Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014, Dir. Kenneth Branagh, USA/Russia) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ***

Starring: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh

A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, Jack Ryan (Pine) is picked for work as an analyst working covertly in the CIA, using his credentials in economics. When Jack suspects a sinister form of financial terrorism brewing in Russia, he leaves to chase down the wealthy Viktor Cherevin (Branagh), only Jack's fiancee, Cathy (Knightley) turns up in Moscow, where she learns of Jack's double-life and becomes complicit in his plan to tale down Cherevin.

Given the passing of techno-thriller novelist Tom Clancy last year, there's something symbolic about this film, starring one of Clancy's best known characters and seemingly intent on a follow-up series. It's fair to say that on the basis of this film, Jack Ryan deserves a repeat performance, but the game may need to improve if the plans are going for the long-term. The film's director, Sir Kenneth Branagh, is perhaps better known for his acting than his directing (even here, with his turn as a villain who seems almost like he's strode out of the universe of James Bond) but he has clear competence as a director, building on the promisingly slick aesthetics of his work in Thor (2011), fusing both old-school spy thriller conventions with a Christopher Nolan-styled sense of presentation. 

As the acting goes, the cast is decent. Branagh makes for a fine villain, but given his chops, a more lively performance may have been called for. Keira Knightly overcomes the occasional wobble on American accent to become an agreeable romantic foil whilst Kevin Costner does a fair job playing a grizzled mentor to our hero. As Jack Ryan, Chris Pine brings a roguish but clearly intelligent presence which suits the character but fails to show Pine playing a radically different role to that of his Captain Kirk from the Star Trek films. The plot, whilst dealing with some fairly lofty concepts is still accessible but culminates in less of a bang and more of an unsatisfying whimper whilst the black-and-white and cliched depictions of our characters in the script is a decisive flaw. There's more than enough to build on with this slightly impressive film, but complacency must not take hold if any more of this Jack Ryan series is to be attempted.

Next time, it's Rocky Balboa versus Jake LaMotta...well, Sylvester Stallone versus Robert De Niro as two old boxing rivals square up for a lucrative bout in Grudge Match.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013, Dirs. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, USA/France) (Cert: 15/R) ****

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman

Llewyn Davis (Isaac) is a folk singer in the vibrant Greenwich Village scene in the early-60's. Struggling to hit his big break after the death of his collaborator, Mike Timlin (Chris Edridge), Llewyn spends his time performing and living on the couches of his various friends. Hearing about an opportunity to perform in Chicago, Llewyn hits the road  with an adventurous cat and leaving behind Jean (Mulligan), a fellow folk-singer made pregnant by him in an adulterous one-night-stand.

Having been several years in the making, Inside Llewyn Davis is a knowing love letter to the Greenwich Village folk scene, brought to life with the distinctive and eccentric wit of the Coen brothers. This time, they are without their usual cinematographer, Roger Deakins, but despite missing his strength the film is still a visual wonder with its own faded and shadowed beauty, bringing the coldness of the winter setting to the fore. The music is a set of wonderfully-realises folk (here played in full numbers rather than brief snippets) from the achingly tender "If I Had Wings" to the lovably goofy, "Please Mr. Kennedy".

Elsewhere, the film seems to be slightly lacking in character (compared with the extremely characterful oeuvre of the Coens' works as a whole) mostly by way of supporting cast usually not lasting the length of the story, but there are entertaining performances to be had. The film may not be on a par with some of the best Coen brothers movies (such as Fargo (1996) or Miller's Crossing (1990)) but time and repeated viewings are often very kind to Ethan and Joel Coen, so this already promising film may yet live on to endure.

Next time, the work of the late Tom Clancy is brought to the screen once more as an unwitting Chris Pine becomes the target of Kenneth Branagh in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

August: Osage County (2013, Dir. John Wells, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ***

Starring: Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Julianne Nicholson

Following the disappearance of poet Beverly Weston (Sam Shepherd) his daughter (Roberts) travels to her childhood home in Osage County, Oklahoma to comfort drug-addled, cancer-stricken and sharp-tongued matriarch Violet (Streep). The discovery of Beverly's lifeless body brings the family together after his funeral and some home truths come to roost.

