The Letter Em

Its gonna be biblical!

2008-04-14T19:53:00.004+01:00

With just one more day to go before Sky starting showing BSG again, my excitement is reaching fever pitch! While in the States last week I literally stopped in my tracks when I saw this poster on a bunch of bus stops round NY. How amazingly awesome is the Last Supper theme??!! Such a beautiful composition....

Flavour of the week - Marco Dapper

2008-03-30T16:58:00.009+01:00

Actor / model Marco Dapper is someone I've been meaning to cast a gratuitous spotlight on for a while now. I found it quite tricky to limit myself to only 6 photos for the blog, as he tends to look flawless in every god damn shot :P Apart from his obvious attributes (perfectly sculpted body and a face that would give even straight men hot-flashes), I just love his wildly exuberant smile :D

Some totally random Marco facts:

His nickname is "El Burro"
He has a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do
He went completely starkers in his first ever movie!

Robotic luv luv luv luv luv luv

2008-03-29T16:47:00.008Z

DISCIPLINE ~ Janet Jackson

Miss Janet is back yet again, with this her 10th (dear god, can it really be that many?) studio album "Discipline". After the blandness of her last album "20 Y.O.", pretty much anything would seem like an improvement. So I really have to keep things in context when looking at her latest release.

For once, she went with a great track as lead single (she's made some real bad choices when it came to lead singles on previous albums), but the sad thing is that "Feedback" is by far and away the best song on the album. Sure, there are a few other radio-friendly tracks which are fun to bop to, but the fact of the matter is that none live up to her former classic hits. And as for the so-called "baby making" tracks (the name she bestows upon her slow, sexed-up ballads), well they've never been as boring or forgettable as they are on "Discipline". They are more likely to put people to sleep than to entice them into heated session of lovemaking.

I also found this to be a very front-heavy album, with all the good stuff placed on the first half of the disc. Once it gets past "2Nite", the album comes to a complete standstill. Only "So Much Betta" and "The 1" bring any life back to the party before the album closes. For once I was actually happy with Missys contribution to the album (usually I find that she keeps most of the good tracks and production for herself!).

One thing I always enjoy about Janet's albums (though some bemoan their existence) are her infamous interludes. Whether or not they actually add anything of worth of the album is debatable, but they are such a firm staple of her albums at this stage, they without them, it just wouldn't be a proper Janet record. I also found the interaction she had with her "AI computer" during these interludes to be quite interesting and gave the album a bit of a cool futuristic feel.

My general overall feeling towards the album is a great big "meh". The whole thing was a bit lackluster, to be honest. Not as dead to the world as "20 Y.O.", but I get the distinct impression that Janet just isn't as interested in the biz as she once was. It makes me long for the days of her partnership with Jam & Lewis. In fact, I think I might start a petition to reunite the trio :P It was obvious that some of the new producers on the album tried to imitate her popular 80s sound, but it just didn't work for me and instead some tracks sounded painfully dated.

After this, I'm not too sure where Janet can go with future albums. Ever since she discovered she had breasts (way back on her amazing "Janet" album), shes been obsessed with the topic of sex and for my money, its all getting a bit tired and repetitive. What she needs now is a new image and most definitely a new sound. Maybe having a baby would give her some much needed perspective on life and something new to sing about.

Standout Tracks:

Feedback
Luv
Rock With U
So Much Betta
The 1

A great big giant "X" marks the spot

2008-03-29T16:35:00.003Z

Apparently this is the first teaser poster for the upcoming X-Files 2 movie. I think we can all agree, its one freakin sweet poster. So simple, yet so effective! I'm not gonna lie, I'm getting pretty excited about this release :D

Welcome to the Candy Store

2008-03-27T14:16:00.007Z

After many years of patient waiting, the good lord has finally answered my prayers. Warner Bros. are preparing to release all 22 episodes of Fastlane in an extras-filled boxset in early July.

This show was one of my biggest guilty pleasures when it was on. Every single thing about it was uber-glossy and completely over the top. I'd say practically half the shots in each episode were in slow-motion (but with a cast as hot as that, you wont hear ME complaining!).

The best way to experience this show was to sit back, switch off your brain and let it wash over you. The series was chock full of so much action (explosions, car chases, massive gansta shootouts) that there was never a dull moment. The production was massive (each episode cost over $2million to make), the direction was so slick that it hurt and the music was amazingly hip-hop heavy. Actually, the main reason it was denied a release so long was specifically because the music it used in the show was only contracted for TV purposes. Fingers crossed the WB managed to secure the rights to the soundtrack for the dvd release, cause it just wouldnt be the same without it!!

If only he'd gone splat...

2008-03-10T14:02:00.003Z

JUMPER

In theory, the premise of this movie had huge potential. You have your handsome lead (Christensen) with amazing powers of teleportation. You have the evil cult (known as "Paladins") who are bent on capturing and murdering him and anyone like him (people known collectively as "Jumpers"). Then there is the obligatory damsel in distress to rescue (the lovely Ms. Bilson). You have to ask yourself, how could something like that possibly fail? Especially when Doug Liman was at the helm. Here he was given plenty of opportunity for creative action sequences and non-stop excitement, which he excels at (see his last two movies: The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith).

The first glaring problem with the film is that it takes itself too seriously. And a serious film needs a plot to back it up. Sadly the plot was lacking in the extreme. Second, in my opinion, there’s no point making a movie if you can’t populate it with characters worth caring about, which this movie seriously failed to do.

Haydens character (David, the protagonist of the movie) was, in a word, a knob. In essence he was a thief, and a selfish one at that. It is certainly possible to love a rogue, but for that to happen, he must possess some redeeming qualities, which sadly David did not. This made him hard to relate to and impossible to sympathise with.
It didn’t really help that Hayden has all the charisma of a stuffed dead squirrel; cute to look at, but ultimately lifeless and lacking in any kind of charm. I’d also have to call into question his acting ability (not that this movie would be a good indication of such a thing). But his performance is so flat and disinterested that I have to wonder if there’s anything going on behind those cold cold eyes of his.

Samuel L. Jackson plays his nemesis. The problem here is that beyond the “all Jumpers are evil" line, we are given no motivation for his character or the quest of the Paladin order, so it’s hard to love or hate him. If some kind of history had been given to the war between the Jumpers and Paladins, it would have made the plot FAR more substantial. Typically Jackson can be relied upon to make the best of dreadful lines and paper-thin roles, but here he plays it totally straight and delivers not a single laugh or tongue-in-cheek moment.

Rachel Bilson plays the hapless love interest and does her best to invigorate a thankless role. To be fair, she doesn’t move far from the character she’s most well known for on the OC, but at least she brings a spark of life to the proceedings.
What bothered me about her character Millie, was how quickly she fell for and trusted David, a guy who she hadn’t seen or heard from since she was a little girl. The two lacked any kind of connection and the relationship between them was too hurried and contrived.

The film would have been a complete and total waste if not for Jamie Bell. Like the rest, his character of Griffin (First name? Last name? Who cares, the writers sure didn't!) lacks any kind of depth but Jamie does a fantastic job of working with what little he was given. He injects a bit of life and humour into his character and acts everyone else off the screen when he pops up. Sadly, even the smallest bit of background to his situation was quickly swept under the carpet (god forbid we start to FEEL anything for these people).

I must admit, the special effects and the sound effects that accompanied the “jumps” of the title were very impressive and dynamic, but not enough to compensate for a lack of imagination during the films many action scenes.

Overall, this movie was a wasted opportunity and a huge disappointment.

Funkadelic

2008-03-10T12:41:00.003Z

UNKLEJAM ~ Unklejam

To say that this album was long overdue is a huge understatement. The album suffered numerous delays by its record company and at one point I feared that I'd never even get my grubby mitts on a physical copy of the CD (so much so, that I downloaded two different versions of the album from various illegal sources *gasp*).

In the end, I had to go all the way to Japan (via eBay) to secure myself an official copy of the album. Thankfully, it was worth that extra bit of effort. The only sad thing is that domestically, the album is only available legally as a digital download and the band are likely to fade into obscurity now, which is a crime given the quality of the album and the singles (and their accompanying videos).

Their self titled debut is, on the whole, very dance-y and upbeat, with only two or three slower songs to ease the pace. What doesn't let up for the entire album is the bands signature electronic sound. The blending of pop/rnb/dance/electronic/funk is a heady mix and the band were very ambitious to take so many different genres into their fold. Sometimes it works, other times the production is just far too heavy. On certain songs its hard to make out the lyrics, on others its tricky to even pick out the vocals of each band member! Even so, the sound they've come up with is quite distinct and none of the tracks are boring to listen to.

There are at least three songs that are a chore to get through, but the rest of the album is solid, with a few other tracks that would have easily made single status if the band hadn't evaporated first. Even though its sounds contrary, the synthesised sound that runs through the album lends a strangely organic feel to the music.........like the pulse of some great mechanical beast :P Its worth noting that the album versions of the three released singles are slightly different from the single versions. But the difference is so small that unless you were playing the hell out of the singles for months beforehand (like I was), you are likely not to notice!

Its definitely one of those albums that you'd have to be in the mood to listen to, being as musically "in your face" as it is. "Unklejam" is a very strong debut (and quite possibly the final work) from a creative and unique band. I think perhaps they were all just a little TOO unique for the buying public :P

Standout Tracks:

Love Ya
What Am I Fighting For?
Just Like Me
Cry
Go
Stereo

I demand a recount!

2008-03-05T20:26:00.006Z

As it is becoming apparent now, the themes on Idol are slowly moving through the decades, this week being the 70s. Its just a shame they'll be finished with the pre-shows before they even come close to anything musically current. Oh well. This time round I was a little more familiar with the contestants, so I thought I'd be all ready to pick out my favourites. How wrong could I have been?

First up were the lads. Michael has been pretty consistent up to this point, so I was very disappointed with his performance this week. The vocals just weren't there. Jason C, my early fav from last week barely registered this time round. Maybe it was just the song, but I think he needs to adopt a slightly different style for next week if hes going to make any kind of lasting impression. Luke (who I fully expected to be sent home last week) took a bit of a risk singing "Killer Queen", a great song and a HARD song to sing (so I gotta at least give him props for that). He managed all the notes, but with that song, you expect massive Mercury PRESENCE along with it, so its not like he had a hope in comparison!

Robbie again sounded quite lovely, but the song choice left a lot to be desired. Also, I have a feeling that if the judges hadn't kept harping on about it, I wouldn't have the word "FAKER" blinking in my mind whenever hes on screen. Just goes to show, the judges opinions can be quite deciding! On that note, I felt like Paula was perhaps wearing her sober hat because most of her comments were not only understandable, but particularly relevant!

Danny (my other fav of the bunch) went with and pretty much mangled one of my most loved Carpenter songs. At that stage, I could clearly see a big sign around his neck that read "going home" (again, how wrong could I be!). David H. pulled off another solid vocal this week, but I'm still finding it uncomfortable watching him. I think its something about his eyes....
Jason Y. was, for a second week in a row, crapola. Simon was unnecessarily mean towards him though. Almost made me feel sorry for the guy........almost.

Chikezie followed and bowled me over with a surprisingly amazing performance. Like, where the hell did that come from?! I'm still quite put off by his attitude (and his lack of fashion sense, but who am I to talk?). David C. (which his still hedious hair......jeez, sort that out already, would you?) was up next and gave what I thought was the most convincing performance from the so-called "rockers" of this season. I wasn't all that wild on the song.........a bit too predictable for me.

Last was David A. Good god, can this guy emote or WHAT?! It was easily the best performance of the night (especially shocking considering how young he is). I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the best vocal ever on the show (the judges are really prone to exaggeration this season, it would seem), but it definitely worked for me. I'm still kind of annoyed he went with that song though, cause in my opinion, anyone who sings it gets an unfair advantage of having all that goodwill behind them, it behind one of the most loved songs of all time.

Next were the gurls. Carly kicked things off with a slightly rocking performance, but I swear, all I could see were her bouncy boobs all over the gaff. Syesha followed that up with a snoozey rendition of "Mister Jones". I know this girl can sing, but the song just didn't allow her to demonstrate it. Better luck next week, luv. Brooke struck song choice gold with "You're So Vain", but given how she's still stuck in "nice" mode, it was an odd rendition and I'm still not wowed by her.

Ramiele went with an uptempo disco number (to keep things fresh). Even though I'm still in love with her and the sound of her voice, I felt like the song got away from her at times, like the tempo was that LIL bit too fast for her. Kristey Lee Cook (who will from now on be referred to as KLC) appeared on-stage looking exactly like Felicity. You'd think that that would make me like her a little, but no, she was still far too generic. I loved her top though, it was like fashion from the future!

Amanda was up next and the first thing that hit you (almost literally) was that SHOCK of hair on her head. Now really, someone needs to tell her to tone it down a lil (in fact, I think Paula did just that during her critique!). The song, which I love, didn't work for her at ALL and showed up her lack of singing chops. Alaina picked a perfect song for her and sang the hell out of it. Even though she TOTALLY missed a few of the high notes it was still one of my fav performances of the night. Shame the judges didn't like it one bit!

Next was Alexandrea, who was my fav of the girls at this point. I cant say I was thrilled with the song choice (a mite boring), but she sang it perfectly and did a beautiful lil harmonic thing towards the end that really encapsulated the style of singing of the period. Naturally, the judges didn't like her either. Kady blazed on stage and made my ears bleed for a minute and a half. Asia'h ended the girls show. Granted, she was sick, but that doesn't excuse a terrible vocal. Why sing a song with gratuitously high power notes if you simply cant pull them off? The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps it will have washed out by next week :P

The results were, in a word, shocking. I don't think I've ever been quite so angered by an Idol results show before. On the boys side, Jason and Robbie were sent packing. Jason going was a foregone conclusion while I think Robbie should have hung in there a few more shows. Of the girls, Alexandrea and Alaina got the boot, which was just plain wrong! >:( Both girls gave infinitely better performances than most of the other girls and it was a crime to see them leave the show so early. I guess I'll have to find another girl to dote on for next week!

Dublinphilly

2008-03-04T21:15:00.014Z

BOYZ II MEN - LIVE AT TRIPOD

I'm not sure I can quite adequately explain the level of my excitement when it came to seeing Boyz II Men perform live. I've been a fan of their music for god knows how long, so in my mind, these guys are living legends. While the quality of their work has had its ups and downs over the years, my interest in the band has never dwindled.

I'd never been to Tripod before (or The Pod, as it was known years ago), but it was much larger than I'd imagined it. We arrived a wee bit late, but as we were standing, it was easy enough to squeeze in. We made it just in time for the warm up act, Laura Izibor (who hails from right here in Dublin!). With just herself at a keyboard and accompanied by a guitarist, she made her way through some beautiful songs, including her big hit "From My Heart To Yours". I loved her and her interaction with the crowd was fantastic!

