Miv Evans
I am British and relocated to Los Angeles in 2005. I have previously sold comedy drama to BBC TV and a film to REN Media International, Beverly Hills. I am the Director of The Trailer Festival, which I founded in 2009.
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Displaying Results 1 - 194 (of 194) for All Content
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WHAT to EXPECT when YOU'RE EXPECTING Movie ReviewFive couples play happy families, and then have a baby. That’s it, in total. The only surprise is that someone thought this was interesting enough to make a film about. A bigger surprise will be if anyone actually watches it.
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THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL Movie ReviewJean follows Graham to a local bar and promptly hits on him. Her uninhibited advances are as contrived as Graham’s candid response. No one acts like this, particularly the Brit's, whose national emotion is embarassment
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MARLEY Movie Reviewcompelling documentary about the life of a musician and icon. Bob Marley’s story begins with his days in a shanty town and ends when he is a superstar, by which time he was reputedly a modern-day prophet
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THE HUNGER GAMES Movie Reviewa progressive system of elimination but, instead of contestants voting off other members, they actually kill them. This may sound dramatic but, in the event, it’s not.
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The Kid with a Bike Movie ReviewThese opening scenes hold as much tension as the most expensive special effects in cinematic history, and it's impossible not to route for this lonesome kid.
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DELICACY Movie ReviewDelicacy is billed as a ‘comedy romance’ and, if you think someone getting killed in a car accident is funny, you’ll think this film is a hoot. If, however, your tastes are a little more discerning, you’ll find little here to entertain.
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JOHN CARTER Movie ReviewThis is a sci-fi adventure that has echoes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a little of Clark and Lois and a lot of regurgitated Star Wars. Buckets of money have been thrown at the special effects
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OSCAR WINNING PERFORMANCES of a DIFFERENT KINDClothes belong to the runway, makeup to magazines and, as neither appears in the entertainment section of anything, why are they at the Oscars?
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PROJECT X Movie ReviewThis particular piece of trash is produced by Todd Phillips, director of The Hangover (s), and is arguably the worst film Warner Bros. have ever released.
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WANDERLUSTThey recite clichés about peace and the fate of the environment, while clouds of marijuana float from their cocaine-damaged nostrils. Unfortunately, however, it’s a premise that has no depth
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GOOD DEEDSThis is Tyler Perry’s twelfth film and, as his core audience is already lined up eagerly awaiting its release, success at the box office is guaranteed but is this enough?
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BIG MIRACLEan adventure rescue story about whales, native Alaskans, news reporters, tree-huggers, politicians, oil executives and seafaring Russians. It's original, enjoyable and
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ACT of VALORworth watching just to see the Seals in action. Swash-buckling, super-cool and really really hot
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BUTTERan attempt to satirize the Obama/Hillary primaries but the only thing Butter has managed to lampoon is its own stark failure to entertain.
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ONE for the MONEYsassy girl action comedy that lacks tensions, credibility and, most of all, humor
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RED TAILShis is a high-flying war film told from the point of view of the first African American aerial combat unit to serve in World War 11.
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WORLDS APARTThe fence was built by the E.U. on the border of Spain not to keep out the Moroccans, but to keep out the displaced sub-Saharan Africans who have fled their war-torn villages in search of a new home.
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THE GIRL with the DRAGON TATTOO First of a TrilogyThis is a compelling murder mystery set in the heart of one of the most dysfunctional families in cinematic history, all of whom seem quite normal compared to the girl with the dragon tattoo.
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W.Eit’s unfortunate that Madonna decided to write her own material for the follow-up to her first flop, which she also wrote and directed. Even more unfortunate is the fact that W stands for Wallis and E stands for Edward
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WAR HORSEThis is an epic tale about a valiant horse who finds himself in battlefields far from home and, as we follow his tumultuous journey, it becomes clear he our only companion
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YOUNG ADULTThis is a dark comedy starring a truly dysfunctional heroine and is a perfect addition to the litany of Bad Girl movies that have hit our screens this year.
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THE IRON LADYrelevance and truth are sacrificed in the name of the upcoming Oscars and what we actually get is Meryl Streep playing a role Helen Mirren was born for.