Written by Tracy Letts and based on her acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winning stage play, August: Osage County is, unsurprisingly, well-written and a cast featuring more stars than a clear night sky but given all that the film promises, it's only a partial success in delivering the goods. The film's been promoted towards looking like a cynical but ultimately life-affirming comedy, which belies the fact that in reality, August: Osage County is a much darker and sever film than advertised, but when the film does try and go for warmth, it robs the film of dramatic intensity leaving the weight of the film to be ultimately underwhelming.

That's not to say that the film doesn't have assets. With such a strong cast, the performances are by and large, very impressive. Meryl Streep ambles about like a strung-out ageing Scarlett O'Hara, Sam Shepherd (for all of his brief time on screen) is an engaging presence and Julia Roberts does well, even if the role is no real radical departure and whilst Ewan McGregor does a good job as Roberts' bemused husband, he feels out of place. The film looks great, with crisp cinematography and detailed set design showing off some real attention aside from this being an actor and script driven piece. Ultimately, August: Osage County is worth a viewing for cast and its brilliantly paced and observational writing, but this is not a film set to blaze a new trail.

Next time. Oscar Isaac plays an early-60's Greenwich Village folk singer desperately searching for a break in the latest film from Ethan and Joel Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis.

Top 10 Best Films Of 2013

(Please note, this list is compiled under the criteria of films released in the UK in 2013 as there are films on this list released in other territories before then.)

10. Cloud Atlas

I feel an obligation to put Cloud Atlas in this list. Whilst there are many glaring flaws, there are also very positive elements that deserve recognition. Cloud Atlas spans the course of human history from the 18th century to a post-apocalyptic future, with the plots and cast members (most of whom turn up in various roles) intertwine with each other through time, genre and setting.

I've never been a big fan of the Wachowskis. Their breakthrough film, The Matrix (1999), had very advanced special effects but never seemed to boast much beyond the visuals and somewhat ambitious concept whilst their flop adaptation Speed Racer (2009) just fell flat. Here, with assistance of Tom Tykwer of Run Lola, Run (1997) fame, their ambitions are allowed to soar with some gorgeous imagery and an interesting melding of styles. There are plenty of things wrong with the film such as the often unconvincing make-up and strained accents (especially from Tom Hanks) but even if you don't like it you'll still find it fascinating on some level. Worth recommending for the more demanding viewer.

9. Saving Mr. Banks

Y'know something, Mary Poppins (1964) was a great film; it's full of magic, wonder, humour and charm so taking the story from a different perspective (looking at the real-life basis of the original P.L Travers story) and casting Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, two of the finest actors of their generation, was almost certainly going to work wonders.

I mention Hanks and Thomson but the rest of the supporting cast, especially Colin Farrell and Paul Giamatti, deserve applause in this film that documents the difficulties in taking Mary Poppins from the pages of the book, to the big screen courtesy of Walt Disney (Hanks), whilst Thompson plays Travers as a woman exasperated by the attempts to make Mary more twinkly and joyful than her original incarnation.

The film forgoes telling much of the technicalities of movie making and mulls over the origins of Mary Poppins and just what she meant to P.L Travers, which does give ample room for Emma Thompson to work her own magic, whilst the glimpses of the film's production (mostly Travers consulting with the film's songwriters, the Sherman brothers (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman), make for some of the film's best scenes.

Some have attacked this film for its sentimentality and the belief that it differs from the views of the real P.L Travers (who always viewed the Disney adaptation of Mary Poppins with disdain) but virtually all films based on true stories differ from the reality somewhat and film deftly plays with your heartstrings towards the end. A great film that serves as a tribute to another great film.

