FILM: How To Train Your Dragon 3D (dir: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, 2010)

"Trolls exist! They steal your socks! But only the left ones - what's with that?"

This is the dragon movie that Eragon should have been. The script hits a winning balance between charming and sassy, with a fine voice cast and hugely engaging characters. The 3D is glorious, and in particular the rendering of lighting is superb. The film is visually adventurous compared with most of the recent crop of 3D-CG animations, and the set pieces - including a very powerful finale - are quite stunning. Once you get past the fact that bizarrely the adult characters have Scottish accents and the youths American ones, How To Train Your Dragon proves to be a hugely entertaining adventure.

FILM: The Blind Side (dir: John Lee Hancock, 2010)

"Tell me what you're thinking, so that I know what I'm supposed to be bothered about."

The Blind Side is well-written and handsomely directed. The screenplay and director take great pains to position the viewer to have maximum sympathy for Big Mike, the boy literally from the wrong side of town who is taken in by Sandra Bullock and her family and comes good as a football star. The film pushes emotional buttons effectively. What the film fails to avoid is typical Hollywood racial stereotyping, which comes across as incredibly patronising throughout. Did Sandra Bullock deserve her Oscar? She does give a finely-controlled, detailed performance in a characterisation that - like the film as a whole - is almost too polished and thus barely credible, even though it is based on a 'true story'. The movie's final shot - mother's pride or smug self-satisfaction? - sums up this uneasy feeling. The Blind Side is a TV-movie-of-the-week-life-affirming-true-story, elevated by its strong cast and strength of presentation on the screen.

FILM: Clash Of the Titans 3D (dir: Louis Leterrier, 2010)

"Trust your senses, and don't look this bitch in the eye!"

The main reaction to this re-make of Clash Of the Titans has been about the 3D conversion, which spread across the internet like wildfire after the first screenings, and yes, the 3D effect is glaringly inconsistent (sometimes great, sometimes awful or non-existent) and 2D faces on the re-rendered actors are peculiar and distracting. What is clear is that this is a solid action-adventure, with very effective set pieces and some stunningly-created visuals, which would probably have worked just as well if it had left as a standard movie. Sam Worthington is well-cast as reluctant hero Perseus in a dementedly eclectic cast (Pete Postlethwaite! Tony and Effy from Skins!) which is serviceable throughout. The movie takes its 'epic' cues from The Lord Of the Rings films to generally good effect. It is a shame that the makers felt the need to shoehorn in a reference to the 1981 version's hopeless robotic owl, which makes no sense and takes the viewer momentarily out this otherwise sturdy and grittier re-reading.

DVD: Universal Soldier - Regeneration (dir: John Hyams, 2010)

"Send in the freaks - that's an order!"

Although we are in Direct-to-DVD territory here, with 'mixed martial arts' fighters cast rather than actors, Universal Soldier - Regeneration (or '3' or 'A New Beginning', depending on where you look) tries very hard to rise above its limitations, and this efficient if low-key film meets with reasonable success. The abandoned Bulgarian steel plant doubling as Chernobyl provides a stunning backdrop for an unashamed action movie that tries to elicit some suspense from a screenplay that is pure videogame in style and structure. John Hyams directs with energy and a good eye for camera set-ups, although the couple of cribs from Blade Runner and Halloween are somewhat obvious, with dad Peter as Director of Cinematography doing expectedly sterling work with the action and locale. It is good to see Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren back in their signature roles in the series, and their inevitable (lengthy) smackdown does not disappoint, although both roles seem rather underwritten, especially the 'motivation' of Lundgren's character. Funnily enough, Universal Soldier is one franchise that could benefit from a younger, modern re-boot, but with the old guard still in play, that idea - like the UniSols themselves - might be best put on ice for a while.

FILM: Shutter Island (dir: Martin Scorsese, 2010)

"Tomorrow we can take them on a picnic."

