Film review: RocknRolla

RocknRolla @ IMDB

Oh, Guy Ritchie. You poor fool.

I remember when Lock, Stock first came out and he was hailed as some kind of genius saviour of the British film industry. And, in a way, he was. His debut film really reinvigorated British films and got people interested in them again.

But, at the same time, he killed his career.

Harsh? No, because he was now typecast and stuck in the 'Geezer' genre of film. Snatch, despite being a good film, didn't do anything to dispute this.

His attempts to move beyond this, Swept Away and Revolver*, failed miserably.

So, we come to Rocknrolla. Lock Stock 3? Pretty much.

We have the usual group of wideboys and gangsters duckin' and divin' and what not. The plot is pretty much dead in the water, something to do with property and a missing painting and the Russian mafia.

This is the main problem with the film: the plot requires a lot of talking. So for the first few reels nothing happens. Once the film decides that, you know what, the plot doesn't really matter then it becomes enjoyable.

And say what you like about him, but Guy Ritchie can make a good looking film. It does look great with the high point being a botched heist followed by a chase in the middle of the film. That bit is really good.

It tries, it really does. Everyone is being cheeky geezer cockney sparrows but they are all enjoyable performances. The problem is that Guy Ritchie (as the writer) seems enamoured with these rambling monologues that try to say profound things but tend to ramble on. If the film was as tight and as focused as the heist in the middle it would have been a great film. But it isn't. It's good.

The end teases a sequel. A bad thing? Possibly not.

In a word? Geezer.



* Now, I haven't seen either of these films but the reviews I have read have been scathing. In fact, Mark Kermode referred to Revolver as one of the worst films to be released in the entire 21st century, despite it being only 2008.

Oh, come on

Seriously? Is that your best excuse? Global Warming. Nice.

I'm going try that one. "Sorry dear, couldn't get the shopping you wanted, global warming".

That one would get me a smack in the mouth, I'm sure of it.

Film review: Surfs up!

Surf's Up @ IMDB

You know what, I always thought this was a spin off of Happy Feet.

Apparently it was developed entirely separatley at the same time, just pure co-incidence. It was, of course, the dancing penguins that got all the press whilst this film was kind of pushed to the side.

This is a shame really as in many ways this is the superior film. It even got nominated for an Oscar for the Best Animated film.

So, we have penguins. In this case, surfing penguins. So far so cute. But here's the rub: the film is setup like a documentary as we follow one penguin's dream to enter a big surfing contest named after his surfing idol, Big Z.

The documentary setting immediatley sets it apart from all the other kids CGI films and gives it a breath of fresh air. They throw in roughed up old footage, photos, everything to complete the illusion of this being filmed on the hoof and assembled in an edit suite.

The voice acting is good (Jeff Bridges gives us a penguin version of The Dude, Shia LeBouef does his usual thing) and the humour is funny. It must have helped that one of the directors worked on Toy Story which further proves that it takes Pixar (or even someone who used to work there) to really understand CG kids films and make them into something special.

Very enjoyable.

In a word? Tubular.

Who decided to call it Big Bang Day?

Hopefully seeing The Pineapple Express tonight, that is of course if the world doesn't end.

Good luck everyone!

I don't know what's going on, but I want it

Uh oh.

A trifle worrying. Thankfully The Duchess isn't in the model series affected so we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

That is, of course, on the assumption that the screen isn't going to break again.

Didn't believe my Speed Racer review?

Argue with that, if you dare.

Wrestling is awesome

Stop the chairs. Heh.

Now that's sad

The trailer voice man is dead.

Boo!

Film review: Hellboy II The Golden Army

Hellboy II: The Golden Army @ IMDB

How many comic book films have we seen this year? It's crazy. It wasn't that long ago they on the level of something like Steel. Something to make fast, on the cheap that would soon vanish into rental Hell.

Now we get films like Hellboy II that are practically baroque works of art.

I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit.

Hellboy returns, now with a girlfriend but still the same gruff attitude and some more bad guys to beat up.

That's my main issue with the film; the bad guys. Not that I'm bashing Luke Goss, you understand. But you never got a good feel for them, they didn't dominate the story. The fairy tale creatures and the world created is great but there was just something missing in the last third.

But it's still a great film. It's truly a character piece wrapped up in comic book clothes with a big red horned guy at the centre.

Ron Pearlmen is great as Hellboy, he fits the character like a glove and it shows. The support is also great, they bicker like real people and no one lets the side down. Everyone has room to shine, especially Doug Jones under his own latex as Abe Sapien. It's also really funny. The action is good too.

You can tell where the budget really went though: set and chacater design.

It's stunning. There a ton of animatronic characters and practical effects that look amazing. The chacaters visit a Market full of trolls and Lord knows what else that really makes the film. A whole world is created from pretty much the ground up that is faultlessly presented. It's nothin like what you would normally see in the cinema, let alone just comic book films. It's surreal and grotesqe and visionary.

It also bodes well for the director's version of The Hobbit.

So I really liked it. While it's not perfect I wouldn't hear a word against it. It's also nicely teed up for a third film that I'm very much hoping will be made.

Also, it has the best use of a Barry Manilow song for quite some time.

In a word? Devilish.

They should have called it The Webminator

This looks interesting, at least in a Google-Trying-To-Take-Over-Everything-But-Look-Nice-About-It kind of way. They even roped in comic auteur Scott McCloud to promote it.

It's probably been coming a while and I will try it to see how all the other Google bits and bobs fit into it. But I've already got Firefox and can't get rid of Internet Explorer and I downloaded Safari as well and I quite liked the look of that social web browser so do I really need another one?

Major problem? Chrome. Not a great name.

What I really need is a bigger hard drive for my PS3. Those demos fill it up super quick.

Film review: Speed Racer

Speed Racer @ IMDB

Remember when The Wachowski Brothers ruled the world? This will be the 18 months of so after first Matrix when everyone thought they were amazing and it sold loads of DVDs and everyone was happy.

Two sequels later and everyone hates them.

Shame. Because everyone seems to be lining up to give Speed Racer a kicking when it doesn't really deserve it.

The eponymous Speed Racer is race car driver in a racing obsessed world living in the shadow of his brother, Rex Racer, who died racing in a race car accident. After making a name for himself on the track the big teams want to hire Speed to race for them. But are they all they seem?

The problem we have, not just with this film but with The Wachowski's themselves, is that no one will tell them no. The Matrix made sooo much money they just do what they want and no one tells them otherwise. Sometimes this is good, sometimes this is bad.

