Films of 2009: Ché Part 2

Another foreign-language, two-part biopic - but unlike Mesrine, the second part of Ché is clearly the superior piece - rid of the distracting voice-overs and flash forwards, the tale of the eventual demise of Ché in Bolivia is an incredibly immersion and intimate experience.

Films of 2009: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

Whilst Up garnered the usual plaudits for Pixar, Cloudy... arguably succeeds more as an out and out kids film. Plus who can complain about a film that features Neil Patrick Harris as a monkey called Steve.

Films of 2009: Gran Torino

Forget Bruno, Gran Torino was the most offensive comedy of the year

Films of 2009: The Hangover

I find myself in two minds over The Hangover's place on the list - one one hand I feel I should give this some recognition as I went in with zero expectations, only going to see it because of getting my hands on some free tickets from Seefilmfirst and then having a great time as it was far better than it had any right to be. But on the other hand, I get the feeling the novelty will wear off quickly, especially as there will no doubt be hoards of copycats following it in 2010 that will make me curse the name of Zach Galifianakis.

But in the end I decided to stay true to how I felt leaving the cinema, so The Hangover makes the list as the surprise hit of 2009.

Films of 2009: Inglourious Basterds

It certainly has it flaws, its far too long and I still have no idea what Mike Myers is doing in it - but there is still plenty to love about the film, in particular Christopher Waltz's performance.

Films of 2009: Mesrine - Killer Instinct

Vincent Cassell can even make a perfume ad interesting, so give him the French equivalent of Scarface and you've got guaranteed greatness. Part One has the bigger bangs, Part Two has the bigger beards - which is best is simply down to your personal preference.

Films of 2009: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Jesse Eisenberg had seemingly had Michael Cera's number this year with Zombieland and Adventureland, but Cera fought back in the geeky indie-boy stakes with this effort that almost matched Juno for sweetness but with more out and out funny moments.

Films of 2009: Star Trek

Couldn't even be spoiled by Simon Pegg's terrible Scottish accent.

Films of 2009: The Wrestler

An immense performance from Mickey Rourke in the lead role led to the surreal sight of Necro Butcher being featured at this year's Oscars ceremony.

Films of 2009: Zombieland

Three words. Bill Fucking Murray!

Top 50 Tracks of 2009 - Spotify Playlist

Brought to you via Shareyourplaylists.com is compilation of my top 50 tracks of 2009 - If you've got Spotify installed just follow the link, click on play and listen away.

Here's the tracklisting I went for, with a quick mention for the Manics cover of Vision Blurred and White Rabbits Percussion Gun which would've made the list if they were on there to choose from.

iamstockmonkey Top 50 of 2009
Alice In Chains - Check My Brain
Biffy Clyro - Many Of Horror
Blur - The Universal (Live in Hyde Park, London 02/07/2009)
Bon Iver - Blood Bank
Clint Mansell - We’re Going Home
The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother
Death Cab for Cutie - Meet Me On The Equinox
Dinosaur Jr. - I Want You To Know
Doves - Jetstream
Eels - Fresh Blood
Florence + The Machine - You’ve Got The Love - Jamie XX re-work
Foo Fighters - Wheels
Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams
Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy
The Gaslight Anthem - The 59 Sound
The Hold Steady - You Can Make Him Like You
The Horrors - Who Can Say
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - War
Idlewild - Younger Than America
Jamie T - Sticks ‘n’ Stones
Jay-Z + Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind
Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension
Just Jack - Embers
Kasabian - Vlad The Impaler
La Roux - Colourless Colour
Lady Gaga - Poker Face
Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning
Lethal Bizzle - Going Out Tonight
Lily Allen - The Fear
Little Boots - Stuck On Repeat
The Low Anthem - To Ohio
MGMT - Kids - Soulwax Mix
MSTRKRFT ft. Freeway - 1000 Cigarettes
Nine Black Alps - Buy Nothing
Middle Class Rut - Busy Bein’ Born
Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
Pearl Jam - The Fixer
Röyksopp - Happy Up Here
Silversun Pickups - The Royal We
Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions
Soulsavers - Unbalanced Pieces (Ft. Mark Lanegan and Mike Patton)
Spinnerette - Cupid
Them Crooked Vultures - Mind Eraser, No Chaser
Tiga - What You Need - Proxy remix
TV on the Radio - Halfway Home
The Veronicas - Untouched
Vitalic - See The Sea (Red)
Weezer - I’m Your Daddy
Wild Beasts - Hooting & Howling
The xx - Crystalised
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

Albums of 2009: Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP

This four track release suggests Justin Vernon should have no problem in following the 2008 critically acclaimed album For Emma, Forever Ago.

Albums of 2009: Doves - Kingdom of Rust

Four years in the making, Doves returned to remind us they are truly one of the great British bands - narrowly missing out on a deserved number 1 album by 6 copies to Lady Gaga in the process.

Albums of 2009: Eels - Hombre Lobo

Whilst not quite living up to the standard of Fresh Blood that suggested E was once again taking the Eels of on another tangent - Hombre Lobo still showcases E's knack for knocking out simple, yet affecting songs by the dozen

Albums of 2009: The Horrors - Primary Colours

Before Primary Colours, The Horrors were in danger of being best known for their cameo in the Mighty Boosh as The Black Tubes, but this epic wall of sound soon changed that.

Albums of 2009: Idlewild - Post Electric Blues

After the forgettable Make Another World, Idlewild seemed destined to drift away with Roddy shifting focus to the folkier side of his output. Some when they returned this year with the fan funded Post Electric Blues, it made for one of the most pleasing returns of the year.

Albums of 2009: The Joy Formidable - A Balloon Called Moaning

Bands like Pains Of Being Pure At Heart seemed to get more love in the end of year lists - but in my eyes The Joy Formidable deserve the most hype out of all the bands who nod their cap to the 80s indie pop. With a full album on the horizon, maybe next year will see them get the love they deserve.

Albums of 2009: Middle Class Rut - 25 Years EP

In the end Rage Against The Machine made quite the comeback at the end of 2009, but in the meantime MC Rut provided the epic riffs that we'd been missing alongside vocals that drew comparisons to another 90s rock staple - Jane's Addcition

Albums of 2009: Nine Black Alps - Locked Out From The Inside

Back to the grungier sound of their debut, Nine Black Alps' third album featured many of their mightiest riffs to date.

Albums of 2009: Röyksopp - Junior

Album three combined the best of the previous two albums, bringing back elements of the chilled out electro that made their name in the first place, alongside the hardier techno beats from The Understanding.