When the Boyz finally made their way out on stage, I was a little bit disappointed at how there was no live band to accompany them. I had pictured a full funky big band behind them as they sang, so simply having a backing track supply the music was a let down. Still, I have to admit to being a little bit star struck. I've been to SO many concerts over the years, but this is a band I never thought I'd see perform live in Ireland (almost as if Ireland was too insignificant to factor into their schedule). Even though there was just the three of them on stage, I felt like it was too small a platform for them! They arrived all in their sharp dapper suits (clearly seen above), which they wore for the entire performance. The heat must have been immense!

At times I almost doubted if they were singing live, because their vocals were simply so spot on throughout the night. Just like in their videos, they performed many of their songs to synchronised dance movements (eerily reminiscent of the ones performed by groups from Motown's hey-day!). I was pleased to see some interaction with the crowd (very few American artists seem capable of it). They came across very personable and amiable and there was a lovely sense of comradery between them (which I figured would be tried and tested after so many years performing together!!).

With so many albums and songs to choose from, there was never going to be enough time to satisfy everyone, but they managed to give the crowd what they wanted and performed their biggest hits from over the years. Quite surprisingly, they didn't shy away from their earlier work and did quite a few tracks from their first and second album (granted, their most popular works to date). I was slightly miffed that they all but neglected their middle albums "Evolution" and "Nathan | Michael | Shawn | Wanya", instead opting for tracks from their Japanese-only album "The Remedy". But thats just me being a mite picky I suppose!

I did find it a little unusual that not a mention was made of the fellow retired band mate, Michael McCary, but I guess that they've just moved on at this stage.

The one blemish on an otherwise stellar evening was the pack of rowdy so-and-sos standing on front of me, who insisted on making a spectacle of themselves during the performance. But all in all, it was a very enjoyable night I wont soon forget!

When Idol eyes are smiling

2008-02-26T23:12:00.005Z

American Idol has finally reached the stage where I take an interest again: the live shows with the top 24 contestants. I have managed to avoid almost all of the auditions up till now, so I was approaching most of the singers this year with fresh eyes and ears.

Sadly there were two things hampering my enjoyment from the get go. One was through no fault of the show. TV3, the only terrestrial channel broadcasting Idol, decided in their infinite wisdom that this year it would be a good idea to only show half of the contestants. Naturally, this really got my goat. I ended up having to watching the remaining 12 performances in crap quality on YouTube. If they do the same thing next week, I swear, I'll have a canary.

Second on my list of disappointments was the producers decision to introduce "themes" to the show. One of the reasons I always loved the early shows was simply because they didnt have a theme. Contestants could sing whatever they liked and that allowed the audience to get a good grasp of where they were coming from musically. This small bit of expression was removed from them when they all had a "60s week" imposed on them. *SIGH*

Moving onto the show itself. I wasnt really blown away by any of the contestants performances this week. The guys were up first. Some were completely forgettable. Others (David Hernandez, David Cook and Michael Johns), were merely adequate. Robbie Carricos voice was likeable, but I really didnt buy the rocker vibe he was trying to portray. I was very surprised by David Archuleta. His voice was way more mature than I'd expected and he made a slightly boring song FAR more enjoyable than it had any right to be.

My two favourite guys (so far) would be Danny Noriega and Jason Castro, both extremely different from each other. Danny had impressed me in earlier shows with his voice and I really enjoyed how his personality just spilled out over the stage during his performance! Jason on the other hand went for a much more understated approach and the song just melted beautifully into my head.

The girls were decent overall, but suffered from the same forgettable factor as most of the guys. The blondes in particular were hard to differentiate between! Alexandrea Lushington gave what I considered to be the best "performance" from the girls. She was working the song out from all the way down the stairs! Brooke White continued with her "nice" routine with a very pleasant rendition of her song........but I can see that shtick becoming old FAST :P Ramiele Maluaby looked and sounded great, but I think the song might have been a lil too big for someone so teeny!

Our big Irish hope Carly Smithson (who I've had a problem with since the start) was good, but suffered badly from all the hype and expectation that the judges have built up around her. Shes going to have to work extra had just to live up to the crazy high standards that are already expected of her! (which, I must admit, is very unfair).

As for the four who were sent home, I had no problems with their dismissal. The question is, how will the remaining 20 shape up on their second week? Its not too late for a few more to earn my fickle adoration :P

oh and I would like to blame my haphazard review of this weeks show on the fact that I was forced to watch half the show on the telly and then search for the other half on the internet!!! >:(

Bshorty revels in his A.D.D.

2008-02-26T13:44:00.007Z

AUDIO DAY DREAM - Blake Lewis

I’m going to ignore the fact that Blake Lewis stems from American Idol; otherwise I’ll end up in a long discussion about his performance on the show. Suffice to say, he wasn’t my favourite and I felt that he was over-hyped just a tad :P But as soon as I heard his catchy debut single, I knew I’d have to give the album a whirl.

Audio Day Dream (or ADD for short) is a genuine delight to listen to. First and foremost, it’s a fun, bright and breezy affair. For his first time out of the gate, Blake has wisely chosen to avoid tackling any important social issues. There’s not a profound word of wisdom in sight ;) The loss or pursuit of a girl is about as serious a topic as Blake is willing to broach.

During the Idol competition, Blake was mainly singled out because he had demonstrated a gift for beat boxing. Each week he used (and sometimes OVERUSED) this skill to great effect in his songs. I had feared that the album would be one long self-indulgent beat boxing orgy. Even though there IS some beat boxing present on the album, it thankfully never overshadows the songs. Only on one short track does he cut loose (but to be fair, that track is nothing BUT beat boxing).

One point of note is that the majority of the album is co-written and produced by “One Republic” front man (and producer du jour) Ryan Tedder and as such it has a very coherent sound to it. The disc is a perfect balance of modern production techniques and an old school 80s electronica vibe. And it just so happens that right now 80s music is back fashion, so even though Blake has wrapped himself in a retro cloak, the disc still manages to sound quite current.

The production can be a little heavy at times, but never to the detriment of the songs. Truth be told, even though his voice is very pleasant on the ears, it’s not as strong as it could be, so the production gives a little helping hand here and there.

This is one of those rare albums that actually gets stronger as it goes on, as opposed to most albums which lay all the good stuff upfront. Even the ballads (which carefully avoid sounding laboured or soppy) have a lovely flow to them and are spread quite evenly throughout the album for a bit of variety.

This is quality pop that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend!

Standout Tracks:

Break Anotha
Gots to Get Her
How Many Words
Surrender
Heres My Hello
Watcha Got 2 Lose
She's Makin' Me Lose It
End of the World

Not black, but definately gold

2008-02-11T20:40:00.000Z

Say hello to my latest obsession; Sam Sparro. His music could be described as the love child of Prince, Unklejam and Daft Punk. But even those comparisons wouldn't be doing him enough justice. His criminally short 6 track EP "Black & Gold" is an eclectic mix of dance beats and electro-fuck, all fused together with a slick retro flavour. Needless to say, I've got it stuck on repeat and am eagerly awaiting a full album release. His videos, however do him no favours and I would seriously recommend avoiding them, if at all possible! :P

If you build it, they will come

2008-01-28T20:47:00.000Z

Today Lego celebrates the 50th anniversary of its legendary brick. Back when I was a wee nipper, Lego was by far and away my favourite toy. The great thing about Lego was that when you got bored with the houses and vehicles that you built as per the instructions, you could just break them up and start again on your own crazy creations. The only limit was your imagination! For an example of this, check out the pic above for an amazing piece of Lego Art by Nathan Sawaya :-)

Heath Ledger 1979 - 2008 RIP

2008-01-26T11:52:00.000Z

Here is yet another very young and talented actor whose life was cut tragically short. He was in many films, but was probably most famous for his turn in Brokeback Mountain (which earned him an Oscar nomination last year). I’ve a hunch that his role in the upcoming Batman movie “The Dark Knight” will end up being the performance he’s most remembered for. So sad, cause I think the best was yet to come from Heath.

Not so mega man

2008-01-26T11:50:00.001Z

I AM LEGEND

“I Am Legend” is the 3rd film to be based on the book of the same name by Richard Matheson. I’ve never seen either of the previous incarnations or read the book (though I fully intend on doing so), so I was able to go into this film with no preconceived notions or wild expectations.

Robert Neville (played by Will Smith) is the last man on earth. Emphasis on the “man” part, cause as the tagline of the film states, he’s not alone! Three years previous, a catastrophic virus (to which he was thankfully immune) infected humankind, wiping out most and mutating others into brain-dead zombie monsters. Neville spends his days alone in a quarantined New York, trying to come up with a cure for the virus, but at night he holes himself up in his house to avoid the attacks from the monstrous mutants.

The story (or the one that was promised) was a genuinely intriguing one. Lets put aside Nevilles struggle against the mutants and his quest to find a cure for the moment. What was most interesting to watch was one mans battle to stave off insanity. Cause let face it; even with the most grounded of personalities, after 3 years alone with only your dog for companionship, little cracks would start to appear! Neville tackles this by maintaining a strict daily routine, but that ends up being supplemented by having conversations with mannequins in stores, just to maintain the illusion of other people in his life.

And it has to be said, given how the whole film rests on his shoulders; Will Smith carries it quite well. As always, he does a good job of making his character relatable to the audience. What I was pleasantly surprised to see was his decent attempt at demonstrating how someone would behave after being isolated for so long (although I’d have preferred a little more “crazy” on my corn flakes).

The movie also succeeds in swallowing the viewer in a sense of extreme loneliness, with its overgrown city streets and deserted buildings. The build up to the reveal of the mutants is also handled quite expertly. The scene where Neville creeps along through the darkened corridor in a desperate search to find his doggie chum, was one of the tensest pieces of cinema in recent memory. And the first sighting of the creatures, huddled around the corpse of the deer was completely unnerving. Sadly, that was the highpoint of the film and it went a little downhill from then on.

The main thing about the movie (looks-wise at least) that bothered me was the decision to use CGI creations as the mutants in the film. And these were fully CG, at all times (not just for complicated shots which would be impossible to humanly replicate). But CG monsters, no matter how well done, are never as believable or scary as a physical creation. It baffles me as to why the director didn’t choose to use regular people in make-up (see “28 Days/Weeks Later”), or even make-up enhanced with a little CGI (a la “30 Days of Night”) instead. Surely this would have been less costly and it certainly would have been more effective. Instead, any time one of the mutants appeared on screen, the tension and fear that had been created just evaporated from the scene.

The plot was filled with many little unexplained quirks and there were story points that were mentioned but never followed up on. The end of the film was particularly contrived and felt like the writers had hit a brick wall and needed to wrap things up quickly. Having been subsequently informed of the books original ending, it makes me wonder why the writers of this movie subverted the original ending as much as they did. It’s a crying shame that as yet, no one has had the courage to make a film based on the superior ending in the book. Maybe for the books forth movie incarnation perhaps?

I Am Legend was a decent film (and I loved the teeny-weeny cameo from Emma Thompson), but it was let down by misused CGI and a hasty (all too convenient) ending.

Going boldly

2008-01-22T23:19:00.001Z

Because of the obvious J.J. Abrams connection, the very first teaser trailer for the new Star Trek movie premiered on front of Cloverfield last week in the States. The trailer offers little or no actual movie footage. Instead we follow a camera as it slowly revolves around the construction of some unidentifiable piece of machinery. Workers can be seen dotted around, hanging from bits of scaffolding. Sparks fly here and there as metal is being carefully welded. In the background we can hear various well-known historical space-themed statements.

The sound reel ends with Spocks classic final line from Star Trek II (traditionally read by Kirk) and the camera pans back enough to finally reveal what it is that’s being constructed: the saucer section of the original Starship Enterprise.

The trailer ends with a brief glimpse of the original Starfleet Federation insignia and then the words “Under Construction.”

OOOOhhh, the expectation! The film premiers in the States this Christmas and the trailer can be seen here:

Star Trek Teaser Trailer 1

Brad Renfro 1982 - 2008 RIP

2008-01-17T17:52:00.000Z

Its always an especially sad occasion when a budding talent passes away at such a young age. Some of his movie highlights included: The Client, Apt Pupil and Bully.

Flavour of the week - Ben Cohen

2008-01-10T21:30:00.000Z

It goes without saying that rugby players in general appeal to me, but Ben Cohen in particular has always tickled my fancy! Aptly nick-named "Big Ben" (and at 6' 2 and 16 stone, its easy to see why!), this big hunk of man meat is a force to be reckoned with on the pitch.

My 5 Favs of 2007 - TV Shows

2008-01-10T20:16:00.000Z

1) VERONICA MARS (S2)

I’m only halfway through the second season, but it’s proving to be just as enjoyable as the first.

2) DAMAGES (S1)

In case you didn’t already know, Glenn Close kicks serious ass in this show. Ted Danson is also surprisingly excellent as her nemesis. The time-hopping format kept me on my toes too ;)

3) CALIFORNICATION (S1)

David Duchovnys performance in this show was a revelation. Though a bit crude at times, it managed to balance genuine and complicated relationships with some sharp and hilarious dialogue.

4) BOSTON LEGAL (S2)

Another excellent year in a consistently excellent programme. Once again Shatner and Spader are the main draw. The writing continues to impress, managing to balance funny, touching, dramatic and socially relevant all in a single episode!

5) KIDNAPPED

I think the fact that this show was cancelled actually worked in its favour as it managed to craft a nicely thought-out storyline with none of the usual season-long filler!

My 5 Favs of 2007 - Singles

2008-01-10T19:52:00.000Z

1) MY SECRET LOVER ~ Private

I had to relegate myself to just ONE Private song in my top 5, so the amazing video that accompanied this single managed to tip the scale in its favour.

2) STRONGER ~ Kanye West

For me, this was the song that refused to grow old. So what if it heavily samples an already well-known Daft Punk song, it still rocks the Kasbah and the Akira inspired video is genius.

3) GIMMIE MORE ~ Britney

It’s Britney, (expletive removed).

4) LOVE IS A LOSING GAME ~ Amy Winehouse

Practically every single she released this year was gold, but this was always my favourite track off the album. It’s the one time she doesn’t sound like she’s putting on a voice :P

5) BECAUSE OF YOU ~ Ne-Yo

Yes, most of his songs DO sound alike, but this was the first and I dare say best cut off his latest album. It bounces along like no other!

