Guilty Pleasure Films

There isn't a person in the world who doesn't have a few guilty pleasures hidden away in the deepest darkest corner of their hearts. Whether you're the person who secretly loves the ninth season of Scrubs or someone who thinks that Paul McCartney's solo career was better than his work with The Beatles, everyone has a guilty pleasure or two especially when it comes to films. I'm no different. So, I'm admitting to mine and giving you all a chance to mock, snigger, and maybe even consider your own. Here they are, my top five guilty pleasure films:

Mean Girls (2004)
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Linsday Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey

The mother of all guilty pleasures for any guy. Mean Girls is quite clearly a girls film, the clue's in the title, but it's as far from a generic girls film as you can get. Go to almost any high school or college and 90% of the girls there will be able to pull out at least one quote from this film (most likely something about Glen Coco). I'd also be willing to bet that at least half of the men in that school will be able to pull out an equally adept quote in return, even if they wouldn't like to admit it. Mean Girls is just hilarious. It's well written, well acted, and gives a pretty accurate although rather exaggerated depiction of the clique culture in schools. It also features possibly the greatest head teacher performance of any film I've watched. Honestly, if you somehow haven't seen Mean Girls go and watch it no matter what your gender, you will not regret it!


Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel L Jackson

I make no attempt to hide my immense love of Star Wars, I accept being a fully fledged Lucas loving nerd. However I do understand why people may have gone off the saga slightly, especially after watching The Phantom Menace. Let's be honest, it's a bit rubbish isn't it. The story isn't that strong and the script is laughable in all the wrong places. All of this would be forgivable though if it were not for one of the worst characters in the history of science fiction - Jar-Jar Binks. I remember being incredibly excited to watch The Phantom Menace in the cinema at the tender age of 5. I also remember coming home with my sides hurting from laughing so hard at Jar-Jar Binks. Fast forward to post puberty and I now realise that Jar-Jar isn't hilarious, he is in fact nothing more than a complete dick and a complete stain on the Star Wars legacy. But despite all of its shortcomings I can't help but still feel a childlike affection for The Phantom Menace every time I watch it. I'm not sure whether it's because I have a worryingly passionate love for Qui-Gon Jinn, or because of how amazingly cool podracing looks, or even just because of how much of a complete badass Darth Maul is, but I can't help but have a special place in my heart for The Phantom Menace, despite the fact that I know just how absolutely rubbish it really is.


National Treasure (2004)
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean

Nicolas Cage has become somewhat of a joke these days amongst movie goers. Maybe it's because he's a quite terrible actor, or maybe it's his ridiculous hairline. Either way the majority of people will laugh pretty hard at the suggestion of watching a Nic Cage film, especially if that film happens to be trying to rip off the legendary Indiana Jones. However it turns out if you're bored enough the idea of watching such a film becomes incredibly appealing. It also turns out I actually quite enjoyed it, unfortunately. Clearly National Treasure isn't a patch Indiana Jones, how could it be? It's also blatantly just Hollywood studios shamelessly attempting to recreate the revenue that Dr Jones and his friends created, and on top of all that the lead is Nicolas Cage. Let me just make this clear - they replaced Harrison Ford with Nicolas Cage. NICOLAS CAGE. Yet something about it appeals to me. The story is actually really interesting. It mixes fascinating historical events with pretty decent narrative and you end up feeling really engaged with the adventure these characters are on. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I know I'd happily watch National Treasure again.


Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Director: Sharon Maguire
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant

Bridget Jones's Diary falls into a similar category as Mean Girls, it's only a guilty pleasure if you're a man. I don't want to seem like a stereotypical idiotic sexist who thinks men can only like football and beer whilst women only enjoy pretty dresses and love stories, but there are clearly certain film genres that appeal to women more than men. Romantic comedies tend to fall under that category. But every now and then one will come along that is just impossible to pass off as chick flick drivel, Bridget Jones's Diary is definitely one of those films. It's brilliant. Renee Zellweger pulls out a perfect London accent, Colin Firth is the bumbly Brit we all love, and Hugh Grant plays what seems like the evil twin of his regular role. On top of that the story is really good and there are some moments of genuine hilarity, most notably a fantastic fight scene between  Firth and Grant to the soundtrack of "It's Raining Men". The book upon which it's based was incredibly successful and it appears, although I've never read it, that the film more than did it justice. I think I'd probably be right in guessing that there are quite a few men who would have this is one of their guilty pleasures. The sequel is pretty decent as well.


The Producers (2005)
Director: Susan Stroman
Starring: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell

I'm not a fan of musicals. I never have been and I probably never will. I do however have two exceptions to that rule, South Park The Movie and The Producers. I've got no real problem with musicals and I firmly believe that they're unisex, they just don't really tickle my pickle. As a result throughout the years I've repeatedly rejected people's offers to watch musicals and kicked up a bit of a fuss when I've been forced to watch them. So I always try and keep it on the down low just how much I love The Producers, in an attempt to avoid being bombarded by recommendations of musicals I couldn't care less about. However, it's a guilty pleasure I'm happy to recommend to anyone and I actually think it's a really good film with some quite brilliant songs. Nathan Lane, who for me is an outstanding comedy actor, turns in a great performance as Max Bialystock, a down on his luck Broadway producer who spends more time scamming old ladies than producing musicals. Matthew Brodrick and Uma Thurman also perform adeptly as his supporting cast. However, the show is completely stolen by Will Ferrell, playing a crazed former Nazi turned script writer. He's hilarious from his very first scene to his very last and he's probably the biggest reason this is one of my guilty pleasure films. Even if you're not a fan of musicals I'd wholeheartedly recommend you check The Producers out.





Written by Ash Davies

The Wilhelm Scream

The Wilhelm Scream is a little piece of cinematic history that almost everybody knows, but almost no one knows they know. Confused? Understandably so. The Wilhelm Scream is an iconic sound effect used throughout a plethora of movies dating back to the 1950's.

The Wilhelm Scream

The scream itself was originally recorded for a Warner Bros. film called Distant Drums in 1951. In one particular scene from the film a group of soldiers are wading through a swamp when one of them is bitten and dragged underwater by an alligator. The unfortunate soldier's scream was recorded later then placed into the film during the editing process and with that one of the most legendary sound effects in cinema was born.

Distant Drums (1951)
















However, it was not until two years later that the scream itself was even named. The film The Charge At Feather River (1953) borrowed the Distant Drums sound effect for a particular scene when a soldier by the name of Pvt. Wilhelm is shot in the leg by an arrow. Although the scream was used twice more in the film, Pvt. Wilhelm's name would remain forever synonymous with it.

The Charge At Feather River (1953)



The Wilhlem Scream however did not rise to fame until the late 70's, when a man named Ben Burtt decided to dig it out. Burtt was hired by George Lucas to create the sound effects for his film Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). Though the scream was only featured once in the film it was later persistently used throughout the trilogy. Burtt then continued to use it for the Indiana Jones trilogy, further creating love for a sound effect that was rapidly becoming a piece of cinematic history.

His friend and fellow sound effect engineer Richard Anderson then carried on Burtt's tradition, using it in films such a Poltergeist (1982), Batman Returns (1992), Planet Of The Apes (2001), Agent Cody Banks (2003), and Madagascar (2005).

Because of Ben Burtt The Wilhelm Scream has long resided in the sound library at Sykwalker Sound. Other colleagues there including Gary Rydstrom and Chris Boyes have used it in films sch as Toy Story (1995), Hercules (1997), and Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003).

From humble beginnings to one of the most legendary sound effects in Hollywood, The Wilhelm Scream has delighted audiences for over 60 years now, having been used in over 200 movies. To this day it is unknown who the voice behind the scream, although some have guessed that actor Sheb Wooley may have been the original man. Nobody knows for sure, but whoever it was will forever responsible for the greatest sound effect in cinema.


