Reviews

At the time of writing, this film had an 8.4 on IMDb and mostly 5 star reviews on Letterboxd. I had been waiting for this to come out for months, but I'd been a little sceptical that all these high ratings were just because this is Grace, Mamrie and Hannah's movie.

Camp Takota has a very simple and lighthearted storyline with some great jokes and some pretty solid acting from its extremely likable cast. Yes, this was shot on a minuscule budget and had its share of problems regarding distribution but it's beautifully shot and there are some incredibly emotional scenes that I really did not expect.

It's obvious that everyone involved in making Takota has a blast doing so and it really does translate onto the screen. It's a fun ride with some very admirable performances.

"He would kill to be you."

I'm not trying to imply that Taking Lives isn't a good movie. But the format was tired out long ago. Taking Lives is the story of a serial killer who takes the identities of the people he kills. FBI agent, Angelina Jolie is brought in to help the local police department identify the killer.

Although this type of movie has been done time and time again, it has been done in quite a different way this time. The level of blood and gore is quite significant, but isn't thrown in your face, it actually complements the plot and makes the movie itself very visually impressive.

The acting talent on show isn't too bad. Jolie and Sutherland particularly stand out, complementing the characters they are portraying. On the other hand I found that Ethan Hawke's acting is a little overdone at times. He tends to over-dramatise everything to the point of humour. This did only become apparent on my second viewing though so it shouldn't really affect first time viewers.

Story-wise I found that Taking Lives is really just like an elongated episode of CSI but nevertheless I was hooked from beginning to end and I felt completely satisfied by the time the closing credits were rolling.

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"Oh my God Karen, you can't just ask people why they're white."

Believe me, it wasn't easy to pick just one main quote from this movie. It may be one of the most quotable movies I've seen. Mean Girls was Lindsay Lohan's breakout film role. It's based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes and basically gives the viewer an insight into the girls' world of high school.

I literally can't fault this movie. It's a refreshingly funny and enjoyable teen comedy that can be enjoyed by any age and gender. The sharp, witty dialogue and jokes never miss and the actors playing the teenagers actually look like teenagers, not people in their late 20s or early 30s caked in make-up.

This film reminds me that Lindsay Lohan actually has talent. Of the time where she was an innocent teenager and not stumbling around wasted in clubs. I've seen this hundreds of times and it's still hilarious. Highly recommended.

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"Why are you screaming? I haven't even cut you yet."

I will be blunt. A Nightmare on Elm Street is not a remake of the original. It is a re-imagining. I went into the movie expecting a good horror and I was sorely disappointed.

The film first introduces us to Dean, who escapes the dream in which the film opens with. Naturally, when he escaped I assumed him to be the hero of the movie, what with this nor being a direct remake. But then he died. So Kris, the girl he was talking to before he died, must be the heroine. The film follows her for a while, she escapes Freddy a few times and you really start to root for her. Then she dies. It's not until around 30-40 minutes in that we really start to focus on the actual main two characters.

But that's just it. The makers have clearly attempted to trick you into thinking some of the minor characters are actually major characters only to have them die and the focus to shift onto another character. The only problem is that this failed completely. If you've seen the original then you already know where the plot is going, thus the surprise of the faux main character's deaths just isn't there.

The redesign of Freddy's appearance didn't sit too well with me either. I had heard that the crew were going to make Freddy scary again. This really didn't materialise. I'd actually prefer Robert Englund in the role of Freddy using the original make-up that has made the character a classic.

The 'witty' one-liners that Krueger comes out with are just terrible and had me cringing at multiple points during the movie, "how's this for a wet dream?" springs to mind. Freddy says this when Nancy is running down a hall and the floor turns to some kind of tar-like substance. Other cringe-worthy one-liners include "I'm your boyfriend now", "your mouth says no but your body says yeeeeessssssss" and "I'm your nightmare". These might not seem too cheesy when you read them, but believe me, they are on screen.