8. Blancanieves

I'll admit that I have a soft spot for films that go to places that some might consider weird and that might explain why this little known Spanish film takes the number eight spot.

Blancanieves invites comparisons with The Artist (2011) both with it being a modern use of black-and-white silent cinema as well as its tale of fame and fortune but Blancanieves goes in an altogether more fantastical direction, following a female bullfighter (Maribel Verdú) and her travelling bull fighting circus that also features seven dwarves. 

You can see where this is going, can't you?

The film is unmistakably odd, but in its eccentricity and clear love of fairy tales it's also very charming and memorable with some of the most outstanding cinematography and some really intriguing twists and turns that make this much more than just a paint-by-numbers adaptation, though it's certainly influenced by Disney's Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) as well as Freaks (1932). 

Easily one of the most original films to be released in the UK in the last twelve months, even with the obvious comparisons to The Artist.

7. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

There was once a time, the 1970s, when British TV sit-coms would often get the big screen treatment and the results are now looked upon as an embarrassment for the likes of Are You Being Served? and On The Buses. Now it's the time of Norwich's broadcasting legend (in his own mind) Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) to take to the big screen and the results are wall-to-wall, gut-wrenchingly funny.

Alan is a DJ at North Norfolk Digital, which is in the midst of a reshuffling when the it's purchased by a new media company. In an attempt to save his job, Alan throws veteran presenter Pat Farrell (Colm Meaney) in the firing line, only for Pat to suffer a breakdown and hold the station hostage with Alan forced to serve as a mediator.

Alan Partridge is one of the most well-developed and three-dimensional comedy characters and Steve Coogan performs as his long-standing alter ego with a seemingly effortless skill as he whisks from sequence to sequence, each with their own brand of hilarity, bolstered by supporting performances especially from Partridge regulars Felicity Montagu (as Lynne, Alan's long-suffering PA) and Simon Greenall (Michael, Alan's Geordie "friend" who is even more out of touch reality than Alan).

In comparison to the deliberately mundane circumstances of Alan's misadventures on television, Alpha Papa is a different step with its action plot and wider ramifications outside of Alan's little world, but it is still handled skilfully, whilst Alan's opening credits lip-synching to "Cuddly Toy" by Roachford has already become something of a classic moment of modern British comedy.

6. Django Unchained

Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Quentin Tarantino has become one of the most recognisable and emulated directors in modern cinema, after tearing into pop culture with his first two movies Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994); two films he has continually tried to better and failed at doing, but his attempts are at least entertaining and Django Unchained, whilst not his masterpiece is a strong effort from Tarantino.

Taking its cue from the Django series of spaghetti westerns, this time The tale is given a vaguely blaxploitation twist with Django now being a freed slave, played by Jamie Foxx. Teaming up with his liberator, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), the duo become bounty hunters before setting off to free Django's beloved Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from slave owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

In making Django Unchained, it's clear that Tarantino is living out his wildest cinematic fantasies and the enthusiasm is contagious as the film rollicks, and occasionally blasts, its way along. For all the film's length, gun fights are plentiful and suitably dynamic whilst a vein of dark humour (a mainstay with Tarantino) trickles through. As a team, Foxx and Waltz have their own intriguing chemistry but it is the villainous duo of DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson that really pull out all the stops. DiCaprio is hamtastic as the both buffoonish yet intimidating Candie whilst Jackson brings to life the character of Stephen; a dark twist on the Uncle Tom stereotype that is one of the greatest characters in the whole Tarantino canon.

There has been controversy over the way the film supposedly trivialises slavery, most notably demonstrated by the criticism and boycott of the film by director Spike Lee. However, the film does, albeit briefly, look at the brutality at the life of slavery and more makes mockery of the racists and slave owners of the era and would probably be less contentious than, for example, Blazing Saddles (1972) (a film which, whilst well-intentioned and well made, would almost certainly not get a major studio release in recent times) and whilst it will not be to everyone's taste, especially if you don't like blood, Django Unchained will satisfy anyone who enjoys Tarantino movies, spaghetti westerns or genre-blending experiments.

