Pfangirl Through The Looking Glass

Movies out today: 6 of the best, worst and mediocre

2012-01-27T09:58:00.007+02:00

It's all about choice this weekend at South African cinemas. You want it, you got it - whether it be a Christian values drama, sci-fi horror, a cheerfully nostalgic musical (with puppets) for the whole family, a pedigreed biopic about a controversial statesman, a vigilante thriller or even an award-winning psychological drama based on an award-winning novel.

Courageous: Wholesome indie film Fireproof was a massive hit with Christian audiences, so from the same company comes another drama about ordinary men and community heroes - this time Georgia cops. The policemen of Courageous make a commitment to improving their troubled home lives, by embracing the importance of family.

Given its heavy-handed approach to promoting Christian values, Courageous won't be for everyone. This said, the film has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 32% Fresh. It's apparently not unwatchable - and manages to be genuinely inspiring - but suffers from feeling overlong and overstuffed with topics.

The Darkest Hour: On the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum is this "When Aliens Attack" movie, set in Moscow. Emile Hirsch heads up the cast of American twentysomethings who must survive when invisible, energy-stealing extraterrestrials descend on the Earth's cities. Shot specifically for 3D. Profiled as part of Trailer Tuesday here.

If you like your sci-fi blockbusters brain dead and extra superficial, you may get a kick out of The Darkest Hour. Everyone else, beware the awful script and cheap effects. The film received an aggregated review score of just 12% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

J. Edgar: After The Aviator, Leonardo DiCaprio is back on biopic turf... this time for director Clint Eastwood. Playing the title character, Leo joins Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas and Judi Dench to examine the life of J. Edgar Hoover, the founder and first director of the FBI. A celebrated figure during the "gangster wars" of the Prohibition Era, Hoover was later accused of overstepping his authority and being a closeted homosexual.

On paper J. Edgar looks like blatant award bait. However, critical response to the 2 hour 17 minute "epic" has been mixed. Apparently Leo is outstanding - and was a notable 2012 Oscar snub - but the ambitious film is flawed; muddled and laboured in execution. 44% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Muppets: I'm very curious to see how well this comedy musical does locally given how little it's been hyped - and given the debatable amount of love South African audiences have for Jim Henson's puppets with personality. In this first big screen Muppets movie in over a decade, Jason Segel and Amy Adams help Kermit, Miss Piggy and co. raise funds to save their Hollywood Theatre.

By all accounts, The Muppets is must-see for franchise fans and newbies alike. Boasting a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96% Fresh, the film has been called clever, heartfelt and charming. Some have even gone so far as to call The Muppets the Happiest Film of 2011 and one of the year's unexpected best.

Seeking Justice: If you've been to the movies recently then you've probably been subjected to the trailer for this action thriller. Nicolas Cage plays an ordinary citizen who, after the violent rape of his wife (January Jones), finds himself indebted to a secret but powerful vigilante group, headed by Guy Pearce.

Seeking Justice only opens in the US on 16 March. During the film's international release however it has clocked up a lacklustre Rotten Tomatoes score of 25% Fresh. While not an all-out turkey, overseas reviewers have complained that this passable, if unambitious, effort completely falls apart during its third act. File this one under "Nic Cage needed the money."

We Need to Talk About Kevin: Well, this is what I'm going to see this weekend. Although she ultimately didn't receive an expected Oscar nomination for her work here, Tilda Swinton stars as mother who suspects her son is a sociopath... except nobody believes her. Based on the award-winning novel by Lionel Shriver. Trailer Tuesday profile here.

We Need to Talk About Kevin is 82% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. You'll be watching this psychological thriller-drama for its mesmerizing performances and sustained suspense. At the same time it's worth noting that some have called it "hard to watch" and unsubtle. Only screening at Ster Kinekor Cinema Nouveau.

The 2012 Oscar nominations play it safe and blunted

2012-01-25T09:30:00.001+02:00

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced yesterday... producing even more disappointment and disdain from Oscar Watchers than usual. You can read Kervyn's thoughts on the nominees over at The Movies, but in a nutshell from my side, it looks like the Oscar voters have gone the completely safe, blunted route in 2012. Please note the lack of accolades for controversial, hard-hitting and much talked about releases.

After last year where I eagerly sought out 9 of the 10 Best Picture nominees, this year I've currently seen zero, and have an interest in watching less than half (this year's most nominated films, silent movie tribute The Artist and fantasy adventure Hugo being exceptions, along with War Horse and Midnight in Paris).

Anyway, obvious omissions in the major performance categories include much nominated Michael Fassbender for sex addiction drama Shame and similarly acclaimed Tilda Swinton as an ambivalent mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin. The brilliant Drive (my review) was largely shut out and The Adventures of Tintin - the most technically brilliant animated film I watched last year - seemed to be penalised for being motion-captured. And speaking of the Best Animated Feature Category, how can you include Puss in Boots (my review) and not Arthur Christmas, my hands-down winner for best animated release of 2012? *sigh*

Anyway, if you are still interested in the 2012 Oscars, this is the full list of nominations. Prepare to be bored... just as the Academy should be prepared for poor TV ratings on the evening of 26 February.

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST DIRECTOR
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants - Alexander Payne
Hugo - Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick

BEST ACTOR
Demián Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help

BEST ANIMATED FILM
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants - Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon &
Jim Rash
Hugo - John Logan
The Ides of March - George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball - Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin
Story by Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids - Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Margin Call - J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
A Separation - Asghar Farhadi

ART DIRECTION
The Artist - Production Design: Laurence Bennett, Set Decoration: Robert Gould
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
Hugo - Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Midnight in Paris - Production Design: Anne Seibel, Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
War Horse - Production Design: Rick Carter, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist - Guillaume Schiffman
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Jeff Cronenweth
Hugo - Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life - Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse - Janusz Kaminski

COSTUME DESIGN
Anonymous - Lisy Christl
The Artist - Mark Bridges
Hugo - Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre - Michael O’Connor
W.E. - Arianne Phillips

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth
Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

BEST FILM EDITING
The Artist - Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants - Kevin Tent
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo - Thelma Schoonmaker
Moneyball - Christopher Tellefsen

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Bullhead - Belgium
Footnote - Israel
In Darkness - Poland
Monsieur Lazhar - Canada
A Separation - Iran

BEST MAKEUP
Albert Nobbs - Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and
Matthew W. Mungle
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Part 2 - Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
The Iron Lady - Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Adventures of Tintin - John Williams
The Artist - Ludovic Bource
Hugo - Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Alberto Iglesias
War Horse - John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Man or Muppet - The Muppets, Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
Real in Rio – Rio, Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown
Lyric by Siedah Garrett

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Dimanche/Sunday - Patrick Doyon
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
La Luna - Enrico Casarosa
A Morning Stroll - Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
Wild Life - Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

BEST LIVE FILM
Pentecost - Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
Raju - Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
The Shore - Terry George and Oorlagh George
Time Freak - Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
Tuba Atlantic - Hallvar Witzø

BEST SOUND EDITING
Drive - Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Ren Klyce
Hugo - Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
War Horse - Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
Hugo - Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
Moneyball - Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and
Ed Novick
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
War Horse - Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and
Stuart Wilson

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Part 2 - Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and
John Richardson
Hugo - Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and
Alex Henning
Real Steel - Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

For the record, this year the Anti-Oscars, the Razzies, are shaking up their usual schedule. Traditionally they announce their nominees - and "winners" - for Worst Movies and Worst Performances a day before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does theirs. This year Razzie nominations will only be announced on 25 February, and the Golden Raspberries dished out at a ceremony on April Fool's Day, 1 April.

Trailer Tuesday: We Need to Talk About Kevin

2012-01-24T09:04:00.007+02:00

Although it's only been screening in limited release on the art film and film festival circuit, We Need to Talk About Kevin has become one of the most persistently discussed films since it debuted at last year's Cannes Film Festival. Now, finally, almost 8 months later, this psychological thriller is screening in South Africa.

Based on the award-winning 2003 novel of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin centres on successful travel writer Eva (Tilda Swinton), whose ambivalent attitude to motherhood is apparently justified when she gives birth to disinterested, difficult and highly defiant Kevin (played as a teen by Ezra Miller). Eva is convinced that her son is a sociopath destined to commit some horrible act, but her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly), hellbent on having a happy family, dismisses her views as stemming from insecurity.

We Need to Talk About Kevin has racked up a very healthy aggregated review score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. And although not dominating the awards season, this dark, suspenseful drama has certainly received its share of accolades from high profile critical bodies - with Swinton's "mesmerizing performance" and director Lynne Ramsay singled out especially.

I am personally very excited for We Need to Talk About Kevin. Forget hulking deformed brutes, vengeful ghosts and sharp clawed monsters. Typically the most fascinating and chilling horror of all can be found in low-key, highly credible domestic situations.

We Need to Talk About Kevin opens in South Africa this Friday, 27 January. It is only screening in limited release, at Ster Kinekor's Cinema Nouveau.

Monday Movie Review: Machine Gun Preacher

2012-01-23T10:33:00.000+02:00

If you go into Machine Gun Preacher expecting another Blood Diamond – a powerful, socially conscious action-adventure set against a backdrop of African Civil War – you’ll be disappointed. If you go into the film expecting an Africanised Blind Side, a feel-good tale where persistence against the odds leads to a happy ending for the disadvantaged, you’ll also be let down. You see, true story Machine Gun Preacher seems to be squatting somewhere between the two benchmarks, and with the exception of one or two moments, this very middling movie never really satisfies. In fact, it rarely provokes a response from the audience at all.

Based on real-life events, Machine Gun Preacher centres on Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), who begins the film as a low-life biker thug, harbouring immense anger against the world. Childers is foul-mouthed, hard-drinking and a heroin addict; not to mention a lousy husband and father. Wife Lynn (Michelle Monaghan) and daughter Paige (Madeline Carroll ) still loves him though, so one day when he commits an act even he is horrified by, and pleads for help in turning his life around, his family directs him to their church.

And over time, and with many challenges, Childers’s life does improve to the point where he decides to “pay it forward” in some extreme ways – one of which is to build an orphanage for children left homeless and family-less by the conflict in Southern Sudan. Always cognisant of his past as a sinner, and being a hands-on kind of guy, Childers adopts the mindset that Christians should be wolves; not lambs. This results in him taking the fight to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a vicious militia group who kidnap, abuse and force children to commit atrocities.

If you’re worried that South African-shot Machine Gun Preacher is going to be, well, preachy, you can breathe easy. Childers’s relationship with God is not clean-cut, and there is definitely no sense of easy salvation for characters to sermonise about. It’s a pity then that in other areas, Machine Gun Preacher is so simplistic and predictable. Perhaps events did play out as obviously in reality, but onscreen it reeks of Hollywood formula. So of course you get the shots of over-stocked American supermarkets and gluttonous parties while Childers begs for funds. Of course there’s a good militia and an evil one. Of course there’s the doctor who believes only a pacifist approach will produce results. And, of course, the Sudanese need a white American to come in and educate them about cleaning their rifles. *sigh*

One thing that IS unexpected though is just how much of Machine Gun Preacher actually takes place in the United States, where Childers’s commitment to his African cause begins to destroy his family, friendships and business.

Then again, perhaps the long patches of screen time devoted to US events isn’t surprising if you view Machine Gun Preacher less as an examination of relief work in the Sudan, and more as an examination of one man’s striving for purpose… punctuated every so often by a truly ridiculous moment where Butler’s “African Rambo” fires off an RPG.

Machine Gun Preacher is certainly interesting and all credit must go to Butler – who also produced the film – for being so convincing in the role of a man who constantly teeters on the brink of darkness, and often tumbles in. It’s just that you can’t escape the feeling that Machine Gun Preacher is pulling its punches. Sure it could be considered exploitative and sensationalist to constantly show children being tortured, shot and blown up, but the few scenes that do this in Machine Gun Preacher tend to be the most resonant. The film could have been more graphic, or, better still, it could have actually developed the African characters, so viewers care about their fate.

In the end then, although Machine Gun Preacher isn’t a badly made or badly acted film, it feels like something is missing. Perhaps the script was too tethered by real-life events; perhaps it was too sincerely committed to showing both Childers’s good and bad sides to satisfyingly explore the impact the Sudan War has had on local children. The end result: Machine Gun Preacher has no real heart to hook the viewer, and no gratifying resolution.

This review appeared first at The Movies.

Movies out today: pistol-packing preachers, deranged surgeons, vampire babes and zoo animals

2012-01-20T10:01:00.004+02:00

Four new releases bring the action, drama and trauma this week to South African cinemas.

Machine Gun Preacher: My pick of today's new movies is this action drama based on a true story. Gerard "This is Sparta" Butler plays Sam Childers, a biker and drug addict turned preacher and relief worker. Childers's work in Uganda and the Sudan culminates with him rescuing dozens of children kidnapped for induction by the region's militia. From the eclectic director of Monster's Ball, The Kite Runner and, most recently, Quantum of Solace.

Machine Gun Preacher hasn't had the greatest critical reception. Reviewers have complained that despite Butler's admirable commitment, the fragmented film never gets to satisfying grips with Childers, his motivations and the unbelievable-but-true situation in which he found himself. 29% Fresh on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Still, I'm going to give this one a chance.

Underworld: Awakening: Screening in 3D and 2D, this fourth - yes FOURTH - entry in the Underworld series of supernatural actioners. Of course, Awakening is sure to be the biggest box office hit out of this weekend's new releases. After being absent from prequel Rise of the Lycans, series star Kate Beckinsale returns as ass-kicking, latex-clad vampire Selene. In Awakening, our heroine is roused from 12 years in cryogenic suspension to discover that humans are now aggressively hunting vampire and lycan (werewolf) alike. Cue back-to-back wire stunts and gun fights - all set to a pounding nu metal score - as Selene exacts her revenge. Watch the trailer at The Movies.

Despite consistently mediocre reviews, they keep churning out the Underworld films... just like the Resident Evil movie series actually. Evidently gun-toting, sexy superheroines will always sell. Anyway, at the time of writing this post, critical consensus about Underworld: Awakening had yet to be established overseas. I think it's safe to say though that your reaction to this one will be exactly like your response to all the others. And for the record, if it makes any difference, Awakening was actually shot in 3D, as opposed to being a conversion in post-production.

The Skin I Live In: Sticking with matters of a horrifying nature, lovers of European cinema will probably want to check out the latest Spanish language effort from ultra-acclaimed filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar. Based on the novel Mygale (Tarantula in English), this psychological thriller reunites Almodovar with leading man Antonio Banderas for the first time in 21 years. Banderas plays a plastic surgeon who has been keeping a woman (Elena Anaya) prisoner in his mansion, exacting an extreme transformative revenge over the course of several years.

Recently in contention for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, The Skin I Live In certainly looks bizarre and disturbing. In fact, it's been compared to the "body horror" films of David Cronenberg, and critics have been throwing around adjectives like "unsettling," "darkly disquieting" and "twisted"to describe the movie's mix of horror and melodrama. This said, apparently The Skin I Live In isn't satisfying enough to sit amongst Almodovar's best, but it's still better than what most movie-makers could achieve with the same warped subject matter. 79% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

We Bought a Zoo: For something a little more conventional this weekend, movie fans should turn to this tender comedy drama, which marks the return of director Cameron (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) Crowe to feature film making. Based on a true story, We Bought a Zoo sees recent widower Matt Damon and his 2 children attempt to overcome their grief by buying, and reviving, a financially stricken zoo. Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church and Elle Fanning round out the cast as zoo employees.

We Bought a Zoo is 63% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Even those reviewers who found the film formulaic, obvious and manipulative have praised the movie's performers, particularly Damon. Apparently the former Jason Bourne star elevates the heartwarming material into something quite watchable. Cynics may do well to avoid it though.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Film Review

2012-01-19T09:15:00.000+02:00

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a solid popcorn flick. The film certainly has its flaws, but as a period-set action mystery – and sequel to 2009’s “brains AND brawn” reimagining of Sherlock Holmes (my review) – A Game of Shadows manages to deliver the entertainment goods pretty consistently… if superficially. But then again, were we expecting anything more?

Plot-wise, A Game of Shadows feels superior to its predecessor. Although mystery solving takes a backseat to fist fights, chases and explosions in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes franchise, this time around there is far less convolution as brilliant eccentric Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his capable straight man Dr Watson (Jude Law) attempt to stop a string of terrorist attacks and assassinations that will have devastating consequences for peace in Europe.

For the record, A Game of Shadows dumps its predecessor’s dabbling in the pseudo-occult, to instead focus more on Victorian era technology and politics. The looming threat of World War I – which historically was a concern as far back as 1891 – adds a nice edge to proceedings… not to mention a chance for the audience to ogle interesting proto-WWI weaponry.

