The Story

This is the story of a bunch of escaped animals who have found their way to Madagascar with help from a group of penguins. It starts off with Alex the lion as a young cub being taught by his dad Zuba, the king of Africa to become a strong warrior but all Alex wants to do is play. Alex’s dad Zuba has a visit from another lion called Makunga hoping to take over the throne and challenges the king to a fight.

After the king and his rival have their scuffle Alex’s dad becomes the winner leaving Makunga feeling beaten and his pride being taken from him. While playing with a butterfly and Zumba not looking Alex is taken by some poachers having his dad hot on his tail but he soon loses his son as the truck drives off into the distance.

Years later back in Madagascar Alex and his friends are preparing to fly back to their home in New York after mending a crashed plane and King Julien of the lemurs, Alex’s new found friend decides that he would like to go with them too to see what it’s like to live in the city.

They fly off from Madagascar to New York but along the way the plane crashes in Africa causing Alex (Ben Stiller), Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), Melman (David Schwimmer), Marty (Chris Rock), Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen), some penguins and some chimps to get stuck with no way of getting home. After checking out their new surroundings they learn that they are not alone as they come across a whole new group of animals that are just like them.

After checking out the new landscape and meeting all the new animals Alex meets Zuba (Bernie Mac) and his wife Florrie (Sherri Shephard) who he discovers are his parents and that he had once as a child lived in Africa.

Now Makunga (Alec Baldwin), a little older and wiser befriends Zuba’s son Alex and tricks him into losing a coming of age fight with the strongest lion and so tells Zuba that he must now banish his son for losing but Zuba instead gives his power to Makunga because he cannot banish his son and then Makunga banishes Alex and his family. The penguins meanwhile have been stealing jeaps from tourits to make parts for an aeroplane that will take them out of the jungle leaving the tourists stranded and very pissed off.

So the tourists led by nana, an old lady and a past enemy of Alex, decide to build themselves a new home in the african safari and in doing so they dry up the watering hole leaving the animals in distress and thirsty. So Alex along with Marty decide to help the other animals and take it upon themselves to be the heroes but Alex gets captured leaving Marty to go back to Alex’s father for help.

There is also a romance between Gloria the hippo and Melman the giraffe that brews throughout the movie which is a very funny sub plot and a very disgruntled Marty who has identity problems because all the other Zebras seem to be exactly the same as he is and Melman wanting to throw himself into a volcano to save the animals as a sacrifice because he believes that he will soon die from a witch doctors disease.

What I liked about the movie

This is a very funny movie and better than the first Madagascar which both adults and their children should enjoy, the animation is better and with more animals we get introduced to more characters and a more involving storyline.

What I didn’t like

There wasn’t much I didn’t like except that the film was really more of the same which wasn’t a bad thing as I really enjoyed the first movie.

Would I recommend this

Yes I would recommend this for both adults and children to both watch it together with some popcorn and have a fun family get together in front of the tv and children should enjoy it with repeated viewing as there are so many jokes in the movie that you won’t see all that is going on the first time you see it.

This is the story of a down and out homeless bum who has super powers, he helps people when he feels like it but is really too drunk to care. The public has really had enough of him as he destroys buildings costing millions when he tries to help and alot of them just wish he really didn’t bother.

One day Hancock played by Will Smith saves a man called Ray Embrey played by Jason Bateman from being trapped in his car on train lines while stuck in traffic. Instead of lifting Ray’s car up and flying it to safety he flips the car onto another car and derails the train costing even more money and a whole lot of destruction. The other drivers aren’t happy with this and jeer Hancock’s hero tactics but Ray gets out of the car and thanks Hancock for helping him.

Hancock gets surprised by Ray’s praise as nobody has really thanked him before and this makes Ray feel for the down on his luck super hero and he gives Hancock his business card saying that he can help him. Hancock flies away and that night ponders Ray’s offer of help and then decides to give Ray a try.

The next morning Hancock goes to visit Ray and Ray comes up with a proposal for him in which he can help Hancock with his trouble with the public making him once again a likable hero. Hancock warms to this idea and hears Ray out as he has really had enough of everyone thinking that he is really no good.

