Review - Iron Man 3 (61%)

Iron Man 3 is a nice way to round off Tony Stark's Marvel film trilogy. With the action and funny cockiness that made the first film such a hit, we are reminded of the roots to this trilogy and the third film ensures they are well presented in a way that the fans can admire and endulge.

My favourite avenger is thrown into his most serious challenge that has huge potential consequences. The way he reacts to the goings on around him, shows how Tony Stark has matured from an irresponsible rich playboy into a man that I would happily rely on to save my life.

His relationship with Pepper Potts also shows responsible maturity. Marvel fans will flock to the local cinema and not in a lack of strength in terms of numbers. They won't be dissapointed either as Iron Man 3 has merits and if you are even the slightest fan of Iron Man and like buying films, hop to the shop and pick up a copy as soon as possible.

The film has a few chinks in it's metal however, it blows up to such a size that there is essentially a world war and the film gets out of hand in this sense. It also manages to make the other Iron Man films look like trailers in terms of the amount of action involved which is something you don't want from a defining film in a trilogy to make the others look boring in comparison to the everyday person.

Be wary that Iron Man 3 is a good watch but not worthy of beating the first Iron Man film in my books, however it eases past the second installment.

Final Verdict - A worthy conclusion to the trilogy and the second best Iron Man film, to date.

SCORE: 61/100

Review - Oblivion (71%)

Earth has met it's dreary, reluctantly predicted end? Sounds like a real opportunity for Tom Cruise to step up, take centre stage and produce what could very probably be April's best movie (yes I finally stopped using the word "film").

Oblivion surprised me through forcing me to be happy that I watched it. I was "forced" because Oblivion ticked all my personal boxes on my wishlist of things I hope for in a film. Some well employed form of originality, an element of surprise, an actor I admire, build up to the finale and making me want to watch it again.

When it does this, I understand that because I now have a personal relationship with Oblivion, you would be best off looking for other reviews to avoid an emotional englishmen's potential bias.

However stay and I will go on. Cruise is assured in his role and comfortable in his environment as always. He does well to handle the main role in a film with very few actors. Those who do appear though should be classed as backing singers due to their minority screen time.

Oblivion is original and that is something that nobody can take away, other end of earth films don't come close to being similar to Oblivion. The way it builds up to the ending as Cruise becomes curiouser and curiouser is also a high point. I will remember Oblivion for it's genuine original sci-fi approach.

Final Verdict: Oblivion is only there to be praised as it does more than enough for me to say that it is worthy of a positive reception.

SCORE: 71/100

Review - Trance (65%)

Ahhh....sweet fresh air! That's what Trance is, a breath of fresh air renewing the cinema going experience this march. I don't think I have ever seen something quite like Trance, I felt rewarded for watching it.

James McEvoy takes the reins as the main character and I have to praise him. He was very good and it's about time he got a big role in a good film. He was what id call professional for adapting to the character of Simon.

The story is strong and it's premise even stronger. Trance proves that without an all star cast you can still produce a film that has some metal. However through all the positives lies one element that is grasping onto Trance's leg and pulling it away from the highest scores. The film can get very slow in areas which resulted in me searching my bag for some more Fruit Pastilles with little hesitation.

Whether watching it on the big screen or in my front room (yes I bought it as should you) I did feel that with a little more excitment I could have been giving Trance a very high score and doing my best to promote it's presence for an award.

I think Trance will be one of the year's solid films that will gain a positive reception and recieve plaudits for it's originality. I mean I can't name another film where hypnotherapy is used to try and recover a painting.

Final Verdict - Solid and deserves praise for it's brave unmainstream approach, worth a purchase because of this.

SCORE: 65/100

Review - Identity Thief (52%)

Watching Identity Thief, I didn't feel like I had to catch every word, or keep up with any complicated plotlines, I just felt like I was being easily entertained. The film is not a bad watch and may even be worth a buy if you enjoy comedy films. I find it difficult to rate comedy films highly because nothing beats a great story.

Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman supplied me with more than a few laughs on their wacky roadtrip. I never quite felt engrossed in proceedings but interested nevertheless. Their journey may leave you slightly foreseeing the outcome, however you won't be able to list your predictions because there won't be that many.