On a more positive note, the re-tooling of Freddy's background was an effective alteration. In the original, Freddy is a child murderer, but in this remake he is a child molester. This helps significantly in making him more evil and really pushes you more towards hating the man. Rooney Mara is also specifically notable as her fantastic portrayal of Nancy brings the rating of the film up a little.

Nevertheless, this isn't enough to save this abysmal remake. Awful CGI (the blood Nancy falls out of in a dream), poor story progression and ineffective plot twists, not to mention the various obvious plot-holes and mistakes altogether with the fact that it's just not scary make this very so-so indeed.

Can I have my money back please?

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"I have Smints! Would you like a Smint?"

Why is horror always better when girls are involved? In this case, girls getting their own back on men, well that happens later on in the movie.

Hostel: Part II does what Part I didn't: it actually concentrates on gore and horror. Where the first movie shows full frontal nudity of a porn-like nature, part two cuts most of that out and just gives gore fans what they want.

What's especially good here is that it doesn't just start a completely different story with brand new characters. It picks up right where the first film left off with Paxton, although it swiftly finishes off in the first 10 minutes and we get introduced to the new characters. Part II follows three female college students who enter a hostel in Slovakia and are effectively bought by external bidders to be tortured and killed, much like in Part !.

Realistically, Hostel: Part II is essentially more of the same from Part I apart from this time, it's with women. It's gritty and creepy most of the time and because of the weak and vulnerable stereotype of women in film, you really find yourself being scared and anxious for the girls. Especially Lorna in her death scene. Ouch.

Considering this movie didn't make even close to as much as the first, it's a pretty enjoyable torture flick and the ending is far better. I would even dare to say that this is almost as good as the first. Definitely not for the squeamish though.

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"You mind putting on some pants? I feel weird having to ask you twice."

It has become so rare in this century, to find a genuinely decent and funny comedy. In the crowd of Scary Movie type comedies, Todd Phillips' fresh and hilarious The Hangover stands out as a clear winner for modern comedy.

The plot is simple: four friends travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party and wake up the next morning with no memory of what happened the previous night, this plus the fact that they don't know where the groom is makes for a roller-coaster ride of hilarity as the remaining three friends try to find him in time for his wedding the next day.

In short, The Hangover is just genuinely funny. It may actually be the funniest movie I've had the pleasure of watching in a long time, so much so that it has become one of my favourite movies. Galifianakis, the "child with a beard", effectively makes this movie the brilliantly hilarious trip that it is. His unashamedly idiotic behaviour provides much of the hilarity and it seems as if the movie would be pretty empty without him. But all three leading men have brilliant chemistry together and it's hard to imagine anyone else playing a different role in this movie.

The Hangover is sure to become a cult classic and I don't see it ever getting old. I also really never thought I'd be feeling sorry for Heather Graham's character at the end. So far I've seen this five times and I'll probably watch it a hundred times more. A definite must buy!

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As an avid watcher of zombie movies, particularly George A. Romero's Of The Dead movies, I was optimistic for this latest instalment. Survival of the Dead is Romero's sixth Of The Dead movie, but after 2007's disappointing Diary of the Dead it's beginning to show that he's running out of ideas.

Survival of the Dead does try to put an original spin on things though, with a group of people attempting to get the zombies to feast upon something other than human flesh. It's an interesting idea, too bad it isn't played out as well as it could be. The acting isn't as bad as in Diary of the Dead, despite its relatively low budget feel and slow story progression, it manages to outdo Diary of the Dead in literally every way.

Another major flaw: it's not scary at all. Romero's previous Of The Dead instalments (we'll forget Diary) have all been, at least, a little scary. This, sadly, is where Survival fails. There isn't anything even remotely scary here, and the jumps are far in between and very, very few. Romero leaves the scare factor box well and truly unchecked.

