Oscar Predictions 2011

Before the Oscar ceremony tonight, Sunday 27th February 2011, I'd thought I'd publish my predictions for the big night. Not only is it based upon my evaluation of each film up for an award, but on the recognition they've received so far (from the SAG awards, Golden Globes, Directors Guild) and on the political buzz that surrounds them (Oscar loves overlooked actors and performances of disabled true life folk, for example).

In addition (and as is tradition in other parts of the Internet), I'll chuck in my preferred winner, so I can credibly voice my indignation, come awards night.

BEST FILM
Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Inception
Must Not Win: The Kids Are Alright (hey, I gave up after 20 minutes. Zzzzzz.)

BEST DIRECTOR
Will Win: Tom Hooper
Should Win: Darron Aronofsky (bold, original and fearless)
Must Not Win: David O Russell

BEST ACTOR
Will Win: Colin Firth (is there any doubt?)
Should Win: Colin Firth
Must Not Win: James Franco (he'd good, but not that good!)

BEST ACTRESS
Will Win: Natalie Portman
Should Win: Natalie Portman
Must Not Win: Annette Benning (after Portman she's bizarrely next favorite to win!)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Will Win: Geoffrey Rush (well deserved)
Should Win: Christian Bale
Must Not Win: Jeremy Renner (a great actor who does plays the same character in every movie)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Will Win: Helena Bohnam Carter
Should Win: Melissa Leo or Hailee Steinfeld (both are stunning)
Must Not Win: Amy Adams (I feel cruel...Amy's great, but her co-star's better)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Inception

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: The Social Network

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Will Win: Toy Story 3
Should Win: Toy Story 3

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Will Win: Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech)
Should Win: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network)
Must Not Win: Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Will Win: I See the Light (from Tangled)
Should Win: If I Rise (from 127 Hours)

BEST ART DIRECTION
Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: The King's Speech

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Will Win: Roger Deakins (True Grit)
Should Win: Wally Pfister (Inception)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Alice In Wonderland

BEST MAKEUP
Will Win: The Wolfman
Should Win: The Wolfman

BEST FILM EDITING
Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: 127 Hours

BEST SOUND MIXING
Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception

BEST SOUND EDITING
Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Must Not Win: Iron Man 2 / Hereafter

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Will Win: Absolutely no idea!!!

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Will Win: Exit Through The Gift Shop

The Mechanic Goes Like Clockwork

God bless Jason Statham. If you want a contemporary bullshit action movie (that's a compliment not a complaint) then you either look to Luc Besson productions, or films starring The Stath. Like any past movie star who's worked in this genre (Stallone, Arnie, Van Damme, Chuck Norris, etc) you'll produce great movies, bad movies and some that are just plain average...but because of the formulaic nature of the genre and the low expectations the exploitative movies they are, they remain watchable due to the action contained within and the charisma of their lead actors.

The Mechanic, a remake of a 1972 Charles Bronson thriller, is an average film for Jason Statham...but thankfully, because of his very presence, it's always watchable and engaging. Simon West (he of Con Air) directs with a glossy flair and keeps the action and drama rolling even if it's all a little too familiar to those who've watched this kind of stuff all too often. Tony Goldwyn reprises his excellent sleezebag performance from Ghost and The 6th Day while Donald Sutherland adds some gravitas to proceedings.

The worry with Statham is that he could plummet into DVD oblivion if he makes one too many duds, but despite The Mechanic being a bit run of the mill, it's a sharply made action thriller that should keep The Stath's theatrical release status for a bit longer yet.

Crowe Escapes From The Flat Haggis

Paul Haggis is a much admired talent in Hollywood. He's directed intelligent thrillers like In The Valley Of Elah and the Oscar winnng Crash, he's the celbrated screenwriter of Million Dollor Baby and Flags Of Our Fathers, a savvy script doctor of the Bond films and the creator of the much loved Due South TV show. So why he decided to direct such a derivative and unremarkable thriller like The Next Three Days is something of a mystery. That's not to say that the film is bad, because in most ways it's a first class production....it's just that the story that this talented group of people gathered together to tell is nothing to get excited about.

