rest are all knew to me (with the exception of Mario and Yoshi, sort of) so having sampled them all here’s my opinion on each.

Donkey Kong Jr.

 

This conversion of the arcade sequel to the classic Donkey Kong which launched the careers of both the eponymous gorilla and Mario himself subverts the formula of its famous predecessor by casting the portly plumber as the kidnapper, DK as the victim, and his son as the would-be rescuer. Other than that the structure remains largely the same, four repeating levels in which you must reach the top whilst dodging peril, the only change to the gameplay is Jr’s ability to climb ropes. Donkey Kong and this sequel were relevant in their arcade heyday of the early eighties but after Super Mario Bros. revolutionised everything the simplistic concept became pretty outdated. There’s still a retro charm in chasing high scores here but the not particularly inspired level design and general lack of variety limit the game’s lifespan.

5.7

 

Wrecking Crew

 

This puzzle platformer featuring the Mario brothers challenges you to destroy various features of the scenery in each level while avoiding enemies. There’s no context for this mindless destruction and needless to say it’s not the most riveting concept. There is some strategy involved in choosing what to destroy when so that you don’t cut yourself off but it’s just not much fun. One thing you can do is design your own levels but this is hardly the most inviting prospect.

5.1

 

Ice Climber

 

Nana and Popo, a pair of eskimos best known these days for appearing in two Super Smash Bros. games first appeared in this vertically scrolling platformer in which you must collect vegetables and hammer enemies. The sluggish gameplay and samey level design fails to create an engaging experience but at least there’s a couple of decent tunes.

4.6

 

Mario and Yoshi

 

The Game Boy version of this falling block puzzler was one of the first Nintendo games I ever owned. You control Mario and rotate the position of four plates to move stacks of Mushroom Kingdom baddies and reduce the piles by matching two of the same type. It’s pretty basic stuff but you can also combine occasional egg shells to hatch Yoshis. Game A is the traditional keep-going-until-you-inevitably-lose routine started by Tetris but Game B challenges you to reduce stacks to nothing and thereby clear the level and is the more engaging. It functions perfectly well for what it is but won’t hold your attention for long. A good introduction to the genre for kids.

6.0

 

NES Open Tournament Golf

 

A late release in the console’s lifespan this golf game starring the brothers Mario is fairly deep in its mechanics and offers plenty of options. You must consider your choice of club, the direction and speed of the wind and how you hit the ball with every shot making for a satisfyingly robust experience. The visual presentation stands out with backgrounds changing depending on the position of your lie and even the odd basic cut scene. Needless to say it’s the best next best game on the list after the classics.

7.3

 

Balloon Fight

 

This diverting little game sees you controlling a balloonist in a series of scuffles with numerous enemies. By tapping A you gain altitude and most carefully use the physics to burst enemy balloons and then tackle them to win. It’s tricky to master but quite diverting. Better is the secondary Balloon Trip in which you must scroll (from right to left, atypically) dodging innumerable hazards in pursuit of high scores. It’s not scintillating but it works well.

7.1

Review Roundup

Tags

3D Classics Excitebike, 3DS, Kung Fu Panda 2, Mega Drive, Nintendo, Sega, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3, X-Men First Class

It’s all been happenning lately. Little Bear rehearsals are in full swing and half of my time has been focused on rehearsals, costume hunting and line-learning while the other half has seen me glued to the internet and the reports coming in from Los Angeles and E3. My report on Nintendo’s performance at the world’s foremost interactive entertainment event is on the way, as is The Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time 3D, which has me quivering with anticipation. All this has distracted me from this blog somwhat and I’m well behind in my reviewing so once again it’s time for me to apologetically cram several into one post, starting with the films.