I shall leave you with this. A compilation of some of The Wilhelm Screams finest appearances, including Lord Of The Rings, Kill Bill, and even Family Guy:








Written by Ash Davies

Moneyball (2011)

Aside from films one of my other great loves in life is sport. My main focus is football, although I do enjoy watching rugby, Formula One, the occasional bit of basketball, and I've always got time for the Superbowl. One sport that has never really grabbed my attention though is baseball. I don't really get it and it's never captivated my interest long enough for me to learn. So when I sat down to watch Moneyball (2011) although I had high hopes, due to a very likable cast and what seemed like a decent story, I was apprehensive about how interesting I'd find a film revolving around a sport which I couldn't care less about. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

I found the story incredibly engaging throughout the film and my lack of knowledge about baseball didn't really become an issue. Based on the 2003 book of the same name Moneyball is the story of Oakland A's general manager, and former player, Billy Beane's attempt to assemble a baseball team on a tight budget by employing computer-generated analysis  to acquire new players. Although it may not sound like the most riveting plot I can assure you it works.

As I said, I can in no way profess to be a baseball fan. I know the basic facts enough to understand what's going on and that's all you really need going in to Moneyball because the film doesn't revolve around the ins and outs of professional baseball, it's all about the interaction between character's and the brutal reality of the sports industry. That's why it works.

A lot of credit has to go to some very impressive performances by the film's leads. Brad Pitt, although beloved by many, doesn't display what a talented actor he can be enough, instead getting drawn into doing too many popcorn flicks with no real substance. In this we see a really subtle brilliant performance by Pitt as he brings struggling GM Billy Beane to life. Philip Seymour Hoffman, although playing a slightly smaller role than you'd usually expect, also turns in a really great performance as the teams head coach. But in my eyes the show is stolen by Jonah Hill.

Everyone know's Hill as the overweight loser who swears too much and smokes copious amounts of weed, but what we get introduced to here is statistical genius Jonah Hill who's painfully socially awkward. I'm a big Jonah Hill fan, I think he's hilarious, but at times I think it's fair to say he plays it safe with his roles. This is totally out of his comfort zone and I think he nails it perfectly, fully deserving his academy award nomination. Another moment of acting that put a smile on my face was by Arliss Howard (I'd never heard of him either) who played a small role as Boston Red Sox owner John Henry. As many of you may know Henry is now the owner of Liverpool FC, the team which I follow religiously, meaning that I've seen a fair share of interviews with him and I think Howard nailed his voice and mannerisms spot on. Not strictly a crucial scene or performance, but one that should definitely bring a smile to the faces of any Liverpool fans.

I think any film that's based on a book which is based on a true story runs the risk of losing its heart through over recreating itself. Moneyball avoids this wonderfully, keeping true to the core that makes this story so interesting and emotional. It's blatant why this film was nominated for six academy awards, because it's a truly brilliant film. The story was fantastic and the acting was superb - although it did make me miss the days when Jonah Hill was chubby, to quote the man himself "there's nothing funny about a physically fit man". I think the biggest compliment I can pay this film is that it almost made me want to go out and watch a baseball game. Almost.

The Great Gatsby

One of the most anticipated films of the year has finally hit the screens. Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of the classic 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, written by F.Scott Fitzgerald, has had fans impatiently waiting since last year, creating an immense sense of anticipation. It's brilliant, yet complicated, story tells the tale of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his love story with Daisy, portrayed by Carey Mulligan.

A lot of hype has surrounded this film from day one, mainly due to its legendary status as a book. Baz Luhrmann's impressive track record has persuaded many, however his stylistic approach has been questioned by some. Its modern soundtrack, curated by none other than Jay Z, has created a mass of excitement for the majority of fans, although concerns have also been raised about its appropriateness in such a classic story. At each turn this film has split opinion, epitomised in its mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival.

Personally, I lie on the positive side as I really enjoyed The Great Gatsby. It was always going to be an incredibly tough task for Luhrmann and his crew to assemble an on screen representation of such a legendary novel that's true beauty is in the subtext but I feel he stood up to the task magnificently, making the story his own. There are so many different ways to interpret the book, anyone who has read it will tell you that, so rather than attempting to cover all bases and please everyone Luhrmann instead took its extravagance and brought that to the forefront. A bold move, but one that I felt really worked.

The most striking feature of the film was its stylistic approach, unsurprising when you look at Luhramnn's previous projects. Honestly, it was a bit hit and miss for me. There were times when the dazzling colours and amazing landscapes completely immersed me, but in contrast to that some of the stylistic choices made created an dreamlike feel that I didn't really enjoy. For the most part though it suited the film and the atmosphere it was trying to create.

The Great Gatsby's biggest triumph in my eyes was its soundtrack. Admittedly I was slightly dubious when I initially heard that it was going with modern music, however as soon as I saw the advert featuring "No Church In The Wild" I was instantly convinced. Throughout the soundtrack was stunning, hardly any of the songs were didn't suit the scene to perfection and they all featured occasional flashes of jazz which was a nice throwback to the book. My personal favourite was Lana Del Rey's song "Young And Beautiful", which was stunning, but all the tracks were really brilliant and helped create a unique dimension to the film.

The casting was also a great success. As expected Leonardo DiCaprio turned in an amazing performance as Gatsby, going above and beyond what I'd expected and completely portrayed exactly what I'd envisaged  when reading the book. The big surprise for me was how impressive Toby Maguire was. I, like many others, was very skeptical upon hearing he was playing the Nick, the films narrator, but from start to finish I felt he was incredible. Carey Mulligan also put in a brilliant portrayal of female lead Daisy, bringing to life the constant mix of emotions that surrounds the character. Another impressive performance was by Joel Edgerton, who plays Daisy's husband Tom Buchanan. Again it was a casting choice that raised a lot of eyebrows, but he proved many of the doubters wrong playing to part flawlessly.

There were however a couple of disappointments. Personally I felt that the film didn't explore the relationship between Nick and Jordan, a friend of Daisy's whom Nick shares a romantic interest with in the book. Although this may not play a crucial role in the story, it does however offer a bit more substance and development to Nick's character which is something I think they should have given more time to. I also felt they over explained some of the subtle subtext that the book contains. It may sound snobby, or it may just be because I had to study the book at A-Level, but I felt that some of the symbolism should have remained unexplained therefor maintaining its openness to interpretation.

The Great Gatsby is a brilliant film, really brilliant, and it was definitely worth the annoyingly long wait. It was perfectly cast, it looked stunning, and the soundtrack was nothing short of spectacular. It fell just slightly short of my unreasonably high expectations, but this film is in no way a disappointment. It's one of the toughest tasks in the film industry to try and take an already beloved story and try to recreate it as your own, but it's something I think Baz Luhrmann has definitely achieved with The Great Gatsby. A really impressive film, definitely one of the best I've seen this year. Undoubtedly one to watch!





Written by Ash Davies

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Tom Hardy

THE GOOD
Bronson (2008)

Tom Hardy is probably one of the most popular actors currently working in Hollywood. He's loved by British and Americans alike and with a track record like his you can see why. Inception (2010), Warrior (2011), and most recently The Dark Knight Rises (2012) have all been resounding success's and have gained Tom Hardy a massive fan base. However, no matter how many brilliant films he appears in I'd be very surprised if he ever manages to top his performance in Bronson. Released in on a shoestring budget Bronson tells the true story of an infamous prisoner who goes by the name of Charles Bronson. The film is great. It's got a really good story, it's very well directed, and it has some really good dark humour moments in it. However, this would all mean absolutely nothing if it weren't for a stunning performance by Tom Hardy. He transforms himself into a disturbingly intense representation of a savage man with a passion for brutality, as well as narrating the whole story with a surreal brilliance. A really fantastic film with one outstanding leading actor.