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HUGOunfinished story strands, created from undeveloped ideas, acted out by pseudo Dickensian characters whose lives exist in a bustling Parisian train station doesn’t feel French at all.
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THE ARTISTa black and white silent movie which, for some reason, is expected to attract 2011 audiences. It all seems rather self-indulgent, exceedingly pretentious and a serious case of the Emperor’s New Clothes.
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MY WEEK with MARILYNhis is a character driven story but unfortunately none of the characters possess enough depth to drive us anywhere interesting, so our journey becomes a mundane trot
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HAPPY FEET 2The visuals are spectacular (if you like 2½ D), and most of the music will have you dancing in your seat, but the story is dismal and the characters drag us from one non-event to another
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J. EDGARIt is intended to be a biopic but flies around at such a pace that there is no time to get to know the man whose flaws would doubtless intrigue and becomes nothing more than a mildly interesting trudge through American history.
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SMALL VOICES: The Stories of Cambodia's ChildrenTheir tales are desperately sad but these charming little ones have so much hope their stories are uplifting and they enchant us right to the very end.
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APPROPRIATE ADULTThis is a story about two of the UK’s most notorious serial killers but, instead of sensationalism, the filmmakers feed us intimacy, and instead of gore we glimpse the mind of a man who tortured and murdered so many that he lost count.
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MARGIN CALLSet in the high stakes world of the financial industry, Margin Call is a gripping tale about the obscene wealth of the morally bankrupt and, although not a tell-all, it tells enough to fascinate
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THE BIG YEARThis is a story about bird watching, and if you think that sounds boring, you should see the film. Or rather, you shouldn’t see the film. Really, you shouldn’t.
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REAL STEELWatching the robots in this film duke it out in the ring is a total blast but, unfortunately, the futuristic boxing world where this story resides is never truly created.
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WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER?this uninspiring romantic comedy plods from one superficial moment to the next, telling us nothing we haven’t been told before and showing us nothing we haven’t seen.
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ABDUCTIONThere are so many disastrous scenes in this movie that it could have been made by a group of students in their first year at film school.
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50/50This film is a daring combination of tragedy and comedy which works for a while but then runs out of steam, becomes sentimental and, without the depth of a tear jerker, ends up in no man’s land.
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DRIVEThis film kicks off with a dazzling set piece that lays the groundwork for a unique action thriller, but unfortunately the filmmakers fail to follow through and unique becomes clichéd and action becomes gory.
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CONTAGIONa mega-long montage, with film stars rushing across a plethora of plotlines, reciting endless melodrama until they finally collapse into an ungainly finale that is coated with cheese.
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HIGHER GROUNDThis is a desperately tame, slow-paced story, cram-packed with religious fanatics who are so brain-washed they all sound the same.
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WARRIORnever actually see this family together and the championship that is the focus of the story is played out in three rounds, one after another, by the end of which all tension is gone and it becomes the longest climax in movie fighting history.
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CONAN the BARBARIANThe entire film is simply an endless barrage of special effects and sword fights, making it more like a video game than a movie, and watching someone play on their computer for two hours is about as tedious as life can get.
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30 MINUTES or LESSThe plot is infantile, the humor lame and the characters flounder under the weight of having nothing of worth to say.
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THE CHANGE-UPThis film takes the worn-out idea of body switching, throws in some crass humor and a few clich©d characters, then drags the entire old stoker out for two long, painful hours.
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MR NICEThis is a fascinating biopic about a global drug smuggler who begins life as the ultimate academic, becomes a legendary pothead and eventually pays a brutal price for the insidious path he chooses to take.
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CRAZY, STUPID LOVEThis film is shamelessly formulaic, has far too many coincidences, characters and sub-plots and also has one of the cheesiest endings in the history of cinema.
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ANOTHER EARTHThis film has an intriguing sci-fi premise about a duplicate earth but, unfortunately, it gets relegated to the realm of sub-plot and the focus is placed on a tedious romance
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ZOOKEEPERThings go downhill fast, gathering momentum at such a rate that all hope is soon lost and what promised to be an entertaining romp turns out to be one of the most idiotic comedies released
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HORRIBLE BOSSESNo film has ever tried harder to be funny but every attempt at a punch-line makes a soft landing without so much as a dead bear bounce to send it into the realms of dark comedy.
