A newly opening haunted house attraction is taken over by real life lunatics in a classic throwback to the 1980’s horror movie genre. Opening with a scene in an asylum where the warden (Robert Englund) is giving an interview to journalist Ms.Quinn (Candice DeVisser) on Halloween night however the interview takes a turn for the worse when she turns out to be Dollface, the daughter of detainee Mental Manny (Jere Burns), a Jim Jones type cult leader, and she goes on a rampage killing all and sundry in order to free Manny and some other prisoners, Animal the Cannibal (E.E.Bell), Dr.Suave (Sebastian Siegel), the Taxidermist (Clint Howard) and Rocco the Clown (Mars Crain).  In the meantime a group of local youngsters are heading for the opening night of the Macon County Funhouse but little do they, or the other revelers, know that the scenes inside are no longer just for laughs as each of the maniacs has set up stall and is running their own version of a real horror scene. It’s all been done before and the cliches come thick and fast but the good thing about this movie is that it never tries to take itself seriously. It knows that the premise is dumb, it knows that it’s characters are tick boxes right down to the gutsy sheriff and goofy sidekick but it is this stance which gives the movie a great homage feel. Director Andy Palmer and writers Ben Begley and Renee Dorian all show that they are fans of the genre but don’t be fooled as, while some of the comedic moments are slapstick there is enough realistic gore, thanks to effects guru, Robert Kurtzman, to allow the movie hold its own. For a small budget movie it puts many of the recent Hollywood attempts at horror to shame and I can see this one becoming a cult hit in years to come.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Seth MacFarlane stars as Albert Stark who is dumped by his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) as he is a coward who will not participate in a gunfight. As he is in the saloon contemplating moving from the town of Old Stump, Arizona to San Francisco ,away from what he considers the horrors of the frontier, he saves a woman Anna (Charlize Theron) from death during a brawl however unknown to him this woman is the wife of outlaw Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson) so as their friendship develops her secret puts him obviously closer to the dangers he is so keen to escape from.

MacFarlanes second effort on the big screen after Ted is a disappointment in comparison however I still enjoyed it more than his subsequent effort Ted 2, if you can look beyond the obvious flaws the movie has in a poor script and some poorly developed characters, including MacFarlanes. It is only Neil Patrick Harris who is excellent as Foy, Louise’s new beau who along with his moustache preens his way through the movie in one scene stealing performance after another and Theron who feels like she is not actually acting which works a treat, as the scenes with just her an MacFarlane feel like two people having a bit of a laugh instead of acting a scene, who have any real presence on the screen and are central to most of the better moments in the film.

There are so many little meta moments and fourth wall breaks that I laughed aloud quite a few times but in saying that there are too many repeatable jokes and the movie is way too long to keep things interesting. Still feel there is a good base for a western comedy somewhere among the mess and with a little more thought it could have been a lot better.

DJ Speaks Rating: 4.5 Out Of 10

If you know that workings of the mock group The Lonely Island from their Saturday Night Live stint or any of their parody songs which are all over the Internet then you know what you are in for in this mockumentary style movie based around the popstar Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) a world famous artist who’s solo career has exploded since the split of boy band The Style Boyz when fellow band member Laurence (Akiva Scaffer), tired of Connor taking all the credit while he wrote all the songs, walked away to pursue a life as a farmer leaving Owen (Jorma Taccone) to take up the mantle as Connors DJ.

Conner is a man at the top of his game with his entourage of thirty people who include a perspective assistant and a unicorn trainer and is eagerly awaiting the release of his second album Connquest however when things don’t go to plan and the new album is a flop, the wheels come off his career and his personal life with a bang and Conner has to try and resurrect his career but his supposed friends abandon him one by one and he is left with nowhere else to turn but to his old band mates for help.

As you would expect there is nothing sacred in terms of the comedy levels when it comes to the content and while they may be a parody band if you have ever actually listened to their music these are not just amateur joke songs, there is a production level as good as any in the music and the songs in this movie are no different, from F*ck Bin Laden and Equal Rights through to I’m So Humble this is one soundtrack I’ll be watching out for.

With celebrity cameos to beat the band and some great supporting performances in particular from Sarah Silverman as Paula Klein, Conner’s publicist, Tim Meadows as Harry Duggins, Conner’s manager and long-time collaborator Justin Timerlake as Tyrus Quash Conner’s chef the dialogue is kept sharp and scathing and while there are too many jokes, coming thick and fast that I’m sure I missed a couple but some, such as a toilet incident in the Anne Frank house and a roadie who’s hobby is flat lining are just two that stick in my mind. The movie does suffer from a weak plot and runs out of steam a little along the way but not enough that you aren’t waiting to see what’s coming next.

If you are easily offended or if this type of comedy is not your cup of tea then this is not for you but I found this a laugh a minute parody of the music industry and while not on the same level as the classic Spinal Tap it’s well worth a look.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Starting in 1996, we see star pupil Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) receiving an award at his last high school pep rally and the overweight Robbie Weirdicht (Dwayne Johnson) is being bullied while taking a shower. When the bullies leave Robbie naked in the middle of the gym for all to see Calvin comes to his aide and so begins a chain of events that lead into the start of the movie.