As you may have gathered, it's not terribly amazing stuff, but the cast all play likable characters and there's enough gore in here to satisfy. Nothing on Dawn of the Dead but miles better than Diary of the Dead.

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Dead Silence is about a killer puppet maker. That sentence alone should give you a rough idea of the quality of the movie I'm about to review. The film sees Jamie receiving a strange package with a doll named Billy inside. As could probably be guessed, Billy kills people and Jamie goes to find out why and how to stop it, yada yada yada.

The movie starts off quite promisingly. The first kill scene is impressive visually and succeeds in keeping you in your seat. However, after this it all goes a bit pear-shaped. The acting following the initial superb opening scene is painfully wooden (excuse the puppet pun!) and it really distracts from the movie as a whole. The scare tactics are also comparable to much older movies and mostly comprise of something jumping out at someone, whether it's a puppet or not, it's never really scary regardless.

I'd additionally like to mention the character development. I found myself not really caring as much for Jamie's well-being as a felt I should have been. There is very minimal character development prior to the main story which takes a bit of the reality from the film. It's a mildly enjoyable popcorn movie, enough for a night in with some friends but nothing more.

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Gamer takes place in the near future where video games and virtual chat rooms are, quite literally, a reality. Any human can control another in gaming environments. Kable seeks to regain his independence and freedom from the game, whilst hunting down the creator of the game.

Before I sat down to watch Gamer I knew I'd be torn on my ultimate decision. I genuinely don't know if I liked this movie or not. I can't say that it wasn't extremely entertaining, but I can't say that it's a thoroughly enjoyable film to watch.

Gamer features non-stop action from start to finish. Gerard Butler is fantastic as Kable, the star of one of the games and pulls off the action hero stereotype yet again. But Gamer, as a whole isn't completely satisfying. Many of the less action-filled scenes seem to either further confuse you or bore you. I wouldn't say this movie is as awful as it's made out to be in any way. The action is there and that's all the audience really wants. It's also all the movie offers. The sheer pace seems to be rushed, only to slow down close to the end to a fitting and entertaining ending.

Would I recommend it? Well that I'm not sure about. If you want the action, watch it. But if you want an interesting and multi-layered story, avoid at all costs.

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Hatchet prides itself on not being a remake, sequel or based on a "Japanese one". It's just "old school American horror". It's not wrong.

Advertised as a straight out horror movie, Hatchet plays as more of a horror comedy. The ridiculousness of the main villain's appearance and the reams and reams of chuckle jokes make sure of this. The largely unknown cast (Tony Todd and Robert Englund cameos aside) contributes to both the horror and the hilarity. It performs well as a simple funny horror movie.

The dialogue and death scenes aren't taken too seriously, but this doesn't affect the special effects in any way. They really are top- notch, with the mouth ripping and sander deaths standing out from the rest.

Hatchet doesn't pretend to be something it isn't. It's trashy, American horror and proud of it.

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Martyrs is a French horror movie that follows a woman's quest for revenge against people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child. But Martyrs isn't necessarily a revenge movie, only a small part of it in fact. Anna and Lucie, the two main characters of the movie play off each other extremely effectively. The chemistry between the two actresses can't really be disputed. The enjoyment factor of the movie, however, is questionable.

Although I tend to like my movies, violent and bloody, I do like a good story to sink my teeth into alongside all the gore. Martyrs certainly delivers on this, but in my opinion it delivers far too much. Although the plot is an interesting and quite original one it isn't carried out quite as well as it could be. At times it even gets boring and plods on at a slow pace. As a guidance, I would probably say the first and last 15 minutes of the movie are by far the best, with the spaces in between filled with random body dumping, or downright strange and confusing scenes.

Approach Martyrs with caution. It has a good message, but it takes a while to get there.

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Frontier(s) may be one of the goriest movies I have seen in recent years. The sheer amount of awkward and uncomfortable moments in this movie are almost too much to take.

