Review: Kung Fu Panda

A lot better than expected, showing that Jack Black suits films aimed at a younger audience, though the rest of the all star cast seem to be phoning it in at times - but this probably benefits the film as it doesn't come across as a group ego trip a la Shark Tale.

The film is also the best looking of the Dreamworks animated output and benefits from a short run time removing the flab that many recent kids CGI has suffered from.

No Longer Giving Fans The Slip

Nine Inch Nails free download 'The Slip' gets a physical release on July 22 and part of additional material to encourage fans to part with their cash include a set of rehearsal performances like this one for Echoplex.

Obviously it was a dress rehearsal too as the band look tres stylish in their various shades of black.

Bateman Begins

Bruce Wayne is turning more into Patrick Bateman by the second - I say bring on the Batsaw!

If you need another reason to check out this latest addition to the Dark Knight viral campaign - it provides a recap of Batman Begins, and sets up some plot elements for the Dark Knight, and also featuring some sweet in character cameos from The Bale and Aaron Eckhart - I can't wait for the forthcoming previews promised at the end of the clip

Review: Gone Baby Gone

The Affleck brothers steal the show in front and behind the camera in this story of two young P.I's hired to investigate the case of a missing child.

Behind the camera brother Ben carefully crafts a film full of atmosphere that is complex but never confusing and has a moral dilemma at its core that will leave the viewer with plenty to think about long after the credits roll.

And despite featuring impressive performances from all the cast, its Casey Affleck who once again outshines the bigger names on show in his role as principled P.I Patrick Kenzie.

With possibly one twist too many to be a truly great film, there is still plenty to recommend in this intelligent and atmospheric thriller.

Review: Joy Division

Featuring an impressive array of previously unseen archive footage, this documentary charts the rise and fall of the influential band from Manchester (and Salford).

This new footage makes the film, as although the contributions are comprehensive and feature almost all the key players involved - its still a story that has been told many times before.

Indeed this documentary possibly works best alongside one of these examples - Anton Corbijn's Control. When viewed as a companion piece to the Ian Curtis biopic, the documentary comes into its own, going into further detail the key moments of the story as well as highlighting the impressive attention to detail shown in the fictionalised version released last year.

Also lacking is a greater analysis of the wider scale, as the late Tony Wilson says within 'its a story of city, not just a band' and this documentary to a certain extent ignores this aspect to focuses on events within the eye of the storm that was Joy Division. This will delight the hardcore, but focusing on how as opposed to why the songs were recorded diminishes the impact the importance of events, a point they try to get over at the end.

Director Grant Gee cuts archive footage and talking heads together in a stylish way, and a fitting one at that as nothing from factory was ever simply an aural experience. Minus points though for ending on Atmosphere though, as despite its power - it is becoming a little clichéd now.

BBC documentary Factory: From Joy Division to Happy Mondays does a better job of covering the band within the social context of their formation and showing the lasting effect on the music scene and the city itself that the band had.

Something For The Ladies

In the new Flight of the Conchords video for 'Ladies of the World', we can clearly see Jermaine is making a move on Howard Moon's dominance of the moustachiod half a comedy music duo market. If the next video includes a survival patch, its time to get worried, The Flighty Zeus could be closer to the truth than you think.

Team Of Euro 2008: The Group Stages

The opening stages have now come to a close and so far we have seen a tournament that has garnered rave reviews, with attacking flair overcoming defensive nous and overall high extremely standard of play with only the deathly dull Greeks not offering anything to the neutral. Now after the final games of Group D have finished, here are the top XI players to have caught my eye so far.

Buffon (Italy)
While Boruc has been the busiest of the keepers involved in the opening rounds, a stunning penalty save vs Romania sees Buffon show he really is the world's best.

Lahm (Germany)
Comfortable on either flank, provides excellent support going forward and is underrated defensively

Van Bronckhorst (Holland)
Part of several stunning Dutch counter-attacks that have been the highlight of the tournament so far, also possess a sweet left foot

Pepe (Portugal)
Summing up the mood of the tournament so far, Pepe has made an equal impressive impression with his bursts forward from the centre of defense as opposed to his tough tackling

Kovac (Croatia)
Croatia have the best team ethic of any involved, and Kovac is their leader and the rock which they are built around

Fabregas (Spain)
Limited impact from the bench so far, but has shown some beautiful touches when called on - it should an unwritten law that any Dream Team includes Cesc.