Twenty years have passed and Calvin is now stuck in a mundane office job, he is having problems with his college sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet), who is now his wife and the twenty year re-union is coming up where he does not want everybody to see just what a comparative failure his life has become. When he receives a Facebook friend request from a Bob Stone he accepts and soon realises that it is in fact Robbie Weirdicht and agrees to meet for drinks. Robbie has gotten things together and while still being a bit weird he has turned all the fat to muscle and seems to have gotten his life on track. During their night out Calvin comes to notice that Robbie has done exactly the opposite of him and when Robbie asks him for a favour in looking at some accounting records which he is having problems with he reluctantly agrees to help.

The next morning the CIA turn up at Calvins home claiming that Bob Stone is a rogue agent and Calvin has been accussed of assisting a wanted criminal. When Calvin brings the agents to his office to show them the files Bob wanted him to look at Bob shows up and rescues Calvin against his wishes so the two men must team up to clear their name and get to the high school re-union in time.

Johnson has really made a name for himself in Hollywood in the past few years with his performances as Hobbs in the Fast And The Furious franchise and he showed his comic ability in the very underrated Pain & Gain. He hits all the right notes here as the initially childlike Stone with his bum bag and unicorn t-shirt fawning over his high school idol who transforms as the movie progresses as the many layers of his character are fully revealed. Hart has yet to win me over as he still comes across as but of a manic version of Chris Rock and, in my opinon, has yet to stamp his mark on a movie as a man who can command a lead role, although his performance here does come close. While quite similar to the Ride Along movies in terms of the fish out of water plot line the movie elevates itself with some moments of comic brilliance, watch out for the marriage counsellor scene, or the ‘Are You Out Or In?’, ‘I’m Out’, ‘Glad You’re In’ routine which shouldn’t work as well as it does.

While it’s not a brilliant movie the chemistry and partnership between the leads make it very enjoyable even if it has all been done before. Although it does get a bit bogged down in the final third when it begins to swap the comedy for action scenes which takes away from the strongest features of the movie. I hope we get another comedy movie with Hart & Johnson in future as the partnership definitely works (please don’t let it be Central Intelligence 2) and it’s worth a watch as you will get a laugh or two out of the film, just don’t expect a classic.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

Susan Sarandon stars as Marnie Minervini an aging widow who finds herself at a loose end after the death of her husband. She has been left a large sum of money but she finds that she has nothing to do with it. So she decides to follow her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne) to Los Angeles to see if she can find some purpose but unfortunately for Lori her purpose becomes that of a smothering mother as she tries to take over and tell Lori where she is going wrong. Soon Lori, her friends and anybody else who will give an inch become victims of the overbearing Marnie.

Don’t be fooled by the title of the seemingly comedic set up as, while it has plenty of funny moments, The Meddler has much more going on as we learn that Marnie and her overbearing demeanor is just her way of trying to deal with the grief she still feels from her husband’s death and the guilt she has over having all this spare cash and nothing to do with it. She is trying to find some way to be able to pay it back a little and help those less fortunate than her and this is where the smothering comes in as she only knows one way to play it.

Sarandon is absolutely superb, I know it’s a little early to be mentioning awards yet but I think there’s a possible nomination here. She’s brash, compassionate, shy and needy all at once and Sarandon plays each trait perfectly. Ably assisted by Byrne as the frustrated daughter who hates her mother being around at every turn yet finds comfort in the situation as well, J.K.Simmons as ex-co Zipper and Michael McKean as the nerdy Mark who are both showing an interest in the widow, all are very believable in the roles and even the smaller characters in the movie feel right bringing a dynamic feel to the situation.

A surprise movie for me, it was far better than I was expecting. It’s a comedy but it runs a lot deeper and director Lorene Scafaria has brought together an entertaining look at the life of a woman with no purpose who learns that there is a lot more to life when you step back, take a moment to breath and have a closer look at what is going on around you.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6.5 Out Of 10

Based on a meeting which took place on December 21st 1970, Elvis & Nixon is a dramatization of the events leading up to and occurring during the event. Elvis (Michael Shannon) is tiring of his place in the entertainment world, he has become a parody of what he started out as and his movie career is long gone. Young people are more interested in the latest drug culture music. Elvis feels that he would like to do something to help with the rising tide of anti-Americanism he can see and so he believes that using his fame while working undercover as an agent at large for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs would be the best way he could assist with the elimination of this threat so he heads off to Washington D.C and writes a letter for the President on the way and rolls up to the White House requesting a meeting with Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey).

