The Sentinel - Dir: Clark Johnson

You certainly can't complain about the cast on paper of Kiefer Sutherland and Michael Douglas. Unfortunately they both seem a bit wrong for the roles they are playing. Kiefer plays some kind of FBI agent and does his Jack Bauer impression all the way through. Douglas is such a great actor but never really gets out of second gear here as the secret service agent framed for an assasination attempt on the President. Direction and editing is a bit weird in places and feels like you've missed something sometimes. Kim Basinger and Eva Longoria is a bit wishy washy. Overall it never quite comes together. Not truly awful and does ramp up towards the end but only a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Heroes Series 2 Episode 1

The Heroes gang are back for their second series. Tim Kring's show was without doubt the biggest success story of last seasons shows but can it fight off all contenders this year? It will definitely give it a shot going on the first episode of the second series. All of our favourite characters are back including cheerleader Claire Bennet and Hiro Nakamura, but are coming to grip with the side-effects of what happened at the end of series one. There are some new characters introduced carefully and just as you think the show is plodding along there are some nice twists and turns to mix it all up. The worry I've always had with Heroes is that for some reason the emotional attachment to all of the characters is pretty low. It's nice eye candy and a freak show, but do we really care if they live or die? That's the big challenge that the second series of Heroes must work on. This is a JM RECOMMENDS for now.

World Trade Center - Dir: Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone really does know how to direct a movie well and with this theme matter you sure do need someone with steady and focussed hands. The script is pretty good and handles the September 11th tragedy with true respect without making it in to a circus show or high octane action movie. Nicolas Cage is a slight weakness but although not reknowned for his truly heavyweight performances still manages to muster up a good enough performance to not let everything else down. The scenes of the people trapped amidst the rubble and the tower coming down are extremely well done and portray the sense of claustrophobia and fear amazingly well. Good performances from all the supporting cast including Maria Bello. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Snakes On A Plane - Dir: David L Ellis

The internet hype of this movie was so massive before it came out that they went back for reshoots for a week to make it even better. They shouldn't have really bothered. It's very easy to see quickly why this movie didn't explode at the box office the way it was expected. The direction is immediately very poor reminiscent of some ultra low budget action movie with z-rate actors. The only thing that really drags this through to the climax is Samuel L Jackson. The snake SFX are a mixture of good to very bad and the action was all a bit messy. That said, you certainly get what you see on the tin and if you are after a couple of hours of extremely light distraction then it's okayish. This is a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Death Proof - Dir: Quentin Tarantino

This was a massive disappointment. There were problems with audiences not going to see Grindhouse but I'd assumed that was merely down to massive running time. I didn't ever think that it would be because of the extreme poorness of Tarantino's movie. He is reknowned for his witty culture referenced filled dialogue but here it was bland and just seemed to drag on forever. It just seemed really over indulgent and flabby. The two great scenes involving the Death Proof car and its driver Stuntman Mike played by Kurt Russell literally steal the show. It's not hard though to be honest to steal this show. One of the stunt girls, Zoe Bell is so gratingly bad it makes you want to walk out. She is a stunt woman in real life and should have stuck to it. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Ghosts - Dir: Nick Broomfield

From the director of the reknowned documentaries Kurt and Courtney, Tupac and Biggie, and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer comes this harrowing drama portraying the story of 24 chinese immigrants that lost their lives whilst cockle farming in Morecambe Bay, UK. Fascinating and disturbing at the same time, we see the dreams of the immigrants turn in to nightmares when they reach the UK after a journey that lasts six months. The promises of large salaries and nice houses are immediately seen to be far from the truth. Everyone seems to take advantage of them, even their own kind. We learn that after their deaths that the families still owe their debt to the collectors back home. At the end we find that the lead girl, Ai Qin Li, is actually played by one of the survivors. A fantastic performance. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Prison Break Series 3 Episode 1

Prison Break is back for a third season and is seemingly set inside a prison unlike the second series! This isn't any old prison like before though, this is SONA in deepest Panama where it's got so bad the guards have left and only secure the perimeter. This time Lincoln is outside and must help Michael who is banged up with his three worst enemies T-Bag, Bellick and Mahone. The twist is they must all work together if they are to escape. This first episode is a nice introduction back in to the PB world and it soon becomes evident they are all in it for the long ride. My only concern is how they are going to spin it out considering the first series had pretty much every prison escape twist and turn you could have. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

