The Great Gatsby - Official Trailer 2

Having recently read the book, I am even more excited by this film.

This new trailer is more glamourous than the last.  Enjoy!

Katy B is Back!

Katy B is back. I love this song!

Marilyn and N°5 - Inside CHANEL

True glamour that never fades.  An absolutely gorgeous woman.

Ibiza Dreaming

Took me ages to figure it out but finally got my holiday video up on YouTube.  Hope you like it!

Cinema Etiquette

Inspired by a radio show phone-in, I thought I would write my list of Cinema Do's and Don'ts.

There are many bugbears I have about the UK cinema experience based on many bad screenings that I wonder why some people even go.  I enjoy watching a film on a big screen, music loud and comfy chairs.  So what can ruin that experience?  Here is my list below:

1)     Noisy food – I am all for eating in a cinema.  Sitting still for a couple of hours is quite hard especially when you watch a film n the evening as I always get hungry.  Very often I forgo eating dinner at the right time to watch a film.  But why oh why do cinema snacks have to be so bloody noisy?  It like all the food in the whole world was put on a list and the best ones the cinema chains could come up with are crispy nachos and sweets with stupid wrappers?  And don’t get me started on the popcorn.  While it’s not a loud food, it’s the shaking of the boxes, the hands diving in and the rattling of the unpopped kernels at the bottom of the box when you are looking for the last dregs.  I can’t bloody stand it and it’s so distracting.

2)     Mobile phones – Is there no one in this world that is able to be without their phone for longer than 5 minutes?  It seems 2 hours is completely unbearable for some, constantly checking that a) it’s still on, b) no one has called or text, c) checking Twitter/Facebook for any likes or comments to their status of “being in the cinema” and d) all of the above.  The world will still revolve if you are sat in the dark for a couple of hours, is there really any need?  I am guilty of loudly asking people to switch their phones off if they are playing with them in my vicinity.  I find the light really distracting when you are in the dark!  Mostly I get a positive response and the phone goes away and doesn’t come back out again.  Now and then I will get a young one who will be defiant in front of their mates, put it away for a couple of minutes only for it to come out again.  That’s when I get the big guns out and shout a lot louder to tell them to switch the bloody things off.

3)     Talking in the cinema – I don’t know anyone that can concentrate and take everything in from a film if they are having a conversation throughout it.  do we really need to hear you and your mates chat about the guy you are dating and whether he is interested or not?  No he isn’t interested because if he was, he would be here with you right now telling you to shut up.  If you aren’t that interested in watching the film and wanted to talk to your friend, why not go to the local pub and chat to them like normal people?

4)     Choosing your seats – Most cinemas these days are a free for all, you can sit where you want based on what your preferences are.  Aisle seat or middle of row, front or back etc.  This is all fine except when you frequent the cinema on your lonesome.  If I am on my own I usually take a seat just off centre to get an uninterrupted view of the screen.  But without fail, someone else who has come alone will sit right next to me in an otherwise empty cinema.  WHAT THE F**K IS THAT ABOUT?  I know you are alone but that doesn’t make me your “insta-date” for the night.  You then force me to get up and find another seat to my liking (and it will be my second choice seat which means I won’t be as happy as I would have been in my first choice seat), making me look like a dick as I have very obviously moved because of you.  I may have come alone but I am not lonely. Idiot.

5)     Shoes – there are some that like to get comfy in the cinema once they have found their seats.  Coats off, food out, feet up.  All fine. Until someone takes their shoes off and the smelly socks are in the air.  This is fine AT HOME but not in the cinema.  No one, and I mean no one, wants to smell your dirty-ass feet wafting their cheesy stench.  And it’s worse when you are sat in the seat in front, the stink dangerously close to your head at all times!

6)     Babies – Okay now, I know I split opinion on this and at times I flip flop all over the place, but there are screenings specifically for parents and babies.  Why on earth would you being your two week old baby to watch a thriller at the IMAX?  It’s so loud and often scares the  baby as they are so young, but it’s really not good for anyone to hear a baby screaming through a film.  While I can understand you want to see films too but use your common sense a bit and go to a designated parent and baby screening instead.

 

I could go on and on but this crap makes me go to the cinema less and less and as a big film fan, that’s hard to do!  What are your annoyances with the cinema experience?  Do you agree with me or have a few of your own?

World War Z - Official Trailer (HD)

Looks fantastic, who wants to see it with me?

Because Fifty Shades of Grey isn't enough.

This made me laugh out loud. Enjoy.

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/11/05/fifty-shades-of-chicken-trailer/

Despicable Me 2 - Teaser and Trailer

Hello my little Minions!

You know I have been rather excited since I heard about the sequel to Despicable Me, but I couldn't be more excited than I am now.  The teaser and trailer for Despicable Me 2 is up on Apple's site now.

This just made me giggle and perked up my afternoon!