Albums of 2009: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

The move to a more electro sound is actually a marked difference from their previous stuff, but they succeeded with so much ease you barely noticed it seemed such an obvious fit.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: Big Chef Takes On Little Chef

A surprise hit of the year as Heston Blumenthal slummed it in the struggling chain of Roadside restaurants, trying to turn their fortunes around. Key to its charm was showing the Heston wasn't quite the smug bastard you'd think he might be - and in boss Ian Pegler, a pantomime villain who would spout out nonsense that would make an Apprentice wannabe blush.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: Eastbound & Down

The Foot Fist Way and Observe and Report both suffered as films as the jokes couldn't really last an hour and a half - and if I'm honest Observe and Report's jokes didn't even last a minute, but the half hour format suited Danny McBride and Jody Hill much better and you can't help but hit a home run if you can rope in extended cameos from Craig Robinson and Will Ferrell, who channelled the spirit of Ric Flair in his turn as car salesman Ashley Schaeffer.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: Eastenders Goes Tarantino

The only way this could be any more of a Pulp Fiction rip-off is if the wardrobe team had given Lucas a wallet that said Bad Mother Fucker

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: Fishsticks

This year's run of South Park was pretty forgettable on the whole, except for two musical moments that became online sensations that they'd parodied previously. Cartman doing Poker Face was the more popular, but my pick is Matt and Trey ripping into Kanye West a good few months before the VMAs, showing how even on autopilot they still manage to stay well ahead of the competition.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling

Celebrity Wrestling over here was abysmal - with Dlo Brown and Joe Legend leading a team of celebs through various sub-Gladiators style games. This time around they did things properly, putting them through the paces and showing what its like to get in the ring. The highlight of the show was the feud between Screech and Danny Bonaduce - which ended in a surprisingly brutal hardcore match between the two that saw them put each other through tables and smash each other into walls.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: The Life & Times Of Tim

Its lo-fi stylings and sarcastic tone made The Life & Times Of Tim reminiscent of those 90s cartoons like Duckman and Beavis and Butthead - which is no bad thing in my eyes. Also gets bonus points for being the only show that has ever been worth watching on Virgin 1.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: Psychoville

Much more than a black comedy, Psychoville unfolded to become a genuinely thrilling and a times pretty damn scary modern day Hitchcockian story. Add in the immersive online experience and you have the one of most creative new shows in years.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: Red Riding Trilogy

Make it past the first of the three films, which is impossible to follow at times and you'll be rewarded with one of the best dramas of recent times. In the Year of Our Lord 1980 is the highlight - with Paddy Considine starring as Peter Hunter, brought in to investigate the Yorkshire Ripper murders which ultimately become the backdrop for a dark tale of corruption.

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: The Wire

Showing up in all the best of the decade lists, The Wire finally made it to terrestrial tv tucked away in a late night slot on BBC2. With only the odd break between series it was a great way to immerse yourself in the Wire universe, as the wide ranging story spans the entire run whilst still managing to update itself year by year

Top 10 TV Moments of 2009: WWE Vintage Collection

The forgotten show in the WWE portfolio and arguably the best of the lot. A particlar highlight was the four week run showcasing the best of the cruiserweights from the WWE library that spanned the 70s right up to the modern day.

I sometimes think that WWE has actually forgotten they employ Mean Gene and he spends most of his time locked in the Vintage Collection studio taking to all the cardboard cut outs from the era that show up every week.

Review: This Is It

I didn't know what to expect going into this. But when a big close up of Tim Vincent 10 minutes in is the most surprising moment in the film, it shows that the last footage of MJ was in the end just some cobbled together rehearsal footage that will only appeal to hardcore fans, those with a morbid fascination and Diane-Louise Jordan.

Review: Jennifer's Body

You can why this got jumped on by the critics as instead of the warm heart and sweetness that made Juno so great, in their place this time around you get gore and Megan Fox prancing around in her pants.

That said. compared to the likes of Final Destination and other teen horrors, Jennifer's Body is light years ahead of its counterparts, but the lack of suspense or any real scares stop it from getting close to the classic horrors it really wants to hang with.

WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs

The latest event from WWE will stay long in the memory, not for the gimmick stipulations, but by actually managed to surprise the viewer for the first time in ages.

Christian vs Shelton Benjamin - Ladder Match

The opener was a Ladder match for the ECW title between two veterans of the gimmick match in question. As you'd expect there were plenty of nice spots that showed of Shelton's athleticism alongside Christian innovation in this type of match. Yet something never quite clicked between the two as they never quite recovered from the forced break to tend to Christian's cut he got when a ladder caught him flush in the face early doors - unlike at Bragging Rights where they managed to hide Cena's cut during one of the time-outs, this time around they had no such luxury and the interruption ruined the flow just as the match was building as killed the atmosphere in the crowd.

Christian won in the end after an impressive spot where he frog-splashed Benjamin through a ladder between the ring and announce table - and you'd have to think he will be out of the doghouse of ECW and onto Smackdown sooner rather than later seeing as he's been given a fair amount of the spotlight on the last 2 pey-per-views running.

Drew McIntyre vs John Morrison

Next up was the Intercontinental Title match that saw Mr McMahon's hand picked future champ Drew McIntyre take on John Morrison. At the best of times these two aren't full of charisma and would've struggled to get the crowd into what they were doing, but having to follow a ladder match just made things worse. What they did in the ring was fine but no one cared either way, but at least they didn't pull a Ziggler and let Drew keep the little momentum that he has by winning the belt first time round

Mickie James vs Michelle McCool

By the numbers Womens' match which was destined to be forgotten almost straight after. Michelle won in a match that was only notable for Layla wearing a Piggie James T-Shirt and Mickie apparently dressed as some kind of Native American Cowboy.

Sheamus vs John Cena - Tables Match

Sheamus Wins! Sheamus Wins!

You could actually sense the shock rippling through the crowd at the end of this match when the Irishman put the champ through a table - Well he sort of did anyway. The way they choose to end this match was baffling as for some reason out of nowhere Cena did some kind of suicidal dive from the top rope through a table to lose the match.

This managed to make the pair of them look like complete idiots as the hero of the WWE Universe is apparently some bumbling buffoon who can't stand up straight and instead of giving the new champ a convincing win he was just left straddled on the top rope as the champ committed Hari Kari.