The Hitcher - Dir: Robert Harmon

A remake of this movie has just appeared at the cinemas and has been universally panned. Did the original need remaking? The answer is...possibly. The original Hitcher movie starring Rutger Hauer and C Thomas Howell is quite revered in the thriller chiller genre but certainly on a recent rewatch I felt it had lost some of its intensity. In places it feels ballsy and in others it feels messy and cheap. Back in the 1980s it was pretty horrific but in this age of near no holds barred cinema, it doesn't retain the same power. Interestingly the director never really went on to do anything else of note. Still very watchable but only a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Last King of Scotland - Dir: Kevin Macdonald

The critical and awards buzz surrounding this film has been pretty big and in some parts it truly deserves it. The movie meshes fact and fiction regarding the meeting of a fresh Scottish doctor played by James McAvoy and Ugandan dictator Idi Amin played by Forrest Whitaker. The latter is truly exceptional and deserved his Oscar for Best Performance. After seeing it, you wonder how he ever had to audition for the role, but he did! McAvoy is ok but his performances are becoming a bit samey with that constant pissed off steeley eyed looked he does. The screenplay is the biggest let down in that it all seems quite thin and never really digs deeper than the surface. It's watchable because of Whitaker's virtuosu performance, but the film around it isn't engrossing enough. This a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Planet of the Apes - Dir: Franklin J Schaffner

It's time for a classic revisit. Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes was pretty much panned, and it's easy to see now why it had such a hard time in comparison to the original movie. Even though it was filmed in 1968 it still feels fresh and thrilling as it must have done back then. The direction by Franklin J Schaffner is extremely stylistic and perfectly aligned. He showed his great directing skill again in his future films Patton and Papillon. Charlton Heston doesn't give the best performance as the spaceman landing on a future planet, but is arrogant and edgy enough to carry it off. This really deserves the classic label and is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Destricted - Dir: Larry Clark, Marco Brambilla, Sam Taylor Wood, Gaspar Noe etc

Yet another extremely sexually explicit offering that dresses itself up as serious art. This collection of short movies is directed by various culture alumini including Kids director Larry Clark, artist Sam Taylor Wood, Irreversible's director Gaspar Noe, and most surprisingly Demolition Man director Marco Brambilla. Unlike the recently reviewed Shortbus, there rarely seems little point to any of the movies. They've tried to melt sex and art but just end up with a pretentious collection of images. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Smokin' Aces - Dir: Joe Carnahan

This is a really interesting one. When it originally came out at the cinema, the vibe was pretty mixed. Subsequently it has become a huge hit on DVD. I thought the film was pretty good and can't see where any mixed reviews would have come from. The director Joe Carnahan showed some promise in his previous movie Narc and here takes that forward even more here in all the right areas. The story also written by the director regards a mob snitch played excellently by Jeremy Piven being hunted down at the same time by several hitmen and hitwoman all for a $1m reward. Ben Affleck turns in a half decent performance although his moustache still acts him off the screen. Support from singer Alicia Keys, Ray Liotta, Common, and Andy Garcia compliments everything well. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Hot Fuzz - Dir: Edgar Wright

No sophomore slump here from Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright after the mega success of Shaun of the Dead. The set up is classic, big time cop gets relocated to sleepy small time village and uncovers more deadly goings on than a year in London. Contains some great cameos including a wonderful performance by Timothy Dalton as the seemingly evil supermarket boss. Has some wonderful laughs, but is perhaps a bit too long at the end and is perhaps a little too dark for its own good in places. Still worth a watch. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Vacancy - Dir: Nimrod Antal

Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson star in this movie with a scary trailer but a very average delivery. After the usual cliched "I'm tired, let's stop at this motel in the middle of nowhere" they put on a video in one of the VCR's in the room. Unfortunately for them they suddenly realise that the very room they are staying in is the one that other guests have been slashed to death in. Literally nothing here that pushes the envelope of the genre. The director Nimrod Antal won a small award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 but shows little more than average ability and seems an odd choice of genre for him. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.