FILM: The Hangover Part III (dir: Todd Phillips, 2013)

"It isn't Alan's fault."

The Hangover Part III is a curious film.  In spite of bigger global box-office, Part II was a very tepid re-tread of the original and made the prospect of a second sequel not so welcome.   It is therefore something of a surprise to find that this trilogy-concluder is more of a vaguely successful heist movie rather than a gross-out buddy comedy.  The story is quite well-constructed and ties in almost convincingly with characters and elements from the previous movies, but the writing is extremely thin, relying largely on Cooper's charm and Galifianakis's timing and delivery, and the occasional laughs are welcome but very inconsistently threaded through the movie.  Phillips creates some effective thriller moments and visuals, but the wandering tone is quite peculiar.  Melissa McCarthy's small role is very nicely played, and the post-cast-credits scene is one of the funniest things on offer here.  The Hangover should have remained a one-off fondly-remembered comedy, but Part III rounds off the series in a slightly better way than the first sequel might have promised.

FILM: Fast and Furious 6 (dir: Justin Lin, 2013)

"It's like we're hunting our evil twins!"

The little franchise that keeps delivering continues to defy all expectations.  There is no doubt that this is dumb-fun formula film-making, but it is also riotously entertaining.  The London setting for the majority of the film interestingly creates a more grounded background than the last entry's more exotic Rio, although the globe-trotting elements present give the film scope and interest.  The team is so bonded and established that the relationships and sparky dialogue convinces, and amongst all the car carnage there is some lovely humour and a sprinkling of self-aware comments.  In terms of the big set pieces, Fast & Furious 6 finds a new level of insanity and truly delivers, including three impossible jaw-dropping moments, and the fight scenes, stunts and car action are all superbly executed and exciting to watch.  The return of the wonderful Michelle Rodriguez gives the narrative and the relationships a welcome frisson, Luke Evans is a subdued by acceptably controlled villain, Paul Walker gives an unusually strong performance this time out, and Dwayne Johnson shows that he is a considerably better fit to the Fast & Furious franchise than in the recent G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The huge final showdown involving the transport plane seen in the trailer is quite extraordinary and supremely well-staged (but do not stop to consider how long is that runway!).  Overall, little is new, but the generous running time flies by and the film is consistently enjoyable.  To cap it all, the set-up for the next movie (stay in your seats, it follows straight after the 'drive safely' warning) involves another surprise appearance and is a real crowd-pleaser: roll on Number 7!

FILM: Star Trek Into Darkness IMAX 3D (dir: J.J. Abrams, 2013)

"I am - surprisingly - alive..."

Into Darkness is definitely Star Trek for grown-ups...and it is a wonderful movie. 2009's mostly triumphant reboot movie was about building the crew; here, they are all put in unfamiliar roles and situations, giving the actors plenty to do (Chekov and Sulu are still a little shortchanged, but both get their moments to shine) and creating some interesting dynamics.  The dialogue feels almost effortless, delivered with ease and aplomb by the terrific cast - it is interesting to see the character performance detail that Chris Pine generates compared to his real-life laid -back interview persona, and Zachary Quinto gets to show more of his range this time out - with many entertaining quips and retorts.  Cumberbatch gives a formidable antagonist performance, and Peter Weller is a heavyweight addition to Starfleet.  The riffs on established lore and Trek movies are deployed very effectively (the new-model Klingons have clear potential for the next movie, for example), and piecing together the narrative puzzle with Kirk works well, but it does quickly become apparent where it is all headed, especially as this is the second movie in this revisionist canon.  Nevertheless, the movie does manage a couple of real shocks and twists and dilemmas for the leads (even if decisions are almost exclusively based on breaking rules), and the fact that it offers real emotional beats and relationship issues may be one reason for the internet vitriol being directed at Into Darkness by die-hard Trekkers, who seem unable to handle the fact that 'their' timeline and characters have been played with.  Undoubted successes in this film are the fantastic use of 3D and the genuinely astonishing visual effects, which are an utter joy to watch and experience, and Michael Giacchino does some of his best ever scoring work here.  This is very confident film-making, and the broader palette of tones used in this second outing make Star Trek Into Darkness an impressive and hugely entertaining movie overall.

DVD: The Collection (dir: Marcus Dunstan, 2012)

"You don't wanna go in there...."

The Collection is a decent and solid follow-up to The Collector, derivative but energetic and enjoyable.  It wears its influences openly and to good effect: the traps are Saw on speed, the beyond-assistance isolation is pure Hostel, and the first movie's survivor leading a rescue team is Ripley and the Aliens marines.  A tour-de-force opening bloodbath at an exclusive party sets the scene well, and apart from the occasional bout of slow-corridor-wandering, Dunstan works hard to keep the viewer interested throughout the film.  There is some strong use of lighting and sound on display, the gore gags are well-handled and effective, and there is serviceable work from the actors, even if many of the characters have necessarily little development.  Whilst not exactly breaking new ground, this potential franchise has enough of an individual identity to keep going, especially with this film's intriguing conclusion.

FILM: 21 and Over (dirs: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, 2013)

"I'm really sorry."

21 and Over is not so much The Hangover as reheated American Pie without the likable characters.  The opening suggests a carefree, dumb and upbeat ride, but the film quickly settles into being mean-spirited and lacklustre.  It lurches between episodes carelessly, the film's unpleasant racial stereotyping is equal opportunities, and there is a lot of rapid-fire, f-word-strewn dialogue that is actually saying very little.  A couple of pieces of slapstick work, as do a couple of great visual gags (Jeff Chang on a dashboard is priceless), and Justin Chon gives a sympathetic performance as Chang, but there is little to entertain over the whole running time.  Points are made about the nature of friendship and the shallowness of typical American (movie) college years behaviour, but they feel ill-fitting.  As this predictable film finally reaches its inevitable ending - the destiny of each lead character holds no surprise - it is one of those movies that merely happens in front of your eyes rather than having any real impact.