Frontier(s) takes place in Paris and follows a group of four small-time criminals who are planning to run away to Amsterdam, taking with them a bag full of stolen money. Unfortunately the group runs into trouble and, one way or another, the group gets smaller and smaller.

As this is a French language film, I chose to watch a subtitled version over a dubbed version as dubbing normally distracts me. I expected the effect of the film wouldn't be very severe for me owing to the fact I had to constantly read text to get the dialogue. I was very wrong though. As a good friend of mine warned me prior to viewing, this movie is incredibly gory and can be uncomfortable to watch at times. The cast do a brilliant job, with particular reference to sinister bad guy Goetz, played by Samuel Le Bihan. His performance is incredibly convincing and even chilling at times, the same can be said for the reminder of the supporting cast portraying the evil side. Maud Forget's portrayal as the unstable and, frankly, weird Eva is also memorable.

The film, as a whole, is a gritty-gorefest, so extreme in its portrayal of violence and bad taste that I really can't recall having seen anything even remotely similar. This is, without a doubt, one of the most thrilling and enticing movies of the gore world and it's well worth a watch, as long as you're not squeamish of course.

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Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Ginger Snaps. This sequel focuses on Brigitte who is desperately trying to prevent what happened to her sister, Ginger, from happening to her by shooting up with monkshood. She sent to rehab, with the police assuming monkshood is an illegal drug.

Unlike the first movie, Ginger Snaps II is a genuinely creepy film. The humour present in the first movie is largely missing and has been replaced with a more dark and serious tone. It really does work, although to a lesser extent than in the first film.

The special effects, however, are not done as well as in the first. What originally made Ginger Snaps so great was the fact that it didn't make use of CGI. This film does make use of CGI though, although the wolf itself is still a puppet. Although it does make the film appear more sleek and stylish, the CGI also takes away from what made the first movie so good in the first place.

Brigitte's transformation into a werewolf is much different than that of Ginger's. Brigitte continues to use monkshood to try and combat the changes and as a result her transformation appears more twisted and ugly. That being said, this improves on the suspense and the overall effect of the transformation quite a bit.

Ginger Snaps II is more of the horror and less of the comedy, but it still works very well. You won't be sorry you watched it.

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In all honesty, Ginger Snaps has to be one of the most underrated horror movies in existence. Ginger Snaps uses the transformation into a werewolf as a metaphor for puberty. When Brigitte's sister Ginger gets attacked by a mysterious creature and starts to change into a werewolf, but all the adults around them think she is just experiencing puberty.

It has all the makings of an independent movie, the lack of CGI helps with that. But it's the absence of the flashy computer trickery that makes it so different to other horror movies from the past 10 years. It has more charm than other recent offerings from the horror genre, even in spite of the hundreds of obscenities uttered throughout the course of the film.

The make-up and prosthetics are extremely well done when considering the budget. The werewolf at the beginning is very convincing and the small changes to Ginger's face and body never look overly done or fake. In fact, Ginger looks a little scary and menacing in some later scenes.

Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle are both brilliant in their own ways as the sisters. Isabelle in particular shines as the titular character Ginger who's personality changes incredibly rapidly and throughout. The two play sisters so convincingly that it's a wonder why the two haven't scored more starring roles since the movie's release.

Although I'm yet to see the two sequels I'm pretty adamant that this would be hard to top. Congratulations to the makers on producing a decent, interesting horror movie.

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To be honest, movies like The Football Factory aren't usually ones I enjoy. But this one really surprised me. The Football Factory is a study of the English obsession with football violence and hooliganism, but there's so much more here. It's documentary-like presentation gives the film more charm than if it was presented as just a generic movie.

Although I do have to say that Danny Dyer seems to play the same character in every movie he's in (Doghouse, Severance and Mean Machine are just a few examples) you can't fault him for it because he does it well and believably. His character, Tommy Johnson, is a typical British football fan who just, as he puts it, "loves to f*cking fight".