My 5 Favs of 2007 - Movies

2008-01-09T18:12:00.000Z

Let me just preface this by saying that for me, 2007 was a very disappointing year for films. Granted, it might just have been the films I went to see in the cinema that were poor. No doubt I’ll catch up on some decent movies when they eventually make their way to DVD (“The Assassination of Jesse James” and “Disturbia” are two I’m quite sorry I missed on the big screen). But for the most part, the cinema and I just didn’t see eye to eye. I’ve managed to just about pick out 5 films that I was generally happy with.

1) STARDUST

For me, this was such a fun movie and all of its components (actors, story, music, production) came together so very nicely. Everything a modern fairytale should be.

2) HAIRSPRAY

While it dragged a wee bit in the middle, this movie was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stodgy year of cinema. With its rollicking soundtrack and exceptionally enthusiastic cast, it sent me home from the cinema with a big stupid grin on my face.

3) THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

The pace was a little frantic, but I really couldn’t have asked for a better ending to a consistently entertaining series of films.

4) APOCALYPTO

Mel Gibsons chase movie is so visually arresting that it almost works without the subtitles. The cast of no names did a fantastic job too.

5) 3:10 TO YUMA

A surprisingly enjoyable western. Russell Crowe pulled another fantastic performance out of that arrogant ass of his! Shame about the ending though.

My 5 Favs of 2007 - Albums

2008-01-07T20:44:00.000Z

1) MY SECRET LOVER ~ Private

A shamelessly pop-tastic album bursting at seams with 10 insanely catchy songs.

2) MUSIC CITY SOUL ~ Beverly Knight

This is by far my fav Bev album to date. Her voice shines on each and every soul-drenched track.

3) SET THE MOOD ~ David Jordan

The biggest musical surprise of the year for me, “Set The Mood” is a refreshing album and if you listen closely, you can hear echos of Terence Trent D’Arby.

4) SKYBOUND ~ Tom Baxter

Though not as instantly classic as his debut, Tom’s sophomore effort is still brimming with heart achingly beautiful songs.

5) THIS DELICATE THING WE'VE MADE – Darren Hayes

This double disc musical extravaganza would have rated higher if not for the excessive number filler of tracks. But persistence and patience will reveal moments of pure aural bliss.

Here comes the Knight

2008-01-03T21:11:00.000Z

Alongside the new full-length trailer for "The Dark Knight", some seriously sexy new teaser posters have been unveiled. Space is already being made on my bedroom wall...........

Tell no one

2008-01-01T17:58:00.000Z

MY SECRET LOVER ~ Private

Once again, all thanks must go to “Popjustice.com” for highlighting an obscure band I’d otherwise never have come in contact with. I can’t say I know all that much about Private, apart from the fact that they hail from Denmark and are fronted by an unusual looking chap named “Thomas Troelsen”. But what I do know is that they have managed to release one of THE best pop albums of recent memory.

The band has a very distinct sound. You’d swear that the songs were recorded back in the early 80s (which I think has a lot to do with the analogue equipment they used when recording). The whole thing is very electronic, fused with a classic late 70s / early 80s disco sound. If I had to make a fumbling comparison, I’d say that the album is an exciting mishmash of Prince, Wham, Michael Jackson and the Scissor Sisters.

The songs are mostly infectious up-tempo numbers, guaranteed to have your toes tapping or hips wiggling, although there are a few mellower tracks to let you catch your breath. The overall mood is light and breezy with carefree (and sometimes nonsensical) lyrics. My only complaint (which is no doubt just me being hyper critical) is that the songs are mostly chorus, but when you’ve got choruses THAT good, there’s no harm hearing them repeatedly!!

The album really is a hidden gem, and although its not (currently) available from local shops or even many online stores, I’d consider it an essential purchase for any pop aficionado. Its certainly one of my favourite albums of the year :D

The album can be purchased from CDWOW at the link below:
http://www13.cd-wow.com/detail_results.php?product_code=2385916

Standout Tracks:
The whole bloomin thing!

Shaking some dust

2007-12-22T15:53:00.001Z

CARNIVÀLE

It’s taken me a good long while to get round to it, but I finally finished watching the second (and sadly final) season of HBOs hugely underrated TV series, Carnivàle. The show was only broadcast here terrestrially on TG4, so there was precious little chance of many people having seen it, which is a real shame considering how special and unique a show it turned out to be.

Set in 1930s America during the heart of the depression, the show followed a curious mix of characters that travelled in a carnival from one dusty little town to the next. Broadly speaking, the show dealt with the never-ending battle between good and evil, forces that were physically embodied by two characters on the show. While this all sounds quite far-fetched, the writers made it work by setting the story against a gritty, realistic backdrop and populating the show with complicated, three-dimensional characters.

What really made the show so compelling was its characters. I’ve never known a show to be populated by such a range of rich and vibrant individuals. Unlike most shows, we aren’t simply given a summarised introduction to each of the characters in the pilot episode. Instead we naturally get to know them as series progresses. But because they each have their distinct personalities (complimented by beautifully nuanced performances from the actors), you get a feel for each of them quite quickly. There was a depth and realism to each of the characters that I found endlessly engaging.

Some disliked the shows relatively slow pace (although it did pick up steam in season 2), but I really have to applaud the writers for taking their time to develop the story and allowing their characters to breathe. I’ll admit, the show demands quite a bit of patience from the viewers. And while most episodes will leave you with a few unanswered questions, you never feel cheated because at least SOME mysteries are revealed. From the very start, series creator Daniel Knaff had an overall arc planned for the show, so it was satisfying to see how plot points given in one episode (which seemed random and confusing at the time) were eventually expanded upon and finally made sense as the show progressed. Its always refreshing to experience a well crafted story arc on television!

The writing for the show was never less than engaging and almost always compelling. The feeling of dread and menace that the show managed to convey was astounding. The tension would build ever so slowly throughout the episode and only when the credits rolled would I realise that I’d a knot in my stomach!

The casting was absolutely spot-on. And it was a true ensemble cast, where even the “no-name” actors got just as much screen time as their better known counterparts. The acting was equally top notch all round, everyone filling out his or her respective roles like they were born to play them.

Even though they all deserve a mention, it would be remiss if I didn’t single out Clancy Brown for his exceptional portrayal of Brother Justin Crowe. He was like a force of nature when on camera and dominated all his scenes with a presence that was both mesmerising and terrifying. He was dark and evil and frequently scared the hell outta me. Equally praise-worthy was Amy Madigan who played his sister Iris with a fervour that bordered on the fanatical.

With a hefty $4 million per episode budget, the production of the show was gargantuan. Chief among the highlights was the “Carnival” itself. The attraction featured rides, tents, stalls, trailers and even a fully working Ferris wheel. The entire beast took four days just to dismantle and reconstruct (which they had to do each week, as the show was shot on location!). From the start, the Carnival takes pride of place in the show and is so alive as to almost be a character in and of itself.

The crew went to great lengths to make the show as authentic as they could. The sights, sounds and dialogue were so reminiscent of the period, that you’d swear they travelled back in time 60 odd years to film the show. This attention to detail really helped to ground the show in reality and gave the actors something tangible to work with.

The production design was out of this world and would be the envy of any big-budget Hollywood movie. The sets were lavish affairs (even the broken-down squalid ones) and the costumes really are of another age, brimming with fine little touches. The make-up and visual effects were exceptional, most of the time working so subtly that you don’t even realise they were an effect.

Even though they picked up the pace in season 2 with some huge plot advancements, Carnivàle never managed to retain the audience it had during its first season and HBO were forced to cancel it. The other factor was of course the immense running costs of the show.

The vast story arc for the show was plotted out in three “books”, with two seasons to a book, so only the first book was completed. While this did result in an ending of sorts (the main arc of seasons 1 & 2 is resolved), the writers made no effort to tie up the many threads that would have been followed up in subsequent seasons. Even though I would have liked for everything to be wrapped up in a nice neat bow, I’m pleased that the writers refused to compromise the original vision of the story, just to facilitate the cancellation of the show.

Carnivàle is a rarity in T.V. land; bold, challenging and well worth repeated viewings. A word of warning though; after watching this show, most other programmes will seem cheap and shallow in comparison!

Not the wolley variety

2007-12-13T22:59:00.000Z

The trailer for "Jumper" didnt exactly set my world alight, but I gotta admit, thats one fricken cool poster they've got there! :D Jumper tells the story of a guy who can teleport himself anywhere he wants. That idea alone has endless possibilities, so I'm hoping director Doug Liman makes the most of it. The film stars two ex-Jedi's, Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson and opens next February. At the very least, it should make for an entertaining ride :P

More like 113 Minutes of Sh!te

2007-12-13T22:42:00.000Z

30 DAYS OF NIGHT

I’m a huge vampire buff, but since I’d never read the comic on which this movie was based, I had no preconceptions or hopes before heading into the cinema. The premise of the movie was quite clever though. Once a year, a little isolated town waaaay up north goes through a period of 30 days without any sun. This would obviously offer the perfect playground for the enterprising vampire.

A number of things let this film down. Chief among them was the complete lack of characterisation. In a survival horror film such as this, an emotional connection to the victims is vital, but sadly none materialised.

It didn’t help that leading this cast of one-dimensional towns-folk was Mister Plank himself, Josh Hartnett. I swear to good god, if this man were lit on fire he’d struggle to burn convincingly. I’ve got big love for Melissa George, but this movie really didn’t do her any favours either. There was no tension to be had in the entire film and the director did a poor job of marking the passage of time. It seemed like the whole thing took place in one night rather than 30 days.

The highlight of the film had to be the vampires themselves. Ever since “Interview for a Vampire”, movies have been romanticising the creatures, but here they were depicted as vicious, violent animals. Combined with the excellent make-up effects, the results were truly terrifying.

Once again, I thought that Ben Foster was riveting and stole every scene he was in. His performance was so good that it only served to highlight the dearth of acting chops surrounding him! His portrayal of the vampire’s sycophantic usher was just plain disturbing. He definitely seems to have a knack for the unhinged characters :P

I could only recommend this movie to horror fans who enjoy watching people getting mauled convincingly.

Place in my stereo

2007-12-13T20:36:00.001Z

SET THE MOOD ~ David Jordan

I'd got my first taste of David Jordan through “Popjustice.com” (my number one resource for pop news!), and while the vocals on his debut single “Place in my Heart” were impressive, the song itself didn’t sit well with me. All I can say is, thank the good lord for MySpace and its album samplers :P

What initially struck me about Jordan is that at times he sounds spookily like Terence Trent D'Arby (who in my humble opinion has one of the most distinct and versatile voices on the planet). While Jordan isn’t up to D'Arbys standards just yet, his voice is still a marvel. He's equally adept at the high falsettos and the bassey lows, but is also capable of altering the texture of his middle range from smooth to gravelly (another D’Arby trait), allowing him to jump between any number of different genres.

And I can honestly say I've never heard an album as musically diverse as Jordans debut. Apart from the typical pop/RnB flavour, you also get a fair amount of edgier rock/funk elements (think Lennie Kravitz) thrown in. What makes it even more distinctive is the interesting mix of classical and even folk sounding music on a couple of tracks.

Initially I found the production of the album to be a little overwhelming and tracks were so dense that they almost drowned out Jordens voice. After a few more listens though, it does open up and the “wall of sound” employed is easier to appreciate (though I’d still love to hear an acoustic version of the album).

Even though I wasn’t wild about a few tracks, there’s still something interesting about each of them, whether it be the harmony used, the change in key for the chorus or the choice of unconventional instrumentation. None of the songs bore, that’s for sure. And it’s so rare (and risky!) for an artist to be so musically adventurous with their debut, so I have to applaud him for that.

While the album is fresh and OH so different (compared to recent pop efforts), I’d be lying if I called it completely original. I’ve already likened his voice to Terence Trent D’Arby, but the comparison doesn’t end there. Some of the tracks are very reminiscent of D’Arbys earlier work, though that in itself is not a bad thing. “Set The Mood” is a very impressive and eclectic first work from an artist who I’m hoping doesn’t get lost in chart obscurity.

Standout Tracks:

On The Money
Sun Goes Down
Set The Mood
Glorious Day
Only Living Soul
Fight The World

The Boys are back in town

2007-12-13T20:17:00.000Z

UNBREAKABLE ~ Backstreet Boys

It’s hard to believe that this is the Boys 6th studio album (7th if you count their greatest hits collection). This time round the group has been reduced to a four piece, but thankfully this has had little effect on the quality of their output (no offence to Kevin!!!). Their last album “Never Gone” wasn’t exactly their finest hour, but “Unbreakable” is definitely a return to form :)

With each new album, they always try their best to move with the times and throw in a couple of "current" sounding tracks. But in the end they cant seem to escape that clearly identifiable "Backstreet Boys sound" that they started with their first album, way back in 1995 (that’s 13 years ago, boys and girls!). Not that having an established sound is a bad thing. Fans will love the album, as all the songs have a comfortable familiarity to them, but it worries me that after SO many years, they've been unable to progress musically. But maybe I shouldn’t blame them for sticking with what works :P

The production is suitably slick. As well as the lead single (which just gets better with each listen) there are some excellent songs on the disc. And the Boys still know how to work those trademark harmonies of theirs. I got the deluxe edition of the album, which has three bonus songs, and at 17 tracks, the album drags a little towards the end. Then again, if there were fewer tracks, I’d be moaning that the album is too short! There’s just no pleasing me :P As far as Backstreet Boys go, the album is a winner.

Standout Tracks:

Everything But Mine
Inconsolable
Something That I Already Know
Helpless When She Smiles
Any Other Way
One In A Million
Panic
Treat Me Right

Flavour of the week - Jude Law

2007-12-11T19:07:00.000Z

*sigh* Why oh why do I find arrogance so bleedin sexy? :P Jude Law turns 35 at the end of the month, so what better time to celebrate a man of his incredible beauty. He regularly plays the role of the confident charmer in his movies and I think that colours my perception of his real life persona too. Look at that face. Just look at it. Hes gorgeous, but doesn't he know it :D

A little piece of heaven

2007-11-18T19:30:00.001Z

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!

No jolly rancher

2007-11-18T19:25:00.001Z

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.

Aiming high

2007-11-18T19:18:00.000Z

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

A rose by any other name

2007-11-18T00:27:00.000Z

Sarah and Freddie have got to be one of the cutest couples in the world. So happy am I with their pairing that I'd actually be content if neither of them ever made movies again, so long as they stayed happily together :) In celebration of their 5th wedding anniversary, Sarah Michelle has decided to finally shed that famous Gellar moniker shes being clinging to for oh so long. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sarah Michelle Prinze!

It drives me Elemental!