It's good in this film because no one else would make a film that looks like this. The original anime the film is based is replicated on the screen to an amazing level. This isn't just the vehicles, which we will get to later, but the overall look of the film. Colours pop off the screen like nothing else. It looks amazing.

And then the cars start racing.

What they have done is taken the car chase sequence from The Matrix Reloaded and taken it to insane levels. The cars spin around the track, leap in the air and barrel roll. It's totally seamless and totally amazing.

What is not so good is when they start talking. Whilst the dialogue isn't as cringe worthy as some of The Matrix Revolutions, it's not great. It's supposed to be a kids film but when you get scenes digging into the intricacies of corporate sponsorship and it's place in sport, I started zoning out and I'm an adult.

And then there is Spritle.

Every now and then you get a film character that seems to have been placed into a film with the sole intention of bringing the whole thing crashing to the floor. There was Chris Tucker in The Fifth Element, Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace and now Spritle.

He's supposed to be comedy value. I understand this. He's teamed with a monkey, and I have no problem with monkeys. But whenever he crops up he just destroys the pace of the film, all of his jokes fall flat and he is very annoying. If I were to ever buy this on DVD I would rip it onto my computer, edit him out and then burn it back on to DVD. Not even the bit when he's playing Freebird could save him.

And that's the problem: if they had a producer that would stand up to them things like this wouldn't happen and the film would be a lot better for it.

I really enjoyed it. It doesn't deserve the kicking it's had. My son sat through the whole film which is a not inconsiderable 137 minutes long. Not a masterpiece but it's not as bad as the Matrix sequels. Which is always a good thing.

In a word? Zoom.

I do dream of muffins

Film review: Get Smart

Get Smart @ IMDB

Now, I don't know about anyone else but I actually remember watching this TV show. Not when it originally aired in the 60s, mind you, despite what the Wife says about my age.

No, you see Channel 4 when I was growing up used to show cheap US TV shows in the afternoon after school. They didn't have a children's department like CBBC or CITV to make their own shows. So they'd show old episodes of The Munsters or Batman or Mork & Mindy. And, Get Smart.

Not that I remember it that much. All I really remember is the title sequence. And that it's about a bumbling secret agent fighting villainous criminal organisations.

Does this make it an ideal series to reinterpret for the big screen? Yes and No. No, because it' not that well remembered outside of the US so there's no in-built audience. Yes, because of the fact it's not that well remembered you can take some liberties without the fan base going crazy.

So, we have Steve Carell as Maxell Smart, an analyst who dreams of becoming a full agent for CONTROL. Let's hope that CONTROL's nemesis, KAOS, isn't hatching a plot to expose the identities of all the CONTROL agents so they can hold the US government to ransom and the only way the plan can be foiled is if newly promoted Agents are sent out into the field.

Oh, wait.

To be honest, I should have been more worried about seeing this film. The last big budget Steve Carell comedy died very publicly on it's ass. But he has a very engaging screen presence that makes you laugh and can carry the comedic and emotional burden of the film.

It's not great. The plot is a little scatter shot but you can't get too picky because it is very enjoyable. You get some great little character comedy, especially with Alan Arkin as the Chief of CONTROL. It also works in that they don't make Maxwell Smart a complete incompetent. He's an idiot, like most of us are, but it's not ridiculously over the top. Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 doesn't let the side down and The Rock needs to be cast in a decent film soon as he has great comedic potential.

Is it better than the original TV show? That's not the point. The film can pretty much stand on it's own two feet and whilst it's not breaking any boundaries, it's a good piece of fun.

In a word? Hoot.

Warning, Controversy Ahead

This is pretty impressive. But, frankly, the researchers should ignore the disabled and get to work on building my robuit suit. It'll be just like Appleseed!

Because THAT'S a good idea.

So, we're all pretty much agreed that Superman Returns didn't quite hit the mark.

But does it really need to be re-booted as a dark version of Superman? Really?

That's not what Superman is about. It should be about wonder and heroics. The best Superman story in the last ten years is Grant Morrison's All Star Superman and that doesn't have to rely on the tired grim and gritty approach to Superheroes. All it does rely on are the core Superman concepts and good writing.

So none of this gritty nonsense please. That's what we have Frank Miller for.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sorry, shouldn't laugh.

Film review: Underdog

Underdog @ IMDB

My tour of the current state of kids films continues unabated, now we venture back into the live action talking animal genre. Considering the last time we wandered down this surprisingly dark alley it was for Alvin and The Chipmunks, also starring Jason Lee, we should probably be concerned.

This time, rather than being cast as an actual human, he's the voice of the eponymous Underdog. An ex-police dog gifted with super-powers following a lab accident, can Underdog protect the city and find a new family?

Of course he can. This is a kids film. But it's no where near as bad as The Chipmunks. I'm not really sure why.

It's not like the nostalgia factor works outside of the US. This film falls into a strange sub-genre of live action cartoon re-makes, specifically US cartoons from the 50s and 60s. This isn't a great sub-genre as other films in it include Rocky & Bullwinkle and George of The Jungle. The only Underdog cartoon I've ever seen was the highlights in the opening credits.

Perhaps it's because Underdog isn't as annoying as the Chipmunks. Lee's usual laconic drawl works quite well in canine form and the special effects are quite good. The human cast, however, is the usual sketched in roles that don't really go anywhere.

The casting itself is, however, a bit interesting. You've got James Belushi cast as the Father of the family so right there you've got a reference to K-9. The main bad guy is great. He's previously been in several indie films but here he really goes for it as the villain. He's chewing scenery as fast as they can build it and he's almost worth the price of entry alone.

So, we seem to be on a sliding scale. Each week gets a bit better and whilst Underdog is no Wall-E it's still an enjoyable film. The main moral to take away from this film is probably only watch Jason Lee in a kid's film if he's the voice of an animal rather than one of the human cast.

In a word? Barking.

Sorry.

Film review: Horton Hears a Who

Horton Hears a Who @ IMDB

Now, when I was a kid, hand drawn animation was king

Well, to be fair, Disney was all but dead on it's feet, cartoons on TV were being shopped out to cheap Far East animation houses to churn out 30 minute toy adverts and hardly anyone was putting out any animated feature films.

Then a couple of things happened: The Little Mermaid (which revitalized Disney and animated features in general) and Toy Story (which proved that 3D animation could work in the cinema).

So had a lot of studios looking at the success Disney was having with Mermaid, Aladdin, Lion King etc and set up their own animation houses but when Toy Story came along heads were turned again. It was a combination of animated kids films being again critically and (more importantly) commercially successful plus a new medium that wasn't as labour intensive as hand drawn animation.