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/despicableme2/

Stoker: Poster Trailer

Hey all,

I posted a link to the trailer for Stoker (the Wentworth Miller penned thriller) a little while ago but here is the Poster trailer.  Its slick, sexy, and a little scary.  Its a great sign of things to come!

Enjoy!

Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie is a cute animated homage to the old fascination with bringing the dead back to life.  Shot in black and white 3D stop motion animation (that’s a mouthful!), its sweet, charming and very funny.

Tim Burton cleverly brings together a set of amazing voice talents to bring his childhood story to life.  We meet young Victor Frankenstein and his best friend, little dog Sparky, in their adventures around New Holland.  Sparky is the star in all Victor’s homemade horror movies, plays baseball and goes everywhere with him.  They inseparable.  When a terrible car accident takes poor Sparky’s life, Victor is inconsolable.

Until he gets a crazy idea in science class to bring Sparky back to life in classic Frankenstein style.  And as horror stories go, things don’t always go to plan with hilarious consequences.

It’s not a kids story for me, if anything this was made for adults.  I was roaring with laughter throughout especially Weird Girl, skilfully voiced by the excellent Catherine O’Hara, bringing a psychic element to the story.  Her premonitions are so funny and all said with a dead pan, one note voice. Equally weird is her cat’s involvement in the premonitions.

Reunited together again with O’Hara is Winona Ryder as the awkward female interest in Elsa Van Helsing.  Her character is no different to the awkward odd teenager with heart in Beetlejuice and I had wished she would have done something a bit different.  Martin Short is great as Mr Frankenstein, the soft spoken and soft hearted father to Victor.

The film is different and you may only like it if you are a Burton or Horror fan, but I laughed so much at points, my cheeks were hurting.  It’s a brilliant, heart warming take on the relationship with a boy and his best friend and I loved it.

Michael Jackson - "Thriller, with added Primates

Monkey chops Thriller, hilarious!

John Legend - Tonight (Best You Ever Had) ft. Ludacris

Its been a while since John Legend really hit the music scene and this is his comeback.
Its great, its a little too sexy for me, I prefer his smart lyrics that roll off the tongue like honey, but his voice is gorgeous. 

Enjoy!

ADELE - Skyfall - New Bond theme song.

The more I listen, the more I like it. Her vocals are delicious, bold and silky.  I had hoped she would belt out some more of those lovely loud notes we all know she has the power to do, but it is wonderfully controlled.

Check out Adele and Skyfall.
 

Samuel L Jackson " WAKE THE FUCK UP " Barack Obama

WAKE THE FUCK UP!

Jaguar Skills x Kid Potential - 30 Years Of Hip-Hop In 60 Minutes

He's mysterious, he wears a ninja mask and he makes some awesome mixes. Just discovered this after listening to his mixes every Saturday night on Trevor Nelson's BBC Radio 1/1Xtra show.

Here is Jag Skills doing his thing on Hip Hop.

Jaguar Skills x Kid Potential - 30 Years Of Hip-Hop In 60 Minutes

Enjoy!

Take Shelter

Take Shelter is a slow burning thriller of a man who has an end of the world style apocalyptic dream but can’t be sure if it’s a premonition or if he is going crazy.

Michael Shannon is Curtis, a kind, loving family man who works all day to bring home the small earnings to support his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and daughter Hannah with hearing difficulties.  They barely make ends meet but are happy.

Curtis wakes up one morning unable to breathe, raw from the incredibly vivid and lifelike dream he has just had.  He sees a storm coming that is so fierce, it could end all life.  He slowly unravels, the lines between real life and his dreams so incredibly blurred.  It spurns him into action, into soul searching, mind melding and alienating everyone around him.

I have to say I was really excited about seeing this film.  It was a rainy Sunday in Bromley, not many films to chose from and this one took my fancy.  There is nothing scarier than a person with a messed up mind, the loss of control over your own thoughts and combine that with the end of days and you have a winner.

Shannon is great in this film, really showing off his acting chops with some of the dream sequences and the waking up from them.  He brings a dark edgy side to the story.  However it’s hard to believe he is married to Chastain, an epic timeless beauty even without make up, their pairing just doesn’t work.  She is a fantastic actress though and plays the suffering wife kept in the dark very well.  The complicated plot of their daughter being partially deaf and requiring their constant attention and financial support, add strains to the relationship and creates more tension between the two of them.

It just wasn’t scary enough.  It needed more craziness, darkness, twisted madness.  It was a little too slow to get to the point and needed Curtis to get a little crazier.

I think the plot was fantastic just not executed in a way that could have made it amazing.  Instead it was good but just okay.

Classic Movies in a Miniature Style

Thanks to my friend Giacomo, he introduced me to this. 

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Classic-Movies-in-Miniature-Style/4455311

I love it!  I wish I could actually buy some of that art!