Ballack (Germany)
All of Germany's attacks go through the Chelsea midfielder and his ability equals his smugness. Which is a lot. Stunning free kick vs Autria

Deco (Portugal)
While CR7 grabs all the headlines, Deco has been quietly pulling the strings in Portugal's silky smooth football. I'm not entirely sure why Barca want rid of him as he is still one of the best in the world with a underrated work ethic too.

Sneijder (Holland)
The architect behind the Dutch success story so far and has scored argueably the goal of the tournament do far.

Robben (Holland)
Has made an awesome impact from the bench, tearing the French apart in the second half with his pace and skill. Still lightweight so it remains to be seen if he can go the difference in a major tournament without crying off injured.

Villa (Spain)
Alongside Torres, their partnership has ripped apart a strong Russian and made them look mediocre, a three dimensional forward who can play many a role, his goals have surely sent his value through the roof.

Review: There Will Be Blood

Amazing performances, amazing visuals and an amazing score combine for one of the most striking movie experiences of recent times.

This is a film that is defined by conflicting opposites - Good & Evil, Man & Boy, Spirituality & Soulless to list a few of many - and these conflicts are mirrored in the way the film is made: from the cinematography featuring many huge, expansive frames that really create a sense of a vast scale - contrasted by the minimalist script, with many sections viewed as a silent movie, low on dialogue and driven by the fantastic score by Johnny Greenwood. Yet this also results in the viewer being distanced as they struggle to work out characters and their true motivations.

Daniel Day Lewis rightly received plaudits across the board for his performance in the lead role of oil man Daniel Plainview but Paul Dano almost matches his level in his role of creepy preacher Eli and was once again criminally under looked in awards season.

This is a film which challenges its audience throughout, but this part of its appeal is equally its Achilles heel as you can never really describe watching its 2hr 30min plus runtime as an enjoyable experience throughout, yet it is one that still needs to be experienced for sure.

Crystal Castles vs Timbaland

Its been bugging me for ages but it finally clicked where I've heard this before.

Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating



Looks like Timbaland liked what he heard judging by this

50 Cent ft Timbaland & Timberlake - Ayo Technology



and that has left the Castles a little peeved - but to quote the man himself it may be 'too late to apologise' and could end up in court.

*EDIT* Pot. Kettle. Black?

Stan Lee Cameos

Although cameos from Robert Downey Jr in The Incredible Hulk and Samuel L Jackson in Iron Man have stolen the headlines, true to form Stan Lee pops once again for his traditional cameo in films from the Marvel Universe - though after studying the list, you have to wonder who said no to X-Men 2?

X-Men
Lee appears as a customer at a hotdog stand on the beach when Senator Kelly emerges naked onshore after escaping from Magneto.

Spider-Man
Stan appeared during Spider-Man's first battle with the Green Goblin, pulling a little girl away from falling debris.

Daredevil
As a child, Matt Murdock stops Lee from crossing the street and getting hit by a car.

Hulk
Lee appears walking alongside former TV-series Hulk Lou Ferrigno in an early scene, both as security guards at Bruce Banner's lab. It was his first speaking role in a film based on one of his characters.

Spider-Man 2
Lee again pulls an innocent person away from danger during Spider-Man's first battle with Doctor Octopus.

Fantastic Four
Lee appears for the first time as a character from the comics, in a role credited as Willie Lumpkin, the mail carrier who greets the Fantastic Four as they enter the Baxter Building.

X-Men: The Last Stand
Lee and Chris Claremont appear as two of Jean Grey's neighbors in the opening scenes set 20 years ago. Lee, credited as "Waterhose man," is watering the lawn when Jean telekinetically redirects the water from the hose into the air.

Spider-Man 3
Lee appears in a credited role as "Man in Times Square". He stands next to Peter Parker, both of them reading a news bulletin, and commenting to Peter that, "You know, I guess one person can make a difference". He then says his well-known phrase, "'Nuff said."

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Lee appears as himself at Reed Richards' and Susan Storm's first wedding, being turned away by a security guard for not being on the guest list. In Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965), in which the couple married, Lee and Jack Kirby are similarly turned away.