X-Men First Class

X-Men, a superhero property I’ve always had a soft spot for, has seen its share of highs and lows on the big screen but this neat reboot comfortably registers as a high. Removing to a 1960s cold war setting First Class is a textbook prequel that chronicles the meeting of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, aka Professor X and Magneto, one of superhero comics’ foremost pairs of frenemies. Xavier (James McAvoy) is an authority on mutation a subject of particular interest to him since he possesses telepathic powers. His expertise draws the attention of the CIA who are on the tail of ex-Nazi Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) who is also a target for Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), a holocaust survivor possessing the power to create magnetic fields out to wreak vengeance on the man who murdered his mother. Xavier saves Lehsherr from killing himself in pursuit of his goal and the two gradually form an unlikely friendship as they scout for mutants to join the CIA’s super secret new Division-X. Meanwhile Shaw, a mutant-supremacist commanding the ability to absorb energy plots to insite nuclear war by orchestrating the Cuban missile crisis. This dip into history lends the film a strong sense of tension and authenticity, a perfect fit for the franchise. The film’s greatest strength, surprisingly, is comedy, featuring highly amusing recruitment and training montages, great in-jokes and a perfectly judged cameo. James McAvoy appears to have a lot more fun than his reported grumblings about the script would suggest and Kevin Bacon gives a smirkingly sinister turn as the near-invincible Shaw. There are some complaints, the first few scenes don’t fit togehter very well, there are plot holes all over the place and one reel seemed to be missing a whole heap of subtitles rendering scenes in Russian a bit hard to follow but the action, characterisation, humour and acting lift the experience irriesistibly.

Kung Fu Panda 2

Animated flicks about talking animals are ten-a-penny and always have been but Dreamworks’ action-packed martial arts comedy about Panda Po’s Kung Fu misadventures stood out from the crowd for its incredible fight sequences and nicely balanced comedy. This sequel looks to make lightning strike twice as Po and the Furious Five are pitted against Lord Shen, a villainous peacock intent on destroying the world of Kung Fu, cue the necessary frantic action sequences and pratfalls. Once again Dreamworks have found their mark combining thrills and laughs. The set pieces are bigger and bolder and the story more interesting as Po struggles with flashbacks of his childhood and finally gets round to questioning why his dad is a goose. Every bit as entertianing as the first film the film rattles along at a breakneck pace full of slapstick and lightning punches while setting itself up for an intriguing threequel.

Sonic 3 (Mega Drive)

The third entry in the blue blur’s superb early series is every bit as good as its predecessors, sending you through another half dozen brilliantly designed zones varying from the tropical Angel Island to the frozen Ice Cap. It was the fastest Sonic game to date but, like all the great early titles didn’t get carried away with the speed and slowed Sonic down for some challenging, slower platform jumping sections. Its this intelligent balance between fast-paced thrills and refined precision. The game introduced some wlecome new elements such as three different shield upgrades that would grant Sonic cool new abilities and an addictive new isometric psuedo-3D special stage design that saw you tracking down blue spheres, not to mention this was the first time you could manually fly (and swim) as Tails. It was perhaps disappointingly short and the ending a bit underwhelming following Sonic the Hedgehog 2 but it made up for it with the series’ most bombasic visuals and best soundtrack to date.

9.4

out of 10

Sonic & Knuckles (Mega Drive)

The content created for Sonic 3 turned out to be too much for a single release so Sega did something a bit different with its fourth entry in the series released in the same year as the third. With all the missing zones restored Sonic & Knuckles also came on a unique cartridge that allowed you to plug Sonic 3 into it thereby unlocking Sonic 3 & Knuckles, a combination of the two games that allowed you to play through them as one for the most epic and rewarding Sonic experience ever. Not only did the game feature Knuckles as a playable character for the first time but it also boasted the best and most atmospheric level design in the series so far such as the fungal Mushroom Hill Zone and the desert themed Sandopolis Zone complete with its intense, haunted second act. The game built to the franchise’s biggest climax ever with a secret final zone unlockable for collecting all the Chaos Emeralds. This was the peak of Sonic’s once-illustrious career.

9.5

out of 10

3D Classics Excitebike

With the Nintendo 3DS eShop finally up and running Nintendo have made the first in a new line of old classics enhanced by the system’s stereoscopic 3D available. For a limited time the title is free to download making the title hard not to recommend at least for a while. Excitebike, an early NES title that has seen a handful of re-releases down the years, is a racing sim in which you must negotiate tricky linear courses against the clock or other racers. To succeed you must master changing lanes to avoid hazards performing wheelies to give you the best angle for jumps, using your turbo to give yourself the right amount of lift and angling your bike to land smoothly. It’s a tricky and often intense challenge that retro gamers will lap up. The rather basic visuals are complimented by the 3D well enough although the feature adds little to the gameplay. The sound and design are decidedly retro and the game represents an engaging if not compelling challenge but there’s really very little of it. Worth a download while it’s free but only those with fond memories of the original should consider paying for it.