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SUPER 8This film is unoriginal, superficial and borrows shamelessly from blockbusters that have gone before. It lurches incoherently from one half-created world to the next and,
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LIFE, ABOVE ALLThis enthralling story is driven by the emotions of people struggling to live with hardship, superstition and an overbearing sense of pride. It's realistic and illuminating
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MONTE CARLOIt's far too unsophisticated for anyone over the age of 10 to enjoy and is simply a children's version of Sex and the City, minus the great writing and Carrie.
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LARRY CROWNEThis a repetitive, dull, saccharine-sweet story that plods from one meaningless scene to the next and if there were any funny lines, the 500 people I watched this with didn't get them.
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THE KENNEDYSThis is a TV mini-series about the most famous, charismatic family in American history but somehow the writers manage to make the entire clan look completely boring.
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PROJECT NIMThis is a fascinating documentary about Nim, a chimpanzee, who a behavioral psychologist tries to make human. The psychologist's aim is to hold up a mirror to the animal .
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BAD TEACHERDiaz dazzles as the Bad Teacher in this otherwise barely entertaining piece that tries so hard to shock it suffers from exhaustion long before the final curtain falls.
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CARS 2This is a children's film with a plot too complicated for many adults to understand and with so much explanatory dialogue it sometimes feels like a lecture.
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SENNASenna is a riveting documentary about Ayrton Senna, the Formula One driver, whose passion, raw talent and religious beliefs gave him iconic status in life and mythical status in death.
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PAGE ONE: INSIDE the NEW YORK TIMESThere are some compelling facts in this documentary, but not nearly enough, and what there are are so bogged down by social media trivia that no room is left for a cohesive story to be told,
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THE ART of GETTING BYStakes don't get much lower than this and it's as crashingly boring as it sounds, with a lack-luster plot making its meandering way from one pointless moment to the next.
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THE LAST MOUNTAINThe coal industry is detonating the explosive power of a Hiroshima bomb each and every week, shredding landscapes to bring coal wealth to a few
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MIDNIGHT in PARISthis is yet another Woody Allen film with a lead character who is a writer struggling to write It' better than anything else he's produced in years, but that's as good as it gets
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BEAUTIFUL BOYhis is a compelling tale about the heartbreak of a mother and father who have to cope with a tragedy that'˜s bigger than the both of them. their 19- year-old son took two loaded pistols to his English lesson
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THE HANGOVER PART 11The Hangover Part 11 is actually a remake of The Hangover we just saw, and watching this so soon after the first is a bit like spending the evening with an ageing aunt who's suffering from dementia
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BEGINNERSThis film has no story to tell, the characters are all too passive to cause any kind of conflict and the endless flashbacks slow down a snail-pace to a near standstill.
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PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDESThe story dawdles its way through endless fluff, the attempts at comedy are dire, it's bogged down with fatuous dialogue recited by brunette mermaids (yeah, right)
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BRIDESMAIDSThis is a chick flick in which the chicks behave so badly they don't even make it to Vegas for the bridal shower.
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PASSION PLAYWhen a member of the press told Mickey Rourke, the star of Passion Play, that his latest movie was getting a limited release, Rourke's response was "That's because it's not very good"
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SOMETHING BORROWEDThis film is mildly entertaining, extremely forgettable and unable to make up its mind if it's a buddy movie or a romantic comedy. The finale, in particular, suffers from this genre dithering
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WILLIAM, KATE, CAROL & CAMILLAWhen the Queen, Camilla and Carol were forced to stand together for a few minutes at the recent nuptials, the atmosphere was clearly strained and hardly a word exchanged. Grandma, of course, has never had to master the art of small talk
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FAST FIVEThe high octane action in this film escalates crazily from moment to moment and as long as you can suspend your disbelief when the characters develop super-powers (which happens a lot)
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PROMWho would think cinema needs another clichéd prom movie with dreary stereotypes who aren't capable of cracking so much as one funny line? Apparently, Disney do.
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WATER for ELEPHANTStotal chaos at the end, and the rest is just a few animal tricks, a load of idle gossip and a sociopath circus owner attacking his bi-lingual elephant when ticket sales are down.
