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Certificate: 
Director: James Cameron
Release Date: 17 October 2009
Tagline: Enter the world.
Main Cast:
Sam Worthington … Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana … Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver … Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang … Colonel Miles Quaritch
3D cinema – fancy gimmick or pleasurable enhancement? Both, actually. In the fantasy sections of the film it works very well, but in the run-of-the-mill scenes it’s pointless and somewhat distracting. So, all in all, 3D is something that, with the right film, could be fantastic.
So, on to the film itself. Cheesy, clichéd and over long, Avatar would not have been the massive success that it was if it was merely a 2D film. The plot and the dialogue are dreadful, and it’s obvious that Cameron was not in the least bit concerned about making a good film, which is a shame as it is certainly visually stunning. I believe that special effects should help tell the story and not be the only attraction and, sadly, Avatar is a film without a soul. Take Titanic – love it or hate it, Cameron had the sets built to perfection. To see that wonderful ship come to life was an absolute joy, and you were completely immersed (no pun intended) in the experience. With Avatar, I found myself constantly aware of the 3D visuals and just couldn’t engage fully with the film.
Having said all that, I appreciate that Avatar is the first genuine 3D film (as opposed to the ones that have 3D versions with a few things that poke out of the screen at you) and, as such, I applaud it. Was it worth paying good money to see? Yes, it was. Do I think 3D is the future? No, I don’t.
Rating: 
(film only)
Rating: (overall experience)
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Directors: John Lasseter and Joe Ranft (co-director)
Release Date: 28 July 2006
Tagline: Ahhh… It’s got that new movie smell.
Main Cast: (voice)
Owen Wilson … Lightning McQueen
Paul Newman … Doc Hudson
Bonnie Hunt … Sally Carrera
Larry The Cable Guy … Mater
I have no clue why this received lukewarm reviews on release as it’s a very charming, funny and engaging film. How the animators managed to get so much character into cars I’ll never know. Humans and animals are easy to inject with emotion, but Pixar are proving to be exceptional at showing emotions on just about anything that they can put eyes on!
The film opens with a thundering race scene and the high octane thrills are fantastic, but its real joy is in the gentle and close knit town in which Lightning McQueen finds himself.
My favourite character has to be Mater, and my favourite scene is when he takes Lightning ‘cow’ tipping. Pure genius!
Cars is a visually stunning gem of a film. What more could you ask for?
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Director: Tim Burton
Release Date: 29 July 2005
Tagline: Oompa-Loompas are crazy for cocoa beans.
Main Cast:
Johnny Depp … Willy Wonka
Freddie Highmore … Charlie Bucket
David Kelly … Grandpa Joe
Another visually wonderful treat from Tim Burton. He’s the perfect director for this quirky and slightly twisted work of art by Roald Dahl. All the usual Burton elements are there; great visuals, Johhny Depp and Danny Elfman (score) and as usual, they all work perfectly together.
The casting is fantastic. Charlie is humble and dignified and the other four kids are crass and ghastly and all play their roles perfectly. Not one of them is over the top and annoying. And, of course, Depp is simply perfect.
Totally engaging from the start, CatCF is a superb journey that remains loyal to Dahl’s book. Mind you, it’s no surprise as you can’t improve on perfection!
A joy from start to finish.
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Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Release Date: 10 July 2008
Tagline: Take a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget.
Main Cast:
Meryl Streep … Donna Sheridan
Pierce Brosnan … Sam Carmichael
Plus many others including Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski
OK, all you’ve heard about Mamma Mia! is true. It’s a delight for ABBA fans, a chick flick and a gay man’s dream. However, if you are none of the above then please don’t rule it out, because it’s an absolute riot!
I loved the West End production, and, I have to say, had my reservations about a film version. I should never have doubted them. Yes the singing is at times somewhat ropey, but it’s the very fact that it is totally honest is what makes it so right.
Mamma Mia! is an unadulterated feel good film. Probably the best ever. Carling don’t do feel good movies, but if they did… ;-p
Heterosexual males – abandon your machismo for 108 minutes and just enjoy yourselves (only with your wives or girlfriends, of course… Just to preserve your image). After all, neither you or your mates are ever going to admit it to each other!
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P.S. Look out for a fleeting cameo from Benny Andersson. I didn’t know he was in it so I had to do a double take!
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Director: Mark Herman
Release Date: 12 September 2008
Tagline: A timeless story of innocence lost and humanity found.
Main Cast:
Asa Butterfield … Bruno
Jack Scanlon … Shmuel
David Thewlis … Father
Vera Farmiger … Mother
Set in wartime Germany, the story is seen through the eyes of a young boy whose father is a high ranking Nazi who has been promoted to a commander of a concentration camp. Forced to leave his grand home in Berlin and his friends, Bruno finds himself in a modest house in the middle of nowhere with no peers. From his bedroom window he can see what he thinks is a farm. It is, of course, the camp but he has no idea of the nature of his father’s work and his assumption is not corrected.
Forbidden to leave the front yard of the house, he becomes fascinated with what lies beyond, and curiosity soon gets the better of him. He stumbles upon the outskirts of the camp and meets Shmuel, a boy his own age sitting behind the fence.
I shall end the review here as this is a film that should be allowed to unravel at its own pace.
Simple yet so incredibly powerful, TBITSP will leave you silent as the credits roll.
