The “Pokémon” franchise gets a reboot with “I Choose You!” as this aims to tell an alternate version of the story told in some of the very early episodes of the show. This is actually a good place for beginners to start as it introduces a lot of the “Pokémon” concepts and characters. However, I’ve just never been able to get into the franchise so this was still a pretty tough movie to sit through.

Ash Ketchum has just turned 10 and he’s out to collect and train as many Pokémon as he can. Ash will encounter failure and success on his epic quest. Along the way, he bonds with Pikachu and manages to find new friends and rivals.

There just seemed to be tons of Pokémon in this movie so I’m sure fans will love it but it was just all too much for me. There’s different Pokémon and then they also have different forms when they evolve. It all gets so confusing but then you realise that it’s all just to sell trading cards, stuffed toys and encourage you to buy the games. The human characters are not remotely interesting. The animation is pretty mediocre for a modern anime movie. There are a few visually impressive moments but most of it is fairly unremarkable.

Fans of the early “Pokémon” may find it nostalgic to see the start of Ash’s journey retold with some changes. This isn’t the first anime movie to redo parts of a series with some changes as we already had “Dragon Ball: The Path To Power”. If you’re not into “Pokémon” yet then as I say, this might be a good place to start but I’m certainly no expert on the franchise so I couldn’t say for certain. It’s clearly a movie that will be enjoyed by some people, I just know that I’m definitely not one of those people.

A lot of the most famous directors have done lots of movies so it’s easy to lose track of everything they have done. Here is a list of movies from some big name directors that for various reasons seem to get overlooked.

5. Jack – Francis Ford Coppola

Director of “The Godfather” trilogy, Francis Ford Coppola is often hailed as one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time. However, not every film he’s made received rave reviews. The bizarre Robin Williams (“Flubber”) comedy “Jack” saw Williams play a child that ages so fast that he has the body of a 40-year-old man when he’s just 10. One that gets forgotten and for good reason.

4. Darkam – Sam Raimi

Sam Raimi’s best known for his “Evil Dead” horror films and his “Spider-Man” movies but he actually did another superhero movie. “Darkman” was clearly a transitional film that captured some of the darkness of the early “Evil Dead” films along with the lighter comic book style action of the “Spider-Man” movies. Not Raimi’s best work but a decent film that’s worth checking out if you’re a fan.

3. Bringing Out The Dead – Martin Scorsese

Scorsese has directed so many memorable films from gangster classic “Goodfellas”, boxing biography film “Raging Bull” and controversial biblical epic “The Last Temptation Of Christ”. One film that often gets overlooked is “Bringing Out The Dead”. A psychological piece about an ambulance driver. It stars Nicolas Cage (“Face/Off”) and is certainly an interesting film.

2. 8MM – Joel Schumacher

After the disastrous “Batman & Robin”, Joel Schumacher gained the reputation of being the guy that does campy, light-hearted movies. However, shortly after leaving the “Batman” franchise, he directed “8MM”. This gritty flick is all about the snuff film industry. It’s so disturbing that it’s hard to believe it was made by the guy that had Arnold Schwarzenegger dishing out ice puns as Mr. Freeze.

1. Empire of the Sun – Steven Spielberg

A true forgotten masterpiece, “Empire of the Sun” is a moving film that stars a young Christian Bale (“Batman Begins”). Everybody talks about other Spielberg films such as “Jaws”, the “Indiana Jones” movies and “Jurassic Park” but where is the love for this movie?

Bruce Campbell has gained a cult following thanks to his horror films such as the “Evil Dead” trilogy. He’s also appeared in a lot of other more mainstream movies. Here is a list of some of his most memorable cameo appearances.

5. Intolerable Cruelty

The Coen brothers have done a lot of popular films such as “No Country For Old Men” but “Intolerable Cruelty” often gets overlooked. In this romantic comedy about divorce, Campbell appears as a soap opera actor on television.

