Underworld 2 (evolution) or Kate Beckinsale in tight latex outfit for another couple of hours... yes please!!

"outfits like that are a thing of true beauty... I'm very keen to see Underworld 2!"

Harry Potter's Goblet of Fire trailer hits the web...

"Teen wizards... you gotta love em!"

Today the new Harry Potter trailer hit the net... and it's rather good... check for yourself by clicking this link:

Harry Potter Goblet Of Fire Trailer

Prey Alone... Almost Too Cool!!

PREY ALONE

Damn, and I thought my trailer for Darkmatters was good... (it is but we made ours with no budget) - if you want to see something so tasty your eyes might start bleeding... 

The plot:
Special Agent Darris Cain is on the hunt for an elusive fugitive. His only leads are a reluctant witness held in a military prison and the words "prey alone" written in a notebook. Can Cain track him down and discover the true identity of the mysterious criminal?

Watch Prey Alone via: this link

Film Review: Dogville

Dogville (15)
Dir. Lars von Trier

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Loopy La La von Trier came up with an innovative and uncanny idea for shooting Dogville... Forget about location and concentrate on the acting... The result is a powerful revenge drama which plays out as if on a semi decked 'stage'... I had my doubts that I could take almost 3 hours of this but was hooked from the start by the excellent narrative voice over and beguiling performance by Kidman.

The story goes like this - when a beautiful fugitive, Grace (the always watchable Nicole Kidman), arrives in the isolated township of Dogville it changes the lives of everyone in that place... Tom (Paul Bettany), the self-appointed town spokesman is soon under her spell and convinces the little community to hide her from the gangsters and the law who are pursuing her...

Dogville however has a deviant dark underbelly and once Grace has agreed to work for them in return for their shelter - the men folk of the township succumb to their base lust, the women to bitchy jealousy and spite, and the even the kids turn out to be as unpleasant as they come... Grace learns the hard way that in Dogville you don't want to trust anyone and to expect no kindness. Or for that matter even basic human rights - like not being raped in your bed by half the town every night...

But Grace has a secret too and hers' is a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever began to bare its teeth...

Yes if you can buy into the minimalist approach and production - you'll be well rewarded with one of the best ever endings to a film - and if you can't stomach the plodding story, at least on DVD you can jump to the end but it won't have so much satisfactory 'bite'...

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (weirdness + quality acting = top entertainment)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

"take me away from all this abuse... or you'll be SORRY!!"

DARKMATTERS - Trailer (sneak production photos)

c o m i n g s o o n

These are 'leaked' on set shots of the underground Dark Matter Collaboration research vault from the soon to be released trailer for the 'imaginisation' of the novel DARKMATTERS...

If you want to be the first to see the trailer when it hits the web - register your interest by clicking here (or email cleric@another.com)

Film Review: Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man (12a)
Dir. Ron Howard

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Once upon a time, there was a boxing contender called Cinderella (although his actual name was Jim Braddock and is played here by Russell ‘I am Gladiator’ Crowe). Cinderella led a breadline life and was forced by his evil stepmother to fight all the time, even when injured. Because of this he lost pretty much everything he had, except the love of his faithful wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) and his wholesome children. Times certainly were hard but then one day his fairy godmother / boxing promoter Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) got him a second shot at his boxing dream and if you don’t know how the story ends then I won’t spoil it for you.

This hard hitting fairy tale is actually based on a true story and director Ron Howard plays it all very safe – never risking anything too original whilst heaping the sentimentality on by the bucket load. Cinderella Man however comes out punching well above its weight in quality, so if you’re looking for a dose of good old-fashioned storytelling liberally peppered with crunching boxing bouts then you’ve come to the right place. There’s something for everyone here, with romance, family drama and of course pugilistic smackdowns vying for position in a plot that might seem far-fetched if were not based in fact.