Ray’s proposal is for Hancock to turn himself into the authorities as he is wanted for the destruction of the city from his drunken antics. So Hancock hands himself over to make amends on Ray’s advise and gets sent to jail.

Upon arriving in jail Hancock is surrounded by all the prisoners that have been incarcerated due to his heroism because they aren’t happy with him being there but he soon shows them who’s boss by stuffing the head of one prisoner up another prisoner’s bum. Hancock slowly changes to the new ideals put to him by Ray and learns to become a better person while waiting for another major disaster to happen causing the public to ask for Hancock’s help once more.

A chance does come Hancock’s way in the form of a bank robbery and the authorities and the public ask for his help once again. Now a better person and dressed in new super hero clothing Hancock sorts out the bank robbers using better tactics and causing less destruction which the public praise him for.

Cue a twist in the film’s tail in which Hancock and Ray’s wife played by Charlize Theron as Mary Embrey once had a history together and the film takes a more complicated route turning the movie into a different angle all together.

What I liked about the movie

The first half of the movie is very humorous and has some really great effects especially when Hancock stops a car chase and also throws a whale back to the sea causing a boat to sink. This is Will Smith at his best and the film plods along at a steady pace.

What I didn’t like

The second half of the movie injects a twist that doesn’t really make much sense and shouldn’t really have been implanted causing the movie to take a slight downfall. The film is great up until this point and kind of spoiled it for me.

Would I recommend this

I would recommend this as it a different angle of the whole super hero genre having a drunk as the public’s savior and if you are a big fan of Will Smith you will enjoy it that’s if you can forgive the movie’s not so good second half. Your kids will love it although I’m not sure they will really understand the twist but they will love the effects and the humour of Hancock.

This is the story of a weed smoker called Dale Denton played by Seth Rogen who’s job it is to be a process server by dressing up as different characters to bluff people into a court summons. There is nothing he likes better than to chill out with a big weed spliff bought from his dealer Saul Silver played by James Franco.

After visiting his dealer he goes to process a man called Ted Jones played by Gary Cole and while outside having one last tug on his spliff he witnesses a murder by Ted and a female cop then quickly (by helplessly crashing into two cars to make his escape) drives away leaving a roach on the ground.

Ted turns out to be the main dealer of the Pineapple Express, a weed that is so rare that he is the only one who sells it. The only person that Ted sells it to just so happens to be Saul’s main supplier called Red played by Danny R. McBride.

Ted finds the roach on the ground left by Dale after hearing Dale screech off and automatically guesses that it is Pineapple Express by having a sniff and gives his two henchmen atheson played by Craig Robinson and Budlofsky played by Kevin Corrigan the task of finding Dale by going to see Red, Saul’s dealer.

After tearing off from the murder scene Dale goes back to visit Saul and tells him about the murder he had witnessed and when Saul learns that it was at Ted’s house he tells Dale that Ted is the main supplier of the Pineapple Express so they pack a few things and head off without any plan of where to go.

Dale and Saul end up in the woods and try to come up with a plan of what to do next while getting stoned and then fall asleep for 18 hours. After waking up from their drug induced comatose they come up with a plan to call Red to ask him whether Ted has been in contact and if he knows anything about the murder that had been committed the night before.

So Saul and Dale go to visit Red and he at first tells them that he knows nothing but after suspecting Red is lying to them Saul gets into a fight with him and Red then tells them that Ted knows all about Saul and Dale and so the two dopers leave Red’s house. Saul and Dale then suspect that the two henchmen will next go after Dale’s girlfriend Angie so they head off there and warn her about Ted and tell Angie and her parents to go and hide somewhere.

After a fight between Saul and Dale blamed by too much weed intake they go their separate ways and Saul, while visiting his Grandma gets taken by Ted’s two henchmen to a weed factory. Dale now worried about his friend enlists Red’s help in finding Saul and they both go to rescue him from his captors.

What I liked about the movie

This is a very funny comedy with dark undertones and flies through at a quick pace with not much time to take a breather. Some of the comedy is a bit silly but it’s mostly a gag a minute laugh out loud film that you can watch again and again. The relationship between Saul and Dale is the funniest thing about the movie and when Red also becomes friends with them it becomes even funnier.