5. Wreck-It Ralph

Initially released in the US before making its way to the UK, Wreck-It Ralph was preceded by a great deal of commotion and promotion and the film lived up to the hype, even if its biggest strengths are the ones that the marketing didn't capitalise on.

Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the bad guy in the arcade game, Fix-It Felix. Tired of being an outcast because of his job, Ralph decides to find a medal; a prize he believes will make him a hero. Whilst the film is, to a certain extent, a love letter to classic video games and arcades, Wreck-It Ralph reaches a higher level as a film. It looks gorgeous, with the screen bursting with colour and liveliness throughout with an astounding amount of detail.

John C. Reilly makes for a likeable lead with some enjoyable side performances, especially from Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix and Jane Lynch as no-nonsense action-chick, Calhoun. However, it's Sarah Silverman who truly stands out as Vanellope Von Schweetz, Ralph's tiny and spunky sidekick with Silverman giving a performance of sparky energy, humour and emotional resonance; a difficult part to play given that the character is a "glitch" (which metaphorically seems comparable to having a behavioural disability such as autism in human terms). 

Whilst Wreck-It Ralph is a feast for the eyes, what it does for the heart is so much more valuable.

4. Bernie

To put Bernie in my Top Ten for 2013 is a bit of a cheat since this got its initial US release back in 2011, but since it fits my criteria (in that has its first theatrical run in the UK in 2013) it takes pride of place at number four.

As a film, Bernie doesn't go out if its way to seem that remarkable. There's no major fanfare or big production values and the humour is more of a lighter touch than an all-out gut-buster; however, that's something of a great achievement. The film takes it story from a genuine murder case and the fact that it's played for laughs and actually is successful in doing so is quite the accomplishment. Jack Black plays Bernie Tiede a mortician in a small Texan town who is popular just because he's so nice, even towards the local crotchety widow played by Shirley MacClaine. It's when he reaches an unexpected breaking point with her when the plot finally unfolds in both an intriguing and amusing manner.

Richard Linklater's skill with comic performances plays nicely here with his reunion with Jack Black (from 2003's School Of Rock) and Matthew McConaughey (from Linklater's breakthrough film from 1993, Dazed And Confused). Whilst Bernie may have flown a little under the mainstream radar, its a kooky and quirky dark comedy that will almost certainly impress.

3. The Act Of Killing

The Act Of Killing is a documentary that provides a fascinating insight into a world that is given little coverage in the media and provides a very strange twist that provides for some very distinctive and often unforgettable images.

For several decades, the government of Indonesia has given the culture a strongly pro-militant and anti-communist agenda, backed by a history of brutal executions of dissidents. The Act Of Killing observes the lives of some of the men who once executed these dissidents and asks them to recreate their executions theatrically, in any way that they desire. This makes for an eccentric experience that worms its way into the lives and mindsets of its subjects.

The film shifts through a variety of moods from horror (a recreation of an attack on a village brings uncomfortable comparisons with the notoriously unsettling horror classic Cannibal Holocaust (1980)) to sinister moments of surreality (an audience for a TV talk show being completely comprised of men in military camouflage) and even bizarre theatricality as we hear of men doing unspeakable things and looking at their actions in a new light. The Act Of Killing is at times confrontational viewing, but it's also immensely rewarding.

2. Les Miserables

Released in the US at the tail end of 2012 before its arrival in the UK at the start of the year, Les Miserables is a film adaptation of the Boublil-Schoenberg  musical, itself based on the epic novel by Victor Hugo.

Following the life of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and his desire to lead a good and simple life away from his criminal past and the pursuit of the dogmatic policeman Javert (Russell Crowe), the film's epic ambitions are met with a truly staggering scale of production. Everything about this film feels grandiose and glorious but the human performances still shine through, aided by the singing being captured on the set (as opposed to dubbing in post-production) and a set of powerful performances, especially from Jackman and Anne Hathaway in a supporting role, who rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" is a masterful display of acting. 

