Last Christmas - This could be your new Christmas tradition. Movie Rating 8 out of 10 Family Rating - Adult themes but nothing you couldn't watch with your granny. Starring - Emelia Clarke (Games of Thrones), Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians) Emma Thompson (Men in Black:International) Last Christmas is an adult Christmas movie that, unlike Love Actually, you can watch with your older children and parents. This film is a genuine romantic comedy that tells the story of Kate, a young woman, who is grappling with the responsibility of being an adult. As she staggers towards reaching rock bottom she meets a handsome man, Tom, who encourages her to put her life back on track and live for others. As the plot develops we are slowly provided with clues as to why Kate has a destructive attitude and the reason she is struggling with life in general. Kate also has to deal with an overprotective mother, Emma Thompson, who is entrenched in the old ways from their native Yugoslavia from where they were forced to flee. Her peculiar and long-suffering boss, Santa, owns the Christmas decorations shop in which Kate makes hard work of completing a full days employment. Into Kate's life comes handsome Tom who is the very opposite of Kate, with a zest for life and always positive. He encourages Kate to make changes to her life and as she works towards improving her situation Tom always arrives just at the right time to keep her on the straight and narrow. This chance meeting leads to a friendship and beyond The story is set to the soundtrack of George Michael and Wham songs that will please the fans. The song Last Christmas is as pivotal to the storyline as the Christmas atmosphere in which the story is set. As with all good rom-coms, there are challenges to the development of relationships and so it is that Kate has to face up to some very hard truths along the way. Will she and Tom find romance, can she turn her life around and will she mend many broken bridges along the way are all answers to questions that you will be searching for along the way. Jene and I both enjoyed this movie and I heartily recommend that you take the time to see it with your partner, parents or friends and you may find that it will become one of your Christmas favourites.

  Movie Rating 4 out of 10 Family Rating Strong Violence, strong coarse language, distressing portrayal of mental health behaviour When I watch a movie and pay good money for that opportunity, I expect to be entertained. As with all action movies I enjoy the battle between good and evil, knowing that not always will the movie end with the goodies on top. Nevertheless, there is always hope. For this and other reasons, I did not find Joker entertaining or at all a quality story. While I have often admitted to being a Marvel fan over DC stories I still enjoy a DC movie. Heath Ledger's role as Joker in the Dark Knight is one of my all-time favourite acting performances. Unfortunately, director Todd Phillips' story does not match the hype it has received and neither does Joachin Pheonix's acting. I found the movie failed to provide a back story to the Joker that provided any new perspective of his character. For those who are not aware of the premise for the movie Joker, it provides a back story into a man known as Arthur Fleck while working as a clown who wants to be a stand-up comedian. It is clear from the start that he has a mental illness and the film takes us through scenarios that lead to him being pushed too far and it finally breaks him. He then takes on the Joker persona and gets down to the business of becoming the madman made famous in DC comics. While Joker was not necessarily any more violent than Dark Knight there was a very important difference - an absence of good or hope. Dark Knight pitted Batman and Harvey Dent against Joker so there was evidence of sacrifice and justice, Joker has no one to balance Joker's evil. There was bad, then worse, and right to the end there was nothing to take the edge off the madness and emptiness that surrounded Arthur Fleck as he evolved into the Joker. This absence of normality or good reminded me of the movies such as Taxi Driver and Scarface where there was also no redeeming behaviour. As for Joachim Pheonix's representation of Joker, I found it a muddle of other character portrayals of men who descend into madness. Being a fan of the series Gotham, I saw many similarities with the role of Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin) played by Robin Lord Taylor (who I thought did a better job). He imitated Robert De Niro's, Tony in Taxi Driver and Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy and even some of the mannerisms of Heath Ledger from Dark Knight. I don't believe he made a Joker that was unique or in any way more defined. As I said in my opening remarks this movie did not entertain me and I found it lacking in so many…

