Shortbus - Dir: John Cameron Mitchell

From the director of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, comes this very sexually explicit movie about gay and straight relationships that converge at the infamous Shortbus, an underground club where anything goes. During the first five minutes you wonder if this film is mutton dressed up as lamb or porn dressed up as art, with some of the most graphic sex scenes committed to celluloid outside of the adult movie industry. The film is actually strangely mesmerising with some great performances and deals with some very interesting issues about sexuality without falling in to cliches. This is not for everybody, but is definitely a unique watch, and thus a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Black Book - Dir: Paul Verhoeven

From Paul Verhoeven, the director of such well known films as Basic Instinct, Robocop and Total Recall, comes this much more intimate but no less exciting film. The story centering around a Jewish woman that infiltrates a German HQ on behalf of the Dutch resistance is filled with twists, action, drama, and emotion. The characters speak in their native languages throughout the film and thus everything is subtitled. However this doesn't detract at all and if anything lures you further in to the world of the piece. The relatively unknown lead Carice Van Houten is absolutely amazing. This is definitely a JM RECOMMENDS.

London to Brighton - Dir: Paul Andrew Williams

Very disturbing in places but captivating throughout. The film opens with a shocking scene of a battered woman and 12 year old child running away from something as yet unknown. Slowly but painfully we get to see the shocking truth of their story. Performances from the two female leads Georgia Groome and Lorraine Stanley are very good. The direction by Paul Andrew Williams is quite taut and purposefully bleak. A gangster element to the film is slightly overplayed but never detracts from the main performances. It's not an easy watch but is definitely a JM RECOMMENDS.

Play Misty For Me - Dir: Clint Eastwood

This 1971 blast from the past is today's subject to see if this generally regarded classic holds up. The unfortunate answer is that it does not. The film has dated very badly. It's not particularly well directed, more just a workman like job with no style, and this doesn't help quell the amplified early 70s/lates 60s look. Clint does an ok performance but Jessica Walter as the female lead gives an overhwelming and over the top psycho performance. The script is pretty poor and the shocks that admittedly would have been quite near to the bone back in the day, are more like amateur movie effects today. Unless you are a Clint Eastwood completist, this is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Ballistic: Ecks Vs Sever - Dir: Kaos

Another blast from the past today saving you the precious time you have to spare. This may be a film that creeps up on TV and you think 'Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas in an action movie? This can't be bad!' Please avoid at all costs. This may be one of the worst action movies of all time. Directed by someone who had previously directed the biggest film in Thailand, they should have probably not taken that as a good thing. Also stars Ray Park who played Darth Maul, as an English bad guy. He is bad for sure. One of the worst acting performances ever. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

X Men 3 - Dir: Brett Ratner

Pretty much everything an action movie shouldn't be. The problem with the X-men movies is that there are too many characters to keep tabs on and never enough time to give them any character development. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry and Famke Janssen reprise their roles in the movie and are joined by Vinnie Jones as the Juggarnaut. As you'd expect, he doesn't exactly act the legs off anyone else in the movie. A flawed script combined with paint by numbers directing by Brett Ratner really leaves a shallow taste. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Proof - Dir: John Madden

What was good on paper turns in to watching paint dry on screen. The director John Madden has pedigree being nominated for an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love. The heavyweight cast of Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anthony Hopkins should have oozed greatness, but none apart from Paltrow have the material to get their teeth in to. The story about a woman's relationship with her dead mathematical genius father is adapted from a successful stage show and you can tell here through the wooden feel of it all, which is a shame. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Dreamgirls - Dir: Bill Condon

There have been so many unmusical musicals over the last couple of decades that you might think that this is another in the long line. However, not only is it a fabulous musical, it also has some great performances. Indeed it is hard to find a weak link amongst the cast. Of particularly note are Eddie Murphy who may have done his best ever acting job albeit comparatively brief and Beyonce Knowles who has succesfully moved from singer to fully-fledged actress in this role. Star of the show, or at least the one with the best voice is Jennifer Hudson, who was previously a non-winning contestant on American Idol. Well directed by Bill Condon and some great production design by John Myhre. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Apocalypto - Dir: Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson has to be applauded for making a film with no spoken English, no known actors and about a culture that certainly isn't mainstream movie fodder. He remarkably pulls off the film in every respect. It's very absorbing and pacy, but can also be a painful watch due to some very heavy eye jarring violence. The story about the Mayan decline and their attempt to bring propsperity through the sacrifice of local indigenous tribes is fresh and very interesting subject matter. This is definitely a JM RECOMMENDS.

Man on Fire - Dir: Tony Scott

A classic re-visit today for a film you may have missed. This 2004 film is actually a remake of a 1987 film and for once is a remake that was justified. Denzel Washington stars as the alcoholic bodyguard on a mission to track down a kidnapped child in Mexico. He is phenomonal as always and it is a crime to think he didn't get nominated for any Oscars that year especially when up against the likes of Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) and Jude Law (Cold Mountain). Tony Scott's MTV style direction works well here unlike some of his other movies. This is very much a JM RECOMMENDS.

