FILM: Mama (dir: Andy Muschietti, 2013)

"Am I safe?"
"From what? A crazy eight-year-old girl?  Give me a break."

Mama may be cliche-ridden, but for the most part it is a solidly-made supernatural thriller with some nice touches and a couple of good jolts, even if the overall effect is just mildly unsettling.  In its favour, Mama is lushly shot, the little girls are terrific, the foregrounding of the female characters and motivations is refreshing, and - as the couple who take on the feral girls - Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau are given characters they can work with (rock guitarist and artist respectively) against the usual type who do not expect to be parent figures or caught up in this scenario (Chastain's reaction to the first full reveal of Mama is unusually truthful for this type of movie).  Sadly, the narrative wheels fall off towards the oddly-operatic ending, but Mama is one of the better-made entries in this currently-popular genre.

DVD: Universal Soldier - Day Of Reckoning (dir: John Hyams, 2013)

"That's the spirit, soldier!"

This latest and utterly bizarre contribution into the Universal Soldier franchise should completely bemuse genre fans, as it comes across as an art-house-action-thriller created and directed by David Lynch.  The opening five minutes are a superbly executed gruelling POV sequence that sets up the motivation for new super-soldier 'John' (Scott Adkins, who as an actor is clearly a very good martial artist), and ten minutes in one wonders if the disc is accidentally playing a surrealist film in error.  Day Of Reckoning is ambitious (lofty themes of identity, memory and revenge abound), styles change without warning and the soundtrack is like a particularly trippy episode of Space: 1999.  Director John Hyams returns as director from 2010's Regeneration, and amongst the strangeness shows that he can create strong action set-pieces as well, including a knock-out smackdown in a sports store and another seemingly single-take sequence in which John systematically takes out a succession of soldiers.  Van Damme (looking increasingly like Bruce Willis's dad) and Lundgren are used sparingly but purposefully.  Echoes of Apocalypse Now and Memento are significant, making this an intriguing, unpredictable and totally unexpected direct-to-DVD franchise entry.

DVD: V/H/S (dir: Ti West, Adam Wingard and Simon Barret, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, 2013)

"I'm almost disappointed."

This portmanteau collection of horror shorts, loosely tied together by a burglary story, is intended as a love-letter to the glory days of VHS horror, but the lo-fi conceit sits at odds with modern CG trickery and the inevitable nods to the Saw, Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch franchises.  The wraparound story is the weakest, and the success of the individual segments really depends on the mood of the viewer, as often the weak performances and uniformly unlikeable characters come across as more comedy than horror.  There is some invention on display, and the overall playing on the voyeuristic nature of the camera and the audience has some merit, which is perhaps giving more credit to these thin stories than they deserve.

FILM: This Is 40 (dir: Judd Apatow, 2013)

"That was deeply uncomfortable.  At least the pretty girl was there to distract our attention."

This 'sort-of sequel' to Knocked Up really falls between sincere drama and pithy comedy, and as such it never quite hits the mark whilst having a lot to commend.  As the central couple, Paul Rudd is always a watchable and genial screen presence, Leslie Mann is relentlessly whiny but can deliver a line well, and their two daughters are well-played foils, but it is difficult to warm to such a stereotypically repressed American couple who remain for the most part wilfully (and spectacularly financially) oblivious to their imploding situation.  A fairly monotone style becomes wearing, but the film is enlivened by some (tellingly) sharp one-liners and pay-offs, together with some nicely-played subsidiary roles (Megan Fox, John Lithgow, Melissa McCarthy).  This is the Apatow clan recognising the approaching mid-life crisis and growing more personal and at times more considered, making for an uneven but watchable film.

FILM: Beautiful Creatures (dir: Richard LaGravenese, 2013)

"I envy people in comas."

This latest crack at the Twi-hard market falls very short of the mark.  The Southern USA setting affords some visual interest and gives the film an identity, but the well-worn supernatural (here, witches, or rather 'casters') coming-of-age/puberty-metaphor story has worn thin.  At two hours long, there is little action (and considering the low-end-looking CGI on display, that might not be a bad thing), and lengthy dialogue scenes mostly serve to highlight the weaknesses in the writing and the lead couple's acting.  Emma Thompson gives a delightfully unrestrained performance - just listen to her deliver the 'Spank my ass an call me Sally!' - but Jeremy Irons makes his Eragon turn seem award-worthy.  Soft-hearted tweenage girls will revel in Beautiful Creatures, but outside its target demographic the film is simply a cheap-looking, ridiculously nonsensical and incredibly long-winded piece of fluff.

FILM: A Good Day To Die Hard IMAX (dir: John Moore, 2013)

"It's not good, John ."