Total Recall

Total Recall is the remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger version, based on the Philip K. Dick short story “ We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”.

We meet Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), a factory worker who is woken up every night by the same nightmare.  Being chased and captured by automated soldiers, never knowing why and who wants to capture him and being aided by a mysterious attractive woman (Jessica Biel).  He awakes every morning after having the same dream, vivid as if it were a memory.  We are in a future world where Britain is an empire and we can travel through the centre of the earth to get to the Colony (formerly Australia).  You either live on Britain or in the Colony.  Seems like the Colony is where the lower classes/unsightly folk live.  In this world, you can go to a place called Rekall to live out our wildest fantasies without ever leaving your chair.  The memories stay implanted into your brain so you can call them up at any time.

Quaid decides to go to Rekall to help with the dreams he has been having, against the wishes of his loving yet secretive wife (Kate Beckinsale).  He goes for a secret agent fantasy and then all hell breaks loose between reality and fantasy.

Total Recall is like The Matrix before The Matrix.  A life where you are not sure what it real and what it not.  However this remake doesn’t really call upon all those themes.  There is no humour from the original film even though some of the scenes are word for word.  It has been changed into a love triangle gone wrong, rather than a Jason Bourne type story as it should have been.  Britain and Australia are now apparently places where everyone has an American accent.  And there is no trace of what makes those countries what they are.  It’s an industrial American view of us across the pond.  And it’s horrible.

It looks good, don’t get me wrong.  The higgledy piggledy way the streets are structured, the building with is confusing levels like a magic eye painting and the mixture of future technologies and past structures.  But that is all it is.  There is no plot, no real acting finesse (Jessica Biel needs stop trying to act, you just can’t lady!) even though Farrell is the only light in the whole dark mess.  The women are completely miscast.  As if their budget didn’t really stretch that far to get real talent when they spent it all on Farrell.  Bill Nighy and Bryan Cranston are both completely wasted in the film too

I found the whole film confused and pointless and perhaps money could have been better spent elsewhere.

Expendables 2

The sequel to The Expendables, Expendables 2 is back with bigger guns, bigger action and even bigger stars.  Full to the brim with cheesy lines and jokes from the action stars previous films, the story is not needed in this film.

Stallone leads is motley crew of ageing action stars into battle after battle, good against evil, putting their personal lives aside for the good of all mankind.

When one of their own dies, Stallone goes renegade, all guns blazing for revenge of the man he lost.  Encountering some of the bloodiest fights on the way.

This film is a joke, it’s laughable.  It’s so bad, its good in a strange way.  It doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is.  The most money is spent on the cast and their plastic surgery than the special effects.  Who needs special effects when it all blows up anyway, right?  Great appearances from Bruce Willis, Arnie and Chuck Norris all work well.  Although a little dissapointed that Chuck Norris didn’t do his world famous roundhouse kick.

JCVD is as camp as ever, playing up to the comedic side we are seeing a lot on his Coors Light ads.  But he isn’t an effective villain so we always know beefcake Stallone will always win in that fight.

Best bit of the whole film was the interactions between Arnie and Willis and a clever use of a Smart car.  Just classic.

Look, it’s not smart and it’s not clever, but if you fancy a laugh with some explosions mixed in, give it a go.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Story

Being Elmo is the most amazing documentary about Kevin Clash, who made it his life mission to become a puppeteer on Sesame Street.

After watching the first televised show in 1969, Clash became obsessed with puppetry, making hundreds of his own and putting on shows for the local hospitals children’s ward.

Determined as he was, he became noticed by local TV ad starred in his own show.  This propelled him into an amazing journey and in meeting Jim Henson, he cemented his place in the Sesame hall of fame.

Creating Elmo by accident, he is now the most loved character of all Sesame history.  Elmo is small, red, fluffy and loveable.  Creating a character based on the simplest characteristic of all, Love.  You may think it hard for a huge black man, that Clash might find it difficult to separate the two, but upon seeing Elmo ‘come alive’, Clash almost disappears for me.  I see nothing but love and hugs and cuteness.  Clash isn’t a soldier, doctor or teacher.  Through Elmo, he is all those things to kids and adults alike.  Clash gives dying kids their last wish to have a fun and loving day with Elmo, does appearances in malls all around the world, trains local puppeteers in translated versions of the show, and even meets young wannabe puppeteers and guides them to their dream.

Kevin Clash has created something bigger than Sesame Street and puppetry. Clash has created a visual and fluffy interpretation of love. 

Imrun loves Elmo.

Aaliyah feat. Drake - Enough Said

A must listen for all Aaliyah fans out there.  Music just isn't the same without her and it's really great to hear this.  Would have prefered Missy and Timbaland to have produced it though as they knew her sound better than anyone in the business.

Miss you Aaliyah, RIP.