4. Escape From L.A.

“Escape From L.A.” definitely was not as good as “Escape From New York” but it did do one thing right and that was casting Campbell as a sinister plastic surgeon. It’s hard to even recognise him thanks to the creepy make-up effects.

3. Spider-Man

Sam Raimi and Campbell worked together on the “Evil Dead” films and were good friends so Raimi would often let Campbell appear in his other films. Campbell appeared in all three of Raimi’s “Spider-Man” movies. In the first one, he plays the ring announcer during the wrestling match.

2. Darkman

This is another Sam Raimi movie. Raimi originally wanted to cast Campbell as Darkman but the studio wouldn’t allow it so he had to settle for Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List”). However, Raimi managed to squeeze Campbell into the film by having him appear right at the end as the last disguise used by Darkman.

1. Congo

Probably my personal favourite of all Campbell’s cameos is his brief appearance at the beginning of “Congo”. In a very memorable moment, Campbell gets attacked by an unseen monster. It’s very reminiscent of his work in the “Evil Dead” movies and helps provide yet another reason to check out “Congo”.

The first “Darkman” had a fun gothic style and the second one was watchable. However, I found “Darkman III: Die Darkman Die” to be a rather unenjoyable third entry. It looks even cheaper than the second film and it’s just rather mundane with none of the interesting ideas being given enough time to develop.

Arnold Vosloo (“The Mummy”) returns as Darkman as he continues his crusade against crime. Peter Rooker (Jeff Fahey “The Lawnmower Man”, “Machete”) is a mobster who wants to use Darkman’s abilities to fuel his criminal empire. Can Darkman foil the crime boss’ evil scheme or has he finally met his match?

A lot of criticism was hurled at Vosloo when the second film was released as he was deemed a poor replacement for Liam Neeson. I think Vosloo is okay but in this one, he really isn’t given enough good material to work with. Jeff Fahey is fairly forgettable as the villain. A big problem I have with all the “Darkman” movies is that the villains are just mobsters and not supervillains. There are some other characters that try to add some emotional depth to the story but they are not given enough time to shine.

The first “Darkman” had some really good special effects and exciting action sequences. “Darkman III” looks like it was made for very little money and it looks really bad at times. At one point, the villains here manage to find a way to have Darkman under their control but just minutes later, he’s escaped their control so it just feels like a totally pointless plot element. There are various other parts that just don’t really go anywhere. If you loved the other “Darkman” films then maybe you’ll like this one but I feel that it’s undeniably the weakest instalment in the trilogy.

Darkman is back with Arnold Vosloo (“The Mummy”) taking over from Liam Neeson (“Taken”) as the titular hero. This is a very watchable superhero flick but it does very little to progress the story and nothing here is better than what you got with the original film.

The villainous gangster Robert G. Durant (Larry Drake “Darkman”, “Dr. Giggles”) awakens from a coma and sets his sights on dominating the criminal underworld of the city. Darkman continues his quest to make his synthetic skin last longer and may have found the answer to all his prayers when he befriends another scientist in the same research field.

A lot of criticism was thrown at Arnold Vosloo. Bruce Campbell (“Evil Dead”) had been tipped to play the role for the sequels after his cameo at the end of the first film. I don’t think Vosloo is bad at all but he’s very different from Neeson. The filmmakers obviously didn’t want to pay Neeson a dime as they have even reshot some sequences from the first film with Vosloo to use as flashbacks. This film makes a big deal about the Durant character. I honestly forgot about him entirely and it seems odd that they mention him in the title. It’s not like he’s on par with The Joker or Lex Luthor, he’s just a generic mobster. None of the other characters are particularly memorable.

The special effects and the action sequences are definitely a downgrade from the first movie and it does take a little bit of time to adjust to Vosloo in the role. There is so much here that is just recycled from the first film that it becomes hard to think of any real reason to see it. For what it is, it’s not a bad movie but it is forgettable.

