Reviews by Donald Munro

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Hotel Transylvania (2012)

  Review preview for Hotel Transylvania

  The film is a bit of a mixed up mess of slapstick, quickfire jokes and sub-teen romantic comedy with musical and dance numbers.

  Dracula is holding a birthday party for his daughter at the hotel retreat for monsters that he runs, but doesn't count on a mortal gatecrasher taking a shine to her.
• 
  Taken 2 (2012)

  Review preview for Taken 2

  There is a lot of action but it is tame, predictable and repetitious.

  Ex-CIA man Bryan finds himself taken hostage by a man bent on revenge.
• 
  The Campaign (2012)

  Review preview for The Campaign

  There is nothing glaringly awful about the film, it's just that it's very middle of the road.

  Rivals slug it out over a North Carolina electoral district.
• 
  The Watch (2012)

  Review preview for The Watch

  Can anything save this film? No.

  Members of a neighbourhood watch scheme attempt to see off an alien invasion.
• 
  360 (2011)

  Review preview for 360

  Two things that save this cowp of a film from utter banality are the cinematography, which is technically competent, and the quality of the actors and their performances.

  A dynamic, star-studded study of love in the 21st century.
• 
  The Angels' Share (2012)

  Review preview for The Angels' Share

  One of The Angels' Share's strongest points is the way the script and the actors capture natural language.

  A group of young offenders doing community service find inspiration in whisky.
• 
  Marley (2011)

  Review preview for Marley

  The charisma of the interviewees is what makes the film interesting to watch.

  A documentary charting the life of the famous reggae star.
• 
  Hunky Dory (2011)

  Review preview for Hunky Dory

  Despite the good dialogue the script is lacking depth.

  Marc Evans' latest feature is a sweet and sincere paean to the pre-punk 1970s.
• 
  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

  Review preview for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

  The strongest features of the of the film are the performances by Max von Sydow and by Sandra Bullock as Linda, Oskar's mother.

  A boy trying to come to terms with the death of his father on 9/11 finds a mysterious key.
• 
  Young Adult (2011)

  Review preview for Young Adult

  The script by Diablo Cody is a real gem, painful and darkly funny throughout.

  Soon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter.
• 
  Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

  Review preview for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

  Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a good example of bad storytelling.

  Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
• 
  The Darkest Hour (2011)

  Review preview for The Darkest Hour

  I'm surprised that there wasn't a tech on set who could have told people how electricity works.

  Five English speakers in Moscow try to survive an alien invasion.
• 
  War Horse (2011)

  Review preview for War Horse

  A good yarn well paced and well made.

  A young man signs us to try and stay close to his beloved horse during World War One.
• 
  Goon (2011)

  Review preview for Goon

  What Goon does well is action on the ice and banter.

  Labeled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of under performing misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.
• 
  Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011)

  Review preview for Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

  Released for the Christmas audience, this film does have a touch of the pantomime about it.

  Holmes and Watson confront a nefarious plot that threatens world stability.
• 
  Acacias (2011)

  Review preview for Acacias

  Las Acacias is a slow subtle film which focuses on the interaction of the three main characters within the bubble of the truck's cab.

  A truck driver agrees to transport a woman and her baby, not anticipating the change it may bring to his quiet life.
• 
  Straw Dogs (2011)

  Review preview for Straw Dogs

  Everything that was wrong with the original is wrong with the remake. Everything that was right with the original is wrong with the remake too.

  Remake sees a couple under siege in an isolated farmhouse.
• 
  Tower Heist (2011)

  Review preview for Tower Heist

  Tower Heist hangs on its fast pacing, its glossy look and the performances of the actors.

  When a group of hard working guys find out they've fallen victim to a wealthy business man's Ponzi scheme, they conspire to rob his high-rise residence.
• 
  In Time (2011)

  Review preview for In Time

  A shallow, stagnant film that whiffs of plagiarism.

  Money is time in a corrupt future.
• 
  The Three Musketeers (2011)

  Review preview for The Three Musketeers

  The characters in the film are very much 2D.

  The Musketeers of legend must unite to thwart an evil plot that threatens to plunge Europe into war.
• 
  The Dilemma (2011)

  Review preview for The Dilemma

  There are a couple of good laughs but they certainly don't carry two hours of film.

  A socially awkward guy agonises over whether or not to tell his business partner that his wife is unfaithful.
• 
  Cop Out (2010)

  Review preview for Cop Out

  The rules for this film are tell don't show and signpost everything.

  A stolen baseball card leads a veteran NYPD cop to track down a gangster obsessed with memorabilia
• 
  [REC] 2 (2009)

  Review preview for [REC] 2

  The acting lacks the raw feel from the first film.

  Satanic zombie action following on from where [Rec] left off as a TV crew's abandoned camera keeps rolling in a quarantined apartment building.
• 
  Cuckoo (2009)

  Review preview for Cuckoo

  Writer/director Richard Bracewell uses Andrew Hewitt's eerie soundtrack, darkness and dead space to produce a disjointed, slightly disturbing viewing experience.

  A young woman struggles to retain her sanity as she has to cope with a cheating partner and an intrusive supervisor.
• 
  I Killed My Mother (2009)

  Review preview for I Killed My Mother

  There is nothing to temper all the teenage angst bullshit.

  A semi- autobiographical tale in which a young man explores all the things he hates about his mother.
• 
  Akira (1988)

  Review preview for Akira

  Akira was a step change in what animation could show.

  The classic anime tale of rivalry between two boys who uncover the mysterious secret of a post-apocalyptic world. On re-issue.
• 
  Edge Of Darkness (2010)

  Review preview for Edge Of Darkness

  The film does feel like it has been cut down from something that was far bigger and is a little awkward, clumsy as it tells rather than shows.

  A former detective uncovers his daughter's secret life and the reasons why people want her dead.
• 
  Armoured (2009)

  Review preview for Armoured

  Clips along at a fast enough pace for you to avoid noticing its flaws.

  A former soldier in financial difficulty is persuaded to take part in a heist, but nothing goes to plan.
• 
  Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

  Review preview for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

  The characters of the animals are underdeveloped and the film is ultimately bland.

  The latest adventures of Manny and company - now with added dinosaurs!
• 
  X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

  Review preview for X-Men Origins: Wolverine

  If you read the comics you are probably used to shaky continuity but it shouldn't be this way in a film.

  An exploration of the origins of X-men mutant Wolverine.
• 
  The Age Of Stupid (2009)

  Review preview for The Age Of Stupid

  The differing perspectives of the participants show that our relationship with oil is complex.

  Docudrama about a future archivist looking back on the events that devastated Earth.
• 
  Cross Of Iron (1977)

  Review preview for Cross Of Iron

  First rate acting from Coburn and Schell is complemented by fine performances from the supporting actors.

  As the Wehrmacht retreat on the Eastern Front, two German soldiers are locked in a futile personal conflict.
• 
  Rez Bomb (2008)

  Review preview for Rez Bomb

  This film has a degree of tension that few manage to achieve.

  A love story and tense thriller about a Lakota girl and a white guy who are in love but get into trouble with a brutal loan shark.
• 
  The Unborn (2009)

  Review preview for The Unborn

  The script is bland and unimaginative, giving the actors little room to give personality to their characters.

  A young woman is gradually possessed by a malignant spirit that has haunted her family since her grandmother was in a concentration camp.