It is rare these days for a good romantic comedy to make it to the big screen, so while How Do You Know is certainly not a masterpiece, it is worth celebrating that it is good enough to keep you entertained… and even give you a couple of laughs along the way… now you can’t say that about many Hollywood comedies these days.

For Lisa (Reese Witherspoon – Monsters vs. Aliens, Four Holidays) life has reached a period of change. Firstly, she finds herself dating baseball-star, Matty (Owen Wilson – Little Fockers, Marmaduke), a self-proclaimed man-whore and then she finds herself cut from the United States National Softball Team. As she works through what to do with her life she wonders whether she should be dating Matty or whether she would be better off with her ‘friend’ George (Paul Rudd – My Idiot Brother, Dinner For Schmucks), a guy she was set up on a blind date with. The only trouble is, George is facing a Federal Investigation for the corruption that his father, Charles (Jack Nicholson – The Bucket List, The Departed) has been indulging in for years.

Sure, the story isn’t exactly ground-breaking but there is just something about How Do You Know that leaves you with a warm feeling inside. James L. Brooks (Spanglish, As Good As It Gets) has created a romantic comedy good enough for you to actually give a damn about the characters involved. Lisa is likable, and it’s not often that you get to see a female sports star as a main character. But the character that really sucks you in is George. The guy is one of life’s losers, but he’s a nice guy and you can’t help but barracking for him. You may even find yourself hating Matty simply because you want George to get the girl. This is all because of some smart writing by James L. Brooks. He may not have created a masterpiece but he has created a film that uses some emotional blackmail to tell its audience what they should be thinking. Brooks also needs to be congratulated for creating a character as interesting as Annie (Kathryn Hahn – My Idiot  Brother, TV’S Hung). At first you think she is going to be an annoying character but she grows you on you, and at the end of the day she is the character that provides you with most of the laughs.

The big surprise for me with How Do You Know was that I actually enjoyed watching Paul Rudd. I have never been a fan of his, but so good is Brooks at getting you to like George, that I also enjoyed watching Rudd. Some would say that Jack Nicholson is under-used but you get the feeling that these are the roles he wants to do these days…small but meaty… he is good (not great) here, and plays the bad guy in a way that only Jack Nicholson can. Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson are also credible, although you do get the feeling that some of the scenes that called for Wilson to show true emotion were out of his league… still this is one of his better films.

How Do You Know is never going to pick up any awards but if you are looking for a nice romantic comedy that you are guaranteed to enjoy then this is the film for you. Some good characters and just enough laughs to keep you happy make for one good romantic comedy. Well worth a look!

Dave Griffiths

Now here is a rarity in today’s cinematic landscape – a romantic that is entertaining, makes you laugh and can actually be enjoyed by guys as well. On paper Something Borrowed doesn’t look that interesting but with a witty script and well-developed characters it’s a film that you can genuinely enjoy.

Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin – TV’S Big Love, Margene’s Blog) and Darcy (Kate Hudson – A Little Bit Of Heaven, The Killer Inside Me) have been friends since they were little girls. But is becoming more obvious that Darcy gets whatever she wants even if that means Rachel has to go without. That is certainly the case when it comes to Rachel’s best friend, Dex (Colin Egglesfield – The Au Pairs, TV’S Hawaii Five-O). Rachel has loved Dex ever since they first met but before she could ever pluck up the courage to ask him out Darcy jumped at the opportunity. Now with Darcy and Dex’s wedding fast approaching Rachel and Dex find themselves in bed…together. Now Rachel must decide whether to be quite and keep the peace or to follow her friend Ethan’s (John Krasinski – It’s Complicated, TV’S The Office: U.S. Version) advice and finally go for something that she wants.

Director, Luke Greenfield (The Law, TV’S Aliens In America) was in cruise control while at the helm of Something Borrowed because screenwriter, Jennie Snyder (TV’S 90210, Lipstick Jungle) had done all the hard work and turned Emily Giffin’s novel into something magnificent. The characters really come to life in this film and through some great writing from Snyder you find yourself barracking for Rachel even though she is technically the ‘other woman’. She does this by brilliantly making Darcy such an unlikeable character, deadset I think Rachel could kill Darcy in cold blood and you would still find yourself sitting there and thinking ‘yep she deserved that’. The ending may have been a bit of a cliché but the rest of the film you are genuinely sitting there and wanting to know what will happen next. Snyder even managed to make some of the scenes ‘laugh-out-loud’ worthy.