Iron Man
Lee (credited as "Himself") appears at a gala cavorting with three blond women, where Tony Stark mistakes him for Hugh Hefner.[35]

Incredible Hulk
Lee appears as a hapless citizen who accidentally ingests some of Bruce Banner's blood, leading to the discovery of Dr. Banner's location in a soft drink bottling plant in Brazil.

Review: The Incredible Hulk

The second of the Marvel Comic films this year is trumped by Iron Man in the script, but possesses the superior action sequences - mainly from ripping off the Bourne films in the thrilling opening chase before taking liberally from Cloverfield as Bruce Banner tranforms into the Hulk and turns the tables on his pursuers.

This opening to the film is the highlight by far and after the film suffers from the problem that once Banner has turned into Hulk and does some good old fashioned smashing for the first time, there's nowhere else to go apart from smash something bigger, which gets boring quickly and doesn't bode well for potential sequels.

The cast and crew do well with the material available to them, this is likely to be the best inception we'll get - I just think the character of Hulk itself is flawed and will never truly work on the big screen, no matter how many remakes are attempted.

The film's final scene of the movie simply serves to highlight how superior other franchises are - and where the real excitement lies for future superhero films.

Review: Iron Man

Whilst its a good film I still don't think its quite as amazing as others have made it out to be - parts are quite predictable and Jeff Bridges is far too obvious as a bad guy from the moment he steps onto the screen, whilst these are small flaws they are still ones that hold Iron Man back from reaching the pinnacles hit by Nolan's Batman and Riami's Spider-man in the superhero genre.

That said the film is still a highly enjoyable origin story and like Batman Begins, the journey of main character becoming the superhero is the best part of the film - Robert Downey Jr is perfectly cast as playboy Tony Stark who finds a heart metaphorically after quite literally having to find himself a new one after being kidnapped in the Middle East.

The script mixes humour and heart whilst developing characters for the sequels - though this does take an edge off the final battle which feels a bit like an anti-climax with a sub-Transformers battle between two robots that isn't as epic as it aims to be.

Review: Vantage Point

The film's central point is an interesting concept where they attempt to tell a story from five different points of view - shame the story consists of nothing more than LOUD NOISES, be it shouting, shooting or blowing something up. Each time events roll round again it gets more annoying, simply adding another explosion or two till it reaches its crescendo in an ending which is simply just bollocks.

In the end what we have is a dichotomy where the content is popcorn fluff best viewed with the brain switched off, yet the concept requires concentration, only serving to highlight its many, many flaws that can be found within.

The Apprentice S04E12 - The Final

I'm not saying its a fix, BUT with everyone reporting a surprise winner of The Apprentice last night - is it really a surprise that a Sales Team Manager won a £100,000 job to...manage a sales team?

Last night's final was pretty pointless as the candidates performance seemed to have no effect on the eventual winner - Lee McQueen was by far the far the weakest out of the final four, his pitch was poor and the product was a shoddy 70s mess - yet the vague firing criteria allowed Sir Alan to choose his man.

I do think this could be the year that people remember that The Apprentice jumped the shark not just for Sir Alan hiring the man who told a couple of whopping porkies on his CV and can barely seem to speak, but for how the programme has descended into a parody of itself.

This year came over as every episode was straining to recreate infamous moments of previous seasons, with people seemingly chosen because they would fuck up every week or cause a ruck. The business aspect of the show was put on the back burner and this time around it became more of a reality show that in previous years with people showing their personalities more than their skills.

What set the show apart from others was the degree of credibility that it had - Sir Alan wouldn't suffer fools lightly - this time around he clearly did as Michael lasted so long and many of larger personalities stayed in with several quieter types fired for trivial reasons. Hopefully next time round they can redress the balance and it can remain one of the highlights in the BBC's year, but with the amount of coverage it now gets I can only see it carrying on further down this path.

Review: Waitress

Slow and boring in too many places but some nice comic touches from Captain Reynolds make it watchable. Obviously Pushing Daisies has trumped it in the competitive 'quirky and offbeat yet strangely life-affirming whilst based in a pie related setting' comedy genre.