This was such a shame as what went before as the pair actually had a pretty good WWE style brawl for the title that showed that Sheamus could hang with the big boys, reminding me of Batista in the sense that you won't want him to be the one to carry the match, but put him in with the right guy and he'll deliver - which bodes well for the Irishman's run with title.

Undertaker vs Batista - Chairs Match

Another silly ending followed in the next title match, as the Smackdown belt was defended by Undertaker against Big Dave. Coming into this the WWE writers had booked themselves into a cul-de-sac as you don't beat the Undertaker on a pointless PPV or a loss would ruin the momentum for the Dave heel turn that has been all kinds of great so far - so some kind of cop out ending was to be expected, but they went and picked the one that made the least sense.

Batista had looked like he'd won the title after pinning the Undertaker on the back of a chair shot. But seeing as he'd used a low blow Teddy Long came out and ordered a restart where the Undertaker quickly got the 3 count on the back of a tombstone piledriver. Notwithstanding the fact that Teddy Long was prepared to let Drew McIntyre get away with eye poke to win the IC title not making sense - this was the same Teddy Long who was under orders to screw the Undertaker out of the title for the last couple of months - shouldn't he be happy that Big Dave won?!

Randy Orton vs Kofi Kingston

Of the 3 guys pushed in recent weeks, Kofi Kingston made the biggest impression with the WWE fans. So of course he lost convincingly. What had originally looked set to push Kofi to Orton's level had ended up dragging Randy down to Kofi's midcard status via a load of pointless TV matches - so with Orton versus Cena being teased yet again for somewhere down the line (please God not Wrestlemania!) they threw all the good work done with Kofi aside to try and save Orton. The match itself was good as they worked closer to Kofi's faster pace opposed to Orton's slower, more methodical pace - but by the end Kofi was right back where he started a couple of months ago.

DX vs Chris Jericho & The Big Show - TLC Match

The main event was the perfect example of how to use the Big Show - coming in with short bursts that showcased his height as an unique attraction whilst also highlighting his freakish strength. Here the story was that JeriShow destroyed all the ladders meaning they were the only ones who could win the match. The end came DX finally outsmarted them catching them in the act, leading to the one big spot in the match - Jericho's fall from Big Show's shoulders through to a table outside. I much preferred this match to the spot fests of Money in the Bank as it actually told a story instead of being jammed full off stunts that quickly become meaningless.

So DX won the tag titles, but unless they switch them back straight away after its hard to work out what they'll do with the belts, as next up on the calendar is the the Royal Rumble which usually marks the start on the Road to Wrestlemania - and despite winning gold here you've got to expect DX to be working singles matches on the biggest show of the year.

On the whole you'd have to recommend this show, none of the matches tanked, with Sheamus and Cena delivering a surprisingly good match with an ending that managed to surprise you more.

Review: Where The Wild Things Are

I would've enjoyed this a lot more if I didn't get the feeling immediately afterwards that if I'd wanted to see a feral boy who really needs a wash act up for an hour and a half I could've just gone to Newcastle town centre instead and saved myself the cost of a cinema ticket.

Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

A really good looking film - and I'm not just talking about the cast, as the beautiful settings of Barcelona sparkle throughout.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona has warmth and wit to it that always makes it watchable - mainly thanks to Penelope Cruz who comes in and steals the show as the fiery Maria Elena just as things start to get too repetitive.

In the end it seems somewhat fitting that a film partly about trying to find out what you really love is one that lures you in by being easy on the eye, but doesn't leave that lasting impression as there's not much going on beneath he surface.

Review: Flame & Citron

A stylish but stripped-down wartime thriller creates a claustrophobic atmosphere as resistance fighters Flame & Citron run out of places to turn and people to trust in their fight against the Nazis.

Yet aside from a common cause, the bond between the two main characters that is implied is never actually properly explained on film, meaning the end sequence showing their fates side by side, doesn't quite have the power that is intended.

Review: In The Loop

Set in a parallel universe to The Thick Of It, where the sweary Scots play the same characters but the rest of the regulars get name changes to suit the story of the impending war and MP Simon Foster's trip to America.

To be honest I could've done without the whole going to America business, the material suits shorter bursts and begins to drag over 1 hour 40 mins. Despite enjoying what I saw I always had the nagging feeling I'd rather have a half hour Thick Of It episode based around Ollie/Toby/Chris Addison's love life and constituency meetings in Northampton - both minor stories in the film but the kind of story that made the TV series great in my view.

In the Loop is still worth a watch though, if only for Steve Coogan's cameo - arguably the best thing he's done in ages and the highlight of the movie.

Review: Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel deals with 3 blokes (made up of 66% Nerd) whose night at the pub takes a turn for the strange with some Time Travel-based shenanigans. The film, whilst having a clever script that doesn't tie itself in knots with all its twists - lacks the laughs it needs to make up for the total lack of excitement in their absence.

FAQ is better than the recent Red Dwarf specials that dealt with parallel universes, but only because you don't get that crushing sense of disappointment you got watching them, having to live up to the quality of what had gone before.

WWE Survivor Series 2009

This didn't have the usual Big 4 feel of the Survivor Series, mainly because Raw seems to spend more time plugging guest hosts than actual matches coming up. This makes this year traditional Thanksgiving event even more surprising as they dropped all that for a series of matches that were all pretty good and actually gave some of the younger stars a chance to shine.

Team Miz vs Team Morrison

The opening match looked a little one-sided on paper and that's how it played out here. Only Morrison needed protecting on his team as the rest of his team-mates have spent most of the year jobbing to the rest of the roster. What stood out to me was just how far Ziggler's star has fallen in recent months when he found himself pinned by Evan Bourne, which I supposed made a change from John Morrison for Dolph. Morrison was quickly left as the sole survivor against McIntyre (who looks like Jason Mewes if he choose steroids not heroin), Miz and Sheamus - after a brief flurry of offence he was taken out by the trio. This was a simple match that achieved what it set out to do putting over the 3 survivors strongly, giving them all the eliminations for the team and a bit of mic time at the end.