Whilst I'll admit that I thought director Tom Hooper's previous mega-hit, The King's Speech (2010), was a decent drama that didn't quite deserve as much praise as it received, Les Miserables is a staggering spectacle of a musical; a kind that is all too seldom seen and should be cherished.

1. Gravity

The film that James Cameron called the greatest space movie ever made, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity was a huge hit in theatres on both sides of the Atlantic and wowed audiences with its stunning visuals and sound. Still, Gravity is equally appreciable for its smaller aspects as it is its larger ones.

The film runs for little more than 90 minutes and has all but a mere handful speaking roles, with most of the film concerning rookie astronaut Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) fighting for survival after the structure she's been working on in orbit above the Earth is destroyed. He film is packed to the brim with atmosphere, excitement, heart and technical wizardry and combines the very best of cinema at its biggest and smallest. Whilst Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) was once famously compared to a theme park ride, this is perhaps even more of a fitting description of Gravity. If possible, find the biggest screen you can, sit back and just get engrossed by this dramatic technical marvel.

The Top 10 Worst Films Of 2013

10. The Odd Life Of Timothy Green

Yes, it's Disney. Yes, it means well. Yes, it has an amiable cast but...it's just far too cutesy for its own good. 

The Odd Life Of Timothy Green is the tale of a young couple (played by Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner) who find they can't have a child, so they decide to bury a series of notes in the garden of the qualaties their "dream child" would have. Lo and behold, a son (CJ Adams) arrives with leaves on his legs...yes, leaves on his legs.

Whilst I often have particular distain for films which teach a bad moral lesson, I will grant that The Odd Life Of Timothy Green has the opposite problem. It means well, but is very clumsy. It's a slobbering and poorly-trained puppy dog of a movie that will arouse chuckles of incredulity rather than sighs of annoyance. The plot is, for all that it's unique, rather goofy. The actions and motivations of the characters are often very strange, the characters are arch stereotypes and the film has an interesting take on the use of plants (including a pencil made of leaves). The role of Timothy is also badly written, with a small boy with dialogue like you would hear from a thirty-year-old man.

It's harmless and good-natured, but you should only approach it if you have an incredibly high tolerance of schmaltz.

9. 47 Ronin

Sometimes I feel people are a little rough on Hollywood. They treat jt as a factory for producing nothing more than artless syrupy garbage devoid of artistic integrity, overlooking the staggering amount of classics that have poured out of major Hollywood studios as long as that iconic sign's been resting in the Hollywood hills. The worst thing about 47 Ronin, a Universal picture, is that it can be used as an example for all the nay-sayers and cynics.

The film is an "adaptation" of an important Japanese folk tale, extracted to include a white (well, half-white but played by Keanu Reeves) hero, a romantic sub-plot and fantasy creatures that had zero place in the original story and are blatant attempts at jamming marketable ideas into a story that is treated with little of the reverence it deserves.

The film looks interesting and employs a cast of Japanese actors that have some stature in the west (Tadanobu Asano, Kou Shibasaki, Rinko Kikuchi) whilst also playing true to some aspects of Japanese culture, but the film's fallacies with history and culture are all the noticeable whilst Keanu Reeves (an actor who has done better than his wooden reputation might suggest) really feels out of place and not on his a-game. The film foolishly got an earlier release in Japan where it was met with scorn and you don't have ti be Japanese to see where they found the problems.

8. Beautiful Creatures

It seems that you can't move without bumping into film adaptations of teen novels these days. Occasionally some of these, like the Hunger Games adaptations, are actually pretty good. But for every Hunger Games there's usually one or two films like Beautiful Creatures.

Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) meets the literal girl of his dreams in Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) but Lena's grandfather is the decidedly odd Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons) a pariah in the town whose people think he's a devil-worshipper. He's not, but he's part of a family of witches and when Lena turns sixteen she will be made into either a good or bad witch and a battle over the future of Lena, and the town of Gatlin, plays out.

