Something about.. The Fast and the Furious 5

I never hold out much hope for the second or third instalment in a Hollywood franchise like the Fast and the Furious - let alone the fifth. But number five took me by surprise.

I must start by admitting that having missed number four there were a few loose ends which I couldn't quite tie up - but taking that into consideration, Fast and Furious 5 certainly did what it said on the tin. It was fast and definitely furious.

Packed full of fast action scenes, shoot-outs, fights, car chases and stunts, the film provided everything which made the franchise so popular among the male species.

But what made this particular film extra special was bringing together characters from each of the four former movies, which certainly linked together some rather loose links between number one, two and four, with the rather odd-one-out number three - Tokyo Drift. Although the chronological placement of whether this, the fifth, was in fact a sequel or a prequel, I will leave to you to decide - but the uncertainly made for a more interesting storyline.

It was good to see original characters Dominic Toretto, Brian O'Conner, Mia Toretto and Vince back together for this film - as well as bringing in characters from the later films, with an extra special guest, The Rock.

What was the most surprising about Fast and Furious 5 was that the storyline was actually complex and engaging - there was no clutching at straws as there usually is once film-makers get this far down the line. But my my boyfriend's criticism did seem rather valid - there was a distinct lack in racing and cars, the very things which made this franchise so popular with the boys.

Even so - and saying this as a girl, not quite the target audience - I really enjoyed the latest instalment and would certainly recommend it. Not only was it an enjoyable two hours, but I definitely got brownie points with the man.

Something about.. Something Borrowed

I was well overdue for a girly chick-flick trip to the cinema. And Something Borrowed was just what the doctor ordered.

It was fun and bubbly and didn't take itself to seriously - thankfully.

To be honest with you, as a 22-year-old girl, all it takes is a love story, Kate Hudson and a dishy lead man - and the promise of a wedding - and I'm happy. So really, Something Borrowed hit the nail on the head.

It wasn't life changing, it won't be a film which will come off of the shelf at every girly get together and slumber party for the next decade, but it ticked all the boxes it needed to.

The lead characters were fun, but avoided being two-dimensional, and the interaction and chemistry between them was natural and easy. But most importantly, Something Borrowed was light-hearted and was scattered with laugh-out-loud moments and one-liners.

Kate Hudson always creates a likeable and endearing character - and even as the slightly bitchy and annoying Darcy, I still found myself warming to her and routing for her. Whereas Ginnifer Goodwin played the goody-goody lawyer Rachel, who I did find rather annoying. Still, the 'best friends' meshed well on screen which added to the awkward storyline of best friends crossing the line.

It's not necessarily something I would watch again and again, but I would certainly recommend it to my girlfriends for a girly evening in with a Chinese takeaway.

Something about.. Limitless

Limitless - without limit, boundless, the possibilities are endless. And the possibilities of what this film could have done were limitless. But disappointingly it didn't quite push the boundaries enough.

Don't get me wrong, the film was good and exciting and the idea was solid: if there was a drug that could allow you to access 100% of your brain what would you be capable of? An innovative and thrilling idea for sure, but the film makers just didn't quite bring enough to the table.

I never thought I would hear myself saying this - as a self-confessed lover of different and sophisticated films - but there just wasn't enough car-chasing, fighting, fast-paced action sequences.

The plot was strong, and the idea was a breath of fresh air - for once, not a regurgitation of a story told too many times before. It was original. But some of the details were lacking and characters were underdeveloped and a few strands of the story were questionable.

The film was fast-paced and action-packed, but could have done with much, much more. It failed to deliver everything it could have done.

I would never argue that Bradley Cooper was the greatest actor to walk the red carpet - needless to say it is enjoyable to watch him on screen for 90 minutes. He played the part well, but did nothing to surprise or shock.

Robert Deniro made a convincing business man and baddie, but needed to be more of a prominent antagonist.

Altogether I would recommend the film - but don't rush out and watch it as soon as possible like I did. It's definitely not worth the rush.