2007-11-11T20:51:00.000Z

Right now, Avatar: The Last Airbender is my absolute favourite show on the telly. I've just finished watching one of the best episodes of the season so far (Season 3, Episode 8) called "The Puppetmaster". It starts off all nice and safe (to lull you into a false sense of security), but by the end of the episode, my stomach was in knots! And then to close the episode on such a horrific and sombre note!!! I honestly don't know how the creators get away with this stuff on Nickelodeon of all places :P And here I was, worried that they'd gone all lighthearted and kiddy this season!

My real reason for this post is that last week the first two Avatar boxsets arrived on my doorstep! :D The slipcases and foldouts themselves are truly beautiful works of art. Here are some shots of them, for your viewing pleasure :)

Aren't they purdy?? :D

Joss keeps the Faith

2007-11-03T20:15:00.000Z

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....

Dust off your alien probing devices

2007-11-03T20:03:00.001Z

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!

Flavour of the week - Gael García Bernal

2007-10-15T21:12:00.000+01:00

Despite his penchant for choosing quirky or oft times twisted roles in movies, Gael García Bernal always manages to stir a strong sense of empathy within me for the characters he portrays. He infuses his roles with a brutal honesty that can be quite disarming. He is, without doubt, one of my favourite actors. He also speaks five languages and is equally adorable in all of them :D

Wired to the moon and back

2007-10-15T20:56:00.000+01:00

THIS DELICATE THING WE'VE MADE ~ Darren Hayes

If we were to take a hammer to Mr. Hayes’s head and smash it wide open, this album is what’s likely to spill out and leave a stain all over your lovely carpet.

Without having to bow to the expectations or restrictions of a major record label, Darren has given birth to something quite extraordinary: his unfiltered self :P Being answerable to no one has allowed him to be much more creative with his music. Even the title “This Delicate Thing We’ve Made” speaks of how personal this album is to him.

The downside of flying solo in the music world is the utter lack of promotion and financial backing of a big record label, but since he got practically NO support on his last two solo albums, he probably didn’t see this as much of an issue. Still, there are times when an artist needs someone who can step back from the musical work and tell them when they’ve gone that bit too far.

I’d have to question the albums length. Normally I wouldn’t complain about an artist being generous with the amount of material they release, but I’ve got to admit, it’s a tough job to make it through this double disc in one sitting.

First, there’s quite a bit of padding going on. If the lacklustre tracks were removed, a much stronger single disc would have remained. In this case, I think two CDs were a little bit self-indulgent.

The other reason it’s a bit of a strain on the old ears is Darrens voice. On many of the tracks he has had his voice altered and modulated to give it a surreal, processed edge. I get that this was intentional and in line with the overall sound of the album, but it does get a bit grating after a while!

Now moving onto something more positive! :D The album has very a strong cohesive sound to it and there’s definitely an over-arching theme running through it. A couple of the tracks even follow on from one another, subject-wise. His voice is still as dynamic as ever and can go places most male (and female! :P ) artists can only dream of.

There are some truly excellent tracks to be found on the album. I’d go so far as to say that some of the songs are the best of his career to date. Because of the sheer wealth of material being offered, there really is something for everyone. There’s the catchy dance numbers, the unashamedly upbeat gay anthems, heartfelt ballads and a number of tracks that are truly epic in sound and scope.

Since his last album “The Tension and the Spark”, Darren has shown a more introspective and darker side to his writing. Here he continues to delve deep and produces some meaningful and somewhat disturbing lyrics that are of particular interest.

I see this album as being Darrens experiment in sound (and generally what he can get away with musically). The production is top notch and highly ambitious, mainly influenced by 80s electro-pop, but dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Gone is the instantly accessible (and far more commercial) sound of his Savage Garden days. Even the 80s electronica of his solo debut "Spin" is tame in comparison to his newest release. But all this album requires is a bit of patience and after a few listens it reveals some real gems.

Standout Tracks:

A Fear of Falling Under
Who Would Have Thought
Casey
Step Into The Light
Sing To Me
A Conversation with God
The Future Holds a Lions Heart
Neverland
I Just Want You to Love Me

My daugter is also called "Vashti"

2007-10-13T17:50:00.000+01:00

TOM BAXTER - LIVE AT THE VILLAGE

I'd never been to The Village before, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a pretty decent venue (apart from the fact that is was hot as HELL the whole night!). The stage was moderately sized, but there was plenty of room to stand around. The crowd was also nice on the night, no pushing or shoving to speak of (even though my bro insisted we stand up near the front!).

Tom came out at the start, casual as you like, to introduce his warm-up act. "Vashti", who I'd never heard of before, turned out to be his sister (from the name I expected it to be either a band, or a man!). She was dressed exactly like how I'd picture a stereotypical French girl would dress (red neckerchief, polka dot dress, tight spandex pants cut off just before the ankles). Just like her big bro, she had a great big voice on her and a lot of emotion behind the lyrics. She was pleasant enough, but none of the songs grabbed me enough to shell out on her album (copies of which were laid out on a table near the bar).

When Tom and his band finally emerged, they kicked things off with a rousing version of "Night Like This", the opening track to his new album "Skybound". What I was amazed at (and I think he was too) was that most of the crowd knew the words to his new material (or the chorus's at least!), despite the fact that the album is so far only available from his online website. He continued on with a couple more tracks from the new album, along with a few from his first. Sadly, he didnt sing "The Mood & Me", my fav song from "Feather & Stone" :( I was sure he'd bring it out during the encore, but it wasn't to be......

My only complaints would be that there wasn't a whole lot of audience interaction going on, but Tom was on fine form throughout the night, putting everything into his performance. Of course he couldn't resist a few over-the-top, uber-dramatic moments during some of the songs, but its easy to forgive such indulgences :P He is one of the few artists I think sounds as good, if not better live than on CD, so I would heartily encourage everyone to go see him in person if they ever get the chance.

His album is currently available from his website for the low low price of £10.00 (plus P&P) or £7.49 as a digital download.

www.tombaxter.co.uk

Pumping Iron

2007-09-10T22:05:00.001+01:00

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/

Touchy-feely

2007-09-09T20:13:00.001+01:00

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!

Slippery little devil

2007-09-09T20:00:00.001+01:00

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 ;)

Big girls, you are beautiful

2007-09-09T19:03:00.000+01:00

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!

Bennifer in Blue

2007-09-09T18:00:00.000+01:00

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?

Phone sex

2007-09-01T15:28:00.000+01:00

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..........

Sex and violence still sells!

2007-09-01T14:56:00.000+01:00

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.

Flavour of the week - Jared Leto

2007-08-26T16:45:00.000+01:00

As the dreamy Jordan Catalano in the TV show "My So-Called Life", Jared Leto was one of my earliest teen crushes (have you ever seen such captivating eyes?!). Since then hes gone out of his way to star in ever more diverse film roles.

He's also got a surprisingly good voice on him and while most actors misstep horribly when attempting the cross-over to the music world, Leto and his band "30 Seconds to Mars" have been making a credible name for themselves.

Yellow Fever

2007-08-21T21:01:00.001+01:00

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE

After 18 seasons on TV, this movie was a long time coming. And with so much success there comes massive expectation. Despite this (and maybe because the overall quality of the show has been in decline over the years), I wasn’t expecting TOO much from the movie. But as it turns out, it’s a pretty decent comedy! Certainly not up to the heady standards the show once had back in the day, but still leagues ahead of most other movies that pass for “comedies” these days.

The story (in typical Simpsons fashion) is wildly imaginative and completely over the top. But it also serves as a wry send up of a reactionary American government and a none-too-subtle warning about environmental pollution. The jokes (for the most part) really hit the mark, and show that the writers haven’t quite tapped out their comedic well JUST yet. What I was most impressed with was the emotional aspect of the movie. Bart has often looked elsewhere for a father figure on the regular show, but never before has it been handled in such a touching manner. And Marge’s plea to Homer (that he watches on videotape) actually made me well up a little!

Some people have criticised it, saying that it’s nothing more than an extended episode of the show, but why is that such a bad thing? You have to remember just how large the scope of the their regular show can be. Over its 18 year run, the average Simpson’s episode has managed to squeeze in more emotion, drama, action and gags than most feature length movies. Trying to come up with a story that has a beginning middle and end and STILL fit it into 19 minutes means moving the plot along at a breakneck speed with little or no time to breathe. In fact, most episodes regularly have whole scenes cut out of them, just because of time constraints. But now the movie format has finally given the writers some breathing room to expand on their plots and jokes.

Also, many people have lamented the short presence or even absence of the vast wealth of familiar characters that the show is best known for (Krusty, Apu, Mr. Burns etc), but I think the writers made the right decision to focus the bulk of the story on the Simpson’s family themselves. It is their first big movie outing, after all. I’m sure there’ll be countless sequels in which the additional cast can get more of a look in.

I found that watching The Simpsons in the cinema was a WHOLE difference experience to watching it plonked on the sofa at home. After so many years of giggling quietly to myself, it was a bit strange to hear this massive response of laughter at the end of each joke. Though in saying that, it did make laughing out loud myself a whole lot easier :P

Even if you feel like the show has grown stale these past few years, you owe it to yourself to give the movie a go. And I dare anyone to resist the hoggish charms of Spider-Pig :D

Bite my shiney metal ass!

2007-08-21T20:43:00.000+01:00

TRANSFORMERS

Along with Thundercats, M.A.S.K. and He-Man, Transformers was one of my favourite cartoons when I was a wee lad. The toys were bloody fantastic and at some point I even got into the Transformers comics :P It was inevitable that a movie would be made of it at SOME point, as soon as the special effects were up to the task.

My initial excitement over the film version was quashed when I heard of Michael “The Devil” Bays involvement in it. So even before seeing the film, it already had a big black mark against it. His films are typically loud, brash, soulless affairs, heavy on the action and with characters playing second fiddle to some mind-bendingly complex chase scene. Even though this adage stays pretty much true for Transformers, his usual behaviour is somewhat tempered (possibly by the small involvement of a man named “Spielberg”).

The main draw of the movie is of course the Transformers themselves, and in this respect, it doesn’t disappoint. The effects are incredible and you fully believe the robots exist in the real world. Even though die-hard fans cried fowl when the designs of the robots were altered, the liberties taken for the movie had to be allowed. The designers put a huge amount of effort into making sure that the transformation from vehicle to robot looked physically possible and the result is pleasingly convincing. Probably the most impressive and awe-inspiring scene was the first appearance of the Decepticons (in the form of a helicopter), when they invade the army base at the beginning of the movie.

Besides the robots, the films smoking gun (in my humble opinion) was Shia Labeouf. He’s got a natural comic gift and his sense of timing and delivery was spot on. He also had a great down to earth manner that made his character very easy to empathise with. And his parents were an absolute howl!

The rest of the cast were pretty bland and one dimensional, especially the soldiers (I’m sorry, but giving one of them a baby back home doesn’t make us automatically care about his well being or give the character himself any more emotional depth!).
Of course none of that really matters, cause it’s a Bay movie and action comes first :P

It should also be said that getting Peter Cullen back to do the voice of Optimus Prime was a stroke of genius and really accentuated the sense nostalgia. The Transformers themselves got very little time to develop as characters, but again, I’m guessing that’s what the sequels will be for. From what little evidence was present in THIS movie, it seemed like most, if not all were kept true to their original incarnations, which fans should be thankful for.

The plot was more or less irrelevant (some nonsense about a device called “The All-Spark”), but people didn’t flock to Transformers for its dense plot or complex characters. People wanted action and Bay delivered it in spades. The action scenes were technically impressive and raced along at a hyper-kinetic pace, which is typical of Bay. The only problem was that at times it was quite difficult to fully appreciate the intricacies of each scene, mainly because there was SO much was going on. Sometimes it was hard to tell which robots were fighting each other. But big, bold and brash is exactly what the Transformers are all about. The destruction and devastation caused by the battling giant robots really did bring back memories of the cartoon and comic.

As with all Bay films, there is huge militaristic presence and SO much flag waving going on, that your likely to be seeing stars and stripes long after you leave the cinema. What I found quite surprising about a movie aimed mostly at kids (and kids who grew up in the 80s like myself!) was how insanely violent is was. While two robots kicking the crap out of each other is generally acceptable, no matter what the rating is, in this movie actual people get killed, some in shockingly disturbing ways. I honestly cant believe they away with the given rating.

One slightly disappointing aspect of the movie (despite the numerous action scenes) was how small the scale of the whole thing felt. Far too often, it seemed as though the entire proceedings were taking place in some small isolated part of America, and that the world at large was never really in danger. Perhaps the larger scale threats will occur in the inevitable sequels :P

I also was very let down by the music in the film. I'd even go so far as to say I hated it! As with nearly ALL of Bays films, he chose a composer from the same stable of artists as he always does (Media Ventures). And just like the majority of action scores from this score house, they all sound the same. At times I felt like I was listening to music taken straight from “The Rock”.

The most welcome surprise of the movie was just how funny it was in parts! Summer blockbusters tend to have a very limp and forced sense of humour, but this movie proves to be a pleasing exception and I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion! :D

I cant say I enjoyed the film all that much, but that’s probably cause my expectations were too high. A decent popcorn flick, but I think I’ve my left my love for the Transformers back in the 80s.

He's not addicted to sex, you know

2007-08-21T20:37:00.000+01:00

BECAUSE OF YOU ~ Ne-Yo

Spurred on by the ridiculously infectious single “Because of You” (and the relatively low low price of €16.99 :P ), I decided to give Ne-Yos second album a whirl. I was pleasantly surprised by just how good it was! I was expecting a poor attempt at heavy thug-sounding hip-hop (Marques Houston, I’m looking in your direction!), but what I got was R&B-lite, more or less verging on Pop.

Considering how he’s currently writing songs for almost every artist on the planet, I was worried I’d quickly bore of his trademark sound, but he manages to avoiding sounding too generic. On some tracks there’s echoes of Michael Jackson while on others he tries to sex things up a bit, at times channelling that pervy purple master of funk, Prince (or a PG version of him at least :P ).

He has a few collaborators on the album, but the one that really stands out is Jennifer Hudson, who duets with him on the track “Leaving Tonight”. Despite having a massive voice, she doesn’t overshadow Ne-Yo and the two compliment each other surprisingly well.

While his first single is still getting huge airplay on the radio, his follow-up “Do You” performed disastrously in the charts here, failing to even break the top 40, which is criminal! Though its not as instantly catchy as the first single, its still a very strong song and deserved to do much much better (even if the accompanying video is a snooze fest).

Not revolutionary by any stretch of the imagination, “Because of You” is still a nice lil slice of pop nonetheless :D

Standout Tracks:

Because of You
Do You
Leaving Tonight
Sex With My Ex
Go On Girl

Harry casts a horrid spell

2007-08-11T17:31:00.001+01:00

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

( WARNING : SPOILERS )

"Arry Potta", .........two words that never fail to make my skin crawl. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve disliked all the previous Potter movies, so it was highly unlikely I was going to enjoy this one. Maybe if I read the books it would give me a greater appreciation of their big screen adaptations, but at any rate, movies should be able to stand by themselves.

