From scary to sleazy

Direct to Video

"Criminal Pursuit" (18s)

One of the first products of the Irish-based Concorde Anois studio, this sleazy thriller about the relationship between a female homicide cop and a serial sex killer manages to be both objectionable and boring. Moments of light relief are provided by the exteriors, which prove you just can't make Galway look like an American city.

Cinema to Video

"The Frighteners" (15s)

Cult New Zealand director Peter Jackson's first big-budget movie has some terrific special effects (not for nothing is SFX specialist Robert Zemeckis credited as executive producer) and an engaging if confused Gothic storyline. Michael J. Fox is the spook expert in a small town plagued by mysterious deaths.

"Carla's Song" (15s)

Ken Loach's first, disappointing, film in a long time stars Robert Carlyle as a Glasgow bus driver whose relationship with a Nicaraguan refugee (Oyanka Cabezas) drags him into that country's civil war. Weighed down by its ideological objectives, the film never really takes flight.

"Metro" (18s)

Eddie Murphy is a police hostage negotiator who finds himself playing a game of hide and seek with a psychotic killer in this unimpressive thriller, which shows none of the narrative drive or sense of fun of the best action blockbusters. Too many of the set-pieces look like out-takes from other movies, and it doesn't help that the film is set on the over-familiar streets of San Francisco.

"Mars Attacks!" (12s)

Tim Burton's folie de grandeur may have bombed at the box office, prompting criticisms of self-indulgence from some quarters, but its psychedelic absurdism and admirable debunking of Independence Day's flag-waving make it one of the most refreshing and original sci-fi epics of recent years.

"Twin Town" (18s)

The first film to cash in on the success of Trainspotting follows the exploits of Julian and Jeremy Lewis (Llyr Evans and Rhys Ifans), two drug-addled, joy-riding, dysfunctional Swansea brothers whose search for revenge against a dodgy roofing contractor leads to a spiral of murderous retaliation. But the stunted misanthropy and juvenile humour of this wretched little effort can't be compared with Trainspotting's wit, sympathy and style.

"She's The One" (18s)

Writer/director/actor Ed Burns's second romantic comedy only goes to show up the deficiencies that were partially masked by the rough and ready charm of his low-budget debut, The Brothers McMullen. The addition of rising stars Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz can't hide the fact that Burns's supposedly wry observations on masculine self-deception are too fatuous to raise much of a chuckle, while Mike McGlone's cliched portrayal of a Wall Street yuppie is a strong contender for worst performance of the year.