6.9

out of 10

Film Review Roundup

Tags

Rango, Rio, Source Code, Sucker Punch, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-sec, Thor, Winnie the Pooh, Your Highness

Being without the internet for so long has made blogging a bit difficult. So far since moving to London I’ve been to see eight different films at Cineworld and I’d love to give full reviews to all of them but that’s a lot of posts and I don’t think I can remember the earlier ones well enough for that so here’s one post for all of them and a whole heap of mini reviews.

But first a few updates. Astarico is here, we’re a threesome at last! I haven’t seen a cockroach for a few days, the mice are gobbling up the poison happily, the foxes shriek a lot all night and rumours surrounding Nintendo’s next home console are doing the rounds setting up what promises to be another deliriously exciting E3. Now that that’s out of the way here’s some reviews.

Source Code

It’s nice to see Jake Gyllenhall starring in something as smart as his ability deserves. This thriller casts him as Captain Colter Stevens, a helicopter pilot repeatedly reliving the last eight minutes of the life of victim of a terrorist bombing of a train in a plot that mixes Groundhog Day with Quantum Leap. The story unfolds slowly, withholding important exposition and values thought patterns and characterisation over brainless action and corny one-liners. Yes it’s possible to poke holes in the logic ofthe high concept but the layered script and acting discourages such.

-

-

Sucker Punch

Zack Snyder proves he’s better working with adapted material with this incoherent action fantasy. Emily Browning plays an insane asylum inmate who delves into her imagination, projecting a brothel into the asylum and launches an ambitious escape attempt with a handful of fellow prisoners. The apparently extraordinary dances she uses as diversions are metaphorically presented as CG heavy action sequences designed to cater to thrill junkies. The premise is confusing, the acting and script weak, the action scenes all about style over substance and the speciall affects and stunts overdone. If you switch your brain off you might find something to enjoy even if it’s just the eye candy but don’t expect a classic.

 

-

Rango

This very offbeat animated western features the voice of Johnny Depp as a pet chameleon who passes himself off as a tough desert sherriff striving to solve the drought problem of a small town of anthropomorphic wierdos. The grotesque character design wouldn’t normally  be my thing but the glorious detail in the animation and totally original approach to animated storytelling and endless ideas completely won me over. It’s the kind of film that will find a more enthusiastic audience among adults than kids but it’s so refreshing to see animation studios taking some risks.

-

-

Winnie the Pooh

The 51st animated feature in the Disney canon plays out like a sequel/remake of the 22nd. Aimed squarely at the youngsters A A Milne’s instantly recognisable and very likeable cast of stuffed toys trundle through a handful of loosely connected adventures that sees Eeyore search for a new tail, Owl warn the others about the monstrous Backson that has kidnapped Christopher Robin and Pooh perpetually seeking out a delicious pot of honey. It’s gentle and soothing but not without invention as the storybook conceit is played beautifully with characters bumping into letters and hopping from illustration to illustration. Anyone who likes animation will be entertained but everyone in love with the characters, which is pretty much everyone, will be in bliss.

-

-

Your Highness

Danny McBride plays a sweary, inept prince who joins a quest to save his brother’s wife in this potty-mouthed fantasy comedy full of low-brow humour. The presence of Oscar-winning Natalie Portman and Oscar-nominated James Franco underlines how many shades of terrible it all is and makes you wonder why they look like they’re having so much fun. If sexually perverse wizard puppets and horny minotaurs make you laugh you’ll be in for a treat. The rest of us can debate whether or not it qualifies as ‘so bad it’s good’.

-

-

Rio

This 20th Century Fox animation sees Blu, a spix macaw and last male of his breed leaving the comfort of being a pet (or rather companion) in Minnesota for the brightly coloured carnival of Rio de Janeiro and a would-be mate called Jewell. It’s just about the only animated kids film in which sex is an important part of the plot but any fornication is forestalled by the pairs birdnapping at the hands of a shady and stupid gang of smugglers and their psychotic cockatoo. As an animted feature it does nothing you wouldn’t expect but retreads the same old formula with humour and spirit.

