Collision course begins with the acorn chasing squirrel Scrat inadvertently setting off a chain of events leading into the creation of the universe, which I couldn’t understand as how could the animal already exist if he was only creating the universe? but I digress, so he also inadvertently creates a bunch of asteroids, one of which looks set to cause the destruction of all life on the planet. In order to save themselves all our returning heroes once again must set out on an adventure to escape from the impending doom.

I have seen the first two movies but missed out on parts three and four and from what I can remember, the first two felt like an adventure while this left like a journey to find yourself against the backdrop of the apocalypse. Mammoth Manny (Ray Romano) has forgotten his anniversary and his wife Ellie (Queen Latifah) is not best pleased also their daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer) who is infatuated with her beau Julian (Adam DeVine) is talking about leaving home and Manny is afraid of both losing his daughter and the fact that Julian is not going to look after her correctly. Sabre-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) and his partner Shira (Jennifer Lopez) are talking about the possibility of starting a family but the young of all other animals seem to fear them. Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) is, as always looking for love in all the wrong places and the one eyed weasel Buck (Simon Pegg) returns as the voice of exposition on their journey.

Anyway the herd must head off on an exploration mission to find out what is drawing this asteroid towards earth and have many moments and mishaps along the way but which rarely raises the excitement levels eventually reaching an area called Geotopia, an exotic new land with a host of colourful new characters which has a large part to play in the ongoing disaster so the friends must join together to overcome the odds and save the day.

It’s hard to critise movies which are essentially made for kids but when done right they can entertain both kids and adults. Unfortunately, while this movie looks great and has more than enough to keep kids happy there seemed to be a lot of characters who were only there to keep the continuity of the franchise going and beneath the themes of maturing as a person and staying loyal to your friends, there wasn’t a lot going on. They did try to throw in some jokes for the grown-ups, but with the odd exception, such as a Pythagoras joke which I laughed at, they just weren’t that good but it won’t stop the next episode appearing in a few years so hopefully they can get back to the fun entertainment of the original.

DJ Speaks Rating: 4.5 Out Of 10

Just as we remember from the TV show sponger Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) and her publicist best friend Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) are bumbling their way from glitzy get together to another still somehow in the limelight despite their obvious ineptitude. Eddy is now pushing sixty and has scarcely changed since she first appeared twenty something years ago except that she seems to have grown wider but as Patsy advises her waving dismissively at the image, “You don’t need those Eddy as I will be your mirror”. “How do I look then Pats?” “Fabulous.” but Eddy is not doing so well as the cash is drying up and when her memoirs are rejected by a publishing house things look grim until such time as she finds out the Kate Mass is changing her agent and so begins a desperate chase to ensure that Kate chooses her in order to safe guard the future of her company.

Unfortunately she is not the only one with these ideas and when, after a very funny encounter between Patsy and John Hamm, Eddy gets her moment she accidentally knocks Kate into the Thames where she is pronounced dead after a long search proves unfruitful. Pats an Eddy decide to escape the public backlash and go on the run to the South of France where they begin scheming on how to make themselves rich and set themselves up in the high life out of the public eye only to find out that the jet set lifestyle is not quite as glamorous as they thought. Needless to say it wouldn’t be true to character if they took it lying down so they will so whatever it takes to infiltrate the echelons of the rich and famous.

All the regulars are back with barmy PA Bubbles (jane Horrocks), Edina’s exasperated and completely square daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha) and an introduction to her hipper granddaughter Lola (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) who Eddy and Patsy drag along to France because they believe she is due a large inheritance, along with a host of cameos of varying degrees from stars of the fashion, film and TV industries.

If you liked the TV show then there is more than enough here that you will enjoy and there are some genuinely funny moments, the issue is it just felt like an hour and a half Christmas special in the vein of the Only Fools And Horses classics so there was no actual need for the movie and the story would probably have worked better on the small screen anyway but this is my only real gripe among the ninety minutes of fun.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 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

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

It has been a while since we have heard from director Garry Marshall but after his last helpings of Valentine’s Day and New Years Eve he once again brings to the screen a movie based around a calendar Holiday in Mother’s Day and once again we get an ensemble cast of characters with multi plot lines which start to click in together as the movie progresses.

This time we see Kristin (Britt Robertson) who is planning to get married to Zack (Jack Whitehall) but the fact that she was given up for adoption at birth is holding her back. She is encouraged by her friend Jesse (Kate Hudson) to track down her mother. However, Kristen has already done so but is scared to take the next step as her mother is successful TV personality Miranda Collins (Julia Roberts). Miranda is all business but in her search for a new assistant she is drawn towards divorced mother of two Sandy (Jennifer Hudson) as she feels her own guilt over giving her child up. Sandy is struggling since her ex-husband Henry (Timothy Olyphant) is re-marrying a much younger woman. The aforementioned Jessie is also trying to build bridges with her own mother who she rarely sees but this is proving difficult as her mother is unaware that she has married a man of Indian heritage Russell (Aasif Mandyi) and her sister, Gabi (Sarah Chalke) is gay and has married her partner without telling her mother, plus there are two grandchildren to throw into the mix. Bradley Barton (Jason Sudekis) a widow who is successful from a business point of view but is struggling as a lone parent, whom Sandy is taking an interest in.

So, you have a cauldron of people and personalities who all vie for screen time but because there is so much going on you never get a chance to really take a liking to any of the characters unlike some of Marshalls earlier movies such as Pretty Woman, Beaches or Frankie And Johnny.

Somehow all these people seem to be intertwined yet it’s never really explained why. How is Jesse seemingly friends with both Kristin and Sandy despite them being three different generations in age? How does Zack win a stand up comedy competition despite not telling single joke in the final? Why is Sandy such a nice person even though she is essentially being replaced as a mother by a younger woman? I know its Hollywood but give us some credit for having a certain level of intelligence and having at least one foot set in the real world. I can switch my brain off to a degree when I need to but to accept or enjoy this script it felt like I’d have needed a lobotomy. There is just too much crammed into the two hour run time for any real moments of drama, compassion or even joy and if there had have been a focus on one of two of the characters instead there might have been something decent on screen.

So how exactly would I describe this movie in simple terms? Like a two hour bus journey where the best course of action you can take is to zone out and switch off until you reach the end, yes it is that bad.

DJ Speaks Rating: 3.5 Out Of 10