Cloud Atlas Extended Trailer

A fabulous trailer for the Wachowski's return to film in spectacular style.
It is rather long at over 5 minutes but the sign of a good trailer is that I still have no complete idea as to what its about.  Now going to frantically read the book before it comes out!
Enjoy.

Ted

Ted is the story of a lonely young boy who is not only lacking in friends but lacking in the ability to socially function, makes a special wish upon a star that his much loved teddy bear comes to life and is his best friend for life.  The boy’s wish comes true and thus starts the adventures of two friend together forever.

All very sweet, right?  Yes it is until Ted becomes famous for being a magical talking bear and teen hood sets in, bringing mischievousness and dirty mishaps for both the friends.

Cue modern day Johnny (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (voiced by Seth McFarlane), beer swilling, stinky farting, obnoxious stoners.  Obsessed with Flash Gordon, they watch it over and over, getting more and more stoned daily.  When Johnny’s job and love life with Lori (Mila Kunis) start to become impaired by his extremely close friendship with Ted, Johnny decides to man up, take life and love seriously and distances himself from Ted, forcing him to move out and get his own place.

Slowly Ted and Johnny start to spend every day together again and Lori offers him an ultimatum than will change his life.

Firstly let me say, this film is vulgar, disgusting and juvenile so if you don’t like a fart/sex joke, don’t watch it.  I, however, bloody loved it.  Literally had me laughing so loud at times, I thought I was the only one laughing as all I could hear was myself.  The jokes and vulgarity come in so thick and fast that you can’t even breathe from laughing so hard.

It isn’t smart or clever and does feel like a really long live action Family Guy episode at times, but I haven’t seen a comedy like that in ages.  Not since Four Lions have I laughed so hard.  Not always because it’s funny, because it forces you to stop being so uncomfortable if controversial things are said/done.  I have to say I was so uncomfortable at times, I couldn’t do anything but laugh my ass off!

Wahlberg and Kunis are both funny and charming as the loved up couple, with some great cameos from Flash Gordon himself and a few others I will not mention as they are too funny to spoil.  Seth McFarlane is the stand out star as Ted, the vulgar little bear.  There are boundaries that you never expect a cute bear to cross, but he does and never comes back!  Listen out for the Parsnip comment, that one got me by surprise and I was in fits of uncontrollable laughter for quite some time.

If you are looking for a cheap laugh at things you would normally only laugh at inside your head, watch this film.  It makes bad things acceptable all because a little cute teddy bear says it.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is the last in a special Batman trilogy directed by Chris Nolan.  Those that have seen Batman Begins and The Dark Knight will be familiar with his style, hard hitting, full of action, dramatic beyond belief.  Taking most of the comic out of the adaptation but leaving the camp comedy in.

I cried watching Batman Begins, the emotional loss of Wayne's parents really got to me.  I was emotional watching The Dark Knight, sad over the loss of Heath Ledger after his finest work and the slow death of Batman the hero into Batman the fugitive.

The Dark Knight Rises is the fantastic finale with a twist.  The action and acting faultless.  Bruce Wayne after many years of becoming a recluse, comes out of the shadows to reclaim his city after new villain Bane wreaks havoc across Gotham and brings it to its knees.

Bringing the old crew back together, Wayne with the help of Alfred becomes fully operational as Batman, suffers a setback when he realises his 8 year hiatus has left him in substandard fitness, he is left with a dilemma while the city is under siege.

The action is flawless as is the story arc to the climactic finish.  It is an amazing film and I could watch it again.  It is however flawed in a few ways that makes it miss its top spot and only gets 4 stars from me.

I had hoped Christian Bale would get rid of the comedy voice but low and behold its back, lower and camper than ever.  It ruins the character so much and would have preferred him keeping Wayne’s voice making him far more real.  Tom Hardy didn’t even need to be in the film at all.  With the mask that almost completely covers his face, we never really see his face long enough to see him ‘act’ through the mask.  Instead we see a rather beefy man with the comedy voice that could have been just about any wrestler out there with a voice that can lead in any E4 show very loudly.  Hardy was wasted in this role, it would have been good to see him without the mask to see the man before the mask and add to his character.

Controversially I didn’t like Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.  Sure she can switch between the girl next door to the pussy cat to the hard faced bitch quite quickly but she doesn’t have the sex appeal and raw raunchiness that Michelle Pffieffer had/has as Catwoman in the earlier films.  I do think she is a beautiful woman but she always has that girl next door look and can’t do slutty nearly as well as Pfieffer can.  That said, she is great as Batman’s ally and provides a bit of fun in an otherwise dark film.

There could have easily had about half an hour cut out of the middle of the film, it didn’t add too much to the story or action for me and wasted too much time.

Very unhappy with the fact that the amount of money spent on this film can only supply some substandard CGI in too many places.  If it’s not good, don’t put it in the film.