Russell Crowe stars as a husband and father whose wife, Elizabeth Banks, gets prosecuted for first degree murder. After all attemps to appeal the decision fail, and Banks tries to take her own life, Crowe seeks advice from successful prison escapee (Liam Neeson in a neat cameo) on how to break the misses out and get away for good. It's esentially a caper movie with everything that entails; a lenghthy planning session, thing going wrong while executing the job and those unmentioned details of the plan that, when revealed, surprise and thrill the audience.

But it's all a little hollow, and lacking in any great character insights or any truly grand, sphincter puckering thrills. Escape by numbers.

Navigating Cameron's Sanctum

After directing the two biggest films of all eternity, James Cameron can now put his name to any old movie in an attempt to sell it to the public. So, thanks to the diving theme and thriller aspect of the story, Jim 'presents' to us Sanctum. It's a small scale disaster movie of a bunch of cave explorers and underground divers who get trapped in an immense network of tunnels when the monsoon season arrives days earlier than expected. With limited resources, varying degrees of experience, a fast flooding environment and the dangers that an unexplored cave network provides...the cast must try and navigate the threats until they reach the sea and escape.

It looks good, is well directed (especially the underwater stuff) and pushes all the correct disaster movie buttons (a variety of dangers, both natural and man made, that pick the cast off one by one). It's a shame that the script isn't up to much...the dialogue is dire...and the cast are largely weak and forgettable. Only Richard Roxburgh gets to shine as the hardened and experienced cave diver that might be pushing his team too hard. Despite the story being largely predictable, it does mess with audience expectations as to who has good motivations and who doesn't, and does a good job of reversing the roles of the 'good' and the 'bad' as the plot progresses.

The inescapable bottom line is that if you want to see the definitive caving thriller then watch Neil Marshall's The Descent. Even the first half of that movie, without the ravenous crawlers, has more memorable character moments and white knucke tension then Sanctum delivers in its entirity.

The (Morning) Glory Of Rachel McAdams

Coming from Bad Robot Productions, the home of Lost and the Star Trek reboot, I was hoping that the JJ Abrams backed Morning Glory would be a step up from the drab rom coms we've come to expect out of Hollywood recently. Alas, for the most part my expectations weren't met to the standards I'd been expecting, but there were still enough surprises contained within to make it worth the watch.

Morning Glory is a career comedy, much like The Devil Wears Prada, in which an ambitious twenty-something pursues a high profile industry job (in this case, producing an early monrning TV news/magazine programme) at the expense of her private life. It's fluffy, likable, fizzy and frothy with no real weight behind the characters and the industry they work in. Director Roger Michell makes the whole affair look classy, it moves along briskly and the whole film has that Bad Robot sheen of strong colours and lens flares over the credits. The cast are good, and I expected this to be to be a chance for Harrison Ford to get his comedic chops into a larger than life curmudgeon...but he's still too laid back and grumpy for his character to work completely. He should have take notes from Diane Keaton who can do lovable AND unlikable in the same scene.

There are a couple of saving graces. First off, while this has the spinal structure of a romcom, the romance aspects take a backseat. Instead the same romcom structure is transposed to the working relationship between producer Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford...even going so far as one of them making a grand gesture as to the importance of their relationship in order to save it.

The other reason is leading lady Rachel McAdams herself. Like other raves about actresses in this blog (Emma Stone and Anna Faris come to mind), McAdams is an actress who deserves to be big, big, big. Although she's been around for a while in Mean Girls and The Hot Chick, I first saw her star quality opposite Vince Vaughan in The Wedding Crashers. She's cute, bubbly, full of energy, quirky, a smile to die for, unexpected and has a great range as an actress giving her the tools to hit the big time. Furthermore she possess a quality that a successful actress, particularly one working in comedy, that is essential in order to succeed...and that's an ability to not care if you look silly and just go for it. Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway...there's a reason why they're huge stars and that's it (well, they're pretty hot too). And if there's ever a showcase for an actress with mega wattage then it Morning Glory for McAdams. Forget her highly cut role in Sherlock Holmes or her quiet strength in State Of Play...if you want to see a real movie star, look no further than Morning Glory.