THE BAD
This Means War (2012)

This is a pretty strange one, because I didn't dislike this film. In fact at times I'm ashamed to say I actually quite enjoyed it. The thing is, it's a bad film. There's no escaping that. I'm comfortable enough to admit that I'm partial to the occasional rom-com, because let's be honest sometimes you just want something that will put a smile on your face and give you a laugh whilst maintaining minimal emotional drama. Rom-coms provide that. The problem is that if you genuinely take a step back and look at most of them they're just plain rubbish. This Means War falls firmly into that category. Yes there's a few moments that genuinely had me laughing and yes Chris Pine and Tom Hardy make quite a likable duo, but the story is so weak no amount of occasional niceness could ever make up for it. Not to mention some truly poor acting in places. Tom Hardy is so much better than rom-com's, especially ones that are this poor deep down. Not by any means a terrible film, but it's definitely a blemish on Tom Hardy's CV.


THE UGLY
Sometimes it's easy to forget that almost every time we see a famous actor or actress they're made up to perfection. I'm not saying Tom Hardy is a bad looking, quite the opposite, he's a fantastic looking man. But I think we can all take a little bit of joy in seeing a celebrity looking ugly. So, here you go:

Kevin Smith: Fab Four

Since Kevin James burst into our hearts in 1994 with his cult classic Clerks he has grown into a well respected director. His consistent casting of close friends has led to a family feel throughout his pictures which have audiences laughing for nearly twenty years. Through good and bad Smith has always remained faithful to his beloved cast, as well as his unique writing style, which has more often than not resulted in success. A brilliantly funny man who's work I am definitely a fan of. Here are my fab four (yes it's a Beatles reference) Kevin Smith flicks:

1) Clerks (1994)
Not only is this my favourite Kevin Smith film, but it's probably one of my favourite comedy films of all time. Smith's directorial debut has been a resounding success throughout the cinematic world, gaining legendary status as a cult classic. Set in a small convenience store this film shows us a day in the life of two of it's employees. A low budget movie, shot completely in black and white, using almost all amateur actors yet somehow it manages to be amazing. The script is perfect, the acting fits the feel of the film, and it introduces one of the most memorable duo's since Batman and Robin. I am of course talking about Jay and Silent Bob. They're raw yet always hilarious first outing as the infamous double act is the cherry on top of this epic indie legend.

2) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Possibly his most popular film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back exchanges the clever and satirical humour of Clerks for plain, simple silliness and it works. The ridiculous nature of the comedy is forgivable because of the emotional investment you have made into the two most lovable characters Kevin Smith has ever written. The concept is funny and the constant homages and links to his previous works always bring a smile to the face and give you the feeling like you're "in on the joke". However, there is one man who takes this film from being a pretty decent silly comedy into a hilariously quotable classic goofy film - Will Ferrell. One of the most popular comic actors in Hollywood puts in a massively underrated performance in this movie. Playing inept Federal Wildlife Marshall Wilenholly Ferrell, not for the first time in his career, absolutely steals the show. Almost every line he has in the film had me in stitches and have become irresistibly quotable to me an my friends. An absolutely outstanding performance in a really good film.

3) Clerks 2 (2006)
It's not often that sequels are actually any good, especially when they're sequels to cult classics, and even more so when they go through a massive stylistic change from the original everyone loved so much. Surely then a follow up to Clerks could only end badly for Kevin Smith? Amazingly not. I find myself reiterating the phrase "somehow it works" so many times whenever I talk about Kevin Smith films and this is another perfect example of why. Everything points towards this film being a terrible idea, yet it's not. It's actually incredibly funny. Clearly it was never going to be as good as Clerks, a very tall order by anyone's standards, yet by changing the approach of the film, as well as maturing the characters, but still keeping the same fundamental reasons of why we fell in love with them in the first place Smith manages to create a fantastic follow up to his debut picture. It features some classic Jay and Silent Bob moments, a whole host of hilarious new characters, and has a really decent story behind it. I was genuinely surprised at just how much I enjoyed this film, it's great.

4) Dogma (1999)
An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole and re-enter Heaven. Doesn't really sound the best does it? Usually you'd assume a film with that plot line to either be overly complicated and hard hitting, or just plain silly. Amazingly enough Dogma manages to avoid falling into either of these tracks whilst managing to remain clever, interesting, and continually funny. It also heavily features my beloved combo of Jay and Silent Bob (a common theme among most liked Kevin Smith films) along with many other thoroughly enjoyable characters, my personal favourite being Alan Rickman's fantastic performance as a particularly grump angel. A good film with a sprinkling of Religious Education.

Films You Should Be Looking Forward To In May

Star Trek Into Darkness (Thursday 9th May)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg

As a life long fan of Star Wars is pains me to admit just how much I loved the 2009 Star Trek film. It was absolutely outstanding. The cast was great, the story was great, and overall I felt it was a pretty brilliant effort. So, understandably I'm very excited for the sequel. As the Starship Enterprise enters our atmosphere once again it brings with it a fresh new tale of  Captain Kirk fighting an unstoppable force of terror from within his own organisation. The villain, a one man weapon of mass destruction, is played by Benedict Cumberbatch which I think will prove to be an excellent choice. If you're partial to a bit of sci-fi then you will not want to miss this one.


Great Gatsby (Thursday 16th May)
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio, Carey Mulligan, Toby Maguire, Joel Edgerton

It was only ever going to be a matter of time before someone cracked and decided to try and recreate F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic book The Great Gatsby (1925). That someone was Baz Luhrmann, and to be honest I'm quite glad. Luhrmann's greatest success came in the form of his fantastic 1996 re-telling of Romeo and Juliette which gained great critical acclaim. Now he's back with his leading man, Leonardo Di Caprio, and I'm very confident they will be able to recreate the same on screen magic for us all over again. The Great Gatsby is a really good book, which I'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, but it's a very hard story to try and explain. At it's very core it's a love story, but a love story with a whole heap of subtle undertones and social commentaries weaved in throughout it. It's a tall order attempting to recreate the subtext of a book onto the big screen, yet I have the utmost confidence that Luhrmann will stand strong to the task. Will it be as good as the book? Maybe not. But from what I can gather it'll be one brilliant film with one hell of a soundtrack.


Fast and Furious 6 (Friday 17th May)
Director: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Jason Statham

Seriously now, who genuinely doesn't enjoy the Fast and Furious films? Yes they maybe slightly generic, yes the acting may not warrant any academy awards, yes the story may be pretty much the same in every film, and yes they may just take any excuse to blow things up. But none of that matters, because every time I watch the latest installment I get the buzzing excitement of a child in a sweet shop. I'm not really that big on cars, if you opened up the hood of a million pound sports car I'd probably only be impressed by how shiny it is. But again none of the matters because Fast and Furious doesn't require you to have a good grasp on automotive engineering, all you need to know is that the cars go fast and the people behind the wheel are badass. Fast and Furious 6 does appear to be breaking the mold slightly, the story has shifted away from pulling off a heist and more into stopping bad guys, but honestly it doesn't really matter that much. This movie is going to be epic and I can almost guarantee I'll leave the cinema with a big beaming grin on my face.