The anime “Godzilla” trilogy concludes with “The Planet Eater”. It’s such a shame that these films don’t work because I think that there are some good ideas in them but they just don’t work as “Godzilla” films. This one in particular is filled with lots of philosophical talk about reality, faith, science and destiny. It’s like it’s trying to be “2001: A Space Odyssey” but forcing itself into the “Godzilla” framework. It would be like doing “Citizen Kane” as a “Terminator” movie.

The humans and their aliens allies put their faith in an extraordinary entity as the summon King Ghidorah to destroy Godzilla. The King of the Monsters appears powerless against this unstoppable creature from another dimension. However, is Ghidorah perhaps an even greater threat to humanity and Earth than Godzilla?

There is just so much talking in this movie that you forget it’s even meant to be a giant monster movie. Godzilla only briefly appears. King Ghidorah looks completely different and I’m not a fan of the redesign at all. The two eventually fight and it’s the worst fight in any “Godzilla” movie I’ve ever seen. The two giant monsters move so little during the fight that you almost don’t even feel like you’re watching a movie, it’s more like a slideshow.

“The Planet Eater” really does delve into some interesting sci-fi concepts but it does all this at the expense of any and all excitement. Everything and nothing seem to happen in these films as we see humanity try to reclaim an Earth lost to the monsters it created but we’re constantly stopping for endless dialog about ideas such as the nature of linear time. Maybe it would have been better if we had a single two-hour movie rather than a trilogy. However, I still think it would have been better if they had dropped Godzilla from these movies altogether and just done something truly original.

In a decade where we got “Little Man”, “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo” and even “Eight Crazy Nights”, “Freddy Got Fingered” is somehow worse than all of them. This is what happens when you let the inmates at the asylum make a movie; it’s unpleasant, sick, demented, ugly and aggressively defying any logical explanation. The blame has to rest entirely with director, writer and star Tom Green (“Road Trip”).

Gord (Green) is a wannabe animator, who goes to Hollywood to work in a cheese factory while he tries to sell his ideas. Things don’t work out and he heads back home. When his father (Rip Torn “Men In Black”) continues to press him about his career prospects, Gord spreads vicious lies that his father sexually abuses his young brother.

I’ve never seen Tom Green’s show but apparently his brand of ‘humour’ consists of him doing disgusting things like sucking on a cow’s udder. Here, we see him pleasure a male horse, stick his head in a toilet, bite through an umbilical cord and repeatedly hit a disabled woman’s legs until she orgasms. Green is clearly a disturbed individual with no real grasp on comedy and on reality. One sequence sees him loosely pay homage to Buster Keaton (“Steamboat Bill, Jr.”) so thanks to Tom Green for ruining Keaton’s work as I’ll now think of “Freddy Got Fingered” when I think of Keaton. Why did Rip Torn agree to be in this movie? He gets covered in an elephant’s intimate juices and spends much of the film being accused of being a sexual predator.

Everything from the editing to the ‘jokes’ to the story is just appalling. There is not a single moment where Green is doing anything even vaguely in the realm of entertainment. If “Citizen Kane” is considered by many to be the greatest film ever made, “Freddy Got Fingered” can be viewed as its polar opposite. I hated this movie and I don’t care if it’s self-aware or meant to be bad, it’s truly abominable and horrifying from beginning to end.

It’s the movie crossover that I’ve been waiting to see for a long time. Back in the early 60s, we saw the legends that are Godzilla and King Kong battle. After all these years, it’s great to finally see a rematch. This is a satisfying film that delivered more action that I was expecting.

Godzilla attacks a city for unknown reasons. As the world’s experts scramble to understand what is going on, a team sends King Kong to a mysterious place inside the Earth’s core. It all leads to a showdown between the two creatures. However, there is also another monster on the loose.