This short recap is why we have had the glut of 3D films over the last few years which brings us to Horton Hears a Who.

Based on the story by Dr Seuss, it is about Horton the elephant who finds a spec upon which is an entire world, lived in the Whos.

Dr Seuss hasn't had a great time of it in recent times in the cinema. We've had the two live action adaptations, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in The Hat. Both far from ideal. Why?

Simple. The worlds created in the films looked...flat. The artwork is the Suess stories is wildly surreal which is never quite carried off in the previous films.

This film, however, nails the look of the books perfect. It is for reasons like this that 3D animation proves why it has grown to dominate the animated world. The scope of movement and design is fantastic. But, the problem with all these 3D animated films is that they just don't try. Whilst Pixar is out there really pushing what you can do in an animated film for kids, most just don't bother. They get the cute animals, a few throwaway references for the adults watching, wrap it up in a mice moral package and there you go.

Which is what Horton suffers from. It's not bad: it bounds along, some of the set pieces are funny, it looks great, the message is delivered nicely (if repeatedly) but it just doesn't get to the heights of a Pixar film.

But again, this is not aimed at me and my son loved it. And the monkeys were really funny but then monkeys always are.

In a word? Pleasant.

Even more weirder than it looks

Oookay.

Japanese title songs are just...better

The game is pretty awesome as well.

The Best Room Ever

Seriously, The Best Room Ever.

That place would be a car-booters dream.

Pardon?

Really?

Is that a fact is it?

Then would someone mind telling BT. Cheers.

It's grim up North. FOR REAL.

Nice.

So it's basically going to be like Doomsday but a lot further South.

Film review: Alvin and The Chipmunks

Alvin and The Chipmunks @ IMDB

My son likes going to the cinema. And I like taking him, not only because he should enjoy going to the cinema but also because my nearest cinema shows kids films on a Saturday morning for £1 a ticket.

The problem is this: not every kids film is made by Pixar. Case in point: Alvin and The Chipmunks.

It's just so...meh. It's so meh I can't be bothered to repeat the plot, what little there is. I remember some singing chipmunks getting into some hi-jinks with people talking in between. I think.

It's not that it's bad, there's just no ambition. I think it's trying to make a statement about the treadmill like nature of the modern music industry using the Chipmunks as a metaphor for the young talents sucked into the materialistic, money obssesed mainstream pop machine.

Tries to. All you really get is the aforementioned hi-jinks and the talking and that's about it.

Basically, it's a by the book kids film so it's not aimed at me. My son however loved it. So there you go, like in every Spielberg film you should ignore the adult and listen to the children.

Just let it be known that you were warned.

In a word? Yawn.

Wa-hoo!

Happy with that. It is a great game but does look a bit bobbins these days. Hopefully the PS3 will make it so that buildings don't randomly appear when you're three feet away from them.

No one thinks outside of the box these days

I don't understand, why is this a problem?

Have these people never seen Enchanted?

Most Bestest Keyboard EVER

That's all kinds of crazy.

Film review: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight @ IMDB

We've had a lot of Comic Book films this year and most have been really good. But all of the review have had a little caveat at the end, normally along the lines of "this film is really good and is the best comic film but The Dark Knight is out later this year".

It's fair to say that the hype for this film has been immense. The reboot of the Batman franchise was a critical success so that was creating a lot of expectations anyway. The viral marketing campaign was drawing them in then you have Heath Ledger's death and everything seems to have gone through the roof.

It's an awful lot of weight to put on one film and when this happens they usually collapse: see Star Wars Prequels, Matrix sequels, Superman Returns, etc.

Luckily, this film has some very broad shoulders.

So, we have Batman continuing his battle against the Gotham Criminal Underworld now helped by the new District Attorney Harvey Dent. Perhaps Harvey can take over the fight and Batman can retire?

Not if The Joker has anything to say about it.

We'll get it out of the way first: Heath Ledger is really good. Really good.

So is everyone else. The returning cast seem very comfortable in their roles and the new members don't let the side down. Aaron Eckhart* as Harvey Dent is great, Maggie Gyllenhall should have been cast in the first film and Heath Ledger is, again, really good.

But it's no point having a great cast if the film itself is rubbish and, thankfully, that is not the case here. Christopher Nolan has crafted a complex, deep film about heroism and what it means and what happens when heroes fall. It is a meaty film with the running time to match. That's not a bad thing because it give the film room to breathe. It's a very measured film, it doesn't have a breakneck pace but it doesn't need to.

So, we have great performances, an excellent story, an amazing score. Perfect film? Pretty much. There is a Bat-Gadget introduced at the end that very nearly destroys the air of realism built over the two films. Some may flinch at the running time. It's still a guy dressed as a bat beating people up so if you don't buy into that then the film doesn't work.

In a word? Dynamic.


* He's not a household name but we like Aaron Eckhart films in the Doyle Household. Well, it's only really The Core, one of the most scientifically incorrect (allegedly) films ever made but great fun.

Holy Bat-Curse!

Let's examine the facts:

1) Heath Ledger dies.

2) Christian Bale beats up several family members

3) Morgan Freeman gets himself into a car crash.

The first and third one do look a bit curse-ish but you can't really justify opening a can of whoop-ass on your Mum by saying you were cursed.

Can you?

Film review: Wall-E

Wall-E @ IMDB

I think we can all agree at this point that Pixar make really really good films. Has there ever been a bad Pixar film? Even the worst Pixar film is better than the majority of animated dross that gets thrown at us.

So when I say that the new Pixar film is one of, if not the best Pixar film then it's pretty damn good.

Wall-E is a robot that has been left alone cleaning Earth for 700 years. His best friend is a cockroach and he spends his evening watching Hello Dolly and waiting for...something. Then another robot named EVE arrives and Wall-E< falls in love.

Toy Story changed cinema when it was released but comparing it to Wall-E is like comparing a cave painting to a Van Gough. It looks amazing. Previous Pixar films have made various leaps in 3D technology; the hair in Monster's Inc, the water in Finding Nemo, the food in Ratatouille. What Wall-E really advances is the 3D camera itself. It looks like it was filmed. The depth of field and movement is astoundingly realistic. Couple that with the overall design, including Wall-E himself and you have one amazing looking film.

And it's so different as well. You get the feeling this is Pixar really flexing their creative freedom. How many other merchandising juggernauts have no words spoken for the first 40 minutes? There's live action footage thrown in there as well. It's so different than the usual kids films like Madagascar or Ice Age.

