BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

Dir: Jonathan Liebesman. Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez.

Fighting aliens on the war-torn streets of Los Angeles – what's not to like? Well, it won't be everyone's cup of meat, but as far as big dumb war movies with aliens, this lives up to the promise on the tin.

It's basically ‘Independence Day Redux', but this time, rather than seeing the President and all sort of folk in charge, we get a Black Hawke Down take on things, a grunt's eye view of proceedings. Aaron Eckhart – a Staff Sergeant nearing retirement, with a troubled past – leads a one-dimensional bunch of marines through the LA part of a worldwide alien invasion, with a lot of shaky hand-held camera work and shouted macho dialogue.

One could possibly observe unkindly that aliens are becoming particularly popular because they're the only modern day enemy that an American army can blast away against and defeat without any moral ambiguity – the same problem has afflicted the wild west too – witness ‘Cowboys and Aliens'. It makes it even easier when the invaders are yucky-looking and have attacked with no warning.

So how does this compare with ‘Skyline', the other recent aliens invading Los Angeles movie? Mainly, this is more focused. It knows what it is and it's a war film. It just happens that the enemy are not of this earth. Skyline, on the other hand, leant more towards popcorn thrills and had an inexplicably stupid ending.

Bottom line: Even if the dialogue and story here never rise beyond standard cliche, at least special effects and explosions are never in short supply.

I'd watch pretty much anything with Kevin Spacey in it. I don't regret watching Casino Jack (***) although it will, I suspect, appeal to a fairly niche audience. Spacey plays Jack Abramoff in a 'based on true events” story about the celebrated and reviled Washington lobbyist who did some extremely dubious deals with Native Americans tribes, purportedly to help them build casinos.

He made a mass of money before karma – and jail – caught up with him. Spacey is great, as is Barry Pepper as his partner, but the movie's tone, somewhere between reality and ‘Thank You For Smoking' irony doesn't entirely convince – leaving the story uninvolving.

It would be a foolhardy viewer who expected subtlety and depth from a film called Faster (***) starring Dwayne 'The Rock” Johnson. But subtlety and depth aren't everyone's cup of tea and Faster has a welcome toughness and economy that makes for a good ride.

Johnson has just been released after 10 years inside and is bent on avenging his brother – murdered during the botched robbery that led to Dwayne's incarceration. The pared-down feel brings to mind Ryan O'Neal's ‘The Driver'. As in that film, the characters here are simply called 'Driver”, 'Cop” – Billy Bob Thornton etcetera. No surprises, but solid stuff.

Red Riding Hood (**). It's like ‘Twilight' but just werewolves. Would that work as a slogan? In some medieval past, hot young Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding village outsider Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry.

Valerie and Peter are about to run away when her sister is killed by a werewolf. Enter famed werewolf hunter, Gary Oldman. More people die and Valerie begins to suspect that the werewolf could be someone she loves. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke –who made ‘Twilight'.

Patrick Warburton has been very funny support in a lot of movies. So starring in an offbeat private detective comedy could be a surprise winner, maybe?

Rock Slyde (*) sadly proves this not to be the case. Warburton is the titular PI, hired to protect a hard-drinking femme fatale from a mysterious stalker. Like the lead, the film is none too bright and has few resources. It says a lot when a highlight is the appropriately named Andy Dick, totally out of place, but intermittently entertaining as a weird cult leader who covets
Warburton's office space.