A ten year old would no doubt adore this film, as it is a nice fairy tale of the kind that every little girl loves, with a pretty yet hard done by princess; lots of pretty dresses and bright, vivid colours. There’s also a horrible, but not at all ugly stepmother, some funny slapstick comedy, a handsome prince and a happy ever after ending – whoops! Have I given the game away here?!

Julia Roberts plays the evil Queen and wicked stepmother; Lily Collins is the princess Snow White, and Armie Hammer is the handsome Prince Alcott in this new take on the centuries old fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

In this film version Snow, as she becomes known, is imprisoned in the palace by the Queen. On escaping she learns that it isn’t just her that the Queen is unpleasant to, as her cruelty spreads throughout the land. She also stumbles on Prince Alcott and his helper, Charles Renbock (Robert Emms), who are tied up in the woods by the ‘giant dwarfs’ – and the attraction between prince and princess begins.

Snow then confronts the Queen about the kingdom, resulting in the monarch ordering the her death. The princess escapes to the woods and lives with the seven dwarfs. Meanwhile the Prince forms an unfortunate allegiance with the Queen, which unsurprisingly causes many problems.

The film starts well, with Julia Roberts’ delivering a couple of funny lines as we’re taken into a magical world of narrated animation, which provides us with the potted history of Snow’s and, to a lesser extent, the Queen’s, life to date. We’re soon thrust into a kingdom crippled by the reign of a cold, wicked, Queen who despises Snow and wants to be in control of everything. Julia Roberts is sometimes highly amusing in this role, but at others she’s just plain annoying, trying a little too hard to be funny.

Lily Collins plays the princess role adequately enough, being beautiful, kind, honest, caring and, in this age of the modern woman, a bit of a ‘kick ass’ too. The dwarves teach her how to fight with a sword, do acrobatics and ‘duck and dive’ too, so that she can defend herself, and presumably them, from any danger and especially from the Queen.

Armie Hammer as The Prince is possibly the most consistent performer of the cast. Hammer acts the role well, even if Prince Alcott isn’t necessarily the most likeable of characters, as he swaps his loyalties from the Queen to Snow at the drop of a hat. He comes across as arrogant, foolish and out to get whatever he can, which makes you wonder why Snow is attracted to him – other than the fact he’s a prince. He seems better suited to the bitter, vain and horrible Queen.

The seven dwarfs, played by Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, and Ronald Lee Clark, humorously make a fool of the Prince on two occasions and generally keep us entertained with their fighting, banter, and professions of love for Snow. We’re not laughing at them, but WITH them and we feel their pain that the town’s people have allowed the Queen’s influence to cause their banishment into the cruel woods.

There are at least three surprising twists that update this very old tale. Previously mentioned is the all new kick-ass princess. Another more modern twist is Snow’s decision that unlike all the books she’d read while locked up in the palace, she won’t allow the Prince (nor the dwarfs) to fight her battles for her. She ill battle alone against the beast which has been tormenting the townsfolk.

There is a little confusion with accents in Mirror Mirror; while some have crisp, upper class English voices, others speak in friendly down- to-earth American accents. It’s a small point perhaps – especially as it’s set in a fantasy, fairy tale land, but it’s a little annoying to the ear nonetheless.

The film ends with a Bollywood type song and dance which, although having its appeal, appears somewhat out of place in the context of the film, and one is left wondering, ‘Where did that come from’?

Mirror Mirror doesn’t overly excite me, but then I suppose that it’s not aimed at my age group – although these days such films tend to try and work on two levels with appeal for children and adults. That didn’t occur here. In fact, it was a little boring for an adult. Admittedly, there are some funny, very clever and unexpected moments, but on the whole it failed to impress.

Overall Verdict: Funny, nice fairy tale if you are a little princess who is into little princesses, but it does little to appeal to an older audience.

Reviewer: Dee Davis

Still think global warming is a myth? Try telling that to the people of the Maldives. For them, the threat posed by climate change is not the stuff of imaginary sci-fi scenarios like Waterworld, The Day After Tomorrow or 2012. The natives face the very real possibility that within the space of a few years both they and their (strikingly beautiful) 200 or so inhabited islands could be submerged by the sea.