More importantly, A Game of Shadows also draws on the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story The Final Problem, in which Holmes faces his greatest nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) – a covert criminal mastermind who can outthink and outfight the Baker Street detective. Although Stephen Fry, as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft, is hands-down the big scene-stealer of the film, Harris is nonetheless a fantastic addition to the cast. The quietly ominous meetings between calm, immaculately groomed Moriarty and quirky, battered Holmes are among the strongest scenes in the film. There’s even a chillingly memorable moment where Moriarty one-ups Holmes with deadly results.

As mentioned before, A Game of Shadows certainly has its failings. The film is a bit stiff and uncomfortable to begin with, before it finds its tonal footing and Holmes and Watson are allowed to re-start their comical odd couple relationship (which certainly doesn’t skimp on lighthearted homo-erotic implication).

Newcomers to the new Sherlock Holmes film series may also a struggle a little since A Game of Shadows doesn’t bother with a refresher course as to who the returning characters are. Also, like Downey, Jr’s Holmes, the film is always on the move, flitting over characters and issues alike without stopping to explore them. For the most part this approach isn’t an issue with this kind of film but you do feel it in terms of character. As a result Noomi Rapace, as a gypsy ally to Holmes and Watson, feels a bit wasted. Rapace is competent, and her character feels like she belongs to the era as opposed to simply being a 21st Century woman shoehorned into another time. However, Simza feels largely pointless; present simply because the film needs at least one prominent female character.

The same sense of pointlessness is attached to the film’s big forest action scene, which featured prominently in the A Game of Shadow trailer. It’s cool and all, but seems to serve no function other than to exist as a special effects and cinematography showcase. As for the visualising of Holmes’s “deductive” approach to combat, I’m probably in the minority here when I say I find this signature feature of the new Sherlock Holmes films hit-and-miss in terms of application. Only the movie’s final confrontation uses it to its maximum, intelligent effect. Otherwise, it saps the action scenes of their energy, grinding their pace down to first gear.

At the end of the day though, flaws aside, it’s still a pleasure to visit the Sherlock Holmes universe, which recreates the past in such enjoyable, Oscar-nominated detail. Combined with the other positives of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – including a very funny horse riding sequence – it’s still enough to earn this imperfect film three and a half stars out of 5.

Trailer Tuesday: The Darkest Hour

2012-01-17T09:50:00.003+02:00

At first glance, sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour sounds like it could be a bit of alright.

The film refreshingly removes the "When Aliens Attack" action from the United States and transplants it to Moscow instead, for shots of an imposing city that cinema audiences rarely get to see on-screen.

The plot also sounds intriguing - in The Darkest Hour, instead of the usual greys and multi-limbed monsters without immune systems, invisible aliens descend on Earth to satisfy their hunger for energy. In the process they put the disintegrator tripods of War of the Worlds to shame. And instill some self-sufficiency in a band of shell-shocked twentysomethings (mostly Americans) who discover that the stealthy extra-terrestrials can be detected by their tendency to trigger electrical appliances. Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor and Max Minghella star.

The Darkest Hour is produced by Wanted and Night Watch's Timur Bekmambetov, and regardless of the uneven nature of his finished films, there's no denying that Bekmambetov's work - or any of the films he oversees as producer - typically have a lot of visual flair. The trailer for The Darkest Hour seems to confirm that's also the case here, with plenty of impressive shots of the abandoned Russian capital.

Then there's the fact that The Darkest Hour is in 3D. These days that's normally an instant negative, but The Darkest Hour is in essence a horror flick, and of all the genres, horror is the one that has arguably put the most effort into capitalising on the format... with the likes of Final Destination 5 filming specifically for 3D instead of lazily converting during post-production.

Anyway, despite sounding promising enough on paper, and looking decently palatable in promotional material, The Darkest Hour is apparently a disaster movie in more ways than one. In America, the film released on Christmas Day 2011 without screening for critics beforehand (never a good sign!). Since opening, The Darkest Hour has managed to rack up a dire aggregated rating of 11% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently, it's not even brain-dead fun. The invisible aliens, instead of being chilling, are as boring and shoddily executed as the special effects and clunky, exposition-heavy dialogue. Even worse, the film's heroes come in just 2 flavours: cardboard and unlikeable. Not even multi-award nominee Hirsch escapes unscathed.

Oh dear.

I suppose we should have been suspicious back when the film was slapped with a limp PG-13 age restriction. So, unplug all excitement for this one right now. You've been warned. The Darkest Hour opens in South Africa in a week's time, on 27 January.

Movie news for Monday

2012-01-16T09:48:00.006+02:00

To start off the new week, here's a collection of recent posts that I've written for new South African cinephiles site The Movies, as well as other miscellaneous bits of news related to recent blog posts here.

First up, here are all the freshly announced results from the 69th Annual Golden Globes last night. The Globes are normally a good indicator for the Academy Award results, and although no one film dominated at the Globes this year - the awards were surprisingly widely spread - family drama The Descendants (2 wins) and Silent Movie era romance The Artist (3 wins), are looking good for Oscar gold. Meanwhile, I think it's fairly safe to say that 2012's Academy Awards won't be captivating the public imagination much - this year there are few popular crowd-pleasers, or controversial star-saturated flicks, for ordinary moviegoers to rally behind.
Star-studded male strippers movie Magic Mike is one of my Top 25 movie picks of the next 6 months. New photos from the film were released this past week, while comments from shirtless stars Channing Tatum and Matt Bomer elaborate a bit more on what audiences should expect from the quirky comedy-drama. Read the post here.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, another of my Top 25 Picks, was originally going to be the first fairy tale movie out the gates for the great Fairy Tale Film Deluge of 2012-13. Now, however, the steampunk-y supernatural actioner has been pushed back to 11 January 2013. Paramount's argument is they're waiting for lead Jeremy Renner to explode as a big box office draw this year. However, with no trailer, poster or official site unveiled less than 2 months before Witch Hunters' planned release date of 2 March this year, I suspect they don't think the film is ready for public consumption. Frankly though, a 10 month delay as opposed to, say, a 6 month hold-up, really hurts the movie's reputation...

Movies out today: bad cops, bad financiers, bad cults and bad weepies

2012-01-13T09:28:00.014+02:00

Four new movies open in South Africa today. I can't say any of them really falls into the Must-see Category for me, but different tastes for different folks I suppose.

31 Million Reasons: Along with Afrikaans romantic musicals, crime dramas seem to be South Africa's big cinematic flavour of the moment. 31 Million Reasons is yet another one. Set in Durban, the film offers a fictional twist on true events - a 1997 robbery in which R31 million was stolen. Jack Devnarain plays a dirty Indian cop who orchestrates the biggest heist in the city's history. However, he and his accomplices think they're only stealing R1 million, and the massive, unexpected score threatens to tear the gang apart.

As with most South African movies, 31 Million Reasons is releasing without much critical buzz... just the usual marketing hype. Judging by the trailer though, the film looks watchable enough, if nothing new.

Margin Call: Here's one for thinking adults. With an all-star cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Stanley Tucci and Demi Moore, Margin Call examines a 36 hour period at a Lehman Brothers-esque investment firm, just as the 2007 market crash began. Cue tough moral choices...

I'm not sure how accessible Margin Call will be for ordinary viewers but the indie production has certainly been attracting critical attention. Nominated for a handful of Best Film and Best Screenplay awards, Margin Call has been called "easily the best Wall Street movie ever made" by the New Yorker. For the record, Margin Call is 87% Fresh on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently the film is a compelling and coherent companion to Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job (my review).

A Little Bit of Heaven: Yay, another cancer comedy! However, unlike the acclaimed, honest 50/50, this Kate Hudson starrer - which weirdly has yet to even release in the United States - takes the form of a romcom. Hudson stars as a party-loving career woman who discovers she is terminally ill but nonetheless begins a relationship with doctor Gael García Bernal. Unsurprisingly death and commitment fears complicate things. Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg and Peter Dinklage also appear.

A Little Bit of Heaven is currently 5% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Ow! Typical complaints about the film centre on its mismatched leads, criminally unfunny nature and unbalanced tone. Curiously enough though, non-critics have responded to the film far more positively.

Martha Marcy May Marlene: Opening in limited release on the art film circuit is this psychological thriller-drama, centering on a young woman, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen), who escapes a cult, and takes refuge with her older sister (Sarah Paulson). Martha, however, struggles with paranoia and delusion as she tries to readjust to normal life.

Martha Marcy May and Marlene has been doing the film festival rounds overseas and has garnered some serious praise. The film is 88% Fresh, with much acclaim going the way of "captivating" Olsen. The film itself is apparently haunting and cleverly made... if unapologetically "indie." This one should be a real treat for anyone with interests in psychology.

25 Movies to look forward to in 2012: January to June

2012-01-11T09:40:00.012+02:00

Disclaimer: The original version of this post first appeared at TheMovies.co.za.

Right, we've done my movie awards for 2011. Now it's time to look ahead at the notable new releases of the next 6 months. Please bear in mind that release dates are subject to change, and the list includes a handful of flicks that have already opened overseas but have yet to reach South Africa.

And yes, upfront I'll admit that a number of 2012 biggies didn't make my list for various reasons. Look out for kinda pointless sequels Underworld 4, Ghost Rider 2, Wrath of the Titans, Madagascar 3 and Ice Age 4, as well as the 21 Jump Street remake, curious mash-up Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, long delayed Joss Whedon horror comedy The Cabin in the Woods and star-saturated skit comedy Movie 43. The following though are my personal picks for the next 6 months:

We Need to Talk About Kevin:
Based on the award-winning novel of the same name, Tilda Swinton stars in this British-American thriller about a travel writer-turned-frustrated-mother who has a complicated relationship with her son. Over the years she realises that there is something terribly wrong with him emotionally. Except nobody believes her... with devastating consequences. The Nature vs. Nurture Debate features strongly in this, one of the most talked about film festival releases of 2011.
Release date: 12 May 2011 (Cannes Film Festival), 27 January 2012 (South Africa)

The Muppets:
Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of those loveable, wise-cracking puppets are back for their first musical comedy film in 12 years. And apparently it's fantastic. Not that The Muppets has ever really been about plot but here Jason Segel and Amy Adams play a couple who spearhead a fundraiser to save the Muppet Theatre. Apparently the movie is heartfelt, packed with star cameos and, most importantly, is a treat for nostalgic Muppet fans and franchise newcomers alike.
Release date: 23 November 2011 (US), 27 January 2012 (South Africa)

War Horse:
Steven Spielberg helms this good ol' fashioned adventure drama - based on a children's book and hit theatrical production - about Joey, a horse drafted into World War I by the British. While Joey touches lives on both sides of No Man's Land, his farm boy owner (Jeremy Irvine) enlists to find him. Better bring the tissues for this one - it looks like an unapologetic tearjerker. Also with Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 25 December 2011 (US), 24 February 2012 (South Africa)

Hugo:
Most famous for violent crime dramas, director Martin Scorsese continues his recent genre experimentation with this 3D family fantasy adventure. Set in 1931 Paris, Hugo centres on an orphan boy who lives in the walls of a train station, and is busy completing his late father's greatest invention - an automated man. The film looks magically memorable, and is currently stacking up award nominations. Famous faces in the cast include Ben Kingsley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jude Law.
Release date: 23 November 2011 (US), 16 March 2012 (South Africa)

Shame:
Another of this year's big award season players is this sexually explicit drama. Artist turned filmmaker Steve McQueen reunites with star Michael Fassbender for this tale of a single, 30-something man who can't control his sexual urges. Hiding his addiction becomes even harder when his sister Carey Mulligan moves in. Expect this one to be depressing but powerfully honest and brilliantly acted.
Release date: 11 September 2011 (Toronto Film Festival), Unknown (South Africa)

Haywire:
"Top secret agent is betrayed by their government, survives and seeks revenge." The plot for Haywire sounds like a thousand Z-grade, straight-to-DVD action thrillers. The difference though is that Oscar-winning Steven Soderbergh is in the director's chair and the cast includes big names like Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor and Antonio Banderas. Also, the betrayed agent is played by women's MMA star Gina Carano. Although her acting skills are untested, Carano actually has the convincing moves and physique of a female action hero - instead of being an Angelina waif. Hooray!
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 20 January (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

The Grey:
He may have played a Jedi and voiced a lion god but Liam Neeson is 100 times cooler when he's a soft spoken, apparently ordinary man driven to violence by extraordinary circumstances. Here he plays the survivor of an Alaskan air crash who must cope with the elements and, more terrifyingly, a pack of starving wolves. An action thriller from A-Team director Joe Carnahan and A-Team producers Ridley and Tony Scott. Could be bleak but engrossing.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 27 January (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

Chronicle:
"With great power comes great responsibility..." Or maybe not. Super powers apparently lead to the dark side in this sci-fi horror film, shot in the "found footage" style and starring a bunch of unknowns to heighten its sense of realism. Three high school friends develop amazing abilities after an encounter with an extra-terrestrial object, but as their powers grow events take a morally dark turn. The trailer for this one looks fantastic; let's hope the finished film delivers on its great concept.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 3 February (USA), 17 February (South Africa)

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters:
The first fairy tale movie out the gates in 2012 - and there's a ton of them! - is this steampunky horror comedy set 15 years after the famous events at the gingerbread house. Since then siblings Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become sought-after, leather-wearing, gun-toting witch hunters. Their latest mission pits them against sorceress Famke Janssen. Sounds like Van Helsing but let's hope it's way better than that messy cheesefest.
Release date: 2 March (USA), Unknown (South Africa)
Update 15 January 2011: The American release date for Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters has now been pushed back to 11 January 2013.

The Raven:
It's Sherlock Holmes meets Saw in this 19th Century mystery thriller. John Cusack plays writer Edgar Allan Poe, who is recruited by the Baltimore police to help solve a series of brutal murders based on his tortured horror stories. Cusack's presence makes most things worthwhile, and hopefully, coming from the director of V For Vendetta, The Raven will be more than just another "battle of wits between serial killer and hero," which we've already seen a hundred times.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 9 March (USA), Unknown (South Africa)
Update 25 January 2011: The American release date for the Raven is now 27 April 2012.

John Carter:
Disney's big live-action fantasy adventure for the Midyear Blockbuster Season is this decades-in-development adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' pulpy Barsoom stories. Taylor Kitsch is Civil War veteran John Carter, who is mysteriously whisked away to a Mars unlike anything we've ever seen before. In this barbaric world of warring alien beings and humanoids, Carter emerges as a saviour figure. The big question though: Will audiences still come if they don't know the character? And will this 3D epic have the wow factor of Avatar?
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 9 March (USA), 9 March (South Africa)

The Hunger Games:
Arguably the biggest Youth Literature phenomenon since Twilight, it was inevitable that Suzanne Collins's bestseller would get the big screen treatment. The guys should like this one too though, given it's more brutal sci-fi than goo-goo eyes romance. In a future where America as we know it has crumbled, 16 year old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to replace her younger sister in the Hunger Games - an annual televised tournament where teenagers from society's 12 remaining districts fight to the death. Arguably one of the Top 3 Most Highly Anticipated Films of 2012.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 23 March (USA), 21 March (South Africa)

The Pirates! Band of Misfits:
Admittedly I know little about this stop-motion comedy adventure, other than it comes from Wallace and Gromit's Aardman Studios and Sony Pictures Animation, a collaboration that recently gave us the brilliantly British Arthur Christmas (my review). So I have high hopes for this one. Hugh Grant, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Piven voice Victorian Era pirates who compete for the Pirate of the Year Award, encountering Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria along in the way. Screening in 3D and based on The Pirates! series of kids' books.
Release date: 30 March (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

American Reunion:
2012 is a big year for nostalgia and with this comedy - and fourth entry in the original American Pie series - we rejoin those once randy high schoolers for their 10 year reunion. The drawcard is that they're ALL back, from Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott, to Tara Reid and Stifler's mom, Jennifer Coolidge. Hopefully this one isn't just a dented pie tin filled with stale ideas.
Release date: 6 April (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

The Avengers:
All the Marvel Universe movies of the past 4 years have been building to this point - the various costumed heroes uniting in a single team to defend the Earth against its greatest threat. Marvel's sure to keep things action-packed, light and entertaining but it's a notably tall order trying to split 2 hours of screen time between Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) - not to mention Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and all the film's villains. Can this ambitious project escape feeling overstuffed and rushed?
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 4 May (USA), 27 April (South Africa)

Dark Shadows:
Tim Burton reunites (yet again!) with Johnny Depp for this supernatural drama based on the cult hit gothic soap opera. Depp's an 18th Century dandy turned into a vampire and only escapes his coffin in 1972 to reconnect with his dysfunctional descendents. The star-studded cast includes Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Helena Bonham Carter and Jackie Earle Haley. With a focus on twisted characters as opposed to frantic action and special effects, this could be a return to classic kooky Burton.
Release date: 11 May (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

The Dictator:
When is a Sacha Baron Cohen comedy not controversial and deliciously politically incorrect? Here the Ali G and Borat star takes a jab at Muammar Gaddafi and other eccentric Middle Eastern dictators by playing the delusional ruler of fictional Wadiya. The trailer for The Dictator is hilarious. Just brace yourself for a massive outcry come May.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 11 May (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

Battleship:
Consider this sci-fi actioner 2012's answer to Transformers - big, very dumb and heavy on the special effects as humans battle technologically advanced aliens. Leading the surge of movies based on board games, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna and Liam Neeson as naval officers whose war games turn real when they encounter alien invaders in the Pacific.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 18 May (USA), 4 May (South Africa)

Men in Black 3:
Nobody was really asking for a second Men in Black sequel, especially not one in 3D, but here it is anyway. This time there's time travel thrown into the sci-fi mix, with Agent J (Will Smith) sent back to 1969 to protect Agent K's (Tommy Lee Jones ) younger self - played by Josh Brolin - against assassination. MIB3 looks okay, although right now I'm only really interested in this one for Brolin's Jones impersonation.
Release date: 25 May (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

Snow White and the Huntsman:
That other Snow White movie, Mirror Mirror releases back in March, but this is the live-action fairy tale "reimagining" everyone is amped for - especially after its breathtaking first trailer. In this gritty fantasy adventure Charlize Theron stars as the life-stealing sorceress queen while Kristen Stewart makes Snow White an armoured woman of action, training with the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and Dwarves in a bid to overthrow the queen once and for all.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 1 June (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

Prometheus:
Director Ridley Scott returns to the genre that established his reputation with this is-it-or-isn't-it-an-Alien-prequel. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron play interstellar explorers who investigate artifacts of an alien civilisation that may have ties to humanity's origins... and deadly consequences for its future. The Prometheus trailer hits all the right buttons for fans of Alien, and dark psychological sci-fi in general. One of my Top 5 Most Highly Anticipated Films of 2012.
Release date: 8 June (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

Jack the Giant Killer:
Another fairy tale movie out in 2012 is this action adventure, which sees X-Men's guiding influence Bryan Singer back in the director's chair for the first time since Valkyrie. Nicholas Hoult stars as a farm boy who re-establishes the link between our world and the realm of the giants (hint: magic beans are involved!), and then must set things right. Screening in 3D, and co-starring Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor and Ian McShane. Looks a bit vanilla, but in Singer we trust. Usually.
Release date: 15 June (USA), Unknown (South Africa)
Update 25 January 2011: The American release date for Jack the Giant Killer has now been pushed back to 22 March 2013.