Batista vs Rey Mysterio

Washington DC probably wasn't the best place to cement the Big Dave heel turn as the hometown hero was cheered wildly as he beat Rey to a pulp for 6 minutes. Mind you after the awful mimicking of Eddie Guerrero whilst on the top rope I'm in half a mind to suggest Mysterio deserved what he got. The match was ended via ref stoppage after several powerbombs - something I'd like to see continued to help the Batista heel turn with him going a run of destruction - and would be better bet at adding drama to a big match than his recent attempts to bust out the ankle lock

Team Kingston vs Team Orton

In recent weeks, WWE stumbled upon something with Kofi Kingston, who originally looked like cannon fodder to build up Orton, surprised everyone with the strength of the crowd reaction to his fightbacks. Going into this match there was a lingering feeling that they might just fuck this up and have him job to Orton, killing all the momentum he'd built up. Thankfully, this wasn't the case after a slowish start with the highlights Striker's usual Morrissey references (but the November Spawned a Monster one was awful!) this match really got into gear when it came down to Kingston & Christian against Orton & Punk. The brief exchanges we got between Christian and Orton were great and when Christian hot the Killswitch on Orton the crowd went wild, thinking after unbelievably the Canadian had took out both members of Legacy he just might complete the set next - that didn't happen as an RKO quickly followed, but left me wanting a Christian/Orton feud somewhere down the line.

Once it was down to 2 on 1, Orton hopped off the apron and prowled the ringside area whilst Kofi took on Punk for about 5 minutes - Orton was great here as he managed to combine the look of being a predator waiting for his moment with suggesting a hint of fear of going one on one with Kofi. After Kingston rolled up Punk for the 3 count Orton seized his moment only to be caught by Kingston with his spin kick to pick up the win in a finish that perfectly took the feud a step further - it was great stuff and the match of the night for me.

Undertaker vs Big Show vs Chris Jericho

I really wanted Big Show to win this as the thought of him having to defend the belt in a TLC match was too good to be true. Sadly this wasn't the case as Undertaker won with his annoying submission move where he pins himself but no one ever seems to notice, but the match was as good as it was going to get with 2 of its competitors even more knackered than usual - but its annoying how they've thrown away Jericho/Undertaker in what could've been a great match to save for Wrestlemania.

Team Mickie vs Team McCool

This match exceeded expectations - in the sense that instead of 5 minutes it got 10, but those extra minutes were baffling stuff. The world's most dangerous anorexic Michelle McCool, the one who we are supposed to boo, spent the majority of the time bravely fighting against Mickie James and Melina whilst Michael Cole continually pointed out she was a future Hall of Fame wrestler and the only Divas and Women's Champion. Then on top of that she loses to Melina, who is on a different brand. On a night where most of the booking decisions were right, this stood out like a sore thumb.

Cena vs HHH vs Shawn Michaels

In a perverse way, the awful build up to this match involving all the Hornswoggle business made this match better, as because they has seemingly forgotten there was a title at stake in the build up - so you never really had a clue who was going to win, making it quite the exciting spectacle.

Aside from Shawn superkicking Hunter at the start, and a spinebuster through the table in revenge, they never really did any DX fighting parts during the match, suggesting that may be on the back-burner till Wrestlemania perhaps. Cena retained pinning Triple H, a sound move as it keeps Michaels strong going into the next PPV where they may need him to step into Jeff Hardy's shoes to do a big jump off a ladder when required.

Review: Slacker Uprising

Lacking the usual narrative structure that holds together your typical Michael Moore documentary, Slacker Uprising pretty much boils down to 90 minutes of highlights from Moore's tour of university campuses in the build up to the 2004 US election.

Basically Bush-bashing from stage to stage over an hour and a half, there's no payoff to watching the movie - it feels like a missed opportunity, as someone else could've made a really interesting documentary about Moore himself and the mission he was on, instead the frankly boring one we actually got.

Review: Bronson

The bastard son of A Clockwork Orange and Chopper is made up of stylised and abstract images punctuated with bursts of theatrical violence with a surreal 80s synth-pop soundtrack on top.

Tom Hardy's performance is excellent and makes sure the film is always watchable, but whilst the idea of Bronson performing his story is interesting at first, it doesn't have enough substance to it for the concept to carry the film as a whole.

Review: W.

The latest Presidential biopic from Oliver Stone wisely isn't the slapstick kicking of Dubya it threatened to be - just watch Will Ferrell's off Broadway show to see how rubbish that would be. Disappointingly though, the film stops short of being the harder and darker expose into the influence Cheney and Rove had over Bush, with the brief moments the issue is explored being the most interesting bits of the film by far.

Key moments off his presidency are missed out (9/11, Katrina) and it doesn't tell you anything you didn't know before - apart from the brief moment when Prince William was apparently Prime Minister of Britain that I must've missed.

Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats

Clooney is on quite the roll with turns in this, The Fantastic Mr Fox and the much anticipated Up In The Air all coming in quick succession. Sadly this film is more about Ewan McGregor as journalist Bob Wilton than Clooney and Jeff Bridges whose part in the rise of New Age Army in the post-Vietnam military, told in flashbacks in by far the funniest part of the movie.

A wasted Kevin Spacey briefly turns up as the villain of the piece without much to do and the film petters out to an anti-climatic finish that leaves you wondering why they bothered to change the source material if they aren't going to end it properly.

The film is entertaining enough and at 84 minuted doesn't outstay its welcome, but if you want to watch Clooney and Bridges do screwball comedy, go watch a Coen Brothers film

Review: Sunshine

After the first hour this was on course to become arguably the greatest Sci-Fi movie of all time, such is the masterful level of suspense that builds and builds throughout.

Then out of nowhere the film takes a huge nosedive for its last half hour that is more AVP than Alien complete with a monster that appears out of nowhere and an ending that seems extra confusing for no apparent reason.

Review: Bedtime Stories

This family film, the type that was so successfully lampooned by Sandler himself in Funny People is actually the polar opposite of the moral it tries to portray - being really dull, unimaginative and just out to make a quick buck - there can be no other reason for the guinea pig with goggly eyes appearing other than cynical need to sell some toys to kids.

Don't be fooled by the trailer, which suggests a film full of fun flashbacks set in a range of fantasy set pieces - viewers will be left disappointed as these only make up a brief part of the film - centre stage is instead given to the dull story of who gets to run an even duller hotel.

Why anyone is supposed to like Sandler is beyond me, as our hero spends pretty much the entire movie manipulating a couple of kids for his own personal gain with his nemeses guilty of such crimes as stopping people stealing from mini bars and not wanting to give their kids sugar - send them to the stocks!

Review: Fantastic Mr Fox

As a Wes Anderson film its good. As a film a children's book its rubbish.

The marketing of it as a children's film is going to result in a lot of disappointed kids alongside parents who will probably be a peeved with the amount of cussing (literally) and cider being pushed as 'liquid gold' at various points during the film.