This documentary follows the president of the Maldives, President Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed in the run up to the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit. Having a head of state as the main point of human interest might seem an odd choice for any film, but in fact the English-educated Nasheed is a very likeable and watchable figure. Watching him resort to a range of publicity stunts (such as staging a cabinet meeting underwater) in order to get his point across is at times both funny and heartbreaking. For Nasheed, the approaching summit is not just an opportunity for good PR but a key stage in a battle for survival. Asked what options he will face if a deal is not reached, Nasheed is only too clear: “There are no other options. We will die”.

The opening scenes of the film detailing how Nasheed wrested power after 30 years of tyranny from his malevolent predecessor Maumood Abdul Gayeem would probably be sufficient material for a film themselves. Nasheed’s accounts of his own experiences under torture (“You can still have a schedule for the day, even when you can’t move”) are extremely powerful.

Amazingly, the struggle for power was achieved even with the massive disruption of the Boxing Day Tsunami occurring midway through. Barely had Nasheed’s victory celebrations ended, however, when the stark reality of the Maldives’ precarious situation became apparent.

The seas already look remarkably high against the islands’ coastlines. Nasheed actually fell from power in February 2012 but the struggle continues. Without wishing to sound too much like Al Gore, it’s probably in all of our interests that the Maldives doesn’t become the 21st century version of Atlantis. For as Nasheem himself says shortly before a visit to the British Parliament: “If you can’t defend the Maldives today you can’t defend England tomorrow.”

Overall Verdict: A climate change documentary that avoids being either hectoring or boring. No man is an island, indeed.

Reviewer: Chris Hallam

A major nationwide screening event of The Island President is set to take place on April 3rd up and down the country. You can find out where it’s showing then at http://theislandpresident.co.uk/screenings, which also offters info about other screenings too.

As many know by now, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is a young adult bestseller that’s become a phenomenon around the world. It’s now been transferred to the screen and is one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year. So far the novel trilogy has amassed over 26 million in book sales (mostly due to popular word of mouth) and this will no doubt grow after the pretty much inevitable success of the movie.

The Hunger Games is set in North America in a dystopian future. The Hunger Games have been introduced by the government as a tactic invented to help control and punish each District for a previous uprising. Each of the 12 Districts have to select a male and female teenager, who must then all fight each other to the death in a televised event, for the honour and hope of their Districts.

During the selection process for the 74th Games, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) heroically takes the place of her sister and volunteers for the games. She is then sent to the Capitol along with fellow Tribute Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), going from poverty in District 12 to a lavish and visually stunning metropolis. Once there, each Tribute must train and parade themselves in front of the media, attempting to become favourites, before being sent to the games themselves.

Many of the tributes are humble in comparison to the organisers of the Games, but the contrast is what makes the film work. We are transported from poverty to decadence, where each city dweller lives life to excess, feeding off the poor and living vulgar, self-indulgent lives. This is captured well and is reflected in their exaggerated and grotesque appearance and clothing.

Katniss is played brilliantly by Jennifer Lawrence (of Winter’s Bone fame), and leads an ensemble who are all excellent and very believable in their roles. The film itself doesn’t feel overlong at 142 minutes. The first half spends time setting up why the games take place, the selection process and transferring both tributes from District 12 to the Capitol, whilst the second half deals with The Games themselves, where bonds are made and broken as each tribute battles for survival rather than glory.

With a budget of around $75million, noticeable effects are kept to a relative minimum. We are given the odd spaceship and monster, but rather than being bombarded by CGI fireworks, we are instead treated to a lavish setting as well as well as amazing costumes and make up. Ultimately what drives this film and makes it a superior sci-fi, is that it is character driven. We care about the individuals, whether we love or hate them.

And for any parent wondering whether a movie about a fight-to-the-death tournament will be suitable for the kiddies, those dispatched during the games are sent off with dignity and not too much bloodshed (some blood was even removed for the UK release to ensures a 12A certificate), for a more age friendly target audience.

Whilst the casting is genius, the stand out roles other than the Tributes are Woody Harrelson who plays Haymitch – a previous winner from District 12 who is now their mentor even though he’s a drunk – and Elizabeth Banks as the awful Effie Trinket, who selects and guides the Tributes from District 12 to their destiny.

There are obvious nods to Big Brother, The Running Man and Battle Royale, but despite these comparisons the film still seems fresh and exciting.

Overall Verdict: The Hunger Games is an exciting new franchise, and although a trilogy of book it will probably be split into 4 films (similar to Potter and Twilight). I personally cannot wait to see the next film and will be picking up the next book! If fans of Twilight are Twihards does this make me a Tribute? I can certainly say that The Odds are in Favour of this having a new legion of fans, and will become a huge box office smash!

