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STARDUST When I first heard that they were making Neil Gaimans wonderful novel "Stardust" into a movie, I was filled with excitement, but also a fair amount of apprehension. To be fair, its been a while since I've read the book, so I cant say with confidence whether or not they stayed absolutely true to the source, but since Gaiman was signed on as producer, I'm assuming he made his presence felt during the adaptation. Still, it could very easily have turned into a disaster. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable films I've seen all year! Matthew Vaughn helmed the picture and did a good job of holding onto the reigns of a story that spread itself over many different locations and encompassed a wealth of characters. Oft-times the would-be hero of the story can come across limp and bland, but thankfully that wasn’t the case here. I found Charlie Cox, who played the lead, Tristan, to be very likeable. I'm a huge fan of Claire Danes anyway, but she was great in the role of the fallen star. She has a truth and sincerity to her that I always find refreshing. Michelle Pfeiffer was absolutely brilliant as the deadly witch Lamia and threw everything she had into the part. And it must be said that she looked stunning. Hard to believe shes turning 50 next year! :O
The biggest surprise had to be Robert De Niro, who went above and beyond with the character of Captain Shakespeare and seemed to be having a ball while doing so :D
I'm not at all enamored with Sienna Millar, but she was at least serviceable as Tristans first love Victoria, though she was very much the weak link in an otherwise stellar cast. Other than the main players, most of the supporting cast was rounded out by what seemed by practically every other British actor working today! Ricky Gervais stood out like a sore thumb, playing his usual fast talking character, but he got away with it since he had some of the funniest lines in the film :D
Stardust was a fairytale in the best sense of the world and had all the traditional elements; fair maidens, dashing princes, evil witches and the fate of a kingdom hanging in the balance. What elevated it above the usual childish fare was the brave move to keep Gaimans wickedly dark tone and black British humor intact. The only thing that I found a little underwhelming were the visual effects. There weren’t bad, per say, but lacked that all-important "wow-factor". The costumes and sets were gorgeous and the scenery was incredible (though I'm guessing some were just cleverly made matt paintings). All in all, a hugely enjoyable film that I will no doubt be rushing out to buy on DVD!
3:10 TO YUMA I'm not exactly a fan of westerns. I've never seen a single John Wayne movie, or any of Clint Eastwoods "Dollar" series (an injustice verging on the criminal, I'm sure :P
). The only western I've seen that I enjoyed was “Unforgiven”, but that’s generally regarded as a classic. Directed by "Walk The Line's" James Mangold, and staring the heavy hitting pairing of Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, "3:10 To Yuma" was far more enjoyable than I expected it to be. The story revolved round Crowe (a wanted criminal) being taken to justice by a few "good men" (this was the tough Old West, so they were only in it for the money :P
) and their primary objective was to have him on the 3:10 train to Yuma, where a high security prison awaited him. Not only were they trying to beat the clock, but they also had to stay ahead of Crowes posse, who were hot on their heels to spring their captured boss. I tend to go into a Russell Crowe movie not wanting to like it OR him (its sad when an actors real world antics affect my opinion of the characters they play or the movies they star in, but sometimes its hard to separate the actor from the character!). Luckily for Crowe, he’s an excellent actor and as much as I hate to admit it, he MADE the movie for me. I found that (quite despite myself), I really enjoyed him on screen and he embodied the roguish character of Ben Wade perfectly. Bale, while consistently excellent in all his movies, didn’t have as much to work with, playing the straight-laced do-gooder. I was also quite impressed with Bales son, played by William Evans. Unlike most "no Pop, I'm coming WITH you!!!" kiddy characters I've seen over the years, he wasn’t the least bit annoying and his performance was genuinely affecting. This was the second movie I've seen this year with Ben Foster in it (the first being Alpha Dog) and once again, he almost stole the show from the other bigger-name actors. His portrayal of Charlie Prince, Crowe's die-hard second in command, was riveting and the crazy look he has in his eyes suited the character perfectly. The film took a while too get going, slowly easing you into the characters and their situations, but after that you just sat back and enjoyed the ride. The only thing that let it down was its slightly unbelievable ending. Still, "3:10 To Yuma" is a rousing flick thats defo worth a look.
SKYBOUND ~ Tom Baxter Simply put, there’s just no other man who can make a happy song sound so sad. While the album has been available for months from his website, its only now being widely released in shops. "Skybound" is the long awaited follow-up to Tom Baxters excellent (and mostly unknown) debut "Feather & Stone". Like his first, the album has a relatively short number of songs (10), but since some of them have Meatloaf length running times, you are still getting more than your moneys worth from Tom. The production is exquisite and features a far more varied use of instrumentation than heard on his debut. He has also become a little more musically adventurous these past few years and on a number of tracks he breaks away from his traditional rocky/folkly sound to incorporate some Latin flavored beats and even some gorgeous classical flourishes. The highlight of the album is of course Tom’s voice, which is so wrought with emotion that you'd believe he'd been all the way to hell and back and lived to tell the tale :P
Even though the album ends on quite an uplifting song, the preceding few tracks are quite heavy and much more melancholic than anything he's recorded before. It would make for a much more rounded and enjoyable listen if the sadder songs were spread evenly throughout the disc. But sad songs or not, Toms voice is always a moving experience and the lush orchestrated sounds of the album only help to amplify the intensity of his music and lyrics. I thoroughly recommend "Skybound" for those in search of a bit of substance. Standout Tracks:- Night Like This
- Skybound
- Better
- Miracle
- The Last Shot
- Icarus Wings
Whedon fans rejoice! After years of trying (and failing) to get movies off the ground, Joss returns to the small screen with a new show called “Dollhouse”. Best of all is that hes bringing past Buffy alums “Eliza Dushku” and “Tim Minear” along for the ride.Heres the pitch: the show revolves around a group of guys and gals who are imprinted with memories, personalities and abilities to suit a particular job or task. Once they’ve completed their task, they return to their collective home (the “Dollhouse” of the title) and have their memory wiped, until they are being prepped for their next job. Things start to unravel when memories of past jobs leak back into the "dolls" heads.The one downside of the announcement is that the show is being broadcast on the Fox Network, the same network that cancelled the last three shows Whedon, Dushku and Minear were all involved in (the excellent Firefly, Tru Calling & Drive respectively). I predict “Dollhouse” will be an amazing show, brilliantly executed, brimming with interesting characters, a fantastic ensemble cast and witty dialogue, only to be cancelled by Fox after its first two episodes. WE SHALL SEE....
Rumours are rampant that a new X-Files movie is in the works and that both Anderson and Duchovny are signed on. While the prospect of once again being treated to the familiar Mulder/Scully dynamic is a tantalising one, I’m a little sceptical of the announcement. Right now Duchovny seems to have a good thing going with his new show “Californication”, which just ended in the States and has been picked up for a second season. After so many years on the X-Files, I’d imagine he’d want to keep as much distance between himself and his former Mulder character as possible. But the world works in mysterious ways, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this one. Fans all know where the truth is!