For adults however, there is plenty of the usual surreal humour you've come to expect from Anderson with frequently funny, yet completely bizarre moments throughout the film - including Jarvis Cocker popping up for a banjo interlude and a South African pilot that is probably the funniest moment in the film for its sheer randomness.

Review: Inkheart

Following the likes of Stardust into the post-Potter world of family fantasy films, Inkheart lacked the marketing push and Take That soundtrack to push it into the mainstream so hopefully it will find the audience it deserves on DVD.

The choice of Brendan Fraser in the lead seems odd, but he holds his own with a cast that features some of the finest British actors around at the moment and the end result will keep young and old happy.

Review: Star Trek

This parallel universe prequel moves Star Trek into the mainstream, but features enough attention to detail that will keep the hardcore happy. Simon Pegg stands out for a couple of reasons, firstly looking a hell of lot older than the rest of the cast on the Enterprise who are barely put of their teens - and secondly offering up a rubbish Scottish accent that might've ruined the film if he had been in there much longer.

WWE Bragging Rights 2009

The idea to finally get behind and promote the Smackdown vs Raw series of video games by the WWE is to be applauded, as in this time of diminishing pay-per-view returns, the video game tie in remains lucrative - a point demonstrated by even Sabu managing to get a check for $125,000 for his involvement in one of the series. So with in mind we had the PPV debut of Bragging Rights, a battle for brand superiority between Raw and Smackdown

With JR unavailable we had King, Cole and The Grish on commentary (but sadly no Striker) who revealed that the winning brand would receive the Bragging Rights Cup for winning the best out of 3 tournament, a prize that will no doubt sit alongside Davey Boy Smith's Royal success in the Royal Samavagh trophy at the Battle Royal at the Albert Hall in the annuls of crappy WWE trophies.

The opening match saw the battle between the former tag team champions of The Miz and John Morrison. As it was the first time these two had met in the ring since their split in the draft and on the back of an entertaining build featuring some excellent verbal jousting and an appearance from Marty Jannetty, this match actually had quite the big match feel to it - but whilst the in ring action was good for a pay-per-view opener, it feel slightly like a bit of an anti-climax after all the great work put in before it, lacking the memorable moment to take it to the next level. The Miz picked up the win pushing Morrison off the ropes and blocking the Starship Pain and should ensure plenty of material for his ace gloating promos over the next couple of weeks.

Next up was Divas action with Melina, Gail Kim and Kelly Kelly from Raw taking on Smackdown’s team of Beth Phoenix, Natalya and Michelle McCool, who now has hooded entrance gear that suggests The Undertaker has some weird AJ Styles fetish going on. With Raw going 1-0 up in the opener the result was a foregone conclusion but surprisingly it Melina who took the fall for the Raw team and not Kelly Kelly. Beth Phoenix got the pin which makes sense in building her up a strong challenger for McCool's title back on Smackdown. The match itself was good with some nice bits between Gail and Beth which echoed the similar chemistry between Gail and Awesome Kong in TNA and further highlighted the missed opportunities since Kim returned to the WWE.

The fatal four way for the WWE title was next as The Undertaker defended against former champions CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and Batista. The match set off at a fast past and kept it up for the entire match, with near falls all over the place. The finish came when Batista seemingly had the match won till Rey broke up the pin, Batista then proceeded to clean house but turned into a Tombstone piledriver from Undertaker who got the pin.

After the match Josh Matthews was in the ring with Big Dave, Little Rey for the not at all obvious heel turn as Batista proceeded to beat the hell out of Mysterio for costing him the title and touching all those small children on the way to the ring. I may have made the last bit up though.

Unsurprisingly the tournament came down to the 7 on 7 tag match to decide who would take home the prestigious Bragging Rights Trophy. All the wrestlers were wearing their respective colours aside from those rebels who won't wear their school uniform DX - sadly we didn't get a vignette of them smoking behind the bike sheds, but there's always next year!

The match maintained the high standards of what had come before, with plenty of action giving all the competitors a chance to shine, hopefully the Harts don't have to wait too long to get another chance on PPV as Tyson Kidd is probably my favourite wrestler in WWE at the moment, with a style that stands out from the usual homogeneity of the WWE style. The finish was one of those turns from the wrestler that really insults the intelligence of the viewer when the commentators play it up like its the most shocking event in the history of wrestling. This time to the surprise of no-one Big Show helped his tag team partner win, and not Raw! OMG!

The fact that Raw lost was a bit of the turn up for the books as I thought they would've rammed home the fact that Raw is the A-show and possibly furthered the build to a tag title match between DX and Jericho/Big Show by having them pick up the win. It may be as likely as hell freezing over, but I'd like to think this result will allow them to attempt to push The Miz again after they messed it up last time, as he now has the ammo to say he is better than the entire Raw locker room on a regular basis - and seeing as he's proved he's not the next Marty Jannetty, how about a feud with Shawn Michaels somewhere down the line?

The main event was the moment I'd been dreading. John Cena. Randy 'Chinlock' Orton. 60 minute Ironman match.

Despite my pleas, they didn't start the clock before the ring entrances to eat up at least half an hour of the match so we had the usual Cena fanfare and an even slower Orton entrance than usual to conserve energy. The main problem I had with the match wasn't the quality of wrestling, it was just that they did everything they would do in a normal WWE title match, but over the course of an hour with lots of lying down and hastily added rest period rules to pad it out.

The big moments came halfway through when that old staple of the Ironman match was used - attempting to murder your opponent by setting off a load of explosive pyrotechnics under his prone body. You knew this was meant to be a grave situation as King put on his serious voice and started calling him John but it looked a bit farcical as Orton appeared to be playing one of those fairground Whack it games as he randomly started hitting comedy red buttons waiting for an explosion to come. All that was missing was the mallet to complete to complete the image, but I guess Triple H wouldn't lend him his for the night.

Cena would go on to launch his usual heroic comeback, fighting out near death, a Legacy run in (with the help of Kofi Kingston, who hopefully is getting a push) to win back the title 6-5 with an STF in the dying seconds of the match and save him from the fate worse than death that is going to Smackdown.

I'm probably in the minority, but I actually think the Bragging Rights event is actually a pretty good idea by WWE, and with some tweaking would be a welcome return to the PPV calender next year.

Firstly, the event needs a longer build to hype up the issues surrounding the main events as teams of 7 wrestlers who couldn't get along the previous week are suddenly transformed into loyal servants of the Raw and Smackdown brands. Secondly it could do with being moved a bit further away from the Survivor Series event as they both seem to step on their toes and dilute the unique selling points of both events. I'd also like to see the return of War Games in the main tag team match and it would really add a sense of occasion and really put over victory in the tournament as a big thing, making the match something special, standing out from the usual multiman matches on TV that are designed to fill two hours of programming.