Hudson does a great job making Darcy unlikable but this really is Goodwin’s movie. She shines and shows Hollywood she is really ready to be a leading lady. Egglesfield is also likable as Dex but he is overshadowed by John Krasinski who steals the comedy limelight. He is so good that at times you actually find yourself wishing that Rachel would end up with Ethan.

Something Borrowed certainly isn’t a masterpiece but it is an enjoyable film that is more than worth the admission price. One of the best romantic comedies to surface in a long time.

Dave Griffiths

Most thrillers released these days end up becoming predictable B-Grade slop, that’s why it is worth celebrating when one as good as ‘Unknown’ surfaces. This is one thriller that can be honestly called ‘equal to anything Hitchcock ever released’. The story is fresh, the action actually work and for once you have a thriller on your hands where you aren’t going to be able to predict the twist before it happens on the screen.

Based on Didier Van Cauwelaert’s novel ‘Out Of My Head’, ‘Unknown’ picks up as Dr Martin Harris (Liam Neeson – ‘The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader’, ‘The Next Three Days’) and his wife, Elizabeth (January Jones – ‘The Boat That Rocked’, TV’S ‘Mad Men’) arrive in London so Martin can give a speech at a Bio Tech conference. However, after Martin is a car accident he awakes in hospital only to find another man (Aidan Quinn – ‘Across The Line: The Exodus Of Charlie Wright’, ‘Festival Of Lights’) claiming to be Dr Martin Harris, and that Elizabeth also fails to recognize him. Confused, Martin hunts down, Gina (Diane Kruger – ‘Inhale’, ‘Lily Sometimes’) the taxi driver (and illegal immigrant) who saved his life, and Ernst Jurgen (Bruno Ganz – ‘The End Is The Beginning’, ‘Colors In The Dark’), an ex-Secret Police Officer to help him work out what has happened.

Director, Jaume Collet-Serra (‘Orphan’, ‘Goal II: Living The Dream’) is really on a winner here. Aside from a couple of those awful Hollywood clichés that manage to sneak in, ‘Unknown’ really is a thriller that keeps the audience constantly guessing while on the edge of their seat. The script provides the right mix of drama and action and Collet-Serra manages to capture the action in such a way that it actually feels like it fits in the film’s storyline and hasn’t just been included to make the trailer look good. But what makes ‘Unknown’ really work is the fact that the script has been well-thought out and the story actually works… you won’t find yourself scratching your head and thinking ‘that is too unbelievable to sit right with me.’ Even more amazing is the fact that we have a new release thriller where you can’t see the twist coming.

Acting wise the big winners are January Jones and Diane Kruger. Yes, Liam Neeson has most of the screen time, and while he is very good he really is just playing the same character he always seems to pull out when called to do an action-thriller. Jones breaks free of her TV career and shows some genuine talent while Kruger absolutely shines. She shows all the actresses in the world that it is possible to show some acting range when starring in an action-thriller.

‘Unknown’ is proof that creative minds can still create genuinely good thrillers that work on all levels. If you want a thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the end then you simply must see ‘Unknown’. This is a great thriller that will re-ignite your faith in the thriller genre.

Dave Griffiths

It’s hard to work out what exactly director, Tony Scott (The Taking Of Pelham 123, TV’S Numb3rs) has done over the years that has resulted in him seemingly putting most opinionated cinema goers and some critics so offside that they will openly slam a film like Unstoppable; a film that in the long run does very little wrong. Maybe, it’s just me but I never went to see Unstoppable expecting a masterpiece, I just wanted a quality action-thriller that would keep me on the edge of my seat… and I certainly got that.

