1. Red 2  8/10

Stars: Helen Mirren and Bruce Willis

This was a fun movie to watch.  Not quite as good as the first movie but entertaining and funny.  An elegant performance by Mirren, the usual Willis action and the quirkiness of John Malkovich made it a worthwhile use of time.

2. Cedar Rapids  4/10

Stars: Ed Helms and John C. Reilly

Another of those movies that has potential but doesn’t quite achieve it. It dragged to much and the dialogue while good in spots, was predictable. I expected a better performance from the cast,

3. The Princess Bride  9/10

Stars: Cary Elwes and Mandy Patankin

This movie has it all.  It’s funny, entertaining and well-directed. The cast give excellent performances and the dialogue is witty.  The plot is strong and as a result, this classic satire of the old swashbuckling movies is entertaining and engaging. A wonderful movie.

4. Wyatt Earp’s Revenge 4/10

Stars: Val Kilmer and Shawn Roberts

This movie had potential but it appears to have suffered from a slow story line and a low budget.  Not one of the better movies about Wyatt Earp.

5. tick…tick…tick…  6/10

Stars:  Jim Brown and George Kennedy

An interesting look at small town racial tensions with some hard-hitting scenes.  The cast is strong and this movie is worth watching if, like me, you have never seen it and want a no-holds-barred look at prejudice in corruption.

6.  The Oranges 5/10

Stars: Hugh Laurie and Leighton Meister

This movie had some good moments but it also dragged at times. I quite liked Meister’s performance and felt that the cast gave a reasonable effort.  A little too long.

7. White House Down 7/10

Stars: Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx

A predictable but fairly good action movie with Tatum and Foxx giving strong performances.  Worthy of mention is Nicolas Wright who plays a White House tour guide,

8. Win-Win 8/10

Stars: Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan

A moving story in the inspirational porting movie sub-genre. Special mention should go to Alex Shaffer in his debut feature film role.  In a movie where everyone gives a strong performance this newcomer shines.

9. McKenna Shoots for the Stars  3/10

Stars: Jade Pettyjohn and Nia Vargalos

Apparently this is the sixth movie in the series of American Girl movies.  It possibly has an appeal to a young audience of gymnastic enthusiasts but it failed to engage me.

10. Mental 5.5/10

Stars: Toni Collette and Rebecca Gibney

A movie that shows that everyone is a little crazy.  Good performances by Collette and Gibney but I found the storyline a little slow.  Not a great movie but also not that bad either.

11. Pippin: His Life and Times  7/10

Stars: William Katt and Ben Vereen

Vereen, as ‘The Leading Player’ is my favourite part of this production, though Katt is good in the eponymous role.  Good music and some clever direction by David Sheehan make it an enjoyable watch.

12. Beauty and the Beast  8/10

Stars: Paige O’Hara and Robbie Benson

Great songs make this Disney movie enjoyable and entertaining.  The animation is excellent and the movie holds appeal for young and old alike.

13. Cosmopolis 5.5/10

Stars: Robert Pattinson and Juliette Bonoche

A challenging movie with reasonable performances, though I thought is dragged at times. Not the sort of movie that will appeal to everybody.

14. Strangers on a Train 8/10

Stars: Farley Granger and Ruth Roman

A classic Hitchcock movie with all the hallmarks of one of his thrillers.  The cast is excellent and the plot moves fluidly and strongly towards its ending.

15. Will  8/10

Stars: Damian Lewis and Perry Eggleton

An enjoyable and poignant movie with great performances by Lewis and Eggleton.  Also noteworthy is Danish actor, Kristian Kiehling, who plays an important supporting role with skill.

16. 28 Days 7.5/10

Stars: Sandra Bullock and Viggo Mortenson

A good cast and a strong storyline with some moments of humour made this an entertaining movie. Bullock gives a good performance as the lead character.

17. The Sitter  1/10

Stars: Jonah Hill and Ari Graynor

Not much could be done to redeem this movie in my opinion.  Even by modern comedy standards it is predictable and unfunny.  Not one I would recommend.

18. What Maisie Knew  9/10

Stars: Onata Aprile, Alexander Skarsgård and Julianne Moore

A beautifully poignant movie that tugs at the heartstrings. Excellent performances by all the cast with a particularly noteworthy effort by Aprile, who plays Maisie.

18. Alabama Moon  6/10

Stars: Jimmy Bennett and Clint Howard

Another movie with a child lead. Not a bad story and some good performances.  A few mildly depressing moments.  Not one to watch if you are looking for something light and feelgood.

19. Jobs 5.5/10

Stars: Ashton Kutcher and Dermot Mulroney

Too much time is spent on the early days so that this movie seems to drag, though Kutcher gives a good performance and appears to have succeeded in capturing a lot of Steve Jobs’ mannerisms.

20. Jack and Jill Vs the World 3/10

Stars: Freddie Prinze Jnr and Tarren Manning

This movie started badly and didn’t get much better. It’s full of Hollywood cliches and, sadly, doesn’t do them very well.

21. Best in Show  3/10

Stars: Fred Willard and Eugene Levy

A movie about people and their dogs.  Why did I even watch this? It was predictable and unfunny. There was little to keep my attention.

22. The Courier  3/10

Stars: Mickey Rourke and Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Not even the combination of Rourke and Morgan could save this movie. As action movies go it was slow movie and failed to entertain.

23. Contraband  5.5/10

Stars: Mark Wahlberg and Giovani Ribisi

An average sort of action adventure movie with good performances by Wahlberg and Ribisi. A bit slow but, while not one of the best in the genre, it is by no means a bad example.

24. The Little Mermaid  8/10

Stars: Jodie Benson and Samuel E Wright

One of my favourite Disney movies with some great songs and an engaging story. Standout character is Sebastian, voiced by Wright.

25. How to Get Ahead in Advertising 4/10

Stars: Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward

A rather odd satire about advertising.  Though a little dated now, it has good performances and some great witty lines.  A little dark in places and unbelievable for the most part.

26. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle  7/10

Stars: Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz

Fun and entertaining with good performances by the three leads.  The improbable fight scenes just add colour and action to the fun.  Good performances also by Benrie Mack and Demi Moore.

27. Dimples  6.5/10

Stars: Shirley Temple and Frank Morgan

Temple and Morgan shine in this movie though, as usual, Shirley Temple is the main focus with her trademark songs, dances, curls and dimples. The supporting cast is good but the romance sub-plot seems unimportant.

28. Fargo  7.5/10

Stars: William H Macy and Frances McDormand

This movie sees Macy on the sort of role he does well. McDormand was excellent as the very pregnant sheriff who works hard to solve the case.  The supporting cast is quite strong as well.

29. Smashed  6.5/10

Stars: Aaron Paul and May Elizabeth Winstead

An interesting look at alcoholism and relationships with strong performances by Paul and Winstead.  Not quite your typical relationship movie so worth watching.

30. Past Tense  5.5/10

Stars: Paula Trickey and Alexia Fast

This made for TV movie has some good moments of suspense but is relatively bland for much of the time. Fast was quite good in the role of the young girl but Trickey was not convincing as the concerned parent.