FILM: The Last Exorcism Part II (dir: Ed Gass-Donnelly, 2013)

"So, are you from a cult in the woods or something?"


Just like the follow-up to The Blair With Project, this superfluous sequel abandons first-person shaky-cam and is a straightforward and largely unremarkable demonic- possession movie, but thankfully it is more watchable than the truly dire Book Of Shadows.  This movie ties in neatly with the original at various points, but the storylining is somewhat wayward and it increasingly plays like a souped-up genre greatest hits exercise.  It is a shame that a lot of characters and ideas seem to lack full development, especially the central 'corruption of the flesh/soul' theme, but Ashley Bell returns as the still partly-possessed Nell and does adequately.  Sound stings are extraordinarily loud, there are occasional moments of real interest and tension, and there is evident effort made by all concerned to make a well-mounted and stylish film, but overall there is little here that raises it above a rather ordinary horror viewing experience.  The direction taken with the character at the very end is a little surprising, but it is unlikely that a second sequel would be able to have the budget or ambition to really run with it.  

FILM: The Purge (dir: James DeMonaco, 2013)

"It works 99 per cent of the time."

The Purge is a slick, well-executed near-future home-invasion thriller.  The preposterous premise - that by 2022, a 'reborn' America allows cathartic free-for-all criminality for a 12-hour period each year in return for virtually crime-free existence - is given some credence by the intimate focus on one family and some good character work by Lena Headey and Ethan Hawke as the parents.  Echoes of Assault On Precinct 13 and Funny Games do not hurt the film, which is shot and edited very tightly.  Apart from one extraordinary where-the-heck-did-that-come-from? moment involving the daughter's boyfriend, the plot is earnest if somewhat routine, but Idiot Plot (the kids do keep wandering off to serve the story) and some cliched lines are kept to a reasonable level.  The film displays its social and political allegories quite unsubtly, but the moral vacuum created by Purge Night offers the characters and indeed the viewers some interesting choices.  This is a slight, small-scale but well-made film that definitely achieves beyond its premise.

FILM: Byzantium (dir: Neil Jordan, 2013)

"It's as if Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe got together and had a strange little child."

Neil Jordan does an excellent directorial job with this elegant, subdued and melancholy take on vampirism.  Tonally, Byzantium is not as dull as Jordan's previous Interview With The Vampire, as Moira Buffini's well-considered script is often quite beautiful to listen to, as is Javier Navarrete's haunting score, and the mix of modern horror/thriller tropes with the well-mounted historical costume-drama scenes is very effective.  Saoirse Ronan more than makes up for her weak showing in The Host, Gemma Arterton steps up and for the most part delivers in a complex role, with interesting supporting work by Caleb Landry-Jones, Jonny Lee Miller and the ever-watchable Daniel Mays.  The fading seaside town setting is used evocatively, tying in nicely with the elemental motifs, and the recurring themes of storytelling and identity work well within the overall narrative.  The somewhat deliberate pacing may put off some viewers, but Byzantium is a thoughtful, adult  and admirable film.

FILM: The Big Wedding (dir: Justin Zackham, 2013)

"Hell it is, then."

The best aspect of watching The Big Wedding is that Lionsgate's flashy new ident at the start is quite impressive in a Universal way.  The film itself features impossible characters in nonsensical situations behaving completely unrealistically, with a terrific cast also having to contend with some quite horrible dialogue.  The tumbleweed store has been cleared out for this movie judging by the number of 'funny' lines that crash and burn, no predictable stone has been left unturned, and the actual end wedding itself is less witty farce than forced car-crash scripting.   Only Susan Sarandon's considerable talent proves indestructible here in an astonishingly disappointing film.

FILM: Epic 3D (dir: Chris Wedge, 2013)

"So serious..."

Although the story comes across as Avatar-lite at times, Epic is a strong children's CG animation.  This forest-based tale is visually rich and lushly realised, with truly deep 3D and spacious, well-staged sound design.  Both the male and female leads (voiced by Josh Hutcherson and Amanda Seyfried) are solid characters whom the younger audience members can root for, with able support from a good voice cast including Colin Farrell, Chris O'Dowd, Beyonce and Christoph Waltz.  Action/chase/battle sequences are all handled very effectively, and there is convincing fluidity in the 'human' characters' movement.  There is an alarming mis-step about halfway through with an ill-judged song-and-dance number - which is thankfully not repeated - and rather weighty themes of grief, decay and the inevitability of death occasionally overwhelm, but overall Epic is a spirited, well-executed tale that has a well-structured story and holds attention throughout.

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.