Epic (Wednesday 22nd May)
Director: Chris Wedge
Starring: Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Chris O'Dowd, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Beyonce Knowles

Just take a look at that cast and tell me you don't already want to see this film? It's rare a film comes along where the term "star studded" doesn't do it justice, yet somehow Epic has managed it. So many famous names can sometimes result in attempting to make up for a poor script, although with animated films this is rarely the case. I'm a fan of animated film, something about them just appeals to my inner child, and I think this looks like it could become a real classic. Of course there's always going to be an element of risk with films of this type. You don't know whether they're going to be slightly too childish too enjoy, or just another money maker the studios have churned out. But personally I like the look of this film and if it's done the way I'm hoping it could be a real success. Also, I'll pretty much watch anything with Aziz Ansari in it. Definitely one to keep an eye on.





Written by Ash Davies

Iron Man 3

So Marvel's big blockbuster of the year has finally hit our screens, prompting mass hysteria from movie freaks, comic geeks, and anyone who enjoys a good superhero flick. Iron Man 3 will probably prove to be the biggest film of 2013 and will almost definitely have the largest budget. But the real question is, you guessed it, is it actually any good? Well, here's what I think.

For those of you who don't know, although how that could even be a possibility is beyond me, Iron Man 3 is the story of Tony Stark rebuilding himself after radical terrorist The Mandarin, superbly played by Ben Kingsley, tears his world apart. Decent story right?

Wrong. Somewhere along the way the writers of the latest Iron Man installment got far too ahead of themselves and as a result the story just didn't sit right with me throughout the majority of the film. I felt it was overly complicated, not particularly well explained, and at times just a bit annoying and silly. It wasn't that it was hard too understand what was going on, it was just that it became increasingly hard to understand why the hell it was going on. However, in it's defence a lot of people have thoroughly enjoyed the film so it could easily be just a personal preference on that particular choice of story line. In my eyes though, it just didn't work.

That said, this film does tick all the boxes in the "epic" checklist. Iconic superhero? Check. Relatively attractive female? Check. Badass villains? Check. The occasional hilarious moment? Check. Good special effects? Check. An unfathomable amount of explosions? Check. No matter what opinions you hold on this film it can't ever be described as anything other than epic. Or maybe just pretty epic if you really didn't enjoy it.

WARNING. THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER.

Yes, there's a bit of a spoiler in this review. But I promise it won't ruin any of the story, however it is possibly one of the most cardinal sins any film fan can commit. This sin of which I speak is to tell you this: there's a twist. I know, I know, I'm a bastard. I apologise! The only reason I bring up the fact that there is a twist at all is because it has created such a massive divide in opinion over whether or not it was a good idea. Some people are adamant it was a shocking move, yet others have seen it as one of the best aspects of the whole film. Personally I fall into the latter category. I thought it was a really smart move by the writing staff and I genuinely enjoyed a really uncharacteristic twist. However, the law of averages dictates that many of you will hate it just as much as the many who have already voiced their hatred. Again, all personal preference.

ATTENTION. THE SPOILER SECTION IS NOW OVER. 

One of the real problems I had with this film, apart from the story line, was a really underwhelming performance by Robert Downey Jr. I think it's fair to say that Iron Man wasn't the most popular superhero before Downey Jr got his hands on the role, yet five years on from the first movie and he's probably most people's favourite Avenger. You could say this is down to good writing, or the fact that such fantastic special effects available these days they are able to truly bring the character to life. I would argue that it's simply Robert Downey Jr's influence. Some people are just made to play a role. Johnny Depp was made to play Captain Jack Sparrow, just like Harrison Ford was made to play Han Solo, just like Robery Downey Jr was made to play Iron Man. Everything about him is perfect for the role. Yet, somehow, it just doesn't quite click in this film. His coolness isn't there in the abundance we'd experienced in the earlier installments, his jokes rarely get much more than a disappointing chuckle, and from start to finish I just couldn't get as emotionally invested into Tony Stark as I would've hoped. A victim of attempting to break free from the stereotypical Iron Man character we saw in the previous films? Possibly. Either way I just didn't get the classic swagger I'd come to expect from Tony Stark.

That said, this is a pretty good film, I don't think many people would say otherwise. It's got all the ingredients that make up a successful Hollywood blockbuster, as well as featuring a superhero the world has come to adore in recent years. It's main problem is just that it lacks heart. Downey Jr doesn't perform to the very high standards he has set and the story line was disappointing, two things that have basically made the Iron Man films so successful. If you're a fan of Marvel films you have to see it, and you'll probably enjoy it. But I can almost guarantee when you leave the cinema a small voice at the back of your mind will be telling you "that SHOULD have been better".





Written by Ash Davies

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Johnny Depp

THE GOOD
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)

Mr Depp is a actor who I consider to be very talented. However, in an attempt to avoid becoming typecast as the generic good looking leading man Johnny Depp has thrown himself into a vast variation of film roles which, unfortunately for him, haven't always worked in his favour. That said, when he gets it right, he really gets it right. Film such as Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Ed Wood (1994) are great examples of this. His crowning jewel though is undoubtedly Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003). Depp brilliantly brings a now iconic character, Jack Sparrow, to life with his flawless performance in the first installment of this Disney epic. He's hilarious, handsome, and always lovable no matter what he does. Jack Sparrow is a brilliantly written character, but I genuinely couldn't see anyone else performing it with anywhere near the same class as Johnny Depp does. An outstanding performance in a really great film. It's a real shame they've completely overstretched what could have been a very respectable trilogy.


THE BAD
Dark Shadows (2012)

As I previously mentioned Depp's efforts to avoid becoming typecast have at times let to him appearing in poor films. This is not his only problem. His allegiance to Tim Burton, although admirable and at times outrageously successful, has led to him featuring in some shockingly bad movies. The worst of the lot - Dark Shadows (2012). A truly terrible piece of cinema. The jokes, if they can even be considered jokes, were terrible and awkward at the best of times, the script was boring rubbish, and the acting was disappointing to say the least. It featured the classic Tim Burton combination of Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, yet both massively under performed. Depp himself wasn't terrible, but he certainly wasn't good, and the film as a whole is just atrocious. He may have been suffering from a poor script and a director who spends too much time focusing on nostalgia and not enough time on originality, but this film is a rather large and unpleasant stain on Johnny Depp's film career.



THE UGLY
Sometimes it's easy to forget that almost every time we see a famous actor or actress they're made up to perfection. I'm not saying Johnny Depp is a bad looking, quite the opposite, he's a fantastic looking man. But I think we can all take a little bit of joy in seeing a celebrity looking ugly. So, here you go:

Oz The Great And Powerful

I don't think I'm alone in saying that The Wizard Of Oz (1939) is one of the films that are your bread and butter as a child. At least once every couple of months my mum or my sister would whack the video tape in and I'd sit on the floor, no more than a foot away from the telly, watching Dorothy make her way down the yellow brick road. I'm not going to claim that it was in any way my favourite film as a child, I always considered it slightly girly as a child, but it has always and will always hold a fond place in my heart purely because of the amount of times I watched it. So when word of Oz The Great And Powerful reached my ears, I was quite looking forward to seeing a modern take on a classic tale.

For those of you who don't know much about the film it tells the tale of how a small time circus magician came to be the wizard of Oz. After having his hot air balloon caught in the middle of a tornado Oscar Diggs, played by James Franco, is transported away to the magical land of Oz where he gets caught up in a power struggle between three witches and is forced to try and save the day.

This film has come into a lot of stick, despite being a big hit at the box office, but I actually thought it was pretty good. It's not going to define a generation of Disney films, nor is it going to displace the 1939 classic in the hearts of fans, but I can almost guarantee that if you will enjoy this film. You could hate the story, the acting, the characters, but I defy anyone to hate the fantastic world of Oz that Disney have managed to create. The visuals are stunningly beautiful. The animation was flawless and you could really immerse yourself into this epic imaginary realm.