What I didn’t like

There wasn’t much I didn’t like about the film but some parts were a bit silly and the plot was a bit hit and miss but that didn’t take it away from the enjoyment I had while watching it.

Would I recommend this

Yes I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys slapstick humour, some great one liners and who loves to get stoned. It’s a great film to watch with some friends and have an evenings entertainment indoors.

The Story

This is the story of an out of his luck, bored with life office worker called Wesley Gibson played by James Mcavoy who one day meets with a hot woman called Fox played by the fit Angelina Jolie and she tells him that his father was killed by an assassin and that now he is the target of the same assasin.

After a chase sequence involving a car, a bus that flips over and a drive through the city at breakneck speeds Welsey and Fox escape the assasin and Fox takes Wesley to her headquarters. Wesley then learns that his father possessed abilities that only a few people have that can slow down their heart rates enabling them to slow down time and also bend bullets which Wesley also possesses.

The leader of the group of people called the Fraternity which Wesley meets at the headquarters called Sloan played by Morgan Freeman tells Wesley that they are a secret organization called upon by god to rid the world of evil using a loom. This loom tells the Fraternity who their next target is and they take it upon themselves to assassinate each target that the loom predicts.

After a rigorous training programme Wesley is shown how to use his new found powers to help the Fraternity in their cause. A double cross by Sloan changes Wesley’s feelings about the fraternity and so he decides to bring it down.

That’s about it really.

What I liked about the movie

From the beginning the action is non stop and doesn’t really slow down except for a short explanation to what is going on and it also includes Angelina Jolie doing what she does best dodging bullets and driving cars way over the speeding limit and she is hot in this movie. There is also a breathtaking train crash that sends a train over a bridge to it’s doom.

What I didn’t like

The stunts in the movie were poorly edited and didn’t really stream well together as they looked like they were just jelled together to look good. Also the story was a bit silly to me and wasn’t in the slightest way to be any bit believable which really let the film down.

Would I recommend this

I would recommend this to any action junkies out there who just want to sit back, switch their brains off and enjoy a movie without much thought taking place in their cells. Also to anyone who is a fan of Angelina Jolie should also give this film a try.

Kids would also love this as it feels like it has just jumped out of a comic book or a cartoon and came to life.

The Story

This is the story of an aging archaeologist who has seen many things on his adventures including The Holy Grail, The Ark and a colony run by a religious cult with magical powers.

The film begins with Indiana played by Harrison Ford held in captivity by the Soviet army and taken to a secret hanger carrying many artifacts and is told to find a mysterious crystal skull for them. After escaping he finds himself in a remote ghost town inhabited by mannequins, an alarm goes off and our hero shuts himself in a leaded fridge then the town blows to smithereens throwing Indy to safety.

He is then found by American intelligence and questioned about his involvement with the Soviets. After his questioning he bumps into a young man called Mutt played by Shia LeBeouf who claims that Indy used to know his mother and tells him of a story of Harold Oxley played by John Hurt, who had disappeared so Indy and Mutt decide to find out where he had gone missing.

A note left by Oxley that contains a riddle lead Mutt and Indy to a graveyard and they discover another crystal skull. The Soviets find Indy and Mutt again (not very good at hiding from them but great at escaping it seems) and take them to Brazil where they catch up with a captured Oxley and also Mutt’s mother an old friend of Indy’s called Marion played by Karen Allen.

Hypnotized by one of the crystal skulls Oxley tells Indy of a temple that holds the secrets of the skulls and again Indy, Mutt, Marion and also a ‘friend’ called George McHale played by Ray Winstone who had previously betrayed Indy and led to his capture at the beginning of the movie escape from the Soviets.

After a great escape sequence featuring killer ants and a thrill ride down some waterfalls they make their way to the temple. At the temple the Soviets once again catch up with Indy and his crew and they all make a discovery that will change their lives forever.

What I liked about the movie

It was like going back to the old Indiana adventures, a bit aged and not so fast on his feet it was like Indy had never gone from our screens. All the elements where there from the previous adventures including breathtaking set pieces, escapism at it’s very best and John William’s ever so present music.

It even had the return of Marion from the first Indiana Jones film and you keep thinking with all this included how can an Indy adventure possibly go wrong.