Despite all the bad flaws, I loved the plot twists at the end in the last half hour or so, even though much of it was alluded to throughout the film, they weren’t any less enjoyable or surprising.  I will be honest, I did love the first and second film more but the standout performances from Joseph Gordon Levitt and Michael Caine were quite amazing and made it all worthwhile.

A fantastic film if you are willing to let a few things go.  That said I am going to see it again in the cinema.  And there aren’t that many films I would see twice at the cinema, so that is saying something.

Friends with Kids

Friends with Kids is the tale of a couple of singleton best friends who decide to have a child together so they don't miss out on parenthood when neither of them are able to find a suitable mate.

Don't watch this film.  All the funny people are barely in it at all and the main protagonists are so unlikable, you don't care what happens to them.

This film depressed the shit out of me and reminded me there is no such thing as perfect.  Everything is fraught with pain and arguments, even in the most perfect of relationships.  Grass is never greener.  Its just fine where I am thank you!

Tyrannosaur

Tyrannosaur is the story of two people in equally different and difficult circumstances that form a special bond in their times of need.

Robbed at the Bafta's last year, especially for Best Actress for Olivia Colman's stunning performance as a beaten down wife, this film is not easy to watch.  Its dark from the start, the sun never coming out except when Peter Mullan is in the scenes with Colman.  Only then are there glimmers of hope for the two of them.

Mullan plays a man down trodden by life, the death of his wife sends him into a spiral of self hate and hate for others.  Their new and tender relationship shapes the rest of the story and how they come to help each other through their difficult times.

While it is harrowing (Colman's savage beating by her demeaning bully of a husband comes to mind), it is still tender and emotional in a way that you don't expect.  I cried a few times as the simple nature of their relationship.  Its by no means an easy watch but it is tragically beautiful all the same.

Five Year Engagement

Five Year Engagement is the story of the modern couple. Who meet, fall in love, get engaged, and stay engaged. Forever.

Jason Segel, the master of comedy these days and one of my favourites, writes and co directs this film about a perpetually engaged couple, never really pushing to get married and slowly resenting each other.

Its quite depressing at times, at other beyond stupid.  It wasn't sure if it was a comedy or a drama and not fully succeeding at either.  Unlike Segel's other films, this one stops and stalls so much, you never know what to feel.  Not even Segel naked can bring it back from the brink.

One to avoid.

Monsters University Teaser - Pony

The New Monsters University teaser trailer is out.  I can't wait!

Wookie ft Rachel K Collier "2 Us"

If you are a Wookie fan and have missed his stuff over the past 6 years, then check this out.  Quite contemporary but I do like it.  Not as groundbreaking as his original stuff, but still banging none the less!

Snow White and The Huntsman

You may or may not have gotten bored of the sudden influx of fairy tale themed movies and TV series, all fluffy and the like (Mirror Mirror, Once Upon A Time), but out came Snow White and The Huntsman.  A small section on the classic fairy tale bought to life looks at the time that Snow White (Kristen Stewart) escapes from the prison she is incarcerated in by her wicked stepmother The Queen (Charlize Theron) for being fairer than her.  The Queen then sends out a skilled hunter and marksman The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to bring Snow back dead or alive.

We discover The Queen came from a poor background and her mother a powerful sorceress places a curse on her to make her more fair than any woman in order for her to get a higher social standing.  The Queen asks the mirror who the fairest is and if it’s not her, she gets the young woman who has been seen as fairer and steals her youth and beauty.  However Snow is more fair than all in the land, thus landing her in hot water.

All fluffy and sweet right?  Wrong!  This is one dark film, looking at the time is it’s supposed to be set, a time with no electricity, medieval almost.  At points, it was quite scary and for a 12a rating, I felt it could have been a 15 and added a bit more violence into it rather than censoring it to appeal to a younger audience.

The Queen is truly evil and Theron plays that wickedness to a T.  With all the beauty she has, she is adept at bringing across the hate and evilness in just a look.  Far better in this type of role than in more recent Prometheus, where she drowned in a sea of crapness.

I am a big fan of Hemsworth as you all know (what’s not to like, he is a gorgeous beefcake giant of a man!) and he delivers action in spades.  A troubled and sad man with a heart, governed by his emotions and lead by his skill, he brings a strong and silent nature to the Huntsman.

The weakest link for me is Stewart.  Why Hollywood keep giving her big mainstream roles is beyond me.  She is unable to do any other character but her own (Twilight, Adventureland to name a couple) and she is not a fair and pretty princess.  Yes this is film is meant to go to the darker side of a fairy tale, but some things have to be relative.  Stewart is awkward and unattractive, she is never fairer than Theron!

This film was brilliant I have to admit, but could have been better with a leading actress that can actually act.

Prometheus

I know I posted the trailer a little while back as I was floored by how amazing it was.  I was so excited and couldn't wait to get to the cinema to watch it. I had no idea what to expect but booked tickets as a birthday present to myself.