As good as the scenery was the show undoubtedly stolen by the little China Girl and Finley, a lovable monkey voiced by Zach Braff. Fantastically animated and voiced, these two characters were brilliant from start to finish. Maybe it's because I'm a massive Scrubs geek, but I thought that Braff was the perfect voice for such a funny and lovable character as Finley. Both he and the China girl were a breath of fresh air in a film littered with far too many average characters.

Unfortunately there are certain parts of this film that are remarkably unexceptional, not least the performance of Mila Kunis. She's awful. I like Mila Kunis, who wouldn't? She's beautiful, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable in everything I've seen her in before Oz The Great And Powerful. I can't quite work out why this went so badly for her, because although she usually plays the pretty looking girl the guy falls in love with I was convinced she had enough acting ability to break her stereotypical role and play a villain. Unfortunately I was wrong. It just didn't suit her. Even before she turned into the wicked witch we all know, her lines seemed forced and unconvincing. Then once she'd been caked in green make up and squeezed into the tightest witches costume you're likely to find in a Disney film things just went from bad to worse. She was truly rubbish. My main gripe aside from Mila Kunis was a character called Knuck, played by Tony Cox. Knuck was unfunny and a truly pointless character whom I found incredibly annoying throughout the film.The rest of the cast did their bit. James Franco was decent but unremarkable, as were the other two witches.

Overall the film was decent. The story was interesting, most of the acting wasn't too bad, and the special effects were absolutely brilliant. It was miles better than the likes of Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland (2010) remake, but it was miles short of The Wizard Of Oz. I think a more apt title would have been: Oz The Good But Slightly Disappointing. That said I would recommend it if you're looking for something easy going, nice to look at, and funny in places.

Welcome To The Punch

In modern day cinema we, as Brits, are constantly bombarded with self righteous American rubbish. I'm not in any way saying I don't enjoy American cinema, a lot of my favourite films are Hollywood exports, I'm just voicing my disappointment at the apparent lack of big British films that seem to be about these days and they seem to have been replaced by terribly generic action films draped in stars and stripes. So when I first saw the advert for Welcome To The Punch I felt an instant sense of relief at the fact that we had what appeared to be a proper British film hitting the big screens. James McAvoy and Mark Strong starring, with Ridley Scott as executive producer, had me even more interested, and after hearing David Morrisey being interviewed by Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo I was fully convinced.

The film essentially revolves around James McAvoy's character, Max Lewinsky, and his obsession to catch ex-criminal Jacob Sternwood, played by Mark Strong, by whom he was shot three years previous to when the film is set. Sternwood is forced to return to London after finding out his son has been severely injured, presenting Max the opportunity to finally catch his nemesis.

I really enjoyed the film, it definitely exceeded my expectations. It avoided falling into too many action film tropes and more impressively it evaded the stereotypical cockney police geezer routine. The script was clever, interesting and kept you guessing without dangling a constant stream of twist clues in your face, as well as having some really unexpectedly funny moments of dark humour. The acting was very good, maybe not anything extraordinary, but I can't think of one actor that unperformed. The music, an original score, helped create a great atmosphere and the action scenes were exciting but never too drawn out or unrealistic (apart from the small fact that both a trained policeman and former soldier both had shocking poor aim with a machine gun).

However, the standout element of Welcome To The Punch was undoubtedly the cinematography. It was absolutely stunning. It is one of the first films I've seen that makes London look like a beautiful modern city as opposed to a stuffy old place from a bygone era. Some of the nighttime landscape shots in which the whole city has light up with beautiful blue and white lights is nothing short of breathtaking. We constantly see American films use similar techniques with cities such as New York, yet we rarely see it done in British cinema. I for one hope a lot of directors take note and continue to portray places like London for their modern aesthetic qualities, because I felt that this, paired with constant clever use of blue lighting, is what really brought the movie to life.

Aside from how brilliant looking it was the two central characters were also superb. Straight from the start the film puts the idea in the audiences head that James McAvoy is the protagonist and Mark Strong the antagonist. However, throughout the course of the film it quite brilliantly makes us question our initial ideas of the two men. McAvoy brilliantly portrays the dark side of his character Max, with a pretty much flawless London accent, and at times you can't help but feel that he's just a complete and utter vengeful bastard. In contrast to this we become more and more sympathetic toward Mark Strong's character as the film goes on, even though the story started by showing him as nothing more than a cold hearted criminal.

My only complaint on the acting side of things would be that we didn't see enough of David Morrisey. I found his character really interesting, and I think Morrisey himself is a talented actor, so it would have been nice to have had him in a few more scenes.

Overall I think the only way to sum up Welcome To The Punch by describing it as a true British heavyweight. It engrossed me from start to finish. Great acting, great script, great directing, phenomenal cinematography and a very interesting ending. I would very highly recommend this film to anyone of any age, you definitely will not regret it. Superb.




Written by Ash Davies

Tomb Raider Rebooted

Everyone's favourite 90's sex symbol has returned to our consoles this month, and now appears to be readying herself for an onscreen comeback. Who am I talking about? Lara Croft, of course.

The original Tomb Raider game is one of many fond memories from my younger days and like every boy or man to ever play it I had a major crush on Lara Croft. Who wouldn't? She's hot! She has a great figure, she's tough, all action, very flexible, she knows how to handle a gun and wears the shortest shorts available. She ticks all the boxes. So when the original film, Lara Croft:Tomb Raider, was released back in 2001 I was as excited as the next guy. I was also as disappointed as the next guy after seeing it.

Let's all be honest, it was a bad film. It was overly formulaic and the story was unmemorable. Just about the only good memory that sticks out in my head is me and my friend repeatedly rewatching the scene where you catch a glimpse of Angelina Jolie's side boob. I was 8, it was a big deal. Anyway, my point is that the film wasn't very good and was followed by a second even more unmemorable piece of drivel that pretty much killed the Tomb Raider franchise.

However, it appears that Lara Croft is set to rise from the dead and burst back onto the big screen. The developers of the latest game recently confirmed that GK Films, who purchased the film rights to Tomb Raider back in 2011, are working on rebooting the movie with a similar vision to that of the new game. But the big question is: will it be any good?

In short no, probably not. Games rarely ever work well as films and usually just end up making you resent the franchise as a whole. This was perfectly shown by the atrocious job done with the last couple of films, yet it appears that the film studios have not learnt their lesson. My guess is that Lara's upcoming outing will be more of the same, but probably in 3D with some updated special effects.

However, there is one small silver lining. British Actress Camilla Luddington, 29, voiced and motion controlled Lara Croft for the latest Tomb Raider game. As a result many people have touted her to reprise the role for the forthcoming movie. I think we can all agree that Camilla Luddington dressed as Lara Croft would certainly soften the blow of having to watch one of our most beloved gaming icons mercilessly ruined at the hands of Hollywood.

I'm sorry to say that given it's terrible track record, as well as the sheer amount of terribly generic action films that seem to be on display at the moment, Tomb Raider isn't one we should be getting out hopes up for.




Written by Ash Davies

J. J. Abrams: The Star Man

Star Wars Episode VII finally has its new director, Mr J. J. Abrams. Although he might not be a household name Abrams appears to be one of those directors who's worked on projects that everyone likes and have heard of yet not many people know who he actually is. So lets have a little look at a the man who faces one of the biggest challenges in cinematic history, bringing back Star Wars.

This is not Abrams first foray in to trying to recreate a legendary franchise. In 2009  he took to his maiden voyage on the Starship Enterprise as director of the latest Star Trek film. In case I haven't quite made it clear in previous articles I absolutely love Star Wars and have always been firmly on the side of Star Wars when it comes to the whole Wars vs Trek debate. Star Trek just never really interested me that much as a kid. However, I did go to see the Star Trek film when it was released and I'm incredibly glad I did. It was brilliant. A good storyline, mouthwatering visuals and some great casting resulted in a resounding success for Abrams and co. The sequel is expected out later this year and I'm genuinely excited for it, something I never thought I'd say. This will definitely help win a few of the naysayers over, yes it's really that good.