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POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: The Greatest Movie Ever SoldThe dynamic filmmaker of Supersize Me, Morgan Spurlock, set his sights on the world of product placement for his next documentary. This seems like a rather low-profile target for such a high-profile '˜truthsayer'
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RIOmagnificently depicted but duller by the minute, ending up as yet another big budget cavalcade with plenty of sizzle, not much sausage and, despite its genre, not one funny line.
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ARTHURThe original characters of Arthur become shadows of their former selves in this 2011 knock-off and there is so much dreary dialogue that it feels more like a play than the crazy romp it once was. Things that
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BORN to BE WILD 3DThis is a mesmerizing documentary about orphan elephants and orangutans who are given sanctuary and nurtured until they are ready to be returned to their natural habitat in the wild
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HANNAhis big budget film plays like a B movie that is sometimes so farcical it feels like a spoof. It's overloaded with kung fu kick-outs,
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TRUSTa cautionary tale about the dangers of teenage girls using chat rooms but, as this is already universally known, the warning is redundant. What is needed are guiding insights about the predators who prowl behind their electronic curtain.
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DIARY of a WIMPY KID: RODICK RULESa patchwork of ideas that lack cohesion but each patch has enough material to keep a TV series running for years, which is something Fox really should give some thought.
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IN a BETTER WORLDa story about bullying.It cocks a thumb at the politically correct corner, slips off the restraints of self-control and, in unfettered terms, demands an eye for an eye.
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PAULa sci-fi, adventure, road movie comedy starring a bad-ass alien and is a spoof on every alien film that's ever been made. It's not side-splittingly hilarious but there are plenty of funny lines
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THE LINCOLN LAWYERit then gets a little too clever for its own good, loses its charm in a convoluted plot and the essence of what was so good is lost. But it still entertains and McConaughey's southern drawl has never sounded so enchanting.
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SOURCE CODEa train catches on fire and derails. Granted the train is going very fast, but that doesn't make it thrilling and as regards smart, read on.
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INCENDIESa beautiful Arab girl dares to cross the ethnic line, becomes a victim of religious politics and is never allowed to embrace Islam or her illegitimate son
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MARS NEEDS MOMSMars doesn't just need moms, it also needs an interesting story, some screen-worthy characters and, above all, some laughs.
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THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAUThere is a great deal of dialogue, much of which is exposition about a fantasy world that is devoid of magic and, in the end, all this film really delivers are some great visuals of New York City.
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JANE EYREA present day Jane Eyre would be most appealing. She could be taken from her crack addict mother by social services and placed in care, where her therapist encourages her to focus her energies on something creative.
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WIN WINHumor is never far away and, as we go on our journey, we realize this is a story about finding out where we belong, and doing whatever it takes to get there.
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HALL PASSthe only problem is that Rick and Fred check out other women, but as guys are hard-wired to do just that, it's hardly a real problem but obviously the filmmakers live on a different planet to the rest of us and think it is
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THE FIGHTERDicky, who once knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard and is now trying to do the same to his crack habit. He's irritating and irresponsible but he's the bum we identify with because, like us, he's truly flawed.
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TAKE ME HOME TONIGHTThis is a coming of age story where no one actually comes of age, but this doesn't matter at all because, unlike most comedies, it's actually funny.
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UNKNOWNThe first hour of this film is spent with Liam Neeson wandering around Berlin, with no idea what's going on which, unfortunately, is the same position as the audience finds itself in
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WINTER in WARTIME13 year old boy who has his childhood innocence snatched from him during the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War ll. The young hero who requires no Dutch courage to carry out his manly tasks.
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THE EAGLEdespite the fact that there have been quiet a few conflicts since 140 AD, we now have yet another tedious tale of Romans, gladiators and peasants in hessian waistcoats.
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Mintroduces us to cinema's first ever serial killer. It's also the first "talkie" by a German director and was used in Nazi propaganda films to illustrate the evils of sexual deviance.
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THE ROOMMATEThere's not one truly creepy moment throughout; filleting a fluffy and getting two girls to kiss, with or without tongue, is never going to save anything.
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SANCTUMIt's really nothing more than a bad Blair Witch, but instead of using a hand held camera it was shot on 3D. So it's pretty, but dull.
