Film Reviews by AER

Sadly this remake of The Crow is a waste of time. Whilst some of it looks good, it doesn't get the blood flowing like the 1994 original. It's also as flat, if not flatter than the 90s sequel The Crow - City of Angels too. There's not much you can do with the plot of The Crow. It's a simple revenge tale, yet this remake tries to front load the tale by delving into the relationshop between Eric and Shelley, so Eric doesn't even become the undead avenging angel until about an hour in. The acting is OK, but the script is corny, there is even a 'Basil Exposition' character who tell us/him the crow's purpose and how he can suffer pain but can't be killed as long as his love is pure. The baddies are potentially interesting, Danny Huston brings something to his immortal villain, but unlike the 1994 original, the henchmen are not memorable. We needed a T-Bird and gang, and the pawn shop manager plyed by Jon Polito. For all it's flaws the original was an unstoppable action horror classic - this new one is pale, forgettable and at times, super lame.

Another lightweight adaptation of a Stephen King short story that deserved a more considered approach. The script begins with a cod-sixth form-style poetry bid, and strives for deepness with some villainous monologues about the 'arc of descent' etc. But this is just a slow moving revenge fillm. Christian Slater is the draw here, as a Las Vegas peole traffiker, and he chews the scenery well but can't escape the terrible script or the corniness of the plot. Wes Bentley barely registers as the nominal lead, and appears to be going through the motions in order to work on the next film. I remember reading the story years back and I don't recall it being all that special, however, I'm sure with a bit more thought and expertise, this could've been something of substance. As it is, it's flat and unappetising.

Today's Queer cinema stands on the shoulders of films like The Boys In The Band. It was a ground breaking film at the time but it's sad to see how dated it's become. Friends gather for a birthday party and old scores are settled. It's a film adaptation of a stage play so it's very set-bound and talkie. Some characters are paper-thin like Reuben Greene's character as the sole gay black in the cast. This pre-dates the arrival of AIDS, so the attitudes and opinions are different, and there is some nasty racism in amongst the catty homophobic quips and insults. An important film, but one that serves as a marker in time to show how far queer cinema has come. William Friedkin directs.

OK this year we've already had The Watched which was directed by M Night Shymalan's daughter. That was intriguing at best but couldn't glue its many ideas into a coherent whole. And while M Night Shyamalan's new one Trap certainly has a tighter plot, its problems are more endemic. The main problem I had with Trap was Josh Hartnett's performance - he seems to be striving for a heightened Nicolas Cage-style performance in this, and that's not what the film needed. it's too broad and it shows up the short comings of the script. The plot is gripping but only because you want to see how this car-crash of a movie can astound you. It's a shame really as the girl who plays Josh H's daaghter (Ariel Donohue) is actually brilliant and convincing. It's also worth a look to see Hayley Mills in her first Hollywood role since the late 70s (I think). The spiralling plot is interesting but quite crazy and unconvincing. Is it fun though? It had its moments, but if you compare it Split or Unbreakable that traded in brilliant lead acting performances, Trap, is terrible. Sorry.

I forgot that Dolph Lundgren acted, produced, wrote and directed these kind of movies in his dog days. This a p*ss weak rethink of High Plains Drifter with a hardman coming into protect a few angelic town fok from a few corrupt characters. It's very dumb and 100 per cent surface with a under baked script, shoddy acting nad editing and terrible grading on the picture. Belongs in the bin. But that's obvious.

A sexual coming-of-age tale from Australia sees 16-year-old Sequin (Conor Leach) navigate gay hook-up apps. The main character is pretty inscrutable and mature for his age but he comes unstuck when he goes to an orgy in the titular blue room. Where anonymity is key he manipulates one hook up to find the identity of another hook up and ends up in deep water. It's a disquieting movie and it's well-made but too much time spent shagging eats into the already slight running time. It's more like a short than a feature. Well-played though by all-concerned.

