“Adventures In Babysitting” doesn’t know what it wants to be and quite frankly I don’t think it cares. It’s a crossover of mismatched ideas that work as well as popcorn and toast.

In “Adventures In Babysitting”, Chris (Elisabeth Shue “The Karate Kid”, “Back To The Future”) gets her date cancelled and finds herself babysitting for two sex-obsessed teens and a girl that won’t shut up about the superhero Thor. Chris’ best friend gets herself in some serious trouble at a bus station so the gang journey into the city to find her but they end up facing gauntlet after gauntlet.

The Chris character isn’t bad and Elisabeth Shue tries to salvage the film the best she can but it’s impossible with this dud script. The two teenage kids are basically the same as teenagers in lots of films so there is nothing original here and while the little girl might be unique (she’s the first film character who is crazy about Thor I’ve ever seen) but she is just as boring as the two boys. The various people in this film are just scary; everybody has hook for a hand or thinks they live in a phone box or is a member of a gang. The characters just get stranger and stranger as the film goes on and they just hinder the film massively.

“Adventures In Babysitting” is very rarely funny and although at times it seems like a film intended for young kids the gang scene and the numerous appearances of Playboy magazines seem to contradict that sense you get during other parts of the movie. It’s 35% a film for kids, 40% a film for teens and the rest is for zombies. Parents won’t want their kids to see it because of the mature themes, smart teenagers are going to be watching something with substance to it, dumb teenagers are going to be watching their slasher films and adults are going to be having a life. “Adventures In Babysitting” is messy, messy, messy and somebody should have cleaned it up before letting everybody else see it.

“Adventureland” seemed to somehow go under the radar of most people and that’s a real shame because it is something of a masterpiece. A first glance may make you dismiss as another disposable teen comedy but it presents an honest and smart look at the teenage experience.

In this movie, the year is 1987 and the young James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg “The Social Network”, “The Double”) is forced to ditch his plans to travel around Europe as he must instead take a summer job at the Adventureland amusement park. This might seem like the most pointless time of his life but he comes to realise how important an experience this might be.

Jesse Eisenberg is great as the awkward yet very relatable James. Kristen Stewart (“Jumper”, “Panic Room”) plays Em Lewin, who James falls in love with, and she does a really great job. The chemistry between the two is practically perfect; you really feel like you are watching a real pair of teens fall for one another. There are some other funny characters such as Bobby (Bill Hader “Inside Out”), who is James’ boss. Ryan Reynolds (“Green Lantern”) plays a maintenance man that has an interesting role in the film’s plot. Most of the characters are entertaining.

Fans of other teen comedies may be left puzzled by “Adventureland” as it is an intelligent movie that doesn’t utilise bodily fluids for lowbrow laughs. “Adventureland” is a witty romantic comedy that almost feels as though it were made by Woody Allen (“Manhattan”) because like many of Allen’s best films, it only feels funny in the same way that life can be funny. In some respects, in feels comparable to films such as “Clerks” and “Office Space” but it’s better than either of them. This is a truly wonderful film that I think more people need to check out.

“Act Of Valour” is a war movie unlike any other that I have seen. It focuses on Navy Seals as they embark on covert missions but what separates it from other war films is that they got real serving Navy Seals to star in the movie.

“Act Of Valour” sees the mighty Navy Seals travel the globe as they rescue a kidnapped C.I.A. agent before trying to stop a band of terrorists from crossing the border from Mexico into America to carry out a series of suicide bomb attacks. While the actual storyline is apparently fake, some of the scenarios are said to be somewhat based on real-life events.

The fact that real Navy Seals were cast certainly makes things interesting but I didn’t feel that it made the film any more engaging. The soldiers in this film have no real personalities and that’s a shame because it’s the personalities of the troops that make movies such as “Full Metal Jacket” so great. There are a lot of villains in this movie as you see the troops do battle against Costa Rican gangsters, a Chechen terrorist, Muslim Filipino terrorists, a Mexican drug cartel and a Russian drug smuggler. It helps you to really understand how large international conflicts can be.

“Act Of Valour” tries to make the military tactics look as realistic as possible and there are first-person shots littered throughout the action sequences. The movie supposedly was originally conceived as a recruitment film and it sure feels like it. The film delivers some entertaining action scenes but it has very little personality. For a movie that is trying to make us connect with Navy Seals by casting them, it’s surprising how cold the movie feels. “Act Of Valour” tries to provide a new war movie experience and if you have already seen “Lone Survivor” then there is nothing wrong with checking out this film.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jim Carrey is a good actor, but there is also no doubt in my mind that he often picks the wrong sort of film to be in. Goofy comedies like this and “Dumb and Dumber” are not the best of films (I don’t care much for either) and Carrey is capable of so much more.

The titular character Ace Ventura (Carrey) must find a mascot dolphin for the Superbowl. Through a variety of overly silly antics Ace finds the culprit but can he stop them before they murder a beloved football player named Dan Marino.

