No Country For Old Men (15)

I had been wanting to see this film for ages because it was so well rated and recieved so many awards, including Best Picture at the Oscars 2008. I must say, I was not disappointed.

This film focuses on Llewlyn Moss (Josh Brolin), who steals some money he finds at the scene of a drug deal gone wrong. Javier Bardem plays the psycopath on his trail to get the money back, and he will not stop at anything to get it. This is essentially a cat-and-mouse tale, but a very very good one.

It is very slow moving with many long sweeping shots of Texan desert landscapes and many scenes were there is very little dialogue. Despite this, I was interested throughout, except a couple of points when I felt Tommy Lee Jones' character was rambling for too long, particuarly towards the end. I also wasn't satisfied with the ending, which really my only problem with the film.

Brolin is amazing and the audience should be rooting for him to prevail throughout. Bardem definitely deserved his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role- his character lacked all type of life and humanity and was quite terrifying in places. The scenes which involve both leads are especially tense and well paced.

The scenery in the film is spectacular and so is the dialgoue. No wonder the Coen Brothers won Oscars for Best Film, Best Directors and Best Writing. Rating: 4/5

Jumper (12A)

Hayden Christensen's acting skills have never been praised and I'm not surprised. He is on the same par as Keanu Reeves and this film proves this fact further. Despite this, Jumper is really enjoyable and easy to watch because it is mainly about the action sequences and stunning special effects.

The plot is merely just a chase between "Jumpers" and their hunters, headed by Roland (Samuel L Jackson), who wants to kill all those with the ability to teleport. Christensen plays David, who uses his ability to rob banks and finance his carefree lifestyle from surfing in Fiji one day to having lunch on top of the Sphinx the next day. Things are dandy until he meets fellow Jumper, Griffin (Jamie Bell, of Billy Elliott fame), who makes him aware of the group threatening his life and the lives of the people he loves, such as Millie (Rachel Bilson, who was in The O.C). The two jumpers then team up to fight against the hunters.

The ending is predictable, the dialogue is satisfactory and the lead actor has an inability to show emotion but I stil found the film entertaining. The highlight is a fight scene between David and Griffin, in which they "jump" through many different sets throughout the world while continually fighting. We see places such as the Ocean, The Empire State Building and in a war zone. The special effects here are amazing.

Jackson is brilliant as the villian and keep an eye out for the talented AnnaSophia Robb, most famously known for playing Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Rating: 3/5.