The Landis Comedy Murders

John Landis...once the king of the film comedy world with classics like Animal House, Trading Places and The Blues Brothers...is now something of a cult director whose comedy sensibilities will either confound and bore, or delight and amuse. Take the Landis directed Beverly Hills Cop III...on the surface it's a generic, unremarkable cop thriller...but if you're tuned into Landis' comic sensibility there's tons of well timed gags and character moments (that admittedly don't fit too snugly with the rest of that blockbuster franchise). Alas, because that sensibility is a rather daft and silly one, more common in a Road Runner cartoon than the latest American Pie sequel, many people just don't get it.

His work on Burke and Hare is afflicted with a similar silliness (great for me, not so much for the poor sods who don't get it) and it's compounded further by the fact that he's also dealing with a true story (which demands a degree of seriousness and respect) and in the horror genre (it's the story of a couple of murderers, after all.) With such liberal use of black humour, audiences may be unsure whether to laugh or not, but to be fair, the laughs are there. It's not all good news though...the script could be funnier, the central characters could be better defined and it's a little inconsistently paced.

But the cast are uniformly excellent, the photography and design are fantastically moody and Gothic (thanks to some Edinburgh location work) and it ends on a nicely judged, thoughtful note. Much like John Carpenter's The Ward last moth, this is not a return to classic form by any means, but it is a showcase for a talent which has still something worthy to express.

Probing Pegg In Paul

Ever since Nick Frost and Simon Pegg teamed up to give us the geek fuel antics of Spaced, Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, audiences have been yearning for them to get together once again. While their latest film Paul isn't the third film in the 'cornetto' trilogy (since writer/director Edgar Wright isn't involved), in Superbad helmer Greg Molotta's capable hands it is a very funny science fiction comedy which confirms that the Frost/Pegg duo are are force to be reckoned with.

It helps, for me anyway, that the film is taken from the perspective of pop culture geeks and Brits who are of a similar age to myself. This combined with the fact it's from the UK's Working Title Productions, means the film has a very grounded British sensibility despite the U.S. setting and Yankee cast. The comedic tone is broader than the Edgar Wright collaborations and Paul is gleefully and liberally laced with swearing and profanity.

The cast is fantastic ferom Kristin Wigg's Godbotherer who get's liberated with her newfound view of a scientific world (thanks to alien, Paul), Seth Rogan riffs on his chilled-out, stoner image to amusing effect in his vocal performance as the title character and American actors Bill Hader, Justin Bateman and the brilliant Jeffery Tambour all chip in with some off-kilter characters. A consistently funny road movie with tons of laughs, Paul is well worth checking out.

You Know The Name, You Know The Number

Inspired to watch Goldeneye by the current talk of a new James Bond adventure filming shortly, I was surprised by how dramatically Pierce Brosnan's movie has dated...and it's only 16 years old!

Eric Serra's score remains stubbornly shit, it's naff electronic farting is no match for John Barry's or David Arnold's classic orchestral highs. Brosnan still seems like a man in training for the role of his life, rather than totally owning it (as he did in the follow up, the superior Tomorrow Never Dies.) Here he's too wiry and slight to look like a convincing top secret agent, plus he's still carrying some of that cocky arrogant swagger that only an older man can carry off well (which Brosnan of course did). Plus he's still sporting his poncey Remmington Steel hair which undermines Bond's toughness. Still, as played, he's still pretty damned good balancing Bond's cutting quips, the more vulnerable side of 007's psychology and his relentless brutality with skill.

The rest of the cast are equally impressive. Sean Bean makes a memorable villain (the fact that he's 006 and Bonds mirror makes this a stronger character than Bean's slightly too toffee-nosed take), Izabella Scorupco is a drop dead gorgeous (and feisty, Bond girl, while Famke Janssen clearly revels in her opportunity to play a Bond henchman with a sex-fetish. Of course the casting of Judi Dench as M was a slam dunk in every way possible.

The deliberate 90's references stand out like a sore thumb watched these days. Making a big deal out of Bond's female boss, a less submissive Moneypenny (in Samantha Bond's portrayal of M's secretary) and continual references to Bond's mistreatment of women are a little outdated and redundant (although it gives Goldeneye a unique flavor the other franchise entries lack). Also the photography is very much of it's time; not so much in the daytime or interiors...but night scenes are filled with smoke machines which were a trademark of the times.