What I didn’t like

As with all the Indiana Jones movies they were all a bit far fetched and some of the chase sequences made Indy like a indestructible entity but this movie made the far fetchness go a little too far. Crystal Skulls with psychic abilities left on earth from an Alien species left years before was a little too much for me and kind of spoiled the film a little.

Was so looking forward to this movie and felt slightly let down by the story but it was better than the third Indy film The Last Crusade.

Would I recommend this

I think that you would have to be a real die hard Indy fan to really appreciate this film and anyone new to the Indy franchise would do best to invest a bit of time in watching the previous films first before giving this a go. As an action film it ticks all the buttons but as a story it really will just go over your head.

But saying that it is better than some of the no brainer action films out there and if you just want to sit back and enjoy a bit of adventure then you can’t go far wrong.

The Story

This is the story of Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jnr, a genius with electronics who creates military weapons for his company Stark Industries. He is a playboy who likes to party and has lots of women seeking his attention, he has no qualms about what he does for a living and is ignorant to what his weapons do.

That is until while showcasing one of his weapons he is captured by the enemy and kept as prisoner until he agrees to make weapons for them. He wakes up in captivity with shrapnel in his chest threatening to pierce his heart and another prisoner Ho Yinsen, a physicist makes a magnetic chest plate to keep the shrapnel from reaching Stark’s heart.

While in captivity and in secret stark builds himself a flying suit made out of iron to escape his captors and then flies away after shooting up a load of soldiers to make his way out of the compound. When finally back in America he has a change of heart and decides to use his company to do some good with it which the media think is probably a joke or Stark has gone stark raving mad.

He develops a new suit of armour with help from some artificailly intelligent robots after the one he made in captivity falls apart via his escape. Now armed and ready he flies off to save some civilians from an attack on them from a enemy force carrying Stark weaponry and in doing so gets spotted by the American army who try to take Stark down flying around in his iron suit.

Cue a subplot of a friend of Stark’s played by Jeff Bridges who is not happy with his new epiphany of life and so contradicts everything in which Stark now believes in and becomes a traitor to his friend. Also a developing love interest between Stark and his secretary played by Gwyneth Paltrow occurs which brings in a bit of normality to Stark’s life.

What I liked about the movie

Since Batman Begins comic book adaptions have prospered to make their character creations more real and it is visible to see that the director and writer of this film have taken to the same path. The story isn’t just mainly action oriented and it develops Stark’s character from playboy to hero which I really enjoyed.
The love interest doesn’t over boil the movie and the story goes at a steady pace which was nice.

I had never really heard of Iron Man before watching the movie but it was as good as any of the other comic book adaptions that I had seen.

What I didn’t like

The film I feel didn’t have enough action in it and some children watching it could become bored with the movie waiting to see their Ironed hero battling the enemy and some of the effects while they were very cool seemed a bit clean but wasn’t enough to spoil the film for me and these are just minor quips.

Would i recommend this

Yes to anyone that likes comic books or the adapted movies would enjoy this film and equally anyone that loves action movies should indeed give this a watch and you won’t be disappointed.

The Story

This is the story of a group of actors on the set of a new war movie that isn’t going too well, the movie is over budget and the actors have lost their way. The film is on the brink of being shut down as an accidental explosion angers studio executive Les Grossman Played by Tom Cruise.
The writer of the movie John Tayback’s played by Nick Nolte suggests to the Director played by Steve Coogan that he send the actors into the jungle to learn some real skills as to what it’s like to survive in the jungle.

But all is not as it seems as there is also a drug cartel in the jungle who think that the actors are real soldiers out to get them. The actors think that it’s all part of their training and go along with it also thinking that their director being blown to bits by a land mine was just some very cool special effects.

Armed with blanks and having no idea about the cartel the merry band of ‘soldiers’ played by Robert Downey Jnr as Kirk, Tugg played by Ben Stiller, Apla played by Brandon T Jackson and Jeff played by Jack Black and Kevin Sandusky playing Jay try to follow the map to their destination and unsurprisingly get lost on the way.

Cody Underwood, the pyrotechnics played by Danny R. McBride and Tayback get taken by the Cartel along with Tugg and the Actors set out to rescue them.