Brave:
Not only is Brave Disney-Pixar's first original story after 2 years of CGI-animated sequels, it's also the first Pixar film to feature a female lead and the first Pixar film in the folk/fairy tale tradition. Set in the Scottish Highlands and featuring stunningly atmospheric 3D visuals, Brave tells the story of a feisty young princess who defies Celtic tradition, triggers a curse and then must summon the courage to undo her mistake. With the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane.
Trailer Tuesday profile.
Release date: 22 June (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

G.I. Joe: Retaliation:
The first one was silly fun (my review) in the right spirit but I'm sure nobody but diehard fans were itching for a sequel to the high-tech actioner - based, of course, on the TV series and toy line. So why should we care about the second big screen outing? Well, with the exception of Channing Tatum and Ray Park's Snake Eyes, the first film's cast is out, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Bruce Willis are in. Also, G.I. Joe 2 promises to be darker and more intense in tone, although frankly that's a drawback.
Release date: 29 June (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

Magic Mike:
With so many movies catering for adolescent boys (or grown men with the minds of adolescent boys), here's one for the ladies. Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey and Joe Manganiello all whip off their kit to play male strippers... for A-list director Steven Soderbergh weirdly enough. This comedy drama is based on Tatum's real-life experiences, and Pettyfer stars as a newbie learning the ropes in this unusual profession. It'll be very interesting to see what Soderbergh does with this blatantly "exploitative" material.
Release date: 29 June (USA), Unknown (South Africa)

Trailer Tuesday: The Dictator

2012-01-10T10:25:00.006+02:00

Disclaimer: The original version of this post first appeared at TheMovies.co.za.

"Ah, America, birthplace of AIDS..."

Whether you love or hate him, you can't deny that Sacha Baron Cohen - of Ali G and Borat fame - makes deliciously quotable, politically incorrect comedies. The Dictator is Baron Cohen's big satirical release of 2012, and the film reunites him with Borat and Bruno director Larry Charles.

In The Dictator Baron Cohen spoofs the likes of Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein to play General Admiral Alladeen, the spectacularly wealthy, eccentric and self-absorbed ruler of Wadiya, a fictional republic. The film's official plot synopsis is listed as "The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed."

Digging a little deeper, however, it looks like the actual storyline will see our "hero" replaced by a lookalike and forced to flee through New York. Here, presumably, Anna Faris as the film's female lead will play a spunky American woman who takes the dictator under her wing, and perhaps reforms him. For the record, Ben Kingsley is Alladeen's second in command, and I have little doubt he'll be the film's Big Bad, with designs on the dictatorship himself.

Out of interest, General Admiral Alladeen is the first "original" Baron Cohen character to make it to the big screen. In other words, he never appeared before on Da Ali G TV Show like Ali G, Borat and Bruno did.

Anyway, the big question with The Dictator is whether Baron Cohen and his fellow writers will be able to sustain the concept for a full length 90 minute film without going soft and predictable towards the end? I know I personally would be happy if The Dictator's humour chiefly took the form of audacious dialogue that kept the audience chortling throughout... instead of going for a shock reaction through nudity and gross-out physical humour. Of course, Baron Cohen's films usually strive for a balance between the two, and we probably shouldn't expect his latest to be any different.

The Dictator releases on 11 May in North America. No clue yet when the film will open in South Africa but I'd expect it within a month or two of the US date.

A milestone birthday

2012-01-10T09:02:00.001+02:00

*Ding!*

Since this is one of those milestone birthdays - and I surely have leveled up enough - I get my real-life flying mount now, right? Or have you guys all been lying to me?;)

Movies releasing today: dolphins, dancers, dragon tattoos and dangerous aliens

2012-01-06T09:25:00.001+02:00

After a few relatively quiet Fridays, South African audiences are once again spoiled for choice this week with the release of 4 high profile new movies - 3 of them remakes, new interpretations or prequels - to cater for all tastes and audience segments.

Dolphin Tale: Screening in 2D and (oddly enough) 3D is this feel-good true story of Winter, a dolphin that loses her tail to a crab trap, and the people who band together to ensure her survival... even going so far as to raise funds for a unique prosthetic. Sure to stir up Free Willy nostalgia, the film stars Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Morgan Freeman and Winter herself.

Dolphin Tale comes from the producers of the massively popular, and Oscar-winning, The Blind Side so I'm sure you can gauge the tone of this animal-centric family drama. It's all about love, friendship and determination overcoming adversity. For the record, Dolphin Tale was a commercial and critical hit when it released in North America back in September. The film has an aggregated Rotten Tomatoes rating of 83% Fresh, with the majority of reviewers calling it a heartfelt, wholesome (and predictable) tale that the whole family will enjoy.

Footloose: Remember that silly Kevin Bacon movie about a town that forbids dancing? Well, Footloose is the latest 80s film to receive the (pointless) remake treatment. Largely unknown dancer-actor Kenny Wormald stars as a cool city teen who relocates to rural Georgia and immediately rebels against pastor Dennis Quaid's dance ban. Naturally the preacher's defiant daughter (Julianne Hough) is drawn to our hero, which stirs up even more trouble.

Footloose is sure to please the same crowd that laps up other Twinkle-toed Teen movies like Step Up, High School Musical and Fame 2009. This said, apparently the new Footloose isn't half bad. The film has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 71% Fresh. While there are some critics complaining that the remake too closely mirrors the original, others are praising the film for its energy, enjoyable nostalgia value and terrific dance scenes.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Another remake (well, kind of) opens today as well, and that's an American film version of Stieg Larsson's crime mystery novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The international bestseller has of course already been treated to an acclaimed Swedish adaptation (my review), but helping to make this new interpretation intriguing is the involvement of Fight Club, Se7en and The Social Network director David Fincher. So you know Dragon Tattoo isn't going to pull its punches! For the record, Daniel Craig stars as a disgraced journalist hired to solve a decades old mystery involving a powerful and secretive family of industrialists. Rooney Mara is Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant but skittish young hacker who involves herself in the investigation.

You can watch the trailer for the American Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and read my initial thoughts on the film, here. Although the film - self-dubbed "The Feel Bad Movie of Christmas" - didn't exactly set the US box office alight, it has released to critical acclaim. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is currently 86% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with much praise going the way of Mara. Apparently the film is slick, brutal and engrossing, although some have complained it is too emotionally aloof and lacks surprise.

The Thing: It's taken almost 3 months for this sci-fi-horror prequel to reach our shores. Scott Pilgrim's Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Warrior's Joel Edgerton star in this tale that seeks to depict what exactly went down at the Norwegian Antarctica base just before the events of John Carpenter's classic 1982 film of the same name. So yup, a group of researchers discover an extraterrestrial craft under the ice and promptly unleash a shape-shifting alien that assimilates and mimics its prey. Cue distrust and a desperate fight for survival.

Horror remakes and prequels are typically more miss than hit, and The Thing 2011 could have gone either way - I pretty much said as much in my Trailer Tuesday profile of the film. As it turns out, the finished film is a mediocre 35% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently it's not horrible - in fact it's highly respectful towards the original Thing and features a strong, convention-breaking performance from Winstead. The film is however still pointless, unoriginal and uninspired.

The 2011 Pfangirl Pfilm Awards

2012-01-05T09:24:00.029+02:00

Well, I'm back at my day job from today so blogging should return to its more regular schedule as I get back into my normal routine.

As a heads up, a new South African-centric film website has just opened... and I'm involved. So check out The Movies.co.za. Obviously I'm going to keep this blog going, but from here on I'll be linking to any of my work - reviews, feature articles, opinion pieces etc. - that appears on the new site.

Anyway, it's a new year, and along with looking ahead, it's also a chance to reflect on the year that's just past. As per usual, it's time for a Year in Review. If my calculations are correct, I watched 57 movies in 2011. The following are my hits, misses and special category mentions - bearing in mind:

A) I obviously haven't watched everything given I have to pay for my cinema visits and don't have access to free press screenings. So there are plenty of high profile releases - particularly those currently receiving Awards Season love (e.g. Moneyball, Midnight in Paris, The Help, The Tree of Life) - that I haven't been able to squeeze in. The same goes for the widely acknowledged Biggest Turkeys of the year (Abduction, Jack and Jill, Big Mommas, Zookeeper etc.) because, well, I won't subject my mind and my wallet to that.

B) Differences between North American and South African release dates means some 2010 movies only opened locally in 2011. For the purpose of this list, I'm counting them as 2011 releases.

So, with that out the way, let's jump in straight away shall we? Please note that the following Top 5 lists are in no particular order, and each link typically takes you to my original review of that film.

Best / Most Enjoyable Film of the Year:
Arthur Christmas (3D)

Drive

The Fighter

Jane Eyre

The Town

Worst / Most Disappointing Film of the Year:

Conan the Barbarian 2011 (3D)

Green Lantern

Jonah Hex

Rubber

Splice

Best Superhero / Comic Adaptation of the Year:
X-Men: First Class

Best Animated Film:
Arthur Christmas (3D)

Best Comedy of the Year:
Bridesmaids

Guilty Pleasure of the Year: Tie between...

Priest (3D)

The Warrior's Way

Most Over-hyped Film of the Year: Tie between...
Source Code

Hanna

The "Unbelievably Better than Expected" Award for 2011:
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Action Scene (Live action):
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Best Action Scene (Animated):
The Adventures of Tintin (3D)

Best Villain of the Year:
Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman) in Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)

Star of the Year:
Michael Fassbender, for his attention-grabbing work in Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, Shame and A Dangerous Method (Latter 2 still to release in South Africa).

All the other movies of 2011 reviewed on this blog:

127 Hours
Attack the Block
Batman: Year One
Black Death
Black Swan
Captain America: The First Avenger
Contagion
Cowboys & Aliens
The Eagle
Easy A
Friends with Benefits
The Green Hornet (3D)
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
I Am Number Four
Immortals (3D)
The Inside Job
In Time
The King’s Speech
Michael
Morning Glory
No Strings Attached
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Play
Puss in Boots (3D)
Rango
Rio (3D)
Scream 4
Secretariat
Sucker Punch
Super 8
Tangled (3D)
Thor (3D)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Warrior
Whatever Happened to Robert Mugabe?

Midweek Movie Review: The Adventures of Tintin (3D)

2012-01-04T12:15:00.002+02:00

Perhaps it was foolish not to instantly realise that director Steven Spielberg and Hergé’s much beloved comic book Tintin would be a natural fit for one another. The similarities between Spielberg’s world-weary archaeologist Indiana Jones and Herge’s intrepid young reporter are obvious – both men travel the pre-1950s globe on the hunt for mystery-shrouded historical treasures. Both characters are also courageous men of action, throwing themselves into danger, frequently getting beaten up, and resourcefully mixing brains and brawn to achieve their goals. As a result you can pretty much consider Spielberg’s first CGI-animated effort, The Adventures of Tintin, to be a cinematic cousin to the Indiana Jones series – only with much more humour, zero supernatural elements, and a decidedly vanilla hero.

The Adventures of Tintin draws on plot points from three different Tintin stories, The Secret of the Unicorn, The Crab with the Golden Claws and Red Rackham’s Treasure. In the film, Jamie Bell’s performance-captured Tintin finds his life threatened when he buys a sought-after model ship containing a clue to a long-lost treasure. Pitted against the sinister Sakharine (Daniel Craig) in the race to solve the mystery first, Tintin at least has the aid of his loyal wire hair fox terrier Snowy, as well as blustery alcoholic Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), whose ancestry makes him a pivotal figure in the treasure hunt. Meanwhile Scotland Yard detectives Thomson and Thompson (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) blunder around in the background.

The Adventures of Tintin hits the ground running. Like the Indiana Jones films, Tintin is action-packed to the point of exhaustion and rarely lets up. In fact, after one particularly extended sequence that begins with a daring ocean escape and ends with an airplane crash in the Sahara, the cinema audience is likely to let out a collective sigh of relief... and satisfaction, mind you.

Your stamina for back-to-back action scenes may determine how much you enjoy The Adventures of Tintin, but there is no denying that this film – along with Rango (my review) – supports the argument that animation is currently superior to live-action cinema when it comes to creatively choreographed and highly engaging action scenes. For example, there’s a 17th Century naval battle in Tintin that trumps anything in the entire Pirates of the Caribbean quadrilogy.

This said, The Adventures of Tintin isn’t my favourite animated film of the year – that title belongs to the more consistently enjoyable Arthur Christmas (my review). Tintin is, however, 2011’s most technically brilliant animated film… by a mile. Although there is nothing standout about the film’s 3D, Tintin is the best CGI-animated film made so far that utilises motion-captured performances of real actors. In Tintin there’s no dead-eyed, disturbingly rubber characters à la The Polar Express, Beowulf and Mars Needs Moms. While it takes a scene or so to adjust to the film’s character design – which unusually blends the hyper-real and Herge’s cartoonish, colourful approach – you quickly fall in step after that and accept the film’s universe without question.

The technical mastery of The Adventures of Tintin elevates the film into 4-star territory, which is fortunate because it could have been a 3-starrer, given the number of gripes that can be made about other areas of the movie.

For example, the film’s storyline is weak in terms of character motivations – holding a grudge over events that happened to ancestors centuries ago seems a bit farfetched. And, as with the comics, Tintin isn’t the most charismatic hero. He’s likeable enough – principled and motivated – but typically you feel like he’s the creation of another era, and personality-wise he just can’t compete with loud, over-the-top characters like Haddock. Speaking of the latter, having already impressed in 2011 as Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Caesar, Serkis (the Motion Capture King) dominates here, demonstrating great versatility as Haddock staggers for the most part between clumsy, aggressive drunkenness and remorseful, self-induced despair.

Riddled with little visual references to the Tintin comics, and Spielberg’s filmography as well, The Adventures of Tintin should please fans and newcomers to the franchise alike. It’s a breathless, light adventure for the whole family that refreshingly doesn’t soften or dumb itself down. In short, The Adventures of Tintin is what Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (review) should have been. Now if only Spielberg would make an animated Indiana Jones TV series just like this.

Midweek movie review: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2012-01-04T09:24:00.000+02:00

Exotic locations. Mind blowing stunts. Cool, futuristic gadgetry. And “World at Stake” villainy to thwart. The Mission: Impossible films have always come across like an American, team-centric response to Britain’s James Bond spy thriller series. It’s business as usual then with Ghost Protocol, the fourth Mission: Impossible film, which ticks off all the franchise’s requisite ingredients to emerge as a satisfying if obviously flawed action movie.

Helping audience accessibility, the Mission: Impossible films have always tended to be standalone tales, with typically just Tom Cruise returning as top Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt. Ghost Protocol retains narrative links to Mission: Impossible III – III’s director and writer J. J. Abrams is still on board as producer, for the record – and Simon Pegg is back as well to provide comic relief as Hunt’s tech support man, but newcomers to the franchise still shouldn’t feel lost.