I’ve always disliked the plots of the Potter movies and this one is no exception. They are just so incoherent. And for a movie supposedly aimed at kids, I’ve often found them to be quite confusing and unnecessarily complicated. It could be that the film just suffers from huge portions from the book being expunged (due to time constraints), but that means it’s just been adapted poorly.

An annoying trend that continues in this movie is the inconsistent behaviour of many of the characters. Every movie a new character pops up who appears to be shady, only to turn out to be good (in previous movies: Sirius Black, Professor Lupin, 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Severus Snape). Then at the end of the movie they give a feeble excuse for their unusual behaviour. This movie has an already-established character (Dumbledore) acting out of the ordinary, but his justification at the end is still weak and nonsensical.

My big issue with the series has always been Daniel Radcliffe. He couldnt act his way out of a cardboard box. When the series started I was able to chock that up to his very young age, but now (four films later) I just can’t escape the fact that he is a brutal actor. With the burden of carrying these movies resting squarely on his shoulders, it’s proven far too much for someone of his limited ability to handle.

The films one saving grace is that the adult cast is populated by some of the finest British character actors working today. This boon is something of a double-edged sword however, as it serves to highlight the poor acting skills of some of the younger cast. In my opinion, most of the big name cast are vastly overqualified for the shallow roles they are being given to play and they get little or no screen time to develop their characters.

In this movie however, Imelda Staunton (who plays the character of Dolores Umbridge) does get a sizable chunk of the movie to herself and is an absolute joy to watch. She steals every scene she’s in. As always Alan Rickman is a delight to watch, but his role in this movie is somewhat limited. Maggie Smith gets barely a look-in and Emma Thompson and Robby Coltrane barely have cameos. The man I feel has been most wasted throughout the series is Gary Oldman. All the character does is fawn over Harry (same as most of the cast really).

Another disappointing aspect of this movie (and all the movies to date) is the lack of imagination where magic is concerned. The extent of the students powers (and their teachers, for that matter) seems to be limited to knocking things out of the way with their wands. I’ve always found this VERY underwhelming, and figured that maybe as the series progressed, their range of powers and spells would too. This never came to pass, and any battle that involved magic was a bit pathetic. The climactic scene between Voldemort and Dumbledore was nothing more than the two wizards firing off different coloured streams of light at each other.

As a counterpoint, I remember a scene from the old Disney “Sword in the Stone” animated movie from the 60s, where two wizards faced off against each other. In this duel of magic, they both tried to turn themselves into ever more menacing forms of creature and attack then each other. Are the wizards in the Potter universe simply too unadventurous to resort to such displays of power? But...... I digress :P

The films one significant happening (the death of a major character) is handled in such a hurried and throwaway fashion as to make the whole event almost meaningless.
And the way in which Harry eventually dispels Voldemort was SUCH a cop-out “I have friends, BEGONE foul demon!” etc. The whole film felt like it was building up to something, and then.........the credits rolled.

I think it’s ironic that a film about wizards has so little magic or sense of wonder about it. It’s all pomp and no substance. For reasons beyond me, this movie will no doubt end up being one the top ten box-office draws of all time. *sigh*

And can ANYONE explain to me how Draco Malfoy is still in Hogwarts when everyone knows his father is working for Voldemort?!?!

Yippee Ki Yay

2007-08-11T17:27:00.000+01:00

DIE HARD 4.0

I’m not quite sure I get what they were going for with the “4.0” of the title, but lets just take that with a pinch of salt.

Thankfully Brucie is also taking this movie with an equally large pinch of salt, hamming it up at every chance he gets. Despite being in his 50s, he still manages to cut it where the action is concerned. One thing that bothered me though, was that he’s turned into a bit of Arnie character, practically invincible and easily able to dispatch any of the multitudes of villains that are thrown at him. You never feel like he’s actually in any real jeopardy, so it’s hard to care when he gets into those inevitable tight spots.

The main villain (a staple of all the Die Hard movies) was a supreme letdown, displaying none of the evil panache necessary for an adversary of now legendary John McClane. As a glorified hacker, Timothy Olyphant lacked any kind of menace or presence when on screen. His lackeys Cyril Raffaelli and Maggie Q are also wasted in their respective roles.

What I did enjoy was Wisemans direction of the movie, which was fast and furious throughout. There really was never a dull moment on screen. It was also surprisingly violent for a 15A rated movie! The film was a little too long for my liking, but such is the nature of blockbusters these days.

As far as squeals and summer flicks go, Die Hard 4.0 was pretty decent, but a far cry from the original. Still, there are certainly worse ways to waste away an afternoon :P

Flavour of the week - Nick Beyeler

2007-08-09T21:08:00.000+01:00

Have you ever seen a man more drop-dead gorgeous (or ludicrously limber?). Ladies and gentlemen, I give you World Aerobics Champion Nick Beyeler!

My namesake

2007-08-07T17:17:00.001+01:00

Behold! The character from which I draw my name :D

IE: It took forever to make

2007-08-07T15:02:00.000+01:00

IT WONT BE SOON BEFORE LONG ~ Maroon 5

In 2003 Maroon 5 exploded onto the scene with “Harder to Breathe” and I’ve been a fan of theirs ever since. Their first album “Songs About Jane” was a superb debut. The songs were pure fluff yet catchy, the album had a perfect length and it still gets plenty of play on my stereo. Backed up by Adam Levines immediately recognisable voice, the band created a very distinct sound.

The expectation that usually comes with a bands sophomore album was compounded by the fact that they made us wait a whole three years for new material (with two live albums sandwiched in-between).

Sadly, “It Wont Be Soon Before Long” didn’t exactly rock my world. The album kicks off with a bang alright, and manages to keep the juices flowing for at least the first three tracks. But after that, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. A good few of the songs on the album COULD be great, but they lack that extra bit of “umph” to push them over the top.

My mine gripe would be that a lot of the songs on the album are quite samey. Given that it’s their second album, I had hoped the band would make an attempt to evolve their established sound (or change it up completely) and maybe take a risk musically. Instead, many of the tracks feel rather bland and uninspired. A couple of the songs actually sound like cast offs that didn’t make their first album.

I think the most disappointing aspect of the album is that very few of the songs really push Levine vocally, which is such a shame, since his voice is what makes the band that little bit unique. Certain tracks are just calling out for more adventurous notes to be sung. But each time they cop out and take the safer route instead.

But I will admit that the album IS growing on me, albeit very slowly. There’s certainly some good singles to be found on it but it still feels a bit half-arsed :P And whoever came up with the album title should be hung, drawn and quartered!

Standout Tracks:

If I Never See Your Face Again
Makes Me Wonder
Little of Your Time
Nothing Lasts Forever
Kiwi

Smooth like butta

2007-08-07T14:58:00.001+01:00

MUSIC CITY SOUL ~ Beverley Knight

I showed up a lil late to the Beverley party, her 3rd album being my first foray into the whole Knight experience. I picked up her first two for completist sake, but I’ve yet to warm to them. Most people have criticised her for getting more and more commercial with each album (maybe that’s why I like them!), but no one can accuse of her of that with her latest cut “Music City Soul”, which I feel is her best work to date.

Knights previous albums have shown her intent to contemporise the typical R&B sound (I’ve always found the British R&B scene to be far more musically adventurous than its more commercial US counterpart). But with “Music City Soul”, she’s decided to go back to where it all began and has made an album flavoured with the old time rhythm and blues of the american south. It’s the album she was born to record and shows a whole new side to the Brit diva.

Everything from the production of the tracks right down to the design of the album sleeve is a throwback to a bygone soul era. The feel of the album is so relaxed you’d swear that it was nothing more than a live jamming session that had accidentally been recorded.

It’s a uniformly strong disc, but I think Beverly is at her best when she’s going all out on a rollicking up-tempo number and the energy she infuses into these is nothing short of infectious. I can thoroughly recommend Music City Soul to anyone who fancies themselves a connoisseur of soul.

Standout Tracks:

Every Time You See Me Smile
Aint That A Lot Of Love
No Mans Land
The Queen of Starting Over
Black Butta
Why Me, Why You, Why Now
Tell Me I’m Wrong
Back To You

1-18-08

2007-07-25T20:53:00.000+01:00

A trailer for an as yet untitled movie is doing the rounds at the moment, and was first screened in cinemas before the Transformers movie in the States. The movie is shrouded in mystery and has only been given a working title of “Cloverfield”. Its written by Drew Goddard (who wrote for Buffy, Angel, Alias and Lost) and produced by J. J Abrams (aka: the man who can do no wrong).

I was hesitant to watch it myself until a friend assured me it was completely spoiler free. The trailer is nothing more than a teaser, but god DAMN did it whet my appetite. I highly recommend you click on the link below and check it the hell out!

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/11808/

Are you game?

2007-07-25T20:51:00.000+01:00

This years Electronic Entertainment Expo was the new condensed version announced last year, and was apparently five times smaller than previous shows. That said, I think the show was in a need of a bit of deflating.

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo were still out in force. Unfortunately, there were no real earth-shattering announcements to compete with last years platform launches. Instead the big three focused on impending software releases (or in Nintendos case, peripheral launches…….but more of that later).

Sony probably made the biggest splash of all, with more never-before-seen game clips and exclusive title announcements. Sony debuted the first real-time clips of its upcoming Killzone 2 game, converting critics (myself included) who believed that the actual game could never live up to the quality of the original FMV demonstration (shown at E3 two years ago). It may not have been as spectacular as the FMV, but it was darn close and DAMN impressive.

They also released yet another video from the final game in the Metal Gear Solid series. The quality of the graphics and the realism of the animation was impressive, but the dense storyline (which carries on from the previous three MSG games) was totally lost on me!

Like Portal a few years back (which incidentally, still hasn’t been released!), one of the games that really impressed me for the PS3 was a very simple looking puzzle game called "Echochrome" (which will be available as a download purchase from the PlayStation Network service). A description of the game would be impossible, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so I urge people to check out the vid for it on youtube. It’s very clever and looks quite addictive!

Microsofts line-up was a little more anaemic, but they did manage to blow everyone away with their Halo 3 video, which revealed how the single player game was going to look and play for the first time (a little late considering its impending release!)

Of course I took a greater interest in Nintendo’s offering, since the Wii is the only current generation console I own!

The Big N tried to distract everyone from their lack of heavy hitting titles by announcing a few new peripherals. The first was the “Wii Balance Board” (packaged with the game “Wii-fit”), a wireless step-aerobic pad that monitors your mass, centre of gravity and footwork. This for me is just a little too gimmicky. Also announced were a wireless steering wheel (self explanatory) and a “Wii Zapper”, an attachment that essentially turns the Wii-mote and nunchuck into a gun.

These peripherals are all well and good, but they do nothing to remedy the fact that there is a severe lack of triple A titles on the Wii. Apart from Zelda (which was available from day one), there have been no killer titles for the Wii. Granted, both Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 were present at E3, looking fantastic and promised a release by the end of the year, but what comes after that? The future of gaming on the Wii looks like it will be nothing more than novelty titles, movie licensed titles and lacklustre cross-platform ports. Innovative titles like “Blocks”, demonstrated by EA, were few and far between.

Of course Nintendo is always going to be secure falling back on its tried and trusted stock of familiar characters and brands (Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong etc), but I was eager to see some active 3rd party support for the Wii at this years E3, and it just wasn’t there.

The game that got me most excited was Ubisofts “Assassins Creed”, coming soon to the 360 and PS3. The game looks stunning and the gameplay mechanics were astounding. Seeing it in motion is an absolute must! :D

Impressive, most impressive

2007-06-30T21:09:00.000+01:00

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS

I dont normally comment on TV shows, but with this I'm going to have to make a rare exception. Admittedly, I was a little sceptical of this show at first. Years have gone by, but the bitter taste of the atrocious prequel movies still lingers on my tongue :P Despite that, the “Star Wars: Clone Wars” animated show is an excellent addition to the Star Wars universe.

The series was directed and produced by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man responsible for the daring “Samurai Jack” (a show I’ve yet to experience firsthand). It tells the story of the Clone Wars, which chronologically takes place between the 2nd and 3rd prequel movies. As such, it’s somewhat necessary to have seen the first two movies (“The Phantom Menace” and “Attack of the Clones”) to get where the Clone Wars characters and stories originated.

And here lies the shows one and only failing; it’s so intertwined with to the dire prequel movies that it’s practically impossible to fully enjoy or appreciate the show without having seen the other Star Wars movies first. Having been subjected to the first two prequels, it was tough to get past the awful acting and clunky dialogue and see the characters as viable persons worth exploring. Clone Wars quickly changed my mind on this though.

The main cast of characters are handled wonderfully. Gone are the hollow, soulless movie incarnations. Anakin is far less petulant and whiney when you take away Lucas’s clunky dialogue and Christensens scowling face. It’s easier to believe that Anakin and Padmé are actually in love and the evolution of Obi-Wan relationship with his padawan is handled skilfully.

But what I found most appealing about this show is its use of secondary characters. For example, I really enjoyed the brief excursions with the lesser-known Jedi. It bolstered the idea that there was actually a vast Jedi Order in existence, populated by diverse aliens from throughout the galaxy.

They took a very stylised approach to the design of the characters, using bold lines and colours and simplifying everyone’s look, so that only their key identifiable characteristics remained. Simpler designs allow for more fluid and complex animation, and the hand drawn work here is exquisite.

The ships are brought to life using 3D animation (very reminiscent of those on Futurama). The backgrounds are highly detailed, almost painterly affairs, offering up beautiful backdrops against which the action plays out.

The action scenes were impeccably staged, with a fast pace that still left time to appreciate the spectacle (something the new movies never accomplished). Also refreshing was the inspired use of “the force”. Not only did the Jedi use it more often, but they also employed it in surprisingly imaginative ways.

Considering the theme of the show was war, violence was a necessary part of the story and I have to applaud the creators for not shying away from it, even considering it was a kid’s show broadcast on the Cartoon Network. Characters (good and evil) are dispatched in various, sometimes shockingly brutal ways.

The first volume is made up of twenty three-minutes shorts, the length of which forced the writers to be very economical with their plotting in order to get the story across. Each episode usually involved a brief battle sequence, with little or no dialogue. Some of the episodes are constructed so well visually, that they manage to convey the story with no dialogue at all. But when dialogue IS used, it’s believable and true to the characters. It’s telling when the dialogue in a cartoon is more accomplished than that in its big screen movie counterparts.