Like X-Men, Goldeneye is operating on a reduced budget which means the film is structured in such a way so that we get 'maximum bang for our buck'. The three act structure of France, Russia and Cuba gives the story a welcome simplicity (not always present in Bond movies) and the set-pieces striking and well choreographed with the central St Petersberg Tank Chase being one of the long running film series best. Director Martin Campbell mostly shakes of the bland detachedness that marred his earlier thriller No Escape and Goldeneye sees him start his career as one of Hollywood's most sought after hacks...even if he is a talented hack.

The main thing I like about Goldeneye is that it's a modern attempt to do an outlandish Bond movie (like The Spy Who Loved Me and You Only Live Twice) in a serious, realistic way. There's the villain's super-weapon, the hidden, Ken Adam designed secret base and the arrival of the troops to storm the fortress (even if they arrive a touch too late). It's a fantastic blend of old and new...one that I hope that current Bond, Daniel Craig, will get to explore before he finishes duties as 007.

X Marks The Spot

The reason for watching man older movies is for a current, topical reminder to give me the kick up the arse I need to dig a particular film out of my DVD collection. So with the advent of the stylish X-Men - First Class trailer, I felt the need to watch a classy X-Men movie...and sharpish. Since I'd seen X2 and The Last Stand somewhat recently (and you won't catch me watching Wolverine anytime soon) it was Bryan Singer's original that took centre stage.

You'll know from previous reviews of X2, Superman Returns and Valkyrie what I love about Singer's directing style; the old fashioned steady takes, the character-centric drama, the stunning visual economy with scenes and dialogue he employs(minimising both to tell the leanest possible version of the plot), the clever casting, the tension filled action set-pieces and the adult, thrillerish tone...all of this leads to some of the best story telling in Hollywood today.

AS for X-Men specifically, well it's interesting how Singer (along with producer Ralph Winter) can stretch a smallish budget to epic blockbuster levels of scale, the photography is glossier than it's more film-y, more sophisticated sequel, and the third act (Magneto takes over the world 007 plot) feels a bit tacked on. There's some nice humour (Wolverine to Cyclops, "You're a dick!"), great exploration of discrimination in society, and the introduction of one of the strongest leading men of the last decade; one Mr Hugh Jackman.

Not bad for a little superhero movie that it's parent studio (Fox) tried to ignore.

Wicked Willard & His Wats

If you leave it a particularly long time between rewatch a movie, on some occasions your memory can be corrupted...and usually for the worse. One example is Memento (a film I plan to rewatch in it's entirety shortly) that a brief glance of a Bluray copy reminded me how absorbing the intricate plot was and how lush Wally Pfister's cinematography is...not the complicated, grubby movie I thought I remembered. Willard is like that too, which I believed to be a skanky, low budget affair...but proves to be a glossy and well directed darkly comic horror.

Willard is the 2003 remake of the 1971 original which has the introverted heir of a family business strike up an "understanding" with the rats who live in his house. It's a bit larger than life (well it has to be for a bloke that talks to rats and commands them to feast on his enemies) and very old fashion and gothic looking...like an escapee from an Addams Family school of film making.

R Lee Ermey is predictably and suitably shouty as Willard's unpleasant boss but it's Crispen Glover in the title role who's perfectly cast. A simpering wreck one minute...a seething psychopath the next...it's a role Glover was born to play. So well does he portray the tragic anti-hero that you begin to wonder whether Glover is simply playing himself. Hmmmm...

February Pick N Mix

First off, the 8 Bit version of Tron Legacy...



This brilliant Star Wars themed VW advert that was doing the rounds during the 2011 Super Bowl...



Here's Brad Bird's award acceptance speech on the set of MI:4 (skip ahead to 4:30 to see the unique way off receiving his award)...



And finally, here's the Star Wars Lego adventure of Black Stormtrooper...

Rare Import Of A Rare Export

Every now and again I'll get an idea to watch a certain theme of movie at a certain time of year. This might be a Christmas themed film at Christmas, horror themed films at Halloween and, near Valentines Day, more horror themed films. You get the idea. One film I considered watching this Christmas was Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, but due to one thing or another that needed my attention, I didn't get round to watching it. Which is a damned shame as Rare Exports is one of the most enjoyable Christmas movies I've ever seen.

Made in Finland, it follows a small rural farming community on the 24th and 25th of December. When it becomes clear that the company blasting the neighbouring mountain apart have unearthed something 'unnatural', the small group of farmers and their kids are forced into action to save their lives, their children and their livelihoods. It's similar to The Troll Hunter as it centres on an ancient myth being reinvented as if it really existed in the modern world, but instead of Trolls it's Santa Claus himself.