Dyer also narrates the movie, giving it that documentary vibe, making you think you're actually watching a retelling of events that have actually happened. Dyer's narration also gives his character a little more depth and does a good job of effectively separating him from the rest of the cast.

The Football Factory is essentially played out as a serious approach to the issue of football hooliganism, but there's something more there. The sub-plot of Tommy's granddad and his war-time friend moving abroad together with Tommy's recurring dreams that play out like sort of Final Destination-esquire premonitions give the story that little bit more depth.

The Football Factory is a hugely entertaining and funny movie that isn't exclusively for only football fans. It's nothing brilliant, but it's a pretty good watch.

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Quentin Tarantino does what he does best in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, his fourth film. The movie sees The Bride (Uma Thurman) who decides to escape her life as a killer. She fled to Texas, met a young man, and on the day of their wedding was gunned down. Four years later she wakes from a coma and discovers her baby is gone. She decides to get revenge on the people who were responsible for her death.

It's pretty mind blowing and gruesome stuff, but that's what Tarantino is known for. The blood is so gratuitous but that's what makes it brilliant. As with Tarantino's other films, he mixes dark humour with peril and mixes it amazingly well. None of it is pointless and none of it takes anything away from the story. It just flows seamlessly.

Uma Thurman is superb in the role of 'The Bride'; the vicious woman seeking revenge on Bill. You can really feel her rage and determination as she ticks off the people on her 'death list'. Lucy Liu also does a fine job of portraying O-Ren Ishii; one of the five people who played a part in almost ending her life.

The lengthy sword fight scene will keep you wanting more and the cliffhanger will ensure you will want to watch Kill Bill: Vol 2. Brilliant.

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The Devil Wears Prada is a loose adaption of the book of the same name. It follows Anne Hathaway as Andy who moves to New York city aspiring to be a journalist. She ends up getting a job as an assistant to fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).

This is a review coming from a blind-viewer; someone who has never even leafed through the book on which the movie is based. But from the opening lines of KT Tunstall's 'Suddenly I See' it's clear what kind of movie this is. But chick flick or no chick flick, The Devil Wears Prada is something different. It's a feelgood movie that really anyone can enjoy.

Meryl Streep is brilliant as Miranda Priestly, the 'bitch' of the movie, who never raises her voice above usual speaking level throughout the entire movie, leading you to think there's something more to her character. Anne Hathaway, as usual, plays the charismatic and 'sweet' role and does it perfectly. It's odd how funny it is when Hathaway swears. Emily Blunt, appearing in one of her first major supporting roles here,

There is a bit of a story twist during the second half of the film which makes the story a little more three dimensional than how it was previously running. You get to see different sides of the central characters too.

You can pretty much guess the ending, but that doesn't stop you from getting a warm feeling inside and a sense of satisfaction that everything worked out okay in the end. The Devil Wears Prada doesn't ask much of you, it's a very funny and heartwarming tale.

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In the crowd of j-horror remakes, for me The Grudge is one that really stands out. In short, it's actually scary. Unlike The Ring it doesn't drag on and just concentrates on actually giving you shivers and scaring you. The Grudge is one film that can genuinely still creep me out and I really don't know why.

The theatrical film was cut by around five minutes to achieve a lower rating for the American release, removing several scenes of extreme gore and violence. The Director's Cut version in the UK, however, has the same rating. The new cut vastly improves the viewing quality though.

Although the story is a little shaky and sometimes difficult to follow, the scares more than make up for that though. With the cuts, it's a pretty average horror, but without the cuts it's an absolutely brilliant horror movie. It has a perfect balance of suspense, scares and gore. Oh, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

It's pointless explaining the plot of The Grudge because even I'm not sure of it. All I know is that it's about a curse, and a few scary, pasty spirits. The story doesn't follow a chronological time scale which can get puzzling and difficult to follow, but you start to piece together the story as it progresses.

It really is no classic, but it's a great movie to watch when you want to be scared silly with a few friends.