Crowe delivers a staggering performance, a perfect blend of muscular nobility balanced with a heart-warming, genuine feeling and gritty determination to protect his family from the soul-destroying hardship of the 1930’s depression. And just because boxing films are no strangers to ‘remarkable career revival’ storylines, don’t count Cinderella Man out because it still manages to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Especially when it gets to the obligatory last-reel showdown between underdog hero Braddock and evil incarnate champion Max Baer (a deliciously slimy and menacing Craig Bierko).

Crowe could well pick up an Oscar for his performance here and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Giamatti up there with him for his supporting role – they bounce off each other with excellent chemistry that really lifts the film whenever they share screen time. Zellweger on the other hand struggles to convince and over use of her ‘screw my face up to try and convey emotion’ ploy starts to grate really fast. But having said that, there really aren’t many things to knock in this mature, quality movie that shows Howard in fine form as he turns his directing skills towards the big screen adaptation of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ next.

Darkmatt Rating: ööö (uppercut to the frontal lobe)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

PIXIES: an unforgettable night

The Pixies live at Alexandra Palace, London...

Matt 'Debaser' Adcock was there

All hail the "Boston Quartet" - singer Francis Black (born Charles Thompson), bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering... because they are THE PIXIES and they can still rock harder than any group on the planet!!

The set list on this momentous final night of their Euro tour included crowd favourites: “Hey", “Monkey Gone To Heaven", “Where Is My Mind?", “Debaser"… I was blown away by just how great these aging rockers can put on a live show... It was a sweet sweet night - long to be remembered and made all the better as it was shared with top pal Mike 'so many women, so little time' Brooks who is the guy you want with you for any decent gig...

I know the nervous walking, I know the dirty beard that hangs, Out by the boxcar waiting, Take me away to nowhere plains...

SONY PSP Takes over the UK...

"Got yours yet?"

SONY's gorgeous PSP has been welcomed to the UK by more than 185,000 people in the first weekend of sales which is more than double the amount of Nintendo DS's sold in it's first week...

And not content to move a lot of hardware - the PSP has gatecrashed the all format software sales chart taking 9 of the top 10 places (including the number 1). See below (chart from Charttrack)...

1/ RIDGE RACER - SONY COMPUTER ENT. (-)
2/ BRIAN LARA INTERNATIONAL CRICKET 2005 - CODEMASTERS (1)
3/ WIPEOUT PURE - SONY COMPUTER ENT. (-)
4/ VIRTUA TENNIS: WORLD TOUR - SEGA (-)
5/ METAL GEAR AC!D - KONAMI (-)
6/ NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND: RIVALS - ELECTRONIC ARTS (-)
7/ MIDNIGHT CLUB 3: DUB EDITION - TAKE 2 (-)
8/ TOCA RACE DRIVER 2 - CODEMASTERS (-)
9/ TONY HAWK'S UNDERGROUND 2: REMIX - ACTIVISION (-)
10/ WORLD TOUR SOCCER - SONY COMPUTER ENT. (-)

I couldn't resist joining in the buying frenzy and added TOCA RACE DRIVER 2 and VIRTUA TENNIS to my games shelf - both of which are excellent. And GHOSTBUSTERS on UMD which looks and sounds better than ever on the funky PSP...

With new Burnout, Grand Theft Auto and Fifa coming before Christmas... this is already the season to be jolly - jolly well impressed by the PSP!!

Film Review: The Business

"sun, sea and criminals... welcome back to the '80s"


