DVD: [REC] (dir: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza, 2007)

"It's out of control."

It is, of course, very Blair Witch, but better in every way, and a great viewing experience. From the early shocks to the frantic final half-hour, [REC] takes its straightforward premise and wrings from it every drop of suspense and jump value that it can from its taut running time. The attempt at authenticity works well, apart from a couple of glaring Idiot Plot moments, and the characters come across as mostly genuine and unforced. With some genuine shock moments, [REC] is efficient, relentless, and very enjoyable indeed.

DVD: Trick 'r Treat (dir: Michael Dougherty, 2007)

"Happy Halloween!"
"Screw you!"

Two years after the buzz generated by the trailer and occasional festival screenings, we finally get to see Trick 'r Treat. This is Halloween with everything but the kitchen sink: great design, surprisingly good cast on the whole who give it their all, and a nicely-constructed portmanteau narrative. For such a lightweight film, the tonal lurches from shock to comedy are frequent, sudden and quite demanding. It doesn't really live up to its reputation, although it is clearly made with real affection, but it is a fun viewing experience, and Trick 'r Treat is a film which would have been classic drive-in fodder.

DVD: Fast and Furious (dir: Justin Lin, 2009)

"We're all just along for the ride now."

The fourth in the Fast & Furious franchise hits the ground running and merrily bowls along with scant regard for plot and character but relentlessly aims to please and entertain, which it manages for the most part. Playing at times like a Bourne-lite for petrolheads, Fast & Furious is handsomely shot, making great use of location work but curiously lacking in the car-candy that has been a trademark of the series. The action sequences are, well, fast and furious, and utterly preposterous, with a seeming reliance on CGI which occasionally make the speeder-bikes in Tron seem photorealistic. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel frown a lot in this film, because they are clearly doing very serious character work here, but the easy-going banter between them comes across well. Fast & Furious is very silly and very entertaining - in other words, the franchise has returned to form, and the prospect of a fifth film - nicely set up at the end - is not unwelcome.

DVD: District 13 Ultimatum (dir: Patrick Alessandrin, 2009)

"Strike!"

Not only is District 13 Ultimatum written by Luc Besson, it looks like one of his films too. The scale of the film's narrative is considerably larger than that of the enjoyable first film, but the sequel plays in a very similar comic-book fashion. Rather like Twister, it is easy to overlook the 'plot' sections whilst waiting for the next terrific action set-piece, and the storyline is very silly indeed, but at its core District 13 Ultimatum in a buddy movie for the late Noughties, and David Belle and Cyril Rafaelli do sterling and engaging work both as the film's nominal heroes and in the excellent action and parkour sequences. The film plays like the Crank series in tone, but in a less demented and equally entertaining way. A reasonable selection of DVD extras include more fight/action sequences trimmed from the finished film.

DVD: The Last House On The Left (dir: Dennis Iliadis, 2009)

"This is four-dollar champagne."

Art or exploitation? This re-make cannot make up its mind. Losing the original's social context and comment, the 2009 model goes for a low-budget aesthetic which is not as convincing as its predecessor's genuinely squalid, quasi-documentary feel, resulting in a film that is simply distasteful. Langorous to the point of dullness, director Iliadis gives the film some nice artistic flourishes which sit uncomfortably with the moderate attempt at shock and disgust. Garret Dillahunt (Cromartie from TV's The Sarah Connor Chronicles) gives a cool and convincingly disturbing turn as Krug, with earnest work from the rest of the cast. John Murphy's score is interesting and marries old and new styles effectively, but some odd-sounding foley work jars occasionally. The film's running time is over-stretched, but the second half picks up as the film goes into more standard slasher territory, with a bizarre gore stunt at the very end. It is almost impossible to divorce re-makes from their originators, and the viewing experience may well be different for a new generation with fresh eyes, but the 2009 take on The Last House On The Left adds little and therefore offers little. The limited DVD extras leave little impression.

FILM: Saw VI (dir: Kevin Greutert, 2009)

"These people have no respect for the lives that they're destroying."