The PPV should also be applauded as it made several steps to put the spotlight on new talent, giving Rhodes, R Truth and Kofi Kingston chance to establish characters in backstage segments as well as giving them plenty of ring time in the final match. Hopefully this will continue moving on to Survivor Series at the end of the month, as this events usually opens up plenty of spots for new talent to show their stuff in front of a wider audience.

Review: The Goods - Live Hard, Sell Hard

This film from Adam McKay and Will Ferrell aspires to be the next Anchorman, with one non-pc character after another appearing on screen - but truth be told the end results are sadly closer to their work on Step Brothers.

Whilst The Goods isn't as awful as that - it actually has a few laughs in it, but they aren't big enough or frequent enough for what is actually a pretty strong cast of comedy talent that suffers from a lack of story and lack of actual jokes.

Piven in his first lead role does okay, but like the rest of the cast doesn't have much to work with - his big speeches that should be the movies centrepiece fall flat everytime.

Only briefly does The Goods threaten to rise above the mediocre when a cameo involving one of the films producers and a purple dildo brings the crude humour missing for the remaining 90 minutes.

Review: The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is full of visual flair and verve with several moments that recall the genius of Python in their - you'd be forgiven when a bunch of policemen in drag burst out into song that you'd walked into an extended Python sketch.

The rejigged story belies the impact the death of Heath Ledger had on production, with the badly photoshopped Colin Farrell magazine spread seemingly the only hint to reshoots and recasts that took place to make the film happen.

Ledger features for more than you'd expect, and often in quite eerie circumstances - but doesn't dominate the screen in a supporting role like his previous turn in the Dark Knight, instead Christopher Plummer as the good doctor himself and Lily Cole in her debut performance take the spotlight for the most part.

But if anything, the film is worth checking out solely for proof that Paloma Faith is in league with the Devil, something I have expected for quite a while.

Review: Up 3D

Don't bother wasting the extra cash for the 3D glasses - no doubt Pixar will make the definitive 3D animation at some point in the future, but this isn't it.

What we do get is oddly a bit like the Pixar Gran Torino at times, but instead of the racist bit and the grumpy guy getting shot at the end - we get a talking dog and a giant bird that's addicted to chocolate.

Which is a fair swap in my eyes.

Review: District 9

Shot in a mockumentary style, District 9 is hardly subtle in drawing parallels between the treatment of the alien race that has recently arrived in Johannesburg and the history of South African Apartheid. In the film we follow protagonist Wikus Van De Merwe as he tries to coerce the Prawns into moving out of the slums and into the concentration camp-like tents of District 10, a mission which goes awry with horrible consequences for bumbling Wikus.

Billed as a thinking man's Sci-Fi against the likes of Transformers 2 and GI Joe this year, that's only really half the story as more than a few liberties have been taken with the script for entertainment purposes, the most notable of these is the question of in a supposed documentary film, how do you explain the entire middle section of the film featuring guns and CGI aplenty?!

However, District 9 is such fun these flaws never really bother you till after the film's conclusion and the film contains enough thrills and spills to make it one of the superior action films of they year - just not quite the classic some have made it out to be.

Review: Pride and Glory

The fight scene at the end of the film probably wasn't meant to be reminiscent of Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fighting in Bridget Jones Diary, but its so laughably bad its the only comparison you can make.

The film itself wants to be an epic and gritty tale of police corruption - its not, though its probably a smidgen better than similar crap-fest We Are The Night. Those who do want to see a good police drama are much better of with The Shield boxset which despite at times falls into the same gritty=swearing trap that Pride and Glory does, at least features convincing performances that might get you believing you will see a baby ironed in the head.

An Open Letter To The Roast Beef Monster

Re: Mega Monster Munch Retro T-Shirt

I have recently received delivery of my Mega Monster Munch Retro T-Shirt (Ladies, Size XL) after sending off the required amount of packs and the requested cheque for £5 as advertised in the current promotion running, however I am very upset of the quality of merchandise that I have received.

Instead of the 'ultra cool retro t-shirt' designed by Famous Forever, I have instead received a cheap imitation of the designs shown on the packs of Monster Munch and the www.megamonstermunch.com website - I have included images that highlight how not only the design is different to the images advertised, but also printed onto substandard material - overall it feels like I have received a cheap knock-off instead of the usual high quality of item I expect from Famous Forvever and Walkers Crisps.

Terms for a refund state:

If for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase, you can return the t-shirt within 7 working days of receipt by returning the t-shirt in its original condition (labels must remain attached) to the above address together with your name and address details and we will issue a full refund.

However, since the t-shirt I received was of such a poor quality that it didn't come with any attached labels or tags, I am hesistant to return the goods as I fear I will lose a t-shirt that won't be returned as well as the £5 pounds I feel like have wasted purchasing this item.

I look forward to your help in this matter as my girlfriend would still very much like one of the Famous Forever Monster Munch T-Shirts that are shown in the pictures!

Review: Micro Men

Despite being billed as a comedy-drama, the cast mainly plays it straight, save for Alexander Armstrong's strange portrayal of Sir Clive Sinclair as a second-rate Bond villian complete with wig featuring the straightest receding hairline ever known to man.

Micro Men captures the mood of nostalgia nicely enough, mixing in archive footage to great effect, but is let down by never really capturing the rapid rise and fall of the British computing industry it sets out to document - aside of one scene where Martin Freeman has a swish office for a minute, you'd be hard-pressed to tell whether they've struck it rich, or hit rock bottom, as things look exactly the same throughout.

Review: The Baader-Meinhof Complex

Like the Mesrine films - The Baader-Meinhof Complex veers from one violent set piece to another whilst the cast play dress up in various wigs and the usual stereotypical 70s garb. But without a power-performance from someone like Cassell to hold the film together, what results is a film that is ultimately a succession of scenes promoting style over substance.

Review: Zombieland

Zombieland will satisfy both those looking for laughs and those looking for gore in equal measures - as the one liners almost match the body count which must've sailed pretty close to an 18 certificate. The highlight of the film is a random, yet hilarious cameo from a Hollywood star which couldn't even be ruined by the Vue website telling you who it was on the main ruddy page but Zombieland's short, punchy runtime ensure it stays a riot throughout.

