Review: Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked***

The sound of those rapid-fire, squeaky voices are enough to send some grown-ups running for the hills. Others will take a deep breath and prepare for the super-cute onslaught at the cinema – there has been a two-year respite after all. But once you’ve tuned into the inane Chipmunk banter, Film Three in the series, Chipwrecked, still manages to charm while thrilling the kids, what with its intrepid little adventurers and energetic musical numbers. This time, Alvin (Justin Long on helium) and his band, The Chipmunks, including smart Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and gullible Theodore (Jesse McCartney), are on their way to some music awards with the Chipettes – Eleanor (Amy Poehler), Jeanette (Anna Faris)…

Review: Puss in Boots****

Shrek’s journey has been one of highs and lows, and was running out of interesting places to go that even Shrek the Third director Chris Miller would agree with. Concentrating on another of Shrek’s travelling companions was always going to be a tall order; making a supporting character stand alone in a film can go either way. Miller and co have definitely succeeded with Puss in Boots in the new 3D film of the same name, tapping into the older audience’s nursery-rhyme nostalgia while putting the ‘cool’ back into the time-old stories for the newer generation. Long before he even met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas)…

Review: Hugo (3D)***

Many name James Cameron as the man at the forefront of 3D. But Hugo (3D) has just added another exciting contender in one of the most unlikely directors, Martin Scorsese, who is best known for chronicling the rough and gangster-ready parts of urban America, with such greats as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and The Departed. The artistic, colourful and quite magic wizardry of Hugois perhaps a shock departure from the Scorsese norm – maybe like many actors, he wants to start creating films he can share with his family? Based on Brian Selznick’s book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a young orphan boy called Hugo Cabret (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’s star Asa Butterfield) is…

Review: Happy Feet Two (3D)***

More penguins, more dancing set-pieces is what Happy Feet writer-director George Miller gives us again, probably because they make for vibrant family entertainment. Short of the penguin musical, the second film that had some huge boots to fill after the Award-winning first is rather a colourful, sing-song whirl of incoherent plot-lines and snatched, throwaway character comments, even if it does spell mega cute in places. In Happy Feet Two, toe-tapping penguin Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) is all grown up with a young, incredibly shy son called Erik (voiced by Ava Acres) who has two left flippers and can’t join in with the Emperors’ routines. Like father, like son, Erik struggles to fit into this…

Review: Arthur Christmas****

Reviewing an animated family Christmas film is rather like looking at a small child’s enthusiastic doodle – you try really hard to say something positive and glowing about it but feel wicked if negative thoughts pop into your head. It’s probably the toughest thing to do in this job, and sadly, does depend on your view of the silly season. You can take extra confidence in knowing that Arthur Christmas comes from very British and respected stock, Aardman– with a little Sony influence. So it’s not a bad result at all. Arthur (voiced by James McAvoy) is the youngest son of the Christmas family who run the festive season each year from the North Pole…

Review: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn***

With Indiana Jones getting way past his prime – watching an older Harrison Ford leaping over containers in the opening scenes of the 2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brought tears to the eyes, while the potential of Shia LaBeouf filling his screen father’s boots was silently quash after the same film, it’s not surprising that director Steven Spielberg went searching for another action-adventure franchise with a little more longevity and promise. Thankfully, the both the late Hergé, creator of the Tintin books, and his estate was and is a big Spielberg fan. All that one of cinema’s greatest storytellers has done is put his Indie stamp on Tintin and characters,…

Review: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes****

This year has seen its fair share of fantasy blockbusters, each with their own ‘must-see’ reasons. But none quite have the sentimental and chilling impact of director Rupert Wyatt’s interpretation of Pierre Boulle’s 1963 sci-fi fantasy novel, La planete des singes, and how it all came about that apes rule the earth. Rise of the Planet of the Apes addresses how the apes took over, but has been given surprisingly believable concept. Scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) is hired by a wealthy corporation to test performance- (mind) boosting drugs on primates, in order to find a possible ‘cure’ for Alzheimer’s. It’s a personal goal as Rodman’s father Charles (John Lithgow) is in the advanced stages…

Review: The Smurfs In 3D***

Seeing little blue people prancing before your very eyes is usually not a sign of good health. But Raja Gosnell’s The Smurfs In 3D makes you feel far from blue and has a simple if predictable storyline that all ages can get involved with. It’s Smurfin’ good fun. When the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world through a wormhole and into ours in the bright lights of New York City. Now they must find a way back before Gargamel captures them all and drains them of their magical blue essence. They’re going to need some human help first. If the plotline…

Review: Captain America: The First Avenger****

In UK cinemas from 29th July 2011 Marvel’s The Avengers better be the film to end all comic book adapted films in May 2012, as we’ve been serviced with more than our fair share of the genre of late in the build up. Fanboys and girls will always have their favourite characters – which naturally makes them biased in terms of the films, Thor, Iron Man etc. Then along comes US golden boy Captain America– or Steve Rogers – to sway opinion. As a standalone film for the uninitiated, this is the best so far, with a real old-fashioned hero verses evil villain, and all set in an historical context. The other good news is…

Review: Cars 2 (3D)***

If crazy animated antics are not your bag, look away now: Lightning McQueen gives the road over to his trusted but goofy pal Mater this time in the sequel, Cars 2. It seems Lasseterand co have gone back to the original plot of the evils of gas-guzzling cars in an environmentally-conscious world, with this story’s ‘hero’, Mater, triggering a possible future series of film adventures about McQueen & Friends saving the planet. This story follows racing star car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and tow-truck pal Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) who head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race, but fall out over trivial things. But the road to…