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The first official trailer for IRONMAN is now live on the link below, and its lookin pretty feckin sweet :P
The film is directed by Jon Favreau and bolstered by an all star cast including Robert Downey Jr (as Ironman), Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Samuel L. Jackson (as a BLACK Nick Fury!!! BOO YEAH :D :D :D
) Hilary Swank and Leslie Bibb. Ironman is due for release on the 2nd May 2008.http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ironman/
Last Wednesday, Apple unveiled their new iPod product lineup for the coming Christmas season in the usual wave of hype and hyperbole :D
The iPod Shuffle received only a cosmetic makeover; now its available updated colours! (big whoop :P
) Other than that, the storage and price remain the same (1gig at €79). The battery life is rated at 12 hours. The iPod Nano has been totally redesigned. Its now smaller in height, has a wider screen and plays video! The casing is now entirely metal too, so no more plastic-y bits at the top and bottom. It comes in two versions: a 4gig for €149 and an 8gig for €199. The battery life is rated at 5 hours for video and 24 hours for audio. The regular iPod video has been renamed the iPod Classic and will come in two sizes: an 80gig for €249 and a whopping 160gig for €349. The 80gig has a battery life of 5 hours for video and 30 hours for music. The 160gig has a life of 7 hours for video and 40 hours for music. The big release was of course the iPod Touch, which is basically an iPhone without the phone (something I said was needed when the iPhone launched!). Included are the same array of features found on the iPhone such as a touchscreen interface, a gorgeous 3.5inch widescreen display and full internet access over wi-fi. Another addition is the inclusion of a mobile version of iTunes which allows you to browse and download songs from the iTunes catalogue from anywhere theres wi-fi access! The device is available in two sizes: 8gigs at €299 and 16gigs at €399. The rated battery life for video is 4.5 hours and up to 20 hours for audio. Finally, in a move that enraged recent buyers of the iPhone, Apple choose to cut the cost of the iPhone by $200, in an aggressive effort to shift more units over the busy Christmas period. All in all, Apple have done a great job of refining their current stock and debuting some serious new kit. However, Apples stubborn refusal to build in something as basic as a radio into their pods still keeps me from even thinking about purchasing one!
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM Bourne is back, and he’s here to rescue the cinemagoer from a summer of lackluster movies, woohoo! So far, this movie has been the one and only summer blockbuster that has met my expectations. Helmed once again by Paul Greengrass (who also directed the second), this film hits the ground running and never stops for so much as a breath the whole way through. This is a trilogy in the best sense of the word. The characters carried through all three are expanded upon, and plot threads that began in the first two are wound nicely into this one. The movie very much relies on people having seen the first two (in my opinion, seeing them first is essential to appreciating this story fully). Like the previous movies, the dialogue is sparse yet its still densely plotted and will no doubt benefit from a repeated viewing. The action is still as franticly paced as before. The fight scenes possess a sharp brutality that makes you wince with every blow and kick. As ever there is the obligatory breathtaking chase sequence (but he’s not just confined to a car this time round!). Another hallmark of the Bourne movies that is still present is its globe hopping nature (particularly around European locations) and makes the movie that little bit more distinct from the usual Hollywood fare. Greengrass's shakycam style of direction is still present though, which proved to be a wee bit distracting at the start. Damon pulled off another stormer as Bourne. Not only was he up to the physical tasks the movie demanded of him, but he also maintained the extreme intensity that defined his character from the start of the series. And despite having the emotional range of a robot (due to his government conditioning), Damon still manages to make his character compelling for the audience. There’s also something strangely primal and satisfying about watching Bourne kick some serious ass :D This time round he was backed up by another great performance by Joan Allen. Julia Stiles has only had a minor role in previous Bourne movies, but here she puts forward her most subtle and affecting performance yet. The series has always had great character actors playing “the bag guy we love to hate” and in this movie David Strathairn fills that role quite nicely. The quality throughout this series has been astonishingly consistent and The Bourne Ultimatum easily maintains that standard. He may be a master of evasion, but I urge everyone to try and catch Bourne in the cinema ;)