Review: Ghost Town

Ghost Town manages to blend the contrast between the parts of the film that are so typical of the light-hearted Hollywood rom-com fare that you half expect to see Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn or Meg Ryan pop up at any minute with the other parts of the script (most obviously the scenes with Kristen Wig) that offer more of the trademark Gervais improvised banter that you've either come to love or hate.

The fact that these differences don't appear too jarring is credit to the performance in the lead role from Gervais, who proves adept at flitting between the two styles - with the schmaltz providing a welcome break for those who find Gervais' sarcastic style a little too much at times

Review: Away We Go

Away We Go is a pleasant enough watch, but the stroller scene with Maggie Gyllenhaal's Earth Mother from Hell is closest the film comes to having anything near the laugh out loud moments or momentum that the likes of its superior counterparts such as Little Miss Sunshine had in regular supply.

Its not that anything is particularly bad, but at times Away We Go feels like you're drifting aimlessly from quirky family to quirky family till it reaches it conclusion without any real purpose in the end.

WWE Hell In A Cell 2009

At this rate WWE are going to end up copying TNA's weekly pay-per-views if the gap keeps getting shorter between events. 3 weeks on from Breaking Point we're back with an almost identical card, but with a new gimmick for the main events - as this time around they were contested inside Hell in a Cell - a structure so fearsome and powerful it creates its own music by simply being lowered to the ground.

Surprisingly first up this evening was the match that headlined last time around, as Undertaker challenged CM Punk once again for the World Title. Disappointingly the match never seemed to get going and ended abruptly after 10 minutes with only fleeting attempts to bring the cage into play with the odd tame whip into the steel here and there. The Undertaker won cleanly and decisively, but god knows where they go from here with the lack of any real challengers to the title save the subtle hints towards another meddling McMahon storyline that fills me with dread.

Next up was the Intercontinental Title match with John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler actually getting the chance to have a match this time around, instead of messing around with Pat Patterson. The match itself didn't disappoint but if anything Morrison seems to be regressing charisma-wise, struggling to get a connection with a crowd he always seems to win them round with his in ring work - but seemed far more suited to an arrogant heel that he portrayed during his run with Miz. Morrison retained, leaving you wondering when on earth Dolph is going to the getting the title he seemingly looked set to win going in to most of the PPVs so far this year.

Mickie James also retained in a short women's title match against Alicia Fox, which was short enough and good enough to avoid getting crapped on by the crowd.

Despite my initial misgivings about teaming the returning Rey Mysterio with Batista, as I'd have liked to see them team up Rey with Evan Bourne to recreate the chemistry they showed on Raw - the unified Tag Title match was much more fun than it had the right to be. Rey and Jericho were reliably awesome, but Big Dave and the Big Show were excellent in their shorts bursts of action. Jericho and Big Show retained thanks to the knockout punch once again, and are now one of the highlights of WWE TV, raising the profile of the tag belts, working as a team and avoiding the usual superstars who can't get along as partners gubbins.

You wouldn't expect Triple H to stay out of the main event for too long so Orton/Cena was the second of the evening's Cell matches - and whilst not on the level of last time around it was an okay match and featured a ref bump from Mike Chioda that denied Cena retaining and hopefully doesn't lead to Chioda going all Tim White on the back of an injury suffered within the Cell. Which means that Orton is champ once again on the back of a punt that looked rubbish thanks to some shoddy WWE camerawork - and with an Ironman rematch on the cards it left me praying they start the clock on the entrances as there won't be any time for the other matches at the rate these two are going.

The two matches between this and the main event ended up coming across as filler despite the best efforts of those involved. First the re-debuting Drew McIntyre took on R-Truth and they actually gave the match quite the build with a nice video package and a promo from Mr Killings. It was a shame that when the match itself started the crowd wasn't interested in the slightest despite both men working hard in what was a good, but short match. WWE obviously have big things in mind for McIntyre, having him personally introduced by Vince on Smackdown and working with Ricky Steamboat on house shows - quite what they see in him leaves me slightly puzzled though - its not that he's bad, just he doesn't really bowl you over. I can understand looking at Brock Lesnar when they first saw him and going 'future of the business' but Drew McIntyre, I don't get how they can think that.

The penultimate match was the US triple threat title match and the highlight came during the entrances with a great promo form Miz referencing the surreal sight of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the crowd plugging their new video game. Kofi Kingston retained with a neat finish that looks to build up Jack Swagger for a one on one match as he was robbed of victory thanks to Kofi's athleticism and opportunism.

Main Event time and headlining the show was DX taking on legacy in the culmination of their feud that credit where credits due, really has raised the status of Rhodes and Dibiase. This was the only match of the three that made any use of the cage stipulations as after a heated brawl around the building, Legacy managed to lock Triple H out of the cage and beat down Shawn Michaels for the best part of the match. Legacy looked great here thanks to Shawn's super selling and Triple H's return was timed perfectly, reversing the tables for a 2 on 1 comeback that sent the crowd home happy and didn't kill the momentum built up by the 2 second generation superstars in previous weeks.

To sum it up, Hell in a Cell was a good pay-per-view, but the lack of those classic cell moments may hurt the drawing power of the name in the future - whilst I'm not fussed by the lack of blood that many others are, the lack of a big bump or spot for the highlight reel may make many punters think twice before forking over £15 pounds for a Hell in a Cell match in the future.

Review: This is England

Thomas Turgoose rightly won universal plaudits for his incredible performance in his acting debut as Shaun - but the praise for acting performances in This is England shouldn't stop there as the entire cast deliver wonderfully natural performances exploring ideas of community and culture in 80s Britain.

The film's main strength in the ominous and foreboding atmosphere present throughout - once Stephen Graham arrives as racist skinhead Combo the tension gradually increases till it becomes almost unbearable, building towards till the inevitable explosion of violence towards the film's end.

The only area the film falls down is thanks to Shaun's tiny frame, as the odd couple love interest subplot never convinces, as Punk girlfriend Smell towers over him, looking years older than one year age gap there's meant to be between the two.

Review: Son of Rambow

Son of Rambow suffers from the lack of any real laugh out moments in its 90 minutes runtime, instead relying on two predictable plots that rely heavily on a sense of 80s nostaglia for laughs - those not familiar with Spandau as well as Stallone with be left wondering why - save a few neat visual flourishes for Hammer & Tongs a pleasant, but rather empty film had a word of mouth buzz around it.

