Film Reviews by PC

Although lacking the originality of the first film, there are enough exciting action scenes and decent acting from the young cast to keep it going. It is a shame that by the end it appears to have run out of steam and some of the blame has to go to the source novels for that.

The plot, if there is one to talk of, is highly flimsy but there are moments which are extremely funny. Seth Rogan adds the laughs whilst Joseph Gordon -Levitt gives it heart.

This could be a very dry version of Gravity on Mars but the script is so sharp and surprisingly funny that it rolls along at a good pace. Matt Damon is superb and the effects are excellent, but you will laugh and learn quite a lot from it as well.

An enjoyable film based on a true story, the effects are great although I imagine they are slightly diminished on the small screen. My only problem is the slight fakeness of it all, from Joseph Gordon-Levitt strange face to the rather picture card depictions of the major cities.

Good to see a slight return to form for Robert De Niro, although nobody like his lovely old man guru actually exists in real life. Anne Hathaway is as watchable as ever and her moments with De Niro are much better than the material deserves. A good family film though.

After a promising pre-credits sequence we get down to a boring rehash of many horror action films seen before. Why the likes of Michael Caine and Elijah Wood got involved is anyone's guess.

I enjoyed the book and was hoping it would make a successful jump to the screen like Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. Unfortunately, it is a by the numbers thriller than goes from one clue to another without any tension or red herrings to keep you on your toes. Charlize Theron just manages to look slightly annoyed throughout, probably more suited to a TV series than a film.

This is really a cross between an Agatha Christie whodunit and a sprawling western, unfortunately it takes a good hour and a half to get there. Once it gets going its a good old fashioned violent western Tarantino style, the acting is great but why do all films have to be over 2 hours these days.

After The Other Guys, Ferrell and Waldberg are reunited for a comedy though not quite as funny, still has some great moments.

It is not unusual to see Robert De Nero tarnishing a once spotless CV but the fact that this also involves Michelle Pfeiffer and Luc Besson is more surprising. The main problem is that it cannot decide whether it is an action movie or a comedy, as a result the violence seems out of place with the tone of the movie. You feel very little empathy for any of the characters, including Tommy Lee Jones bog-standard cop and I just hope Luc Besson returns to form after classics like Nikita & Leon.

I have never been a huge fan of the Jack Ryan films but this re-start was actually quite enjoyable and watchable. Chris Pine is great in the lead role and it was nice to see Kevin Costner back in a major film again. Although Keira Knightley was given little to do, she made the most of a part that would have been redundant with a lesser actress. The action scenes may have all been before but they are thrown together well and I would definitely like to see a sequel with the same actors involved.

I thought this looked quite interesting from the trailer and the mix or real events, shoguns and the supernatural looked promising. However, the whole things looks so fake and this goes as far as Keanu Reeves' performance. It would be nice to see the traditional story without the need to include a Hollywood star who looks out of place amongst Japanese acting royalty. None of the relationships ring true and the effects, though many, fail to impress.

I think Lone Survivor is up there with Black Hawk Dawn as a window into real warfare but lacks that films pace & character development. It also cannot help itself by laying on the 'American Hero' aspect which by the end really detracts from the film's central relationship between the soldiers. The acting is very good but there is little or no back story to make you care about the soldiers, a shame when they are based on real people doing their job in the most extreme circumstances.

I feel bad about criticising a film that tries to tell an important story in a simple way without resorting to stereotypes. There are many aspects of the film that are truly impressive, the cinematography and the acting is first rate. I just wasn't gripped by the film, it truly meanders at time and fails to give depth to the characters despite the actors efforts. It really fails where something like Schindler's List succeeded, I expected to be uplifted by the end but just felt there was more to tell of his interesting life.

Homefront won't win any awards but you cannot deny that it is fun watching Jason Statham doing his stuff. There is a good supporting cast here as well, Kate Bosworth particulary good as the drug addict Mother who starts the trouble. It runs along at a fair pace, makes no sense, but is entertaining.