Jim Carrey shouldn’t waste time with films like this that are just okay. Sure there are some funny moments in here but Jim Carrey needs to make sure he’s not just goofing around, “Batman Forever” was a prime example as there was potential for him to be superb but he was just being a dumb villain. This idea of Carrey doing stuff that’s less goofy can also backfire as when he starred in “The Cable Guy” the script was so weak and the other cast members’ performance were so bland that it didn’t matter how much effort Carrey poured into it. Courtney Cox (“Scream”) is okay in this film.

Although better than “Dumb and Dumber” and its sequel this is another Jim Carrey film where he just goofs around in a movie with a lacklustre plot. “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” is a dumb, fun movie and for its intended purposes it does a decent job but decent doesn’t cut it with me. I demand more in movies and this is no exception. If you see this movie at a very low price and you’re a fan of this type of film then you may want to check it out but otherwise skip it.

Clint Eastwood (“Dirty Harry”, “A Fistful Of Dollars”) directs and stars in “Absolute Power”, an intriguing thriller that has some problems but packs enough good stuff to make it worth the watch.

In “Absolute Power” while on a job a career thief named Luther Whitney (Eastwood) witnesses a murder where President Allen Richmond (Gene Hackman “The French Connection”, “Superman: The Movie”). Who will believe a thief over the absolute power that is the ruler of the country? There are police, contract killers and secret service after Whitney so with danger at every turn he’s going to have to use his brain to defeat this formidable opponent.

Clint Eastwood doesn’t perform particularly well as an actor in this film. His role isn’t very complex and it isn’t one where he can spout out quotable lines. Gene Hackman on the other hand is superb as the President; I only wish you got a few more scenes with him. There isn’t really any meeting between the two but I understand that given the basis of the plot. Ed Harris (“The Abyss”, “The Rock”) stars as the police officer Seth Frank, he’s quite entertaining. There are a few other faces you may recognise (probably not my name though).

“Absolute Power” isn’t a fast-paced action film and it isn’t goofy in any shape or form so if you like your thrillers to just be plain thrillers then you’ll probably enjoy this picture. It has some implausible moments at times but it has enough moments that real do entertain you, an example is the murder scene (and the build-up to it) because it is just fantastic as it isn’t as simple as you’d first think. “Absolute Power” features a few good performances, some clever twists and some interesting moments thus I feel it is probably worth a look at.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” sounds like a really silly movie and it should be, however I felt like this film couldn’t have been much further from what I wanted to be seeing. It seems like the filmmakers were just making a normal Lincoln bio-pic when they realised Steven Spielberg’s far superior “Lincoln” was going to be coming out so they threw in the vampires as an afterthought.

The film tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker “Flags Of Our Fathers”), mainly during his time as a young man as he fights off vampires at night. During the day we get details about a more real Lincoln; how accurate is this? I’m not sure because I’m not an American and thus have only basic knowledge of the man.

Benjamin Walker plays an Abraham Lincoln that for the most part looks nothing like the traditional Abraham Lincoln we all know and this leads to it not being at all amusing when he slices up monsters, this slaughtering I mention is done without any form of comedy. I have to praise Benjamin Walker in the sense like he’s acting as a more realistic Lincoln than the kind we deserve in a film about the President of the U.S.A. fighting the undead. The vampires are uninspired and seem a lot more like zombies at times.

The last third may pick things up slightly but by then you’ll be so undeniably bored that you just won’t care. It doesn’t need all the fancy effects that are included; all I wanted was a cleverly daft picture, which did the idea created in one’s head via the title, done justice. I hope this film doesn’t make other filmmakers shy away from movies with ridiculous concepts such, maybe we could have “Nelson Mandela: The Mad Scientist”, “Winston Churchill Goes to Mars” or better yet “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” made properly.

Andrew Davis (“The Fugitive”, “Holes”) directs this ambitious first outing for Steven Seagal (“Executive Decision”, “Half Past Dead”), which is no doubt the star’s finest picture. Seagal has a certain level enthusiasm here that is missing from his other work, making it a clear cut above.

Nico Toscani (Seagal) is a former-C.I.A. martial arts expert with family in the mafia and now lives as a policeman. He stumbles upon a major case of corruption after drug dealers he apprehended are released, their crimes dismissed and he is suspended. Now his family are in danger and he’s the only one who can stop the bad guys because he doesn’t care if he no longer has a badge.

Seagal lacks the charisma of the best action stars such as Clint Eastwood (“Dirty Harry”) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (“Predator”) but unlike his performances in his other films I found him to at least seem interested in making a movie in this one. Pam Grier (“Jackie Brown”) plays Nico’s partner but the problem is that her role is downplayed to make Seagal the star rather than this be a proper buddy cop film. Sharon Stone (“Basic Instinct”), who is no stranger to action movies and action stars plays Nico’s wife and she’s okay. The villains are unmemorable.