One might argue that the story gets reigned in once Wall-E gets into space and meets the Humans but that's not a problem. You get so drawn into the relationship between the two robot leads that you get swept along.

It's simply a great film. And my son, not yet four years old, sat through the whole film entranced. That's all you need to know really.

Two final points: the end credits are amazing. Before the film starts there is the traditional Pixar short film and this one is a corker. Absolutely hilarious.

In a word? Astounding.

Top Down Cloverfield? I'm There

Wow. This looks ace.

I saw a trailer for this a while ago and assumed it would only come out on Japan but the trailer is now up on the European PlayStation Store which is a good sign.

Basically, the game uses hi-res Google Maps of various cities. You have to guide a group of people through the streets whilst avoiding monsters trying to eat them.

I like monsters. Sounds way fun.

Film review: Wanted

Wanted @ IMDB

What's been great about this Summer Blockbuster season is how good and< popular the Comic Book Films have been. But what has also been great is how they've stuck close to the original stories and really respected the< creators and their creations.

Then we get to Wanted.

Wanted the comic written by Comic Legend Mark Millar with art by the incomparable J G Jones. It pains me to say that I haven't read it yet but I do know it's about a young man who finds out that his Father was a super-villain who, years ago, had banded together with other super-villains, killed all the heroes and took over the world.

Wanted the film is about a young man who finds out his Father was a member of a covert team of assassins who kill people.

Bit of a tonal shift there.

Importantly, the creators were aware of the changes and had no problems with them. Bit of a shame, but lets look at the film on it's own merits.

What we have here is a throwback to the days when Riggs and Murtagh ruled the Box Office. You've got violence, gun play and swearing. Considering the amount of marketing the film is getting, it's quite surprising. But that's okay, because we like good looking gun play is Casa Del Doyle and we get plenty of it in this film. What with the majority of the characters being semi-mystical assassins being able to bend bullets round corners this is pretty much of a given. The film delivers in spades with some great set pieces, from the opening roof top leap to the trigger happy showdown.

So, as eye-candy goes not a problem. All action boxes get ticked (or blown to shreds) so no issues there at all.

The issue with have is when people open their mouths and talk* and the plot rears it's ugly head. It's your basic revenge story with a twist thrown in. It's not that the acting is bad, everyone acquits themselves. James McAvoy makes for an interesting lead, Angelina Jolie finally gets to be in a film where she doesn't have to hide her tattoos.

It's not bad, but it's not great either. But there is one big stumbling block.

It's called The Loom of Fate.

The assassins get all their targets by interpreting threads woven in cloth by The Loom of Fate.

The Loom of Fate.

If you can get past that, the film is very enjoyable. If you can't get past that, the film falls apart.

I just about got past it and had a great time.

Loom of Fate.

I really need to read the comic.

In a word? Loom.





* I say that but when Morgan Freeman opens his mouth and says "Shoot that Motherfucker" it is pretty good.

Two and bit weeks in: The PS3 Update

It's awesome.

Maybe it's because I've had a couple of years in the console wilderness but it's awesome having a PS3.

The last console I had was an X-Box and I swapped that for my Brother-in-Law's DS way back in 2006 so it's been a long time of handheld gaming.

I love having a Blu-Ray player, especially with my awesome new TV. I love having wireless controllers. I love being able to download demos off the PlayStation Store. I love being able to buy full games off the PlayStation Store. I love linking my PSP up to the PS3 via wireless.

I haven't got much into the online game stuff yet. I do have some online games (GTA IV and Metal Gear Solid 4) but haven't got into them yet.

The updates are a bit annoying. That's one reason why I haven't played Metal Gear online yet is because you have to download a big update before you can play it. Some of the games install themselves as well does take a while. It's not a problem but it is there. The install on Metal Gear was fine though, as during the whole time it was installing ('bout ten minutes) Solid Snake was stood on screen smoking endless cigarettes whilst health warnings about smoking came up on the screen.

Games wise, my opinions so far are as follows:

GTA IV

Brilliant. Still GTA but amazing.

Metal Gear Solid 4

A fresh kind of madness. Looks amazing, makes no sense.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

Giant robots smashing each other up. Brilliant.

Burnout Paradise (borrowed)

Looks stunning, plays just as good. The open sandbox nature of the game should be confusing but isn't.

Heavenly Sword

Game is fun but the best thing about them is the cut-scenes. Directed by Andy Serkis, they are stunning. Shame the game can't quite keep up. Completed it as well.

Uncharted

Great action game, loads of fun, nice characters and looks great.

All in all, having a PS3 is ace.

Film review: The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk @ IMDB

You know what? I like Ang Lee's Hulk film. Sure, it was goofy as hell but then so were the comics. I went to the cinema to see it and found it quite refreshing after the glut of X-Men inspired films with people wearing dark leather costumes and all that.

It was silly. And a bit talky.

Not any more though.

Hot on the heels of the brilliant Iron Man film we get a 'rebooted' version of the Hulk, this time with 20% less talking and lots more smashing. A lot more smashing.

The plot is, as ever, Bruce Banner on the run trying to not to get angry because when he does he turns green and smashes stuff whilst running from the army who want to turn the Hulk into a weapon. Those who have glanced at the Internet will recall that the current Mr Banner, Ed Norton, fell out with the studio because he wanted the film to be a 2 and a half hour character piece and the studio wanted a 90 minutes lean mean (green) action machine.

So what do we get?

We get a good film. It cracks along, the acting is good and there's no freaky transitions that draw you out of the film. It does brush over the character stuff, which will hopefully mean there will be a Director's Cut when it comes out on DVD.

You do, or at least I, want them to get deeper into the Hulk/Banner conflict. But this isn't possible because they don't let the Hulk speak. One of the defining aspects of the comic is that Hulk hates Banner. Hates him. Says it all the time. Not in the film and when you lose that you lose a bit of the dynamic between Banner and the Hulk.

This is what happens when the Hulk is based on the TV show and not Peter David's legendary run on the Hulk comic.

But the reason why you go see a Hulk film is not for the talking but for the smashing. Which is great. Really great. The Hulk looks great. Him smashing stuff looks great.

You also get the Hulk fighting a decent enemy in the Abomination. This is where some comic films suffer in that there is no decent villain for the hero to be let loose on (Superman Returns, I'm looking at you). But not here. Here we have a grumpy Tim Roth getting the Super Solider Serum and going toe to toe with the Hulk. That bit is great and is a good indication of what the Captain America film might be like. Then his transformation really begins and we get to see some excellent trashing of New York.