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KABOOMit's really nothing more than a superficial romp with a bunch of students who imagine there's a conspiracy as a result of taking too many illegal chemicals on a regular basis.
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UNTHINKABLEShe becomes very irritating when she's squawking around the place, reciting the Geneva Convention to anyone who will listen
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GETTING ONIt's set in a geriatric ward and much of the humor is delivered by a rather vulgar nurse who insists on calling feces by its proper name.
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THE LAST SONGScreen-wise Miley Cyrus has little to offer and the story never rises above bad melodrama. There's not an original moment and certainly no message, but everyone keeps saying "we all make mistakes"
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AN EDUCATIONWe go willingly with Jenny on her journey from the classroom, to art auctions, to Paris and to the hotel where she is callously deflowered.
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THE OTHER WOMANShe has a problem with seeing other people happy, which explains why she callously makes a play for Jack just after seeing him with his devoted wife and child.
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RATTLEDThe D.A. still seems mystified by the Israeli Mafia who, amongst their many other crimes, pulled off the biggest gold heist in New York history.
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THE RITEIf you know all about swinging crucifixes, croaky voices and unnatural spinal movements, there's really no need to sit through The Rite. It's demon-busting at its most predictable
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AFTERSHOCK (Tangshan Dadizhen)Chinese people get shot for fiddling their tax returns and if I was a studio exec I'd think twice before claiming that $200 lunch at the Beverly Hilton as the pay off might not be worth it.
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THE DILEMMABeth is sweet and not given much to do apart from weepy which is irritating but Geneva's ability to switch the tears on and off reminds us why bad girls have so much more appeal.
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JOAN RIVERS : a PIECE of WORKShe is riddled with self-doubt and so sensitive that she actually feels hurt when she is heckled. Really? A stand-up comedienne with a layer of skin missing? Who'd have thought?
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LITTLE FOCKERSThis latest addition to the series is juvenile, hackneyed, without one funny moment and all other comedies can now be judged with a simple "Was it as bad as Little Fockers?"
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HOW DO YOU KNOWThe athletes' world is never mentioned after the first few minutes and Witherspoon might as well have been a hairdresser who had to pack it in because of her varicose veins.
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TRUE GRITwhen Rooster and Le Boef shoot at flying corn bread, it's the equivalent of a Wild West peeing contest, but it falls so flat it doesn't even raise a cringe
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LITTLE ROSEThe ominous clouds keep circling, reminding the citizens that they are trapped, and as Roman, Kamila and Adam weave their web of deceit they become more and more aware of the eyes that never stop watching.
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CASINO JACKThe idea of the politically powerful being pitted against ancestral Indian tribes is a fascinating concept but the filmmakers are in such a hurry that, instead of drawing us into their unique new world, many powerful moments are simply tossed i
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BIUTIFULhe is a caring, devoted father which endears him to us and assures us that, even on his worst day, he would balk at the idea of putting someone's cat in the microwave.
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BARNEY'S VERSIONHe's not charming, he's not funny, he's incredibly selfish and although he claims to be outspoken and politically incorrect, he is in fact just plain rude and whenever he doesn't get his way, he throws his toys out of his pram.
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THE TRAILER FESTIVALss far we have received 72 requests from Hollywood managers, producers and distributors for DVDs and scripts, with 3 deals being negotiated. Sales will continue for the next year.
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ALL GOOD THINGSthe Durst Dynasty. They are, apparently, kicking up in court about the rattling of these particular old bones, but if you're going to go around bumping off your settlement-seeking wives, what do you expect?
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I AM COMICwhen you do stand-up, failure isn't everything, it's the only thing. It's compelling viewing, with plenty of laughs, and when you meet this bunch of manic depressives you'll understand why they wouldn't have it any other way.
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THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPWith his place on the international stage set, Blair becomes more and more presidential, making many Brits wonder if he's forgotten which country he's supposed to be running.
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ANOTHER YEARTogether they dance the perfect dance, unaware that they have to stay in step to fill the gaps of them all. It's a story for the lonely and the apparently perfect.
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THE COMPANY MENIt all becomes rather so-so. Not dreadful, not crashingly tedious, but just another title headed for an early arrival at the DVD graveyard.
