Hugo - Dir: Martin Scorsese

Really looking forward to this but ultimately disappointing. Solidly made and sumptuous looking but a snore a second story that only seems to ramp up in the last third. To be fair, I watched it in 2D - and am told that it is a lot better in 3D - but still can't see it myself. Story is story after all. Lots of good references for silent movie film buffs but overall this has to be a JM THUMBS DOWN.

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.