Big Brother 9 Launch

Big Brother returned with a massive 16 contestants entering this year - and a grand total of none approaching being likeable. The twist with the fake wedding right of the bat shows what we're in for over the next 14 weeks - and I'm not a fan of it. I always thought the best BB drama develops naturally and recently its all seemed too staged with producers acting like bullfighters goading contestants into controversy to attempt to get headlines. Still, here's who entered the house last night.

Alexandra
Booed the worst on the way in. This year's Charley.

Dale
Looks a bit like Michael Carrick, was anonymous on the big occasion too - the similarities are endless.

Darnell
The Albino Pete Willett, stomped around like John Cena, also believes he is the champ - not sure of what though?

Dennis
Gay. Will not be as funny as the Big Brother show's will make out.

Jennifer
Doesn't like immigrants. I actually think producers are trying to get the show cancelled. Part time model. High class prostitute?

Kathreya
Big Brother are doing advertisers jobs for them now. Likes cookies. Really like cookies. Looks like Nancy Lam. Maryland rejoice!

Lisa
Mario pawned a watch for her boob job. She's probably done porn?

Luke
Looks like a retarded Timberlake. Was booed on the way in though people seem to have warmed to him, possibly more due to the horrific nature of everyone that came after.

Mario
Lisa's other half - They are either swingers or doggers.

Michael
Blind. Likes dressing in women's clothes, though was sporting a Beck look circa 'Loser' tonight. Maybe they told him the poncho was a dress.

Mohamed
Has a sweet 'fro. Not much else to say about him really.

Rachel
Talks a lot. Seems nice enough when she quietens down.

Rebecca
This year's sweet natured village idiot.

Rex
He's a cook so they should keep him in. Seems quite forgettable.

Stephanie
Out of the house and straight into Nuts she'll go. Sex stories will be in the papers on Sunday. Not actually that attractive.

Sylvia
Makosi version 2.0

Snakes On A PPV Again!

TNA have announced that Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Kamala, George "The Animal" Steele and Koko B. Ware will be appearing as grooms men at the Slammiversary PPV for the Jay Lethal and So Cal Val wedding.

Obviously with Roberts appearing the potential is there to recreate the Summerslam 91 Savage/Elizabeth wedding that the storyline pays homage too.



And continuing this trend the next step for Russo is to bring back Lex Luger to kill So Cal Val.

WWE One Night Stand 2008

The fourth annual One Night Stand PPV took place last night and was on the whole an enjoyable event with only the injury to Orton spoiling what will be one of the most consistent PPV cards of the year.

Kicking off was Hardy vs Umaga in a Falls Count Anywhere match and this one of the best WWE openers in recent years featuring plenty of cool spots from Hardy building to the big swanton bump as expected.

The Singapore Cane match featuring 5 former ECW champs put over Big Show strong and had a couple of unique sequences and counters, making it possibly the best ECW effort since its return - John Morrison continues to impress and deserves more outings on the big stage. Slightly off topic but Dreamers looks like he stole Disco Infernos' wardrobe with his white pants.

Cena vs JBL was better than previous outings and ended up a good WWE style brawl, though I'd quite like it if Foley and Bradshaw could swap places as both are struggling to adjust to their new roles - Foley's vignette for the stretcher match was excellent and added a nice MMA style authenticity to proceedings, showing his potential, yet he completely messed up the intro to it.

Up next was the Women's title match and the mat work delivered but the dynamic between Phoenix and Melina didn't click and Melina doesn't suit the face role and the crowd didn't buy into getting behind her.

Once again the storyline between Batista and Shawn Michaels was spoilt slightly by the introduction of Chris Jericho. Many others feuds would have benefited by the introduction of the Canadian, but the brillantly simple beef between the two has been diluted in making it a three-way issue.

The WWE Title match showed promise and Orton/HHH always delivers in ring, but Orton's injury cut short the match before it really got going. In storyline terms the the pair work better as heels and Trips as champion feels old and jaded already - which isn't a good sign.

In the main event were Edge & Undertaker once again - and once again they delivered. The suprise ending hopefully means a return to the American Bad Ass biker character which would suit his more realistic MMA based offense he has been using in recent months instead months of dodgy Undertaker spottings and Leslie Neilsen segments that we've seen before.