Point Break (1991)

A former college football superstar turned FBI secret agent is sent to hunt down a group of bank robbers.

A washed up veteran and an up and coming FBI rookie, looking to make a name for himself are thrown together by their domineering captain in order to catch a group of bank robbers known as the "Ex Presidents" because of the masks they wear during their heists.

In order to infiltrate the gang, "Agent Johnny Utah" is forced to learn how to surf and has to live the life of the men he is tracking. His partner "Pappas" has to change his views on a few things as together the agents on the complete opposite of the spectrum learn to work together. "Utah" has to come to terms with his feelings for "Tyler" and decide where exactly his allegiances lie as he tries to bring down the men intent on ending his career, permanently.

Keanu Reeves heads up the fairly well known cast in what has become a cult classic amongst surfers and film fans, playing the role of former college football legend "Johnny Utah" who joined the FBI after blowing out his knee in a championship game. He gives a respectable performance, but it clear that he certainly improved as he got older. His facial expressions (concerned look which he seems to perpetually wear) is a touch boring in places, but he fits in well with the whole surfing lifestyle you find it easy to root for his gun-ho attitude to things.

Hollywood veteran Gary Busey does well as the abrasive, yet somewhat pathetic, "Agent Pappas", written off by his superiors for his whacky ideas, but a lot smarter than people give him credit for. His character is convincing and likeable. Legendary Patrick Swayze is perfect in the role of philosophical surfer "Bodhi", always in search of the perfect wave, but taken to robbing banks in his spare time. His performance is almost personal, as if he truly believes what he is sprouting, but, probably one of his finest roles. He is a bad guy you cannot really dislike, instead, respect for his rugged determination.

Little known Lori Petty, gives a passable showing as "Tyler" in what was probably her second biggest role behind 1995's "Tank Girl". Although a lead role, you sort of get the feeling that she is a bit part player, her acting talents never really coming to the fore. John C McGinley who went on to super stardom as "Doctor Cox in Scrubs" gives yet another superb performance as "Captain Ben Harp", a hard assed ball breaker as only this man can do. He is one of the highlights of the film.

Keep an eye out for a cameo from Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chilly Peppers who does a fairly decent job in the role of "Tone". The film is very watchable indeed, with some truly spectacular cinematography of the surf and the men who try to master it. The action is intense and the story is well paced, certainly worth the two hours you spend watching it.

6.5/10

EuroTrip (2004)

A group of American friends go on a tour around Europe with hilarious consequences

When Scott's girlfriend Amanda dumps him on the day of his high school graduation and he tells his beautiful pen-pal (Who he thinks is a guy) to go and fly a kite, he decides to drop everything and together with three friends; chase her down halfway across the world.

The trip does not go exactly according to plan and the group finds themselves in all sorts of hilarious situations all over the European landscape. From a questionable sex club in Amsterdam, to a French nude beach and a really dodgy Italian on a train, the intrepid travelers have to make their way across the continent in search of a German beauty and some "crazy European sex".

If fate plays her hand correctly maybe the two would be lovers will meet in the Eternal City...

A delightfully naughty comedy, that is a roller coaster of laughs from start to finish. It has the annoyingly catchy song in "Scotty doesn't know" performed by an awesome cameo by superstar Matt Damon, who, on this showing, may have missed his true calling to musicianship.

New York born Scott Mechlowitz, takes the lead role of "Scott Thomas" in quite possibly the biggest role of his career. His character is pitiful, yet easy to like, never seeming to have much luck, but always upbeat and you feel deserving of a break. Some of his one liners are superb and his character keeps the script ticking along at a good pace. Jacob Pitts is the perfect companion to the lead character, with his embodiment of "Cooper Harris", a work dodging, yet very intelligent young man whose only aim on the trip is to have some crazy European sex.

Michelle Trachtenberg and Travis Wester do really well as possibly the worst twins in the world, "Jenny and Jamie", two more different siblings you could not find, but they make for some of the biggest laughs of the film and also some of the much needed romance. British acting legend Vinnie Jones is truly the highlight of this film, his football hooligan character, "Mad Maynard", his abuse filled rants are hilarious. Keep an eye out during the outtakes for even more comedic value from his character.

Fred Armisen is probably the funniest character in the film, labeled as "The creepy Italian Guy", a description which fits him to a tee. His character is perverse, yet superbly comedic, and just has that look about him that makes you want to smile.

A really watchable film; funny and touching in places, the audience always wanting things to work out in the end. It is not one for the whole family, with quite a few mature topics and a fair amount of nudity, but well worth the time you spend on it. Will have you laughing for a long time afterwards.

6.5/10

Rock of Ages

Superstar Stacee Jaxx has to come back to the place where it all began to resurrect one of the brightest venues in Music.