Loosely based on actual events Unstoppable tells the story of veteran train driver, Frank (Denzel Washington – The Book Of Eli, The Taking Of Pelham 123) and rookie rail-conductor, Will (Chris Pine – Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey, Small Town Saturday Night) who are grouped together on a fateful day when bumbling co-worker, Dewey (Ethan Suplee – The Dry Land, TV’S No Ordinary Family) sends an out-of-control freight train (carrying hazardous material) hurtling towards them. And while their immediate boss, Connie (Rosario Dawson – Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief, Girl Walks Into A Bar) is looking to save lives, one of the company heads, Galvin (Kevin Dunn – Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) is willing to do whatever it takes to save money.

As I mentioned earlier Unstoppable doesn’t do a hell of a lot wrong. Screenwriter, Mark Bomback (Race To Witch Mountain, Deception) has put together a fairly decent action script, and manages to do what so many action-screenwriters fail to do and that is give enough characterization to the characters of Frank and Will that we actually do care whether they live or die. There is certainly nothing one-dimensional about these characters, they even have a back-story… unfortunately the same cannot be said about Frank’s daughters in the film who are incredibly annoying, seem out of place and are played by some actresses with some horribly-awful acting abilities. Bomback also manages to throw in some old-school suspense and tension

Visually, Scott does pull off one hell of an action film. Despite some dodgy blurry shots (which I’m sure he thinks are artistic) for the most part the film does look good. As usual Scott’s in-your-face style of filming makes you feel like you are really part of the action and once again he creates some brilliant action sequences – the scene where a train crashes, rolls and explodes is sensational and has to be seen to be believed.

With Bomback’s script and Scott’s directing style Unstoppable ends up being one action film that really does have a suspense element. Sure there are no bad guys running around with guns but serious film lovers will feel the tension this film creates and at times find themselves on the edge of their seat. Some will feel that Washington is under-used but that is a minor gripe for an action film that largely works.

Dave Griffiths

Comparing the old version of True Grit to the new version is like comparing chalk and cheese. The old version followed the character of Rooster (played by the legendary John Wayne) while the new version takes a leaf from Charles Portis’ novella and is told from the point-of-view of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld – TV’S Sons Of Tucson & Summer Camp). This makes the story more personal, and results in one of the better westerns to have surfaced in quite a long time.

Mattie’s (Steinfeld) world is turned upside down when her father is killed by hired hand, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin – Jonah Hex, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger). But instead of becoming the weeping, grieving daughter, she travels to a small town to settle his affairs and to seek revenge for his death. She hires the toughest Marshall (a man with “true grit”) she can find, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges – Tron: Legacy, Crazy Heart) and after a few arguments set off to find Chaney. However, they soon discover they are not the only ones on his trail, they find out that LaBoeuf (Matt Damon – The Adjustment Bureau, Hereafter), a Texas Ranger is also trying to hunt him down.

This is one time when Joel and Ethan Coen (A Serious Man, Burn After Reading) certainly don’t deserve the tag “of Hollywood’s most over-rated directors”. This time round, the duo very little wrong. The story (although slow moving in parts) keeps the audience focused, while the characters are well-developed from the novel, and you soon find  yourself having a soft spot for not only but Mattie, but the hardened Rooster. You certainly do care what happens to them.

What the Coen Brothers have created here is one of the best Western movies to surface in a long time. Visually, it looks spectacular. The dark mood of the story is well reflected with low lighting, while every frame seems to capture the ‘harshness’ of the situation at hand. In fact the film’s only weakness is that the ending seems rushed. I’m not sure we needed to see the whole part with 40-Year-Old Mattie, but what we did need to see (that we didn’t) was what happened to LaBoeuf. Poor old Matt Damon seemed to get forgotten, a pity as he really is a major piece to the story.

Acting-wise True Grit shines. Early on, it seems that Hailee Steinfeld is going to be yet another precocious teenage actor, but she grows on you, and at the end of the day her performance is spectacular. She is well supported by Jeff Bridges who really does make the character of Rooster his own. He may mumble a little too much (making it hard for the audience to work out what he is saying early on), but he does manage to put in a performance that will be remembered for a long time to come.

