Knocked Up - Dir: Judd Apatow

Interesting one this. I'd assumed from the trailers and hype that this is the funniest comedy of the year. It's not. It's more a drama with some humourous moments sprinkled throughout. That's no bad thing, but as a comedy I found it slightly disappointing. It's well written nonetheless and directed pretty competently. Lead Seth Rogan is perfect, as is Katherine Heigl. The supporting cast also seems to compliment well throughout. For a movie about babies, it's actually not sickening to watch and a whole deal more realistic than Three Men and a Baby! This is a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Dexter - Season Two

Dexter is back! Last season he was chasing down the Ice Truck Killer. This time the police are chasing the Bay Harbour Butcher, the man responsible for dumping many bodies in the sea i.e Dexter himself! Yet another series where the temperature is turned up to the max with a great script examining the fine line between good, evil and insanity. Michael C Hall is excellent as ever. This for me was the show of the year last season, better than Heroes and Lost. This year's new intakes are going to be hard pushed to beat it. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - Dir: Tommy Lee Jones

This one was slightly disappointing after all the previous hype I had seen for the film. The performances are good from Tommy Lee Jones and Julio Cedillo as the eponymous Melquiades Estrada. All supporting cast is spot on and the direction by Tommy Lee Jones is also competent. The film really captures that dusty barren way of life along the Texan/Mexico border. So what's disappointing? Guillermo Arriaga the writer of Babel and 21 Grams wrote this script but for me left it a little bit light, maybe missing something. Maybe it's a film that needs a repeated watch but this is a JM SUCK IT AND SEE for me.

Zodiac - Dir: David Fincher

This is a superlative film in every area. As you would expect from David Fincher, the film looks great giving the audience an extra filthy look to every scene. The script is also great and even though this has a 2h 30 mins running time, you are hooked by the twists and turns in the story. Based on true events surrounding the infamous Zodiac killer in America in the 1960s and 1970s, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cartoonist on the San Francisco Chronicle who doggedly keeps on the case when others fall by the wayside over the years. Some excellent performances from Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo make this an essential watch this year. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

The Good Shepherd - Dir: Robert De Niro

This film is really disappointing just because it never really goes anywhere and is too flabby to make any real impact. Famed actor Robert De Niro puts his director hat on for only the second time. His first movie A Bronx Tale was critically acclaimed so it is a shame his sophomore effort misses so much. The cast of Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, William Hurt, Alec Baldwin and John Turturro are as good as an ensemble cast as you could get. The production values are fantastic and got nominated for an Oscar. If this was re-edited down to something more tight (it has a 2h 40min running time currently) and given more focus it would have been so much better. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Norbit - Dir: Brian Robbins

Eddie Murphy takes one step closer to reclaiming the comedy king mantle that he squarely held in the 1980s. Some of the highlights in his Nutty Professor movies were the disguises he wore when he played members of his family. He takes that one step further here and it definitely works in most part. Thandie Newton and Cuba Gooding Jr are good support but the story tends to ramble and feels flabby in places. However when the movie is funny it hits it squarely. This is a JM SUCK IT AND SEE.

Perfume - Dir: Tom Tykwer

From the director of acclaimed Run Lola Run comes this extravagant movie based on the best selling book by Patrick Suskind and one of the most expensive German movies ever. It tells the tale of a man in search of the perfect scent and what he will do to get there. Exquisitely shot and played nicely by lead Ben Whishaw. Feels very different from many period dramas and is gripping from the beginning. There is a slightly stretched out section in the middle but the wonderful denouement more than plays off for this. Supporting cast includes Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman who add even more class to the surroundings. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Bobby - Dir: Emilio Estevez

Amazing really for coming from 80s heartthrob Emilio Estevez. Not only did he direct this great ensemble piece, he also wrote it. Not known for either, he really shows a great deal of class in both departments. The story revolves around a bunch of characters that flow in and around the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5th 1968, the date and location of the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Some great performances from Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, William H Macy, Laurence Fishburne, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone and even Lindsay Lohan make this strong in all departments. That we know how it all ends and still keeps the momentum is another not easy thing to pull off. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

The Fountain - Dir: Darren Aronofsky

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were attached to this film before creative differences between them and the director forced the whole movie to close down. The director has a great pedigree (Requiem for a Dream and Pi) and this film was highly anticipated. The result however is an utter disappointment, an incomprehensible mess of a story that leaves you wondering what the hell went on. Now stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weitz who aren't bad actors at all, but seem to be acting into nothing. Really poor, this is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Breaking and Entering - Dir: Anthony Minghella

It'a another Jude Law relationship movie, but who would have thought that this one could have been so turgid. Oscar winning director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) wrote and directed this movie which also stars decent enough actresses Robin Wright Penn and Juliette Binoche. The problem is it never really goes anywhere and doesn't really tread any new ground. It's all too predictable really and no one really gets past first gear. From such a lauded Oscar winning director this is disappointingly average. This is a JM THUMBS DOWN.

Perfect Stranger - Dir: James Foley

This is an interesting one. Halle Berry and Bruce Willis are always watchable if they have the right material. It seems here that they just about do. Halle Berry plays a journalist that is trying to snair the killer of one of her friends. The main suspect is Bruce Willis' ad agency head character who is known to have met her online and subsequently had an affair. It's a slow burner but not in a boring way, more in a purring Halle Berry way, which is ironic considering the terrible Cat Woman movie she was in. Bruce Willis is also okay and reminds us how before he was John Maclane, he was the romantic guy in the TV series Moonlighting. It has a great ending. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.

Bourne Ultimatum - Dir: Paul Greengrass

This is another of the must see movies of the year and may even be movie of the year so far. Not a great fan of the first two, this one absolutely blew me away. Intense non stop action doesn't let you breathe for a second. Matt Damon is excellent and the direction by Paul Greengrass (United 93) is fantastic. There's a fight scene when Damon is one on one that shows up the recent back to basics James Bond for what it was - overhyped. A good tight script by Tony Gilroy keeps everything moving and the resolution is pulsating. This is a JM RECOMMENDS.