HAIRSPRAY Traditionally, musicals aren’t really my thing. The whole idea of people breaking out into song in the middle of a scene can be jarring and oft times plain silly. Animated features can get away with this quite easily, but in live action it’s harder to excuse. This was one of the main reasons I didn’t enjoy Dreamgirls. The songs seemed forced into places where words alone would have sufficed. Hairspray is different kettle of fish entirely. It started life as a John Waters cult movie in the 80s and then made the transition to a successful stage musical before being revamped into a Hollywood movie. While I can’t speak for either of the previous incarnations (its been SO long since I saw the original, I cant remember it at all), this latest version is an absolute delight. The story follows the lovable little Tracy Turnblad as she strives to get onto her favourite show and in doing so, bump hips with the guy of her dreams. Her only obstacle is the objections concerning her appearance (Tracy is an ample girl, you see). While the movie looks quite light and fluffy, it tackles some fairly weighty issues (pun very much intended). The theme of prejudice, segregation, acceptance and integration (applying to both Tracy and the black community in the 60s) runs throughout the movie. Sometimes the message of tolerance was a bit heavy handed though (even bordering on preachy at times!). Where the movie really shines is of course the music. The songs are great fun and appropriately combine the theatrics of a stage musical with the quality and style of the music of the 60s. Add that to the fantastic choreography and you can’t help but toe-tap your way through most of the musical numbers. The set designs were perfect, the costumes were brilliantly garish and the hair was suitably over the top. The star of the movie would have to be Tracy Turnblad, played with gusto by newcomer Nikki Blonski. For the most part, the remaining roles were populated by people who are known to have experience in singing / dancing, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well James Marsden handled himself. The rest of the cast were a joy to watch and performed admirably. The only exception would be John Travolta. Having such a recognised star play a woman was a tad distracting (even though I’m aware the role was previously played by a drag queen!) and the accent he put on for the entire movie bugged the hell out of me (can anyone say "Doctor Evil"?!). But fat suit or no, he still did a great job with the musical numbers :D Hairspray is a must see movie with a tremendous feel good factor. Try as you might, theres just no stopping that beat!
God, how much do I love this woman? Possibly too much :P Jennifer Garner sheds her typically scattered and giddy look for the premier of her new movie "Juno". Doesn't she look marvelous folks?
Ever since he won X-Factor, I've been convinced Shayne Ward had big things ahead of him. His voice is incredible and can go places other singers can only dream of, so I was gutted when he came out with one lousy single after the other. Well rejoice my friends, cause with "No, U Hang Up", Shayne Ward is on the cusp of releasing his first ever decent single (with an accompanying video that warrants repeated viewings!!) Its only taken him two years and four other songs, but who's counting? Compared to other high profile pop stars, the song is still mediocre at best, but its the first single of his which doesn't make me cringe and change the radio station as soon as it starts.
Its hard to believe that its taken this long for his management to give him something that borders on a quality song. Whoever has been (or maybe that should read "whatever hasbin"!) guiding his career this far really needs to get their finger out (and I'm not making any suggestions as to where its been!). One would hope that a similar fate doesn't lie ahead of poor little Leona Lewis..........
In an effort to drum up a little more hype, the R-rated trailer for Robert Zemeckis's "Beowulf" has just been released, adding a touch more sex and violence to the mix. Whereas the first trailer tastefully hinted at Angelina Jolies nudity, this one leaves nothing to the imagination. CGI or no, this woman has no qualms about getting her baps out for the lads :P
I was a tad surprised at just how gory and disturbing some of the new scenes were.........but then I just had to remind myself that this did come from the mind of Neil Gaiman :D
The R-rated trailer for "Alien VS Predator 2: Requiem" is also out now, and is probably the most spoilerific trailer I've seen in my life. (WARNING : SPOILERS!) One by one, it depicts the grisly demise of (what I assume is) most of the cast, hapless victims that they all are. With special effects that now border on realism, it makes me wonder how people can possibly enjoy watching others get killed in such shockingly violent ways.