True Grit may not be everybody’s cup-of-tea, but it really is a piece of cinematic brilliance. The rushed ending will disappoint some but for the most part True Grit will impress. A terrific Western that shows there is clearly life left in this genre.

Dave Griffiths

Sometimes people forget that it is okay for a film to just be fun and not a work of art. If you go to see Yogi Bear and just expect a ‘fun film’, you won’t be disappointed. Sure the storyline is aimed for kids, but that is the best thing about this film – it’s full of things for kids, including some very important morals.

Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh – Edgar Floats, Christmas Dreams) has loved Jellystone National Park his whole life. And now he is Head Ranger, a job that sees him training the eager, Ranger Jones (T.J. Miller – Gulliver’s Travels, Unstoppable) and has him trying to stop the ‘smarter than the average bear’, Yogi (Dan Aykroyd – Presidential Reunion, TV’S Family Guy) and his sidekick, Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake – The Social Network, The Open Road) stealing lunches from the Park’s visitors. Normally, it’s a quiet job, but then documentary filmmaker, Rachel (Anna Faris – Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs) shows up and quickly wins Smith’s heart, and then the greedy Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly – Jason Nash Is Married, TV’S Eastbound & Down) decides he wants to log the park. Now it looks like Smith will have to team up with Yogi to save the day.

It is obvious that Yogi Bear is a film for the kids. The screenwriters have tried to include a romance for the adults, but it really fails to suck the audience in. You do care about Ranger Smith but it wouldn’t exactly break your heart if he didn’t end up with Rachel. They have also made the ‘bad guys’ your typical clichés… not that that stops you wanting them to fail, and for the most part the film is simply Yogi and Boo Boo going from one mad idea to the next. But where the screenwriters have hit the nail on the head with this film, is the way they get their message across. The anti-logging and take-care-of-nature message shines through strongly… and that is certainly a message that is important for the kids to learn. The other big tick for Yogi Bear is it is a lot better than Furry Vengeance that tried woefully to get that message across.

Director, Eric Brevig (Journey To The Center Of The Earth, TV’S Xena) wasn’t exactly given a masterpiece script to work with, but he does a more than adequate job at bringing the film to the screen… and making it entertaining. Combining digitally added animals and humans together isn’t easy, and Brevig doesn’t slip up once… even the CG work looks good, although some would say it’s wasted on a kid’s film.

The big find with Yogi Bear is actor, Tom Cavanagh. He does everything he is asked to, and seems to have a firm hand on the role of Ranger Smith. He wins the audience over easily and seems to outshine seasoned veterans like Brendan Fraser in the comedy stakes. He is a joy to watch here, and I can only hope to see him get some better roles over the years.

There may not be much for adults in Yogi Bear, but they clearly aren’t the film’s target audience. Kids on the other hand will lap this film up, its funny dialogue and slapstick comedy works a treat… and what do you know? They may learn a valuable lesson along the way. Don’t expect to laugh much yourself, but your kids will be in stitches.

Dave Griffiths

Director, Duncan Jones stunned the world with his debut film Moon – a film that many of us felt was the best film of 2009… but now of course comes his difficult second film. It is the second film in a director’s career that can make or break his future. Luckily for Jones he seems to be a naturally brilliant director because Source Code is yet another sensational film… a sleeper hit in the making.

Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal – Love And Other Drugs, Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time) is a solider who wakes to find himself in a very confusing situation. One moment he is sitting on a train talking to Christina (Michelle Monaghan – Due Date, Somewhere), a woman whom he doesn’t recognize but seems to know him, then the train explodes and he finds himself waking up in a pod. After conversing with an army colleague Goodwin (Vera Farmiga – Higher Ground, Henry’s Crime) he learns that he know has the skills to be able to be sent back into the past (for eight minutes at a time) in order to solve a crime… this time he is to find who the bomber was that planted the bomb on the train before they can cause other destruction.

The plot does sound like it may hurt your brain like Inception did, but Jones does a fabulous job as director and makes Ben Ripley’s (The Watch, Species: The Awakening) script accessible for his audience without making you feel completely dumb or leaving you confused. You certainly won’t fully understand Source Code but you will still find it a damn good watch.