The Hellraiser reboot is well-made and at times it looks very impressive with seamless SFX. However, this new interpretation fails were it needed to fly. Whilst the box of tricks has a clearer modus operandi, the characters are all pretty weak. There is some committed acting from an unknown cast (with Goran Visnic and Hiam Abbas in small supporting roles) but this is boring and flat with no thrills. Worst of all the new Cenobites look daft and aren't at all repulsive like the original bunch from Hellraiser 1 & II. Mind you, I wasn't a fan of the bad acting in the first films. This time it has good acting, a servicable script, and good SFX. But there is no intrigue and no personality. We need Doug Bradley's Pinhead back. This was better than I hoped for and probably the best ONE STAR review I'll ever write.

DOA

I read the book that this film is based on at the right age, that's what made me look this film up. The novel and the screenplay were both by Ethan Hawke (who also directs and takes a small role here) too. It's a simple story of young love and broken hearts. I found the book moving because I was young, but now I'm old and jaded I found the antics of our young lead (Mark Webber) tiresome. I wasn't really convinced by the central pair either... Sadly, there were no subtitles on my DVD so I missed the odd piece of dialogue. This film has a good heart and if you are in your early 20s you might still be able to relate to it. I wonder if it's worth me reading the book again?

Although there was a lot of story to digest the storytellers pulled it off with aplomb and without info dumps. It was an emotional and inventive film and I'm looking forward to Inside Out 2 this week :)

Not seen too many Pixar movies since UP but this was great. I'm very late to the feast with this film though....

This film is nearly 3 hours long and contains enough plot to sustain a film half its length. Reminiscent of David Lynch, this peculiar film set in Tahitii depicts paranoia, power plays and mystery to great effect, dso much so that I was left in the dark. It tried my patience in the last 30 minutes as it seems to wantonly abandon much of the plot or logic - but it comes back at the end and it works well on reflection as you begin to understand this portrait of maniacal evil. Unique but a difficult customer nonetheless.

Martyr's Lane is an evasive little ghost story which is reasonably well-acted by the child-led cast. However, the film holds you at arm's length as the director/and actors painstakingly craft their intricate tale of loss and ghosts. It demands a lot of the viewer who has probably pieced together the mystery long before the characters. Some bits work others don't, which is a shame because the actors seem committed if not always capable of bringing this slow ghost story to life.

Uninvolving.

A very interesting horror is messed up by over-complication and a story full of gigantic nonsensical plotholes. Shame as it is original at times and a committed cast work hard to sell its interesting ideas. It's not at all scary or tense either.

Bad Boys 3 was great and put this series of action films back on the map. However, Bad Boys 4 - Ride or Die is resting on its laurels. it's a shame there's not much to recommend this time. The jokes are thin on the ground and Will Smith is strangely subdued. Maybe this film was rushed into production to save Big Willy's career after his infamous Oscar slap etc. Martin Lawrence is on fine form, but he can't carry the movie alone. The action is good this time too but this sequel is half-baked, rushed and reminded me of last year's Expendables 4 or one of the lamer Fast & Furious movies (and not in a good way).

Sad Boys more like...

Medusa Deluxe is a one-location whodunnit set in Preston (UK) that revolves around a thwarted hairdressing competition. Edited to give the conclusion that most of it was filmed in one take, this loud, abrasive thriller/comedy runs out of steam about 1 hour in, and despite great performances, I began to lose patience with it. I found it claustrophoibc and at times repetitive. Instead of building to a crash and bang, it just fades away. The dance routine over the end credits is worth hanging around for.

Just like we've come to expect of Quentin Dupieux, Incredible But True is another demented slice of surreal comedy. And again the director and cast make it all look so easy. This one tells the story of a middle-aged couple Alain Chabat (THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP) and Lea Drucker (CLOSE) who buy a house with a very peculiar feature in the basement. But what is it and how will it change their lives? The man also has a strange egotistical friend/boss who brings much (BENOIT MAGIMEL - THE TASTE OF THINGS) madness to the film. I found this film to be just my cup of tea and thought it was unique and funny.