FILM: Limitless (dir: Neil Burger, 2011)

"I don't have delusions of grandeur - I have an actual recipe for grandeur!"

Limitless is a smart, sharp contemporary thriller. Bradley Cooper carries the movie effortlessly and convincingly with an assured and precise performance as the washed-up writer Eddie Morra whose life is transformed by an experimental but dangerous drug. Director Burger employs an interesting and well-handled array of audio-visual tricks to take the viewer on the journey with Eddie and experience the unfolding narrative with him. With strong support from Anna Friel, Abbie Cornish and an on-form De Niro, Limitless proves to be entertaining, engaging and even thought-provoking ("Worth the risk? What would you do?") from start to finish.

FILM: Submarine (dir: Richard Ayoade, 2011)

"Well, I have a big heart."

With filmic influences that seem to range from classic European cinema to Spielberg to Scott Pilgrim, Submarine is a joyous, warm, intelligent and immensely enjoyable movie from start to finish. Richard Ayoade's first full-length film as writer and director amply demonstrates his skills in both areas: the direction shows genuine invention and control without ever being too showy, and the script (from Joe Dunthorne's novel) gives every character an excellent range of wit, comedy and pathos. Craig Roberts (last seen as the teen vampire in Being Human) gives a superb central performance as 15-year-old Oliver, and Yasmin Paige shows promise as his girlfriend Jordana. The main adults are models of character work (especially Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor as Oliver's emotionally-constrained parents). Andrew Hewitt' score supports the film beautifully, and the Welsh landscape provides some wonderful juxtapositions of nature, industry and institutions (home, school, hospital). It is refreshing to see teenagers given credit for real emotions in film, which is sorely lacking in most Hollywood product. Submarine represents the very best of small-scale British film, and it will be very interesting to see what Ayoade does next.

FILM: The Eagle (dir: Kevin Macdonald, 2011)

"There's no medicine for that."

Can this really be from the same director who brought us The Last King Of Scotland? This is a tremendously dreary movie, hampered fatally by a cruelly weak script which sees the likes of Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland struggle to make anything interesting of it and leaves even Channing Tatum to flounder. The story is simplistic and stretches credulity at every step, and the range of inappropriate accents on display is intriguing. After a promising opening with attacks on a Roman outpost, the combat scenes are shot in a disappointingly confused and unengaging manner. If you haven't given up long before, the final two lines of the film demonstrate the film's lack of identity and purpose - even the score sounds parodic at times. The Eagle shows some fine landscapes and the lead duo manage to convey some sense of the emerging bond between Roman master and Brit slave, but the film is a plodding and disappointing experience.

FILM: Battle: Los Angeles (dir: Jonathan Liebesman, 2011)

"Extra-terrestrial."

"You mean, like, from space?"

"No. From Canada."

Battle: Los Angeles is quite simply a very entertaining popcorn action/war/alien-invasion movie, with its mid-range budget all up on the screen, a screenplay that seldom pauses for breath and a number of very effective action beats. Inevitably, the shadows of Aliens and Independence Day (amongst others) loom large, but by placing the viewpoint firmly from the soldiers on the ground, coupled with the incessantly moving camera and frequent tight close-ups, the viewer is put right in the thick of the action which is often intense and immediate. To no surprise, the military stereotypes are all lined up at the start, and they mostly utter cliches and dialogue-with-extra-cheese, but occasional smartly-written lines punch through. Clever casting of the excellent Aaron Eckhart as lead gives the film a rock-solid foundation throughout, as the supporting actors do positive work without ever being able to break out from their basic narrative functions. Brian Tyler provides a wonderful melancholy score, although a couple of battle scenes could have pulled back on the choirs-and-kitchen-sink bombastic approach. The violence and intensity definitely pushes the boundaries of the 12A certificate at times, but this is what the film is all about; for in-depth Platoon-style character study, look elsewhere, but for big, loud Friday-night action, Battle: Los Angeles definitely delivers.

FILM: Hall Pass (dirs: Bobby and Peter Farrelly, 2011)

"Home, home on the range...."

Hall Pass bears all the hallmarks expected of a Farrelly Brothers comedy - a thin concept, a couple of effective gross-out gags, moments of comedy/drama uncertainty - and acquits itself reasonably. Owen Wilson does well by having to play more of a character than himself , and the seasoned comedic delivery of Jason Sudeikis plays fine if a little too smugly at times. As their suffering wives, Christina Applegate gives an assured performance whilst Jenna Fischer is a trifle bland in an underwritten role. The supporting band of comedic friends (including Stephen Merchant, drawing genuine humour from a badly-stereotyped Brit role) has promise but literally disappears halfway through. There are plenty of amusing moments (the early visit to an unbearable rich friend's mansion is a highlight), and unsurprising life/love lessons are duly learned (men are children, women have emotional needs), but overall this is quite a gentle film for the Farrellys.

DVD: Feast III: The Happy Finish (dir: Jon Gulager, 2009)

"Did you learn this in the marines?"

"No - Rambo III."

This direct continuation from the previous entry has similar problems (improbable characters, redundant dialogue, unfunny attempts at humour) and similar strengths (abundant enthusiasm, punching slightly above its budget). Feast III is chaotic in terms of story and execution, especially in the second half, and it substitutes the genuine situation-led lunacy of Part Two for a lot of murkily-lit running around to little effect and interest. There are a couple of well-staged moments, and the gore is again surprisingly effective at times (in the American Unrated version), but overall Feast III is not such a 'happy finish' to a series that begin so promisingly.

FILM: The Adjustment Bureau (dir: George Nolfi, 2011)

"Coincidence? I think not."

The first feature from screenwriter George Nolfi takes another Philip K. Dick concept and spins it into an engagingly intimate story on the power of love, fate and free will. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt both shine wonderfully as the couple who find an instant chance attraction but who are not part of The Plan and whose every attempt at developing their romance has to be thwarted by literal (and cleverly realised) Agents of Fate. The film is sumptuously shot - this is very much a movie-beautiful version of New York - with all the technical elements attractively polished. The story builds effectively to an efficient chase climax (but try not to have Monsters Inc. in mind when the 'doors' come into play). This is a satisfying film, but it does not quite escape from the fact that is is a rather thin allegory stretched over 105 minutes, and the careful, low-key approach gives it grace and weight but detracts from its overall viewing impact.

FILM: Rango (dir: Gore Verbinski, 2011)

"If I see your face in this town again, I'm gonna slice it off and use it to wipe my unmentionables."

"Mind the beak....."

If you thought Gnomeo & Juliet was barking mad, Rango goes completely beyond weird. The first act is superb, matching the pace, energy and invention of the classic Tex Avery cartoons with modern CG stylings. As the film goes on, it veers wildly between dark/light and slapstick/ spiritualism, mixing very precise skewering of classic Western genre conventions with anachronistic modern-day references (both filmic and visual) with complete abandon. The animal characters are a bizarre and rough gang, rendered in quite fantastic detail, led by a terrific voice performance by Johnny Depp as pretender-Sherriff Rango, an excitable Isla Fisher as pseudo-love-interest Beans and a clever use of a Greek chorus of mariachi owls! Hans Zimmer must have had great fun creating and playing with a typical Western soundtrack. The film references and the entire use of the Wild West scenario will go completely over the heads of young viewers, but this frantic hit-and-miss movie has something to please everybody at least some of the time.