He followed this up with his big budget sci-fi hit Super 8. It's tough for me to really to talk about this film, for the simple reason that I've not seen it. I have however seen the advert, repeatedly, and heard plenty of opinions on it. When I think of Super 8 the words "it's a bit rubbish" always spring to my mind. I had it recorded on my Sky box for ages and almost every time I mentioned to someone that I intended to watch it I was met by the same response: "it's a bit rubbish". Needless to say I was hardly counting down the seconds until I could watch it. My mind was then cast back to the advert that seemed to be on loop when the film first came out. Not much really happened and I never quite got what the film was actually about. Again, the excitement hardly got out of control. It mustn't of been a bad film or else it would have received bad reviews which it didn't, it generally got positive acclaim. It just never managed to take my fancy. Read into that what you want.

Finally we'll take a big step back in time. Remember, if you can, nine years ago when an amazing new television show burst onto our screens. A little show called Lost, remember it? It was pretty big and J. J. Abrams helped create it. I was a big fan of the show and I'm proud to say that I was sad enough to stick around to the bitter end, and believe me it was a very bitter end. Yes it got a little bit stupid, yes there was a bit too much chopping and changing with characters, yes there was so much that was just left unexplained, and yes the end was just silly, but I don't think anyone can say it wasn't a good show. Especially the first series. It was a really brilliant concept and that's the part in which Abrams had a hand, that's what impresses me. I'm not sure if his involvement in the creation of Lost will help win people over, but I definitely don't think it'll do him any harm.

So, there's J. J. Abrams in three nutshells. The man knows how to revamp a beloved franchise and he sure as hell knows how to do science fiction. He certainly wouldn't have been top of my list to direct the new Star Wars, he probably wouldn't have even made the top 3, but I don't think many people could argue that he's a bad choice. He's a very clever choice by Disney and hopefully he'll be the right choice. That said, working on both Star Trek and Star Wars is a bit like sleeping with two sisters who hate each other at the same time, so that's a little bit of a kick in the balls for the Star Wars fans across the globe, but given the man's fairly impressive track record I guess we can forgive him.

Good luck J. J. Abrams, may the force be with you.







Written by Ash Davies

Man of Steel: Should We Be Excited?

So, 2013 reigns in a fresh year of superhero's. We have the new Thor movie expected this year, a sequel to Wolverine's solo outing, Iron Man 3, and most importantly Man Of Steel. Superman flies back onto our screens for the first time since summer 2006. So, the big question is - should we be excited?

Although Superman is probably the most famous of all the superheroes he has to be one of the worst. He's just annoying. These days people like a bit of grit with their hero, there almost seems to be a craving for an antihero. Take Batman for example. Bruce Wayne is always a good guy, but he constantly seems to be struggling with his inner darkness and you always get the feeling he's treading dangerously close to the realms of evil. We most definitely do not get that with Superman and I think this could prove to be a real problem as the audience simply might not be able to engage properly with the character as a result. Our modern audience appear to relate to a sense of realism within the superhero genre and I'm afraid it might be a task too far to get that realistic feel with Superman.

However, believability can be traded in when it comes to comic book creations but only in exchange for fun. Plain, simple, enjoyable fun. Last year two of the major superhero movies that hit the cinema were The Avengers and The Amazing Spiderman. Neither of those films particularly bothered with an accurate depiction of what is and isn't possible realistically in modern day society, yet both films were a resounding success. Why? Because they were genuinely fun to watch.

That said, I can't see them going with that approach for Man Of Steel. It just wouldn't fit. Considering the crew behind the camera, the cast in front of the camera, and the script that put them all there in the first place it certainly seems as though it'll be an attempt at the gritty and realistic for Superman.

That gritty feel has to be one hundred percent authentic, because lets face it Superman is the cheesiest superhero ever. He wears a bright blue skin tight suit, a long red cape, and has a pair of red undies on show at all times just to top it off. Cheesiness at its finest! The makers of this movie have absolutely no coolness to fall back on and as a result Man Of Steel needs to be perfectly done to work. If Batman says something a bit cringe worthy you let it slide because he's dressed in an awesome black suit and has the keys to the Batmobile in his pocket. If Spiderman come's out with one of his slightly camp one liners we allow it because he's a loveable teenager who's swinging his way around New York with webs that he shoots from his wrists. If one of Tony Stark's punchlines has been pulled from the very bottom of the cringiest barrel all is forgiven because he's a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist! Superman is none of those things, not even close. This film has to be constantly on its toe's because one drop of the ball could spell disaster. Perfection is needed.

When it comes to perfection one name stands out in my mind - Christopher Nolan. So when Warner Brothers decided to invest in a reboot of the Superman franchise there was surely one name that topped their list of potential suitors - Christopher Nolan. From what I can gather there were a lot of different pitches from some well respected writers and directors but in 2010, after a discussion during writing for The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan and fellow writer David Goyer were hired to produce and write the long awaited Superman reboot. Goyer himself is a well respected man in the film industry, with a CV that boasts writing for Nolan's Batman trilogy as well as the Blade franchise and the most recent Ghost Rider installment. With Nolan taking the producers role the man sat in the directors chair will be Zack Snyder, most well known for his 2006 film 300. Recognised best for his use of long constant shots paired with slow motion during fight scenes Snyder will hopefully be able to bring a good intensity to the action in Man Of Steel without falling into the stereotypical conventions of fight sequences. Great producer, check. Great writer, check. Great director, check.

The cast on the other hand are a bit harder to come to a conclusion on. First of all you've got Superman himself, Henry Cavill. The only thing I've seen Cavill in was Immortals, a fairly decent film, in which he did impress me. Was he stunning? No. Did he bring me to tears with his raw acting ability? Not even nearly. But he was very good at what he did. His troop rallying speech was realistic and somehow remained cringe free, which I found most impressive. On top of that his action sequences were very well done and his performance as a whole quite good. His biggest advantage though to playing Clark Kent and his famous alter ego is that he looks the part. He's a handsome man with dark hair and a great physique as we'd expect from a Superman, yet he possesses a slight roughness around the edges which will really help to support the gritty and realistic feel that this film appears to be trying to create.

Secondly we have Amy Adams taking on the role of Lois Lane. Amy Adams is a really great actress so I think casting her is a great choice by the film makers, the only problem is she just doesn't look right. When I think of Lois Lane I think of a stereotypically beautiful dark haired younger woman, but that's not Amy Adams. She is however a brilliant actress who knows how to play a strong confident female character and I also happen to think she's a very pretty lady. This film will constantly be trying to win people over and I think sacrificing the stereotypical image for acting ability will prove to be a clever move.

Finally we've got Michael Shannon portraying the bad guy, General Zod. Shannon himself is a good actor, as shown by his brilliant role in HBO's award winning television series Boardwalk Empire, and is brilliant at portraying an authoritative character. For any good villain to be believable they have to have a sense of dominance about them and I think Shannon will be able to bring this to the role well, but I'm not entirely convinced he's the right choice for a super villain and this may end up letting the film down. I think Shannon's General Zod will end up either being a stroke of genius, or a horrific move for Snyder and co.

Overall I think we can be excited, but very tentatively. So far things are look to be heading in the right direction for Man Of Steel and from what I can see this seems like it will be a good movie. The problem is that it's so very risky, there is absolutely no safety net for this one. After the painfully dire previous attempt at a Superman film the worlds most famous hero is teetering on the edge of the abyss, much as Batman was after the 90's. Nolan has saved one superhero for us, can he do it again? Lets hope so!





