Alan Dee’s movie guide: American Pie Reunion, The Lucky One, Safe
Teenage boys and girls are very much the box office target over the next few days, with American Pie: Reunion first out of the traps.
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Hide AdAll the familiar faces in this lowbrow ensemble series are back in harness, as we find out what has happened to those gormless teenagers – the first American Pie movie hit our screens 13 years ago – and whether they have matured at all. Er, not really...
The comedy is broad, the set-ups are obvious, but punters loved this crew enough to support a whole raft of sequels and they’ll probably come back for yet another helping.
> Over to the teenage girls now, so it’s Zac Efron front and centre in The Lucky One.
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Hide AdMr High School Musical is a battle-hardened but still baby-faced US marine who finds a random picture of a hot babe in the aftermath of a raid in Iraq and adopts it as a lucky charm, claiming it’s the reason he has been able to survive three tours.
Back in the States, he tracks down the subject and wangles a job at her kennels to get closer to her.
Love blossoms, but if he blabs that he is a mildly disturbed stalker with highly-developed killing skills will that put her off?
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Hide AdThe man who penned this pap also bought you The Notebook and Dear John, so don’t say you weren’t warned about what’s in store if someone suggests this as a date movie.
> Turn up the macho posturing to 10 and welcome back Jason Statham, who hasn’t headlined a mindless action thriller for at least a fortnight.
In just over 90 minutes of breathless and brainless bravado our close-mouthed hero takes on the Russian gangsters who have murdered his entire family, the Triads, and corrupt cops for good measure – and all the while he has to protect a little kid with a secret code locked away in her amazing memory.
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Hide AdThe film is called Safe, but the title hardly matters – it’s Statham, and his inexplicable appeal, that will drive ticket sales.
> If a movie has a title like Silent House, you know straight away that we’re in horror territory.
There been a real rash of frightfests recently, and if they push your buttons you’ll want to know that this one is all about a woman helping to clear out her family’s secluded family home so it can go on the market.
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Hide AdBut the electricity has been cut off, there’s a mysterious woman who claims she is a childhood friend, and pretty soon it doesn’t look as if there is any way out.
The claim to fame is that the story – from the team which created 2003’s Open Water – is presented in one continuous take, and it’s a remake of a hit Uruguayan film.
If sitting down for a serving of contrived chills, knock yourself out – it’s only a 15 certificate, so you won’t have nightmates