So. I don't have a problem with this film, it's not as good as Iron Man but better than any of the previous Marvel films (excluding Spider-Man). There are loads of Easter eggs for the fans, much like the end of Iron Man.

It bodes well for the future of Marvel's current crop of movies.

In a word? Smashing*.






*Sorry, but you knew that was coming.

Uh-oh

Someone can't let go of the character.

DVD Collections I Need to Get Round to Completing At Some Point

1) John Carpenter

Looking pretty good so far but missing Dark Star, Halloween, Prince of Darkness and Memoirs of An Invisible Man. You may mock that last one but I went to the cinema to see it and I liked it. The music is awesome.

Seriously.

2) Alec Baldwin

I've got The Royal Tennenbaums which has the excellent narration from The World's Greatest Actor, also Glengarry Glen Ross with Baldwin making The World's Greatest Ever Cameo. Not enough. I need to buy a copy of The Departed, rather then keeping my friend Ryan's copy (even though he has had my copy of Army of Darkness for at least 4 years). Also Team America as I'm almost 73% sure he did the voice for his own puppet in that. And The Shadow.

What?

3) Batman

Topical, this one. Haven't a single Batman film. Bit poor that. Roll on the Blu-Ray releases.

4) Kevin Smith

Looking at my shelves, shockingly light on Smith DVDs. I've got the US version of Mallrats with the great commentary, Dogma, Clerks Animated and Clerks 2 but no Chasing Amy, no original Clerks. My geek head is hung in shame.

5) Criterion

For those in the know, Criterion make the best DVDs. The best. And my sole Criterion DVD is the Beastie Boys Video Collection. Hard Boiled and Seven Samurai are two Criterion DVDs that are going to have to go on the list.

But, I hear you ask, why DVD when you have a PS3 that plays Blu-Rays? Simple: not of all these are out on Blu-Ray and they're cheaper on DVD anyway. And the PS3 upscales the DVDs to HD anyway so they look great on my ace new TV.

Not as great as The Fountain on Blu-Ray but great nonetheless.

Forgot I could do this

Which probably explains the lack of posts this month.

That and the PS3. More on that later.

Wow.

Didn't think that was going to look THAT good.

This has been a good weekend

1) It was my birthday yesterday.

2) I got The Fountain on Blu-Ray. To play on my...

3) PlayStation 3. Oh yes.

4) But what's the point of having a PS3 without a nice TV to watch it one? So we bought one, a 32" LG Scarlet which will arrive Thursday.

All is good with the world.

Die Hard - Talky Bits + Song = More Awesome

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Die Hard - Talky Bits x Swearing = Awesome

Film Review: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones @ IMDB

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. It makes the past look better and sells tons of DVDs each year. But you can get stuck in the past and not appreciate what you have now.

Exhibit A: the new Indiana Jones film.

How long in the making? Oh, ages. Did we think it was going to happen? Probably not. The Star Wars Prequels didn't bode well.

But people forget that Steven Spielberg makes great popcorn films. And that's what Indiana Jones is: a great (the best?) popcorn film.

So it is that Indy returns, older, not necessarily wiser but still has a hat and a whip and some weird artifact to return to somewhere.

Start with the problems: that title. Sort of sums up the story really. Bit too long, bit too convoluted and a bit silly.

But if you go with it, it's fun. It cracks along and it's never far until the next great set piece. Harrison Ford, a little creaky admittedly, can still carry the film. Shia LeBouef doesn't let the side down despite being in the silliest part of the film. The support is great, even if Ray Winstone's part is a little underwritten. No problems with the cast at all.

The thing is this: it's not like the old Indy films. Yes, there is CGI. It's not, as Spielberg promised, an old school Indy film. Nor should it be, this is 2008. The old Indy films used all the cutting edge film making technology they could lay their hands on and so does this film. I don't have a problem with CGI if it's used properly and in this film it is. It enhances.

The silliness, however, does not enhance. And it does get silly. Silly really is the best word to describe it. The ending is very silly. Well, the bit before the end is silly, the bit after that is one of the most astonishing CGI sequences I've ever seen. The scale of it is amazing and is almost worth the entrance fee alone.

So: great film. As good as the old ones? In some ways yes, in some ways no. But it can stand beside them and hold it's own and that's all we could have asked for.

In a word? Cracking.

No Travolta = The Win

Looks good. Not sure about the spinny chandelier thing but, hey, I'm not going to argue with The Punisher.

Boo!

Stan Winston is dead.

Stephen!

Guns + Cars = Hella Fun!

Wow, Russain trailers are reaaaally violent.

Guh?

Review of Indy 4 to follow shortly, but I found this.

Indiana Jones finds the crashed Millennium Falcon in which is the remains of Han Solo?

Guh?

The next big thing?

J J Abrams's new TV show, Fringe, will debut later in the year with a pilot episode costing $10 million.

$10 million? For a pilot?!

Now THAT'S a videogame

That's all kinds of crazy.

Hmmm.

Not convinced.

Backwards Jump

I love Driver. I loved editing replays in the Director's Mode.

Expect more of these.

Another Further Reason Why I Want a PS3

Giant robots fighting.

That'll do me.

They snuck that one out.

The teaser for The Spirit film has been released.

Might not be on your radar, but considering it's written and directed by Frank "300, Sin City" Miller is probably should be.

Film review: Iron Man

Iron Man @ IMDB

I love comics. I love movies. Therefore, I love comic book movies.

So if we go from Blade (taking that as the beginning of the renaissance of the comic book movie genre) it would have to go 30 Days of Night, X-Men 2, Sin City, Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2 in ascending order. Where does Iron Man fit in?

So, weapons manufacturer x war zone + sharpnel in heart = painful dose of reality.

Alright, that's too simple. Robert Downey Jr is Tony Stark of Stark Industries, the weapon manufacturer for the US military livin' the high life. Until, when showing off his weapons in Afghanistan, he gets attacked by terrorists using his own weapons leaving him with his heart powered by a car battery. One big pile of spare parts later, we get Iron Man.

First off performances: Robert Downey Jr is the best casting in a comic book film since Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. He fills Tony Stark and holds the film together. The character could easily have come off as smug but Downey Jr adds a streak of humor that keeps everything going. Gweneth Paltrow as the love interest does her best with an underwritten role, the scenery is only there so Jeff Bridges can chew on it so well.

