A scene from Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best Of Both Worlds TourWe review the latest crop of films set for release in UK cinemas.
Hannah Montana And Miley Cyrus: Best Of Both Worlds Tour: If you’re not already a fan of Miley Cyrus and her Disney Channel show, then Bruce Hendricks’s film won’t convert you.
Shot during the recent US tour, this is a 75-minute promo for the Hannah Montana brand. The songs are instantly forgettable. Rating: Three stars
10,000 BC: Director Roland Emmerich’s latest blockbuster has dreadful dialogue, risible plotting and wafer-thin characterisation.
This journey through the dawn of time tramples over historical and geographical accuracy. There are lighter moments, but many of the laughs are unintentional. Rating: Two stars
The Cottage: Director Paul Andrew Williams fails to match the qualities of his impressive debut, London To Brighton. The Cottage falls woefully short of his first film, awkwardly melding stomach-churning horror and black humour without a firm grasp on either strand.
Andy Serkis, Jennifer Ellison and Reece Shearsmith star. Rating: Two stars
Vantage Point: Vantage Point is an intricate action-thriller, which replays a devastating terrorist attack from eight perspectives – but coincidence and chance nudge the film increasingly towards implausibility.
Running time is kept to a minimum, sacrificing deep relationships between the protagonists to propel the story forwards. Stars Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox and William Hurt. Rating: Three stars
The Game Plan: The Game Plan is, at its soft, gooey heart, an old-fashioned Disney yarn extolling the virtues of the family unit.
Humour is gentle and inoffensive, erring towards the obvious. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson demonstrates a flair for comedy and there’s a nice rapport with his diminutive and cute co-star, Madison Pettis. Rating: Three stars
The Other Boleyn Girl: The Other Boleyn Girl is a beautifully dressed and staged costume drama that has pomp and pageantry in abundance but a paucity of deep emotion.
Apart from Sandy Powell’s costumes and John-Paul Kelly’s production design, there is little to keep anyone spellbound for almost two hours. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson play the two Boleyn sisters. Rating: Three stars
Diary Of The Dead: Diary Of The Dead is starved of decent scares, whittling down the cast to the core survivors and some of the set pieces are clumsily contrived.
Josh Close’s hero becomes increasingly irritating and Scott Wentworth’s plummy Brit professor is a caricature. Rating: Three stars
The Bank Job: Roger Donaldson’s thriller tunnels through familiar ground and the film is severely handicapped by a lifeless leading man, Jason Statham, with all the charisma of a crowbar.
His co-stars bring colour to their underwritten roles, while David Suchet hams it up as an East End porn mogul. Rating: Two stars
Untraceable: Untraceable is a disturbing thriller about a technical genius who uses the internet to torture his victims, and the specialist team charged with tracking down this mastermind before more blood is spilt.
Diane Lane slips effortlessly into the role of a ballsy mom and Colin Hanks provides sporadic comic relief. Rating: Three stars
The Accidental Husband: Uma Thurman looks ill at ease in her comic role – she has to work incredibly hard for every half-hearted chuckle; so hard that we almost feel bad for not laughing more.
The Accidental Husband is incredibly contrived and the plot unfolds without any surprises. Rating: Two stars
(Reviews by Damon Smith)