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If you're interested in seeing Alice In Wonderland because you love the classic story, perhaps this isn't for you. Tim Burton's version is quite different to the classic Lewis Carroll and Disney versions in that the story is more or less completely different.

The film follows Alice, now nineteen, as she returns to Underland, although she believes her first trip to the magical place was all a dream. All the classic characters are there: Matt Lucas as both Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and, of course, the outstanding Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.

The film itself is pretty much 95% CGI, which gives it the 'Wonderland' look. It's simply a brilliant film to look at, nothing looks too 'computerised', even when taking into account the drastically varied heights of the characters compared to the actors portraying them. The acting highlights for me were Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter. They are by far the funniest characters, even if Hathaway's White Queen may not be intended to be all that amusing.

As for the 3D aspect, as with most other productions being released in the format in recent months, it brings a bit more charm to the scene. Nothing too gimmicky is there either.

I'd highly recommend a trip to your local cinema to see Alice In Wonderland, but make sure you see it in 3D for that little extra magic. Tim Burton really can do no wrong.

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The original Descent movie is one of my favourite horror films, so I was really looking forward to feasting my eyes on the second part. To be fair, I wasn't expecting anything near as what the original movie offered.

The Descent: Part 2 follows Sarah, the sole escapee of the cave in the first movie. She has amnesia and despite this she is questioned by police regarding the whereabouts of her friends. She then gets forced back down into the cave with a new team so they can discover what went on down there.

The film follows on right after the ending of the American version of the movie which wasn't really to my liking, partly as it's a British horror movie and also because the British ending of The Descent is so much better.

I was pleasantly surprised though, despite ridiculing the movie literally from start to finish by comparing it to the original (well I was watching it with friends). As a stand-alone movie this is a pretty good one. There were a few scenes just too similar to the original movie and some where just plain ridiculous, but in a good way if that makes sense.

The death scenes and the moments building towards them were executed brilliantly. Director Jon Harris executes eerie and scary suspense perfectly, pulling you into the scene in question. Furthermore, the scenes from the first movie are recreated perfectly so much so that you'd swear this movie was made at the same time as the original.

It's nowhere near as good as the original, but a surprisingly good sequel. Plot-holes and revealing mistakes aside, it's good fun, but don't be surprised if you're raising your eyebrow at the ending.

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Hancock is quite simply Will Smith's best comedy film since 1997's Men In Black (we'll ignore MIB:II). As the title suggests, the film follows Hancock, an alcoholic 'superhero' living in Los Angeles who causes nothing but trouble and unnecessary damage whilst saving lives.

Hancock isn't your typical superhero movie and wasn't what I expected in most aspects. Although it's not exactly a huge budget movie based on a Marvel or DC Comics character (Spiderman 3 had a budget $58million more than Hancock) the special effects aren't too bad, with the exception of the computer generated fight, it's just too obviously CGI.

At the risk of sounding offensive, Will Smith is brilliant at playing a rude and obnoxious character. He pulls of the 'a**ehole' character pretty well. Writers Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan really know how to create a 3D character that the audience genuinely cares about.

Although it does start to drag on a little towards the end, it really keeps you interested right up until the end credits start to roll. It's laugh out loud funny at times, the twist is brilliant and there's even a little tribute to Superman in there, if you can spot it.

Watch it, it's a fun night in.

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The Crazies is a remake of George A. Romero's 1973 film of the same name. The story revolves around a town whose water supply has been poisoned by an mysterious and unknown toxin.

To be honest there's nothing really new here, but that really doesn't matter. The Crazies is made in such a way that not many other horror movies are. Rather than just throwing random and senseless violence at you, director Breck Eisner actually builds up suspense instead. It works brilliantly and it's a refreshing change from other recent horrors that are basically just splatter-fests.

Although this story has been done before in movies such as 28 Days Later and, to some extent, Cabin Fever, this movie plays it out incredibly well. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell are brilliant in the main character roles, Mitchell more than making up for her role in 2006's disappointing Silent Hill.