Die Hard Number Five is possibly the weakest entry in the franchise, but what is most disappointing is that it is an extraordinarily spectacular mess of a big-budget blockbuster.  The idea of John McClane being a fish-out-of-water in Russia (to sort out the arrest of his long-estranged son) has potential but is quickly squandered and then abandoned totally in favour of a generic thriller that negates what audiences loved about the character and the scenarios in the original Die Hard trilogy in particular.  In fairness, the sound department does an amazing job (fully served by IMAX), Marco Beltrami provides a surprisingly sturdy action-thriller score, and the final SFX money-shot in the climactic showdown is impressive.  However, flat dialogue, odd characterisation (a carrot-crunching dancing baddie?) and desperately hyperkinetic editing (that makes the Crank movies look like exercises in subtlety, but at least there the intention and execution was deliberate) all make the film a hard watch, not helped by an underwhelming turn by Willis (who is given little of interest with which to work) and Jai Courtney as McClane Jnr making little impression at all.  It is also a disgrace that whilst the distributors cut some violence in order to achieve a 12A rating, there is still a notable amount of bad language for this rating.  There will always be affection for John McClane and the Die Hard movies - one can only hope that the inevitable Number Six will be the Skyfall to this Quantum Of Solace.  And - in the movie - just when does McClane get the opportunity to shave.....?

FILM: Wreck-It Ralph 3D (dir: Rich Moore, 2013)

"Oooooh - shiny!"

This joyful movie was well worth its long gestation in development.  Both CG animation and skillful use of 3D are exemplary, and the hyperactive vibrantly-coloured look and pace of the film matches the energetic screenplay.  Old and new sit together wonderfully, with state-of-the-art animation of the games' inner computer world and plucky young 'glitch' heroine appealing to the younger audience, and the lovingly-recreated 8-bit-style screens, sounds and characters and myriad small details hitting the nostalgia button square on for the older generation, who may also relate to Ralph's early mid-life crisis.  Being Disney, themes of tolerance and self-acceptance are foregrounded and fairly blunt, but they serve the story well.  The quirky and wonderful well-chosen voice cast does exceptional work here, notably John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk (a delicious villain with a neat story twist) and the wonderful Jack McBrayer (very 30 Rock Kenneth here, but his timing cannot be faulted).  The supporting short, Paperman, offers a complete contrast to main feature in style - classic Disney-styled characters, beautiful use of black-and-white - but shares its true sense of heart.  It is perhaps a little disappointing that a lot of the movie is set in 'Candy Land', but the potential for further exploration of other gamescapes in a sequel awaits.

FILM: Warm Bodies (dir: Jonathan Levine, 2013)

"Nice watch."

Warm Bodies certainly lives up to the promise of its trailer, delivering an utterly charming and engaging viewing experience.  Central to its success is Nicholas Hoult as R, the zombie with increasing heart and on-screen for virtually all of the running time, who delivers a compelling and touching performance throughout that drives the whole movie (although it is perhaps best not to question how a zombie can deliver such dynamic interior monologues but cannot remember his own name), and Teresa Palmer provides adequate love-interest in a disturbing Kristen Stewart impression.  Metaphors are played deftly but simply - the gap between R's initial shuffling, monosyllabic, awkward-around-girls zombie and the average teenage boy is not a great leap, for example.  Although the final act jarringly veers into action movie territory, for the most part Warm Bodies is an intimate, carefully-told story with a cool indie-styled soundtrack and some of the most fun and wittily-played dark comedy in the genre since Zombieland.

FILM: Hitchcock (dir: Sacha Gervasi, 2013)

"Just call me Hitch - hold the cock."

For those who know little about Hitchcock and the making of Psycho, this film makes for an efficient if somewhat cursory introduction to the man and his career in Hollywood at that point; for the rest, there is little here that is revelatory, but it does provide a pleasing nostalgic wallow in that period of film-making.  The film is carried by the wonderful pairing of Hopkins as Hitchcock (not a successful physical impersonation, but wonderful in timing and delivery) and Mirren on sharp form as his vital and steadfast wife Alma.  There are numerous praiseworthy performances, in particular from strong actresses - Johannsen as a delightful Janet Leigh, Biel as Vera Miles, Collette as Hitch's PA - and the storytelling is brisk.  The conceit of connecting Hitchcock to Ed Gein (the inspiration for the Psycho story) on-screen is at first inventive but convinces less as the film progresses.  Hitchcock may provide a seemingly lukewarm interpretation of the man and the events presented, but it also showcases a lot of admirable talent on the screen.

FILM: Flight (dir: Robert Zemeckis, 2013)

"That was some trip, huh?"

Flight is a hugely welcome return to the land of the cinematic living for Robert Zemeckis, in which he gives a fairly routine disaster-film meets addiction-tv-movie-of-the-week genuine cinematic flair and marshals engaging tonal shifts and superb performances extremely well.  Subsidiary characters seemingly drift in and out of the narrative but all coalesce neatly and purposefully (with on-the-money performances by Bruce Greenwood, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly and Melissa Leo), all circling around a tremendous (and genuinely awards-worthy) central performance by Denzel Washington, whose character provides a delicious moral dilemma within the movie and for the audience.  The first act (the actual knuckle-whitening crash) and the third act (effectively the 'courtroom' scene) are surprisingly brief and effectively concise, whilst the long mid-section allows real character exploration that pays off at the end.  The emotionally-literate script by John Gatins deliberately swerves potential melodrama (and the couple of moments that it strays are forgivable), Alan Silvestri provides a surprisingly restrained and beautiful score, but this is very much a tour-de-force by Washington which is a pleasure to watch.