The Business (18)
Dir. Nick Love

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Brit gangster films about cheeky Chav crims have been out of style for a couple of years but as a tasty warm up to Guy Ritchie’s Revolver in a couple of weeks here comes The Business. Director Nick ‘The Football Factory’ Love invites you back to the ‘80s where on the Costa del Crime the weather was hot, the clothes were awful and the music off the scale…
But all you need to know is that The Business really is ‘the business’ – you get me? If you want sun, sea and drug busting violence, laced with some wicked humour, then you’ve come to the right place. This is the tale of young Frankie (Danny Dyer) who escapes Thatcher’s grim London and gets swept up in the criminal high life in Spain – when just about every crook was hiding out there thanks to a handy break in extradition laws at that time.
So good-hearted but amoral Frankie is taken under the wing of charismatic bar owner Charlie (a top turn by Tamer Hassan), who is more tanned than David Dickinson. In return for helping out in the drug operation Frankie gets to drive the Merc, wear the Fila and flirt with Carly the hot girlfriend of Charlie’s psycho ‘business’ partner Sammy (Geoff Bell). Needless to say that it all ends in tears – largely due to the fact that Sammy likes to shoot people for fun and let’s just say that he doesn’t appreciate his girlfriend’s obvious eye for Frankie… In fact Carly (a sizzling Georgina Chapman) embodies many of women the ‘80s – all big hair, garish make up, shiny dresses and a penchant for Bollinger.
As long as you can handle the constant F’ing and Blinding script, there is much to enjoy in The Business. One classic scene sees the lead characters taking it in turn to shoot each other whilst ‘trying out’ their new bulletproof vests.
But will Frankie live to tell the tale or is he too far out of his depth? The Business crackles with manic energy and mixes what could have been fairly standard action, tension and comedy into something a little bit special. And if somehow the music of the ’80s passed you by, The Business has a blinding soundtrack of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Buggles, Duran Duran… even a personal favourite ‘I Travel’ by Simple Minds, you could go see this just for a classy musical history lesson…


Darkmatt Rating: öööö (Sorted)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

Guest Film Review: Stealth

Stealth
Dir. Rob Cohen

Reviewed by Matt Landsman

Stealth, the film of the near future where the US Navy has managed to
engineer a drone plane to join a squadron and become the fourth wingman in
an elite flying group used to take on the hardest of the hardest, defeat the
best of the best, and generally create a whole bunch of cool special
effects. However, a lightening strike to the drone plane causes it to
malfunction and attack military targets, leaving Lt. Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas)
to stop the drone before World War 3 officially begins.
I saw quite a few trailers for this film, and many people had told me about
it prior to it's release, and everywhere I looked, I saw Stealth being
billed as "Top Gun 2" - bringing the blockbuster hit of 1986 into the new
millennium. Well, all you Top Gun lovers out there will be left both
entertained, but overall will be slightly disappointed. From the outset to
the ending, there are blindingly obvious parallels with Top Gun that leave
you laughing at just how little imagination the writers must have had at
times, and on the whole, the film just doesn't match up to the hype it was
given. So it's not the best, biggest grossing film of all time, and it
probably won't get more than a cult following, but is that important? The
film is far from unwatchable as director Rob "The Fast and the Furious"
Cohen certainly adds his high speed stunt style to this film, transferring
from cars to planes seemlessly. Then there's the fact that the trailers
released only show the storyline from the first fourty five minutes or an
hour of the film, leaving the storyline developments from then on as a
guessing game until the last fifteen minutes or so, which are as predictable
as any other film filled to the brim with "Americana" feel good factor. Of
course it's easy to forget all that with Jessica Biel onscreen, although she
doesn't look anything like any "Gear" readers will remember her looking
like.
So if you're looking for fast planes, a good number of laughs, and an easy
to watch, value for money film that doesn't require any plot analysis or
thought, then Stealth could very well be for you.

"Goose: It's the bottom of the 9th, the score is tied its time for the big one.
Iceman: You up for this one, Maverick?
Maverick: Just a walk in the park Kazansky."

