Time to create more controversy and debate with the top 10 films of the year (only films with a UK cinema release between Jan 1st and Dec...

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and the dreaded 'splitting the last book into two movies to make a bit more dollar' scenario. Yes, that's a cynical viewpoint and, yes, it does mean fans aren't annoyed at any content left out of the final movie but, actually, Mockingjay is the book which needs the least amount of time in this series. I would much rather this detail was thrown into the first movie as there's quite a lot of scenes which feel like they've been promoted from t

The Drop is yet another gritty, ambiguously set, grey weather, American gangster movie. To be honest, you could probably end the review there and know whether it's for you or not. Better than Walk Among The Tombstones but not as good as Drive, this is an enjoyable noir with a nicely developing plot and strong character performances. Tom Hardy is always incredible and keeps that up here, James Gandolfini is, classically, the perfect blend of loveable and violent in his final p

Interstellar is one of the year's most anticipated. Christopher Nolan has created such a reputation that the run up to this has eclipsed some of the massive, big hitting, traditional blockbusters in terms of hype. This is very much not a traditional blockbuster. Almost completely devoid of action and at a hefty three hours Nolan takes his classic 'turning-fantasy-into-reality' approach. What is effectively a post-apocalyptic, 2001-esque, 'humans living in space' movie is expl

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is better than it has any right to be and is dressed up like a Phase 1 Marvel film. That means utter predictability and lumpen dialogue but this is a laugh. It does completely steal the plotline from the first Amazing Spider-Man movie and Empire are correct in saying that the turtles look slightly like shrivelled up versions of the Expendables cast (and the less said about the shocking CGI of Splinter the better.) Megan Fox doesn't ha

The Maze Runner almost needs to be awarded two different star ratings. One for those who've read James Dashner's source novel and those that are going in fresh. This is the next Hunger Games and knows it, it hits all the same notes and thrives on its young and mostly new cast. It's set to become a massive franchise similar to Suzanne Collins' finest and, like those movies, I hope the second Maze Runner takes a step up from this one. The problem here is the length. It's actual

Gone Girl is one of the most anticipated films of the year with uncontrollable levels of hype. This is somewhat peculiar because it's a standalone movie based on a crime novel and with only one big name lead (albeit a massive Director in David Fincher.) I'll cut to the chase and you'll be pleased to hear that this delivers on all that talk. Now, I haven't read Gillian Flynn's novel I will admit (although I will now!) but, unlike other similar movies like The Girl With The Dra

A Walk Among the Tombstones is yet another action thriller pitting Liam Neeson in a role where he has to 'find and kill somebody.' Yes, this isn't the most original premise in the world and it's going to have to compete with the upcoming Tak3n but I would be very surprised if that surpasses this. Taking the current trend for basic camera work, seedy streets and 'setting everything at night and at some undetermined point in time somewhere in the 90's' (I'm blaming Drive for st

Sex Tape is a rather awful premise in the first place: 'couple record sex tape and accidentally share the file to a number of iPads they were able to give away because the husband "gets them all the time" for his job.' I would love to know just how much money Apple have given over to this project. Not a scene goes by without a mention to the brand or a logo and there's even one terrible moment where Jason Segal picks up an iPad flung from a window only to declare that: "the b

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is one of the most anticipated movies of the year for this writer. The first film is way up there in my 'all time favourites' list and a solid 5 stars and, unfortunately, this instalment falls a little way off the original. First, the good points and this film gives satisfying prequel and sequel strands to these characters. You see early Dwight and his ties to Old Town with a marvellous Eva Green as his former femme-fatale and then you see how Nan

So you know exactly what to expect with The Expendables series and there's really no point me pointing out any glaring plot holes or lack of real character development or story because you know that these faults are going to be in there. What I will say is that this third film is easily the best of the series and gives an indication as to where Stallone might push it next. Dropping the guns blazing for one scene involving some new young recruits playing a mission stealthily s

IIt's a shame but Lucy has to go down as a disappointment. Taking cues from Luc Besson's masterpiece Leon, we get the awesome heroine (played perfectly by Scarlett Johansson) and the gangster baddie but, what starts off as a strong, pseudo-superhero movie with an academic twist, soon spirals off into highbrow existentialism. The trailer shows the titular Lucy using her increased brain capacity to change her appearance, throw baddies around corridors and scare dogs but these s