Written by Ash Davies

Seven Psychopaths

Before I delve deep into my review of this film I'd like to give a quick shout out to my friend Adam Rathbone who managed to find a cinema still showing this film and then accompanied me to see it. He also proved that it's possible, with a big enough coat, to sneak a full McDonald's meal into the cinema. Anyway, to the film review!

Unfortunately for us all when a bad script gets turned into a film they usually just pack it full of stars in the hope that this will make up for it. So more often than not when I see a film jam packed full of well known actors I'm skeptical. Seven Psychopaths made it very clear that it featured not only Colin Farrell but Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson on top of that. So, obviously, I was skeptical. I don't say this very often, but I was wrong. This film was brilliant.

There's a lot going on in this film, but it essentially revolves around a struggling screenwriting, played by Colin Farrell, who's friend kidnaps the beloved dog of psychopathic gangster, Woody Harrelson. Bit of a strange storyline admittedly but amazingly it works really well without feeling stupid. It remains consistently interesting and was continually gripping throughout.

In terms of whether the star names really earned their money then I'd have to say they certainly did. Colin Farrell was good, playing the standard good looking frustrated Irishman he usually does; Sam Rockwell was great, believably portraying an abnormal highly inappropriate yet always funny partner in crime for Farrell; and Woody Harrelson brilliantly portrayed a psychotic mob boss who cares about nothing or no one, except his stolen Shih Tzu. However, the standout performer was undoubtedly Christopher Walken. Maybe it's because I have an incredibly large soft spot for him, or maybe because he has the most unique voice on the planet, but throughout the whole film everything he did impressed me. I found him as hilarious and cool as I'd expected and I was pleasantly surprised at how well he tugged on my heart strings during the emotional scenes, yet all the while still giving that feeling he's got a screw or two loose. Brilliant.

I definitely recommend this film. It's well acted, brilliantly written and outstandingly filmed. The cinematography is beautiful at times and the characters have clearly been carefully thought out. It's biggest triumph though is definitely it's style. The way the narrative constantly cuts from reality to fiction, or present to past, is really cleverly done and constantly keeps you interested. I think the best way to describe Seven Psychopaths would be to says it's like a grown up version of a Tarantino film. It's got all the ruthless killing and mannerisms we'd expect in a Tarantino flick, but on top of that it has a brain. It revolves around more than the violence and almost pokes fun at itself at times.

Overall a really great film. I'd definitely recommend getting your hands on it when the DVD comes out, could become a real cult classic.




Written by Ash Davies

Star Wars Reboot News

Ever since the news first hit the public that Disney had paid a small fortune for the rights to Star at least once a week a conversation on the topic comes up. So, if you ever find yourself a bit stuck for information, here's what we know so far:


- The script has been written by Michael Arndt, the man who wrote the screen play for Toy Story 3. In my opinion a very shrewd move by the men upstairs. Arndt clearly knows what he's doing when it comes to taking a well known and much loved franchise and creating something satisfying from it. However, history suggests the story may be a bit more childish than hardcore Star Wars fans were hoping for.

- Reports suggest that the new films will feature the original cast as older versions of their characters. Hopefully meaning a big ol' slice of Harrison Ford for us all! Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Mr Ford himself have all supposedly expressed interest in reprising their iconic roles, as have Billy Dee Williams aka Lando Calrissian, Samuel L Jackson, and Ewan McGregor.

- In a November's premiere of Seven Psychopaths it appeared that Jason Flemyng answered the question on everyone's lips: who's directing? Guillermo Del Toro, Quentin Tarantino, J. J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg and Jon Favreau were all linked with the job. But from what Flemyng was saying it appears as though his good friend Michael Vaughn has got the golden ticket. When asked about Vaughn's name being linked with the job Flemyng replied "Me and Matt have done nine films together, so I'm sure I'll get the call for Star Wars." Although this of course in no way a definitive confirmation of Vaughn getting the job, the speculation was further fueled when the Kick Ass director unexpectedly pulled out of shooting for the new X-Men movie in October. Could he be our man?

- Finally, there is one plot that seems to have been thrown up all over the internet. Luke Skywalker returning to Yavin 4 to start up a Jedi Knight school was widely reported to be the storyline of Star Wars Episode VII, yes really. Painstakingly boring is the word that jumps to mind. Thankfully writer of the original article, Mike McDonald, said he made a "mistake" claiming he "misunderstood what the fan clubs told me". I think I speak on behalf of all Star Wars fans when I say THANK GOD!




Written by Ash Davies

Nightwing: Yes or No?

You'd be hard pressed to find someone who genuinely didn't enjoy Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, so when it finally came to an end it was a sad day for us all. However, the sneaky devil decided to leave a little hint right at the very end to wet our whistles with anticipation. The emergence of Detective Blake, or should I say Robin, being led to Bruce Wayne's bat cave was clearly a nod to the idea that maybe Robin could have his own spin off. For those of you who don't know when Robin flies solo he becomes the fearsome Nightwing. So will Nolan make a Nightwing move, more importantly should he?

In terms of whether he will or won't as far as I'm aware Nolan is undecided. Neither he nor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played Blake in the final Batman installment, seem opposed to the idea of a Nightwing film. But neither have they expressed any real desire to make it happen. So it seems for now all we can do is wait and see if it does eventually catch Nolan's attention.

Whether or not it's a good idea is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

Lets be honest, the Batman trilogy was incredibly cool. It was perfectly cast, perfectly written, it had interesting story lines and was an innovative take on a classic comic book character that had seemed all but dead after the drivel George Clooney and Val Kilmer had displayed. So surely with Nolan's secret formula he could rustle up the same level of incredible coolness for Nightwing! As one of the most talented directors of his generation it seems that everything Nolan touches turns to gold and I'm almost certain if this film was made it would be great, simply because I have so much confidence in Nolan and his usual crew.

Also Nightwing is a fresh concept. As far as I'm aware there hasn't already been a film about him and if there was I'm sure there is a reason I've not heard of it, that reason probably being that's it's terrible. So apart from genuine comic book fans there will be an air of excitement as no one knows really what to expect from the character himself. It's very rare to get that these days with a superhero film.

It does however possess a variety of different problems. As much as it's nice to have a fresh concept to sink our teeth into, at the end of the day Nightwing isn't very well known and it seems as though people have only taken the time to learn about him as a result of The Dark Knight Rises ending (myself included). This could be because Batman steals all the headlines away from an underrated character, or it could very well be simply because Nightwing is painfully forgettable.

Also the expectation will be through the roof for this film and I worry that it might not be able to live up to it. The Batman trilogy, as I may have mentioned a few times, was just sensational and is certainly up there with the great cinematic sagas. So if people were to purchase their cinema ticket for this film they wouldn't be crunching away at their popcorn excitedly waiting for Nightwing, they'd be crunching away at their popcorn excitedly waiting for the new Batman film. It's the same story as the Hobbit. The amount of times I've winced as people have claimed they've just been to see "the new Lord of the Rings film" in the past month is frightening, and that's exactly what would happen with a Nightwing film unfortunately.

All things considered I find myself craving this creation, despite it's problems. I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I love Christopher Nolan and I love his innovative take on the Batman franchise. As long as he does what he does best I would have full confidence that a Nightwing film would be really good, but it won't be Batman. For me, it's a YES to the prospect of Nightwing hitting our screens.




 Written by Ash Davies

Best Films Of 2012

The Avengers

Superhero film have gone from strength to strength in the past few years. So when an all star group assembled to create the ultimate arse kicking team, people were excited. It. Was. Awesome. I'm sure the cynics of the world saw a popular movie full of big Hollywood names and automatically assumed that this would be nothing but drivel. Wrong. This film was incredible! It was shockingly funny, packed full of action, with brilliant special effects, good acting and a great storyline. Great film, definitely one of the best this year.