One of the big positives of Ghost Protocol in fact is that it keeps its plot simple, avoiding the convoluted twists that can often make this type of movie a headache. So Hunt and his new squad – including the sleek and credibly imposing Paula Patton – are on the trail of a Swedish physicist (Michael Nyqvist), who is intent on triggering a nuclear Armageddon. The “Impossible Mission” part of proceedings kicks in when Hunt and co. are accused of a deadly terrorist bombing and must operate without agency support to complete their objective – now contending with villains and international law enforcement alike.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is directed by animator Brad Bird and he brings a lot of creativity and energy to the film’s action scenes, much like he did with The Incredibles. The appreciably clear and comprehensible set pieces are by far the strongest thing about Ghost Protocol. Particular standouts include the entire Dubai sequence, and Kremlin infiltration. Bird has an excellent grasp of mounting tension.

At the same time, Ghost Protocol refreshingly doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is a lot of humour in the film, and the disbelieving attitudes of seasoned agents like Hunt and Jeremy Renner’s Brandt to their often ridiculous tasks is a good deal more amusing, and likeable, than Pegg’s forced goofiness a lot of the time.

Honestly, if Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol was simply a string of action scenes back-to-back, with no break in-between, it would have made for a more consistently entertaining (if unapologetically superficial) movie. The problem is that in the brief breaths between Ghost Protocol’s explosions, fights, chases and sandstorms, the audience has to endure a very weak attempt at character development. Between action scenes we have to watch morose agents bemoaning their failings and desire for redemption… and it’s eye-rolling painful. If Ghost Protocol were a sports car these scenes shift the film from breezy fifth gear to first, and the pacing and tonal change is horribly grating.

I’m hesitant to suggest that Ghost Protocol should have scrapped all its quieter moments of character interaction – that’s the last thing we should be recommending to Hollywood! – but the balance between action and character development/motivations feels off in this film. The latter is as clunkily handled as the former is energised and freshened up.

It’s probably worth noting at this point as well that you really shouldn’t think too hard while watching Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Any deeper contemplation immediately highlights the silliness, and there’s a lot of it, in the film. One example of the questions likely to start clawing at your brain: if Ethan Hunt is such a deadly combatant, why does he struggle so much in a fist fight with a paunchy middle-aged science nerd?

Anyway, if you’re looking for a popcorn flick these holidays that delivers thrills with slick confidence, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol should be at the top of your list. The film has its failing, and at the end of the day it’s pretty mindless but it’s still fun. And that’s probably the most important thing. I just haven’t been able to decide yet whether Ghost Protocol is on par with, or better than, its entertaining 2006 predecessor (my mini review).

Drive film review

2011-12-30T09:20:00.001+02:00

Indie crime drama Drive arrived in South Africa on a surge of online and critical hype. That is always dangerous for a film in that audience expectations can be elevated so high that they become impossible to satisfy. Fortunately, Drive is pretty damn great… as long as you go into it knowing that the film isn’t a conventional thriller. Like this year’s Hanna (my review), Drive is an unusual hybrid of art house and mainstream action cinema. Drive, however, is by far the more accessible film of the two, and emerges as one of the best cinema releases of 2011.

Now the plot for Drive is far from unique. The film centres on an unnamed man (Ryan Gosling) known simply as the Driver, who leads a car-centric life in Los Angeles: by day he works as a mechanic and stunt driver; by night he’s a heist driver for hire. The Driver is drawn to his neighbour, sweet young mother Irene (Carey Mulligan), but no sooner does he start slotting into her life than her husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac) returns from prison. Standard has made mistakes but he’s a good guy and the Driver agrees to be his getaway driver for a robbery that will clear Standard’s prison protection debts – and, more importantly, remove the threat of revenge violence from his family. Cue inevitable bloody complications….

Drive certainly isn’t a film for everyone. It’s quiet, slow paced and character driven. This said, the film’s patches of silence and moderated pacing never feels forced, and actually work in the movie’s favour by heightening the impact of the action scenes when they do arrive. Much like the scorpion on the Driver’s silk jacket, the violence in Drive comes out of nowhere to strike fast and hard. The same goes for the film’s handful of car chases. The Fast and the Furious fans may complain about the lack of explosions and gravity-defying vehicular stunts, but personally I found these sequences to be powerfully tense and well choreographed. As well as realistic.

I’ve heard friends compare Drive to The Godfather, and there’s definitely a strong retro feel to the film, visually and in terms of the overall movie-making approach. Dark, moody and intimately focused on a small cast of characters, Drive feels like a throwback to the style-conscious crime noir movies of the 1970s or early 1980s.

At the same time, one of the most enjoyable things about Drive is its strong prioritising of emotion. These days it seems like most crime actioners have adopted the Pulp Fiction approach to depicting gangsterism – either it’s about appearing cool and slick, with an indifference to the violent acts committed, or characters revel in the brutality. In Drive, the lead characters have long-standing relationships and loyalties. They may do horrible things, often to each other, but they don’t enjoy it at all. Even the Driver is not aloof. He has friends; he keeps his promises… and he smiles. There is a lot of warmth – and, on one notable occasion, fiery passion – beneath Drive’s chilled surface.

A lot of this emotional impact has to do with performances. All of the actors in Drive are perfectly cast. Gosling remains at all times likeable – and sexy in a “subdued protector” way – while never playing down his character’s capacity for explosive violence. Meanwhile, especial standouts among the supporting players are Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman, acting against type as low level West Coast crime bosses – the former resentfully and sadly dishing out punishment for failure and the latter harbouring a major inferiority complex.

Drive starts to lose its momentum a bit towards the end as revenge killings stack up. However, this stumble can be forgiven given the impact of the film as a complete package. Drive is powerfully moving, pretty sad but still a gratifying tale about shattered dreams and poor luck. It’s also one of the year’s best films.

Movie Review: Arthur Christmas (3D)

2011-12-28T10:16:00.008+02:00

Arthur Christmas is hands down the best animated film of the year. The movie may not please the under 8s given that the humour is largely dialogue driven – and completely free of base body function jokes! – but everyone else is in for a real treat. Touching, and terrifically British (it’s a collaboration between Sony Pictures Animation and Wallace and Gromit’s Aardman Studios), I chuckled throughout the entire movie. And that rarely happens these days, with CGI-animated films or not.

Despite being a contemporary Christmas movie, Arthur Christmas avoids the frantic, gluttonous consumerism and saccharine sentimentality that Hollywood associates with the holidays. Instead, the film offers a clever combination of both high-tech and low-tech – appealing to the intellect through its colourful onscreen gadgetry and witty dialogue, and satisfying emotional needs through its examination of some very identifiable domestic situations.

Much like The Nightmare Before Christmas imagined holidays such as Halloween, Easter and Christmas as the product of a strictly monitored industrial process, Arthur Christmas presents the activities of Santa Claus as a centuries’ old family business, run with military precision.

In Arthur Christmas, the Santa mantle has been passed down for 20 generations, and at the North Pole everyone expects the current, increasingly absent-minded Father Christmas (Jim Broadbent) to retire, and hand over operations to his ultra-efficient elder son Steve (Hugh Laurie), who has been vital in updating gift delivery procedures for the 21st Century. When a forgotten present is discovered, however, only Santa’s incompetent but idealistic younger son Arthur (James McAvoy) – who has been relegated to the mail room – insists on delivering it to the child in question before Christmas morning. He is assisted by stubborn, retired Grand-Santa (Bill Nighy), who eschews his descendants’ reliance on technology in favour of old fashioned, hands-on magic; as well as punky, pierced Bryony (Ashley Jensen), an elf from the Giftwrap Battalion.

Arthur Christmas is a delight, entertaining on multiple levels. The British voice casting is spot-on – with Nighy an especial curmudgeonly scene stealer – and there is much fun to be had from the opening scenes which interpret Santa’s delivery of millions of presents to the world’s children as a Black Ops mission or something out of Mission: Impossible. At the same time, room is made in the Santa mythos for contemporary technology like tablet computers, GPS and Google Earth. The film is also stuffed with so many background jokes and amusing visual references that it will take multiple viewings to catch them all.

Meanwhile, for those in the audience who are more resistant to the idea of a slick, tech-savvy Santa reimagining, Arthur Christmas doesn’t skimp on comical, down-to-Earth “reality”. That might sound like a strange thing to say about a Father Christmas fantasy film, but the Claus family are just like any other – there’s the conflict between generations about the right way to do things, the post-Christmas dinner arguments that ignite over board games, and the unthanked wife who arranges her own gift so her husband can simply hand it to her.

It’s worth noting that, refreshingly, Arthur Christmas has no cartoon villain to complicate matters in the usual contrived way. The film’s drama stems from the Claus family dynamics – and botched road/sleigh trip shenanigans, of course – but in this regard the film never missteps into sentimental mush.

I can’t recommend Arthur Christmas highly enough. It will definitely be joining my DVD collection in future to become regular holiday season viewing. Forget the film’s irritating first teaser trailer. Arthur Christmas is consistently fun and heart-warming. And, well, if you’ve ever wondered how reindeer would fare when facing Serengeti lion, this is the movie for you.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 24

2011-12-24T09:12:00.001+02:00

And here we are: the final day of the Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness. And it makes sense to end it with the DC's "Big Three" at their most festive (I really hope they've been dishing out presents instead of stealing them?;)). Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this daily series? It was certainly fun compiling it.

That then just leaves me with one more thing to say to my blog readers and friends:
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May you have a truly special, relaxing day.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 23

2011-12-23T09:11:00.003+02:00

Whether you approach Christmas from more of a religious or secular side, the festive season is synonymous with families coming together... for better or worse. Here's arguably the most famous (frequently feuding) family of comicdom - putting aside their differences over Christmas dinner.

Movies releasing 23rd and 30 December

2011-12-23T09:03:00.011+02:00

Well, since I'm possibly going to take a break from blogging for the next week or so (although I now have a handful of film reviews to write), here's what opens in South African cinemas on the Fridays of 23rd and 30th December.

23 December:

The Adventures of Tintin: Screening in 3D and 2D is this CGI-animated adaptation of Herge's beloved comic book series. Steven Spielberg directs this family action-adventure and the likes of Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost provide the motion captured performances of Tintin, Captain Haddock and co. Plot-wise, the film is based on a combination of The Crab With the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure and sees the intrepid young ginger journalist, and his canine companion Snowy, caught up in a globe-trotting treasure hunt.

You can read my initial thoughts on the film, and watch the trailer here. Despite not being a Tintin fan I'm looking forward to the film, which has clocked up an aggregated Rotten Tomatoes rating of 75% Fresh. Apparently the film is a rousing crowd-pleaser in the vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, although some critics have complained that the film is too boisterous, leaving character and plot development in the dust.

The Ides of March: If your movie tastes are a bit more "mature" this Christmas, your best bet is this award-nominated political drama - written, produced, directed by and starring George Clooney. Clooney plays a charismatic, if not exactly squeaky clean, politician who is campaigning to become the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Ryan Gosling is the ambitious young campaign manager trying to smother all scandal relating to his boss. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright round out the cast.

The Ides of March is 86% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has been praised for its intelligence and confident delivery in all departments. It's highly entertaining and well-acted even if it offers no new insights into the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the American electoral process.

30 December:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Profiled on this blog earlier this week, A Game of Shadows is the highly anticipated sequel to the hit 2009 Sherlock Holmes reimagining. Robert Downey, Jr. is back playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic English sleuth, or, rather, a version that is equal parts brawn and brain. This time disguise- and drugs-loving Holmes - along with his trusted partner Dr Watson (Jude Law) - face their greatest adversary, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Fortunately, this time Noomi (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Rapace is also on board as a gypsy fortune teller who helps the boys.

Viewers expecting subdued mystery-solving will probably be disappointed in action- and explosion-packed Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The film has a middling Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59% Fresh, meaning it's split critics pretty equally. Once again Downey Jr. and Law have been praised for their comical camaraderie, although the jury is out whether A Game of Shadows is weaker than, supersedes or is on par with its predecessor.

I Don't Know How She Does It: For romantic and/or domestic fluff over the next fortnight, look no further than I Don't Know How She Does It, based on the chick lit novel of the same name. Sarah Jessica Parker plays a modern woman trying to juggle it all - a high pressure job, motherhood and marriage to Greg Kinnear. Fortunately she has friends like Christina Hendricks to keep her sane because increasingly she has to choose her priorities: family life or a bigger, better job alongside dashing Pierce Brosnan.

I Don't Know How She Does It, which released in North America back in September, has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 18% Fresh. Apparently the film isn't as awful as its trailer suggests, but still flails around in dated sitcom territory, avoiding the really tough, realistic decisions for its supermom star.

Midnight in Paris: Again, if you're in the mood for movies this festive season and are looking for something a bit more adult, there's Woody Allen's latest - showing in limited release on the local art film circuit. Owen Wilson stars as a screenwriter whose fantastic, Era-leaping experiences after midnight in Paris cause him to re-examine his impending nuptials to Rachel McAdams. Other famous faces in the cast include Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Tom Hiddleston and Michael Sheen.

The multi-award nominated Midnight in Paris is regarded as a major return to form for Allen. A critical and commercial hit, the film is 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It's been called whimsical, charming, frequently insightful and touching. The movie's detractors however have called it amiable but disappointingly shallow.

Girlz 'N' Games Comic #95: Arkham Women

2011-12-22T10:42:00.001+02:00

Well you can consider this the 2011 Christmas comic for Girlz 'N' Games. I know it's not particularly festive, but, well, you remember what happened the last time I did a specifically Christmas comic? Ahem.

Anyway,I couldn't resist the opportunity to weigh in briefly on the Batman: Arkham City "Bitch Controversy". In a nutshell, Arkham City is a walled off portion of Gotham City, a "prison city" populated by thugs and the criminally insane. When Batman roams the streets and rooftops of Arkham City he gets called "A chicken... who should run home to his mommy." When you play as Catwoman, you regularly endure such verbal abuse as "Cat-Bitch!" and, more disturbingly, "Nice costume; now take it off!"

Arkham City has something like a 95% male population so you can kind of understand the sexualised taunts. But the disparity between the juvenile taunts of Batman and sexist ones of Catwoman is obvious, and a bit odd. Then again, a closer look at the female characters in Batman: Arkham City - and pretty much every single major female character in the Bat Universe pops up in the game - reveals a warped, one-sided view of women that penetrates much deeper than some dialogue. Minus the Virgin and Mother, almost every single cliche is there, from the Masochist to the Whore; from the Victim to the Nagger. And that's the point of the comic ultimately.

To be fair though, and to play Devil's Advocate, Batman is a real dick in the game too. While playing, listen to the sulky, selfish way he talks to his friends and allies.

Anyway, I was trying a little something different with the art style for this comic - going for a rougher, pencilled look - and I'm especially proud of the final panel.

That then leaves me with one final thing to say in this, the last GNG update for 2011: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the readers out there! Have a great one.

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P.S. If you got a kick out of this Girlz 'N' Games comic, please "Like" the Girlz 'N' Games Facebook page.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 22

2011-12-22T09:10:00.003+02:00

Today it's a case of DC Comics heroes clustered around the Christmas tree. I have to admit I picked this image largely because of Superman's reaction to his lead-wrapped gift. The lengths one has to go to surprise Kal-El. Also, Black Canary, please? Show some originality. Giving Green Arrow a bow is like giving your dad soap-on-a-rope.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 21

2011-12-21T09:09:00.001+02:00

Shazam! Today the "magical Superman", Captain Marvel dishes out some DC Comics stocking fillers for his superheroic buddies. As a sidenote, I really can't understand why they haven't made a new Captain Marvel film by now? A dorky kid who speaks an acronym and becomes a powerful adult superhero? That's tons of light-hearted (or risqué) comic potential right there.

Trailer Tuesday - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2011-12-20T11:52:00.000+02:00

I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of 2009's Sherlock Holmes, which reimagined Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic English sleuth as equal parts action hero and - more traditionally - a bohemian private detective solving crimes for kicks.

Don't get me wrong. There was much that I loved about the film, from Guy (Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) Ritchie - particularly the fantastic Oscar-nominated production design and Hans Zimmer score, as well as the bromance chemistry between Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Jude Law's suave, surprisingly competent Watson. All these positives though were negated by a plot that sought to make a rather simple mystery appear far more complicated than it really was. Much like my main gripe about the first few Pirates of the Caribbean films, Sherlock Holmes seemed unnecessarily padded with convoluted scenarios and characters running back and forth between the same locations. Read my full review here.