Adapted from the hit US and UK musical, "Rock of Ages" tells the story of a small town girl and a city boy who find themselves in the middle of the blossoming rock scene in LA in 1987. The pair become romantically involved while working at the iconic "Bourbon Room", the venue which launched some of the biggest careers in rock, but has now fallen on tough times with the rise and rise of rap music.

Rock Legend Stacee Jaxx is called in to give one final concert with his band "The Arsenal" before he goes into his solo career. His smarmy manager breaks the deal and the superstar finally meets a woman who can keep up with his madcap lifestyle. The club may well survive if Jaxx can give the performance of a lifetime and the management and staff can keep "anti rock groups" headed up by the mayor's wife from running the place into the ground...

A memorable all star cast promised to make this an instant classic as director Adam Shankman brings one of the most popular plays in Broadway history to the big screen, taking on the difficult transition with a fair amount of success. With superstars like Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and Cathrine Zeta-Jones you would always expect that there could be personality clashes, but the cast pulls this one off well and the choice of allowing 2 big screen unknowns to take the leads is a gamble which pays off well.

Mainly known for their TV work in the US, Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough take the leading parts of "Drew Boley" and "Sherrie Christian", two star struck singers who have come to the bright lights of LA to seek their fortunes. Both of these multi-talented youngsters give powerful performances, but will probably be better for their vocal highlights than their acting ones. They do well to spearhead this film despite the script being a little flat in places, but keep an eye out for both of these in the future.

Tom Cruise gives a very decent showing as rock legend "Stacee Jaxx", a man whose debut album brought us many modern classics, but it is hard to decide on whom he based his character. To me it seemed a mixture of Axl Rose, Iggy Pop and that his vocal coach must have had firm influence from Jon Bon Jovi, but the former "Top Gun" star gives a darkness to character which was much needed in this one. His singing holds up and he gives one of his best performances in a while.

The combination of Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand as a club manager and his faithful companion bring a lot of the best laughs in this one, but I am not too sure how much acting brand had to do in order to bring his mental character to life. Both actors impress as "Dennis Dupree" and "Lonny" and make this film a lot better than it could have been.

Catherine Zeta-Jones gives a decent showing as the puritanical "Patricia Whitmore", a woman with a mission to destroy rock music and, a wicked secret to hide. Her character is likeable and mixes perfectly with her onscreen husband "Bryan Cranston" who continues his monumental run in film after nearly a decade on "Malcolm in the Middle". Malin Ackerman also gives a very good performance as the love struck "Constance Sack", while Paul Guamatti does superbly to bring the ugly side of music to life in the money hungry artist manager, "Paul Gill" and redeems some of the respect he lost in his last outing, "Cosmopolis". Also a lovely outing for the talented soul and R&B singer Mary J Blige, who does rather well as "Justice Charlier".

It is difficult to think of this as a traditional film, because to do that would be a mistake. It is a musical through and through, with a story and script which is wound around some of the most iconic rock songs in history. Even if you hate the film, and it will be difficult to do, you will find it almost impossible not to sing along to the likes of Poison, Journey, Extreme, Twisted Sister and Van Halen. The soundtrack is one of the best you will ever hear, with each and every song recognizable from the first chords. All of them are done well, with some interesting interpretations.

Keep an eye out for some lovely cameos from some of the biggest names in rock, including Sebastian Bach of Skid Row and CC Deville of Poison fame. Also a sterling role from wrestling legend Kevin Nash.

The film is enjoyable, but does drag in places. The script could have done with a bit more padding, but the musical score more than makes up for what it misses. Certainly worth a watch, but some of the songs may well be lost on the "Glee" generation.

5.5/10

21 Jump Street

Two down on their luck policemen go undercover as high school students....

In the feature film version of the 1987 Hit TV Series, two keen policemen who never seem to able to do anything right are sent down to "Jump Street" an undercover unit whose despotic captain decides that they two young looking men will go undercover at a local high school in order to crack a drugs ring.

The best friends have to stay out of trouble, try not to throw any parties and track down not only local dealers, but also the suppliers of the drug which is already responsible for the death of one student. Their biggest challenge comes in adjusting to the fact that their roles are reversed. Those who were cool in high-school in 2005 are no longer cool now, and those who were completely unpopular, are now hanging with the cool kids. If they can keep from killing each other they may well be able to take down a gang which seems determined to flood the market with dangerous chemicals.

It is never easy to take an iconic television series (which launched the superstar career of one Johnny Depp), but the directing team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller have done very well to bring 21 Jump Street to the big screen. Helping them very nicely are a hugely talented cast, that brings just the right amount of laughs to this project and some truly memorable one liners.