Review: Penelope

If you can see past Penelope's setting in some strange part of London where seemingly only Russell Brand speaks with an English accent and suspend believability so that the sight of Christina Ricci with a slightly bigger nose is somehow meant to be unfathomably disgusting, then Penelope has enough sweet and charming moments within in its 90 minutes to keep all the family entertained.

Review: Transformers

I may be missing something here, instead of hacking into a military database and all that, shouldn't the Decepticons just've set up an eBay account and saved themselves a whole lot of trouble?

WWE Breaking Point 2009

Breaking Point is the latest of WWE's new PPV concepts for 2009, originally intended as a card of all-submission based matches it was sensibly scaled back to the top 3 matches on the card to save us the horror of Khali and Kane going all UFC on us.

Its also important to note this was taking place in Montreal, Canada - meaning a screw job ending a la Survivor Series 97 was pretty much a given, as they churn out this chestnut often enough anyway even without the tap out gimmick.

The show opened with the Unified Tag Title match between Chris Jericho/Big Show and MVP and Mark Henry. The challengers came out in matching gear, which suggests any hope of a MVP push is the near future is pretty unlikely. The match itself was pretty decent, if following the same formula of every Jericho/Show defence since they became champs - Henry showed impressive strength in how easily he tossed about Big Show at times before the usual finish of Show hitting the knockout punch on the outside for the win.

Kofi Kingston versus The Miz was a late addition to the card, which suggested a random title change out of nowhere - thankfully this wasn't the case as the pair had a nice little match that ticked along a fast pace with Kofi retaining his belt in the end. Some of the near falls sequences were a bit sloppy, but it made a welcome change of pace from the usual WWE undercard fare.

The first of the three feature matches was next as DX took on The Legacy in a rematch from Summerslam. This was a great match full of action all around the arena, but the last ten minutes were just odd as logic went out the window and started to feel like the match had gone too long. This was a really one-sided match - and not in the way you'd expect either as Rhodes and Dibiase beat up HHH and Michaels for the best part of half an hour.

The moment the match jumped the shark was meant to be the big spot of the show, Rhodes and Michaels were fighting in the crowd when Cody managed to back toss Michaels down to the concrete floor, much like HHH/Undertaker from Wrestlemania X7 - except it wasn't - Shawn feel about a foot into an amount of padding you'd expect to find in an adventure playground, seriously if Cody Rhodes had done that to a small child their reaction would be 'WEEEEEEEEEEE' not remaining unconscious for the rest of the match.

Legacy then preceded to go backstage beat up HHH till he couldn't move, then instead of winning the match, they leave their incapacitated opponent to go beat up Shawn Michaels before eventually winning with a double submission on HBK with the surreal sight of HHH rolling down the entrance ramp to try and save him. Just odd.

Kane then beat Great Khali again in a Singapore Cane match. Sadly this did not feature the Big Red Machine in fancy dress - and I honestly can't remember a thing about this match

Next up was the ECW title match, notable for two things 1) it was really good and 2) Matt Striker channeled the spirit of Chris Packham and filled his commentary with a load of Morrissey references - there are also unconfirmed reports also have him spotted muttering Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now during Kane/Khali (boom boom!)

For the part the match was Regal letting loose all his awesome Japanese style offence of knees and suplexes, alongside submission moves that put any of those int he main event to shame. Christian retained, which at least means the crowd will care about the ECW title matches on upcoming PPVs, but I felt the time was right for a switch and move him up to Smackdown like his performances have deserved.

Now instead of the scheduled IC title match, we had a pointless filler segment between Pat Patterson and Dolph 'Mr Ziggles' Ziggler. WWE continued the strange writing for a guy who is supposed to be a heel - firstly on Smackdown he's stuck in a storyline where he is the innocent party in the feud between Michelle McCool and Maria, now here he simply suggests him having a match would be better use of PPV time than Patterson mincing about for 15 minutes. I am supposed to hate Dolph, not think he's my frickin hero!

The first of the title match was up next, and they took the submission gimmick literally, probably too literally as the WWE title match consisted of an oiled up guy being tied up and handcuffed to a post before being whipped for 20 minutes. All that was missing to complete the S&M theme was the gimp mask (I guess Rey is suspended though).

Forgetting the gay porn undertones, the match told a simple and effective story of revenge, and was the match HHH and Orton should've had at Wrestlemania after his attack on Stephanie. Cena won and in putting over the beating he took and how he overcame the odds, it almost went virtually unnoticed that he actually won the major belt in professional wrestling.

The main event of the World Title match between CM Punk and the Undertaker failed to live up to expectations for several reasons. Firstly, the match wasn't long enough to fit its headlining status - at just over 8 minutes, what we got looked like building to quite a good match until the horrible finishes set in.

Finishes is the key word as we were first treated to our first screw job ending as while a victorious Undertaker posed in the ring, Teddy Long came out announced the match was to restart as the Hells Gate choke was banned. Then followed screw job number two as Punk managed to lock on the Anaconda Vice and corrupt official Scott Armstrong declared Punk the victor via result of phantom tap out - a finish that didn't make sense as if he was bribed to make sure Punk won, why did he let Undertaker win first time round?!

A much as the finish sucked it did at least get them out of the corner they'd booked themselves into as it kept the belt on Punk and didn't beat Undertaker clean in his big return. From what we saw during their brief contest, given more time at the upcoming Hell in a Cell PPV they should have a fine match.

The PPV itself was a mixed bag, as whilst the matches delivered for the most part up and down the card the concept itself seemed flawed as the submission concept was ignored for the most part with submissions tagged onto the end of the usual WWE style main event brawls, instead of building the matches around the stipulations. Out of the three new PPVs coming this year, Breaking Point seems least likely to make a lasting impression.

Review: Funny People

A film of two halves, the first is more traditional Apatow fair, with plenty of the lewd, semi-improvised banter that you've come to expect from the likes of Rogen and Jonah Hill laced between the story of Adam Sandler's George Simmons coming to terms with being diagnosed with a seemingly terminal disease.

The second half shifts gears with mixed results, whilst Eric Bana may be the highlight of the whole movie, stealing every scene he's in as OTT as Aussie George, the flip side of this is far too much screen time is given over to the Apatow offspring for no apparent reason.

Getting rid of the kids messing about, along with the pointless Ira love interest storyline would've been of a huge benefit to the film, as at two and a half hours the film suffers for its extended run time, seemingly just meandering about for too long before just kind of petering out at the end.

This probably best caught on DVD, if only for the potential chance to see more of the fake films of Simmons and Schwartzmaan starring Yo Teach! - the greatest show never to air on Trouble.