Of course Sherlock Holmes was a massive success, commercially and critically. So a sequel was inevitable. Here we are 2 years later then with the release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

This time, as revealed at the end of the first film, Holmes and Watson face their greatest nemesis - Professor Moriarty (Jared "Mad Men" Harris), a villainous genius with an intellect to rival that of Holmes. Cue a deadly battle of wits and cross-continental chase scenes as Moriarty's terrorist attacks fuel political tension on Mainland Europe. Meanwhile, Noomi Rapace plays a gypsy fortune teller enlisted by Holmes and Watson, while Stephen Fry is Holmes's powerful, government-employed brother Mycroft. And Rachel McAdams even returns as Sherlock's treacherous ex.

Having watched the trailer I can't say that A Game of Shadows looks particularly different from the original film. Then again, I'm sure fans will be happy simply with more of the same. And evidently, if the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are to be believed, the film delivers just that. There is some debate about whether A Game of Shadows is better or worse than its predecessor, but consensus is that the project is made most palatable, as before, by Downey Jr. and Law's highly entertaining onscreen relationship. If you prefer a quieter, more contemplative - but still eccentric - take on Holmes you're better off seeking out the contemporary-set Sherlock series from the BBC (Season 2 starts 1 January 2012).

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opened in the United States last Friday, 16 December. The film releases in South Africa next week, on 30 December.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 20

2011-12-20T09:06:00.001+02:00

There has been a distinct lack of X-Men action on this countdown to Christmas so far (well, apart from Wolverine's 2 appearances here and here). So today we make amends, with all the greats in their 90s (and Animated Series) glory.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 19

2011-12-19T09:25:00.002+02:00

Some comic heroes "fit" naturally into Christmas scenes and scenarios. Others don't.

A good example of the latter is vicious vigilante, and comicdom's dour king of torture porn, Frank Castle (AKA The Punisher). Still the contrast makes for some beautiful, dark art... which mature audiences are sure to appreciate.

A look at the Last Airbender graphic novel

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000+02:00

A couple of months ago, I wrote a pretty extensive blog post about Legend of Korra, the sequel to beloved martial-arts-and-magic animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Included in the post was mention of an upcoming trilogy of graphic novels, entitled Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise, from Dark Horse Comics.

Well, Part 1's 80 pages of Team Avatar goodness will be available from 7 February. Part 2 releases on 12 June. For the record, the comic miniseries is written by award-winning comic creator Gene Yang - in close consultation with the Nickelodeon show's scribes Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko - and it seeks to bridge the gap between the original series and its follow-up, which is set 70 years later.

If you're an Avatar fan you can consider the following something of an early Christmas treat (if you don't mind a sneak peak at the comic's contents before it physically lands in your hands). For everyone else, beware huge series spoilers if you click on the link below...

Basically, a good few pages from The Promise Part 1 leaked online last month (which I discovered via The Mary Sue). And the project is looking pretty damn awesome. The creative team has really nailed the tricky process of translating the tone of the animated series - which veers between light-hearted and heartfelt heaviness - for the printed page.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1 is going on my Wish List right now.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 18

2011-12-18T09:22:00.002+02:00

Here's a Christmas themed comic cover that takes us all the way back to the Golden Age of Comic Books. For those that don't know, that's the original Flash and Green Lantern there with Wonder Woman, and those characters remain separate from, and very different to, their more well known Silver Age "descendants."

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 17

2011-12-17T09:09:00.004+02:00

Following on from yesterday's Advent Calendar post, and staying with Batman, here are 2 contrasting comic panels and pages with a festive theme. One shows the Dark Knight in typical bullying Grinch mode; the other, more surprisingly, has Bruce Wayne at his most jolly (and retro stylish).

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 16

2011-12-16T09:21:00.002+02:00

Keeping with Batman, here's another festive scene, drawn/painted by Alex Ross, with the Caped Crusader in full-blown "brooding loner" mode.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 15

2011-12-15T09:24:00.001+02:00

Sticking with the ladies of DC, and as a little reminder that it's less than 10 shopping days to Christmas, here's a page from the classic Batman: The Animated Series/The Batman Adventures tale, The Harley and the Ivy. In this special Christmas story, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy kidnap billionaire Bruce Wayne, and force him to fund their mall splurge. As you can see in the panel below, Batman hates being dragged clothes shopping as much as any normal guy.

Anyway, you can read most of the comic here, here and here. Alternatively, you could even watch a good chunk of the segment online, lifted from the Holiday Knights episode.

Movies releasing for the long weekend

2011-12-15T09:22:00.000+02:00

It's a public holiday in South Africa tomorrow, and many cinemas around the country are actually screening the weekend's new releases from today. Given the glut of debuts last week, today there are only 2 notables... and they're both sequels of sequels.

1) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol: Ghost Protocol is the fourth entry in in the Mission: Impossible film series that kicked off back in 1996 - and is based on the popular, 60s TV series. Once again Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his teammates (Simon Pegg, Paula Patton) from the Impossible Missions Force are the victim of high level political intrigue and betrayal. Forced to go rogue to uncover the truth behind a deadly terrorist bombing, Ethan and co. struggle to decide if they can trust fellow agent Jeremy Renner. Acclaimed animator Brad (The Incredibles) Bird is in the director's chair for this espionage action thriller.

Internationally, Ghost Protocol is screening in conventional cinemas and IMAX - to really maximise the impact of the Dubai skyscraper scenes - but of course IMAX is long dead in South Africa. *sniff*

Anyway, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is currently sitting with an aggregated Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% Fresh. Apparently the film is the best in the series so far, but then again they say that for EVERY sequel. A more balanced assessment is that Ghot Protocol is far from perfect, but the unrelenting, and sometimes very inventive action scenes, really deliver the adrenaline goods.

2) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked: Unbelievably, they're still churning out these critically reviled monstrosities, and here we are on movie number 3. Based on the cartoon characters and fictional music group, Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 is a family comedy mixing live-action and CGI-animation. This time the obnoxious singing vermin - and their female counterparts, the Chipettes - are swept from a cruise liner and stranded on a desert island. Meanwhile, for some unfathomable reason, the boys' long-suffering adoptive father, Dave (Jason Lee) sets out to rescue them.

At the time of writing this post, the surprisingly 2D-only Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked was 11% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently the film is punny and full of slapstick and should be amusing enough for under 10s. Everyone else, beware... or get very, very drunk before entering the cinema.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 14

2011-12-14T09:30:00.002+02:00

Anyone else think this panel comes across like the start to some femslash scenario? Unsurprisingly, a quick "unsafe" Google search reveals that Barbara Gordon and Kara Zor-El are a popular fantasy pairing - that I'm sure many guys (and some gals) wouldn't mind finding in front of the fireplace this Christmas.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 13

2011-12-13T09:20:00.002+02:00

From yesterday's dark extreme to its goody two-shoes antithesis... It's the Cap!

Trailer Tuesday: The Raven

2011-12-13T09:10:00.006+02:00

No doubt inspired by the success of Guy Ritchie's adrenalin-charged Sherlock Holmes reimagining, The Raven also brings together 19th Century literature and crime solving for a fictionalised take on the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life.

Coming across like a blend of From Hell, Sleepy Hollow, The Bone Collector and a historical take on Saw, The Raven sees seminal writer Poe (John Cusack) drawn into a crime investigation when a series of gruesome murders are committed in Baltimore - and they're blatantly based on his Gothic horror stories. Poe has an additional incentive to succeed in this bloody game of cat-and-mouse: his beautiful young wife Virginia (Alice Eve) has been targeted by the clue-dropping serial killer. Luke (Immortals) Evans plays the police inspector assigned to the case.

Directed by V for Vendetta's James McTeigue - and also apparently featuring a masked, knife-wielding character - The Raven certainly has potential. Especially if it depicts the murders from the literary likes of The Pit and the Pendulum, The Premature Burial and The Murders in the Rue Morgue in all their R-rated, graphic glory.

Of course, The Raven could also just be another derivative "serial killer matches wits with hero" movie, where the tired formula has simply been buffed into false surface freshness by draping it with historical dressings. After all, if it's like any of the films mentioned at the beginning of this post, The Raven will be entertaining enough but prevented from reaching its full potential by a handful of flaws. Then again, there's been many a fun, flawed movie and I can't say that's ever stopped me from watching before, especially when I'm looking forward to the film in question - as I am with The Raven.

The Raven opens on 9 March in North America. The film's South African release date has yet to be set.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 12

2011-12-12T09:35:00.004+02:00

If you're completely allergic to anything Christmas, then this pic may display festive spirit that's more to your liking. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from Todd McFarlane, given his Twisted Christmas figurine collection.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 11

2011-12-11T09:16:00.003+02:00

Taking a break from superheroes, today's festive comic pic comes from one of the biggest indie comic success stories of recent years - Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory. I'm a big fan of this quirky series, which mixes crime, comedy and psychic cannibalism. Seriously...

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 10

2011-12-10T09:09:00.002+02:00

From "cartoony" Marvel to similarly "cutesy" DC today...

Movies releasing today: Santa, stars, stuntmen and screaming

2011-12-09T09:27:00.011+02:00

The South African Summer school holidays kick off today with a glut of new movies. Of the 4 high profile new releases, there's something for everyone, from the kiddies to the cool kids; romcom fans to horror aficionados.

From Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation comes festive-themed CGI comedy Arthur Christmas, screening in 2D and 3D. James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Bill Nighy provide some of the voices for the film, which centres on the bumbling younger son of Santa Claus and his attempts to prove himself as a viable head for the family business.

I confess I had zero interest in Arthur Christmas until the release of this hilarious teaser trailer. My attention was then completely hooked when the film achieved a surprisingly stellar Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% Fresh (i.e. 92% of critics reviewed the film positively). Apparently Arthur Christmas takes the tired topic of holiday spirit - done to schmaltzy death by Hollywood - and freshens it up with wit, intelligence and a surprisingly strong story. Not perfect but pleasantly charming.

Profiled as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday feature, Drive is a highly acclaimed (to the point of over-hype!) crime drama that straddles the line between character-driven indie flick and pulpy, hyper-stylised actioner. Ryan Gosling stars as an unnamed stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. The driver's life gets considerably more complicated when his feelings for young mother Carey Mulligan cause him to become involved in a heist that goes horribly wrong. Now he must extricate himself from the situation and protect those he loves.

While evidently not for all tastes, Drive has been clocking up awards nominations and wins, and has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93% Fresh. Viewers expecting Fast and the Furious-style car chases and explosions may be put off by the film's cool, meditative nature, but those with a tolerance for slow Art house cinema, and graphic violence, are evidently in for a treat.

Star-studded ensemble comedy New Year's Eve opens today in South Africa and North America. Essentially a follow-up to last year's Valentine's Day (my review) - both films are directed by Garry Marshall - New Year's Eve is set in New York and consists of a dozen interconnected stories about people galvanised by the approaching new year to change their lives for the better. The cast includes Halle Berry, Robert De Niro, Jessica Biel, Hilary Swank, Ludacris, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron and many more.

At the time of writing this post, New Year's Eve was 6% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (Valentine's Day was 18% Fresh). Ow! Adjectives critics have been tossing around include "contrived", "painfully unfunny", "flat", "manipulative" and "ridiculously sentimental". New Year's Eve is the movie equivalent of a greeting card apparently. You have been warned.

2011 has certainly been a big year for haunted house movies. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is another one, based on an old made-for-TV horror film that has developed a cult following over the decades. Written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark sees a young, dysfunctional family (played by Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes and Bailee Madison) terrorised by nasty goblin-like creatures while restoring an old manor house.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59% Fresh, which is pretty solid for a horror film. According to reviewers, young Madison delivers a cracker of a performance and the film is appropriately atmospheric. However, the creepiness never blossoms into full-blown terror and hardcore horror fans are unlikely to be scared at all.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 9

2011-12-09T09:00:00.003+02:00

To round off this working week, and keeping with Marvel Comics, here's some of that stable's superhero greats given a "cartoony" Charlie Brown Christmas treatment. From Chris Giarruso, via Popped Culture.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 8

2011-12-08T09:45:00.000+02:00

Now this is more like it... After yesterday's uncharacteristically jolly Logan, here he is in conventional scowling mode. The pair-up with Spidey below isn't quite as amusing as this one, however.

Film Review: Puss in Boots (3D)

2011-12-08T09:18:00.007+02:00

Puss in Boots certainly isn’t the best animated film of 2011. Its action set pieces aren’t as jaw dropping as those in Rango (my review), and it doesn’t have the heartstring tugging of Rio (my review) or even Kung Fu Panda 2 (my review) – this year’s other big DreamWorks Animation release. This said, Puss in Boots is the supporting character spin-off that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (my review) should have been: a fast-paced action-adventure that’s free from bloat, doesn’t skimp on magic, and is as feather-light as its feline hero’s ginger fur.

Despite a surprisingly risqué (but very funny) start, Puss in Boots is suitable for audiences of all ages. In fact, refreshingly free of fart and poop jokes, the film’s only real concession to littlies (or anyone else) with an unsophisticated sense of humour is a squeaky voice sequence. Puss in Boots doesn’t aim low for laughs; instead it’s a remarkably, and consistently, witty piece of family entertainment.

As an offshoot from the Shrek quadrilogy, Puss in Boots wastes no time in establishing its own unique identity. The film blends fairy tale, crime caper and, most obviously, Sergio Leone Westerns. Charming outlaw Puss, voiced oh so smoothly by Antonio Banderas, lives life on the run, but his past catches up with him when childhood friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) recruits him for the score of a lifetime. Joining forces with master thief Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), the trio set out to rob brutish Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) of a magical “key” that will give them access to gold beyond belief.

Puss in Boots is unexpectedly and strongly story driven, keeping its laser focus on the three leads. Frankly I would have been happy if the entire film had just been Puss swashbuckling and womanising around red, parched Spain. However, as with Kung Fu Panda 2 earlier this year, Guillermo del Toro is onboard as executive producer and you feel that the filmmaker’s involvement in Puss in Boots has resulted in the prioritising of narrative ahead of gags and loosely linked set-pieces (the failing of later Shrek films). As with Kung Fu Panda 2 though, the extended back story sequence in Puss in Boots isn’t particularly original – even if it dutifully provides the characters with some much needed motivation.

Performance-wise, the actors are all great matches for their characters without their off-screen personalities overpowering the on-screen CGI-creations. Banderas is once again spot-on as Puss, but then again he’s had enough practice by now. Galifianakis's Humpty Dumpty meanwhile, is creepily intense, although personally I would have preferred less of the waddling, square-toothed egg and more of the comically domestic Jack and Jill.

It’s also worth noting that Puss in Boot’s Spanish setting adds a great deal to the film’s charm. Not only is plenty of humour gleaned from the language (“El Gato Diablo!”), but the dance numbers feature lots of Latino flair – Kitty Softpaws is VERY alluring and limber for a cartoon cat. Further adding to the package, there’s the up-tempo traditional soundtrack with standout hits from Rodrigo y Gabriela and Lady Gaga.

If you can skip the pointless 3D version, and find a cinema showing the 2D version instead, Puss and Boots is ideal festive season fare – undemanding, light-hearted and well crafted. Animated movie lovers of all ages certainly won’t need to be convinced to watch Puss in Boots, but the film is also recommended for cat lovers... as well as parents looking for animated entertainment that they’ll enjoy as much as, if not even more so, than their kids.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 7

2011-12-07T09:36:00.000+02:00

Keeping with Marvel Comics, here's the publisher's (arguably) second most popular character in an unusually jolly, giving spirit. I don't know if I'd be too chuffed though if I saw Wolverine sprinting for my front door - even if he did have a pretty pink present tucked under his arm.

Trailer Tuesday: The Hunger Games

2011-12-06T09:29:00.006+02:00

Suzanne Collins's trilogy of Hunger Games novels is arguably the biggest Young Adult literature phenomenon since The Twilight Saga. Given the series' massive mainstream success, a film adaptation was inevitable, and next year sees the release of the first Hunger Games movie, based on the 2008 novel of the same name.

Now the Hunger Games is sure to have wider, cross-gender appeal than the Twilight Saga. The reason for this is that the story is action-packed and brutal. Oh, and it's (subdued) sci-fi as opposed to supernatural romance.

Set in a future where the United States as we know it has fallen, the decadent, cruel and technologically advanced Capitol city rules over the 12 remaining districts of Panem with an iron fist. To maintain control, and keep the citizens subservient, every year the Hunger Games are held - a teenage boy and girl are selected from each district via a lottery and forced to fight to death on live TV. Of these 24 Tributes, there can only be one survivor.

Resourceful 16 year old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) thinks she has signed her death warrant when she steps forward to replace her little sister in the Games. And certainly the odds seem stacked against her. Her poverty-stricken mining district, District 12, has only produced one winner in decades and drunken Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) is now more of a laughing stock than a worthy mentor. Katniss also faces fierce competition in the Arena, where some of the Tributes have been training all their lives for the honour of being chosen. Then there's the fact that at some point Katniss will have to kill her fellow District 12 Tribute Peter Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), whose kindness once saved her life.

