New out on DVD/Blu-ray for Tuesday June 26.

Photo: Contributed - Sony

     21 Jump Street

In the action-comedy 21 Jump Street, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier - and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.

This is a rude, crude and often times totally hilarious take on the buddy cop, action-comedy genre. It's equal parts 48 Hrs., Beverly Hills Cop, Bad Boys and a whole lot of John Hughes coming-of-age movies all rolled into one. 21 Jump Street is highly entertaining and well worth checking out.

     The Artist

Hollywood 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. The Artist tells the story of their interlinked destinies.

The winner of five Oscars including Best Picture, The Artist is a wonderful and charming tribute to the magic of silent cinema. Shot in gorgeous black and white, this light and frothy film is delightfully entertaining and will most certainly appeal to those who have a true appreciation of the history of cinema.

Even though it doesn't quite live up to the tremendous accolades it received, it's well worth seeking out for all of you cinema aficionados out there. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

     Mirror Mirror

Based on the classic Grimm Brothers fairy-tale, this retelling of the Snow White story features Lily Collins (daughter of Phil) as the beautiful, innocent Snow White, who's just turned 18 and is trapped in her bedroom by her stepmother the evil Queen (Julia Roberts), who has taken over the kingdom and rules tyrannically over the lands. Upon being banished from the kingdom and left for dead, Snow White joins forces with seven courageous rebel dwarfs in order to fight to reclaim her birthright and win the heart of her Prince.

Mirror Mirror is light, fun entertainment that is suitable for the whole family. What it lacks in substance, it makes up for in visual flair. Director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall, Immortals) creates some spectacular set pieces and the lavish costumes are quite something to behold. If only he could master the art of managing a compelling narrative throughout the film, then it would have been even better.

It does tend to lag a little bit in the middle. Overall though, it's a breezy, enjoyable fairy-tale that I think young and old alike can enjoy.

     Also out this week... is the CGI laden fantasy film Wrath of the Titans which is a sequel to Clash of the Titans, the mystery thriller Gone starring Amanda Seyfried, and the latest Eddie Murphy goofball comedy romp A Thousand Words.

     Blast From the Past

     Continuing on from last week here are my top ten films of 1984.

10. Romancing the Stone - A really fun and rousing action-adventure romantic comedy starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. It was an Indiana Jones knockoff but still highly entertaining nonetheless.

9. A Nightmare on Elm Street - The film that introduced the world to Freddy Krueger. Wes Craven's imaginative and super scary film is one of the best horror movies from the eighties. This gruesome and frightening film spawned a number of sequels and is now considered an all-time classic of the genre.

8. Amadeus - I have a huge admiration for classical music and Mozart is arguably the greatest composer ever so I was fascinated by this story of Mozart's tumultuous working relationship with Salieri. It's a powerful and lavish production with wonderful performances all around. A truly great film!

7. Gremlins - This is a really fun horror comedy that at times is cute and then scary also. It's about these strange creatures that are furry and adorable but beware not to get them wet or feed them after midnight or else they transform into destructive, evil monsters. I really enjoyed this one as a kid.

6. Ghostbusters - Who you gonna call? Man what an iconic theme song that was. This supernatural comedy was one of the best and most successful from the eighties and featured the hilarious Ghostbusting team of Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis. A highly entertaining romp with great special effects to boot.

5. Blood Simple - This twistedly funny and brutally violent crime thriller marked the debut of the Coen brothers who are amongst some of my all-time favourite directors. This brilliant film noir is a stylish, darkly comic gem that demands repeated viewings.

4. This Is Spinal Tap - The ultimate rock and roll mockumentary about a fictional band called Spinal Tap is absolutely hilarious. Rob Reiner made a film that perfectly satirizes the lifestyle of heavy metal musicians and all the craziness that surrounds them. This is such an original and influential film and one of the best comedies of this era.

3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - I remember lining up for over two hours to see this on opening day when I was 10-years-old and I wasn't disappointed. While it wasn't as good as its predecessor Raiders of the Lost Ark, it was still a blast. If you want action and excitement you can't go wrong with Indiana Jones.

2. The Terminator - This classic science fiction action film by James Cameron is one of the best of its genre. Arnold Schwarzenegger is menacing as the nasty cyborg sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor. He only utters 18 lines of dialogue in the film including his famous "I'll be back" , but it's nevertheless one of his most iconic roles ever. This is just a thrill ride of shear awesomeness.

1. The Karate Kid - I love The Karate Kid! There I said it, and I'm not ashamed to admit it either. This is one of the most inspirational underdog stories out there. It's an exciting and heartwarming drama that makes you want to stand up and cheer by the end. I think the fact that I was taking karate lessons a couple of years prior to this film's release made it resonate even stronger with me as I've always been a martial arts fan. The Karate Kid rules!

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