The film has obvious Twilighty overtones that push it rather firmly towards that same cloying melodrama that represents the worst associated aspects of such fiction. In a world of good and evil, the film deals in simplistic characterisations, especially within the town of Gatlin, that is portrayed with he most derogatory stereotypes of conservative small-town mentality. A depiction that, give the film's supposed stance on not jumping to negative conclusions on people, cones off as hypocritical.

Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons may seem as promising casting but the simplistic and over-emotional nature of the story means that their performances are thrown directly into hamminess that can be amusing, along with the tacky dialogue, but this film offers little serious reward.

7. Justin And The Knights Of Valour

Justin (Freddie Highmore) wants to be a brave and courageous knight despite the wishes of his father (Alfred Molina). Teaming up with a feisty girl (Saoirse Ronan) and a batty wizard (David Walliams) Justin must drive out a spurned knight, Heraclio (Mark Strong), and save the day.

On the one hand, Justin And The Knights Of Valour had some things going for it. Few other films of 2013 can compete in terms of sheer star power and sword and sorcery epics, in the right hands, can be brilliant. Justin And The Knights Of Valour is, however, derivative and aesthetically rather ugly with a cast that sound like they're rather be dong anything else (or were perhaps doing something like the housework whilst absent-mindedly thumbing through the script).

In the aftermath of the Shrek series (of whom actor Antonio Banderas produced this Spanish film) there has been a glut of animated fantasy films, such of which like How To Train Your Dragon (2010) have earned critical acclaim, Justin And The Knights Of Valour was, however, a stumble in the wrong direction.

6. Olympus Has Fallen

One of the most notable movie rivalries of this past year was between White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen; two films that take the same premise of a member of White House security having to take on terrorists, following an attack on the building. Ultimately, Olympus Has Fallen won out at the box office whilst White House Down did poorly in the US (though it did gain more popularity in the wider world) but between the two, Olympus Has Fallen is a distinctly inferior effort.

The film's effects leave a little to be desired and the plot is nothing new, but the main issue is how the enemy is portrayed. Putting to one side that there's no way a North Korean terrorist organisation has weapons technology ahead of the US, the film's hawkish attitude towards North Korea and terrorism puts me in mind of the most disturbing pro-war views and ravings as well as providing some rather uncomfortable moments, like suicide bombers and the fact that almost all the East Asian cast (save for those playing the necessary South Koreans) play the enemy. 

More could've been done with the situation in the bunker under the White House (especially when you consider you have Morgan Freeman, everyone's favourite actor playing a fictional president...and god) whilst Gerard Butler rampages about, shooting at the baddies. White House Down, for all its follies, was a silly action romp that could laugh at itself and its plot (such as the infamous line, "The President has rocket launcher) it's the dead-pan and rather unnerving way in which Olympus Has Fallen unfolds that has provided its own downfall. 

5. The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones

With a poor taking at the box office, The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones has fallen at the first hurdle and the seeming promise of more grows ever-distant. Yet another film in the long stream of teen fantasy film adaptations, City Of Bones follows young Clary (Lily Collins) as she discovers that she can see a whole secret world half-angel Shadowhunters are locked in a world of demons and Clary also discovers that she is a shadow hunter.

Much has been made of how generic The Moral Instruments is leaning heavily on the likes of Twilight and Harry Potter but whilst the film's darker elements could've been explored towards a more original end, we instead get a film that is both forgettable and lacking in originality. The character of Jace in particular almost seems like a caricature of a male love interest for the genre, wide-eyed, pale and just a little too scary whilst the romantic sub-plot goes for originality and is then just tossed aside.

With more panache and originality, The Mortal Instruments could've been impressive. As it is, it sadly fell apart before it even began.