Still, for all her doubts, and hesitancy to open her heart to anyone, skilled poacher Katniss is a real contender... And the Capitol authorities (including president Donald Sutherland and head gamemaker Wes Bentley) aren't blind to how her courage and determination have made her a symbol of defiance for the public to rally behind. For the record, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci play some of the other important figures involved in staging the 74th Hunger Games.

Admittedly, the concept behind The Hunger Games isn't exactly novel. Readers and moviegoers alike have already been exposed to the televised gladiatorial games of The Running Man, Dystopian Japanese teens-fight-to-the-death tale Battle Royale, and even dark, contemporary-set satire Series 7: The Contenders, in which people are selected by national lottery to kill one another on reality TV.

I'm also not quite sure if the Hunger Games literary craze has reached South Africa yet, but I read the first book a few months ago, and found it to be a genuine page-turner - brisk and enjoyable, despite being stylistically very stripped down and simple. Many of the book's fans have been blown away by the film trailer above, and I've been similarly impressed. In fact I'd go so far as to say that the filmmakers have done an even better job than the novel in conveying the emotional gravitas of the teens' situation. If the cameras are always on, what's real and what's an act for public support? If you know you have to kill someone, and they have to kill you, can you risk forming alliances, friendships or even a romantic bond?

For more Hunger Games goodness, you can check out a collection of high definition stills from the trailer here on My New Plaid Pants.

The Hunger Games releases in North America on 23 March. The film opens 2 days earlier in South Africa, on 21 March, to coincide with the Human Rights Day public holiday. For this one I'm definitely going to be there on opening day.

Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness: Day 6

2011-12-06T09:27:00.001+02:00

We've had 4 days of hulking brutes on this visual advent calendar so far... and here's another: the greatest Hulk of them all.

Pre-Holidays blog wrap-up, PLUS the Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness!

2011-12-05T09:20:00.024+02:00

We're fast approaching the Christmas holidays and for some (myself included) a bit of a break. Instead, it's a time for family, friends, feasting and general festivities... and hopefully as little time as possible in the rabid malls!

Obviously updates on this blog will continue as per usual right up Christmas - and could easily occur intermittently during my vacation, depending on my motivation levels. Before that though, here's a recap of everything of importance that appeared on Pfangirl Through the Looking Glass over the past month:

Movie & DVD reviews:
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Attack the Block
Immortals (3D)
In Time
Batman: Year One

Trailer Tuesday profiles:
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman
Safe House
Apollo 18
Chronicle

Comics and miscellaneous fun:
Girlz 'N' Games Comic #94: Three Easy Steps
Last Dictator Standing: The Meal for 6 Festive Promotion
My Wonder Woman cosplay for Halloween

Speaking of Wonder Woman, here's a pic of the Amazing Amazon using her bracelets to fend off a superhero snowball fight... or, uh, bukkake?

In fact, while we're on the topic of superheroes and Christmas let us start a visual Advent Calendar of Comic Awesomeness! That's 25 straight days of comic art with a Christmas bent. Sure there's a bit of catch-up to play today, but I'm sure you don't mind.

To start with, here are some festive pics from 2 of my favourite pulpy supernatural comics with a sense of humour. First up is a trio of deliciously twisted pics from Eric Powell's The Goon (when will they ever get funding for the animated movie?!). And keeping with publishers Dark Horse Comics, these images are followed up with that loveable red devil (literally!), Mike Mignola's Hellboy.

Movies releasing today: roguish cats, boxer robots and mirror earths

2011-12-02T09:22:00.011+02:00

Three fantasy and sci-fi movies likely to have geek appeal open in South African cinemas today. Here's the rundown:

Puss in Boots: Screening in 3D and 2D is this Shrek spin-off and prequel that centres on Antonio Banderas's swashbuckling fairy tale feline. In this animated family comedy, Puss aligns himself with sassy Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and mastermind Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) to steal a great treasure from thuggish outlaws Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris). Profiled as part of Trailer Tuesday here.

I've said it before but Puss n Boots is hands down my favourite character in DreamWorks' Shrek films. That in turn makes this movie my hands down #1 pick of the week's new releases. It also doesn't hurt that Puss in Boots has a strong 82% Fresh rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently the film never strives to be anything more than light, fluffy fun, but it delivers on its objective with tons of wit and charm. Vastly superior to the later Shrek films according to reports.

Real Steel: Curiously enough, the same guys who dismissed MMA drama Warrior (my review) as a cliched underdog sports drama are super keen to watch this tale of a boxer and coach given a last shot at a title fight. Then again, in Real Steel this tired plot - based on a Richard Matheson short story - has been refurbished... with giant robots! In a near future, where human boxing is forbidden, Hugh Jackman is a down-on-his-luck promoter who bonds with his estranged son while training an archaic sparring bot for last chance glory.

Real Steel is apparently family friendly, heart-stirring sci-fi as opposed to the usual genre blend of cold and Dystopian. The film has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 58% Fresh. Apparently the plot and premise are corny and derivative as all hell but the overall result is a emotionally satisfying and entertaining crowd-pleaser, where the characters actually have space to breathe, and the audience has a blast despite (or perhaps because of?) the ridiculousness.

Another Earth: This unusual indie tale combines sci-fi and personal drama. William Mapother and Brit Marling star as gifted strangers drawn together by tragedy, grief and guilt at the same time a duplicate Earth mysteriously appears in the sky, approaching our own planet.

It all sounds quite odd but Another Earth was a winner at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and has been touring the festival circuit with some success. The film has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 63% Fresh, with critics calling it slow paced but intriguing and cerebral... Just be aware though that the sci-fi content is little more than a backdrop for interpersonal issues (a favourite, reality-grounded topic in indie cinema) to play out.

Film Review: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1

2011-12-01T09:15:00.004+02:00

Honestly, reviewing the penultimate Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is a bit pointless. The hardcore fans will have already watched the film by now, the haters will never deign to see it... and in the case of casual viewers, unless they’ve watched the previous films, they will be completely lost here seeing as Breaking Dawn leaps straight into the action with no backstory recap or character introductions. Ultimately, like all the movie adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s supernatural romance tales, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 bundles good, bad and boring in various ratios for a mildly entertaining experience that is neither amazing nor awful.

As already mentioned, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is not a film for newcomers to the series. The film opens immediately with 18 year old Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) long awaited marriage to “good” vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). It’s a move that will precede Bella’s transformation into a vampire, and her werewolf best friend and almost boyfriend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) is furious – as well as shirtless within literally the first 10 seconds of the film. The newlyweds jet off for a sultry secluded honeymoon only for the impossible to swiftly shatter their bliss: Bella is pregnant. And the wolf pack cannot let a freak human-vampire hybrid survive, triggering a dangerous standoff with the Cullen vampire clan. Meanwhile, the unlikely pregnancy threatens to destroy Bella.

To Breaking Dawn – Part 1’s credit, this is the first Twilight film to really feel like a horror movie. At least in parts. Although the birth scene is a lot less graphic and bloody than described in the book, the moments leading up to it and Bella’s life-sapping pregnancy are appropriately creepy. The film successfully actualises the darker, unnerving side of having a being – “a thing” – growing inside you, and pushes the experience to its monstrous extreme. I’d go so far as to say Bella’s pregnancy rivals the skin-crawling zombie gestation in Dawn of the Dead. Credit must go to the make-up artists and special effects team for making Stewart look as awful as she does in the film’s second half.

Also successfully done is Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is the wedding. There isn’t as much love-triangle posturing and general silliness to snigger at in this film (the baby naming sequence is a notable exception), so the wedding scenes help to inject some much needed humour into proceedings. Once again Billy Burke and Sarah Clarke do fine work as Bella’s parents, bringing likeable human warmth and identifiability to a film that is otherwise populated with irritatingly perfect vampires and scowling werewolves. Stewart also delivers during these scenes, capturing Bella’s escalating wedding nerves.

On the downside, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 loses interest once it detours away from Bella’s pregnancy to explore Jacob’s turmoil. Many of the film’s worst moments are in the second half. Although I have no problem with the film’s werewolf design, the lycans’ big powwow, which involves snarling critters and booming voice filters, is cringe-worthy in its cheesiness. Even worse, the film’s climactic confrontation between vampire and werewolf is completely incoherent visually. Director Bill Condon, who is typically associated with pedigreed dramas and musicals, can’t shoot action scenes for shit.

It’s also worth noting that the character of Edward is especially unappealing in Breaking Dawn – Part 1. Whatever the motivations for this actions, he really treats Bella badly here. The sex bruises are inconsequential when you consider how he withdraws his physical affections from his wife, berates her for “her selfishness” and only warms again when apparently all is not lost. How anyone can find Edward dreamy in Breaking Dawn, I don’t know.

In the end then The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is a mixed bag. The fact that the film is mired in supernatural soap opera certainly won’t win over new (male) fans like its predecessor Eclipse did with its destructive battles and intriguing flashbacks (read my review). The Twilight faithful will be pleased, however. Meanwhile, for everyone else it’s impossible, and quite unfair, to dismiss the film as a complete turkey.

Trailer Tuesday: Mirror Mirror

2011-11-29T09:45:00.002+02:00

Given that last week I profiled upcoming fairy tale-to-film adaptation Snow White and the Huntsman, it makes sense (and is only fair) to give the same exposure to its cinematic rival, Mirror Mirror.

Mirror Mirror, which is subtitled The Untold Adventures of Snow White, is in fact the first of the 2012 Snow White reimaginings to release, opening in North America on 16 March, while Snow White and the Huntsman is only out in June. Also, out of interest for those concerned about Snow White movie overkill, the trailers for the 2 films make it clear how very different they are. While Huntsman appears to be a somber action-packed fantasy epic infused with the dark supernatural creepiness of the original Brothers Grimm tale, Mirror Mirror comes across like a goofy theatrical pantomime - a live-action Shrek meets Enchanted.

In Mirror Mirror, Julia Roberts stars as the Evil (or should that be Sassy Bitch?) Queen, who bosses around her castle servants, including bumbling Nathan Lane. Terribly insecure about her looks, the Queen also banishes her beautiful and popular young stepdaughter Snow White (Lily Collins). That doesn't however stop the affections of the wealthy Prince (Armie Hammer) from redirecting swiftly from the queen to the exiled princess. Snow White, meanwhile, emerges as a woman of action intent on reclaiming her kingdom. To do this she aligns herself with a band of diminutive rogues, robbers and rebels.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that of the two 2012 Snow White movies, Mirror Mirror is the one with much more niche appeal. This is a movie for viewers who don't have a problem with high camp, musical numbers and artificial-looking, always indoors sets. This Film Experience blog post does an excellent job of presenting everything worryingly wrong about the trailer, as well as summing up online reaction - which has been overwhelmingly negative. Again, this is in stark contrast to Snow White and the Huntsman, where the trailer popped up out of the blue to impress a lot of people.

It's worth noting at this point that Mirror Mirror is directed by Tarsem Singh, he of recent Immortals (my review) fame. While it's admirable the "visionary" filmmaker is clearly trying something new here with a lighthearted family adventure, it's a bit strange how devoid the upcoming film seems to be in terms of visual spectacle. The director's trademark surrealism looks like it's been funneled into crazy costume design at the expense of everything else.

Personally, I think Collins looks great as Snow White but Julia Roberts's Queen comes across as loud and irritatingly overbearing. Roberts should have been reigned in a bit more because her snarky comments are not only jarringly modern, but also feel forced. In fact, my biggest gripe with the Mirror Mirror trailer as a whole is that the film looks like it's trying too hard to be quirky and fun.

For now I'll continue to keep an eye on Mirror Mirror. As I've mentioned before, the entertainment value of trailers can be inversely proportionate to the quality of the full, finished film. We could be surprised come March... but at the moment I doubt it.

Last Dictator Standing: The Meal for 6 Festive Promotion

2011-11-28T09:16:00.004+02:00

Just a little flame-grilled chicken fun for Monday morning...

Last week Thursday, a number of South African bloggers and Twitter users across the nation, myself included, were visited by a voucher-bearing "special guest" - Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.

Alright, it was a lookalike - minus the little strip moustache and about a foot of height - but it was all part of a nifty little social media / promotional stunt for Nando's new festive season combo meal... as well as the darkly humorous, dictator-filled commercial used to punt it. (And you know I have no problem with pitch black, politically incorrect humour).

Anyway, you can watch the TV ad here. On the same site South African Twitter users can also learn more about a competition that is running until this Friday, 2 December. There are daily meal voucher giveaways and 3 people can win a festive meal for 6, prepared fresh in your home by a chef. The competition is exclusive to SA residents, and entry is only possible via Twitter. So get tweeting!

Movies releasing today: Dancing penguins and haunted houses

2011-11-25T09:15:00.007+02:00

Around 8 new movies open in South African today. These include this laughably bad local comedy (seriously, watch the trailer!) and - on the opposite end of the quality spectrum - highly acclaimed Brad Pitt baseball drama Moneyball (95% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes).

My 2 high profile picks of the week though are as follows:

Happy Feet Two: Screening in 2D and 3D is this unexpected sequel to the CGI-musical adventure that won the Oscar for Best Animated Film in 2007. This time the action centres on the offspring of Elijah Wood's Mumble, the penguin who found expression through dance in the original movie. Mumble's son Erik lacks his father's smooth moves and, embarrassed, sets out across the Antarctic to find his true calling. Meanwhile, the penguin community faces its greatest ever threat. As with its predecessor, Happy Feet Two features an all-star voice cast, including Robin Williams, P!nk, Hank Azaria, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Sofía Vergara and Hugo Weaving.

I remember enjoying the first Happy Feet for the most part, but the marketing material for Two has done little to tempt me back into the theatre. I mean, as well choreographed and colourful as everything looks, rapping penguin chicks quickly become tedious... and reek of desperation to appear hip. Happy Feet Two is a divisive 42% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently the animation is stunning and there's still a ton of fun to be gleaned from the film's musical numbers, but the script is jumbled, the cast overcrowded and the entire project suffers from an overall lack of freshness.

Dream House: Whatever you do, do not watch the trailer for this horror thriller. Basically, and bizarrely, it reveals the big twist at the heart of this mystery. Anyway, Daniel Craig stars as a successful publisher who relocates with his wife (Rachel Weisz ) and 2 young daughters to their dream home in a quiet New England town. The house harbours dark, tragic secrets though, and with the help of his neighbour (Naomi Watts), Craig's character sets out to uncover the murderous truth, however dangerous it is to his life... and his sanity.

Apparently the studio wrestled creative control away from Dream House director Jim Sheridan, and that's almost never a good thing. It certainly hasn't been a good thing for Dream House. Apart from the spoiler-riddled trailer, the film opened without pre-screenings for critics (another bad sign!) and proceeded to rack up a Rotten Tomatoes rating of just 8% Fresh. Oh dear. The end result has been called messy and turgidly paced. Not even good acting can salvage the movie, which slips into complete made-for-TV melodrama by the end.

Attack the Block film review

2011-11-24T09:18:00.001+02:00

Low budget English sci-fi-horror flick Attack the Block makes a fine across-the-Atlantic companion to Super 8 (my review here). Both 2011 releases feature a cast of teens having to contend with extraterrestrial beasties. But while Super 8 is a Spielberg-esque tale of nice, ordinary kids encountering the fantastic and coming of age in the 1970s, Attack the Block is a much more cynical, contemporary tale – centred on young gang members.

Attack the Block keeps its plot simple and localised. On Guy Fawkes in a low income region of Southern London, a gang of chavs, fresh from a mugging, witness a UFO crash. Naturally, these upstanding young citizens chase and stab the extraterrestrial to death, but their actions have consequences. There are other, more fearsome, aliens about and the boys take it upon themselves to defend their home – a towering block of council flats.

Attack the Block feels strongly old school. It has a distinct 80s vibe about it, and in more departments than just its special effects. In fact the film comes across as a hybrid of intense 80s kids’ adventures (think The Goonies) and 80s/early 90s killer critters flicks (think Tremors). So there’s gore and death and humour – although I probably would have preferred a bit more of the latter.

Anyway, Attack the Block gets a lot right. The film transitions with surprising skill between initially depicting the teens as mean-spirited thugs and, later, as likeable kids from ordinary backgrounds (for the most part), who are secretly quite responsible and committed to their families. Without over-stressing the point, the film exposes the softer truth behind the tough gangster facade.

It also helps that the film features solid, natural performances from its young stars. Newcomer John Boyega is especially good as the film’s lead: scowling gang leader Moses, who radiates “juvenile delinquent” at first glance, but whose steely exterior hides not only a surprising honour code but also plenty of insecurities. Boyega comes across like a young Denzel Washington-meets-50 Cent.

For the record, of the film’s small adult cast, Nick Frost and Luke Treadaway provide comic relief as ridiculously ineffective stoners. Jodie Whittaker, meanwhile, is apparently the access point to the film for middle-class and female viewers.

Performances aside, Attack the Block excels most during its action scenes. First time movie director (and the film’s writer) Joe Cornish has a grasp of tension without needing to resort to gimmicky camera work or cheap scare moments. The chase scenes are a lot more exciting and engaging than anything live-action Hollywood has offered audiences lately.