After being shunted around the release schedules, the wait was definitely worth it - Shutter Island is a very good film indeed. Stylistically, it is closest to his take on Cape Fear, but here Scorsese forgoes the melodrama and produces a tightly-controlled and fascinating film. This is Hitchcock with a modern sensibility, which sits incredibly well with its 1950s setting and old-school thriller stylings. Location shooting and art direction are stunning, making Shutter Island a real visual treat. Long-time Scorsese editor Thelma Schoonmaker ensures that the flow of scenes and tone is seamless, making Leonardo DiCaprio's character's situation develop credibly. DiCaprio gives an astounding performance here, and indeed the whole cast is superb, notably the increasingly-impressive Michelle Williams in a small but pivotal role. It could be argued that the middle section could be tighter and the plotting is quite transparent - it doesn't take much to work out where the film is going - but the script is intelligent and the realisation on screen is extremely satisfying.

DVD: George A. Romero's Survival Of The Dead (dir: George A. Romero, 2010)

"Don't stare at me, start shooting the b*****ds!"

Overtaken by its slicker, sleeker modern counterparts in terms of box-office, Romero's "...Of The Dead" series remains true to itself, and this sixth entry makes a solid effort to move the concept into new territory yet retain an intimacy of how the unexplained zombie uprising affects not just society but also its people. With a film-maker of Romero's experience, there is a clear sense of his confidence and his respect for the material and audience right from the assured opening scenes. A good group of central characters is established, but they never feel fully developed. There is an astonishingly high kill-count for what is a dialogue-heavy movie, and stopping the 'dead-heads' becomes so routine for the characters that even they become openly disengaged from doing it. Much is made of Romero's sub-texts in these movies, such as militarism and consumerism, but what marks out this film and indeed the director's position in the zombie sub-genre is that he never lets go of the humanity of the survivors and, indeed, the afflicted. Survival Of The Dead opens up the scenario into new territory - a supposedly 'safe' island, and with the abandoned car ferry proving a particularly atmospheric setting - but is lacking in scale, which probably contributed to the decision for this film to by-pass cinema release. For its budget, a few of the digital effects sit surprisingly well beside more obvious old-school physical gore stunts. The zombie genre has very little scope, and Survival Of The Dead adds little that is new, but this sixth entry does provide another welcome, passable if low-key glimpse into Romero's fictional world.

DVD: Twilight - New Moon (dir: Chris Weitz, 2009)

"Is it possible that there isn't anything sane or normal at all?"

As I am not the target demographic of the Twilight series, the movies were never going to offer much appeal to me, and the best that can be said is that technically New Moon is a better film than the first, thanks largely to Chris Weitz trying to create some visual interest. The original movie suffered from being unintentionally hilarious in so many respects, but this is much less the case in the sequel, resulting in a generally dull and uninspiring viewing experience. Scenes are extended well beyond the point of maintaining interest (and, incredibly, a number of extended scenes can be found on the DVD), with unnecessary overuse of slow motion making the film drag even further. It is a relief that most of the dialogue is either whispered or mumbled, because to actually listen to the words is unremittingly painful. The plotting is rudimentary, and the audience is patronised even to the extent of an 'October' caption being placed over an autumnal establishing shot. Indeed, the often poor-quality low-end digital effects simply highlight the cynicism of the entire project - make it fast, keep costs down, maximise profit. Kristen Stewart at least seems vaguely interested in what is going on this time around, and Pattinson maintains his one-note delivery and lack of screen charisma. Taylor Lautner briefly brings some warmth and credibility as a teenager at first, but as he embraces his 'true inner nature', he is also sucked into the series' signature morose, plodding style. Weitz clearly had ambition for the movie, starting off with a Kurosawa-lite dream sequence and some good art direction at times, but the hollowness of the writing gives the film little chance to really fly. Frustratingly, the whole teenage vampires vs. werewolves concept has clearly so much potential, if only it were given a spark of life instead of trying to come across as Bergman-esque adolescent angst and failing. The most frightening thing about Twilight - New Moon is that it runs over two hours, and believe me, you feel every second pass.