What makes Rare Exports such a joy is the tone. It's like a horror Amblin movie, but pushed to far greater extremes of horror than Joe Dante ever attempted with Gremlins. It's almost like the perfect family Christmas adventure story that you and your kids can sit down and enjoy together on Christmas Eve...yet it's filled with swearing, gore and a disturbing, satanic Santa. Like Pans Labyrinth its a film about kids...but not really for kids. It's tightly written with quirky characters that are splendidly performed by Finland's finest, has some strong effects work and a lush musical score; although it's small in production it feels big in size. And it has something that a lot of fantasy films and family movies fail to capture...and that's a sense of wonder.

This is a mad cross between 70's Disney-era live-action (like The Cat From Outer Space) and splatter era Peter Jackson (Bad Taste). It shouldn't work, but it does...really, really well. Try and remember it this December.

Hunter Of Troll Munter

The second of my evening's Scandinavian monster movies is The Troll Hunter, brought to us from Norway. Championed by monster fan Guilermo Del Toro for international distribution, it's yet another in the long line of 'found footage' movies along the lines of Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project. The digital film located in this case belongs to three Norwegian University students who are making a documentary, initially following the trail of an unregistered bear hunter who's been seemingly killing the beasts up and down the country. However, when they catch up to him they realise that the lone man is actually tracking and eliminating the region's Troll population.

It's not a horror film, a thriller or even a character drama of any great depth. This is a monster movie and, as the story progresses, the mythology of the giant creatures is revealed...much like a wildlife documentary. The Trolls are treated like wild animals, mostly undetected by humankind as they roam the forests and mountains, instead of the fairytale creatures that most people know them as. We get to understand their life cycle, what they like to eat (amusingly Christians drive them crazy) and the different varieties of the species that exist, and through Hans the Troll Hunter, we explore the methods that the government deploy to keep them hidden from sight.

The effects are well handled, there's a silly streak the permeates the film as the Trolls are seen with their big cartoon noses, and the characters are all distinct and likable. There's very little in the way of story but it's the journey of discovering a new, hidden natural wonder in a realistic way that completely holds the attention. Fantastic stuff.

Fighting In The Shade With The 300

It's pretty safe to say that the best film trailers that have been made are due to the fact that they're packed to the hilt with money shots from the films they are advertising. The more impressive and spectacular shots that the host film has to offer, then the better the trailer representing it will be. That theory can be no better demonstrated than in the trailer for 300 which must be one of the most incredible examples of the trailer art form ever made. Watching the movie 300, an adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel, it almost seems that every single shot has been lovingly framed, painted and composed as if each one was a glorious work of art itself. Directed by the Dawn Of The Dead remake's Zack Snyder, 300 must surely be one of the most visually beautiful films ever made.

Rather than simply dramatise historic events, Snyder and Miller refract the tale through a grandiose, fantastical style of heightened realism where fantasy and reality clash. The brave 300's actions are more impressive tha reality ever could be, the Superior nature of the Spartans in exaggerated and the Persian Army they face is vast and limitless. Snyder pushes the action to new limits as well. If John Woo mastered the art of slow motion and the Wachowski brothers took it to the next level in The Matrix with bullet-time, in 300 we get a new shot which tracks close quarter combat with a long duration shot which ramps up and down the frame rate to perfectly capture the gory carnage in all its glory.

The cast are excellent but it's Gerard Bulter in a deserving star making turn as Spartan King Leonidis who triumphs. Stoic and regal, impossibly aggressive and shouty, darkly witty and completely relatable, Butler owns 300 completely. If his performance has been much parodied it's because he's so successful in delivering such an intense, fearless performance as the heroic leader.

A stunning piece of work which has launched both Butler and Snyder into the movie making stratosphere. And as for that first trailer, you can see that below and witness the trailer art form at it's most effective.

The Godfocker Part III

Little Fockers, the third in the Meet The Parents franchise, is that inevitable film in any long running film series where the film makers run out of steam. In TV land it's called jumping the shark, and it can happen to a film franchise at any time. Occasionally it happens on the first sequel (Ghostbusters II), more frequently on the third movie (Spider-man 3) and there are some franchises where it (arguably)hasn't quite happened yet (Die Hard)...but the odds are if you keep making follow ups to a big box office hit, you're gonna hit a brick wall at some time.