It’s a pity then that Attack the Block is let down a bit by its aliens. Sure the film is low budget, and going the “man in costume” route is likely to produce more credible results than resorting to bottom of the barrel CGI. However, hairy gorilla wolf things lumbering around is just, well, too much. I’m sure many people will argue that Attack the Block's alien design choice, and its realisation, is just another factor contributing to the film’s 80s feel. Personally, though, I found the monsters just an inch too far into silly territory and, as a result, also an inch too far away from being scary.

Attack the Block is likely to be one of those films that improves with multiple viewings, and will develop a cult following in coming years. It’s the kind of movie I’d happily recommend on DVD; at the cinema not so much given its flaws. Still, I’d certainly suggest people seek out Attack the Block if they want to experience a fun little British twist on overblown sci-fi invasion movies like Independence Day and War of the Worlds.

Trailer Tuesday: Snow White and the Huntsman

2011-11-22T09:18:00.006+02:00

A month ago who would have thought that fairy tale adaptation Snow White and the Huntsman would receive one of this year's best public responses to a trailer? On Twitter many people in my stream - the same people who don't normally talk movies - were going gaga over this visually striking, gritty reimagining of the Snow White story.

I certainly wasn't expecting to be as wowed as I was by the trailer. Especially since I had already rolled my eyes at the teaser poster depicting Kristen Stewart's title character as an armoured warrior - not dissimilar to Alice's "feminist reinterpretation" in Tim Burton's 2010 Wonderland film. So my comments about Snow White and the Huntsman came with a hefty dollop of cynicism in last month's extensive post about the upcoming flood of fairy tale films.

Of course, I wouldn't say my cynicism has entirely evaporated. The coolness factor of a trailer is often inversely proportionate to the quality of the finished film (see this for a prime example). And the trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman is very cool - offering eye candy of the highest quality for fantasy lovers. For the record, the film is directed by first time movie helmer Rupert Sanders, who apparently has a background in TV commercials and special effects. Clearly the man knows about striking visuals... if not subtlety or performance direction.

Honestly, Snow White and the Huntsman could end up being today's most common type of Hollywood blockbuster: stunning to look at, and slickly made, but completely soulless and superficial. At this point in time though, that doesn't really matter. The film's first trailer - which cleverly places more emphasis on Charlize Theron's wicked queen Ravenna than Stewart's bland heroine - does a fantastic job generating hype for the film.

The trailer also does a pretty decent job of outlining the film's plot, stressing to viewers that this adaptation is going to be gritty, action packed and far removed from the colourful cuteness (for the most part) of the classic Disney cartoon. In this live-action reimagining, the age-obsessed queen is not only a powerful sorceress but also a feared despot. When her magic mirror foretells that Snow White will surpass her in beauty and shatter her power, the queen forces a huntsman (Chris "Thor" Hemsworth) - who is somehow aligned with a band of dwarves - to kill Snow White in the Dark Forest. The huntsman sides with Snow White though and, despite the danger, trains her in their bid to overthrow the queen once and for all.

Out of interest, Sam (Pirates of the Caribbean 4) Claflin appears as Snow White's Prince, while the dwarves are played by the likes of Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone and Nick Frost. Evidently the latter have been given something along the lines of a Benjamin Button treatment or Gimli-fication to make them convincing. You can see concept art of the dwarves here, and a more accurate indication of the characters, on a poster, here.

I'm certainly intrigued, and I'll definitely be in the cinema next year when Snow White and the Huntsman releases. The film opens in North America on 1 June 2012. The film's South African release date has yet to be set.

Girlz 'N' Games Comic #94: Three Easy Steps

2011-11-21T09:44:00.001+02:00

This new Girlz 'N' Games comic is based on a true - or soon to be true - story. You see there are certainly advantages to remaining a multi-format gaming household when there's only one TV and one Xbox to share. And at times this need to share may even trigger some serious *ahem* generosity.

Anyway, I'll definitely have to write up a full Batman: Arkham City review soon, because I've been having such a blast with the game. I know many of the guys and gals in my gaming circles have raced through the game, since moving on to Uncharted 3, Skyrim and the like, but I've really been savouring the Arkham experience. Sure the game is a little overwhelming at first, dropping you into the cordoned off "prison city" with pretty much every gadget and upgrade you had by the end of the game's predecessor... and barely a tutorial in sight as you free roam around the entire area. However, you soon get used to things, and my God the combat is even more fulfilling this time around. Hands down, the greatest strength of Batman: Arkham games is the degree to which they make the player feel like they're the Caped Crusader - a fluidly moving, complete badass!

As a sidenote, my apologies for the lack of updates lately. Life has been rather hectic. It's worth mentioning though that during the past month Girlz 'N' Games' trio of lead characters appeared in another South African webcomic, Zombiephilia - which forms part of the gamer/geeky site 925 Rebellion. Check out the "special guest" strip here.

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P.S. If you got a kick out of this Girlz 'N' Games comic, please "Like" the Girlz 'N' Games Facebook page.

Movies releasing today: vampires and vigilante vengeance

2011-11-18T09:00:00.010+02:00

This weekend in South Africa only one new movie has had the balls to open against the box office behemoth that is The Twilight Saga. Actually, the franchise's 4th entry The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 has been out since Wednesday locally, but this is still the film's first weekend of release... and I'm sure many keen cinemagoers will only get around to watching it once their work week schedules clear.

For those of you who don't know (or care), just like the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film adaptation/s, this cinematic take on the final chapter in Stephenie Meyer's supernatural romance series has been split into 2 parts. Part 2 releases this time next year, but Part 1, now out, tackles the first half of Meyer's ponderous, frequently insane 800-page text.

In a nutshell, Breaking Dawn - Part 1 sees human teen Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) marry her vampire beau Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and finally consummate their forbidden love. Freakishly though, Bella falls pregnant, and that threatens to ignite a war between the Cullen vampire clan and the local werewolf pack - including Bella's almost-bf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) - which has sworn to stop the creation of new vampires. You can watch the trailer for Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and read my earlier thoughts on the film here.

Anyway, at the time of writing, the PG-13 Breaking Dawn - Part 1 was sitting with an aggregated review score of 13% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Then again, that's not exactly unexpected given the mockery the series receives as fantasy entertainment adored by female audiences young and old. For the record though, Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is the most poorly reviewed Twilight movie by far, and has been called tedious melodrama that suffers from a lack of action and resolution.

Of course, this critical response isn't going to impact on the film's box office performance at all. With so many fans looking forward to the series' big finale, I think it's a given that Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is going to be the weekend's big winner, raking in the ticket sales with record numbers, regardless of what reviewers have to say. The Twihards will not be deterred!

As I was saying, the only other film with the guts to release against Breaking Dawn is violent thriller Straw Dogs. This remake of the controversial 1971 classic sees James Marsden and Kate Bosworth reprising the roles originally played by Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. In the film a young married couple moves back to the wife's quiet hometown only to find themselves the target of unwanted attention from the locals - particularly the woman's ex (Alexander Skarsgård) and his friends. The harassment continues to escalate, with brutal consequences as the once pacifist husband attempts to defend his wife and home.

Straw Dogs 2011 has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 42% Fresh. Some are calling the film a tense, disturbing and intriguing experience that sits comfortably alongside the original. Others have called the remake pointless, ham-fisted and as brutally unpleasant as any of today's torture porn releases.

Midweek movie review: Immortals (3D)

2011-11-16T09:14:00.001+02:00

Mythological action-adventure Immortals is a surprisingly solid piece of fantasy entertainment. It’s not particularly memorable, and the plot is nothing to write home about, but on the scale of Clash of the Titans (2010) (my review) to 300 (my review), Immortals sits closer to the latter, and, often enough, is far more beautiful to look at than its hyper-stylised genre predecessor.

In a storyline that is Clash of the Titans meets Conan the Barbarian (2010), grieving, vengeful King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) decides to destroy the Olympian gods. Only deities can kill other deities, however, so to succeed he must locate the legendary Epirus Bow and use it to free the imprisoned Titans, the generation of gods before the Olympians.

Meanwhile, principled peasant, and shunned bastard, Theseus (Henry Cavill) is concerned only with defending the weak outcasts of his village. However, when Hyperion’s brutal masked forces rampage through his home, and Hyperion himself kills Theseus’s mother, the young man swears revenge. He joins forces with virgin oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto), thief Stavros (Stephen Dorff) and a handful of other rebels – while the gold-clad Olympians look on, desperate to help but forbidden by Zeus (Luke Evans) to interfere in the affairs of Mankind. Although, disguised as John Hurt, Zeus has himself hypocritically spent years honing Theseus’s impressive combat skills.

It’s all a little too convenient how events unfold in Immortals, and there are some serious narrative lulls, but no matter. What the film lacks in originality it makes up for with nasty edge. Refreshingly, Immortals isn’t sanitised PG-13 fare. Hyperion is a real bastard, subjecting subjugated villagers and new recruits alike to horrible, horrible tortures. And he provides a chilling monologue about how through rape, communities will look on his face, and remember him, for generations.

Although it’s a typically mumbly performance from Rourke, he’s very convincing as Hyperion. The same can be said for the “good guys.” Although their characters aren’t written with any depth, everyone is suitably likeable. Cavill’s Theseus may be an overly-earnest square but in this, his precursor role to Superman, he tackles the intense fight scenes with admirable commitment and, just as importantly, he doesn’t have the distasteful aggression and arrogance of Sam Worthington’s character in Clash of the Titans.

Of course, the chief reason to watch Immortals is its impressive visuals. The film looked cheesy and artificial as all hell in its trailer, but as a complete 110-minute film, it’s actually a far more moderated experience – minus the constantly crazy headgear – with some surprisingly realistic touches to ground events, like people actually tiring during combat.

Anyway, with movies like The Cell, director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, has already proven his ability to lift imagery straight from the human subconscious and place it front and centre onscreen. This surreal approach to visuals works well in Immortals – veering between the irresistibly dream-like and uncomfortably nightmarish, typically when the gods are involved.

Speaking of which, the ultra-stylised Greek gods do appear a bit silly in Immortals, and I would have preferred to see an expanded pantheon. However, it’s admirable how the filmmakers have made the effort to completely differentiate the gods from the mortals, through their dress, movements and actions. The Olympians feel like gods even if they look, for the most part, like drama majors in some pretentious, avant-garde stage production.

This said, Immortals’ greatest strength is its distinctive art direction. It’s refreshing to watch something that oozes with unique visual artistry, and gives the audience space and time to appreciate the full scope of the sets, and the action scenes. Unfortunately though, Immortals doesn’t impress as a 3D post-production conversion. In fact, the naturally darker format saps the film of its rich colouring, and muddies some night time scenes to the point of being indiscernible. I don’t often make the complaint about 3D being too dark, so seek out Immortals in 2D if you can.

In the end though, Immortals is a breathtaking visual experience that deserves a cinema viewing. You might not remember much about the film a few days later but while you’re watching, it’s a real (guilty) pleasure – mixing high art sensibilities with ultra-stylish video game violence.

Trailer Tuesday: Safe House

2011-11-15T09:20:00.004+02:00

Action thriller Safe House is only really receiving a profile today because of its unusual, "exotic" setting for a Hollywood blockbuster: Cape Town, South Africa.

What's especially amusing is that Ryan Reynolds's rookie CIA operative seems to be so bummed about being stationed in such a "backwater" spot, which is what the official plot synopsis labels SA's Mother City. I've yet to hear anyone else complain about having to relocate to Cape Town. Tut tut, such an ugly, out of control Third World hellhole...

Anyway Reynolds's character, Matt Weston, is the frustrated caretaker of a rarely used CIA safe house. Weston's world is turned upside down however when deadly CIA renegade and traitor Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought in for questioning... after inexplicably turning himself in after a decade on the run.

Before Frost can be treated to a waterboarding welcome, though, mercenaries attack and Weston is forced on the run with Frost. An unlikely alliance develops between the two men as they attempt to work out who they can trust, and who is trying to eliminate them - a terrorist group or, more worryingly, someone within the CIA? Brendan Gleeson, Robert (Terminator 2) Patrick, Sam Shepard and Vera Farmiga all appear in the film as government agents.

Safe House looks decent enough, although I admit up front I'll be watching this one chiefly for its location - and the ability to play Spot the Local Landmark - as opposed to watching it for its plot, which is hardly original when it comes to espionage actioners. Plus Washington just seems to be rehashing his Oscar-winning Training Day performance again, with a few extra shades of darkness applied to his morally corrupt, older mentor persona.

Safe House opens on 10 February 2012 in North America. The film's South African release date has yet to be announced, but expect it to be around the same period.

Movies out today: Gods and monsters... and ghosts

2011-11-11T09:15:00.008+02:00

Six new notable movie hit South African cinemas today. Here's all you need to know about them. Happy viewing!

Beginners: This romantic comedy drama (based on a true story) sees Ewan McGregor begin a new relationship while reminiscing about his recently deceased father (Christopher Plummer), who had the courage to come out and change his life at 75. 84% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Screening at select Cinema Nouveaus only.

Shanghai: John Cusack stars in this WWII era mystery about a US Naval Intelligence Officer who goes undercover in Shanghai in 1941 to discover who murdered his friend and fellow agent, and why. Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Ken Watanabe co-star. Despite its high profile cast, 2010 release Shanghai has yet to open in many regions outside Asia. Weird.

The Devil’s Double: I have to admit I'm pretty intrigued by this real-life drama that sees Dominic Cooper's Iraqi soldier forced to become a double for Saddam Hussein's eldest son, a sadistic playboy. Based on the book of the same name by Latif Yahia. Very graphic and frequently excessive, the film is a critic-splitting 55% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Paranormal Activity 3: It's sequel number 2 for the hit 2007 horror release (my review) that breathed new life into the "found footage" sub-genre. This time we get to look at Katie and Kristi's childhoods, when the entity first began to haunt the girls. The new movie apparently delivers the requisite chills (even if the formula is getting tired), earning itself a solid 67% Fresh rating.

Apollo 18: Profiled this week as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday feature, Apollo 18 promises to reveal the "real reason" why Man has never been back to the moon. And that's because the celestial body isn't as lifeless as it appears... which 3 astronauts discovered to their peril in 1973. This sci-fi horror film in the "found footage" mould is a mediocre 23% Fresh.

Immortals: Screening in 3D and 2D is this R-rated fantasy adventure loosely based on the Greek myth of Athenian hero Theseus. You can read my initial Trailer Tuesday profile of the movie here, but this one looks to be Clash of the Titans by way of 300, with Renaissance art stylings applied. The film stars Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto and more. At the time of writing, Immortals was 44% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently we should watch this one for its eye-searing visuals and all round craziness; not its plot nor emotional depth. At this stage though, I'll take it! It has to be better than the Clash of the Titans remake, surely? My pick of the week.

Batman: Year One DVD Review

2011-11-10T09:35:00.000+02:00

Based on one of the most important and influential Batman storyline of all time, Batman: Year One is by far the most adult-orientated of Warner Bros’ DC Universe Animated Movies. It also is surprisingly one of the most emotionally aloof and dour. This is possibly because the film sticks too religiously to Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s 1987 comic arc – to the point that events feel by turns diluted, rushed and inconsequential.

This said, the major problem of Batman: Year One is a structural one because the animated film does get so much right.

Batman: Year One basically tracks a simultaneous year in the lives of driven billionaire Bruce Wayne (voiced by Benjamin McKenzie) and police officer James Gordon (Bryan Cranston). Both men arrive in Gotham City on the same day with the same goal of fighting crime and rampant corruption in the VERY sordid city. The two men follow vastly different paths to the same goal, although naturally these paths intersect with dramatic consequences. While watching, fans of the live-action movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight should easily be able to identify what material was lifted from Batman: Year One for those films.

Anyway, despite his tendency towards crazy excess, and his narrational quirks, Frank Miller has always been spot-on when it comes to highlighting the psychological instability that would cause someone to dress up in a mask and cape and go around beating up muggers. By treating events realistically in Batman: Year One, the dangerous absurdity of Bruce Wayne’s actions comes through strongly, and it’s one of the film’s main strengths. It’s interesting and unusual to see Batman still establishing his crime fighting persona here, and how his efforts are often accompanied by panic, doubt and incompetence. This isn’t the coolly confident Dark Knight that people know from the live-action movies, animated series, comics, and, most recently, the Arkham video games.

Of course, the future Commissioner Gordon is as much the star of Batman: Year One as the Caped Crusader himself. And in a way, Gordon is the more likeable and identifiable of the two men. Breaking Bad’s Cranston gives a vocal performance that perfectly suits the character, bringing a kind of weary cynicism to Gordon’s inner monologues. And yes, the audience spends a lot of time inside the mind of Batman and Gordon, listening to their worries. This in turn makes the film quite slow, contemplative and – given the nature of its protagonists – dreary. Don’t look for humour in Batman: Year One. Even Catwoman is a short tempered, scowling whore-turned-thief.

