Unknown - 2011 ***

There's always a sense of wonder with these types of films about whether the conclusion is going to be nearly as good as everything else leads up to. Another being 'So Long at the Fair' which I happen to think is a brilliantly constructed movie with a very plausible ending. This however was not. It started off weirdly, did the whole 'suddenly no one recognises him,even his own wife. Why is that?' thing and then went off on a ridiculous ramble of pointlessness until the last few scenes which confused the hell out of me.
Liam Neeson is a wonderful actor but even he couldn't save this mish-mash of plot holes and hopeless, stupid explanations over something that turned out to be a complete waste of time.

(NOIR) Quicksand - 1950 ***

For a relatively unknown noir this was quite gripping. The only negative was Mickey Rooney and his annoying face. I liked the storyline however and the tension mounted slowly and then suddenly threw itself in the audience's face in one fell swoop. Jeanne Cagney was suitably nasty and manipulative as the femme fatale and really stole the film for me. I suppose in a way Mickey Roney suited the wimpish part he played but I would really have liked to see someone else in the role.

Layer Cake - 2004 ***

'Layer Cake' is one of those films where the die-hard gangster fans go on and on about how you need to watch it a number of times before you can 'understand how complex' it is. In the same vein as 'Lock Stock' and 'Snatch'. Well I haven't seen 'Lock Stock' and I had no difficulty in understanding AND enjoying 'Snatch' on the first time around, so I'm not sure why this would be any different. 'Layer Cake' has a good cast (except for Daniel Craig who I'm sorry will NEVER be a good leading man *All 'Skyfall' fans jump on me in anger*) but still there seems to be something missing here. The humour, the plot and even the acting is a bit ridiculous. I wanted to see this to be able to say I'd seen it, but I really can't see what all the fuss is about with regards to Matthew Vaughan's direction, it's nothing special. Gangster-comedy-drama rarely works, and it didn't here.

(NOIR) Payroll - 1961 *

I can't say there was anything credible about this movie, and I certainly didn't enjoy myself sitting through it. I found the whole thing ridiculous, over the top, and to top it off just badly acted. Billie Whitelaw and Francoise Prevost were two especially irritating leads who made me want to switch off everytime they sauntered into the scenes. The movie is not a noir, not a revenge or a heist movie, it's just pretty awful. And I wasn't even entranced by the 1960s shots of London. It was a blasted relief to get through this and to be honest I think I would've had more fun watching a 90s horror movie.

Sunshine Cleaning - 2009 ***

Let's get one thing straight. Amy Adams is never going to be on my top list of favourite actresses. In fact, I find pretty much everything she is in infuriating to the extreme. What nailed this film for me was Emily Blunt who IS one of my top actresses. She is funny, raw, gritty and natural and I think if she hadn't been in this film it would have been a bit of a disaster. The story is a bit bizarre - 2 sisters start up their own cleaning company which specialises in cleaning up crime scenes of recently deceased people. Throughout the various jobs they learn about themselves, their relationship and their family.
One of those films a bit like 'Little Miss Sunshine' where the audience goes on a mental journey with the characters. Worth one watch.

Jack and Jill - 2011 **

Some actors work well in duplicate or multiple parts (Alec Guinness in 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', Eddie Murphy in 'Big Momma's House') but others crash and burn miserably. Adam Sandler is a funny guy, and usually guaranteed to raise a smile from me, but in this awful excuse for a black comedy (more black and less comedy) he couldn't even accomplish that. Dressing as his twin sister Jill was a dreadful idea as she comes across like something out of a bad nightmare, and he couldn't keep the movie comic even when he was playing the twin brother. Even Al Pacino couldn't save this film.

(HORROR) Exhibit A - 2010 ***

This was a deeply disturbing film. Not gory, but very weird showing the gradual breakdown of a family as the father gets more and more stressed with money and the mortage of the family home. The last twenty minutes or so are awful, mostly because we have been given time to watch this family grow together during the beginning of the film and have developed some sort of empathy for them. Disturbing series of events and not following the typical 'found footage' range of movies that have been churned out over the last few years.

Horrible Bosses - 2011 ****

I was surprised by this film. Because actually it was really funny and very original compared to the majority of American comedy out at the moment. Three down-trodden employees with horrendous bosses all plan to murder each others so that they cannot be traced. But of course these things never go according to plan, especially when one of the bosses is a complete psychopath.
Jennifer Aniston was a stand-out performance here, I barely recognised her at the beginning. One worth watching.