The Dark Knight Rises

I think it's fair to say that the Batman trilogy will go down as one of the greatest film saga's in history, up there with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. It was always going to be tough to complete such an epic set of films, but Christopher Nolan went above and beyond in creating the perfect ending for our beloved Batman. Replacing the Joker was a tall task but Tom Hardy's Bane was equal to it, delivering a powerful and creepy take on the lesser known villain. Anne Hathaway performed surprisingly well as Catwoman, but the standout performer in my eyes was Michael Caine. Overall a truly stunning film and for me it was the best 2012 had to offer.


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I have a very detailed, opinionated and interesting, if I may say so, review on the Hobbit further down on this blog. But if I were to just some it up briefly I'd say go and see this film. It's spectacular. Amazing looking, outstanding special effects, brilliant acting and a very interesting story. It has problems however. There are a fair few pointless bits that really didn't need to be there and I felt as though it had more to do with this history of Tolkein's works and less to do with the actual story The Hobbit. Still though, this is a brilliant film. Definitely one of the best this year.


Skyfall

The James Bond franchise celebrated its 50th anniversary in some style. Skyfall is now the highest grossing film in British history and for a very good reason. This film is a close to perfection as a Bond film can possibly get in my opinion. Craig delivers a stunning performance, matched by his counterpart Javier Bardem, as well a brilliant storyline and one hell of a Bond song. I loved this film more than I can possibly put into a short review, it was simply everything that is good about James Bond. Just a quality film, a 2012 classic.

Looper

It shocks me how few people seem to have seen this film. It was outstanding! Joseph Gordon Levitt took the lead in this original science fiction twist and for me it worked on every level. I've heard a few critics claim it had plot holes, but none were so noticeable that it impaired my ability to enjoy the film. The special effects were brilliantly used to make Levitt look like Bruce Willis, the older version of his character, and the story was incredibly interesting from start to end. What a film. Honestly, if you didn't get a chance to see it then go and buy the DVD, sit down, and just enjoy one of the best sci-fi films you're likely to watch in a long time. Brilliant addition to a great 2012 for films.





Written by Ash Davies

The Next Bond

Although Daniel Craig has reportedly signed a fresh new two film deal with MGM, there will always be speculation about who will be next to slip into the shiny shoes of James Bond. Craig should have called it a day after Skyfall, purely because it was a close to perfection as he is ever likely to get and you should always try and end on a high, but that's not to say I won't be looking forward to seeing him once again grace our screens as 007. However, inevitably it will be time for him to pass the role on and here are a few of the candidates who have been linked with our nation's greatest secret agent:


Christian Bale, 38.
Known for: The Batman Trilogy, American Psycho, The Fighter
Born: Pembrokeshire, Wales

Bale would be a very interesting choice for the role but very risky. There is no denying the fact that the man is a phenomenal actor and can more than fill the boots of a legendary character, as shown by his stunning portrayal of Batman. The problem is he's just too gritty. On the whole people didn't take to Timothy Dalton's dark a serious take on Bond, and I worry it would be the same story if Christian Bale got the role. Wonderful actor, but can you really imagine him making quick witted quips at Moneypenny?

Idris Elba, 40.
Known for: Prometheus, Thor, The Wire
Born: London, England

This name has cropped up a lot in the past few months, especially after Skyfall star Naomie Harris publicly backed Elba to get the role. I'd be more than happy to make the statement that racism isn't a problem, and the viewpoint of a small handful of bigoted fools out there are certainly not held by most people. However, there is no escaping that James Bond isn't black. Neither is he blonde though. I think the world is more than ready for a black Bond and I think that Elba would do a very good job of it. That's not the problem. The problem is he's 40. There is usually at least a two year gap between Bond films, meaning that given the fact that Craig is signed on for two more films it would be at least six years before Elba even got onto our screens. In my opinion that's just too old to stamp your mark on the character. Unfortunately it appears that Elba left it a little too late.

Damien Lewis, 41.
Known for: Homeland
Born: London, England

Probably the least well known actor on the list, which is a shame because he's really quite talented. Lewis has risen to prominence after some outstanding performances as the lead role in American television series Homeland. The man has one hell of a British accent, he can pull off a suit, he's fairly handsome and you can firmly imagine him coming out with cheesy yet funny one liners. He has his fair share of problems though. Firstly, his hair. Ginger has always been a controversial colour in the head department and although the nation has come to love a blonde Bond I'm not sure a ginger one would sit quite right. Also he's hardly the tough type. I can hardly see him punching bad guys with any conviction. Finally, at 41 he's too old. I think Lewis would've made a good Bond, but I'm afraid the role shouldn't be heading his way.

Sam Worthington, 36.
Known for: Avatar, Man On A Ledge, Clash Of The Titans
Born: Surrey, England

This is a tough one. Sam Worthington, although starring in quite a few really big films, isn't the most well known actor. He was fantastic in Avatar, there is no doubting that, and a lot of his roles have been in action films so he wouldn't look out of place in a fight. I get it on good authority that Worthington is a bit of a "heart throb" and by the time the role opens up he should be at the right age for it. His problem is that he just lacks any sort of personality. I can't imagine him looking slick, I can't imagine him coming up with anything witty and I just can't see him as Bond. It'd be an interesting choice, but not one I'd particularly believe to be the right one.

Tom Hardy, 35.
Known for: The Dark Knight Rises, Warrior, Inception
Born: London, England

Hardy certainly appears to be a bit of a favourite with most of the people I've talked to. He was stunningly good in Christopher Nolan's final Batman installment, as well as being one of my favourite characters in award winning Inception. Tom Hardy has the posh English accent and certainly has the looks for the role. Also has the toughness that I think any Bond should possess. However, the problem with Hardy is that he's possibly too tough. I can't really see him looking smooth and fixing his tie with a girl on his arm. All I see is him smashing someones teeth out with his bare fists. That said, there's no denying that Hardy is a great actor and could probably change his demeanor to suit 007. Overall Hardy would make a great Bond and age isn't an issue. I'd be more than happy to see him ordering himself a martini shaken not stirred. He'd need to slim down a bit though.

Michael Fassbender, 35.
Known for: Prometheus, X-Men First Class, Inglorious Basterds
Born: Heidelberg, Germany

A German Bond would certainly be a strange one. Not strictly a proper German, Fassbender and his family moved to Ireland when he was two. So you don't have to worry that he'd be drinking his martini from a stein. Fassbender himself is a really great actor and seems to have no problem fitting a role from any nation. He also looks great in a suit. At only 35 age shouldn't be a problem as it would be for some of the others. James Bond should always be smooth talking and a good ladies man, something Fassbender possesses in abundance and more importantly should be believably tough, again something I don't think would be an issue. All in all I think Fassbender would be a great choice for the role. Definitely one to watch.

James McAvoy, 33.
Known for: Last King Of Scotland, Wanted, X-Men First Class
Born: Port Glasgow, Scotland

James McAvoy is a really hard one too judge. I really like him as an actor and I can't really remember him being in anything I didn't think he was good in. The world's best Bond was Scottish, so I'll always root for a man north of the border, and I think it's fair to say he's a handsome lad. As the baby of the bunch he's the most likely to be able to maintain the role for the longest until the grey sets in. The problem is that he's a bit of a dribble. It's not that I can't see him getting into a fight with an armed guard whilst he tries to escape a room full of sharks, it's just that I can't imagine him winning. If you were a Pierce Brosnan fan I'm sure McAvoy would be fine, but as I've made clear I like a tough Bond. So, as much as it pains me to say it, I'm afraid I don't think McAvoy would be right for the role.




 Written by Ash Davies