Really, the best way to describe Batman: Year One is that it’s the four-issue comic brought to animated life. For fans of the book, all the iconic panels are there. And Mazzucchelli’s art style has been convincingly translated from the page to the screen.

It’s just that Year One feels like it might actually be too faithful an adaptation. If that makes sense? By sticking closely to the comic’s episodic, diary-like format, the film’s narrative becomes very disjointed. For example there’s a 30 second clip devoted to the day Bruce Wayne punches a tree and bemoans his lack of direction. And that’s it. Then we’re off to another day, two months later. Again, for a scene that’s maybe a minute long. The structure that works on the printed page doesn’t work as successfully here in a 64 minute film. Events are so fragmented it becomes difficult to invest.

In the end then, Batman: Year One is incredibly well made but it needed more cohesion to make the viewers’ experience truly compelling. As it stands we can appreciate the film – and there’s a lot to appreciate about it – but it’s a strangely disengaged, muted experience.

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It’s worth mentioning that the Batman: Year One DVD includes a 20 minute animated Catwoman short, which is slightly linked to the feature film. And this short is, I think, more successful than the movie at satisfying casual viewers who expect conventional comic book action… with a mature edge.

There has been some controversy regarding the Catwoman short, particularly since the following clip was released online to publicise it before the DVD’s release. Long-time fans of the feline femme fatale were disappointed. Just as the Catwoman #1 comic (as part of the high profile DC 52 relaunch) controversially stripped Selina Kyle down to being little more than breasts and an insatiable vag, the clip revealed an apparently over-sexualised Catwoman performing a striptease and flaunting her plunging cleavage.

Well, I’m pleased to report that this “trailer” is misleading, and the Catwoman short is fantastic. It is very sexual, there’s no denying it, and sex is central to the plot, but most importantly the cartoon makers get the character right, despite the exploitation central to her tale here. In the short, Selina (voiced by Eliza Dushku) isn’t just tits and ass, and overbearing “pussy” puns. She’s a sultry woman, sure, but she has her own agenda; her own moral code. And – most importantly – whatever she does, she does with acrobatic flair. As far as I’m concerned the short is a perfect Catwoman adventure, and it features one of the most entertaining extended chase sequences I’ve seen in a long time.

Midweek Movie Review: In Time

2011-11-09T09:16:00.001+02:00

On paper In Time looks fantastic: A sci-fi thriller set in a future where genetic engineering has liberated Mankind from disease and the ageing process. Accidents and violence are the sole cause of death, and you can in theory live forever in a slim, model-gorgeous body that will never age beyond 25.

Of course “in theory” falls away whenever there is a commodity at stake, and in this future, in a bid to control overpopulation, time has replaced money as a currency. When the digital clock on your left forearm counts down to zero, you drop dead. And while the rich hoard years and centuries, the poor live literally day to day, desperately trying to meet their factory quotas, rarely reaching their fiftieth birthday and never daring to dream that they will one day have enough spare time to pay the toll that separates their ghetto from the other, increasingly expensive, “time zones.”

Truly, In Time’s universe is fascinating. I would happily play a GTA-esque action game with this setting (video game makers, take note!). However, as brilliant as the concept is – and as littered as the film world is with clever visual touches like billboards for “99 Second Stores” – In Time is hamstrung by its ADHD approach to storytelling.

Writer-director Andrew Niccoll, who scripted The Truman Show, and gave audiences the intelligent and entertaining Gattaca and Lord of War, seems unable to focus in In Time. So wage slave Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), having been unexpectedly gifted with centuries of time by a suicidal billionaire(Matt Bomer), begins with a quest to avenge his mother’s death because of the corrupt system. But then he starts to revel in the life of leisure afforded to the rich... before getting caught up in Bonnie and Clyde shenanigans with Amanda Seyfried’s suffocated heiress. Meanwhile, Cillian Murphy’s driven timekeeper (read: police officer) pitches up to explain that Will’s father was also a Robin Hood character, breaking the law and challenging the social order by giving time to the poor. Oh, and there’s also Alex Pettyfer’s nasty gangster who rules the ghetto by arm wrestling time away from his enemies.

As you can see, In Time is stuffed with narrative threads, most of which terminate suddenly and pointlessly. You can’t help feeling that the movie would have been stronger plot-wise if the tangle had been chopped away and the audience allowed to follow a single, straightforward storyline, more leisurely and thoroughly explored.

Honestly, I was prepared to forgive In Time some narrative weakness given how intriguing the film’s future vision is – the speed at which people do things has become a sign of social status, for example. However, In Time starts tripping over the clutter it insists on shovelling on viewers. Logic gaps open up and you find yourself pondering things like why, if time is so precious, is security at its “banks” so lax? And what is the role of the Internet in this setting?

Don’t get me wrong. In Time is not a terrible film. It’s certainly not subtle – either in terms of its many time puns or inequality commentary – but it’s stylish, well made and well acted (Timberlake convinces in his first serious headlining role). It’s just that the film as a whole is horribly disappointing, failing to realise the full potential of its concept. In the end you can file In Time alongside 2009's similarly fascinating but flawed sci-fi tale Surrogates (my review).

Trailer Tuesday: Apollo 18

2011-11-08T09:15:00.003+02:00

Well, last week as part of Trailer Tuesday I profiled Chronicle, an early 2012 release in the "found footage" cinematic style that has become all the rage in the horror genre. Apollo 18 is a 2011 movie that utilises the same approach, although instead of mixing the superhero and horror genres as Chronicle appears to do, this one goes for a more standard sci-fi and horror combo.

One to no doubt tickle the fancy of conspiracy lovers, Apollo 18 promises to expose the truth as to why Apollo 17 was the last manned mission to the Moon. And that's because the moon isn't as lifeless as we've been told. Produced by Timur (Wanted, Night Watch) Bekmambetov, Apollo 18 is marketed as a "documentary" that exposes the "shocking truth" - that, in reality, although publicly cancelled, the Apollo 18 moon landing still secretly went ahead in 1973. It was however more deeply buried in top secret government records as a result of nightmarish events experienced, and filmed, by the 3 man crew once they reached the moon's barren, dusty surface.

Look, I think you have to be pretty damn naive if you accept yet another "handheld camera" movie as the truth. And Hollywood is even more naive if they think people will fall for the scam after The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity 1 through 3, The Last Exorcism and The Fourth Kind all made the same claims of authenticity. This said, it doesn't mean another movie that utilises the gimmick can't be entertaining. After all, sci-fi and horror can make very creepy, compatible bedfellows as dozens of movies set in the black isolation of space (Alien and Event Horizon being prime examples) have proved.

Unfortunately though, that doesn't seem to be the case with Apollo 18...

The film opens in South Africa this Friday, 11 November. The movie has however already released in North America and other international regions back in early September. In the process, Apollo 18 racked up a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 24% Fresh. In other words, just 24% of critics reviewed the film positively. Apart from resorting to cheap scares, the film's biggest failing apparently is that it's a massive bore. Oh dear. And here I was thinking the concept had real promise. Apollo 18 is perhaps one to catch eventually on TV. Or reserve as a DVD hiring/streaming last resort.

Movies hitting SA cinemas today

2011-11-04T09:15:00.006+02:00

Five new movies open in South Africa today. I can't say that there are any I absolutely must rush to see this weekend, so I'll give you a brief rundown of all the new releases.

50/50: Yay, a Cancer comedy-drama! So yeah, given its subject matter - based on a true story in fact - 50/50 is sure to have limited audience appeal. That said, the film does feature an impressive cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a young man struggling with his cancer diagnosis and Seth Rogen is his concerned best friend. Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston also appear.

50/50 has a stellar 93% Fresh rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently the film deftly, and convincingly, handles its shifts between the hilarious and heart-warming.

Anonymous: From director Roland (2012, Independence Day) Emmerich of all people, comes this costume drama centred on the William Shakespeare authorship conspiracy. Basically the film proposes that political intrigue forced Rhys Ifans's aristocrat Edward de Vere to credit his literary creations to coarse peasant Shakespeare. Such is the price of having an affair with Queen Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson).

Anonymous has a 45% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and has neatly split critics. Some are calling the film marvelously fun, with a superb cast and stunning CGI-recreation of Elizabethan London. Others, however, have dismissed it as an increasingly ridiculous, and intellectually insulting, soap opera.

Shark Night 3D: If you were expecting sexy babes and bouncing titties to be paired with sharp fangs and bloody dismembered limbs... you're only going to be partially satisfied. What should have been ridiculous exploitative 3D fun, like Piranha 3D (EXACTLY like Piranha 3D in fact), is in reality a timid, PG-13 exercise with limited gore and zero nudity. All you need to know plot-wise is that college kids get munched by displaced sharks in a freshwater lake. Yeah.

Hardly unexpected but Shark Night 3D is a dire 16% Fresh. Its biggest crime seems to be its AWOL sense of humour and prudish approach (for this kind of flick) to sexual and violent excess.

Attack the Block: Okay, this little known British sci-fi actioner - from the producers of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead - is probably my top choice of the weekend. In the film, a gang of chavs must defend themselves, and their rundown council estate, from hostile alien invaders. Nick Frost pops up as a drug dealer who the kids turn to for advice. Basement Jaxx provide the film's music.

Attack the Block has been very well received, and is likely to become a cult hit as its reputation grows. Favourably compared to District 9, the film has an 89% Fresh rating and has been called energetic, non-stop fun; squeezing in some social satire to boot.

Tower Heist: This crime comedy is sure to be the big box office winner out of the new releases. After seeing their life-savings destroyed by Wall Street billionaire Alan Alda, the staff at his Manhattan apartment block - including Ben Stiller and Casey Affleck - enlist the help of Eddie Murphy's smart-mouth crook to rob the businessman's penthouse. Matthew Broderick and Téa Leoni round out the cast, while Brett (Rush Hour) Ratner directs.

Opening today in the United States as well, Tower Heist currently has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 72% Fresh. Apparently Murphy is the best thing about the film, returning to his wise-cracking 80' style of comedy. Meanwhile, the film as a whole is featherlight popcorn fare that weakens substantially once the silly heist begins.

My Wonder Woman cosplay for Halloween

2011-11-02T09:10:00.012+02:00

Some of you may know that I rock the Diana Prince look 95% of the time. Well, minus the jumpsuit and straight-laced office duds. However, this year, in my superhero reading, I've been trying to get more into Diana's alter ego, Wonder Woman - seeking out the seminal trade paperbacks and graphic novels centred on the first, greatest and most iconic of female superheroes.

What I've found, I've enjoyed thoroughly. Granted her storylines are hit and miss, but as a character Wonder Woman is great - a woman of decisive action (with a sometimes weakness for cake), who strikes the balance between warrior and diplomat with far greater ease than the other members of DC Comics' "Big Three", Superman and Batman.

Anyway, as I got increasingly into the character, I decided a few months ago that I wanted to dress up as Wonder Woman for Halloween, or my next themed birthday party. And seeing as I'm someone who believes in cosplay only if you can carry off the character's physicality with some decency (no flabby gut Kal-Els or rotund Jean Greys, please), I've been working towards "becoming Wonder Woman" since July. It was also an excuse to work off all the schnitzel and speckknoedel that I consumed during Austrian ski vacation and was unable to burn off as my late 20s metabolism slowed *hmmph*. Three days a week of 20-25 mins home boot camp, hour-long Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings and the occasional run skimmed off the inches (not so much the weight) so I would fit into my home-made/assembled costume.

For the record, not having the confidence to wear Wonder Woman's star-spangled panties, I created an outfit largely based on last year's high profile costume change and character revamp - where Diana finally dropped the broekies for far more functional leggings (and spurs, and a jacket, and a few other accessories).

Actually, it's probably more accurate to say that my costume was a hybrid of the old and new Wonder Woman looks, much like the preview artwork (examples here and here) in the lead-up to DC 52 - the highly anticipated DC relaunch that rebooted all of the company's heroes from September this year. For the record, despite her new pants appearing in the promotional artwork, it turns out Diana was back to wearing her patriotic hotpants during the first few issues of the comic.

Well. I can say a few things after my Wonder Woman cosplay experience.

1) Wonder Woman seriously lacks street cred when it comes to receiving a reaction while roaming around at an alternative nightclub's Halloween party.

2) It may be supremely geeky to say this, and I'm probably in the minority when it comes to this opinion, but dressing like a superhero does make you feel empowered... That is, until you're in a crowd and you come to the realisation that as much as you've worked out, Amazons still need height to be imposing. Five feet 4 inches (1.65 metres) just doesn't cut it as a native of Themyscira.

3) It's not until you actually wear the outfit that you really grasp the impracticalities of certain elements. Surprisingly, the worst costume component by far, is the boob tube. Simple acts like bending over or raising your arms are equally likely to cause nip slip. And if that's the case, throwing punches and twirling a lasso - typical superheroine stuff - are even more hazardous to Wonder Woman's modesty. Unless she's using magic underwear glue, of course. The lengthy bracelets, meanwhile, are severely limiting to arm movement.

Anyway, here finally is a selection of photos of me as Wonder Woman. Now don't forget to vote for me in the SA Blog Awards 2011. I gave you cosplay, people ;)

"English, motherfucker. Do you speak it?"

South African Blog Awards 2011 - Vote for me!

2011-11-01T09:28:00.001+02:00

Hey all, it's that time of year again - the SA Blog Awards. I would really appreciate your vote (Simply click on the banner above, or in my menu bar), and yes, you can vote from anywhere in the world. You don't have to be South African.

For the record, last year I was a Top 10 Finalist in the Entertainment Category (yay for geek support!), although honestly this year I don't believe I stand a chance seeing as the Category divisions for this "fun" competition have changed, and now all Entertainment and Lifestyle blogs are lumped together. And, well, I can't compete with massively popular things like music, fashion and party lifestyle blogs, as well as personal sites bloated with high drama.

Anyway, you have until midnight on 9 November to vote. Please note that you can only cast one single vote for the entire awards competition, and you can only vote once per email address. So choose wisely. Choose quality content. Choose cosplay. Choose me;)

Trailer Tuesday: Chronicle

2011-11-01T09:02:00.009+02:00

I'm sure that anyone who has ever sat and fantasized about super powers has also inevitably pondered what they would do with their new strengths. Would you be a hero continually sweeping down to rescue the common man via a string of good deeds? Would you use your new abilities for your own amusement? Or, as they as say, would it be a case of "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and you would do whatever you wanted, regardless of the consequences or legality?

That final choice is central to Chronicle, an upcoming, low-budget fantasy flick that blends the sci-fi, horror and superhero genres. In the film, a trio of high school friends (played by unknowns) develop special abilities after an unbelievable discovery in the woods. However, as the teens' powers grow ever stronger, so their initially goofy, playful actions become darker and more dangerous.

There currently isn't a lot of information available on Chronicle, but with this kind of film it's usually better that way. For the record, the movie is shot in the "found footage" style that is most typically associated these days with the Paranormal Activity series and The Blair Witch Project. There has of course been a glut of movies released in this filmmaking format over the past few years - including Cloverfield, [REC], its US remake Quarantine, The Last Exorcism, The Fourth Kind and Apollo 18.

I know many people are sick of this gimmicky "pseudo-realistic" approach to movie making, but I'm surprisingly not. Although there's a lot of mediocrity out there, when these types of movies are done well, they're great, engrossing fun. And Chronicle looks very promising; very interesting. Granted the film is opening early in 2012, during a time of year that is typically Hollywood's post-festive season dumping ground for cinematic oddities. However, some real gems can be unearthed during that period as well. Here's hoping Chronicle is one of them.

Chronicle is set for release in North America on 3 February 2012. The film will open in South Africa on 2 March.

October wrap-up: All the posts that mattered

2011-10-31T09:28:00.005+02:00

Happy Halloween to all of you out there! May your evening (if you didn't already celebrate over the weekend) be full of fun and free from ghostly encounters.

Curiously, November and not October is the month for horror movie releases - well, in South Africa at least. Shark Night 3D, Apollo 18, Paranormal Activity 3 and Dream House are all opening over the next 30 days.

Then there's the true horror: the release, on 16 November, of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I (Trailer Tuesday profile here). *shudders* ;)

At least there's still hyper-stylised Greek mythology tale Immortals (Trailer Tuesday profile) to look forward to, which opens in 2D and 3D on 11 November.

Anyway, here's a rundown of everything of importance that was posted on this blog during October...

Feature articles & opinion pieces:
Lazygamer column: The bane of badassery
2012: The Year of Fairy Tale Reimaginings

Movie reviews:
Contagion
Warrior

Trailer Tuesday profiles:
War Horse
The Avengers
Drive
The Thing

Comics & miscellaneous fun:
Girlz 'N' Games #93: Coming To The Party... Early?
Monday Man Candy: The Man of Steel

Check out more pics of Henry Cavill's hirsute Superman in action on set, here.