Prometheus is the prequel to the Alien trilogy, the story behind the story.  In short, its crap.

I was so dissappointed by it.  A group of scientists and a robot stop in a foreign planet to see some anomolies in search of how human life started.  They land, they talk a bit, the investigate some structure, a couple of scientists get booted off by some Alien babies.  The main scientist Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) finds one of the alien beings and discovers that in fact they are early humans, three times the size of regular ones.  The Aliens are based on Human DNA.  Shocker. 

Some more man Alien mishaps occur and lots of people die.  Shaw survives and flies off.  Only an hour after performing a self caesarian section.

TOO MANY PLOT HOLES, stupid action, all of it in the trailer so no need to see the film.  The big dissapointment was the 3D.  When you go to the Imax in London, you get a special 3D presentation just before the begins showing off the spectacular effects and how great 3D can look. 
And then the film starts, and it barely utilises the 3D effect.  So what's the point.

The script laughable, its like they never watched the Alien films.  And the directing?  Scott doesn't hark back to any of the the original films and it looks like he never directed it at all.

A real shame.

The Great Gatsby Official Trailer

Oh lord.  This is amazing.  I do love a Baz Lurhmann Film but this looks quite something.

More excitingly for me, is the Hollywood debut of Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim.  A long time coming and he looks wonderful.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

The Raid

A derelict apartment building in Jakarta has become a safe-house for the most dangerous killers and gangsters. A SWAT team infiltrate the building, under the cover of darkness, to remove its owner - a notorious drug lord named Tama.  They come up against the most unbreakable forces ever, a mixture of gangsters and fiercely protective residents working side by side to protect their homes.

Not since Ong Bak, has there been an action film like this.  It was bloody amazing!  I don’t think I have squealed so much at the sheer speed of the martial arts fighting or the level of violence in such a long time.  Some of the choreographed fight scenes were poetic like dance sequences.  It doesn’t throw you straight into the action a bit fast from the beginning so it’s hard to see or understand who is who in this story, but very quickly you catch up. The heroes are surprising and full of heart, some win and some lose.  But the overwhelming feeling is that you want them to win.  They are in a blind battle and most certain to lose.  Full of politics as well as gruesome fight scenes, one particular fight scene in a corridor rivals the twisty turny Gordon-Levitt fight sequence in Inception.

Shot beautifully, with great direction from Welsh director Gareth Evans, it’s quite possibly the best action film of the year, forget The Expendables II, get thee to The Raid.  In fact, I want to see it again, who wants to come with me?

Tron: Uprising - New Trailer

I am not normally excited about kids cartoons but this is amazing. 

I
AM
IN

Team 1000 at Raise the Roof Kenya

RTRK is the charity I have worked with for some time and I am very passionate about the cause.  Please take a few minutes out of your day to read and sign up to Team 1000.  If 1000 people saved £100 over 100 days, we could get the money we need to build an amazing development centre.

Get involved, change the world.  Its your call.

http://raisetheroofkenya.com/

and while you are there, you can sponsor me as I run my legs off doing the Bupa 10k.
http://www.justgiving.com/Imrun-Donate-A-Bra-Islam

Prometheus International Launch Trailer

I have been purposefully avoiding all trailers and links to Ridley Scott's Alien prequel Prometheus.  I already know too much about the new Batman well ahead of release that none of it will be a surprise, so I wanted to keep Prometheus sacred.

Until the very special trailer premiered in the middle of the very excellent Homeland on Channel 4 last night, it seems my trck record has been broken.

To put it simply, ITS AMAZEBALLS.

2 Broke Girls

2 Broke Girls smacked straight into E4 this week and being a fan of Kat Denning's quirky nature in every film I have seen her in, I thought I would give it a go.

I expected gritty comedy, obsceneness and filthy jokes a plenty.

What I got was badly written, wooden acted crap.  Since when is this funny?   The rude jokes weren't smart or clever, only frat boys can like this dross.  It could have been a bit smarter instead it appealed to the base demographic.  It was just plain stupid.  I shall not be watching again.

That is all.

Bafta TV nominations

Hi all,

The BAFTA TV Nominiations are out today.  See the full list below.
Quite happy with them this year, what do you think?