Source Code is a film that will constantly keep you guessing to what happens next but you certainly won’t be able to pick the ending early on. Jones controls the film nicely and while the special effects may look a little dodgy occasionally you quickly forget about that when you realise how good the story is. The main cast are also sensational with Gyllenhaal following up his brilliant performance in Love & Other Drugs with yet another faultless performance.

This is the film that shows that Duncan Jones is set to become one of the best directors of our generation. He hasn’t let Hollywood taint his style and Source Code is a worthy follow up to Moon. This is a stunning sci-fi that is sure to have a cult following… now we just have to count down the days until some television executive decides that it would make a good TV series.

Dave Griffiths

It seems that not all filmmakers who have set themselves the task of making a ‘Super-Hero’ film have seen The Dark Knight, obviously those behind The Green Hornet haven’t or they would have learnt that it is okay to give your Super-Hero some character without creating a buffoon, and that an audience will watch a dramatic script… they don’t need to be forced to try and laugh every few minutes.

Based on the radio series created by James Trendle, The Green Hornet tells the story of Britt Reid (Seth Rogen – Funny People, Monsters vs. Aliens), the son of a hard Newspaper-Owner, James Reid (Tom Wilkinson – Burke And Hare, The Conspirator). Due to his rough treatment by his father, James becomes a party-boy who has very little interest in his father’s work. However, when his father dies he is suddenly in charge of a Media Empire. As a side to this job Britt teams up with his father’s employee, Kato (Jay Chou – True Legend, The Treasure Hunter), and helped out by an unknowing, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz – Knight And Day, Shrek Forever After), the duo become a crime-fighting duo that begin to annoy local crime boss, Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz – Inglorious Basterds, TV’S Tatort).

A quick scan over who was responsible for the script of The Green Hornet and it’s not a surprise that Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, Drillbit Taylor) had a major hand in it. He has obviously written the part of Britt/The Green Hornet for himself, and as a result we have a Super-Hero who appears to be more of a man-child…even a total idiot in parts. And while some of the lines will have you laughing, this is certainly no Kick-Ass. Instead The Green Hornet falls in a dangerous middle-ground, somewhere between a comedy and a drama… and doesn’t quite work on many levels.

Even more embarrassing for Rogen is the fact that Jay Chou outshines Rogen in every scene. There simply isn’t anything this guy can’t do… from action scenes to pure golden comedy lines he excels… people, I think we might have found our new Jackie Chan. Rogen is not alone in the ‘wasted talent’ bin on this film, it comes as a real surprise that Cameron Diaz would sign on for this film. She has been on a bit of a roll recently and The Green Hornet seems to be a real step-back in her career… or maybe she thought she was going to flashback to The Mask.

The only real standout in The Green Hornet, is the car. That wins some serious cool points; unfortunately the same can’t be said for Rogen or the script. The film looks good but like so many films these days, it’s good when it could have been great – with some better casting and more in-depth script this could have been a classic.

Dave Griffiths

When it comes to films the Farrelly Brothers have created some brilliant pieces of comedy, like ‘There’s Something About Mary’ and ‘Dumb And Dumber’, but have also created some absolute bombs, like ‘Stuck On You’ and ‘The Heartbreak Kid’. With their hit and miss nature it’s hard to predict what ‘Hall Pass’ will be like before going into the cinema, but after sitting through it you’ll realise that it sits right in the middle-ground. It’s not great, but certainly doesn’t deserve to be called awful.

Rick (Owen Wilson – ‘Little Fockers’, ‘How Do You Know’) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis – TV’S ‘The Cleveland Show’ & ‘Saturday Night Live’) are two married guys that are obsessed by sex and their wives, Maggie (Jenna Fischer – ‘A Little Help’, ‘Solitary Man’) and Grace (Christina Applegate – ‘Going The Distance’, ‘Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore’) are sick of it. Through the advice of a friend the two women decide to give their husbands a ‘Hall Pass’ which will allow them to have a week off their marriage. But that raises the question that if the men are allowed to fool around, then is it okay for the women allowed to do the same?