Dark Phoenix - Glad this one won't rise again Movie Rating - 3 out of 10 Family Rating - The usual sci-fi violence and battles. Darker than the Marvel movies Dark Phoenix is the last of the X-men movies before the franchise moves into the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, with Dark Phoenix, this series goes out with a whimper rather than a stirring ending. I have mentioned previously that time travel that creates alternate endings frustrate me endlessly and so it goes with this movie. In providing this review I admit that I haven't been a fan since after X-men future past. So even though Jean Gray has died, come back to life and experienced the Phoenix effect in previous movies they decide to tell the story all over again. Jean already possessed superior powers that needed to be controlled but through an outer space (not out of body) experience, those powers are magnified by the zillions. However, unlike Captain Marvel, she chooses to let her emotions control her powers and takes it out on anyone she doesn't like. In the meantime, some aliens (not much back story) stalk her so that they can take her powers and regenerate their own race on the earth at our expense. While all this is happening Raven, who I thought was Mystique, questions Xavier's motives for supporting mutants and developing the X-men squad. The characters are all familiar but it appears they ar    

Captain Marvel - The prequel you need to set up the final sequel Movie Rating` 7.5 out of 10 Family Rating This one is children friendly with no swearing, some battle scenes but without blood and gore and nothing else. The arrival of Captain Marvel not only introduces Marvel's answer to Wonder Woman, but also ties up all the loose ends you need to know about The Avengers before Endgame is released next month. For Marvel fans, there is no real need to provide a review of Captain Marvel because missing it is just not imaginable. I initially questioned Marvel Studio's decision to release Endgame so soon after Captain Marvel. I now realise that everyone will have to go to the cinema to watch CM as there will be no time to watch it on any other format before Endgame is available. Anyway, I couldn't call myself a movie reviewer if I didn't share my thoughts on Captain Marvel and I promise that there will be NO SPOILERS. The character of Captain Marvel does not receive any attention during all the previous Avenger related movies except at the end of Infinity Wars where Fury calls her just before he is turned to ash. We know that the Captain is a female only through the promotion for the film and we know she has some special powers or else she wouldn't be an Avenger. Writing this review is hard as there is so much I can't say so let me try another angle by way of telling you what answers the film will provide you with; Who Captain Marvel (CM) is Where she comes from What are her powers How did she get them Her relationship with Fury Who are the good guys and the bad guys Why she hasn't been around during the other Avenger movies Why you should be careful if choosing a ginger cat as a pet How Fury lost his eye How everything was named The film starts with a wonderful tribute to Stan Lee. The story takes a while to get established but once you start putting the pieces together it is fun and entertaining. Brie Larson is a great choice as Captain Marvel conveying the toughness you would expect from an Avenger while showing a human side with those she chooses as friends. She also has a humourous side that lightens the movie. Samuel L Jackson plays a young looking Nick Fury and establishes the attributes of the character we have grown to know in the other Avenger stories. Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn are alien enemies who seek Captain Marvel's strengths to meet their own needs. Mendelsohn is great as an alien with an Aussie accent. The film is long at over 2 hours but once it gets started the time flies. I enjoyed it as a stand-alone movie…

I have to admit that I have not been a  fan of Melissa McCarthy's movie career as she has taken on the 'Bogan' role.  However in Life of the Party she allows her humour to show through in a more playful way.   Having seen her only daughter off to college, Deanna has her husband tell her he wants a divorce and her life is thrown into chaos.  That is until she decides to go back to college to finish the degree she gave up on to get married.  Unfortunately she decides to return to the same college her daughter is attending. McCarthy is engaged in this role of a sugary sweet mother and friend to all just like a female Mrs Doubtfire.  There are a number of funny situations along the way that allow her to bring out her comedy and the audience of mostly women were often giggling at her antics.   While more a girls night out movie I did laugh along and am happy to recommend it to anyone who is looking for a light hearted movie in amongst the Marvels and Star War blockbusters out at the moment.  I managed to finally talk Jene out on a date night and she really enjoyed it as well.