The film had almost a rat race feel to it at times and you sensed something had to give. Identity Thief's attempts to rock the viewer with overwhelming emotion however is quite embarrassing. I found myself laughing at the way it tried to make me "feel" just as much as I did at the intended laughs.

The plot itself is no legend but you don't expect it to be with a comedy film unless your name's Roald Dahl. The way it plays out however is what kept me watching.

In truth I found that Identity Thief made it's mark but didn't equal comedy kings and I think you'll find better in the laughs department this year. After watching Identity Thief for the first time I was disgusted, however after two more watches I found myself rating it in the 50's rather than the 30's so don't shoot it down after watching it for the first time.

Final Verdict - A few belly laughs but it will be beaten by other comedy films this year.

SCORE: 52/100

Review - Stolen (24%)

Please do not mistake this review as positive as I will be comparing Stolen to a monstrosity (The Watch). Stolen, step forth and enter the critic's den for your inevitably short stay. As you are unworthy of my eyeballs. This review is going to be short because unlike The Watch there is little I can say because things are not bad in the kind of way that you can say why, they are the kind of bad that's well, just bad.

Lets throw Nicolas Cage's daughter into the boot of my car and drive away whilst he chases me, yeah that sounds like fun, only it isn't. It's predictable which is one kind of bad that even The Watch wasn't. It's the kind of film that just doesn't need to exist.

The story is pathetic and the way that it plays out even more so, but unlike The Watch that I am comparing it too because they are on a similar level of bad, Stolen has you more excited due to the time element "You have twelve hours!" If you can successfully employ the time element to a film, you are already gaining marks in my book. This excitment does evade you come Stolen's dissapointing end, but for the most part I was nearly smiling during Stolen, lifting it slightly above The Watch.

However being slightly above a monstrosity is of course a massive consolation. Stolen is not good enough for me to advise you to watch it and for the love of god don't buy it, but on the minimalistic chance that you ever had to choose between just The Watch and Stolen, take Nicolas Cage's hand and tell Stiller and company to jog on.

Final Verdict - Daughter, daughter, where art thou daughter? Who cares!

SCORE: 24/100

Review - Parker (43%)

Wait have I seen this before? Jason Statham starring as an invincable man in a dreadfully unrealistic action film? Well it certainly seems familiar and that's because it is. The Transporter film series, The Mechanic, Blitz, he's done it all before yet he still finds a way onto our TV screens carrying out the same role over and over.

Parker is no different, after suffering a heavy fall, Parker (Statham) is shot at point blanc range and left for dead, only to miraculously not die, AGAIN!

Anyway lets move on to the film itself, Parker is betrayed and goes on a revenge hunt. Statham performs well as usual but we all know practice makes perfect. I felt like I was starting from 100 when rating Parker and knocking the score down based on elements I disliked.

Jennifer Lopez is unconvincing and should not have got the job. It is one of those films that you just know is not going to get you off your seat unless you are very narrow minded and have a love affair with the action genre. However I gained some enjoyment from the film.

Other recent action films are simply better and Parker scores under 50 simply because we have seen it all before and it lacks any sort of originality. I would recommend that you don't buy Parker because you likely already have films that are similar and better rendering a copy of Parker a dissapointing purchase.

Final Verdict - If you like the action genre, try and pick it up as a rental but don't open your wallet in a hurry.

SCORE: 43/100

Review - Django Unchained (93%)

It's happened, I can finally for the first time in years call a recent film one of the greatest. Django Unchained, where do I begin? How about with the 2 hours and 45 minutes of awesome that's about to light up your TV screen! Jamie Foxx potrays the good guy/bad guy Django. However all of his bad actions are perfectly justified.

Foxx is perfectly suited to the role of Django as you'll see when you watch it, you better watch it! However the best actor in this film is without a doubt Cristoph Waltz as Dr King Schultz. His performance is bordering on perfect. Don't be at all surprised to see him get nominated for best supporting actor, which will back up what im saying, not that it needs backing up because you'll see when you watch it.