While the potential discussion during the meeting is the main point of the film, it only plays a small part in the movie as most of the main body of the film is focused around the build-up. Nixon refuses the meeting while his aides Egil Krogh (Colin Hanks) and Dwight Chapin (Evan Peters) try and convince him that spending a small amount of time with Elvis would be a great PR opportunity, particularly in an attempt to get extra votes from the youth and Southern demographics. Elvis is searching for a valued purpose to what he does as he is becoming increasingly disillusioned by and isolated from reality as his entourage of yes men constantly pander to his every need but he feels are only there because of the perks the situation brings.

Both Shannon and Spacey do a great job as the central characters. Spacey’s impression of Nixon is as good as I’ve seen anywhere and Shannon has the mannerisms of Elvis spot on as he waves his hands and finger points his way through scenes and if not for these two performances the movie would have struggled as the rest of the cast is only filler. The acting is fine, it’s just of lesser importance and is all just build up to actual meeting and when the two leads are alone in the room together it’s where the real talent of both men come to the fore, playing off one another and trying to outdo each other each step along the way while slowly coming to realise that they are not as different as each originally thought and the irony of the situation where Nixon is speaking about the lack of honesty and integrity in America while Elvis is speaking of his disdain of the drug culture was a great touch.

It’s a speculative look at what may have occurred when two iconic figures met for a brief snapshot in time but even despite some heart felt moments of vulnerability in some speeches from Shannon, take out the final twenty minutes and it’s little more than a made for TV movie with two outstanding lead performances.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10

The Secret Life Of Pets gives us a comic look at what a group of New York pets get up to once their owners leave the house each morning. Central to the plot is a Terrier named Max who has a great life with his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) but his world is turned upside down when Katie brings home another dog Duke (Eric Stonestreet) who quickly takes over. While out with their dog walker one day Duke tricks Max and leads him away planning on abandoning him in the city however they are attached by a gang of alley cats and subsequently caught by Animal Control however while on the way to the pound the van is attacked by a rabbit called Snowball (Kevin Hart) who frees them on the basis that they come to work for him. Duke and Max manage to escape however they end up on a boat to Brooklyn and so begins their adventure to find a way home while being chased by the crazy Snowball and his gang but luckily Sam’s friends are also on the case lead by Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) who is crazy about Max despite him being oblivious to this fact.

Brought to screen by the same studio that gave us The Minions so you know it’s going to look fantastic and it doesn’t let you down in that sense. The voice acting is really good however Kevin Hart is so over the top as the crazy rabbit, which makes the bunny in Monty Python and The Holy Grail look tame, and he causes so much carnage at times yet at no point is there ever a policeman or police car seen which seemed a little silly. Maybe that’s what the filmmakers were going for and if so then mission accomplished but for me it detracted from the film as it dominated the other aspects of the movie and you really need to let any semblance of brain activity behind to look past the weak plot. Also, given the talent behind the voice works I was expecting more actual comedy in the script and there seems to be a lack of clever, witty one liners that I kept waiting for.

Even taking the movie at face value as a kids film it’s still just okay and nowhere near as good as the recently released Zootopia, your kids will, without doubt, enjoy it as a fun, comic, action romp but there not much for me to recommend for adults unless you’re a real dog lover then you might get a laugh out of hearing them talk through some of their thought processes behind their everyday mannerisms. It left like a bit of a let-down as the premise was there for a great film and my expectations were high, perhaps the inevitable sequel will address this.

DJ Speaks Rating: 4.5 Out Of 10

Learning to drive is a tale of two very different people in New York City who are brought together in unlikely circumstances through the medium of driving lessons. Wendy Shields (Patricia Clarkson) is a hard-nosed book critic who is dumped by her husband Ted (Jake Weber) in the back of a cab during a night out. As she struggles to deal with the sudden loss she realises how much she relied on him and since her sister and daughter both live outside of the city she is finds herself feeling stranded so she is finding it difficult to stand on her own two feet. Luckily for her she inadvertently leaves a package behind in the cab and when the good natured driver Darwan Singh Tur (Ben Kingsley) drops the package back to her she notices that he also gives driving lessons so she takes a step towards self-independence by deciding to get herself behind the wheel with Darwan as her tutor.

While the concept may not sound like the most exciting premise for a movie Spanish director Isabel Coixet brings the best out of the three stars of the movie in Kingsley, Clarkson and the city itself which looks great on screen. While Clarkson is the main feature and she gives a good performance as a woman who’s tries to stay strong while the comforts of her normal world are crumbling around her, yet she grows into the situation as the movie, and her relationship with Darwan develop it is once again Kingsley who shows why he is a legend of the screen as he plays the taxi driver/driving instructor brilliantly, bringing a gentleness to the screen despite the manic surrounding of the bustling metropolis. Even through his troubled past, which we find out about, the hassle of being a legal asylum seeker in America and the pending arrival of his arrange marriage bride Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury) his calm demeanor rarely fades and the budding relationship between the characters flows nicely from opposite ends of the cultural spectrum to a friendship where they both end up being a rock for the other through their tribulations as the film shows us that we can learn valuable lessons about relationships, life, and the value of friendship in the most unlikely of places with many superbly shot scenes around the backdrop of the Big Apple.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10