And so it comes to pass that Little Fockers is average as hell. It's not hatefully unfunny like Due Date or Dinner For Schmucks, but the jokes are weaker and less frequent that the often hilarious Focker films. This is partly due to a weaker script, a change at the top with Paul Weitz taking over as director from Jay Roach and a change in the dynamic between the two leads, Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro.

Obviously anticipating that they need to keep the story fresh, Stiller and DeNiro's character's trade personality traits; Stiller becomes more authoritative and DeNiro becomes more accident prone. That's not to say it's a complete role reversal...Stiller is still the hapless guy out of his depth... just less so. It's also sillier and less grounded than its predecessors, which often sits restlessly with the family drama that's unfolding, including an uncomfortable side plot about adultery that rarely works comically.

No it's time to let this franchise go to pasture and Ben and Bob can fock off.

They Just F**ked With The Wrong Ex-Wrestler

Faster is a revenge tale, plain and simple, fitting snugly into the archetypal plot of 'man seeking vengeance on those that murdered his close family relative'. However, in any avenue of storytelling, whether it be novels, TV, movies or comic strips, it's not the story you tell but the way that you tell it. The revenge drama stretches between the two extremes of movies with crap like Marked For Death and Law Abiding Citizen at one end of the spectrum and Kill Bill and Oldboy at the other.

Fortunately Faster leans towards the more sophisticated end of the spectrum thanks to a script which examines the effects of addiction and obsession (to revenge, to work, to drugs and to family) on a trio of characters whom the plot revolves around. There's Dwayne Johnson's just-released-from-prison getaway driver out to murder the group that set him and his bother up, Billy Bob Thornton's drug addicted cop longing to return to the family home he's been kicked out of, and Oliver Cohen-Jackson's assassin torn between his love of killing and his new wife Maggie Grace.

George Tillman Jr is the other factor this works so well giving it a gritty, hip edge in the vein of Rodriguez and Tarantino but without the self referential tone and humour. Dwayne barely says much through the whole film, becoming an unstoppable force of nature and the film has a cool vibe supplied by a moody Clint Mansell score and some great tunes.

Not a classic by any means, but a thriller that deftly walks the thin line between bullshit action movie and sophisticated thriller.

TV Round Up - February 2011

Here's a brief round up of what's going in in my world of televisual entertainment; the winners, losers and the who the hell knows...

Of the new series that have come to my attention of the last few months it's Frank Darabont's adaptation of the comic strip The Walking Dead that's come out tops. Only a 6 part first season has meant that this high quality drama is to be savoured for everything it's worth, but the cast, the scope, the gore, the writing and the grim tone is of an exceptional quality. The pilot, which Darabont wrote and directed himself, is one of the single greatest TV episodes I've ever seen. Thankfully the confirmed second season will bring a higher episode count.

The rest of the newbies are comedies. From the UK we have yet another hilariously scathing examination of TV from Charlie Brooker in How TV Ruined Your Life. Brooker also turns up in Britain's answer to Real Time and The Daily Show with The 10 O'clock Show also starring David Mitchell and Jimmy Carr. It's pretty good, and fantastic to have a live political satire on air, although the serious interviews do tend to drag on a bit. From the US is a promising sitcom, Mr Sunshine, from the always excellent Matthew Perry as a cynical Sports Stadium manager. It's an OK start but needs to find a mean spirited streak if it's going to win me over. Better is a spoof TV News show, The Onion News Network, based on the well established fake news website The Onion. Silly, satirical and sharp, it's the US equivalent of the UK's The Day Today.

Established hits, Castle, Robot Chicken and Fringe, are back in their stride with the latter ramping up the dramatic mythology stories in an effort to fight of cancellation Stateside where it resides in the infamous Friday night death slot on the Fox Network. Doctor Who made a spectacular return at Christmas with a thrilling and moving story based on Dickens's A Christmas Carol making it by far the best of the festive editions of the revamped family show. Primeval returns after being cancelled by ITV a couple of years ago. Fortunately it's retained much of it's sizable budget, impressive effects, the core cast and anomaly mythology built up over the last few seasons, with new cast members including DS9's Alexander Siddig making an impact. And the brilliant Being Human has made a strong return in the last few weeks as it pushes the boundaries of supernatural mythology, horror based drama and gut busting comedy to the limits.

