After Earth – A Smith family project

Sci-Fi story by Will, produced by Jada and her brother, and Will, starring Jaden and Will.The Smith family have the money and power and the acting ability, but can Will write a good Sci-fi.  This movie immediately made me think of a Sci-Fi version of The Jungle Book. Kids would love this, finding bravery and surviving against vicious creatures in a strange world. Adults will probably pick holes in the plot like I did – things like the disabled one-legged man, but after seeing the technology in other parts of this film you know that the man would have a high tech artificial replacement, and the story idea that Earth is dangerous and has evolved to kill man, but they had to introduce an Alien life form on earth as that would be far scarier than baboons and eagles could ever be.  So Will should keep-up the writing for kids but maybe step away from the sci-fi genre.

The Hangover - Part III

No matter what, if you’ve seen the last two Hangover movies you’ll have to watch this simply because it's called Part III and it’s the last one. I wasn’t a big fan of Hangover Part II, simply because it was lazy and just copied the first one. I loved The Hangover because it was new and original. And Part III? Again I don’t think this had anywhere near the good comedy and fun that the first one had to offer, but I guess it's a nice way to end the trilogy seeing all the characters again one last time, and adding some originality by not copying the story for a third time. It’s amazing how well Bradley Cooper’s character genuinely looks irritated by the sheer presence of Alan, because I also have that look on my face throughout each of the films. If you are a fan of these ones you’ll probably go and watch this anyway then head to the local pub or bar and put it in the back of your mind.

Byzantium - A Vampire's Story

Byzantium is UK’s answer to Let the Right One In. Based on a play called ‘A Vampire’s Story’  by Moira Buffini it stars Gemma Arterton, (you'll remember her Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters but do you remember her in St Trinian's?), and Saorise Ronan, of ‘Hannah’ and ‘The Host’ fame, who play mother and daughter. Filmed in the UK seaside town Hastings, this is a vampire story that’s a bit different from the norm. It’s not vampires versus humans, though they do of course have ‘the thirst’, its more equal rights for female vampires and their struggle to survive – should there only be male vampires in this world?  I personally think not!! :oD Byzantium is also a bit more real than the usual fiction we are fed, and if you are centuries old without a proper education then working on the streets is of course the easiest option to make money for rent.


Whilst this movie is slow in parts, once it starts flicking back to ancient times the story of the two female vampires becomes more intriguing, and somewhat grim. Probably more of a DVD watch, if you love your vampire films it is worth a go, though it's not there at the top with the best ones. If you do watch it – I bet you’ll love the whole idea of the Island that’s in this story – I did!

Fast & Furious 6 - They keep coming back for more !!

They're back again and get better and better. Before I had even seen this one Fast & Furious 7 had been announced. If you stuck a little way through the credits of F&F 5 you would have seen that Letty had been caught on CCTV when we had all believed she had died. So what happens next and what happened back then is all explained in Fast & Furious 6. It seems like this Fast & Furious had one of the biggest budgets ever what with the vehicles and destruction – it’s non-stop action all the way. True Fast & Furious fans will love that all the key cast from F&F 1 onwards are in it. The one thing that I keep forgetting is that Fast & Furious Tokyo drift, which was the third movie in the series, takes place after 5 and 6, this is important to know as there's a meaningful tie-in, so stick around for the extra scene near the beginning of the credits as it sets up the next Fast & Furious for us.

Star Trek Into Darkness 3D

I watch all the Star Trek films and every so often there is one that will stand out as one of my favourites, and I have to say that this is one of them. Not giving too much away, there is a tie-in with a particular Star Trek in the past, and whilst this one is far less gory, so obviously done for the rating, it was great being able to reminisce about that particular scene which made such an impact all those years ago. As with the last J.J. Abrams Star Trek offering it's Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as Bones who steal the show with their more colourful characters, but the new bad guy played by Benedict Cumberbatch was equally impressive. Simon Pegg as Scotty has a bit more to do this time round, and then there are also the new improved Klingons. Unsurprisingly this is also another film where they've spent the money on high quality 3D so it’s worth checking out. Old Star Trek fans and young first time trekkies will love this one.

Iron Man 3

If you love the Iron Man movies like I do then you will love this film. So much time and effort must have gone into the design of all the different Iron Man suits which are a feast for your eyes. There are also plenty of tie-in’s with The Avengers movie and how Tony Stark feels post New York. When they talk about the bad guy - the Mandarin - it just kept making me think of the fruit and all the spoof YouTube videos that will probably appear afterwards. A word of warning though if you are a die hard Iron Man comic fan, a lot of the comic readers have been disappointed with this film, so if you love the comics then read a few reviews by other comic book fans first then decide. If you love big Hollywood blockbusters and Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man then this is a must. As with the other Marvel movies there is a post credit scene but this time it doesn't seem to be setting up another movie. And here's a tip, if you like sticking around for post credit scenes then check out mediastinger.com which lets you know if there’s a scene to stick around for.