Monster House - Dir: Gil Kenan

Was really looking forward to this, but it ended up being a different movie to the one I had expected. I had expected it to be a kids get trapped in a haunted house type scenario, but here the house literally is a monster! I did find the art style a bit hard to enjoy, it's CGI that has a sort of plasticine touch to it. Voices from Steve Buscemi, Jon Heder and Maggie Gyllenhall fit well, but the one big surprise was the lack of 'fun' in the script, as there were very few belly laughs. If you go in to expecting a traditional kids adventure movie and not a comedy you will get more out of it it. Watchable, but not as good as expected, this is a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Hollywoodland - Dir: Allen Coulter

An interesting movie about the mysterious death of the first Superman George Reeves, played by Ben Affleck. Affleck does little to prove to me his limitations as an actor, but here does just enough to pull off an acceptable performance. Adrien Brophy is the private investigator looking in to his death and in comparison shows what a very good actor he is. Support from Diane Lane as Affleck's on screen lover is also excellent. Directed well by Allen Coulter and captures the seediness and feeling of Hollywood during this period well. Some nice twists and turns. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Eragon - Dir: Stefan Fangmeier

Very disappointing really and ultimately very Lord of the Rings-lite. There is a host of terrible acting including Robert Carlyle and John Malkovich who are unexpectedly hammy. Consummate professional Jeremy Irons tries as much as possible with the lines he has been given. Edward Speelers plays the eponymous Eragon and is verging on the side of irritating. The special effects are ropey in places. If you feel you must watch this, fast forward to the last 20 minutes, where the big dragon battle takes place. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Transformers - Dir: Michael Bay

Wow is an understatement. This may well be one of the best action movies ever. We know director Michael Bay can do action but he really does up the bar here. Even more impressive are the special effects i.e the transformers themselves, whicb are so good you start to believe they are real. The two leads Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox fit nicely in to everything around them. A nice script penned by the Alias TV show favourites Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It's got a long runnning time and there is a very tiny sag in the middle, but the action finale more than makes up for it. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Silent Hill - Dir: Christophe Gans

I was looking forward to this - great subject matter and a director (Christophe Gans) who had done some interesting stuff previously including Crying Freeman and Brotherhood of the Wolf. Visually this film is very reminiscent of the game, bleak and washed out. The story however is completely messed up and doesn't really flow. Disappointing again because it was written by Roger Avary, whose work on Killing Zoe, Pulp Fiction and Rules of Attraction I admired. It's also not as scary as I was expecting, which is pretty much a killer for a horror thriller flick. Sean Bean is ok but it's not really the sort of material he works with best. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Clerks 2 - Dir: Kevin Smith

I have to admit that I wasn't a great fan of the first one and didn't rush to see this one. The first one had it's moments but it was a bit too cheap and rough for my liking. The sequel however is an absolute joy. Supremely funny and very well written and acted, it meshes the absolute gross with some pretty honest relationship stuff. Highlights include a scene with a donkey (you'll know what I mean when you see it!) and a brilliant Silence of the Lambs pastiche! This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

The Grudge 2 - Dir: Takashi Shimizu

This is a real shame. The sequel to the Sarah Michelle Gellar scare fest is just a tired re-tread really. On the plus side it does have a feint Japanese feel to it, is very vaguely watchable and the director Takashi Shimizu (director of the first movie and the original Japanese versions) doesn't westernise it too much. However the acting is pretty average, the scares are a bit repetitive and the twists are signposted 500 miles from home. Probably best just to watch the Japanese original sequel. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

The Tudors

Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and support from Sam Neill, this Showtime mini series tries to do for The Tudors what Rome did for the Romans. Unfortunately it is unable to match it, but gives it a good go. It has a good level of historical recreation, an interesting story and an amount of violence and nudity, but falls down in two places. The casting of nice boy and average actor JRM as Henry VIII is totally wrong, it should be someone that is able to command the screen and a bit more rugged. Also the screenplay is a lot drier than Rome, a programme that was able to weave the disturbing with the joviality of life at the time. If you're interested in the period it may be for you and thus is a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

The SImpsons Movie - Dir: David Silverman

Probably one of the most highly anticipated movies of recent times. It could be argued that this fact saddled the movie with a lot more than it could ever possibly handle. Don't get me wrong - it's good in places and incredibly funny in others although admittedly you've probably seen a lot of this in the trailer already. It's definitely not funnier than the funniest Simpsons episodes, and also contains no monkeys with knives. It's still better than 90% of comedies out this year but slightly disappointing nonetheless. This is a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Poseidon - Dir: Wolfgang Petersen

If anyone can pull off a big sea event movie you would think it was director Wolfgang Petersen after his successes with Perfect Storm and Das Boot. Ultimately however it ends up as one of those 'why did they bother?' movies. Let's face it, the 1972 version of this disaster movie was a classic. For sure, in 2007 we can bring a bundle of new special effects to the table and indeed the big wave scene that flips Posiedon over is pretty cool. Unfortunately the acting, script and general ambience that goes with it is pretty poor. Stars Kurt Russell. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

A Night At The Museum - Dir: Shawn Levy

I'm a big fan of Ben Stiller and was quite looking forward to this film. Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Robin Williams and Owen Wilson are also in it. Could this be the funniest film ever? Not really unfortunately. It does have its moments but pretty much all the comedians listed are underwhelming in one way or another. Ricky Gervais is pretty much David Brent without the suit on and doesn't fit in. Robin Williams doesn't really do any of the quick witted wise cracks that he's known for. The special effects are also billed as the star of the show, but honestly are a bit shoddy in places. The script is very very lightweight. Worth a watch but this is only a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Scanner Darkly - Dir: Richard Linklater

This was disappointing considering it was from Richard Linklater, director of one of my fave films Before Sunrise. It was doubly disappointing in that it is a story derived from the portfolio of famed sci-fi writer Phillip K Dick whose stories also include Total Recall and Blade Runner. The movie is presented in a sort of live animation that looks like real footage that has been colourised, in a process called rotoscoping. It looks really neat for the first five minutes and then becomes irritating beyond belief. It makes it difficult to follow a story that you really need to keep tabs on. Stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.