Reviewer: Stephen Sclater

In their immortal wisdom, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, once said that there’s a time limit between something bad happening and it being socially acceptable to poke fun at it. Back in the 80s & 90s, cop comedies were an absolute guaranteed money spinner. Just take a grizzled veteran (Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon, Nick Nolte in 48 Hrs) and team him up with a slightly madcap, wise-cracking and preferably racially contrasting accomplice (Mel Gibson & Eddie Murphy respectively) and watch the dollars pile up.

Then 9/11 happens, the men and women of America’s emergency services are, quite correctly, raised to the status of national heroes and suddenly it’s no longer cool or popular to poke fun at the boys in blue. Parker & Stone placed a time frame of 22.3 years before a subject drifts into (or in this case, back into) the waters of comedy. Seems they were a little off, because a mere 11 years later, here’s a good old-fashioned buddy cop-comedy.

For those of you who were just a twinkle in your father’s eye in the 80s, the original incarnation of 21 Jump Street was a reasonably successful attempt to marry high school drama and cop show, in which a team of youthful-looking police officers went undercover to solve crimes in colleges and high schools. Whilst retaining the concept, this new movie incarnation varies drastically in tone, giving us a mix of Judd Apatow/Todd Phillips-esque semi-improvised conversational comedy and traditional explosive action. Two rookie cops, one tough but stupid (Channing Tatum), one weak but smart (Jonah Hill), are assigned to the resurrected Jump Street undercover program and tasked with stopping the supply and distribution of a new synthetic drug that has become popular at a local high school.

There are plenty of good things to say about 21 Jump Street. For a start, it is very funny in places. That might sound like a basic point to make, but you’d be amazed at how many so-called comedies put far too little of this simple ingredient into the mix. One only needs to look back to other recent Jonah Hill release, The Sitter, to see an example of dereliction of duty on this front, or for an even better example, any Vince Vaughn film in the last five years. Fortunately here, the laughs flow quite freely thanks to a combination of smart writing on the part of Scott Pilgrim and Project X scribe Michael Bacall and a really excellent leading partnership between Hill and Tatum. No, really, Channing Tatum, he’s great.

Given his career to date, it would be quite easy to make your mind up about Channing Tatum. From his debut as generic square-jawed chump in Sam Jackson vehicle Coach Carter, to dancing square-jawed chump in the Step Up series, punching squared-jawed chump in Fighting, military square-jawed chump in G.I. Joe and Dear John, and Roman square-jawed chump in The Eagle, there has, up ‘til now, been a very definite theme developing in his output, and many, myself included, were beginning to label him the poster-boy for the generic, inspiration free slump Hollywood has been mired in for some time now. Well, I fear we may have jumped the cynical gun on this one because he delivers a comic performance of extremely high calibre, more than a match for his relatively experienced counterpart Hill, who, whilst funny in all the right places, is somewhat limited to the standard, “awkward guy” shtick he’s well known for.

It’s a shame then that Jump Street’s quality dips somewhat in its second half. Where the film succeeds early on in playing off the worn out stereotypes of high school & cop comedies, it stumbles in its later stages by actually becoming a worn out and stereotypical high school & cop comedy. Once the action kicks in to gear, the funny gets lost and although it never truly strays into the realm of a “bad film”, it’s disappointing, though perhaps not unexpected, that it is unable to sustain the really superb quality and momentum of its opening hour or so.

As has already been stated though, the Hollywood’s comedy arm has been so filled with junk lately that it’s becoming hard to find a vein, and, to push this drug analogy to breaking point, 21 Jump Street represents plenty of highs per gram. It’s laugh out loud in places and decently exciting in others, and whilst by no means perfectly balanced and a little bland in places, is certainly worthy of its street value. Sorry.

Overall Verdict: One of the better comedies you’re likely to see this year. Simple charm and good lead performances are enough to distract from some balance and pacing issues and make 21 Jump Street a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Reviewer: Alex Hall

Director, subject and star Dan Edelstyn sets off to the Ukraine looking into his family’s past, and to find out more about how his great grandfather was once a rich, factory owner, before the October Revolution came along in 1917. Once in Eastern Europe, Dan discovers his family’s past wasn’t just in sugar but also in Vodka. Dan returns to the UK with ideas of buying the still-standing distillery and reviving the old family business, but soon realises that’s way beyond his means. Instead he embarks on an odyssey to import the vodka into the UK and launch a new brand, hopefully helping the locals in the Ukraine along the way.

