Review: Shame

There's something sordid about the whole experience of watching Shame - Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as the siblings at the centre of the story let it all hang out there, both emotionally and at times quite literally physically too.

Enjoyable doesn't seem like the right word to describe this film, its far from fun to watch - but powerful, compelling and claustrophobic can all be applied to the second film from Steve McQueen. Fassbender is great as usual, with his distant portrayal of sex addict Brandon now drawing interesting parallels with his turn as android David in Prometheus - the emotional distance they both have giving them a not-quite human quality to them.

Shame is definitely one to watch on your own, but not for those reasons you might expect going into it.

Review: The Five-Year Engagement

After watching The Five-Year Engagement you may feel like you've sat through at least 2 or 3 of those years - which is a shame as there's a good film lost somewhere underneath a gruelling runtime that goes over 2 hours for no good reason.

As a result of the length, the film just doesn't feel funny enough, with the gaps between laughs too long and no real drama to hold your attention in between.

On the plus side the cast are all likeable and in particular Emily Blunt and Jason Segel have a great chemistry as the lead couple - bit odd to see Rhys Ifans play another Professor so soon after Spider-Man, the sliminess is more metaphorical this time around instead of his reptilian turn in the superhero story.

Often you get comedies promoting uncut versions for DVD and Blu-Ray release, in the case of The Five-Year Engagement - a version with 30 minutes cut would arguably be a superior effort.

Review: Haywire

The two Expendables movies have been a bit a disappointment as despite being billed as an all-star action cast, they've really featured far too much Stallone and Statham, with little more than short cameos from the rest.

But with the likes of Traffic, the Oceans' Trilogy and most recently Contagion, Steven Soderbergh has proven himself to be the master of pulling together an all-star cast. So whilst its unlikely to see him behind the camera of Expendables 3, Haywire might be closest you'll get to see what he would do with a cast of a-list ass kickers.

Gina Carano is the lead who does more talking with her feet and fists, but can handle herself in both senses against the likes of Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum and Ewan McGregor. Haywire at heart is a simple story of someone having to fight their way to find answers/vengeance, but its stripped back b-movie aesthetic actually results in a fresh 90 minutes that breezes by, avoiding many of the bloated tropes that have blighted a few recent action blockbusters.

Review: Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows

The surprise success of the first Sherlock Holmes film meant that hopes were high going into this sequel, once again directed by Guy Ritchie and reuniting Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as the super-sleuth and sidekick.

Sadly it's not just the increased number of Holmes Vision scenes that add to the feeling of deja-vu - the whole film suffers in comparison to the freshness found in the first outing, the action scenes and bromance banter between Holmes and Watson comes across a bit predictable and jaded in comparison.

It's a bit of shame to be so harsh on Sherlock Holmes 2, as its does seem as if everyone is trying and is far from the lazy cash-in that some feared the first would would be - A Game of Shadows is an apt title, as in the end this film suffers from the shadow cast from its first effort.

Review: Lawless

Despite sticking him on the poster, Gary Oldman probably gets more screen time in those new O2 adverts than he does in this, so those wanting to see another Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy acting master class will be left disappointed.

Fans of Tom Hardy mumbling are in luck though, as despite delivering another convincingly menacing performance, it would be nice to be able to hear what he was saying more often. Shia Labeouf gets the most screen time as the youngest of three moonshine-selling brothers in Prohibtion-era America, trying to win the heart of the local preacher's daughter, as well as the respect of his two big brothers - and coming from the pen of Nick Cave, you can guess there's a few grisly moments along the way.

In a similar way to Public Enemies, Lawless has to count as something of a disappointment considering the names involved, but the general air of negativity around the reviews so far underplaying the many things the film does well. So adjust your expectations accordingly and you'll find another decent crime thriller lies within.

Review: Skyfall

Inception was often accused of owing more than a bit to the Bond movies, but the 23rd film in 007 series certainly returns the favour, with a fair few nods towards Christopher Nolan's recent efforts.

For starters we get a daring raid on a Shanghai skyscraper, followed by a villain's liar that looks more than a little reminiscent of Limbo. Bond even has his own Alfred-type character show up at one point, but as Nolan sadly denied us the chance to see Caine wield a sawed-off shotgun Get Carter-style, Skyfall easily one ups it in this area.

Jokes aside, Skyfall picks up where Casino Royale left off, righting the wrongs of the last effort (Quantum of Solace) and continuing the renaissance in the series since Daniel Craig took over in the lead role.

Bond has often been cited as the epitome of all things Anglo and Skyfall succeeds by making the series feel more English than it has in a long, long time - casting the cream of British acting talent and actually setting a fair bit of the story here in and amongst the traditional far-flung set pieces in foreign climes.

That being said, it is one of the international stars the steals the show, Javier Bardem plays his Bond Baddie with just the right amount of over-the-top mania that shows that despite what many would have had you believe a Roger Moore style villain can work in a modern setting.

Review: Argo

Argo tells a truth is stranger than fiction story of a 1980s CIA operation to rescue six American diplomats from revolutionary Iran - under the cover of a science fiction film.

You'll be surprised at just how funny much of Argo is, with the plans to put together the fake film from which the name is taken from coming across like an Ocean's Eleven-esque wisecracking caper. What Ben Affleck as director deserves a great deal of credit for is how it seamlessly shifts gears to its evacuation ending, which features some of the most tense scenes of recent memory.

The only black mark against Argo is the slightly stereotypical Hollywood portrayal of all Iranians as hostile hoodlums, which Team America lampooned so successfully - but I doubt Ben Affleck has watched that for some reason...