Jonah Hill as "Schmidt" and Channing Tatum as "Jenko", both of these talented actors perfect in these roles and showing that they have the ability to certainly take these leading showings in major titles. Tatum continues to impress with yet another good role, growing it seems with each and every film he makes. The duo have good friendly chemistry and the audience has difficulty in deciding who to support. Rapping actor Ice Cube is a delightful surprise in this one in his brilliant portrayal of "Captain Dickson". His in your face attitude and classic one liners makes you wonder why we do not see him more often on the big screen, a true highlight in this film.

Dave Franco follows up his showing in the 2011 "Fright Night" as the drug dealing "Eric Molson", a character you will love to loathe, while Brie Larson gives a decent showing as the somewhat dim "Molley Tracy". New York born Rob Riggle has a good outing as the incredibly dodgy "Mr Walters", while Deray Davis is good in the role of menacing gang leader "Domingo".

A well paced film, with plenty of action and good laughs, and may well remind a lot of the audience what it was like when we were back in school. Also keep an eye out for wonderful cameos from Johnny Depp and Peter Deluise (The original cast), a truly special moment in the film.

I am not sure if these holds a candle to the original TV series, but this film stands up by itself and is well worth a watch. Plenty of comedic value to keep most of the family happy, but also tackles the odd serious modern issue. Enjoyable, but won't win any awards

6.5/10

Piranha 3DD

It's not yet time to go back into the water....

Everybody thought that the outbreak of killer piranha's at Lake Victoria had been contained and they would never see the horde of pre-historic killer again, but when a new water park opens up ahead of Spring Break, the owners get more than they bargained for.

Between a mad scientist, a crooked cop, an amputee with a shotgun, a celebrity lifeguard and rather crooked park owner, it's difficult to see anybody getting out of this one alive.

The trailer for this film did not promise very much and that is exactly what it delivered. It had some big names (or at least formerly big names) as drawing cards, a fair amount of nudity, some decent special effects of the piranha's and a good few laughs, but there is nothing really concrete to hold this train smash together.

Danielle Panabaker (She of "The Crazies" and "Friday the 13th") fame takes the lead in this one as marine biology student and part owner of a water park, "Maddy". The role is not particularly challenging but she does better than most in this film to somewhat hold up the script. David Koechner brings one of the familiar faces to the screen in the role of "Chet" the corrupt and rather smarmy co-owner of the water park. He is a character you will truly learn to hate and applaud when he reaches his untimely end.

"Baywatch" and "Knightrider" legend David Hasselhoff is the glue which holds this film together and makes the audience wonder, just how much acting he is doing in this film, portraying an egotistical, womanizer who looks down on all of those around him. His one liners are superb and bring some really good comedy value to the film, but it still lacks substance. "Back to the Future" hero Christopher Lloyd almost reprises his role in the iconic trilogy, playing marine scientist "Mr Goodman", his wild eyes and broken speech bring a fair bit of comedy value to the role and his time on screen is enjoyable.

Ving Rhames  reprises his role of "Deputy Fallon" from the 2010 version of "Piranha", his one legged, shotgun wielding character is decent value for his five minutes on screen, adding even more gore to this fest of horror. Gary Bussy is on screen for less than a minute in this one, as "Clayton", but he gives a valuable showing and the director would have done really well to have him on for a lot longer than this short cameo.

If you are up for gore, blatant nudity, bad script and some decent underwater filming with good fishy special effects, then this is the film for you. This movie should be seen by all horror fans, but be warned there is not much to be scared of here. The wounds inflicted by the fish are almost comedic in their effect, but the final scene, despite being harsh, has to be the highlight of the movie, also keep and eye out for the DD's

3.5/10

The Lucky One

Sometimes you can't explain things, they just happen...

When Logan finds a keep safe picture of a beautiful blonde girl in Iraq and inadvertently misses out on being hit by a direct strike he takes this as a sign that the picture is something special and is determined that if he makes it out alive, he will track the woman down and thank her for saving his life.

Once freed from the rigors of war, he makes his way to a small town in Louisiana to track down the lovely blonde girl in the photo; somebody he knows absolutely nothing about, but knows that somehow keeping her image with him, has kept him alive.

Now if he can only find a way to tell the girl, who lost the man closest to her in her life, how much she means to him....

This is a deeply emotional film, dealing with some very heavy issues, but it does well to keep the audience engaged in a feel good story that was a lot better than the trailer suggested. I got the feeling that, like many of Zac Efron's films in the past, this one might be aimed at a mainly teenage female audience, but it surprises by actually being a damn decent watch.

Yes there are some fairly large holes in the script. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder does not just vanish overnight as it did in this one, but the emotions in this piece felt real and made the film very watchable.

Former "High School Musical" heart throb, Zac Efron, continues to prove that he is not just a pretty face, following his very decent outing in the 2011 "New Years Eve" with the lead as "Logan" in this one. His performance is believable and emotive and hopefully paves the way for more serious roles for this young Californian. He seems to get better with each movie that roles off the production line and may well shortly find that although he has kept his core audience, he is developing a new, slightly older following. I look forward to his next showing and hope that he will soon show more of his unmistakable acting talent.