But that's not what we're here for. We're here for a man in a robot suit beating the crap out of stuff. And in that respect, the film does not fail. Remember Transformers? The best special effects ever?

Beaten. The film looks so real, all the lines are blurred, it's faultless. It's amazing.

So it works. The story is great, the scenes when Stark is refining the armor are great, the dialogue is great. It's great!

Does it beat Spider-Man 2 as the best comic book film ever?

In a word? Yes.

A Further Reason To Purchase a PS3

Suddenly Batman Forever seems a looong time ago.

So a picture of Two-Face from the upcoming Batman Begins sequel has leaked onto the web:



Yeesh. That Joker picture looks like Sunshine and Rainbows compare to that.

Full trailer is now up online as well. Still looking awesome.

Things I Should Have Blogged About if I Didn't Watch TV

1) The viral marketing that Marvel did for their Secret Invasion crossover.

2) The complete lack of any decent film release at the cinema.

3) The release of GTA IV and the lack of it in my house.

4) The new Hulk trailer.

5) How awesome The Doyouinverts are.

I'm not sure if this is meant to be a joke

That's either genius or really stupid.

Hello

Blog has been a bit sparse over the last couple of weeks because I've been driving my ass off getting ready for my next driving test.

Which I failed.

For the third time.

So, one one hand I still can't (legally) drive but I will be blogging more.

Great.

His films aren't that great, but he gives good advert

Awesome.

Me likey special boxes

Look at that: Cloverfield DVD in a special box. Oh, we like that. We like that a lot.

Until we read the release date. June? JUNE?

Just has a though: Father's Day. Time to drop some hints.

Those crazy guys!

Knowledge is power. FOR REAL.

Heard of this one?

Directed by Ben Stiller? Co-written by Ethan Cohen?

Sign me up!

(This, by the way, is the film Owen Wilson should have been in but wasn't due all that trying to kill himself business. Nevermind eh?)

Film Review: Diary of The Dead

Diary of The Dead @ IMDB

So, zombies are cool again. What to do next? Let's, oh, I don't know, get the Granddaddy of Zombie films to make another one.

George A Romero (or glass face if you've seen any recent pictures of him) made Night of The Living Dead for virtually no money, massive success, heralded the extreme horror films of the seventies, birthed an entire sub-genre, made some more zombie films, dropped off the radar a bit. In case you didn't know.

So what do we have here? A re-imagining of Night of The Living Dead, set in contemporary times. Only instead of a farm house in the middle of nowhere it's a group of student film-makers trying to get home. All this is seen from the students perspective as they film their journey.

So far, so Cloverfield. But the difference here is we're watching an actual finished documentary by one of the students. So you get voice-over and music and editing. When this is explained at the beginning, I groaned a bit. Inserting the music seems forced and a bit silly. It helps when about half way through the student filming the action sits down and edits a sequence you saw a few minutes previously. Very web 2.0.

And that's the main thrust of the film, a commentary of todays citizen journalism, weblogs (hello), YouTube, all of that. Social commentary has always been a staple of Romero's film but whilst it does sometimes seems forced and a bit trite at least it's trying to say something. This immediately lifts it above the normal torture porn fare you get these days.

But, nevermind all that high brow nonsense, bring on the zombies! And Romero does and they fuck people up and people fuck them up in various imaginative ways.

Problems: the students are a bit vague and not that interesting. The film feels like it's never building to a climax. The best character in the film is introduced and killed off in five minutes.

But it's good and solid and scary and bleak as anything. Very bleak. The last scene? Bleak.

In a word? Bleak.

Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiinaaaaaage!

Looks pretty Incredible to me

Hulk trailer now online and it looks pretty cool.

My main bug bear with the Ang Lee Hulk was the hoops it tried to jump through to explain away the Hulk, rather than just saying "Look, it was gamma radiation. Okay?". It seems to be taking a lot of inspiration from the Ultimate version of the Hulk, which can only be a good thing.

Looks like with this and Iron Man it's going to be a Marvel-ous summer of films.

What?

Isn't one of them a lady man now?

I am quite looking forward to this. Yes, the last two Matrix films (as we all know) sucked all kinds of ways but this looks interesting. It looks like the Wachowski's aren't under the pressure the two sequels must have put them under and are just making a film they want to make. It looks mental and John Goodman has the 'tache of the Gods. Worth the entrance fee alone.

About time too.

Looking forward to it.

But am I the only one that likes the old Ang Lee Hulk film? It wasn't amazing but it was still pretty good!

Film review: There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood @ IMDB

A film about the American obsession with oil, eh? How politically relevant. But let's forget the politics and look at the film.

What we have is the story of a silver miner who becomes an Oil Man, a man who controls oil fields across America and what he does along the way.

Good Lord. There are Movies and there are Films and then there is Cinema. This is Cinema, capital C. It looks astounding. There are scenes from this film that will be played forever.

Daniel Day-Lewis is, surprise surprise, astounding. He's a force of nature at the centre of the film. The real surprise is that everyone else is just as good. Day-Lewis' nemesis in the film, a young Preacher, goes to to toe with him and it makes for some riveting scenes.

It really is hard to put into words how great this film is but also how different it is. It feels like it has no structure, at least not the usual three act structure. It just is. Things happen. People say things.

There's nothing like it.

The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of a gratuitous Luiz Guzman cameo.

In a word? Astounding.

Film review: Rambo

Rambo @ IMDB

I was born in 1980. I was raised on cheesy action films. Commando is a work of art. My video shelf was adorned with Schwarzenegger and Willis and blood and cops who got the job done nevermind the rules. I remember the days when mainstream American cinema all looked to inspiration from Lethal Weapon.

But times have changed. The bloodthirsty heroes from my past are gone, just look at Die Hard 4.0. John McClane was neutered, not a swear word passed his lips and barely a brutal death scene was seen.

When things are this desperate, you need someone special. Someone built for war. A weapon.

You need Rambo.

Let's get this out of the way: being honest, the film isn't great. Sketched characters, flimsy plot, villain wasn't great. But I haven't seen a film like this in my life.

A bold statement perhaps. The immediate comparison is the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. We're talking heads flying off, guts spilled out, arms lopped off violence. Nothing is as violent as this film. Nothing.

Let's go back to Commando. Remember the end? When Arnie stood there and mowed down a South American army with one gun? And remember the soldiers would kind of stand there and shake and fall down?

This film is that sequence but done properly. I have not experienced anything as visceral and astoundingly insanely violent as this film.