It’s no secret that I’m no big fan of the design for Godzilla from the 2014 movie and its sequel so I’m still not fond of how he looks here. I also think Godzilla should have had a few more scenes but I understand they probably wanted to give King Kong more time to shine since he only got one previous movie in this continuity while Godzilla got two. King Kong looks as great as he did in “Kong: Skull Island”. Kong even does sign language in this movie so I was reminded of “Congo”. It’s wonderful to see the two fight but I was disappointed Kong never shoves a tree into Godzilla’s mouth like the 60s version. I liked the addition of the third monster but felt the design could have been better. The human characters are so boring and there are so many of them. Millie Bobby Brown (“Enola Holmes”) returns but she’s given very little to do.

There are definitely some problems and it’s not as entertaining as “Kong: Skull Island” but I did really enjoy the action sequences here. The scale of the destruction is fantastic and it’s obvious that the makers love giant monster movies. If you like Godzilla and/or King Kong then you need to see it.

“Good Burger” is a light-hearted comedy based on a recurring skit from the tv show “All That”. I’ve never seen the show so I went into this with only very limited knowledge. I can’t believe how entertaining this movie is. It’s so amazing or anything like that but has some real heart and likeable characters you want to see succeed. It reminds me a lot of “Spongebob Squarepants” as both are from Nickelodeon and both are about fast-food workers.

The dim-witted Ed (Kel Mitchell “Mystery Men”) loves working at the Good Burger fast-food restaurant. However, his livelihood is threatened when a rival burger joint opens across the street. Ed and his new buddy Dexter (Keenan Thompson “Snakes On A Plane”), who needs money to pay for the damage in caused in a road accident, must find a way to save the wholesome Good Burger from the vicious competition.

The Ed character is as dumb as Jim Carrey’s Lloyd in “Dumber And Dumber” or any character played by Pauly Shore (“Jury Duty”) but he’s more innocent and likeable. Keenan Thompson is also enjoyable as Dexter. Carmen Electra (“Scary Movie”), Robert Wuhl (“Batman”), Abe Vigoda (“The Godfather”) and Linda Cardellini (“Scooby-Doo”) all appear and provide some chuckles. However, I found Sinbad (“Jingle All The Way”) a little tedious and the sequence with Shaquille O’Neal (“Steel”) was not exactly a highlight for me.

“Good Burger” is a silly movie where moronic buddies drive around in a car that looks like a giant burger. It really does feel like the inspiration for “Spongebob Squarepants”. This is not a movie that’s going to change your life but it is a film that is just so full of joy and good fun that it is hard to resist. I’m not really familiar with Kel Mitchell or Keenan Thompson and I’ll admit that the idea of a feature-length comedy based on a skit about a fast-food worker sounds awful. However, I think you will find this movie is pleasantly surprising.

From director Uwe Boll (“BloodRayne”, “Alone In The Dark”) comes “Rampage”, one of the most morally repugnant films of recent years. Normally, I am quick to dismiss claims that violence in films and videogames can create a more violent society but here we have a film that seems to exist merely to glorify mass shootings and terrorism. It goes in to way too much detail about how to plan a massacre.

A young man (Brendan Fletcher “Freddy vs. Jason”) plots and executes a shooting spree. Wearing armour and equipped with guns and bombs, he terrorises a small American town like a mix of al-Qaeda and the Columbine shooters. Nobody is safe from the carnage.

The shooter here has absolutely no personality whatsoever. He’s a loner nobody with no girlfriend, a mediocre job and likes listening to the most distressing news clips he can find. I’m not sure whether the filmmakers intended for him to be seen as an antagonist ruining people’s lives or a protagonist fighting back against the ‘system’. He seems pretty despicable to me as he fires upon unarmed civilians and even toys with his prey from time to time. He even records a confession video boasting of his crimes.

The only brief moment of comedy in the movie occurs when the shooter visits a bingo hall where he is ignored. It falls flat because it is surrounded by a film with very realistic violence. Away from the bloodthirsty elements, the acting is terrible, a lot of the film is very repetitive and the cinematography is atrocious. It feels like the camera is hanging on a piece of string as it shakes all over the place. If the mass shooting subject matter does not make you feel sick, the camerawork will. “Rampage” is a shameless movie from a truly shameless director.