Volume two differs in not only the show length (five fifteen-minute episodes), but also that the story directly leads up to the opening scenes of Episode III. When seen back to back, the two volumes of Clone Wars are the perfect bridge between Episodes II and III. That’s not to say they improve the movies. If anything, they only serve to highlight the inadequacies of the feature length films. In just two hours, the creators of this show manage to give more depth to the Star Wars characters than Lucas et al managed over the entire run of prequels (which clocked in at well over six hours in all).

There are a few inconsistencies here and there as some of the characters in “Clone Wars” were handled differently to their movie counterparts. This was mainly due to the fact that Episode III was still in development when Clone Wars was already in production. But I think in almost all cases, I prefer the cartoons interpretation of the characters.

If you consider yourself a fan of Star Wars and were let down by the disastrous prequels, then do yourself a favour and check out the fantastic “Clone Wars” on DVD. It reaffirmed my faith in Star Wars and gave me some hope for its future as a franchise.

Both volumes can be purchased right now at a bargain price in HMV :D And watching the show in a two hour-long burst is infinitely preferable to the 3 and 15 minute bites they were originally aired as! :P

Flavour of the week - Justin Timberlake

2007-06-30T20:14:00.000+01:00

Hes got a brand new single out (the scorching hot "Lovestoned") and his two night run in Dublin starts this very night, so what better time to celebrate the unstoppable force that is "The Trousersnake" :D

PS: Can anyone remember those bleached blond curls he used to sport back in his old N*Sync days? Awwww :P

Not a nipple in sight!

2007-06-19T20:11:00.000+01:00

My bat-radar is bleeping, which can only mean that a tasty new morsel of info on the upcoming “The Dark Knight” movie has been leaked to the public. This week it’s the reveal of the brand new (and apparently much improved) Batman costume.

A huge failing of previous costumes was the neck, which prevented the actor to turn his head without turning his shoulders at the same time, severely limiting his performance. This has now been remedied!

Also updated is the bodysuit, which now appears to be made up of lots of smaller pieces, making it far easier for the actor to move around (and perform more exciting moves and stunts, I imagine). Weapons have been added to the gloves and the cape has been given new capabilities (the extent of which are still top secret!!). More bat-info as soon as its revealed.......

Acceptable in the 40s

2007-06-10T16:00:00.000+01:00

CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE ~ Michael Bublé

Quality seems to be on a bit of a downward spiral when it comes to Michael Bublés output. I simply adored his self-titled debut, where he put his own stamp on a few old standards. What impressed me most though, was how he took some contemporary songs and “jazzified” them (sometimes a lil, in other cases a LOT). His follow up "Its Time" followed a similar approach, but the choice of older material was less than inspired.

His latest effort (if you can call it that) “Call Me Irresponsible” just comes off bland and uninteresting. Maybe the novelty of the whole jazzy/swing trip has worn away, but I’ve really grown tired by his lack of innovation in the genre. I won’t accept the reasoning that just because its jazz, then you HAVE to sing a cover, or it HAS to sound dated. I would point sceptics towards Linas first album “Stranger on Earth” or Christinas “Back to Basics” for how brand new songs can have a jazzy or big band twist to them. Sadly, it seems as if Bublé is content to regurgitate album after album of covers, which is not an appealing thought, and a waste of talent as far as I’m concerned.

I still can’t fault his smooth voice, which handles the range he’s given quite admirably, but there’s the distinct sense that he’s not pushing himself vocally as much as he once was.

Unless it’s an absolute corker, I’ll be giving his next one a miss.

Bloody Melly

2007-06-10T15:56:00.000+01:00

APOCALYPTO

Mel Gibson sure seems to love his bloody epics, doesn’t he? And there’s no getting away from the fact that Apocalypto is pretty much non-stop violence from start to finish. It was brutal, raw and ultimately quite enjoyable!

The film takes a good while to get going, but that works in its favour, as it gives us plenty of time to get to know the main characters first. I know I must sound like a broken record at this stage, but the importance of setting up protagonists who the audience will actually care about cannot be overstated!! Thank god this fact is still understood by SOME filmmakers.

Gibson has come under a lot of fire for the way in which he depicted the Mayan civilisation, but I don’t think his aim was to give a true and accurate representation of this ancient culture. Instead, the Mayans are seen through the eyes of their captives, and as such, it’s natural that their view would be biased towards seeing them as frightening and evil. Some of the Mayans were perhaps made a little too moustache twirlingly evil for my liking, but there was at least some attempt to give them a bit of depth. A villain with motivation is far more frightening than one who’s evil for no reason.

The film itself was beautifully shot and the locations were breathtaking. The incredible costume design (especially where the Mayans were concerned) warrants a mention as well. Gibsons direction can’t be faulted, giving the sweeping scenes a feeling of awe and majesty. He manages to give the action a sense of urgency, without having to resort to the choppy editing that seems to dominate choreographed fight scenes nowadays. The last half hour of the film was a wonderfully paced, heart-stopping chase that left me gripping the arms of my chair.

Its certainly not for everyone’s tastes (especially if excessive violence and subtitles put you off), but its one I can definitely recommend.

Feel the magic, hear the roar

2007-06-10T15:54:00.001+01:00

My prayers have finally been answered! And no, I'm not referring to Jake Gyllenhaal lying on my bed wearing nothing but a big cheeky grin :P Thundercats (that classic 80s cartoon) is finally being made into a movie! The movie rights have recently been bought by Warner Brothers and they’ve already hired someone for the script.

I’ve always thought the show had huge potential for the big screen and it was really only a matter of time before some studio took a shot at it. I’m just hoping that they don’t go down the camp or childish route, as the show always struck me as being quite dark and scary when I was a wee lad.

Comeback Keri

2007-06-04T16:57:00.000+01:00

Brand spanking new pics of my fav girl Keri Russell promoting her latest flick Waitress in Interview magazine. Doesn't she look terrific ladies and gentlemen?

Shes serious like crazy

2007-06-04T16:41:00.000+01:00

N.B. ~ Natasha Bedingfield

Ah Natasha, how I’ve longed for your return. Her debut surprised me with its goodness and turned out to be one of my fav albums of 2004, so I was eagerly awaiting her follow-up.

Never one to play things safe, “N.B.” (fantastically clever name, by the way) is a bit of a mixed bag, much like the first. Like Pink, her style is still very fluid, mixing up rock, hip-hop and 80s electronic but she remains more or less true to pop throughout.

She seems to delight in being different with her sound and almost goes out of her way to create a sort of harmonic or rhythmic dissonance on certain tracks (the opener, with its “against the rhythm” drum beat, for example). It’s nothing if not refreshing. Sadly, she still hasn’t lost her penchant for daft lyrics. :P

Her voice can still sound a lil strained at times (even bordering on screechy in some places, as she struggles to reach those high notes), but she keeps it in check for the most part. What works in her favour is that her voice is deceptively emotive and does a great job of making the lyrics resonate.

Few of the tracks are as instantly likeable as those on “Unwritten”, and overall, the album probably isn’t as strong or coherent as her first. That said there are some cracking tunes on offer and I can tell that the album is definitely a grower. What I’ve always found interesting and unique about Natasha is her ability to surprise and take a song where you least expect it.

For those brave and bold enough to take the risk, “N.B.” is a distinctly different and thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Standout Tracks:

How Do You Do?
Soulmate
Who Knows
Pirate Bones
Backyard
(No More) What Ifs
Not Givin’ Up

Streets ahead

2007-06-04T16:37:00.000+01:00

Google has updated their Maps page to include an astonishing new feature. As well as the usual “Map” and “Satellite” view, there is now a “Street” view on offer.

Zoom in on a city (New York, for example), click on any of its streets and a pop-up window will appear that allows you to see things from the point of view of someone standing in the middle of the road. If you click and drag the picture, you’ll find that you can rotate your point of view a full 360 degrees!! :O It really is amazingly cool.

This impressive feat was accomplished by driving around the cities with a camera strapped to the car and then joining all the images together later. Understandably, given its colossal scope, this addition has only been applied to a handful of the larger cities in America. But I’m guessing we can look forward to something similar for all major cities in the years to come.

Flavour of the week - Francois Sagat

2007-05-29T19:03:00.000+01:00

Francois Sagat has the honour of being the very first (though I daresay not the last!) porn star to grace my blog. He may not be all that tall (5’9 I believe), but his flawless physique casts an impressive shadow. He tends to don a smouldering, almost intimidating look in his movies, which he excels at (amplified considerably by the beard he frequently grows). But what I find striking about this French beauty is how his menacing demeanour all but melts away when he smiles! :D

Brains, brains, use your brains

2007-05-29T18:44:00.000+01:00

28 WEEKS LATER

Compared to the first, 28 Weeks Later is bigger, faster and much gorier. After a terrifying opening sequence, the film settles into the aftermath of the events in the first film. American troops have been drafted in to oversee the gradual repopulation of Britain. But, as you can guess, things don’t go exactly to plan and another outbreak of the virus eventually ensues.

28 Weeks Later is an entirely different beast to Danny Boyles low key original. A heftier budget this time round allows events to take place on a much larger scale, with more infected and a much higher body count. There are some really big scares (at one point my popcorn nearly went in the air!) and a number of scenes were so disgusting that I actually had to look away.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the superfast editing though. Sometimes it was hard to make out exactly what was going on (though it did add to the overall this sense of confusion and panic during the crowd scenes, so it may have been intentional!).

The big let down was the complete disconnection with the characters. With 28 Days I quickly latched onto the protagonists and cared what fate they suffered, but 28 Weeks glosses over the characters and the film suffers because of it. Beyond the running and screaming, most of the actors have little to work with.

While nowhere as near good as the original, 28 Weeks Later is a worthy sequel and well worth a look, especially if you can experience it in the pitch dark of the cinema :D

Robotic Clones

2007-05-29T17:59:00.001+01:00

Considering the number of times I’ve been let down by Star Wars in recent years, I wonder if I’m setting myself up for a fall yet again. But the first teaser trailer for the new Clone Wars CGI TV series has just been released on StarWars.com and it looks ridiculously cool!

They’ve taken a simplified approach to the design of the characters, yet they are still instantly recognisable as their big screen counterparts. The animation is pretty slick and there’s something about hearing the unique sound effects that immediately takes me back to the movies. If you are even remotely a fan of the star wars universe, then hurry on over and check it out.

And for the perfect antithesis to this, take a gander at same site for the forthcoming Star Wars spoof by “Robot Chicken” creators Seth Green. It looks HIGH-larious.

PS: most of the clips can already be seen on youtube :D

Gallery of Rogues

2007-05-28T20:13:00.000+01:00

I wasn't too keen on Nolans restart to the Batman franchise, but I must say that his choice of casting for the sequel is shaping up quite nicely indeed! Maggie Gyllenhaal is far more appealing than Holmes as a love interest for Bruce Wayne and casting Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent (above) is absolutely inspired :D

I still haven't warmed to the idea of Heath Ledger as the Joker, but the new pic of him thats being doing the rounds online (also above) is refreshingly disturbing........just as the Joker should be ;)

Dont stop movin

2007-05-28T19:20:00.000+01:00

CRANK

Sometimes it’s good to just switch off the auld brain and watch something totally mindless. Such was the case with Crank. A hit man is injected with a killer drug and the only way to slow down its effects is to keep his adrenaline pumping. I think you’ll all agree, this is the set up for the perfect trashy action movie.

From the very opening scene, the film hits the ground running and its frantic pace never lets up. The direction is trippy and the editing is blisteringly fast (at times it felt as though *I* was the victim of some kind of drug-induced rush) and works perfectly in the context of the story.

Despite being a vicious killer with little regard for the lives of people or property, Jason Stathams character is oddly endearing. And Amy Smart (who I normally despise with all my heart and soul) is actually pretty decent here! Its without a doubt the best role she’s ever played :D

The whole film is silly to the extreme yet still manages to be hugely entertaining.

Sign of the times

2007-05-24T22:44:00.000+01:00

ZODIAC

( WARNING : SPOILERS )

I’m a HUGE fan of David Finchers work and hes made us wait five long years for his new movie (his last being Panic Room, which I loved). Zodiac is the story of a serial killer who terrorised the west coast of America during the 70s. This film spans whole decades and focuses on the men who became obsessed with catching the killer (the Zodiac of the title).

The film was, for me at least, a huge let down. It possessed none of the usual visual flair that makes Finchers movies so unique and interesting to watch (or perhaps they were so subtle that I didn’t even notice them!). While it felt nowhere near its three-hour running time, it plodded along at weary pace and bored me to the point of distraction. The story was a non-event and often felt like we were treading over the same points again and again. I was never quite sure of the tone of the movie either, as some parts felt quite unbalanced. The only thing I found interesting was in seeing how the progression through time was handled, with the subtle changes in costumes, cars, technology etc.

Hardly any of the characters were engaging (Mark Ruffalos in particular lacked any kind of depth), although I enjoyed Anthony Edwards performance (despite his painfully obvious wig :P ). And I’m tired of watching Robert Downey Jr. (an actor whom I’ve always respected) play the role of a drug and alcohol abuser, as it’s hardly a stretch for him at this point!

The motivation behind Jake Gyllenhaals character to try and catch the Zodiac seemed completely bizarre and was never sufficiently explained. Why would a cartoonist take up the job of hunting down a serial killer? Another niggling point (and maybe this was just me) was that it was hard to take him seriously as the father of two kids, considering how young he looked (he also seemed able to avoid the affects of aging as the film went on :P )

The most maddening thing was the lack of a proper conclusion. I understand that the story is based on real life, and as such it’s hard to wrap up everything in time for the credits, but why should we leave the cinema feeling as frustrated and unsatisfied as the men on the Zodiac case? *sigh*

The Last Goodbye

2007-05-24T21:07:00.000+01:00

Lets all take a moment of quiet reflection, Liberty X are sadly no more :( They were never taken seriously by fans or critics (or their record company, if the the promotion given to their last album is anything to go by!), but I always had a bit of a soft spot for them. God help them, they were nothing if not triers :D

I look forward to see which of them makes the biggest (and most desperate) attempt at a solo career. My money is on Kelli Young ;)

If you go down to the woods today

2007-05-24T20:41:00.000+01:00

SEVERANCE

Every once in a (long) while a film comes out of nowhere and completely bowls me over. Severance happened to be one of those films.

It started off with a bang, as most horror movies do, something to get the old juices flowing. Then come the introductions to our merry band of victims, each a nicely rounded stereotype for us to identify with. I found myself genuinely liking this group of actors, a mix of unknowns and famous(ish) faces. I feared the American actress Laura Harris would stick out like a sore thumb in a Brit flick, but she surprised me by gelling well with the rest of the cast. There were some wonderful character building moments and given the short run time, they all did a great job of endearing themselves to the viewer (a necessity in these genre of slasher horror movie).