FILM: Legion (dir: Scott Stewart, 2010)

"I can't believe she was still standing after Percy hit her in the head with the frying pan."

Legion is the 2010 equivalent of a 1980s B-movie - lots of ambition, limited resources, a reliance on a strong cast and, of course, complete nonsense. When it works (largely the beginning and the end), the promise of what could have been an absolute gem is very clear and is hugely enjoyable. The cast is uniformly great, with the likes of Dennis Quaid, Charles S Dutton, Tyrese Gibson and the always-interesting-to-watch Lucas Black, and Paul Bettany playing against type as Angel-with-a-conscience Michael, switching between gravitas and kick-ass and clearly having a ball. This level of casting proved essential, as the terrific lively start then makes way for a relentless series of heartfelt but sometimes over-written two-handers, which do slow things down considerably but would have killed the movie stone dead in the hands of lesser actors. No doubt this is a consequence of having to present The Apocalypse on a tight budget, but FX man-turned-director Scott Stewart manages the action scenes well, especially the final smackdown between the Angels Gabriel and Michael. The director openly admits to being influenced by The Terminator, which frequently is overt on-screen, and nods to other films such as Assault On Precinct 13 and Phantoms are evident, but audience expectations are sometimes subverted, such as the set-up when the old lady first pulls up in her car. The humour is enjoyably dark, and the sense of growing threat is quite effective - all Legion needed was a couple more action beats in the mid-section to keep up the momentum. It's not quite Tremors with Angels, but Legion is certainly entertaining.

FILM: Alice In Wonderland 3D (dir: Tim Burton, 2010)

"Do I amuse you?"
"No."

This is unexpected - Tim Burton's take on Alice In Wonderland is mostly unremarkable, even in 3D. Burton's unique vision and method often seems more in conflict with existing source material than when he creates his own worlds and characters, and Alice here is no exception. As you would expect, the design is often striking (the demonic red-playing-card soldiers are a nice touch), but there is nothing here to really surprise or delight. The heavily-CG landscapes seem at odds with Alice's frequent assertions that 'this is real', and the influence of The Lord Of The Rings bears strongly, especially in Alice's final confrontation with the Jabberwocky. Even the dialogue, which starts off with some wit in the opening real-world framing piece, becomes workmanlike as this sparkle is quickly lost once Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Helena Bonham Carter steals the show as the "bloody big-head" Red Queen, but Mia Wasikovska is a dull Alice and Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter feels surprisingly forced and weak. This latest version of Alice In Wonderland is no more than pleasant and, to a large extent, unengaging. This is an extremely soft Tim Burton film by his own standards, targeting a very young audience and - disappointingly -playing very safe.

DVD: Cabin Fever 2 - Spring Fever (dir: Ti West, 2009)

"Something is wrong. Something is very wrong."

In spite of its general narrative link to Eli Roth's original movie and a brief flashback that earns Rider Strong top-billing, Cabin Fever 2 is nowhere near in the same league as its predecessor, which wasn't exactly high art in itself but at least looked and felt like a movie. Here we are in real bargain-basement direct-to-DVD territory, which makes the American Pie Presents... series look polished. The opening pre-credits sequence of the belatedly-released Cabin Fever 2 immediately sets the low tone of this movie; what it does not quite prepare you for is how the rest of the running time is painful to the point of being almost unwatchable. It seems to be aiming for an Evil Dead/cartoon-like quality, but instead the attempts at comedy are miserable, the dialogue is appallingly written (and delivered), the sound mix is uneven, the general level of prevailing hysteria is forced and at no point does anything in the film convince. Every character is a caricature, with performances which are mostly very poor. The gore stunts do show ambition for the meagre budget, but these alone cannot make a decent movie. Some DVD sequels (e.g. Wrong Turn 2) work within their budget effectively and show some ambition, and whilst enthusiasm is to be applauded, sadly Cabin Fever 2 did not work for me.