What I liked about the movie

Before I watched this movie I was expecting an overly budgeted, star driven disaster and was pleasantly surprised that it was the funniest film of 2008. Robert Downey Jnr played the best part as his character had undergone pigment changing surgery to darken his skin to play a black man and had me laughing throughout.

It kind of reminded me of The Three Amigos but was miles better and had only a small similarity to the film as they are also actors mistaken for the parts that they play. The effects were really good and the comedy was funny and sometimes hilarious.

What I didn’t like

There wasn’t much I didn’t like as all the elements were there for a good comedy and all the parts played themselves well and although some of it was a bit daft it didn’t spoil the movie for me.

Would I recommend this

I would definitely recommend this as it was a great movie and if you don’t laugh at least once then you need a new funny bone transplant. One of the few the good surprises of 2008.

The Story

This is the story of a vigilante who dresses up like a bat to rid Gotham City of crime, it’s the second part of a new franchise established to make the character more real than the previous films and the television series that came before. Now known throughout the Gotham community Batman’s appeal has grown and so has hate from crime lords that Batman keeps stopping from doing their evil deeds.

The film starts with a bank heist, nothing out of the ordinary except the leader of the heist is a mad, crazy, psychotic and intelligent man who has no values and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. After stealing the money he tries to take over the mob world and in so doing rages his own war against Batman. There is also a new up and coming D.A Harvey Dent who is now dating Bruce Wayne’s (Batman’s real persona) ex girlfriend Rachel who Bruce has taken a special interest in as he believes will help Batman in cornering the city’s crime problem.

The leader of the bank heist who calls himself The Joker, who has a painted white face and two knife marks on either side of his mouth starts his own media campaign for the Batman to reveal his true identity and unless he does so he will create havoc in Gotham City. In comes plot twists, explosions, car chases and a fight between good and evil.

What I liked about the movie

The film is a dark movie which has many elements of crime films all incorporated into a story about a man who wants evil to be eliminated and good to triumph. The action is breathtaking and the set pieces are a joy to watch as Batman and the Joker take to the streets in a battle of wits to the end.

Heath Ledger’s performance is outstanding as The Joker and he makes him an evil, menacing, psychotic genius who has no sensibility and will stop at nothing to have control over those he feels are too weak to stop him. The Streets are his playground and Batman is his toy as he plays with him throughout the movie.

The other performances are also exceptionally good especially Christian Bale who gives Bruce Wayne/Batman a more realistic approach with a dark undertone who is seriously troubled by the world around him and also Gary Oldman as Batman’s friend Police Lieutenant James Gordon who helps Batman in his fight against crime.

As a crime film it works well and makes Batman a more real person, if you forget that this is a comic book adaption you will see it for what it really is, a great crime/action film then this will be one of the most enjoyable action films you are likely to watch.

What I didn’t like

Maggie Gyllenhaal didn’t really work for me as Rachel and I preferred the original Katie Holmes for the character in the first Batman movie and also Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent I felt didn’t really develop the character that well and didn’t really bring much other than a very normal performance and nothing really eye opening.

Would I recommend this

Absolutely! Anyone who likes a good action film should go and watch it as it has added intelligence that no brainer action films don’t have and is also the best comic book adapted movie I’ve seen. You don’t have to be a lover of comic books to see this film as it leaves the focus of where this film was taken from and brings in a more real approach that everyone can enjoy.

The Story

This is the story of a robot left on Earth to clean up the rubbish so that human’s can return to a more compatible planet to live out their existence once again. The robot kind of reminds me of a robot from a movie called The Black Hole many years ago.
The only company the robot has is a cockroach who Wall E takes with him to work, his job is to pack the rubbish into squares and then pile them up on top of each other and he has been doing this many years while collecting memorabilia from when the Earth was inhabited by a species called humans.
His home is a garage with spare robot parts, an old video player and Hello Dolly the musical which he likes to do musical dance numbers to on his own and numerous objects he has collected over the years.
One day a ship lands and out of the doors comes a female robot called Eve who Wall E starts to have fascination with, they become friends and he invites her back to his garage to show her his dance moves and stash of antiques.
He gives Eve a plant as a gift and she switches off leaving Wall E devastated but doesn’t give up on her hoping one day she will come out of her trance and be with him once again.

