FILM: Transformers - Dark Of The Moon 3D (dir: Michael Bay, 2011)

"It's total anarchy around here!"

The third Transformers live-action movie is a curious beast: different yet the same, tonally uneven and a wild mixture of greatness and weakness.  As a movie, it is probably overall the most effective of the three, and thankfully a marked improvement on the desperate Revenge Of The Fallen.  Structurally, it follows the pattern established by its predecessors, but the plotting here is careful and deliberate (to the point of laborious at times in the first half) which leads to some good pay-off moments later on.  The attempts at humour still fall flat too often, but the likes of Shia LaBeouf and the wonderful Alan Tudyk manage to find laughs in limp lines.  Indeed, LaBeouf gives another spirited and committed performance, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proves to be a more than adequate replacement for Megan Fox in a slightly better-written role.  Solid support from actors of the calibre of Frances McDormand and John Malkovich is a help, Leonard Nimoy voices Sentinel Prime to perfection (although leading to a couple of cringeworthy line references to The Wrath Of Khan) and a host of returning faces are welcome for viewers who have followed the series.  Steve Jablonsky's score is disappointingly anonymous, but sound design is excellent.  Like X-Men: First Class, embedding the story in real historical events (here, the Space Race) gives it strength and makes the conspiracy theory element more valid this time.  As the film develops, the question of where the money was spent begins to raise its head, but where Dark Of The Moon really scores is in the bravura final half-hour, when the epic battle scenes in Chicago are a stunningly impressive special effects tour de force, and the true 3D is mostly beautiful.  Bay manages the action with much better clarity, purpose and impact here than in the last film, and he pulls off one truly jaw-dropping moment in the incredible skyscraper sequence glimpsed in the trailer.  Dark Of The Moon is a curiously uneven slow-burner of a story that builds to a very satisfying finale, one which does wrap up this trilogy effectively should Bay and LaBeouf - as they have already indicated - not return for another outing.

FILM: Bridesmaids (dir: Paul Feig, 2011)

"I cracked a sheet...in half!"

Bridesmaids is brilliant for three main reasons: it has one of the best-written (and best-delivered) comedy scripts in ages; Kristen Wiig (who also co-wrote) finally gives the fantastic performance that cinema audiences have been waiting for and she carries the film superbly; and the eclectic and often surprising supporting cast (Jon Hamm, Jill Clayburgh, Matt Lucas and a wonderfully-judged character turn by Chris O'Dowd) uniformly delivers superb timing and delivery.  Bridesmaids is much more than a female version of The Hangover that the well-constructed trailer suggested: there is a real exploration of both friendship and loneliness that gives the characters and relationships genuine foundations for the laughs and the the pathos.  It can be crude and profane at times - witness the astonishing pay-off to the bridal shop scene shown in the trailer - but for the most part the comedy is almost gentle and understated, making the humour that much stronger and more satisfying.  The film is consistently funny both verbally and visually, and perhaps the only mis-step is that a couple of the actual bridesmaids ensemble are underwritten as their characters fizzle out, but this is a minor quibble in a film that is so well-acted, well-written and well-directed that it is easily one of the best films of 2011 so far.

FILM: Green Lantern 3D (dir: Martin Campbell, 2011)

"Have you concluded admiring yourself?"

Of all the recent comic-book adaptations, this movie is probably closest to Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk: well-made, acceptably entertaining but emotionally unengaging.  With veteran pros Martin Campbell directing and Stuart Baird editing, the action beats zip along and the space opera elements well handled.  Ryan Reynolds puts in one hundred per cent effort and manages to carry the film effectively, although the now clearly-mid-thirties star has to contend with many lines that sound as if they were written for a teenage superhero such as a young Peter Parker.  Blake Lively makes an assured love-interest, and Peter Sarsgaard convinces as the earth-bound panto villain.  Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett provide solid supporting human roles, and Mark Strong gives a very striking performance as Lantern Sinestro.  The CG effects are lavish, even though the design elements often feel like a grab-bag mix of previous sci-fi hits (from the soul-snatching of Final Fantasy-The Spirits Within to the street-level slug-fest from Superman II).  The 3D plays well in the space scenes with wonderful depth of field, whilst some of the more mundane everyday situations are crudely converted.  The film feels long but the packed plot maintains attention in what is a sound Friday-night popcorn movie overall.  Sit through the beautifully-rendered 3D end main credits for a set-up scene for the sequel.

FILM: Stake Land (dir: Jim Mickle, 2011)

"You boys look like hell."
" S**t happens."

Stake Land is a low-budget gem in the mould of last year's Monsters.  The film is much more than a vampiric Zombieland without the laughs, providing a physical and emotional brutality that has strength and integrity throughout the running time.  At the film's heart are two superb performances by Nick Damici as Mister and a profoundly open-hearted turn by Connor Paolo as orphaned narrator Martin, whom Mister takes under his wing, with lots of great supporting  character work by the wonderful Danielle Harris and an almost-unrecognisable but excellent Kelly McGillis amongst others.  The wintry vistas and watery sunlight creates a chill bleakness in the beautifully-shot landscapes as the accidental group travel across plague-ravaged America  (which as always has a plentiful supply of petrol, cigarettes and ammunition) to seek refuge in the 'New Eden' of Canada.  The feral creatures are effectively and menacingly realised, and cleverly different stages of their mutation provide an escalating level of threat to the travellers.  Stake Land is a confident, raw and considered movie that gives a well-established scenario real depth and honesty.