The same can't be said of McSpaced version of the show, Being Human USA, which sticks closely to the premise and first season storyline but fails to grasp the comedy and horror aspects which makes the UK show so powerful; it's bland, safe and unremarkable. Another reimagining, the remake of V, has run it's course for me. While the alien invasion threads have become more and more interesting during the start of season 2, the characters remain dull and one dimensional. Just finishing it's second season, Human Target remains a fun, action-packed diversion. The premise is sufficiently different each weak to stop things getting stale, the addition of two new female cast members keeps the dynamics fresh, and the constant banter and bickering between the regulars is a quality 95% of US TV shows ignore to their peril. Whether it gets a third season is undecided however.

Finally, Spartacus: Blood & Sand returns in the form of a prequel series Gods Of The Arena which returns us to the house John Hannah's Gladiator Owner, Batiatus, and maintains the gleeful level of over the top gorenography, sex, swearing, nudity and violence to which we've become accustomed. Most excellent!

Gulliver Shits On The Little People

After a notable attempt by Twentieth Century Fox to hire talented directs in an effort to make a higher class of movie, the Studio seems to have submitted to their base desire to produce hollow, watered down for mass audience dirge with their contemporary reimagining of the classic Gulliver's Travels.

It's horrible. This is story telling by numbers with no attempt at wit, subtlety, depth, intelligence, suspense, excitement or fun. Events and characters go from A to B, not because they're logical or because the people feel motivated to do so, but because the idiotic script demands it. It's as simplistic as an early learning book for 5 year olds with all the shallowness that implies.

To be fair the production itself looks good, having a highly polished blockbuster look, and the special effects are absolutely top notch. The cast too, are impressive (featuring Jack Black, Amanda Peet, Emily Blunt, Billy Connolly, Chris O'Dowd, Catherine Tate and Jason Segal, but wasted in each and every case
. Oh, and if you want the icing on the cake, it also features UK so-called comic actor James Cordon in a small role. And he's a c**t. Thanks Fox. Go Fox yourselves.

The Resident Wants A Swank

The Resident is the second film from the rebooted Hammer Films production company (their first was the excellent Let Me In and it's a pleasure to see the logo again after three decades away from cinema screens. While it's an extremely well made film, it's not quite up to the quality the branding suggests. Documentary film maker Antti Jokinen, delivering his first narrative feature, handles the technical aspects with a glossy, old school confidence that makes the flick look big budget and professional. The cast are suburb from Oscar winner Hilary Swank as the resident of a renovated New York apartment, as is Jeffery Dean Morgan as her new landlord. Continuing Hammer traditions Christopher Lee has a small, creepy cameo as the building's (seemingly) only other inhabitant.

The problem is that it's the same old shit, with the story being annoyingly predictable, right up to the nail gun wielding conclusion. It's obvious who the antagonist is here, despite attempts to set up Swank's ex-boyfriend as the pervy stalker, and it's sign-posted what each of the characters will do, if not when (thankfully leaving an element of suspense.)

A nice try, and Hammer's efforts to make their new breed of features slick and credible affairs are to be praised, but they really need to find scripts stronger than this.

Doin' The Tango With Tangled

Disney Animation have been trying to resurrect their cartoon fairy tales, which defined the company in their early Golden Era of the 40's and 50's and again in the late 80's and 90's, for a few years now. First they had a go with 2007's Enchanted, which was a blend of live action, CGI and traditional hand drawn animation with a fairytale story told with a contemporary hipness. Then they tried again, this time with the Golden touch of Pixar's John Lasseter producing, with the wonderful Princess And The Frog, which saw a return to 2D drawings and dependable Alan Menkin songs. Very good though that was it turns out that Disney were only warming up as Tangled blows them both out of the water.