4. Playing For Keeps

Another showing on this list for Gerard Butler is this rom-com that flew a little under the radar. Butler plays a retired Scottish footballer living in the US, now looking to pursue a career in broadcasting as well as coaching a youth team that son plays in. He draws the attention of three separate potential love interests (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer and Uma Thurman) but he seems particularly stuck on his ex-wife, played by Jessica Biel.

 Playing For Keeps has a number of major problems with its rather limp execution and the saccharine tone that affects the very worst romantic comedies. The script is pretty poor and the plot is excruciatingly flawed. Whilst Zeta-Jones, Greer and Thurman (all three are fine actresses whose presence here is a little sad) make for some divergence from the plot, it's incredibly predictable how things work out and despite the romantic angle between Butler and Biel, there's actually little justification for it other than the child. 

The new man in Biel's life (undeveloped as he is) seems rather decent and really comes off as a victim of the romantic plot. Above all else, the schmaltzy way it's presented...the over-simplified way it deals with its characters...the lack of any significant insight... Playing For Keeps has one moral that is flawed. The idea is that a couple that has a child is always better off staying together. Sometimes, it's just for the best that they are not. Biel and Butler are such an example.

3. Texas Chainsaw 3D

In 1974, Tobe Hooper's low-budget pseudo-slasher, Texas Chainsaw Massacre was unleashed onto an astounded audience, and provided the world with one of the most intense, visceral and terrifying movies ever made. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 followed in 1986 and, whilst gaining a following as a cult film all its own, the lighter and more comic tone has divided fans. Since then the series has gone onto lumber around, much like the iconic Leatherface, to poor response.

Texas Chainsaw 3D was probably never expected to be a darling with critics and these low expectations are justified. The film largely takes its cue from the original classic, only set eighteen years on with the baby survivor of a mass shootout on Leatherface's cannibal family now fully grown...and in a contemporary environment despite mathematically the character's age would place us somewhere in the early-90's. Alas, thinking is not the film's strongpoint and the film indulges in the basest problems that the horror genre is often labelled with. 

An over-emphasis on gore (ironic, given the original Texas Chainsaw is such a strongly impacting horror film, even while it's almost entirely bloodless) and a tiresome 3D gimmick are on display, the cast are an unmemorable procession of slasher stereotypes (including the rather talented Tania Raymode, here reduced to mere eye candy) and, whilst the film does try and veer towards a sense of camp, it doesn't even pull that off very well. Generally, it's best to just stick with the brilliant initial instalment in the TCM franchise, of which there is an entire sequence that's pasted onto the start of this film.

2. The Host

Poor Saoirse Ronan. One of the most talented young actresses out there and she's here on this list twice. Of her four films in these last twelve months, Byzantium was an interesting vampiric drama, How I Live Now was an acceptable war thriller, Justin And The Knights of Valour, for all its problems at least had Ronan in the most interesting role. The Hoshi is just a fundamental failing in film-making.

Adapted from a book Stephenie Meyer (of Twilight fame), The Host follows a young girl (played by Saoirse Ronan) is only partially infiltrated by an alien intelligence that's part of an international invasion as the girl tries to evade capture. Any sci-fi fan worth their salt will probably pick up on the similarities with Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956) from the start, but whilst Body Snatchers had a sinister and mysterious undertone, The Host plays its premise gleefully discarding of all understatement.

Key to this is the lack of regard to the principal of "show not tell", a vital strength of film as a story-telling medium. A concept like The Host's admittedly wouldn't work if it was all played in suggestion with no explicit interaction between Ronan and her host invader but every interaction is spoon-fed to the audience with no regards to ambiguity or nuance. The Host is ultimately a film of what you see is what you get and, even with the sci-fi trappings, it's the same generic teen drama (complete with awkward romance) that we've seen so many times before...only this time with an incessant voiceover and a tedious chase plot.

1. A Haunted House

When done well, the fusion of horror and comedy can work very well. This year, You're Next was given a release after two years in distribution limbo and provided ample laughter with screams. You're Next is how to do a horror-comedy

A Haunted House is how NOT to do a horror-comedy.