FILM: Bad Teacher (dir: Jake Kasdan, 2011)

"What the hell was that?"

Not so much bad as mildly naughty, this Cameron Diaz vehicle has moments of daft, lewd greatness which are never sustained or pushed far enough to make this a truly memorable film.  The film has a lot of delightful characters and performances on offer, from a charmingly-observed Justin Timberlake to nicely-nuanced fellow teachers Jason Segel and Phyllis Smith and a rip-roaring Lucy Punch as Diaz's obnoxiously good  but increasingly deranged nemesis, the delightfully-named Amy Squirrel.  The script is thin, the plotting obvious, and Cameron Diaz still relies too much on the smile, the body and the hair, but Bad Teacher is nevertheless a harmless and occasionally amusing lightweight comedy.

DVD: The Loved Ones (dir: Sean Byrne, 2010)

"Is it finger-lickin' good?"

The director says in a bonus feature interview that he was aiming for Carrie and The Evil Dead with this Australian prom night torture-porn entry, and  - to a degree - on a much smaller scale he succeeds.  Whilst the film is technically sound, and there are good performances on offer (notably Xavier Samuel as the much-suffering victim and a gloriously unhinged turn from Robin McLeavy as the aggrieved Lola/'Princess'), this is a grim film, with even little black comedy, just calculated unpleasantness throughout as it moves from an impressive study of grief in the first twenty minutes to outright (and often unpredictable and excruciating) sadism.  At a scant but challenging 75 minutes long, the film seems to wrap up itself at the hour mark, but finds somewhere potentially interesting to go, only to end too quickly and miss potential development to a more satisfying conclusion.    Take away the irritating sub-plot and this becomes a possible stage piece; as a film, it creates the tension and an engaging situation that raises it above weaker entries in the sub-genre.

FILM: Mother's Day (dir: Darren Lynn Bousman, 2011)

"Every time I turn my head, you make a mess!"

Mother's Day is by turns wonderful and frustrating, a true '..but...' film, e.g. this is occasionally nearly brilliant, but...  The first third is terrific: fast-paced and edgy, with the manic unpredictability of the bank-robbing psychos and tight direction creating a real grip on the viewer.  However, once the mother (a masterful Rebecca De Mornay) turns up and settles in, the momentum falters and a couple of narrative mis-choices (such as the pathetic nail-gun attack) undermine the seriousness and tension, as increasing daftness sets in and gender issues veer so wildly that it seems like the impending tornado in the movie (which never materialises) has hit the screenplay.  Nevertheless, Mother's Day is an effectively old-fashioned home-invasion potboiler with pleasingly unpleasant physical gore effects and a lot of terrific performance work by a talented cast amongst the histrionics (Warren Kole and Shawn Ashmore in particular) .  The film does manage to pull off one unique 'punishment' which - as members of the audience started to realise what was about to happen - got a strong and vocal reaction before, during and after its on-screen action!

FILM: Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (dir: Jennifer Yuh, 2011)

"It's quiet, polite and - quite frankly - does better kung fu!"

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a surprisingly strong children's animation, which raises the bar very effectively from the adequate first film.  The film is a technical triumph for DreamWorks Animation, even surpassing How To Train Your Dragon, with stunning CGI throughout and impressive depth of field in its excellent use of 3D.  Action/fight sequences are pacily edited and show real imagination in their coverage on screen.  The story works well both as a simple good vs. evil adventure quest (with Gary Oldman voicing the convincingly villainous peacock Shen) and as an emotional journey for Jack Black's panda Po as he pieces together his past, shown through wonderfully-realised old-school animated flashbacks.  Whereas the original movie felt rather forced, here there is a more measured tone and a stronger overall narrative, with the visual gags well-placed and genuinely funny ("Stealth mode!").  The dream voice cast works effortlessly (Black, Jolie, Hoffman, Chan, Rogen, etc), which - together with the truly cinematic style and cutting of the film - gives Kung Fu Panda 2 a feel of ambition and credibility which lifts it above most sequels.

FILM: X-Men First Class (dir: Matthew Vaughn, 2011)

"More tea, vicar?"

X-Men First Class seemed a bit of a gamble for the franchise, but it turns out to be a hugely entertaining Summer blockbuster, and it is a considerable improvement on both X-Men The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The proposed Origins movie featuring Magneto was wisely shelved, as it is the focus on the developing friendship and subsequent estrangement of Xavier and Magneto that makes this film so engaging.  Matthew Vaughn rises to the event movie challenge by directing both intimate and huge-scale moments with consistent effectiveness throughout, and Jane Goldman provides yet another warm, witty and intelligent script, which only occasionally lapses into lines of preachy 'mutant' tolerance.  The clever 1960s setting is wonderfully realised and utilised (frequent globe-trotting, go-go girls, huge sets, the baddie has a submarine), with the interweaving of real history and the X-Men universe providing a strong and grounding backdrop for the fantasy.  The first half feels a little frantic and slightly disjointed as the film travels from one country to another, but this merely puts all the pieces in place for an exciting and well-constructed second half that truly delivers in terms of story and action.  James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender deliver terrific performances as the younger Professor X and Magneto, Kevin Bacon shines as the particularly unpleasant villain, and indeed the whole cast works very well, with January Jones and Nicholas Hoult in particular doing some fine character work.  X-Men First Class may prove to be a bit drama-heavy for the popcorn crowd, but the film puts the franchise firmly back on track - it will be interesting to see if Fox goes for a follow-up to this film or back to the present-day for the next installment.