The balance between comedy and horror was handled very well. And humour is a great device for luring the viewer into a false sense of security. If you are laughing one minute, it makes the scary part that follows all the more shocking and visceral! Some of the violence was tongue in cheek, but it still managed to be quite gory in parts.

Not taking itself at ALL seriously, this movie is pure entertainment and a perfect example of how a tired genre can be reinvigorated with a relatively tiny budget :D

Paddy last

2007-05-13T19:26:00.000+01:00

Well we all knew we were gonna crash and burn, but I don't think anyone expected us to come dead last in the Eurovision last night :O (except perhaps RTE, the clever folks who cunningly picked the group and style of song).

Now hows this for irony: up until the Irish vote, we were third last on the score table. We awarded points to the last and second last countries (the two below us), essentially pushing ourselves into last place!! I cant tell you how hard I laughed when that happened :D

And should we really thank Albania for giving us their “cinq points”? I think not. It would have been all the more brutal if we’d got nothing at all. 5 points was 5 more than we deserved, in my embittered opinion!!! :P

That’s not to say the rest of the entries were anything to get excited about. I thought Serbias winning song was bland at best. The Russians were far superior, having a current sounding song and a highly professional performance that didnt rely on gimmicks (unless you count the use of attractive jail bait as a gimmick :P ). It really was probably the only song I could see doing well on the charts.

Clearly RTE dont want us to host the Eurovision ever again, but it would be nice if we didnt do SO badly next time......

I wanna be sedated

2007-05-12T11:19:00.000+01:00

As Skeletor once said: "Everything comes to he who waits, and I have waited so VERY long for this moment".

Its only taken a mere twelve years for it to come round, but "the powers that be" have finally decided to release one of my fav shows EVER on DVD: "My So-Called Life"!!!! :D :D :D I'm sure that the clothes, the hair, the music and even the slang have dated horribly, but I just don't care, this is an essential purchase for anyone who was a teen in the 90s :P

When I watched that show, I felt as if the writers were reading my mind. The characters were like these kindred spirits who went through all the same weird self obsessing that I (and I assume everyone) went through while they're in school. It was like Claire Danes was living my life :P Except she got to hang around with Jared Leto *sigh*

A Korean delicacy

2007-05-07T18:18:00.000+01:00

THE HOST

Truth be told, I only picked this up this beauty in Xtra-Vision cause the cover art caught my eye. It turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than I expected. The movie is partly tongue-in-cheek, but because of the language barrier (and maybe my own ineptitude), I’ve always found it especially difficult to tell when Asian people are trying to be funny or sarcastic. Still, I found myself laughing at the most unexpected of moments :D

Where “The Host” succeeds (and practically every other movie I’ve seen lately has failed) is that they establish characters that I end up actually giving a damn about. When some of the central characters find themselves in jeopardy, I was overcome with a genuine sense of fear or tension. At times, I was literally holding my breath!

What I loved about the film was how it lulled you into a false sense of security at the start, which only makes the carnage that followed feel all the more shocking and brutal. The special effects looked quite ropey in parts, but I really must applaud the filmmakers for being so brave and bold with their use of outdoor effects shots. Having said that, the creature looked far more convincing during the interior scenes!

“The Host” is a surprisingly decent film and worth a look if you’re a fan of big giant monster movies! A word of warning though, I found the set up of the family in the movie to be terribly confusing. It took me a good half hour before I understood who was related to who, and in what way :P

Several frogs a leaping

2007-05-07T18:00:00.000+01:00

DISTRICT 13

Ah Luc Besson, to think that there was a time when I admired you :P

“District 13” was made only two years ago, but harkens back to the days of the trashy 80s buddy movies. A certain cheapness permeated the entire proceedings. There’s no point talking about plot or acting, cause that’s not what this film is about. Juvenile fun is the order of the day :D

The film is nothing more than an excuse to showcase the daring acrobatic abilities of David Belle. This is the man who invented the Parkour craze, an activity that involves plenty of springing off walls and hopping off roofs. Believe me when I say that its far more impressive than it sounds. The level of fitness required to pull off these stunts is mind-boggling! Even more surprising is the assurance that all these feats were achieved without the use of stunt doubles, special effects or wirework :P

“District 13” is a no-brainer of a movie and fans of martial arts flicks will find plenty to enjoy here. If for no other reason, I can recommend this movie purely on the basis of its two main protagonists. Both are SO impossibly attractive (but in completely different ways), that it beggars belief :D

On an aside, I should point out that the premise of this movie (trying to contain a violent area of Paris by simply building a wall around it) seemed like the most ridiculous thing in the world. But right after I watched I the movie, I saw a report on Sky News that showed that exactly the same thing has been done in some part of Iraq. I kid you not!!

Missed its (Marky) Mark

2007-05-07T17:51:00.000+01:00

SHOOTER

Its perhaps a little deceiving to tag this movie with the line “From the director of Training Day” as it bears no resemblance in tone or sophistication to the 2001 movie with Denzel and Ethan. From the trailer I imagined it to be something similar to an Arnie flick (back in his heyday). Sadly this film is neither realistic, nor tongue in cheek, but sits somewhere uncomfortably in-between. The film desperately wants to be taken seriously (as the straight faced performances would have us believe), but the dialogue is simply too preposterous. Some of Danny Glover’s lines are downright laughable.

I’ve always imagined Wahlberg would suit a “one man against the world” movie, and you can certainly see the potential here. And much like a fine wine, this man just seems to get sexier with age :P However, his characters demeanour is so icy and detached as he dispatches the various assailants, that after a while you loose all sympathy for his cause. Without the whimsical one-liners to lighten the mood (something Arnie did so well), the protagonist comes across as nothing but a cold-blooded murderer.

The acting is too uneven (all round), the plot is unbelievable and the film just drags on FOREVER. Just when you think its over, its keeps on going!! “Shooter” ran for 120 minutes, which in my opinion was 120 minutes too long!

Flavour of the week - Tobey Maguire

2007-05-06T13:29:00.000+01:00

Spiderman 3 came out this week, so it was inevitable that its protagonist would pop up on this blog. I've always been oddly attracted to Tobeys slightly off kilter appearance. Its the eyes, those perpetually sleepy looking eyes. I find them both alluring and kinda disturbing at the same time. You can never be quite sure what going on behind them..........

Dont look directly at it!

2007-05-06T13:22:00.000+01:00

SUNSHINE

The plot here is simple; in the future earths sun is dying and a group of multi-ethnic astronauts are sent in a spaceship to try and reignite it.

I think it’s hugely ironic that a film about the sun can be so darn cold. My main gripe is the same one I’ve been having with most films lately. The characters are totally flat and lifeless, completely devoid of emotion. Without any sense of the characters on screen, it’s nigh impossible to care for them or their plight.

Up to a point, the film maintains a fairly predictable plot, which borrows heavily from other spaced out movies like “Event Horizon” and “2010”. Towards the end, the tone shifts from being a tense sci-fi movie, to a horror flick. The shift is quite jarring and the thinking behind it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

On the plus side, the visuals are breathtaking. The ships design is fairly unique and the sun itself is beautifully realised.

Its a mini adventure

2007-05-06T13:16:00.000+01:00

In an effort to keep this blog a lil more active I’m going to try something new: SHORTER REVIEWS!! (“Brevity?! From Brian?! Surely not!” you cry :P ) I find that unless I’m tickled pink or angered beyond belief by a movie, I lack the inspiration to properly review it. Such a thing has happened with the past few films I’ve seen. Born out of this is my attempt to sum up my thoughts in a more concise manner! *sigh* Already my wordiness is making itself all too evident! (Just call me Polonius :P )

Flavour of the week - Mark Wahlberg

2007-04-20T20:37:00.000+01:00

Marky Mark was one of my first "bad boy" crushes. His most recent flick "Shooter" may be a damp squid of a movie, but as far as sex appeal goes, hes still got it :D

Theres Always Tomorrow (Except for Haley)

2007-04-17T23:02:00.000+01:00

I'll have to stop watching Idol while sitting by my PC, as I found myself distracted during some of the performances. Or maybe they just weren’t interesting enough to hold my attention! Biggest surprise this week was that I ended up LIKING J. Lo. I'm nowhere near her biggest fan. I despise her movies and have never bought any of her albums (even though I enjoy quite a few of her singles) and I totally believe she makes all those crazy diva demands. However, she came across damn well on the show. Not only did she appear normal and funny, but for someone who isn’t the best singer in the world, I think she managed to impart upon the Idols some valid and useful words of wisdom!

Like I expected, it was basically a Gloria Estefan week. I'm pretty sure they had one of those last year (or maybe it was the year before, seasons of Idol blend together after a while). And one thing about her songs is that they are deceptively difficult to sing. After hearing so many of the Idols mangling her songs last time, I had a newfound respect for Gloria. Shame that the current Idols this year didn’t learn from previous Idols mistakes.

And its not as if there’s a shortage of Latin themed songs for them to sing. Someone could have done an interesting take on a Shakira song (that is, SING one of her songs instead of wailing like a goat on it), but no. And no one even touched Ricki Martin or Enriqué (I'm not counting the group song in the finale). I'm probably forgetting tons of other obvious Latin artists. And what about poor Jenny from the Block herself? I know its a stretch to classify anything but her latest album "Latin", but I think they could have modified at least ONE of her old singles into something that came close to a Latin flavour. For me, everyone played it safe and almost everyone was boring as hell.

The girls...........blah blah blah. I normally cant fault Melinda, but her choosing of that song shows that she’s incapable or afraid to touch something even remotely modern (I'd have even taken an Estefan song in place of "Sway". While I do LOVE the song, I've heard a million better versions of it). And the rest of the girls all did Estefan. Lack of effort all round.

The boys were split. Phil and Chris R were simply boring, both choosing Santana numbers. Phil HAS to go next week, he just HAS to. Sanjaya made me hate myself just a little by being halfway decent. Which of course is going to guaranteed his safety. If he keeps this up, he'll be in the fecking final *sigh*. And Blake finally FINALLY decided to sing a song, instead of the usual "slow mime" he does and as a result, he sounded great. His was the only performance of the night I can say I actually enjoyed. Of course this means that it'll be doubly annoying next week if he goes back to his weird way of singing, now that we know he can actually sing properly.

The results.........well...........it had to happen, didn’t it? I really do think that if Haley had picked a different song, a more manageable song, she might have stayed this week instead of Phil. I love the song to bits, but it’s ridiculously hard to sing, being more of a vocal sprint than anything else. At least she held it together admirably for her performance at the end.

J. Lo gave the first truly memorable mentor performance of the season. Even though I haven’t a clue what she was singing, the meaning behind the words still managed to come through loud and clear, a testament to the passion she infused into the song. She showed up the Idols good and proper!!

And did Ryan say "country" is next week? I better break out my GEE-tar and get a-courting my cousin.

His strength is in his hair

2007-04-14T17:00:00.000+01:00

Life in Cartoon Motion ~ Mika

I had set myself up as a die hard Mika fan long before the album came out, having completely fallen in love with the man when I first heard his single “Grace Kelly” last year. Mika comes across as a pure pop artist whose unique vocal style and brash songs are a breath of fresh air at a time when music is becoming dominated by the resurgence of the ever so slightly same-y “reputable rock bands”.

Life in Cartoon Motion is an explosion of colourful ditties and maintains an unashamedly upbeat tone throughout. Though at times, the persistent cheeriness of the songs can wear on even the most tolerant of ears :P Mikas voice is quite a marvel to behold, able to leap tall octaves in a single bound and his wry lyrics suggest there’s plenty going on upstairs.

The album is unquestionably heaps of fun, but for me it lacked substance and didn’t quite live up to the potential of the first two singles. It tries way too hard to be different from the norm and the end result feels slightly indulgent in parts. Having musical freedom is all well and good, but some people can actually benefit from a little restraint :P

I think once Mika gets over trying to prove a point (“ooooooo, I refuse to conform and my sexual orientation is ambiguous, how you gonna deal with THAT?!”:D), we’ll be graced with a truly classic album from the man.

Standout Tracks:

Grace Kelly
Relax (Take it Easy)
Any Other World
Over Your Shoulder

The future is thin

2007-04-14T15:57:00.000+01:00

During the week, SONY unveiled two new super-thin TVs at its "Display 2007" show in Tokyo. The OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) screens on display were bearly there, at just 9mm and 3mm thick respectively. Watching Cowboy Bebop just yesterday (a show set in the distant future), I noticed that there were using similiar screens on their spaceship :P So for me at least, these kinds of screens are the epitome of what a futuristic product is. At the moment, the cost of manufacturing is prohibitive, so dont expect to see them in the shops any time soon. But when they do finally arrive, I'd say they'll be an absolute nightmare to package safely!

Wave goodbye to Sligh

2007-04-04T22:45:00.000+01:00

I found it pretty hard to get at all enthusiastic about this weeks Idol. When the standout performances are delivered by Gina and Phil, then you KNOW something’s just not right! The theme was “No Doubt songs, and artists that inspire Gwen Stefani”. Talk about contrived! :P I’m guessing that the No Doubt back catalogue alone wasn’t enough to sustain an entire show. But with themes as vague and malleable as this, it makes you wonder why they even bother having them at all at this stage.

The original reason behind the themes (before they started trawling in musical guests each week) was that it gave the show a bit of diversity and we got to see how the contestants could hold up when challenged with different musical genres. But lately they have found a way to make sure that most of the Idols never have to leave their comfort zone. As a result, you get similar performances from them, week after week. I’m all for artists putting their own spin on classic tracks, but when they doggedly refuse to try something different, then it smacks of laziness and they come across as a one trick pony. I’m betting the producers of the show are mostly to blame for this, but whatever the case, you end up with a show without any real surprises.

Besides the aforementioned Phil and Gina, the rest of the contestants were bland and uninteresting this week. Chris S’s performance was a disaster, and I was thrilled he was finally shunted off to hell, where he belongs. But Sanjaya (whos performance was one of the most uncomfortable couple of I’ve ever been witness to) appeared to sail through once again. Hes yet to even grace the bottom three! Its just so darn perplexing, what DO the American public see in him? >:(

Next week we will be subject to the annual “Big Band / Tony Bennet” theme. I’m convinced that Bennet has some SERIOUS dirt on Cowel :P Theres just no other way to explain his frequency of appearances on the show. I like “Big Band” alright, but hows about we get the likes of Michael Buble (who even has an upcoming album to promote!), instead of someone they have to defrost and defibrillate before each performance ;)

Lean, green, mean fighting machines

2007-04-04T22:43:00.000+01:00

TMNT

Ah Turtles; now that takes me back. I remember being mad about the toys (I had “Raphael” and my brother had “Leonardo”). We even had the “Turtle Van”! :D Of course I used to LOVE the cartoon as well, with its exceptional use of dangerous weapons and its killer theme song. And who can forget the classic Sega Megadrive Turtles game, closely modelled on “Streets of Rage” with its brilliant two-player co-op mode! Even the live action movies (with their freakishly realistic animatronic heads) had a huge impression on me when I was a wee lad. So you can imagine that I approached this movie with a certain level of nostalgia brewing in my bones.