Leading Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch - Sherlock (BBC One)

Dominic West - Appropriate Adult (ITV)

John Simm - Exile (BBC One)

Joseph Gilgun - This is England ’88 (Channel 4)

Leading Actress

Emily Watson - Appropriate Adult (ITV1)

Nadine Marshall - Random (Channel 4)

Romola Garai - The Crimson Petal and the White (BBC Two)

Vicky McClure - This is England ’88 (Channel 4)

Supporting Actor

Andrew Scott - Sherlock (BBC One)

Joseph Mawle - Birdsong (BBC One)

Martin Freeman - Sherlock (BBC One)

Stephen Rea - The Shadowline (BBC Two)

Supporting Actress

Anna Chancellor - The Hour (BBC Two)

Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey (ITV1)

Miranda Hart - Call the Midwife (BBC One)

Monica Dolan - Appropriate Adult (ITV1)

Entertainment Performance

Alan Carr - Alan Carr Chatty Man (Channel 4)

Dara O’ Briain - Mock The Week (BBC Two)

Graham Norton - The Graham Norton Show (BBC One)

Harry Hill - Harry Hill’s TV Burp (ITV1)

Female Performance in a Comedy Programme

Jennifer Saunders - Absolutely Fabulous (BBC One)

Olivia Colman - Twenty Twelve (BBC Four)

Ruth Jones - Stella (Sky One)

Tamsin Greig - Friday Night Dinner (Channel 4)

Male Performance in a Comedy Programme

Brendan O’Carroll - Mrs Brown’s Boys (BBC One)

Darren Boyd - Spy (Sky One)

Hugh Bonneville - Twenty Twelve (BBC Four)

Tom Hollander - Rev. (BBC Two)

Single Drama

Holy Flying Circus Tony Roche, Owen Harris, Kate Norrish, Polly Leys Hillbilly Television, TalkbackTHAMES/BBC Four

Page Eight David Hare, Bill Nighy, David Heyman, David Barron A Heyday Films, Runaway Fridge TV, Carnival Films production in association with NBC Universal for BBC/BBC Two

Random Polly Leys, Kate Norrish, Debbie Tucker Green, Nadine Marshall Hillbilly Television/Channel 4

Stolen Sita Williams, Rebecca Hodgson, Stephen Butchard, Justin Chadwick Open Door Films Ltd/BBC One

Mini Series

Appropriate Adult Neil McKay, Lisa Gilchrist, Julian Jarrold, Jeff Pope ITV Studios/ITV1

The Crimson Petal and the White David M Thompson, Steve Lightfoot, Marc Munden, Lucinda Coxon Origin Pictures, Cité Amérique/BBC Two

This is England ‘88 Production Team Warp Films/Channel 4

Top Boy Charles Steel, Alasdair Flind, Ronan Bennett, Yann Demange Cowboy Films/Channel 4

Drama Series

The Fades Susan Hogg, Caroline Skinner, Jack Thorne, Farren Blackburn BBC Production/BBC Three

Misfits Petra Fried, Howard Overman, Murray Ferguson Clerkenwell Films/E4

Scott and Bailey Production Team Red Production Company/ITV1

Spooks Production Team Kudos Film & Television/BBC One

Soap & Continuing Drama

Coronation Street Production Team ITV Studios/ITV1

EastEnders Production Team BBC Productions/BBC One

Holby City Production Team BBC Productions/BBC One

Shameless Paul Abbott, George Faber, David Threlfall, Lawrence Till Company Pictures/Channel 4

International

Borgen Adam Price, Jeppe Gjervig Gram, Tobias Lindholm, Camilla Hammerich DR/BBC Four

The Killing Soren Sveistrup, Piv Bernth, Kristoffer Nyholm, Sofie Grabol DR, ZDF Enterprises/BBC Four

Modern Family Steve Levitan, Christopher Lloyd 20th Century Fox/Sky One

The Slap Jessica Hobbs, Kris Mrksa, Helen Bowden, Penny Chapman Matchbox Pictures/BBC Four

Factual Series

The Choir: Military Wives Lucy Hillman, Stephen Finnigan, Gareth Malone, Tim Carter Twenty Twenty Television/BBC Two

Educating Essex David Clews, Andrew Mackenzie-Betty, Beejal-Maya Patel, Grace Reynolds Two Four Productions/Channel 4

Our War Colin Barr, Bruce Goodison, John Douglas, Stuart Bernard BBC Productions/BBC Three

Protecting Our Children: Damned If We Do Damned If We Don’t Sacha Mirzeoff, Emma Burman, Petra Graf, Anna McGill BBC Bristol Factual/BBC Two

Specialist Factual*

British Masters James Fox, Jonty Claypole, Matt Hill, Richard Wilkinson BBC Vision Productions/BBC Four

Frozen Planet Vanessa Berlowitz, Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, David Attenborough A BBC, Discovery Channel, Antena 3 Television S.A, ZDF, Skai, Open University Co-Production in association with Discovery Canada/BBC One

Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret Production Team Blink Films/Channel 4

Wonders of the Universe James van der Pool, Brian Cox, Jonathan Renouf, Michael Lachman BBC London Factual Productions/BBC Two

*Specialist Factual is given in honour of Huw Wheldon

Single Documentary**

9/11: The Day That Changed the World Leslie Woodhead, Kate Botting, Brian Lapping, Talya Tibbon Brook Lapping Productions/ITV1