As Saw VI lost out on the US top spot to Paranormal Activity on its opening weekend and took its lowest opening box-office of the series so far, the doomsayers predict the end of the series (even with Saw VII 3D already in pre-production). But let's get this into perspective: this is still very successful for the sixth film in a franchise and will still be very profitable for Lionsgate. Faced with the triple threat of the sleeper hit Paranormal Activity, franchise exhaustion and fans quite rightly unwilling to forgive the miserable fifth entry last year, Saw VI was facing an uphill battle from the start. In the UK at least, the fact that there are no screenings for critics in advance means that the films are at best dismissed summarily and at worst given negative reviews without real consideration by people who have not followed the series with any real interest or continuity. So, what of Number 6 (sorry, VI)? Thankfully, it proves to be the best entry since the opening trilogy (all three of which, on re-viewing, stand up very well), and a massive improvement on the unengaging and sloppy fifth film. Increased screen time for the excellent Tobin Bell is a bonus (yes, even though the character died in number three), and the development of his wife Jill (played beautifully by Betsy Russell) in this film is very pleasing. This time, the 'victims' have a genuine reason for being part of the narrative, the traps and games are mostly effective (especially when involving the viewer in making choices of who should survive), the opener being the weakest, and the carousel sequence shown widely in the pre-release material being much more extensively developed in the movie and proving to be one of the highlights. A genuinely strong finale and a set-up for a potentially explosive (and slightly different) sequel left me looking forward to next Halloween considerably more than Saw V did this time last year. One of the strengths of the Saw series is that it takes no prisoners in terms of the ongoing narrative; in this respect, it is extremely satisfying for the fans and utterly impenetrable to new or casual viewers, which cannot help box-office at this point. Saw VI uses flashbacks and the ongoing story to very clever purpose, and even the traditional narrative rug-pulling towards the end works very well here. Kevin Greutert - the Saw franchise's long-term editor - copes well in the director's chair, with just occasional mistiming that could have maximied the shocks a bit more, but giving Saw VI a sense of consistency and ambition in direction that the last two entries have lacked. This film definitely puts the franchise back on track - let's hope that the cinema-going audience does not desert it now and doom it to cheaper DVD-targeted hackwork.

FILM: Cirque Du Freak - The Vampire's Assistant (dir: Paul Weitz, 2009)

"You do read books, don't you?"

The big advantage of the movie version is that it doesn't need the irritating first-person narrative of the novel(s). Cirque Du Freak - The Vampire's Assistant is a competently made, mildly entertaining film clearly aimed at the young male audience who would never dream of going near the Twilight franchise, movies or books. Playing like a bizarre marriage of The Lost Boys, Interview With The Vampire and Goosebumps, with nods to old-school Asian vampire/horror movies, the slightly uneven style and tone of the film is made up for ably by a great cast for a children's production (a restrained John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek, and Willem Dafoe doing an amusing take on Vincent Price) and two (male) teenage leads who play their characters with reasonable control and seriousness. Plenty of plot fills its running time, leading to a well-mounted final smackdown, although it definitely feels like a movie designed to set up a bigger sequel (which early US box-office suggests may not happen). Cirque Du Freak is a perfectly amiable movie that is never earth-shattering but does well within its own limits. However, over seven decades on from Todd Browning's extraordinary and controversial Freaks, what does it say about today that Hollywood is offering a 'freak show' as children's entertainment?

DVD: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (dir: Gavin Hood, 2009)

"I hate to say it, Jimmy, but frankly, I'm a little disappointed."

The story seems to work better on the small screen, whereas the spectacle works better on the big screen. This is the main reason why people found Wolverine a difficult film to like; it is a very small-scale story presented as an epic, and the two don't marry together well. Fitfully pleasing after an encouraging start, the first X-Men spin-off movie does not bode well for others: if Wolverine cannot sustain a whole movie as a central character, what hope is there for Magneto or even X-Men: First Class? Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber both put in effective work on screen, and the edgier tone and physical action work reasonably within their 12A constraints, but the somewhat workaday superhero-style origin backstory and a narrative that strays all over the place means that the viewer has little to really latch onto. At times, the CGI make The Mummy Returns look cutting-edge, which also takes the audience out of the movie. Deadpool and Gambit both serve the film very well, however, and as a companion piece to the X-Men movies, Wolverine fits appropriately. Its moderate box-office returns do not seem to have deterred Fox from prepping Wolverine 2, but, as Universal have found with The Hulk, developing a character-worthy foundation for a film may be a fundamental problem. DVD extras are meagre.