Taylor Schilling makes another step from the world of TV to take a leading role in only her second big screen outing. Her portrayal of the troubled "Beth" is one of the highlights of the movie, bringing a face to the countless who are left behind from the horrors that is modern day war. Her grasp of the role as a single mother, coming to terms with the loss of her brother in conflict, a domineering and controlling ex husband and her undeniable feelings for "Logan", while still wanting the best for her young son, make this a very enjoyable performance. Look for this talented beauty to do more in the coming years as this is a very good introduction to the big screen.

Hollywood legend Blythe Danner, continues her run in romantic films, following her 2011 "What's Your Number?" with a truly joyous performance as the matriarchal "Ellie" in this one. She brings a lightness to this very serious topic, with some cracking one liners and a twinkle in her eye that made her the perfect one for this reflective role. She is delightful in this film and really does brighten the screen with her presence. The audience almost feels as a naughty chastised child would with some of her disproving looks and its hard to describe just how much she brings to this piece. 

Ten year old Riley Thomas Stewart gives a tremendous performance as "Ben", a confused young man in the middle of a troublesome custody battle, never knowing how to gain approval from his dominant father. This is his first major role in films, but he has graced some of the biggest TV shows in history, including "CSI and House MD", so is no stranger to the limelight. His performance in this one is excellent and shows this young man is a true talent.

The film is very enjoyable, and pays good tribute to the men and women of the armed forces who pay the ultimate price. It is a drama, but has a lightness to it, which will open it up to a far broader audience. Well worth the time you spend on it.

6/10

On the Road

How far do you have to travel in life to truly find yourself?

Dean and Sal are the best of friends, in a post World War II America, trying to find "IT", while also trying to find themselves. Sal, along with their friend Carlo and Dean, make their way from one end of the country to the other, always traveling by car and enduring some of the most vicious conditions which the US has to throw at them.

Dean has a wondering spirit, not only in life, but also with the ladies. His on again, off again 16 year old wife Marylou, gets dragged from pillar to post, one day in favour, the next day not, while the three friends smoke and drink their way through their young lives, always in search of something.

Through all the debauchery and living life to the fullest, the three young men, and those around them try to discover the truth about their fathers, the truth about themselves and also have as much fun as they possibly can before it kills them. When finally they start growing up, the group splits, children are produced and lessons are learned, but still the young men continue their search for that elusive something. Only once their time on the road has concluded, will they find the truth.

An intriguing and interesting, yet debauchery filled film which lays bare the lives of the leading characters and exposes a much missed time in American history, for what it really was. Set just four years after World War II, it shows the seeming futility which the young generation felt, not understanding their parents, but crying out for their own independence, even though they are not sure what it was.

A talented young cast in this one, 22 year old Englishman, Sam Riley taking the lead as "Sal Paridise" in a role that seemed almost written for him. He shows a decent amount of emotion which is needed in this part, and a maturity that could see him go far in this industry. In his first outing since "Woman in Love" in 2011, he impresses and keeps the film going at a decent pace, interacting very well with his fellow cast members. Look for more from this talented young man.

Garrett Hedlund plays a leading role in the part of "Dean Moriarty", a lost and confused young man, looking to take the most out of life, hoping experiences will somehow replace the father who has been missing from his life for the past decade. Hedlund makes his first showing on the big screen since the 2010 blockbuster, "Tron Legacy" and gives a far better performance this time out, showing some true depth and emotion with his portrayal of this troubled young man. He is impressive and should well go on to bigger things.

"Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart shows for the first time in her career, that she can actually act; with her portrayal of 16 year old "MaryLou". She gives a convincing showing, quite easily her best performance, illustrating that there is a fair bit of talent there. This is also the first time she has opted to go topless,  something which certainly fits into the story, which is filled with illicit sex and partner swapping, but I am not too sure if this is what her career needed. It is good to see that the talent is there and hopefully she can go onto bigger and better things.

British born Tom Sturridge continues his very decent run in major motion pictures with this outing as "Carlo Marx", a very confused young man who adores "Dean" and will get himself into a lot of trouble in order to impress his idol. His character is complex and he plays it brilliantly, but could have spent more time on screen, as he deserved to play a bigger part. Kirsten Dunst does very well indeed as the "older" woman in the love triangle, bringing the character of "Camille" to life with all its broody dissatisfaction that a woman scorned can have. Keep an eye out for Viggo Mortensen to have a lovely five minute cameo as the rather mental "Old Bull Lee".

The film is gripping and a very decent watch, a lot better than I expected of it. It has many adult themes and a fair bit of nudity, so not one for the family, but well worth the time you spend on it, even it if it is possibly 20 minutes too long.

5.5/10