The Fight of Their Lives Gabriel Clark, John McKenna ITV Sport/ITV1

Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die Craig Hunter, Charlie Russell, Rosy Marshall, Gary Scott Keo North/BBC Two

We Need To Talk About Dad (Cutting Edge) Peter Dale, Elizabeth Stopford Rare Day Ltd/Channel 4

**Single Documentary is given in honour of Robert Flaherty

Features

DIY SOS: The Big Build Simon Knight, Hannah Corneck, Ben Rowland, Beth Brooks BBC Productions/BBC One

Hairy Bikers’ Meals on Wheels Nicola Moody, Tom Clarke, Paul Ratcliffe, Lisa Edwards Optomen Television/BBC Two

The Great British Bake Off Anna Beattie, Richard McKerrow, Simon Evans, Emma Willis Love Productions/BBC Two

Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea Paul Crompton, Philip Shotton, Matt David, Anton Short Steadfast Television/BBC Four

Reality & Constructed Factual

An Idiot Abroad Production Team Risk Productions/Sky One

Don’t Tell The Bride Lisa Edwards, Harry Lansdowne, Jon Rowlands, Rebecca Bayatti Renegade Pictures/BBC Three

Made in Chelsea Production Team Monkey Kingdom Productions/E4

The Young Apprentice Michele Kurland, Colm Martin, Darina Healy, Andy Devonshire TalkbackTHAMES/BBC One

Current Affairs

Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark Production Team Al Jazeera/Al Jazeera English

Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields Callum Macrae, Chris Shaw, Jon Snow ITN/Channel 4

The Truth About Adoption (Panorama) Roger Graef, Tom Giles, Claire Johns, Todd Downing Films of Record/BBC One

Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed (Panorama) Frank Simmonds, Paul Kenyon, Matthew Chapman, Joe Casey BBC Productions/BBC One

News Coverage

BBC News at Ten: Siege of Homs Production Team BBC News/BBC One

Channel 4 News: Japan Earthquake Production Team ITN/Channel 4

ITV News at Ten: Battle of Misrata Production Team ITN/ITV1

Sky News: Libya Rebel Convoy – Live Production Team Sky News/Sky News

Sport & Live Event

Frankenstein’s Wedding: Live in Leeds Meredith Chambers, Eleanor Moran, Richard Fell, Pat Connor BBC Wales in collaboration with BBC North/BBC Three

The Royal Wedding (BBC) Production Team BBC Entertainment & Events/BBC One

Rugby World Cup Final Tony Pastor, Paul McNamara, Phil Heslop, Roger Pearce ITV Sport/ITV1

Tour De France 2011 Steve Docherty, Gary Imlach, James Venner, Carolyn Viccari V Squared TV/ITV4

New Media

Autumn Watch Jeremy Torrance, Phil Windley, Roger Webb, Tim Scoones BBC/ BBC Online

The Bank Job Production Team Endemol, Chunk, Monterosa/Channel4.com

Misfits Matt Jarvis, Chloe Moss, Alexandra Wall, Mike O’Leary Clerkenwell Films/E4.com

Psychoville Production Team BBC/BBC Online

Entertainment Programme***

Celebrity Juice Dan Baldwin, Leon Wilson, Toby Baker, Ed Sleeman TalkbackTHAMES/ITV2

Derren Brown: The Experiments Derren Brown, Simon Dinsell, Iain Sharkey, Fiona Cotter-Craig Objective Productions/Channel 4

Harry Hill’s TV Burp Spencer Millman, Peter Orton, Harry Hill Avalon Television/ITV1

Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Comedy Roadshow Michael McIntyre, Addison Cresswell, Andrew Beint, Anthony Caveney Open Mike Productions/BBC One

***The Entertainment Programme BAFTA is given in honour of Lew Grade

Comedy Programme

Charlie Brooker’s 2011 Wipe Alison Marlow, Al Campbell, Annabel Jones, Charlie Brooker Zeppatron/BBC Four

Comic Strip: The Hunt for Tony Blair Nick Smith, Peter Richardson, Pete Richens Great Western Pictures/Channel 4

The Cricklewood Greats Peter Capaldi, Adam Tandy, Tony Roche BBC Productions/BBC Four

Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle Stewart lee, Richard Webb, Tim Kirkby BBC Productions/BBC Two

Situation Comedy

Fresh Meat Production Team Objective Productions, Lime Pictures/Channel 4

Mrs Brown’s Boy’s Brendan O’Carroll, Stephen McCrum, Ben Kellett, Martin Delany BBC Scotland, BBC Productions co-production with BocPix in association with RTE/BBC One

Friday Night Dinner Robert Popper, Steve Bendelack Popper Pictures, Big Talk Productions/Channel 4

Rev. Production Team Big Talk Productions/BBC Two

YouTube Audience Award

Celebrity Juice

Educating Essex

Fresh Meat

Frozen Planet

Sherlock

The Great British Bake Off