This modern tale of a filmmaker making a rather left-field leap into the alcohol business is mixed with the story of Dan’s ancestors, and how the rise of Communism meant to the end of the old owning-classes, dispossessing thousands – particular if, like Dan’s great grandparents, they were Jewish – and starting an Odyssey across Europe, taking in travelling shows, romance, exile and large swathes of history.

Although How To Re-Establish A Vodka Empire feels a tad like it should be on More 4 rather than in cinemas, it’s an entertaining, inventive and rather charming tale, told with verve and passion by Edelstyn and his partner/camerawoman Hilary Powell.

The side of the film where Dan is trying import vodka and set himself up as the type of businessman he never expected to be, perhaps lacks a little focus, partly because while the stakes are actually pretty high, that doesn’t fully come across. Where the documentary is strongest is retelling the story of Dan’s ancestor, which mixes live-action, archive footage, stop-motion animation and plenty of invention to create a simple yet vivid picture of the past. The Russian Revolution is an absolutely fascinating moment in history, and this takes you into the thick of the social, political and racial tumult, while giving things a very personal feel.

The one sticking point I had was the vague sensation I might be being sold something. Although Edelstyn was a struggling filmmaker before he become a wannabe vodka mogul, there’s a lot of talk in the movie about how making the new alcohol brand a success is about creating a story people want to buy into. Of course the story is that of Dan’s ancestors, which is the same one we’re told in the movie. Although it’s only with my cynical hat on that I’d say this is essentially a giant advert for Dan’s vodka brand – watch the film, buy into the story and then buy into the vodka – it’s slightly difficult to escape that whether intentional or not, that’s essentially what it is. Nevertheless it’s a fun ride.

Overall Verdict: If you ignore the slight feeling the story you’re being told is trying to sell you vodka, it’s a fun, informative documentary that teaches you a lot about a fascinating moment in history.

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

The film Contraband is like NASCAR racing; fast, hard, exciting, masculine – but ultimately you kinda know what direction it’s all going in. Mark Wahlberg (The Italian Job, The Departed, We Own The Night) stars as Chris Farrady, a hard smuggling man turned good. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, this film explores the story of Chris and what he would do to protect his family, even if it means returning to a lifestyle that he gave up for their sake.

Chris seems like your average American dad, and at a wedding with his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), he seems like a charming, very well built, and all round nice guy. He also seems like a good guy, as when a Godfather-Mafioso type tells him he should get back in the ‘business’ he politely declines. However things take a turn for the worse when Kate’s brother messes up while drug smuggling and gets hospitalised by the crooks he was dealing for. As he’s old friends with those crooks, Chris tries to set things straight. However the bad guys, led by Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi – Gone in 60 seconds, Saving Private Ryan, Avatar), don’t let Chris or his brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) off the hook that easily. Threatening Chris’s family, Tim demands the money back. However to get the large amount of cash back, there is only one option for Chris – get back in the smuggling business.

Said to be one of the best smugglers in the business, this is exactly what Chris decides to do. However for a character who seems so proud to have gone legit, it takes very, very little coercion for him to change his mind. Clearly he misses the thrill of smuggling goods! The plan is to do a trip to Panama, get the goods, and return to settle the debt. There are some good little plot twists along the way, and some decent edge of your seat fun.

Unlike other films such as The Other Guys (where Wahlberg displays some comic sensibility), there are no surprises here with Contraband showing typical Wahlberg. His character is pretty much your stereotypical bad-guy-gone-good-but-misses-the-old-life, which we’ve seen many times before. He’s is very likeable on-screen and fits well with the context of the story, however the only criticism is that this is a very typical Wahlberg role and it does feel like we’ve seen this before.

The film has some great high action scenes, gunfights and plenty of explosions to keep you thrilled. Chris’s wife Kate and their children are in threat while Chris travels to Panama and this tool in the narrative works well to build suspense right throughout the whole film. And thankfully there are some good twists in the tale that manage to stop the film from being totally predicable.

Overall Verdict: Contraband is a great watch if other films from the Wahlberg back catalogue are your thing. There are some great locations and gripping footage; director Kormákur does a good job of bringing it all together. So although this film cannot be described as exquisite or amazing, it deserves a solid ‘good’. It may not stand out in memory as the best film you’ve ever seen but it’s still at least worth a watch.

Reviewer: Kevin van der Ham