The special effects are brilliant, the make-up on the faces of the 'Crazies' is really effective, it's amazing how brilliantly chilling some contact lenses and deformations can make someone look. They're not conventional looking or acting zombies but they're still pretty menacing and amazingly fierce.

I'd recommend The Crazies to any horror fan who wants something a little bit different than what's currently out there. It really is a scarily great movie.

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Every now and then you see a film that reminds you too much of another. The Unborn is one such movie, and 2004's The Grudge is what it, quite frankly, rips off more than a few times. The character who contorts and squirms up and down stairs and even going as far as to use the same noise that the ghost from The Grudge makes.

The film follows Casey who begins to be haunted by a ghostly boy. She asks her father and discovers that her mother lost a son that died in the womb, Casey then suspects she's being haunted by her brother's spirit.

In theory the plot seems pretty solid and a good basis for a pretty enjoyable movie. But it's not exactly executed in the best way. Sure, there are quite a few scary scenes, the scene with the old man being one that stands out the most. In all honesty though, I did laugh out loud at scenes that were clearly not meant to be amusing at all. Perhaps the use of children as villains or monsters in movies has lost its effectiveness?

On the positive side, Gary Oldman's presence, while unexpected, gave the film some credibility although his scenes are far and few until the climax. The cinematography and mise en scene are both worth mentioning as they attempt to contribute to making the film more credible.

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After plans for the Halo movie fell through, Peter Jackson went to Neill Blomkamp and offered him $30 million to make whatever he wanted. This was the result.

Oscar nominated? Normally the typical sign of a snore-fest. However, District 9 is a pretty fun ride. The thriller is presented in a mockumentary style from the opening and that gives it a little more charm. You get to identify with Wikus Van Der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), the main character who we follow right through to the bitter end.

District 9 sees a world or at least a part of the world, where aliens living on the same planet as humans is seen as the norm. Wikus, working with the government, polices their activity and stumbles upon an unknown alien object which starts to have strange effects on him. If you're not interested now, you probably close this page and go rent Steel Magnolias or something.

The story moves along at a rather quick pace so much so that the opening scenes feel too rushed. It does keep you hooked all the way though to the epic final scene though. The visuals are stunning. The CGI is flawlessly realistic, the aliens (or 'prawns') didn't look as computer- generated as I'd initially anticipated and the various explosions, bloody battles and shoot-outs are brilliantly entertaining.

The $30million budget is surprising considering the film looks like the budget was considerably higher, I was simply amazed with the special effects and would probably go as far as to say that this is one of the best science fiction films of the decade. I don't give a five-star rating often, but it really couldn't be recommended more.

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Miley Cyrus' hit Disney Channel TV show gets its cinematic movie adaptation in the form of 2009's Hannah Montana: The Movie. The plot is pretty simple and run-of-the-mill. Miley's pop star alter-ego Hannah Montana is taking over Miley's life far too much for her Dad's liking so he packs up and takes his daughter back home to Tennessee for some "Hannah Detox".

I'm fully aware that this movie is aimed at a young audience and their families so I'll be reviewing it for entertainment value for families. In truth it's not as bad as the majority of critics make it out to be. In terms of fan value it's not all it could be. Miley's grandma isn't played by the same actress as in the show which could confuse some sharp-minded kids and raise questions.

There are some pretty funny scenes in there though and the acting isn't as bad as I expected it to be. It's really all about the music though. Two of the released songs really stand out: The Climb and Hoedown Throwdown, the latter being used in a big dance scene, obviously using professional dancers but still a great scene.

There are some cameos in there: Tyra Banks appears as herself at the beginning of the movie, Taylor Swift performs at a community event and Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty's Wilhelmina Slater) plays Vita, Hannah's personal assistant.

There are some better movies out there, but there are some that are much worse. Give it a shot.

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