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Director: Chris Weitz
Release Date: 5 December 2007
Tagline: “It is the Alethiometer. It tells the truth. As for how to read it, you’ll have to learn by yourself.”
Main Cast:
Nicole Kidman … Mrs Coulter
Daniel Craig … Lord Asriel
Dakota Blue Richards … Lyla
I generally like fantasy films and I was hoping for a slick film with adventure and a sturdy plot. Unfortunately, The Golden Compass is tedious, clichéd, confusing and poorly acted. I nearly switched it off on more than one occasion, but decided to stick with it.
There seems to be a worrying trend growing where some of our finest actors are becoming no more than bit parts in this genre (particularly Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen). As for the children, the obligatory ’street urchins’ were too much for me to bear, and the children’s accents seemed to switch from slightly plummy to (embarrassingly bad) cockney with alarming regularity. Nicole Kidman’s talent is wasted in such rubbish and I wondered what she was doing in it. Her role was so undemanding that it could have been played by anyone with a modicum of talent.
Because it is flawed in almost every area it is very hard for me to come up with any redeeming features. However, I do like talking animals and it had a few of them in it 
Having said that though, they were neither engaging nor amusing and Iorek was too much like Aslan (of the Narnia Chronicles) for me.
Perhaps children in the age range of seven to twelve might enjoy this (mostly girls), but there are other films of this genre that are far superior (Stardust being one of them). I was glad when it ended and will not be watching any future sequels. Very disappointing.
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Certificate: 
Directors: Chris Miller & Raman Hui (co-director)
Release Date: 29 June 2007
Tagline: Who’s ready for Thirds?
Main Cast: (voice)
Mike Myers … Shrek
Eddie Murphy … Donkey
Cameron Diaz … Princess Fiona
Antonio Banders … Puss in Boots
After reading reviews of this I wasn’t expecting too much. However, I thought it was much better than reported. I would have liked to have seen more of Donkey though, as I think he’s by far the best character. I do like the fact that Puss has now joined as a second sidekick to Shrek. As usual, there are plenty of little jokes in the background to amuse us adults.
Shrek the Third is not in the same league as the original, but I’d put it on a par with the second one.
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Director: Andrew Adamson
Release Date: 26 June 2008
Tagline: A new age has begun.
Main Cast:
Ben Barnes … Prince Caspian
Georgie Henley … Lucy Pevensie
Skandar Keynes … Edmund Pevensie
William Moseley … Peter Pevensie
Anna Popplewell … Susan Pevensie
Whilst I enjoyed TCoN: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe I was not a huge fan of it. It looked very pretty, but seemed a bit bland to me. I must confess though, that I dislike ‘precious’ English children in films. They always simper a lot, and invariably can’t act. The actors that play the Pevensie children are no exception and I had an equally tough time watching them in this too. I did like Ben Barnes though as he’s not at all like the others. My dislike of English children aside though, I can’t say that I liked this any more than the first. I thought that at 150 minutes it was rather too long and I found myself losing interest. I seemed to ponder on how the Telmarine men (and possibly the women too) liked having beards. Even their masks had beards. Needless to say, Prince Caspian was handsomely clean shaven. I also never cease to be amazed at how quivers in the movies are magical – archers never, ever run out of arrows.
I should imagine that children from the age of about seven would really enjoy this, but the run time would almost certainly be too much for younger children to sit through. However, as I am reviewing this from an adult’s point of view, I shall rate it accordingly. I watch many children’s films, and I generally enjoy them (as you can see by my other reviews), so I don’t think I’m being unfair.
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Directors: Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath
Release Date: 15 July 2005
Tagline: Ton on the run.
Main Cast: (voice)
Ben Stiller … Alex
Chris Rock … Marty
David Schwimmer … Melman
Jada Pinkett Smith … Gloria
Sacha Baron Cohen … Julien
Madagascar follows a group of four friends from New York’s Central Park Zoo. One of them has a mural of a lush, green landscape opposite him, and this inspires him to leave New York for the ‘wild’. It’s not done in a schmaltzy and sentimental way (thankfully), and when he leaves the unexciting but safe zoo, the other characters go off to find him and bring him back. Which they do. However, they find themselves being taken from the zoo and put on a ship bound for Africa. And so the adventure begins.
This is another good animation that will be enjoyed by both children and adults. It’s very charming and engaging with several laugh out loud moments. The actors fit their characters very well; I especially liked Sacha Baron Cohen as Julien.
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Directors: Chris Wedge & Carlos Saldanha (co-director)
Release Date: 22 March 2002
Tagline: The coolest event in 16,000 years.
Main Cast: (voice)
Ray Romano … Manfred
John Leguizamo … Sid
Denis Leary … Diego
Whilst not in the same league as Pixar’s finest, Ice Age is still very enjoyable for all ages. I would imagine that this is something that would pass most adults by, but if you are like me and enjoy great animation with a good script and talented voice artists then you should find this entertaining.
The basic plot is pretty standard stuff; there is a loner who somehow manages to find himself in the company of an annoying sidekick, but by the end of the film they are great friends. The straight man and the funny one – a classic combination. They are eventually joined by a third character which is a nice added element.
Simple yet very funny, Ice Age is one of those little gems that adults will probably miss, but should really give a chance.
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