The film wasn’t what I’d hoped for, but in saying that, I certainly wasn’t its intended audience. I hate to face facts, but I’m just not 10 anymore! :P From an adult perspective, I could scrutinise it and tear it apart, but I think that would be a little unfair to the movie. It would have been nice if they’d made it appeal to both kids AND adults (a small allowance for the hoards of original Turtle fans flocking to see it). But I certainly can’t take from it the fact that it was a fun movie and the writer/director Kevin Munroe stayed very true to the spirit of the original comics and cartoon :)

Brave first steps

2007-04-04T22:40:00.000+01:00

Massive, huge, gargantuan news people! EMI, one of the biggest music publishing companies in the world, has taken a brave step forward and is allowing its music to be sold online without DRM encoding built into the tracks. DRM (or Digital Rights Management) is a copyright protection feature enforced by all major labels when selling their musical wares online. It’s a restrictive piece of encoding that puts many people (myself included) off purchasing digital music online. Only downside is the slight increased price ($1.30, as opposed to $0.99 per track). But to offset this, songs will be encoded at a higher quality :D If this takes off, there’s a good chance that the rest of the major publishers will follow suit.

Tears of gold

2007-03-31T10:40:00.001+01:00

This weeks theme (60s British music) afforded the potential Idols a little bit more variety when it came to song choice. On the whole, everyone seemed a lot more comfortable with their songs and performance.

Standout of the night for me had to be Jordin. Her rendition of “I (Who Have Nothing)” almost gave me those elusive goose bumps that our Paula is so frequently afflicted with. After a few weeks of barely registering with me, Lakisha rocked my world, an absolute vision in emerald green. She’s still head and shoulders above most of the other contestants, but it seem as though the judges have finally grown tired of her consistently good performances. How long before Melinda suffers the same fate I wonder? Melinda herself was on the ball yet again, but she needs to mix it up a little next week, as her style the past few weeks has been a bit samey. Haley decided to show the world there was more to her than just a pretty face and brought out the big guns (namely her boobs and legs). Her performance wasn’t half bad either! :D Stephanie was utterly forgettable.

The guys hardly deserve a mention this week, yet again. Chris R was whiney, Blake came off sleazy, Chris S is the devil, Phil was all OVER the place and Sanjaya was atrocious.

If there was any justice in the world, it should have been Phil, Sanjaya and Stephenie in the bottom three, with Sanjaya being sent home. Instead it was Chris R and Stephenie with the lowest votes, with Steph eventually being sent on her merry way.
I don’t quite understand how Sanjaya survives the voting each and every week. It’s as though he has some sort of dark god on his side, a god who sees fit to punish us with countless uninspired performances and daring new hairdos. Maybe Sanjayas the price we pay for watching a show as soulless as Idol….

Special mention has to go to the crying girl in the audience, who got more screen time during Sanjayas performance than Sanjaya himself :P

The sky is falling

2007-03-31T10:39:00.001+01:00

I planned on raving about the upcoming “Stardust” movie a while ago, but the bootleg trailer was quickly pulled from YouTube. Thankfully, an official trailer has now been released! The fantasy flick, based on a brilliant novel by Neil Gaiman, is directed by Matthew Vaughn and populated by an all star cast including: Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ian McKellen, Peter O’Toole, Rupert Everett and Sienna Miller. The film is out here in October and the trailer can be found below. I can only hope that Gaimans unique sense of weird and wonderful remains intact in the film :D

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/stardust.html

So much blood, yet so little heart

2007-03-31T10:37:00.000+01:00

300

March is typically a haven for all the movies that studios feel wont stand up against the average summer blockbuster. So it’s surprising to find “300” in among this bunch, considering the hype it’s generated online over the past four or five months. That said, it pretty much has the box office all to itself for the next couple of weeks, so maybe the early release worked in its favour.

“300” is the latest in a long line of comic book adaptations. This is the second one (after Sin City) to be based on a Frank Miller graphic novel, which itself is loosely based on the tale of “The Battle of Thermopylae”. The film all boils down to a gritty battle between a massive invading Persian army and a relatively small band of Spartan warriors (300 to be exact, giving the film its title). In this story, the Spartans are the good guys and the Persians are the bad guys, it’s a simple as that.

Sadly, there is very little to this film besides the glorious fighting. The plot is more or less straightforward, even a little predicable (especially for those who are already familiar with the classic tale). The films brisk pace means that there is little or no time to really establish any central characters (beyond the king and queen). So it’s hard to care about the lives of the 300 Spartans when there are no emotional ties to any of the characters onscreen.

As for acting, it takes a strong presence to stand out amongst all the CGI backgrounds, yet Gerard Butler (playing the lead, King Leonidas) manages to do just that. He not only commands his men, but commands the screen at all times. Lena Heady, playing the only woman in the movie (Queen Gorgo) was merely adequate. Dominic West was equally disappointing. David Wenham made a decent narrator though :P

Much has been written of late on how the film appears to demonise the Persians, and some see it as western propaganda against Iranians. Maybe it’s my own ignorance, but I never once associated the present Iraqi or Arab nations with the Persians in “300”. This film is definitely more of a fantasy more, than a historical epic. During the battle we are bombarded by fantastical creatures that wouldn’t look out of place in a Lord of the Rings movie, so I don’t think anything presented could ever be taken literally.

The most notable aspect of “300” are its stunning visuals. As with Sin City, “300” draws huge inspiration from the style of art in the original comic and a huge amount of work has gone into making the scenes as visually arresting as Frank Millers bold lines and colours. Given the huge amount of post production work, it’s a very impressive directorial feat, especially considering its only Zack Snyders second ever picture. Shooting the actors against a green screen gave the director enormous creative freedom to incorporate some truly breathtaking vistas. The grainy look of the movie allowed the CGI effects to blend together with the actors and backgrounds more convincingly. Every frame has been manipulated in some way (be it the colour, the lighting, or the backgrounds) and the result is like a comic book brought to life. The fight scenes are choreographed exquisitely. But despite the sheer amount of violence on display, there is a distinct lack of horror to the proceedings. The raw brutality of battle feels muted by some of the directorial flushes (the slow-mo shots, for example).

“300” is a marvel to watch, and needs to be seen in the cinema to really appreciate the grandeur of the visuals. But without any meaningful or worthy characters, the film lacks any emotional resonance.

The Good:

The score: Tyler Bates orchestral and rock rhythms provide as much drive and force as the Persian army onscreen.
The visuals: Breathtaking shots, beautifully realised.

The Bad:

The script: The whole point of the movie is that we root for the underdogs, but with little or no characterisation, its hard to feel anything for the outnumbered Spartans.

Ross is "The Boss"

2007-03-23T12:15:00.001Z

To kickstart what I consider to be the first proper show of the season, Idol wheeled in Diana Ross to “mentor” the contestants. Let us put aside the fact that she was only there to promote her new material and her upcoming concert. Let us also ignore her recent crazy brushes with the law. And let us also choose to forget that she hasn’t had a song that even borders on a hit for as long as I can remember. This is Diana Ross y’all. THE Diana Ross. She is the epitome of the word “Legend”. To top it off, she looks not a day over 30 and STILL has that famous mop of hair exploding out of her head. Ms. Ross decided to take on a maternal role in the lives of the contestants. She managed to impart sage advice to some and trite one-liners to others. This mother clearly had her favourites :P

As far as weeks go, I’d say this was a tough one for most of the contestants. I’ve found that Diana Ross songs (much like those by Stevie Wonder) just sound plain wrong when sung by other people. Not just cause they are such classics, but also cause she has a unique sound to her voice.

As is becoming a sad sorry trend, the girls walked all over guys once more this week. Melinda and Lakisha performed liked seasoned veterans and OWNED the stage. Gina surprised me this week with a strong, almost rocking routine. Pretty Ugly Betty left me a lil cold, but I still love her. The only interesting thing about Stephanies performance was hearing Paulas surprisingly bitchy “that’s what arranging is for” comment at the end. I’m really loving Paula this season. She can go from a blubbering emotional wreck to a scathing judge in the blink of an eye. Whatever med level they have her on at the mo, its working wonders. And our poor poor Hayley was a mess.

The guys went from bland to worse. Phil was good, as usual, but still looked terribly uncomfortable on stage. Blake tried to “do his thang” but the result sounded decidedly 80s. Chris S. made a stab at sounding original too, but the song (a classic) came out almost unrecognisable. His barely hidden hissy fit after the judges comments has rooted him firmly in my “hate column”. Chris R, another guy who started off so well in the contest, decided to murder one of my favourite Ross songs with an incredibly nasal vocal. Brandon was completely forgettable, so much so that even the lyrics abandoned him. At this point, the less said about Sanjaya, the better.

The results weren’t too much of a surprise. I’d only disagree with Phil in the bottom three, and I would have preferred Sanjaya to go home this week. But I’m not going to loose any sleep over Brandons early departure.

I have to give Ross credit for her performance. She as old as time itself, but still managed to sing live, mostly in tune, prance around the stage and look amazing, all at the same time (which is more than most of the contestants could do!). Most of all, she looked like she was genuinely enjoying herself (again, something few of the contestants were able to achieve!) The song wasn’t anything special, but the chorus was simple enough and repeated enough times to allow others to sing along to it.

Next week is the British Invasion. The attack is being led by Lulu and I predict many casualties. I’m praying theres a distinct “Austin Powers” motif running through the show :D

Highlight of the show: Ryans Nana :D

Flavour of the week - Anton Antipov

2007-03-23T11:55:00.000Z

Here are the many faces of Mister Antipov, who seems to be popping up all over the net of late :)

Here America, are your final 12

2007-03-15T20:21:00.000Z

Idol Knockouts, round three:

The guys were uniformly boring this week. Even the reliables from previous weeks barely registered.

As before, the girls were noticeably better. Jordin opened with a rousing performance, throwing shapes left right and centre, giving the camera plenty of attitude. This was her best week so far, and I think she stands a good chance in future rounds. Melinda burst our on stage with a hugely enjoyable song and pulled off another stormer. The rest of the girls held their own, but none really warrant a mention.

The results of the guys elimination were acceptable. I couldn’t stand Sundance and Jared was duller than a dead mule. After a little bit of thinking, I’m glad Sanjaya got in, but never in a million years thought he’d make it. Despite showing promise in the early rounds, his recent weeks have been totally lack lustre affairs. He’ll have to really up his game next week if he expects to make it into the final ten.
That Antonella was going home was a foregone conclusion, but I was hugely miffed that Sabrina didn’t get through. This is the first week since she started where her performance was less than stellar, but she was still far better than some of the other girls and MOST of the other guys.

I think Sabrina’s ejection from the show calls into question the fairness of the shows existing format. Given the huge imbalance in talent between the guys and the girls this season, maybe the shows creators should ditch the rule that an equal number of both genders make it through to the final twelve.

Home away from home

2007-03-15T20:18:00.000Z

Sony have gone and done something I never thought possible. They have made me take an interest in their PS3 console!

At the recent Games Developers Conference, Sony announced the upcoming format of its PS3 online community, simply called “Home”. Sony have learned from Microsoft’s hugely successful “Xbox Live” approach, and decided to take a quantum leap forward. Reminiscent of the website “Secondlife.com”, “Home” is an online virtual world, created by Sony and populated by its PS3 gamers. Each gamer is represented by a detailed and fully customisable 3D person (or avatar). The look of each avatar can be modified to such an extent that the end result will be a fairly good approximation of the gamer themselves.

Gamers (using their avatars) can interact with each other through a wide variety of ways. There is straightforward chatting using Bluetooth headsets. Text can be entered through a USB keyboard, virtual onscreen keyboard or via onscreen “QuickText” (pre-prepared short messages), or simply by user-friendly emoticons.

Sony have created a number of areas and rooms for gamers to congregate in. The largest of these is The “Central Lounge”. The “Games Space” is an area choc full of free mini-games. There is also a “Hall of Fame” where gamers keep and display (publically or privately) 3D trophies representing their gaming achievements. The list of these will no doubt expand as the service itself gains in momentum. Sony has also stated that the graphical quality of its virtual world will increase over time.

Each gamer has their very own private residence called “Apartment Space”. Other gamers can only enter when invited. Like the game “The Sims”, a persons home can be modified to suit your own style and taste and furniture can even be purchased to make your home your own :D

Gamers can upload their own music, pictures and movies to their virtual home from their PS3 hard drive or memory stick. If you were to invite other gamers into your virtual house, they can then enjoy your music being played through your virtual stereo or your videos played through your virtual TV. The extent of your virtual existence is really quite terrifying!

The service will be rolled out in a Beta version over the next month and the final product will be released later in the year. For more information on “Home”, visit:

PS3.ign.com

With the introduction of “Home”, I really do believe we are making the next tentative steps towards online communities as seen in shows like “Ghost in the Shell”. And the nerd in me welcomes such a move :D

Couldn't give a flock

2007-03-06T20:40:00.000Z

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The less time I devote to this review, the better, as it has ROBBED me of almost three hours of my life already. Despite a strong cast, a long development process and heaps of critical praise, I found this movie to be one of the dullest I’ve ever seen in my entire life. As far as pointless movies go, its on a par with “The New World”, a feat of boredom I never thought could be equalled. But Robert DeNiro has proved me wrong, so very very wrong.

Matt Damon plays the lead, a man so cold and stone-faced, you’d wonder what the hell attracted ANY woman to him, let alone Angelia Jolie. And its this shell of a man that was chosen to drag us kicking and screaming through the convoluted, time-shifting plot. I must admit, throughout most of the movie I was clueless as to what was going on. I kept getting the impression SOMETHING significant was happening, but I could never quite figure out what it was. The dialogue gave no insight whatsoever into the personalities of the characters. And the code-speak used throughout the film was extremely infuriating >:( It was less like a movie and more like a test of an audience’s patience.

See it at your peril.

Flavour of the week - Bradley Cooper

2007-03-06T20:21:00.000Z

Even though his show Kitchen Confidential was taken off the air after just 4 freakin episodes, Bradley fans will get to experience more of his culinary hi-jinks when all 11 episodes are released on DVD in May. Let us give thanks :D