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BLACK SWANThis film flails around for two arduous hours, much like a dying swan, with only the fall of the curtain to put it out of its misery.
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HARRY POTTER & the DEATHLY HALLOWS: Part 1it could have been cut in half because it drags on like a death march, making its reluctant way to the final, tedious, 143rdminute.
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THE KING'S SPEECHFirth doesn't so much stutter as make a funny noise at the back of his throat which becomes irritating after a while but royal protocol prevents Rush from giving HRH a good shake.
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DUE DATEJamie Foxx accidentally brews coffee from the cremated remains of a departed relative which isn't the silliest plotline in the film or even the most unbelievable
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MADE in DAGENHAMWhen the hand that once rocked the cradle dons a gauntlet and lands a perfect right hook, there is no one more surprised than the greedy Ford managers.
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OUTSIDE the LAWThe writing remains uninspired throughout & it's a deadly experience, but not, methinks, in the way the filmmakers intended.
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CONVICTIONIt's a compelling journey and by the end of the film everyone will be wishing that they had a sister just like Betty Anne
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INHALEThe veins that lead to the coveted organs become more entwined and it becomes Sophie's Choice all over again, but with even weightier consequences.
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HEREAFTERThe writing remains uninspired throughout and it's definitely a deadly experience, but not, methinks, in the way the filmmakers intended.
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REDHollywood producers are either concerned with the happiness of the movie-going public or the story is so boring even they can't talk it up.
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SOCIAL NETWORKthe most social network online was created by someone who was incapable of socializing himself and maybe revolutionized how people communicate for that very reason.
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FAIR GAMEit's still an interesting yarn and once word gets out that this is another Bush Basher, people will turn out in droves. So George has a purpose at last.
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FIXER: THE TAKING of AJMAL NAQSHBANDIHe announces that he is safe because he is in the hands of fellow Muslims, in the hands of Islam. But his eyes tell a different tale.
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TAMARA DREWEIt's possible that sexy young girls would become smitten by a successful novelist, however unattractive, but Nicholas is, to say the least, flabby.
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WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPSGecko's appearances are so fleeting we hardly get out our first hiss and boo before he is gone and, although money may never sleep, if you watch this in a comfy chair, there's a good chance you will.
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THE LEGEND of the GUARDIANSThe Guardians have no clue anything is afoot until Soros wings it across a lot of sky to tell them. Some guardians they turned out to be.
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THE ARBORIt is steeped in sadness but the renowned British stiff upper lip is in full play and it feels more like people doing their dirty washing in public than the tragedy that it is.
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THE TOWNA story that turns the tension on and off like a conductor toying with his orchestra, but instead of a baton he's using an AK47, which makes it a pretty lively concerto.
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NEVER LET ME GOIt's about misery, suffering, hopelessness and death, and has nothing to do with matters of the heart, unless you count the deadly surgical removals at the local hospital.
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YOU WILL MEET a TALL DARK STRANGERWoody Allen started his filmmaking career with some gems, but much trash has followed, many of which simply went through the motions of storytelling and showed Allen's distain for the audience
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CATFISHNev reads his texts out loud to his friends which is not romantic, as the filmmakers claim, but is more like a peeing contest than anything else.
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The Who's Who of AccentsWhat Peter Sellers did as an Indian in the 1968 film The Party can only be topped by Inspector Clusoe's 'bimb' and his insistence that the organ grinder should have a 'lee-sonce for his minkey'.
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DORIAN GRAYYou don't have to like who's on the screen, you just have to get them, and who doesn't get a guy who has such a good time that he misplaces his soul? Exactly.
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GOING the DISTANCEThis film could be likened to one of the most boring conversations you've ever had in your life.Your eyes are glazing over but the person talking to you drones on for another ninety minutes, which guarantees the next time you see them you'll be long gone
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CITY ISLANDInsulting your audience's intelligence is never a good idea and, as the producers now know, not the route to Box Office glory.
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MESRINE: PUBLIC ENEMY No. 1We slowly begin to realize that Mesrine's ideals are so egocentric that they are, in fact, only fantasies, fashioned to accommodate his own selfish needs.