DVD: Friday The 13th (dir: Marcus Nispel, 2009)

"Look at how old this s**t is. It's like it was dragged here from another century."

If you want to know about American social history and the changes in Hollywood film-making since 1980, all you need to do is watch the Friday the 13th franchise in chronological order. There is nothing inherently wrong with the idea of a re-make using elements from the first three films - although it is a slightly disorientating experience for long-time fans - and there is real potential for a terrific 2009 film to move the franchise forwards, but this film mostly fails to deliver. In this Extended Cut, a couple of the kills are indeed nastier than the theatrical version and bring much-needed gore appeal to what seemed quite a tame entry, in spite of this incarnation of Jason being rather more spritely and enthusiastic than in recent incarnations. Of all the big horror franchises, the early Friday the 13th movies really do show their age and low-budget origins, now downgraded to 15 certificates and appearing almost quaint. Yet by making the characters the same booze-weed-sex-obsessed dimwits as their 80s counterparts, this year's cast seem rather unconvincing and out-of-place, and Jared Padalecki demonstrates his acting range by creating a 'completely different' character to his starring Supernatural role - by growing his hair slightly longer. Some of the set pieces are efficient, such as the toolshed and the initial exploration of Jason's hut (although I'm still wondering what happened to the speedboat...). The very dimly-lit second half still remains muddled and plays less even well on DVD than it did in cinemas. Perhaps the worst aspect of the 2009 model is that it doesn't really feel like a Friday the 13th film - it needed more than digital blood and satnav to truly bring it into the 21st Century. The DVD extras are repetitive, although the alternate/deleted scenes are of minor interest. Maybe Friday The 13th Part 2, scheduled for Friday 13th August 2010, will put the franchise back on track - but then, don't we say that hopefully with every new horror sequel?

DVD: Doghouse (dir: Jake West, 2009)

"It's a bit late to start praying, isn't it?"

Deliberately non-PC and misogynist, Doghouse is too simple, too weak and too late to have any real impact. It is best seen as a harmless, feeble-minded romp that rattles along at a fair pace to little real effect or purpose. As first-billed, Danny Dyer is - as always - Danny Dyer and gives good value, but no-one seems quite sure (especially in the early stages) whether they are playing this earnestly or tongue-in-cheek. The DVD has a nice package of extras, which ultimately add little to the experience, and the film looks good for its limited budget and scope.

FILM: Up 3D (dir: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 2009)

"Thanks for the adventure..."

Simply beautiful from start to finish: the sumptuous digital images, glorious use of 3D, wonderful structure, another cracking lyrical score by Michael Giacchino...Up ranks as one of Pixar's very best movies, and it shows a range of tone and emotional resonace that very few live-action movies could hope to achieve. It's not just the craftsmanship on display that makes Pixar so successful - they make movies with genuine love of the form, and it has never been more evident than in this movie.

FILM: Zombieland (dir: Ruben Fleischer, 2009)

"Rule #32: Enjoy the little things."

Zombieland hits the ground running (as opposed to zombie-shuffling), never lets up and entertains superbly from start to finish. Similar in tone to James Gunn's Slither but far more consistent and successful, Zombieland is sharp, witty and frequently surprising. It revels in movieland stupidity (in spite of social apocalypse, the electricity grid still works fine, and our heroes have a never-ending supply of ammo) but never strays into parody. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson (in a role he was born to play) are both hilarious throughout as the mis-matched survivors making their way across America, almost matched by Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as their non-zombie antagonists. Moments of real pathos peek through the relentless carnage, the deeply black humour and the out-and-out wonderful stupidity of the whole premise. The funfair-set finale is a riotous blast, and the sequence set in Bill Murray's Hollywood mansion is probably the funniest movie episode of this year. Sequel, please.

