MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III [2006]

J.J. Abrams makes his feature film directorial debut with the third film in the immensely popular Mission: Impossible movie franchise.
Ethan Hunt comes out of retirement to hunt down a dangerous arms dealer who's kidnapped his wife.  Abrams does a wonderful job with a brisk pace that never slows down long enough to allow you realize how silly it all is.  It's pretty much a paint-by-numbers action film but has just enough enthusiasm and popcorn thrills to rise above boredom.  Cruise performs his obligatory bat-shit crazy stunt that never ceases to amaze but the rest of the action is nothing we haven't seen before.  It's tightly wound story never strays too far from it's mark and in the end will leave the action-junkie suitably satisfied, lens flare and all.

3 deadly head-aches out of 5

FILTH [2013]

Cass director John S. Baird adapts Irvine Welsh's crime novel Filth for the screen with James McAvoy playing the lead role with a grimy, enthusiastic unpleasantness that is difficult not to enjoy.
Like Welsh's other works, the dialogue is filled with Scottish slang and a thick accent to boot, making it difficult to decipher, so if you don't have the patience for that then this isnae th' movie fur ye, ye fuckin' boot.
McAvoy carries the weight of the film on his shoulders but never once does he let it show, with a savagely suffocating and hilariously disturbing performance that barely leaves room for Eddie Marsan, Jamie Bell and Imogen Poots to shine as well.  With it's sickly dark humor and deeply unsettling subject matter, Filth sometimes has trouble finding the right balance of both without feeling a little bit forced at times.

3½ of the same rules that apply of out of 5

THE WORLD'S END [2013]

The final instalment of Edgar Wright's Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy comes as an apocalyptic alien invasion pub crawl in the coming of age sci-fi comedy The World's End.
Reuniting Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman and Paddy Considine as well as adding the scene-stealing Eddie Marsan to the mix makes for a fantastic character piece that's witty, heartfelt and hilarious.  At first glance, it's just as goofy as the first two films but under the surface it's actually quite emotional and thoughtful.  It's not as good as the Shaun Of The Dead or Hot Fuzz but it is by no means a disappointment.  It's a zany sci-fi comedy as well as a celebration of accepting the rather flawed humanity we're all a part of whether we like it or not.

3½ burly bathroom brawls out of 5

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER [2013]

Director Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Slayer is an uneven fairy tale adventure film that borrows elements from Jack & The Beanstalk and Jack The Giant Killer then glazes it over with hokey CGI effects.
The performances are enthusiastically overacted with great effect and the special effects are artificial in such a way that benefits the fairy tale aspects of the story but it's all dragged down by a terribly boring yawn-worthy script that seemed to have no idea what it wanted to focus on.  It lacks personality, wit or charm and hurts everything in the worst of ways.  With a good script doctor, Jack could have been a silly wild ride with no regrets, instead it sputters and grasps for fresh air.

2 pigs-in-a-blanket out of 5

THORNE: SLEEPYHEAD [2010]

Edited down to 2 hours from the original trio of hour long television episodes for American distribution, author Mark Billingham's Thorne: Sleepyhead is a bit of a hit & miss, more so than it already was in it's versions.

David Morrissey works wonders with his role, never seeming like a police officer and more the criminal, while Aidan Gillen, Eddie Marsan and Natascha McElhone earn respect for their performances.  Sadly, the story is rushed, there's some ridiculous moments, crime drama cliches galore and nothing quite gels together properly.  However, it will keep you guessing right up to the end and that's what keeps you from giving up entirely.  

3 annoying voice-overs out of 5

SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMEN [2012]

Director Rupert Sanders' Snow White & The Huntsmen takes the dark overtones of the original fariytale and enthusiastically runs with it.

The idea has potential to be quite a startling piece of cinema, nodding it's head to Guillemero Del Toro and Ridley Scott, but doesn't quite reach that height.  Riddled with some uneven acting, a mess of a plot and forced moments that seem it's trying to hard to be different from previous incarnations of the tale.  Strengthened by strong female roles, (particularly Charlize's slightly over-the-top performance) and some glimpses of great imagination, Snow White's world could have been wonderful and begs to be further explored.

3 wood trolls out of 5

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED [2009]

The Disappearance Of Alice Creed is a twisty n' turny British thriller that's based purely off the fantastic performances of the three leads.    It's got enough double crossing and change of plans (nearly every 5 minutes) to really keep you guessing but never really leads anywhere emotionally.  I suspect it's a wonderful film first time around but doesn't offer much in repeat viewings, other than the acting. 

3 empty bullet shells out of 5