Tarrantino has delivered once more with the usual blood, guts, gore and profanity, oh and obviously a splendid film. Django Unchained will probably not recieve the full acclaim that I believe it should, but a best picture award is nothing compared to what this film will gain, a memory in our heads and a place in our hearts.

Django's search for his wife with Schultz also involves us as we are so engrossed in what is going on. The film's western feel means it stays true to itself which is more than can be said for some previous western films that made you want to breath in asbestos. The film is also realistic, ahhh....there is nothing quite like watching a body explode after being shot by a revolver.

Leonardo DiCaprio's unexpected role as a villain (Calvin Candie) is also marvellously carried out and very fresh. He actually makes a better antagonist than protagonist in my eyes.

Django Unchained is the perfect example of what an adventure film should be like, an all star cast, a brilliant storyline, original elements and of course an epic finale! There is something else too, where else can you get a wild, extravagant, ferocious feast of violence this year? And who else could deliver it the way that Tarrantino does? Nobody.

Final Verdict: Film of the year and one that will define the decade just like Pulp Fiction did, Tarrantino has done it again, Pulp Fiction and now Django Unchained.

SCORE: 93/100

Review - Jack Reacher (50%)

Jack who? Reacher. Jack Reacher is a decent film, don't get me wrong but get this straight, he is no Bond, he is no Bourne, he is Jack Reacher. Whilst watching the film I saw flashes of Bourne and glimpses of Bond but living upto the bill of those two is very difficult, however if anybody had a chance Tom Cruise did.

Jack Reacher is your horrificly unoriginal action film based on a solo hero who saves the day. Only Reacher has something that Bond and Bourne could only dream of, he is very perceptive and very Inspector Gadget like as well as being a hardnut. His perceptiveness is the main reason he does end up saving the day. This element of the character is what makes him unique and is the reason I gave this film a decent score.

Jack Reacher made me feel engrossed at times and I sat there wanting to see how the film unfolded, which is the reason we watch films right? To be entertained.

The reason I wanted to see the end is because I liked the character of Jack Reacher. The plot itself did not register high volumes as it was not that good.

I enjoy a sense of realism in films which is the reason why Bond, Bourne and now Reacher will never gain the top scores in my book. However the scale of Bond and Bourne keeps them above their latest challenger Jack Reacher. The Tom Cruise/Rosamund Pike relationship may seem unlikely, but in Jack Reacher I was pretty convinced. Robert Duvall's role as Cash also put a smile on my face.

Jack Reacher is a middle of the road film, it is worth a watch and perhaps a purchase when the price drops but don't expect any best picture nominations.

Final Verdict: Worth a watch, some elements are fresh and others are not.

SCORE: 50/100

Review - The Watch (14%)

The Watch or the unwatchable? I think I would have to go with the latter. The Watch throws big name comedy actors (Stiller/Vaughn/Hill) into what I would call a monstrosity. You can't just throw popular actors into an awful plot and hope for a success. It combines some elements that we have seen team up before, aliens and scares. Only the aliens look awful and the scares are bottom line, just lame.

I can sit here and slate this film all day long and I still wouldn't fully satisfy my critical side, simply because the film is that bad. The only reason the film makes double digits is because I haven't quite seen any other film recognise that wholesalers like CostCo as seen in the film, are just as important as your everyday supermarket.

Im not going to give away spoilers because simply, there is nothing left to spoil as the film spoils itself. I was going to buy The Watch but decided to give it a trial watch first and I have never been so pleased about saving money.

An alien invasion centralising from CostCo is original but the kind of original that is original because nobody else has been stupid enough to try it. Im sure in retirement, Stiller, Vaughn and Hill will look back and say why didn't I just say no?

It's the kind of job you accept at the very start of your acting career, not when you have already proven yourself. So bottom line if you fancy a dreadful film with a lame plot, with lame aliens, scares, ideas and well just a disgusting excuse for a film, pick up a copy of The Watch today for urm.....well I haven't looked up the price because im doing my best to save you money.

Final Verdict - Has anybody got any tissues? My eyes are bleeding!

SCORE: 14/100