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GHOST WRITERThe eyes of the world press were on Polanski as he completed the final editing for Ghost Writer in a Swiss jail, which sounds like a PR machine at work and should have sent this film into the Box Office stratosphere.
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THE SICILIAN GIRLThe Mafia Godfathers have become the Goldman Sachs of the underworld, no longer respected by their global audience and recognized simply as the gangsters that they really are.
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THE TILLMAN STORYIn this sorry tale, it becomes clear that the military moral compass has become decidedly out of synch.
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PIRANHA 3DWhen the piranhas attack, hundreds of teenagers scream and flounder and stagger ashore, but all they really had to do to escape was to run like hell.
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LOUISLouis Armstrong, the first jazz soloist to garner international acclaim and one of the greatest musical influences of the 20th Century. His road to stardom is a classic underdog story
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LOTTERY TICKETAs a person, Kevin's most likeable, but as a lead character in a film, he sucks. And it gets worse. -
EAT PRAY LOVEShe gorges herself in Italy, hangs out with Richard Jenkins in Indian - they're in an Ashram but spiritual experiences are limited to stern lectures from Jenkins, who thinks he's in rehab
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ENEMIES of the PEOPLEThe Enemies of the People are the words the Khmer Rouge used to describe the two million Cambodians who they butchered in the name of patriotism. This film searches for an explanation for this genocide
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NOWHERE BOYtells us what John saw when he was dreaming of the past and, when he waxed lyrical, why he always managed to say so much with so little. The person behind the personality has finally been smoked out.
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SCOTT PILGRIM V the WORLDsomeone wrote an uninteresting drama, added some sci-fi/superpower scenes, tossed in some sequential art and simply let them collide. Rather like getting Pavarotti, Dolly Parton and Snoop Dogg to sing a line each of the same song
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JOHNNY MAD DOGa soldier tries on a wedding dress, never taking his eyes off his reflection as he gently pulls the sparkling white lace over his muscled torso, slips the starched veil onto his cropped head, and stands, mesmerized by the image of his shrouded body
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THE EXPENDABLESAt 64, Sly knows that getting the girl won't work anymore, but instead of letting someone else have the honor, he fixes it so NO ONE gets her. How dog in the manger is that?
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INCEPTIONIt's a futuristic story but no new sci-fi world has been created. Instead of using a tardis to get around, our hero uses a white van - how passé is that?
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MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCTFrench government dissed the US over the Iraq invasion/WMD issue, with the French saying they wanted '˜more proof'.The last time they made that request it came marching into Paris waving a German flag.
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ANIMAL KINGDOMThey're spooked by recent police vigilante tactics and are sitting it out until the law reins in the law. Josh lives in the midst of this sub-culture and his very presence makes his inclusion in their world implicit.
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TWELVELike all teenagers, they're hard-wired to what they can't have and with the hunt for illegal drink stolen they're forced to channel their bad behavior elsewhere
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VINCEREUnlike some Western countries, in Italy it does not constitute political suicide if you take a lover; in fact, it's expected, and probably why all reflexive verbs in Italian end with an i.
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CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE of KITTY GALORECreating two planets in a film is like trying to mix oil and water, or buying magnetic catches; you know, deep down, it's just not going to work.
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HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST and REBELThere is, of course, an interview with a raging feminist and it would have been a lot easier to take her seriously if she had only worn a bra.
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CHARLIE ST CLOUDOr have the likes of Eastwood gone forever, and the machismo that was once common currency been replaced by movie stars who are in touch with their feminine side?
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SALTJolie doesn't get star billing here because the film is 99 minutes, 70 of which are action sequences that no A list actor could ever get insurance for.
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JOHN RABEThe only thing that stands between the people and mass slaughter is the Safety Zone, set up by Rabe, where no soldiers are allowed and weaponry is banned
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The Trailer FestivalWithin the first two weeks eighteen filmmakers had been contacted by producers, managers and distributors; scripts and DVDs are en route to Hollywood -
Despicable MeGru sits on what looks like a stuffed tyrannosaurus rex couch (eat your heart out, Sarah Palin, you only shot a bear), keeps a vicious fanged creature as a pet and there are Adams Family-esque niceties everywhere. So far so good.
