The Last Stand

UK Release Date: 24th January 2013

The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff (www.imdb.com).

Director: Jee-woon Kim (The Good, The Bad, The Weird, I Saw the Devil)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker, Genesis Rodriguez, Eduardo Noriega

The Last Stand chucks Arnold Schwarzenegger in to a role where his gun does (most of) the talking. When all is quiet in the small town of Sommerton, the big man feels uneasy with the dialogue he's given, but when all hell breaks loose it's like he never gave up acting. TLS is his first full-length feature since governing California.

There's a roughly spun narrative, drawn together by Deputy Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) and his police rookies, who're investigating a murder, and Forest Whitaker's FBI hot shots, who're made to look stupid as they're consistently outmaneuvered by an escaped drug lord (Eduardo Noriega) who's making his way to the Mexican border. 

Both stories are linked... or are they? Little information is given to justify the events taking place in Sommerton. When Owens and his team, which includes Jackass' Johnny Knoxville (he's actually quite entertaining) fortify their town, it's easy to forget when the bullets fly and the blood drenches the dirt. The action is almost perfect; the level of gore pushes its 15 rating to the edge. Even the car chase sequence is expertly played. 

South-Korean director Jee-woon Kim makes his first film for the west, and rightfully so. The Last Stand, with a few hints of dire acting, has a equal level of cheesy lines and ferocious action. One to watch for the Schwarzenegger lovers. 

3.5/5

Wish I Was Here

UK Release Date: 19th September 2014

A struggling actor, father and husband finds himself at a major crossroad, which forces him to examine his life, his family and his career (www.imdb.com).

Director: Zach Braff (Garden State)

Starring: Zach Braff, Kate Hudson, Joey King, Josh Gad, Mandy Patinkin, Ashley Greene

Zach Braff, as director, writer and actor, squeezes much in to an hour and a half slot, giving the five main cast members (Braff's Aidan, his wife, son, daughter and father) more than enough to do. It's a jumble at one time, and at utter harmony another.

Aidan is a family man with little income. He relies heavily on his father Gabe (Homeland's Mandy Patinkin) paying for his children's schooling. But when Gabe becomes seriously ill, Aidan must reconsider the route his life is taking. I want him to do well, regardless of his actions towards bad news.

Wish I Was Here is a drama with spurts of comedy. The humour's in the right places, never enlightening a rather somber tone.

Braff is a popular man. The movie is chock full of cameos, including Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) and Donald Faison, who's a welcome sight after their Scrubs tenure. Josh Gad plays Braff's brother, his sub-story stretching out the running time.

As joyful or sorrowful as it is to watch, Wish I Was Here cannot help but feel like a short series. 

3.5/5

Steve Jobs

UK Release Date: 13th November 2015

Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac (www.imdb.com).

Director: Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours)

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels

Steve Jobs is arrogant and often unlikeable. All the money, power and fame obtained over the years of his illustrious career hides what's really behind the CEO of Apple. Jobs' attitude won't win over any hearts.

Fassbender, on the other hand, captures the man we know so little about. He's relentless, imitating every habit Jobs carries. Courtesy isn't expected here, but his talent is extremely beguiling.

Steve Jobs depicts the moments before three product launches. At these points in time everyone is at his throat. He'd be better off cancelling them, to save him the hassle and the drama.

Seth Rogan is an unlikely choice as Steve Wozniak, but he adds warmth to a film that's rather cold. Rogan doesn't just look the part, he acts it too. 

Danny Boyle is one of the best in the biopic/drama genre. Boyle lets the script do the talking (literally). Steve Jobs has his own personal flaws that doesn't reflect in Boyle's filmmaking.   

4.5/5

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

UK Release Date: 19th November 2015

As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen, the reluctant leader of the rebellion, must bring together an army against President Snow, while all she holds dear hangs in the balance (www.imdb.com).

Director: Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1)

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin  

Mockingjay - Part 2, has the ability to stand alone, whereas Part 1 needed its arrival, turning a slow burner into a full-on fire. It's a heck of a journey, the tense action worth the wait. The downside is you'll see every twist and turn before it happens. Jennifer Lawrence truly stands alone. Her acting feels genuinely from the heart. Hutcherson and Hemsworth, in their awkward love triangle, can barely touch her (metaphorically speaking). One last rallying cry from Katniss is the last straw. Her voice cannot pull off those great speeches, and quite frankly there was enough of them in Part 1. Yes we know you're the Mockingjay, get over it. All four of The Hunger Games films stay true to the book. Everyone plays their part well (although some are short changed). They're faithful to both Veronica Roth's story and Francis Lawrence's visuals. 

4/5

Spectre

UK Release Date: 26th October 2015

A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE (www.imdb.com).

Director: Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Skyfall)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Wishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Rory Kinnear

Skyfall changed the way we saw Jame Bond. The gadgets were stripped, cheesy one-liners thrown out the window, and a light hearted attitude was pushed aside for serious one. Craig's Bond means business, especially when things were personal. Spectre follows this by being an indirect sequel to Casino Royale, Quantum and Skyfall. It ties up ends that don't necessarily need tying up. If, like me, you love a bit of nostalgia in movies, you'll point out things and get overly excited. True Bond fans will be wanting more, but need not fear, Spectre's on par with its predecessor, just for different reasons. The opening scene is phenomenal. We follow a couple walking their way through the streets in Mexico City during Day of the Dead. Surely the most technical shot should be saved for last. Craig is on top form, Christoph Waltz's villain matching him blow by blow. Dave Bautista's henchman, similar to Goldfinger's Oddjob, is underused, whilst the Bond girls achieve what they always achieve. Q (Wishaw) walks as much as he talks, and Judi Dench is barely missed as Fiennes' M looks right at home with a sub-plot of his own. For every classic Bond forte there's a lack of another, or an under-usage of it. Time is still shaping James Bond. 24 films in and he's still full of surprises, just as Spectre has its own, assuming all forms of media have been avoided in your life.

4/5

Source Code

Uk Release Date: 1st April 2011

A soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train. A mission he has only 8 minutes to complete (www.imdb.com).

Director: Duncan Jones (Moon)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright

Jake Gyllenhaal fleshes out the characters he portrays, and rightfully makes it his own. Whether it's Donnie Darko or Zodiac, he ups the ante. This is absolutely the case in Source Code. Think Groundhog Day meets the best sci-fi you can think of. Gyllenhaal is Colter Stevens, a soldier who's forced to use the Source Code: repeating a real-life train journey to Chicago, and its eventual explosion and the death of everyone on board. His mission is to find the bomb and its detonator. The investigation's only half the hoot. On the train opposite Stevens (who's in someone else's body on the train) is Christina (Michelle Monaghan), a beautiful, down-to-earth woman that knows the person Stevens has 'taken over'. Colter's subconscious actions bring them closer together, but is it a relationship destined to fail the moment he enters the Source Code? Only 8 minutes of time will tell, as director Duncan Jones successfully balances romance (or not time-travelling) with heart-stopping action. 

4.5/5