Another ship lands and takes Eve on board with Wall E on her tail, the doors shut behind her and the only option he has is to hang onto the ship just before take off leaving a saddened cockroach behind who can only watch as it’s friend flies off into deep space. The ship takes them to a space cruiser carrying the ancestors of the humans that once lived on Wall E’s home planet and he finds out that Eve is a robot who was sent to find evidence that the Earth can be inhabited by humans once agin.

Eve wakes up and the two robots are once again reunited but the plant she was carrying in her metal stomach goes missing putting the two robots on a search for the plant meeting many humans that take a liking to Wall E, a captain who has been too long at his job and has forgotten all about why there are there on the giant cruiser and many other robots who they help escape from being shut down turning them into rogue robots. The humans on the cruiser have lost all self reliance and have grown into website chatting, over eating couch potatoes who become ignorant to everything around them.

Wall E and Eve take it upon themselves to find the plant and save the humans from a worthless existence and return them once again to Earth.

What I liked about the movie

The first part of the movie is without any speech and is kind of like watching a silent movie except for Wall E and Eve who like to call each other by their names but it’s fun watching them both as their personalities show in their actions and body languages and you see a bond developing between the two robots as they fall in love.
The film also comes with a message about the environment that is great for children and can be equally enjoyed by adults.
This is one of Pixar’s best films and is different than any of their back catalogue and shows that in the animation world they are still a force to be reckoned with.

What I didn’t like

There wasn’t much I didn’t like about the movie although the animation on the humans I feel could have been done a little better but that’s only a small complaint of a film that is so wonderfully animated.

You can see that alot of time was put into making the robots more human like in their actions and is a real joy to watch.

Would I recommend this

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys watching animation or anyone with a love for Pixar movies as you won’t be disappointed and is also a great film to watch with the children or to keep them quiet and out of trouble for a bit while they’re glued to the television screen.

The Story

This is the story of a self obsessed sarcastic and not very nice dentist called Bertram Pincus played by Ricky Gervais who is best known for The Office and Extras, he gets on with his life that really has no meaning except for his job and ignores people’s attempts at small talk and ‘loves’ to live his existence on his own. That is until one day he goes to get a colonoscopy procedure and walks out thinking everything is fine.

He then starts to get followed by strange people in the street who seem to treat him like some leader asking “can you see us?” and he doesn’t hang around too long to find out why. The next day he goes back to the hospital and finds out that he had died for seven minutes during his procedure  and suddenly has a realization that in fact he can see dead people. Everywhere he goes he starts to get followed by ghosts asking for his help but doesn’t want anything to do with them.

One of the ghosts played by Greg Kinnear called Frank wants Bertram to help him break up a relationship between his widow called Gwen played by Téa Leoni and her new boyfriend played by Billy Campbell called Richard and Frank will get rid of all the other ghosts bothering Bertram if he helps him. So Bertram gives in and sets about the task of breaking the couple up but along the way starts to have feelings for Frank’s widow which then turns into your typical Hollywood love story.

Betram helps Gwen with a Mummy at the place she works as an archaeologist and they start to have feelings for each other, okay I’m stopping here cause if you ever seen a rom com Hollywood movie you’re likely to know what will happen next so don’t expect anything out of the ordinary.

What I liked about the movie

It has a few good laughs, especially between Greg Kinnear  and Ricky Gervais and Ricky was his usual if toned down a little self. A nice little movie and a showcase for Gervais to show off his talents but not really much more than that and if you like romantic films and want to sit on a sofa with a date to watch a movie then you will both probably enjoy it in between a bit of smooching.

What I didn’t like

So much more could have been done with this movie if the writer and director didn’t concentrate so much on the impending relationship between Bertram and Gwen and so many characters missed out on getting more exposure, it seemed they were just there to walk about and follow Bertram. He could have gone about helping more of them but I guess it would have been a bit too much like Sixth Sense which wouldn’t have been such a bad thing  if  they had made it a lot more comical. I just went away wanting more.

Would I recommend this

If you want a night in with your partner and don’t want to concentrate too much on a film but have a few laughs then I’d recommend it, just don’t watch it expecting too much from Ricky Gervais as you will be disappointed. It’s a nice romantic comedy but it’s no Sleepless In Seattle or The Wedding Singer.