Surprisingly, ‘Hall Pass’ delves into some really deep areas as it raises questions about whether it’s different when a woman cheats to win a man cheats, but sometimes it just feels that the Farrelly Brother’s toilet humor gets in the way. The film completely sucks you in, but while you may chuckle, but is dragged down by scenes such as a woman having a ‘diarrhea accident’ on a bathroom wall. A pity considering for the most part the story flows well… and yes, even shows just how fickle men can really be.

The second surprise you get from ‘Hall Pass’ is that some of the fringe characters are more interesting than the main characters. As an audience you quickly warm to Maggie (who seems like the victim in the story) while the two characters you can’t get enough of are Leigh (Nicky Whelan – ‘Hollywood & Wine’, TV’S ‘Friends With Benefits’) and Brent (Derek Waters – TV’S ‘Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time’, & ‘Drunk History’). Waters in fact was so good that he stole most of the comedy spotlight from Sudeikis and Wilson. While Whelan did herself proud and showed she has some acting ability unlike Australia’s other blonde it-girl Sophie Monk (‘Spring Break ‘83’, ‘Hard Breakers’).

‘Hall Pass’ has it moments and for the most the story works, it just seems that occasionally the comedy gets in the way of the film’s main points. Still it’s okay for a night out, you will laugh a little, and you will definitely find yourself analyzing some of what the film is trying to get across. Not great… but certainly not awful.

Dave Griffiths

It is rare these days for a good romantic comedy to make it to the big screen, so while How Do You Know is certainly not a masterpiece, it is worth celebrating that it is good enough to keep you entertained… and even give you a couple of laughs along the way… now you can’t say that about many Hollywood comedies these days.

For Lisa (Reese Witherspoon – Monsters vs. Aliens, Four Holidays) life has reached a period of change. Firstly, she finds herself dating baseball-star, Matty (Owen Wilson – Little Fockers, Marmaduke), a self-proclaimed man-whore and then she finds herself cut from the United States National Softball Team. As she works through what to do with her life she wonders whether she should be dating Matty or whether she would be better off with her ‘friend’ George (Paul Rudd – My Idiot Brother, Dinner For Schmucks), a guy she was set up on a blind date with. The only trouble is, George is facing a Federal Investigation for the corruption that his father, Charles (Jack Nicholson – The Bucket List, The Departed) has been indulging in for years.

Sure, the story isn’t exactly ground-breaking but there is just something about How Do You Know that leaves you with a warm feeling inside. James L. Brooks (Spanglish, As Good As It Gets) has created a romantic comedy good enough for you to actually give a damn about the characters involved. Lisa is likable, and it’s not often that you get to see a female sports star as a main character. But the character that really sucks you in is George. The guy is one of life’s losers, but he’s a nice guy and you can’t help but barracking for him. You may even find yourself hating Matty simply because you want George to get the girl. This is all because of some smart writing by James L. Brooks. He may not have created a masterpiece but he has created a film that uses some emotional blackmail to tell its audience what they should be thinking. Brooks also needs to be congratulated for creating a character as interesting as Annie (Kathryn Hahn – My Idiot Brother, TV’S Hung). At first you think she is going to be an annoying character but she grows you on you, and at the end of the day she is the character that provides you with most of the laughs.

The big surprise for me with How Do You Know was that I actually enjoyed watching Paul Rudd. I have never been a fan of his, but so good is Brooks at getting you to like George, that I also enjoyed watching Rudd. Some would say that Jack Nicholson is under-used but you get the feeling that these are the roles he wants to do these days…small but meaty… he is good (not great) here, and plays the bad guy in a way that only Jack Nicholson can. Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson are also credible, although you do get the feeling that some of the scenes that called for Wilson to show true emotion were out of his league… still this is one of his better films.

How Do You Know is never going to pick up any awards but if you are looking for a nice romantic comedy that you are guaranteed to enjoy then this is the film for you. Some good characters and just enough laughs to keep you happy make for one good romantic comedy. Well worth a look!

Dave Griffiths