FILM: Halloween 2 (dir: Rob Zombie, 2009)

"Bad taste is the petrol that drives the American Dream."

Cards on the table: Carpenter's Halloween is one of my all-time favourite films, and I've loved the franchise, through its highs and considerable lows. The prospect of Zombie's re-imagining of the original film was bad enough, the reality even worse, so I was not expecting much of Halloween 2, 2009 version, at all. To my astonishment, this tenth entry in the series turned out to be one of the best. Rob Zombie can hardly be called a sophisticated film-maker, but in Halloween 2 there is a much greater sense of control, shape and a sense of cinematic ambition that is largely absent from his previous work and makes for a more satisfying viewing experience. Tyler Bates's often understated score and the overall sound design work very well. Rob Zombie has made much of his desire for the opportunity to make this his own vision of a Halloween film, unfettered from the constraints of remaking the first film, but there are enough continuity nods and explicit references to earlier films in the series, both narrative and technical, to please long-time fans. This is a brutal and bloody film, which the BBFC passed uncut but which pushes the limits of mainstream screen gore. This is indeed a strength of the film: Myers is reinstated as a merciless, relentless and powerful killing machine, and the film amply demonstrates that death is horrible, flesh is weak and violence has very real physical and psychological consequences all round. The main problem is that the film is so keen to give Michael motivation (a Friday The 13th-style 'do-it-for-mummy' plot strand to give Zombie's wife a recurring role, and an unconvincing 'psychic link' between Laurie and her bother which is redundantly introduced in a single scene), when both the 1978 original and even Zombie's own re-boot made it clear that Michael is simply pure evil. Malcolm McDowell is no Donald Pleasence, and he is underserved by the celebrity-author sub-plot which here is reminiscent of Scream 2 and is underdeveloped in relation to the main narrative drive of the film. However, Brad Dourif gives an excellent and convincing performance as Sheriff Brackett, and Scout Taylor-Compton and the wonderful Danielle Harris lift Halloween 2 way above what is usually required and expected from late-entry franchise movie casting. Non-fans will dismiss Zombie's Halloween 2 as throwaway fodder, but for the faithful it puts the series firmly back on track. It's a shame that the US box-office was underwhelming, but then releasing a Halloween-themed movie at the end of August there still seems plain daft, even though the actual holiday references are quite muted in this film. The ending leaves the story in a similar position to that of one of the earlier sequels, which was subsequently dropped for the following film; it will be interesting to see if the next entry runs with it, as it would be worth exploring further.

FILM: Toy Story 3D (dir: John Lasseter, 1995)

"You could have sucked my eyeballs right out of their sockets!"

As the Pixar machine starts its early lead in for the third installment next Summer, the 3D re-rendering of the original Toy Story looks superb. The 3D adds plenty to the viewing experience - this is not the 'poke your eye out' variety of 3D, just adding wonderful depth and richness, especially in the previously-sparse 'real' scenes such as the petrol station and the moving lorry/street episodes - but it does not really add to the film itself, which fourteen years on remains an utter joy from start to finish. So why do we have to wait until January for the 3D Toy Story 2, when U.S. cinemas are currently showing both 3D revamps as a double-bill?

FILM: Pandorum (dir: Christian Alvart, 2009)

"Do we even know where we're going?"

Pandorum is a SERIOUS film. A dark film. Very dark. As in 'please put some money in the meter' dark. It touches on - and aspires to be like - great sci-fi movies, but never quite gets there. Lighting, set and sound design are all top notch. Dennis Quaid's performance gives it a steady core, Ben Foster gives it everything he's got, and there's even a surprisingly sturdy turn from Cam Gigandet in the second half. The ploy of giving the characters amnesia so that the audience 'discovers' with them, has the downside that we know little about them and care even less. As it doesn't take much to work out what's going on inside the huge spaceship, even a neat twist at the end fails to create much mystery and involvement. There are a couple of strong action sequences (although cut like the AvP films, so the viewer hasn't much idea what's going on), and pity the poor guy whose stasis tube opens at just the wrong moment, but the overall feel of a sci-fi Pick'n'Mix never goes away.