The film plays much closer to comedy, as an intended spoof of the Paranormal Activity franchise, but it is comedy at its absolute lowest ebb. Damon Wayans and Essence Atkins play a couple moving into a new home, but it quickly becomes clear that they're not the only ones calling the place home. From there, the plot spirals off into "hilarity".

Humour is subjective and different things make different people laugh. Jokes about bodily functions and getting high? It's not my thing but it has its place. But when this film also plays off attacking and, in another scene, raping a woman and plays it off as just part of the comedy, there's a problem. Mixed in with one of the most offensively outdated depictions of a gay man that you will find and parodies that have now been worn paper-thin, A Haunted House is not comedy...it is anti-comedy. It is making jokes out of things that in no sense should be funny and as a result earns "pride of place" as my least favourite film of 2013. 

The scariest thing? A Haunted House 2 is on the way...

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013, Dir. Jeff Tremaine, USA) (Cert: 15/R) **

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Greg Harris

With his wife (Catherine Keener) now passed on, eighty-six year old Irving Zisman (Knoxville) is looking forward to finally having a good time, only to be saddled with his grandson, Billy (Nicoll). Given the task of taking Billy to his selfish and criminal father (Harris), Irving and Billy go on a road trip and have many misadventures along the way.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of American pop-culture of the last twenty years, is at least somewhat familiar with the Jackass brand. Starting out as a show on MTV, Jackass's trademark is stunts that emphasise personal injury or creating a nuisance amongst the general public, usually the former more than the latter. Bad Grandpa places more of an emphasis on pranks than stunts and has an intriguing concept of framing a fictitious narrative around these pranks. However, for all its originality, Bad Grandpa is not going to please everyone.

It should go without saying at this point that the Jackass crew have their humour at a pretty low-brow level. That's fine for those who like that sort of thing (and humour is ultimately subjective, people don't have too much choice in what they find funny) but non-fans will probably have to look elsewhere for a laugh. As far as the execution if the pranks go, there's an uncomfortable element that presents itself and it's not hard to feel sympathy for the unsuspecting "victims", although this is slightly remedied by their reactions in the credits when Knoxville reveals his face (odd that so many fall for it, considering the not entirely convincing makeup). If you're a Jackass fan, then this is possibly worth checking out but its slightly ambitious concept doesn't surpass its crudity that can leave the unconverted with a bad taste in their mouths.

Next time, Chris Hemsworth returns to save the world once more in Thor: The Dark World.

Philomena (2013, Dir. Stephen Frears, UK/USA/France) (Cert: 15/R) ****

Starring: Dame Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sean Mahon

Having recently lost his job as a government spin doctor following a political snafu, Martin Sixsmith (Coogan) tries to return to his journalistic roots. At a party, he hears about a woman named Philomena Lee (Dench) an Irish woman and forced to give up her child for adoption from the convent where she lived to America. Martin and Philomena travel Ireland and America to learn about what happened to the child.

Directed by the acclaimed Steven Frears (whose previous work includes The Queen (2006) and High Fidelity (2000) and partly written and produced by cast member Steve Coogan, Philomena is a witty, warm and touching true tale of a woman exploring a life she had lost and her relationship with her faith. In the lead roles, Coogan and Dame Judi Dench both give strong and dignified performances with Coogan's particular flair as a writer for nuanced characters shining through. Martin Sixsmith is obnoxious but principled whilst Philomena has dramatic depth but also comedic warmth, which Dench ably supplies.

The film depicts both the Catholic church and the mass media in a critical manner, where a more complex argument could've served a better purpose whilst the film's plot is set up in such a manner that remarkable last-minute coincidences spring up with such frequency, it challenges how much of the story the audience can believe, but these are only minor pitfalls in an otherwise beautiful film.

Next time, recently widowed and not afraid to shock, Irving Zisman (played by Johnny Knoxville) takes to the road with grandson, Billy (Jackson Niccol) and pulling stunts on unsuspecting members of the public as they go in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.