“Above The Law” may well feel routine but it is ambitious in the sense it gives its newcomer star a lot of stuff to do, not many people’s debut films allow that. Andrew Davis has directed much better films and also far worse movies than this so I can safely say this comes somewhere in the middle. The baddies are bland, Pam Grier isn’t given enough to do and it is hardly the most original film but the action scenes are good, it has amusing moments and it’s arguably Seagal’s best work.

“A.W.O.L.: Absent Without Leave” has more alternate titles than any other film I can think of it as it is also known as “Lionheart”, “Wrong Bet” and “Full Contact”. It’s a surprisingly entertaining action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (“Universal Soldier”, “Hard Target”) given its sappy story.

In this film, Van Damme stars as Lyon, who makes a daring escape from the French Foreign Legion in order to help his brother’s family in Los Angeles. Lyon arrives with virtually no means to help his struggling relatives after his drug-dealing brother was murdered by rival gangsters so Lyon finds himself entering the underground fight scene in order to get the cash to help them.

Van Damme is no good in the emotional scenes but is fantastic when he’s punching and kicking people. Harrison Page is okay as Lyon’s self-appointed manager, Joshua. Lisa Pelikan (“Ghoulies”) is alright as Lyon’s sister-in-law. I like the various opponents that Lyon fights even though many of them have little to no lines. Abdel Qissi is fitting for Lyon’s final opponent, Attila, and has a similar presence to that of Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV”. Deborah Rennard is mediocre as the organiser of the fighting network.

“A.W.O.L.” features some very impressive action sequences as we see Van Damme fight one man in a squash court and another in a swimming pool. I didn’t care much for the emotional scenes but I think there are enough fighting scenes throughout to maintain the film’s entertainment value. It isn’t a terrific picture by any means but if you want to see a film where Van Damme engages in a number of brutal fights then I think this film will satisfy you. Most of the time Van Damme disappoints but here, the fights are good enough to make the film stand out from his generally average filmography. I still prefer “Sudden Death” and “Universal Soldier”.

The brilliant filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) came up with the concept for the film “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” and then he passed the torch as such to Steven Spielberg (“Jaws”) to direct this emotional sci-fi journey.

“A.I.” is the story of a couple whose son is cryogenically preserved because of an illness he has so they adopt a robot boy named David (Hayley Joel Osment “The Sixth Sense”). After adjusting to him his mother (Frances O’Connor “Timeline”) decides to use the special code so that David will give her unconditional love but then her son Martin comes out of the hospital and then tricks David into getting some of his mother’s hair for a lock that they can keep but David accidentally injures his mother. After the two seem to be friends David accidentally is responsible for the near-death of his brother. He is then left to his own devices and goes in search of the Blue Fairy from “Pinocchio” to become a ‘real’ boy.

Hayley Joel Osment really is quite good as the robotic child David who desires his mother’s love. Jude Law (“Sherlock Holmes”) is bland as the male gigolo robot Joe and the character is severely letting the film down. David’s mother is played well.

All-round I was a little disappointed in “A.I.” but it was still a good film. The special effects are amazing, so is some of the acting and the plot gets gripping as it goes along and I’m sure I shed a tear at the film’s emotional ending not because I was depressed but because it ended on the most beautiful of endings. “A.I.” has so many positives but I feel there’s a portion of the film that sadly detracts from the positives and lowers it down I do however recommend “A.I.” to those looking for an emotional sci-fi.

If you enjoyed the earlier “Harold & Kumar” movies, you will almost certainly laugh at this third outing. It’s full of all the nudity, drugs and bodily fluids that you would expect from this franchise. At times, “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” feels less like a film and more like a showcase for 3D technology.

Like the other films, the plot is minimal. Harold (John Cho “Searching”) and Kumar (Kal Penn “Superman Returns”) now lead separate and very different lives but when the two accidentally burn down a treasured family Christmas tree, they will have to work together if they want the perfect Christmas. Almost every scene sees a new obstacle get in their way so prepare to see them deal with Eastern-European gangsters and a drug-fuelled baby.

The Harold and Kumar characters have not particularly grown on me. This one tries to develop them a bit more but it’s hard to care about the emotions of stoners trying to get a Christmas tree. I did enjoy the brief scene where they get turned into Claymation characters during a hallucination after getting their drinks spiked. Danny Trejo (“Machete”) is good as Harold’s father-in-law. Neil Patrick Harris (“Starship Troopers”) appears yet again and the scenes involving him are woefully unfunny.

“A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” has some funny moments here and there but it’s so desperate in its quest to be offensive that it becomes rather tiresome. This movie contains racist jokes, a depiction of Jesus Christ as a strip club owner, Santa Claus getting shot, a man pretending to be homosexual to take advantage of women, a baby on drugs, references to paedophile priests, nuns in the showers and plenty of foul language. If this film sounds like good fun then you will probably enjoy it but I’m sure there are plenty of others that will be groaning after just merely imagining what it is like.