Plot? Who cares? It's all an excuse for people to be lined up in front and Rambo to get brutally murdered. Stallone is great, a hulking presence, a foreboding presence. You see him and you just know people are going to get fucked up.

And they do.

In a word? Glorious.

Film review: Juno

Before we begin, learned colleagues, an apology for the backlog. Several film reviews will now come flying at you like Cleopatra. Sorry for the delay.

Juno @ IMDB

Okay. The main thing to wrap your head around is this:

This is a film about teenage pregnancy that was a smash hit in America.

Several things there don't make sense. The issues touched upon in this film usually gets people out with their placards and wearing their protest trousers.

But no. This was a genuine smash hit that ended up being (when I saw it) Oscar nominated. Why is this?

Great script. Plain and simple.

You've got your lady teenager and your boy teenager and they get it on and she gets pregnant and then she finds a couple to adopt her baby and off you go.

Simple idea, great characters, great dialogue, good performances. Simple as that. You could break it down and everything but there's no need: it's a great film. Highlights:

1) Ellen Page. The film hinges on her performance, an annoying person here would bring everything down. But she isn't and she doesn't.

2) J K Simmons, tired of stealing Spider-Man films, moves to the indy circuit.

3) Great soundtrack.

It deserves all of it's plaudits. Well done all round.

In a word? Great.

Never mind The Game Plan, this is what he does best

New Iron Man trailer

Iron Man Exclusive Trailer HD

Add to My Profile | More Videos

OH.

MY.

GOD.

Looks surprisingly awesome

Free? I'm there.

Torn, yet again

So they're making another Terminator film.

Boo.

But it's going to star Christian Bale.

Yay!

But it will be directed by McG.

Boo!

Two boos, one yay. There's your answer.

Now THIS is the 21st Century

Still looking good

Cloverzombies?

Easy joke. Looks good.

One for the circus fans out there.

Famous at last.

Well, kinda.

Ha!

See? I am always right.

Does anybody have a coin?

So, quite fancy going to the cinema this weekend and quite fancy watching There Will Be Blood, the Oscar and Bafta nominated Paul Thomas Anderson film which has been hailed as a masterpiece. However, Sylvester Stallone was on the Jonathan Ross chat show in Friday with his new Rambo film and in that, apparently, someone gets brutally killed every 30 seconds.

So now I'm torn. Highbrow work of art or Stallone kill fest?

Tricky.

Nobody tells me anything!

Roy Scheider is dead!

Goddamnit!

Now THAT'S interesting

I haven't tingled like that at a trailer since the Star Wars Episode I teaser.

Looks interesting

Liam Neeson c'est tres pissed off.

Film review: Cloverfield

Cloverfield @ IMDB

The review begins with a tinge of sadness as my Grandfather died a few days ago. He (and my Grandmother who died over ten years ago) had a profound effect on my life, in that they watched a Hell of a lot of films. And I mean a lot. I watched a lot of them with them, age certificates be damned*. But one particular brand of movies I remember being introduced to thanks to them is the Godzilla films.

Let's get this clear: I love Godzilla films. I can watch them all day. I cannot get into words my profound disappointment at the US Godzilla film, despite the teaser trailer being the greatest moment of my 15 year old life when I saw it.

So, we come to Cloverfield. As we all gathered from my previous excitement, I was looking forward to this film. No. I had been waiting for this film since that stupid T-Rex lookalike missed stomping on Matthew Broderick's smug face. It's rubbishness was proved years later when the real Godzilla wiped the floor with him. I still had my copy of Godzilla vs Megalon and continued to wait and hope.

A set up to further disappointment, you must be thinking. No film could withstand such a burden of expectation set upon it's shoulders.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? But you'd be wrong.

It is as follows: New York Rich People + Giant Monster x Army = The Best Film I Will See This Year. Simple as that.

The conceit of the film is that, Blair Witch style, it is the discovered camera footage of a small band of people who were running around New York as it gets leveled by something big and angry and even more angry. It speaks to our current news culture, the jittery footage grabbed by the bystander. The subway scene in particular brought back memories of the mobile phone pictures of the 7/7 attacks in London.

Yeah, fair enough, 9/11 is the obvious visual comparison as a) it's in New York and b) buildings fall over. One rather scathing review I saw on TV described the film as "9/11 porn" which is somewhat harsh. But you can't say it isn't there because it uses the same visual grammar of that day, only with a giant monster.

Ah yes. A giant monster. Do you see him? Oh yes. And watching it being attacked by soldiers and tanks and fighting them off is one of the most impressive things I've seen on a cinema screen.

So the monster is good. The humans? Good as well. You get enough of them in the beginning to actually care for them and that was good enough for me.

My only complaint is in the style of it. Now, that's not to say that I hated it because I didn't. The handheld style is amazing and allows for some truly terrifying moments. But it also gave me real bad motion sickness. I mean real bad. But I wouldn't have the film any other way.

In conclusion. I loved it. It has a great ending, cracks along at a great pace and it's not too long either. The only way it could have been better would have been if the Big G himself had been the monster. And he would have been proud to have put his name on this film.

But the only question is this: I saw the first trailer when I saw Transformers which was at least 6 months ago. So was the film worth the wait?

In a word? Yes.




* One of the most horrendously embarrassing moments of my life was due to this: we sat one night to watch Once Upon a Time In America. I must have been around 10. Something like that. Great film: De Niro, Sergio Leone, superb.

Then we get to the most prolonged rape scene ever. With me sat there, next to my grand parents.

That there answers a lot a questions.

Film review: No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men @ IMDB

Right, let's get this clear: This is not a Lebowski, a Ladykillers, an O Brother or a Fink. This is The Coen Brothers, but this is the Coens with their sleeves rolled up, their fags stamped out and with a job to be done.

A Texan out hunting stumbles across the leftovers of a botched drug deal: dead Mexicans, a lot bullet shells on the floor and a bag containing £2 million dollars. He makes one mistake and then has to go on the run, a sociopathic criminal one step behind who wants the money.

And that's basically it. Toss in Tommy Lee Jones as a sheriff trying to make sense of the madness and you've got your movie.

But what a movie. The main two characters, Josh Brolin as the chasee and Javier Bardem as the chaser, dominate the screen without actually saying that much. Both men and are set on their path and nothing can stop them but each other.

Bardem (and his freaky, freaky hair) is getting all the press and deservedly so. He is an amazing presence, a force of nature, his every action full of threat. But Brolin more than holds his own, he becomes almost a reflection of Bardem.