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THE KARATE KIDThis display of emotion by an icon like Chan will probably have the entire Chinese race worried the next time he shows up in a movie it'll be in a kimono and ankle stockings.
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RESTREPOWe see the soldiers strategizing, grieving, dancing and sunbathing and hold our breath when another steps away from safety to get a better shot at taking Mr Jihad's head off.
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GET HIM to the GREEKWe are given a decadent display of human weakness and self-indulgence and left in no doubt that, to have that much fun, it really is worth risking everything.
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SEX and the CITY 2Trying to fool the audience is dangerous as there's no doubt the Jimmy Choo crowd can pick up whiffs of treachery and Ralph Lauren Eau de Parfum with equal accuracy.
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MACGRUBERThis is a spin off of a SNL sketch, which was a parody of MacGyver, an 80s TV action-adventure series. This sounds complicated but the plot is straight off an early series of 24 and MacGruber wants to be the next Inspector Clusoe
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ROBIN HOODRidley Scott has come up with a politically charged version of Robin Hood that not only romanticizes our hero's story, but also mocks the British monarchy and bashes the French at the same time. How smart is that?
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LETTERS to JULIETAfter the first ten minutes I started to wonder how Shakespeare would feel about an inept scribe taking his Juliet's name and screwing up the dialogue. I bet he'd be furious.
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CASINO JACK & the UNITED STATES of MONEYBush announces "He does not know this Abramoff guy". We then get a shot of Abramoff as an honored guest at the presidential table. Great storytelling both on the part of the filmmaker and the erstwhile president.
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NIGHTMARE on ELM STREETOne would assume, with Fredy's dodgy work ethic, that someone might have gone for a little pay back and given him a few fresh scars. Or perhaps he might have gained some extra powers? Or extra weight? Become charming maybe?
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HARRY BROWNMichael Caine is commanding and convincing and watching him in Dirty Harry mode when wheezing from emphysema is quite an experience. You really shouldn't miss a minute.
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The LosersA comic book set in World War 11, five tough guys, a circa 2010 Catwoman, a Bolivian jungle, child drug mules, a CIA betrayal, a snuke (yes, that's now a word)and a villain who wears one glove.
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HOW to TRAIN YOUR DRAGONThis Sottish village is under constant siege by dragons so this is a place where warriors are revered and the meek are ridiculed, which leaves our hero Hiccup in a bit of a pickle.
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THE SQUAREIt's claimed to be the best film noir since Body Heat and while I wouldn't elevate it to so lofty a status, it's dramatic and it's thrilling and serves as a chilling reminder that when you're in a hole, you really should stop digging.
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THE GOOD the BAD the WEIRDThe Good is a Korean Dirty Harry,The Bad a raving psycho,The Weird is a petty thief who murders if necessary). The three Korean exiles duke it out in a Chinese desert and if this all sounds a little bizarre that's because it is.
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Paper Man ReviewIf you're a writer, and the best you can come up with is an idea about a writer who has writer's block, as ideas go, you're clean out of them.
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Clash of the TItansThe action never stops, with clash after clash erupting by the minute, which will make this most dazzling extravaganza into a most brilliant video game but unfortunately, as a film, it sucks.
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Cop OutOne thing that is consistent throughout is Tracy's delivery of his lines - he shouts each word as loud as he possibly can which wears on the audience and must have been murder in rehearsals.
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Don McKayWhen the mysteries of plot and character are finally revealed with the high drama of a game of Cluedo, it's a matter of far too much, much too late.
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PreciousIt is a harrowing story but the message is one of profound hope and as Precious is brave enough to endure it, then so should we be.
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The WolfmanA B horror movie that regurgitates every tired cliché in the How to Terrify Your Audience handbook.
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The Good HeartIn case you haven't quite got the picture, Jacques is Basil Fawlty without the bubbling repression, rapier sarcasm or funny walk and without those, all you have is a droning tyrant.
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Creation Movie ReviewThis film serves only as a grim reminder that historical dramas should be left firmly in the century they are created. -
The Book of Eli30 years and no one has picked up a brick. We may be the generation of excess but within 24 hours of any apocalypse we'd have enough cell phone towers running so we could update our Facebook. -
Repo MenA film review of Repo Men.