-

-

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-sec

Adapted from a popular French comic Luc Besson gives us a delightful period comic romp in which the titular Adele, a journalist goes to some incredible archaeological lengths to save her comatose sister by first attempting to resurrect a mummified ancient Egyptain doctor while the Parisian authorities try to get to the bottom of a series of mishaps perpetrated by a recently hatched Pteradactyl. The film is carried along by a breezy style and the ensemble cast pull it all off without any weak links among them.

-

-

Thor

Adapted from the Marvel comics, in turn adapted from Norse mythology, Thor is another superhero flick that places the scandinavian gods in Asgard, a distant realm that holds a shaky truce with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. When their infiltration of Asgard interrupts Chris Hemsworth’s Thor during his ascension he and some mates break Odin’s law by taking the fight to the CG antagonists, prompting Thor’s banishment to earth. It’s a bit of a mixed bag this one, the action and CG aren’t bad, the acting fairly token (even Anthony Hopkins underwhelms) and the 3D is barely there. The film is at it’s best when indulging in some fish-out-of-water comedy but it’s entertaining enough fare to hold the attention.

Film Review Roundup

Tags

300, An American Tail, Antz, Bee Movie, Cars, Catch Me If You Can, Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, Enchanted, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Iron Man, Over the Hedge, Peter Pan, The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian, The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Incredibles, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, the Witch and the Wardrobe, War of the Worlds

Happy New Year everybody! I won’t pretend it’s been an easy year in the principality so I’m glad to see a new one.

So another Christmas has come and gone and I spent most of it watching movies on TV, far too many to review so here we have a roundup of all the films I saw in whole or in part over the festive period, a quick sum-up of how good they are and my star rating for each.

Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!

Eccentric, inventive and energetic animated fantasy with the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. Wasn’t expecting a lot but the vibrant visuals and frequent gags won me over.

Catch Me If You Can

Terrific true-story about conman Frank Abagnale Jr. starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and Christopher Walkern that isn’t half as breezy as everybody thinks.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Messy but nevertheless entertaining fifth film in the fantasy franchise featuring an imaginative and visually impressive showdown between Dumbledore and Voldemort.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Faithful and atmpspheric adaptation of the classic adventure book that’s full of charm and CG excitement but lacks a certain spark to elevate it.

300

Visually memorable testosterone-fest given life and personality by Gerard Butler but otherwise devoid of depth.

Cars

Underrated animated motoring adventure from Pixar that combines high-octane thrills with gentle character comedy.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The second chapter of the fantasy series to hit the big screen suffers from a thin plot but manages to provide two memorable extended action sequences.

War of the Worlds

Offbeat and frequently gruesome modern day adaptation of the classic H G Wells story starring Tom Cruise and a lot of effective CG.

The Polar Express

Pioneering motion capture animation featuring Tom Hankd in several roles. Superbly thrilling moments combine with a strangely meloncholy tone to create something unique.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Wonderfully realised Muppet-style retelling of the Dickens classic featuring a memorably sympathetic turn from Michael Caine as Scrooge.

Over the Hedge

Animated animal adventure featuring the voice of Bruce Willis that pulls off plenty of funny jokes and visual comedy despite a weak premise.

Enchanted

Unusual and sentimental part-animated fantasy mickey-take featuring nicely caricatured performances if a rather dull plot.

The Incredibles

Bright, funny and action-packed superhero animation from Pixar with great voice work and visuals.

An American Tail

Grimy but spirited animated adventure about a Russian mouse separated from his family during migration to America.

Peter Pan

Enchanting and faithful adaptation of J M Barrie’s timeless children’s adventure featuring the most accurate portrayal of Peter on film and Jason Isaacs as Hook.

Antz

Inventive and grown-up animated adventure featuring an impressive cast including Woody Allen, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken and Sylvester Stallone.

Bee Movie

Another insect-themed animation with underwhelming visuals and a slightly strange plot rescued by good vocal work from Jerry Seinfeld.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Spirited revival of the classic adventure series that features a very far-fetched plot and some truly ridiculous moments but is saved by the irresistible appeal of its central character and some vivid settings.

Iron Man

Well-acted superhero action flick that is as funny as it is thrilling.