Standouts: the scene at the hotel on the Mexican border. Woody Harrelson in a great cameo. The noise that the silenced shotgun makes. Damn near the whole film.

Apart from the end.

Now, the film is not a plot heavy thriller that needs to be wrapped up in a nice little package. But the last five minutes? Kind of gets lost. It's not clear what it's trying to say then BAM credits and the lights go up. It's not a deal breaker, it's not something that's going to wreck the film but it's a "Huh, that's it?" moment.

Doesn't stop the film being amazing thought.

In a word? Irresistible.

Film review: Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson's War @ IMDB

Hands up who knew that in Rambo III, Rambo was fighting on the side that would become al-Qaeda? I only mention this because Rambo III was probably the last time the Russian/Afghan war was last seen in a US film.

Until Tom Hanks decided otherwise, that is.

The short version: at the height of the Cold War The Red Army invaded Afghanistan, a long and bloody conflict followed. The US helped to finance the rag-tag Afghan rebels who eventually stalemated the once invincible Soviet war machine. The Russians eventually pulled out and this conflict precipitated the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war. Find the full version here.

That's all well and good, I hear you say. But what has this got to do with the Hankminator?

Well. The decision to finance the rebels in their conflict is said to have rested with one man, the eponymous Charlie Wilson. Played, naturally, by Tom Hanks.

But this isn't the usual Hanks role. While Wilson was a US Senator who funelled billions of dollars into the conflict, he was also a party man. The film starts with Wilson in a hot tub surrounded by strippers. And Hanks pulls it off, his easy going charm slipping into Wilson like a used glove but given a bit of extra bite.

It wasn't all Wilson's doing, however. Enter Julia Roberts as a wealthy Texan lady who pushes Wilson into intervening in the conflict. Also enter Philip Seymour Hoffman stealing yet another film out from under the main everyone's noses.

Their three performances hold the film together and all of them are flawless.

The film, however, isn't. It's a film of it's times in that it's the US vs The Bad Guys (Russia) and anyone who helps them is good no questions asked. There is very little gray in this film. And this is a story that needs it because this story ends with a plane being flown into a building.

9/11 is the elephant in the room that no one acknowledges, apart from a final denouement that overly relies on the viewer knowing about the fallout of the War. Hoffman comes out with some zen story about how stories never really end, that they roll on and on. But that's not enough.

You could go on like this and tear the film to shreds but I don't feel like it. Because I liked the performances and it was an interesting look at an interesting time.

In a word? Empty.

Heh. Songs are funny.

Pete Green – I haven't got a Myspace because Myspace fucking sucks

2007 Round Up

Another topical post.

BEST FILM I SAW IN 2007

Tricky. My gut reaction is either Sunshine or 30 Days of Night.

BEST TV SHOW I WATCHED IN 2007

The future episode of Heroes. Awesome.

BEST COMIC I READ IN 2007

Again, tricky. The last issue of Ultimates 2 with the 8 page spread. The beginning and last issues of The Sinestro Corps War was as good as Star Wars.

BEST BOOK I READ IN 2007

To be honest, there haven't been many new books I've read this year, mainly been re-reading those already in my collection. So, by that definition the best book I own is Run so that by default is the best book I read in 2007.

BEST SONG I LISTENED TO IN 2007

Drama Queen by The Switches or the theme from Hot Fuzz

BEST VIDEO GAME I PLAYED IN 2007

Gitarro Man Lives for the PSP.

And me without an umbrella. Of course.

At least the toilets are still flushing.

Fashion Tip #1

So, there's going to be a new Hulk film next year starring Ed Norton* and on the website website they've released the first images, one of which is Mr Norton in a vest starring and what we can only assume is somekind of Hulk potion.

I only mention this because one of the first images released for the upcoming Iron Man film was of Robert Downey Jr in a vest building an Iron Man suit.

What is it with the vest thing? Why are both main characters in vests? Are vests next years hot clothing item?




* Is it Ed or Edward? He was definetly Ed Norton when he was in Fight Club but I'm sure I've seen him credited as "Edward" as well in posh films.

The Duchess is back!

The Phil Doyle Laptop Machine: Zero Defects.

Film review: I Am Legend

I Am Legend @ IMDB

To go off on a tangent almost immediately, the closest film to compare this to is Cast Away: big giant movie star appears in a film where it's just them on screen the majority of the time. Will Smith is the new Tom Hanks? Possibly.

Back to the film, what we have here is basically Fresh Prince of The Living Dead or, as some have somewhat unfairly put it, 28 Days Lamer.

That is the obvious comparison: Wiky-wiky-wild-wild-Will is Robert Neville, the last man alive in New York and possibly the world. He is searching for the cure for a plague that has wiped out 90% of mankind, a few were immune but the rest? I'm definitely sensing zombies.

But here lies the problem: they're full CG. They jump around all over the place and basically are so over the top they aren't scary. Remember The Mummy Returns? With the mummies that chased the double decker bus? That's what they're like.

The scariest bit of business with them is when Big Willy goes into a building full of them and you see a group huddling together. THAT was freaky. A big group of computer effects jumping over cars? Nope.

The problem is that I've read the book and in the book they're vampires but still essentially human. And that makes them scary because we can see ourselves in them. Not so with the Infected in this film, they may well have been aliens or something.

It goes without saying that the original book was better but it's not all bad. Will Smith holds his own as the only screen presence for most of the film. The world he lives in is intriguing but the pseudo science around it could be left behind and the story just left to focus on the characters will to survive.

And, to it's credit, it does pull an ending that you wouldn't expect for a Will Smith film. It's not quite as depressing as the end of the Dawn of The Dead remake but it's not far off. I enjoyed it.

Now, to finish the review. As it's a new year, and I'm running out of weapons, I'm changing the wrap up. Reviews will now finish as follows:

In a word? Ordinary.

Best three string guitar since The Presidents of The United States of America did Mach 5

Finally!

Warner Brother is now soley supporting Blu-Ray which should be the final nail in the HD-DVD coffin. From a UK perspective all the HD sections have a much greater proportion of blue boxes rather than that slightly depressing burgundy that HD-DVDs come in.

This is also fairly significant since every domestic format Sony has launched died on it's arse. Examples being Betamax, MiniDisc and UMD.

Now there is no reason for me not own a PS3...when they get a bit cheaper.

I still likey Iron Man

Okay, that isn't the movie Iron Man, it's an "advervideo" from a new Marvel website called Marvel Kids promoting the Marvel Adventures line which is basically the core Marvel concepts only without the decades of continuity.

Advervideos. Hmm.