Tangled is, unbelievably, Disney's 50th full length animated feature and it's amazing that in all those movies that they hadn't got around to adapting the classic Rapunzel until now. There are several elements that elevate this tale above the dregs of Dreamworks fluff, aside from the fantastic script and flawless direction you'd expect from a production touched by the hand of Pixar. The decision to animate classic looking Disney fairytale characters in spanking new CGI gives the classic Disney look a much needed visual overhaul. The songs, again by Alan Menkin, have a much more modern edge to them than Princess and the Frog, once again making the movie much more relevant and appealing to a contemporary audience. The dialogue is amazing, coming across as a touch Whedonesque on occasion, being completely character based but laced with wit, warmth, emotion and a cheeky irreverence.

The character animation is of a staggeringly nuanced quality it's hard to take your eyes of the screen...if CGI characters could get Oscars...or stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame then it would be Rapunzel, Flynn Rider and Mother Gothel. It's helped that they're voiced with attitude by Mandy Moore and Zachery Levi, coming across like they've been possessed by the Whedonverse's Gellar and Fillion, being charming, soulful and offbeat. And it's all topped off by some of the best comically timed gags in a cartoon since the scrat sequences in the first two Ice Age movies. Thanks to the subtle glances and gestures of a chameleon and an over enthusiastic stallion called Maximus, I was giggling like a maniac.

Tangled is a riot from beginning to end, gripping, exhilarating, moving and very, very funny. A bit like a Pixar movie really. Rumour has it Tangled went through so many rewrites and reshoots on it's way to the screen it amassed a mighty $260 million budget. But, in all honesty, that was money well spent.

Nicholas Cage Is A Hot Head

Ghost Rider is a perfect example of a mainstream studio making a comic book superhero to appeal to every demographic possible. It's a curious blend of dumb, fun comedy and action (as exemplified by Sam Raimi's Spider-Man template) and a dark, brooding supernatural vengeance story. On top of that mixture you've got a bonkers concept; a stunt biker who moonlights as the devil's bounty hunter, appearing as a flaming skulled hell's angel when possessed by demonic forces. All of this is put in the blender along with a commercial song soundtrack, some colourful photography and some cheap and cheerful visual effects. Although this is Columbia Pictures, Ghost Rider has all the Hallmarks of a Fox movie...not the terrible variety, but the average type like Fantastic Four, Night At The Museum and Knight & Day.

It's casting is what sets it apart from the crowd. On the plus side is the jaw droppingly sexy Eva Mendes and, as the title hero, Nicholas Cage plays Johnny Blaze to the hilt. This is exactly what Cage gets payed for; unusual quirky roles that involve him to make his eyes pop out of his head in a controlled form of acting brain seizure....and he's on top form here. Sadly, for every positive there's an equal and opposite bad side that's represented by villain Wes Bentley. Wooden and petulant, Bentley fails to convince as a character, let alone be anywhere menacing enough to be the big bad of the movie. Once again, Bentley sucks.

If your expectations aren't too high, there's guilty pleasures to be had with Ghost Rider. But if you're not prone to embracing big budget trash with a daft script, senseless action and an unashamed commercialism...don't go anywhere near this. Click on the below image to enlarge the Nicholas Cage Matrix charting the performances of this one of a kind actor.

A Date I Don't Wish To Repeat

Due Date is basically a remake of John Hughes' much loved Planes Trains & Automobiles as it features two mismatched men trying to get from one side of the US to the other via land transport. Now Planes Trains isn't a movie I love all that much, but I must acknowledge that it does have the talents (on top form too) of Steve Martin and John Candy. However, when compared with Due Date it is a piece of cinematic comedic art, crafted to masterpiece standards of quality.

Due Date is shit. All the way through I was screaming at the screen, "MAKE ME LAUGH, MOTHERCUSSER!!!" And it did not (although there were two brief exceptions). AS the 'weird' half of the buddy duo Zack Galifinakis is simply not funny. Weird and highly irritating yes, funny no. Downey Jnr fares much better as the straight man who has to share his journey with the nutter, but he only rises to the comedy challenge when he allows himself off the leash, which is extremely rarely.

The comic set pieces are pathetic, the story generic and predictable and the whole affair a deep disappointment from the director of Old School and Road Trip, but after the highly overrated The Hangover, I should have expected it. As for the two moments that made me laugh....well, they both involved Galifinkis' small dog. Yes folks, the only thing that could raise a smile to my face during this clustercuss was a masturbating dog and Robert Downey Jnr viciously spitting in the dogs face. Avoid.