The set-up goes like this: vulnerable girl all alone on Halloween-night fends off attacks from unknown predators at her door until she discovers the truth about the scenario. Sound familiar? It should. We've seen it all before. All of it. A thousand times. To his credit, MacDonald approaches HELLIONS - in all likelihood - knowing this and injects some avant-grade stylings into an otherwise tiresome premise.

The trouble is by doing so McDonald makes HELLIONS a horribly muddled affair. On one hand there's a schmaltzy teen pregnancy drama which takes a 180 turn to serve up some Poltergeist-esque supernatural shenanigans. It never feels like McDonald is committing to any one particular idea, or thesis, and as a result the film is entirely unsatisfying.

Throw in a score that sounds so reminiscent of John Carpenter he that deserves a 'thank you' note, and you round-off a film that should have been much better than it was. McDonald has a sure hand, though, and directs with confidence. If only writer Pascal Trottier had the same confidence when he was sitting at the typewriter then HELLIONS might have been something to write home about.

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For the most part he has the ability to elevate stock-standard, run-of-the-mill productions with his grizzly, rugged charm, often giving a smudge of credence to otherwise lackluster affairs. Thankfully director Adam Alleca's stylish debut STANDOFF is up to a standard that gives Jane something to work with -  a little bit of scenery to chew on - even if only just.

In it he plays Carter, a war veteran with his own tortured past, who winds up protecting a 12-year-old girl, Bird, from an assassin (Laurence Fishburne) after she witnesses him murdering just about everyone in sight at a funeral. Left holding a shotgun with just a single shell, and sporting a newly acquired gunshot wound, he engages in physical and psychological warfare with the killer in a battle of endurance and wit for the girl's life. 

For the most part STAND OFF plays out in real time. It's an efficient 85-minute cat-and-mouse thriller between hero and killer, the former at the top of a stairwell, the latter at the foot - like a deranged Romeo And Juliette. An all but abandoned farmhouse sets the scene for a contained, microcosm version of RIO BRAVO or ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13; a wooden building that becomes a powder keg of chaos and misery.

It's a wordy, sometimes overly verbose film, but thankfully it's never boring. 

Alleca's script has its moments of intelligence and nifty characterizations, more than you'd expect from a direct-to-DVD release, but for all of its tough-guy talk and posturing, it smacks of been-there-seen-that antics, and becomes a cynical two-hander between two opposing forces with plenty of spanners thrown into the works. Fortunately there is more than enough happening to keep it lively and to stop you thinking about the proceedings too hard.

Freed from his shackles of combustible restraint in TV's HANNIBAL, Fishbourne cuts loose as the assassin, Sade, having some fun with the words of the ex-special forces hitman; slightly cartoonish but full of venom & vinegar and Jane brings the swagger.

It's not all success, however. The film oscillates uneasily between trite cliche and moments of genuinely inspired direction, and if nothing else it promises a career for Alleca behind the lens.

STANDOFF is a modest film that, with lesser stars and a less capable first-time director, could have turned out terrible, instead it just clears watchable.

Firstly, it's a Garry Marshall rom-com; therefore the average critic's response was never going to be great. Secondly, $3M for an actress of Julia Robert's calibre is not out of the ordinary. I mean heck, Christopher Lambert took $2M for 2-days work on MEAN GUNS in 1997 (most of the film's budget). So if people relaxed a little and took the movie for what it's worth, then perhaps it might fair well.

The story follows a group of characters in the days leading up to Mother's Day and, much like the other two movies, it entwines their stories. A grieving husband, a successful entrepreneur, two progressive sisters, a girlfriend with cold feet and a single mother... if you're a rom-com connoisseur then you'll be able to piece it all together together from that information alone, and the rest of you will get there eventually long before the film is over. So it's formulaic, predictable and incredibly schmaltzy... but to its credit it never presumes to be anything else.

Garry Marshall has been making romantic comedies for over thirty years and he knows the genre like the back of his hand. He's had his fair share of duds over the years (EXIT TO EDEN, RUNAWAY BRIDE) and he's had his triumphs (BEACHES, PRETTY WOMAN). MOTHER'S DAY is neither - although it is the best of his holiday trilogy. The film hasn't any pretensions and the material is, for the most part, suitability mawkish and deceptively endearing. Marshall is 81-years old and for him to deliver a movie at all is no mean feat, let alone one that has socially progressive undertones and references to technology that his generation would struggle to comprehend. Maybe I'm being agist, but I find that incredible.

The cast are all good, with the notable standout being Jack Whitehall as an amateur comedian - his scenes are wonderful. Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Jason Sudeikis and Kate Hudson offer competent performances that never overshadow one another. Hector Elizondo does what he does best, which is appearing in his best-mate's film to lend words of wisdom when they are needed most. The Marshall/Elizondo partnership is a thing of beauty and they'll always have my attention. Some other appearances include Timothy Olyphant, Jennifer Garner, Jon Lovitz and Larry Miller... plus a stack of other familiar faces.

MOTHER'S DAY is not a masterpiece, but it is a likeable and pleasing movie. If they'd removed a few poorly-conceived set-pieces, trimmed the running time by 10-minutes and removed Penny Marshall's HIDEOUS opening narration, then I'd be declaring this one “great”. But hey, I can settle for “really good”. Take your mum to see it. Go on.... “she raised you, bro!”*

*lame joke reference for frequent Aussie movie-goers.

Director Corin Hardy uses the mythology as a spring-board to explore a kaleidoscope of influences, and presents a grim fairytale that relies heavily on suspense and anticipation. The story follows a young couple and their infant son, who have recently moved to a remote homestead in the middle of a forested landscape. The husband is a conservationist and his presence in the woods has upset the locals. Ignoring their warnings to leave, the couple soon find themselves at the mercy of a malevolent entity and before they're able to comprehend what is happening to them, their home is consumed by evil.

The film's influences are obvious with notable homage paid to titles like THE EVIL DEAD, PUMPKINHEAD and SHIVERS (amongst others), and yet despite all of its nostalgia, the film feels fresh and original. Thanks to a savvy production design and amazing practical creature-effects, everything we see feels organic. Whether it's monsters lurking in the shadows or gratuitous gore-riddled mayhem, THE HALLOW is a horror movie with substance.

What sets is above others is its tenacity. It taps into a primal horror, which exploits maternal fears, and it doesn't hold back. Very rarely do we receive a film that puts infants in true danger and in most cases, despite tumultuous situations, we know that the baby will be alright in the end. In THE HALLOW, there is no such reassurance and the result is a courageous horror film that flirts with the viewer's expectations.

This is a smart and unexpected chiller that might just creep under the skin of unsusceptible movie-goers. It is stylish and eerie, and the atmosphere is rich with texture... and above all else, it's damn scary! THE HALLOW makes for an unpredictable and thoroughly absorbing experience.