Film Review: The Dukes of Hazzard

The Dukes of Hazzard (12a)
Dir. Jay Chandrasekhar

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Looking back now it seems that Saturday evenings in the 80’s were a prime time for iconic vehicles – remember that computer aided black car that drove itself, or the black van full of ex military types who righted wrongs? Top of my list though has to be a certain orange 1969 Dodge Charger with the U.S. Confederate flag painted on its roof… Ah yes, running moonshine in the General Lee, getting into mad bar brawls and wearing a teeny tiny pair of denim hot pants, those were crazy days but I’ve mellowed quite a bit since then. And what about that theme song: “Just'a good ol' boys, Never meanin' no harm. Beats all you never saw, Been in trouble with the law, Since the day they was born…”? They don’t make em like that anymore – oh wait, apparently they do actually. It seems that those thrillbillie cousins ‘closer than brothers’ also known as The Dukes of Hazzard are back but the question is - can their outdated good ol’ boy rhetoric cut it on the big screen some 20 years later?
That I’d wager depends on how you feel about three things: multiple car chases, sassy babes in bikinis or hot pants and high brow, intellectual plots that you need to have a PHD in psychology in order to fully understand the subtleties of... Yes Dukes director Jay ‘Broken Lizard’ Chandrasekhar manages to nail the feel of the original TV series in all its dimwitted backwoods glory. So if you didn’t like it then, you probably won’t like it now but for me Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville were fun ‘shoe ins’ as Bo and Luke Duke and country music legend Willie Nelson made an inspired Uncle Jesse. Then there’s Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke who proves that not being able to act doesn’t stop you being very very watchable when you’re blessed with her ‘dynamic’ physical attributes.
Burt Reynolds also shows up in the baddie role as Boss Hogg and even though he doesn’t have much to do, it’s fun to see him revisiting territory he once owned in films like Smokey and the Bandit.

Readers from LUTON only:
And with a reverberating “Yee Haaa”, like the Duke’s it’s my turn to ride off into the sunset. After four and half years, 243 reviews, or approximately 97,200 words of Herald & Post copy I leave with a fond farewell to all you lovely readers - this is your friendly neighbourhood film reviewer signing off… Let’s be careful out there.

Everybody else:

So rev your engine, set your expectations to ‘dim’ and buckle up for some retro no brain fun. Like its heroes The Dukes of Hazzard is not big or clever and you already know pretty much everything that will happen but there’s just about enough on offer here to please your inner hill billie. Yee Haaa…

Darkmatt Rating: öö (All speed, no limit)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

"Daisy, I rate your look as 'two thumbs up!'"

Film Review: It's All About Love

It's All About Love is the story of two lovers (Joaquin Phoenix and Claire Danes) adrift in a near-future world where everything is going awry. The planet is screwed - gravity, weather etc all damaged and people are dying on the streets simply because there's no "love" anywhere anymore...

It’s all about a conspiracy, about threat, about alienation and trust but most of all it’s all about love and this film haunted me for days...

Highly recommended if you want something out of the ordinary!!

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

Film Review: Bewitched

"someone's magically removed the title..."


Bewitched (PG)
Dir. Nora Ephron

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


You what’s great about this big screen romantic comedy remake of the much loved 60’s TV series Bewitched? No? No, I couldn’t spot it either! You can however almost hear the devious film company suits thinking out loud “let’s make a quick buck out of the suckers who used to watch this on TV!”
It’s not very funny, it’s not got any chemistry between the romantic leads (Nicole Kidman is cute, Will Ferrell isn’t) and by the end of the film I guarantee that you’ll walk out of the cinema feeling like you’re under a spell that makes you a bit gutted at having wasted a couple of hours of your life…
But before you completely dismiss an evening in the company of super goof Ferrell and the kooky nose twitching Miss Kidman I must point out that there are a few funny moments on offer. Most of them relate to the fact that just like in the TV show, Kidman’s character is a real life witch who is trying to ‘go straight’ by giving up her magic. The kind of witchcraft on offer here however is all of the ‘snap your fingers and make a brand new VW Beetle appear’ or ‘wind the clock back 5 minutes so you can still order breakfast at a diner’ type. There’s no child sacrifice or naked dancing in graveyards and even the flying on broomsticks is kept to an absolute minimum.
Some merit must also be awarded to this version of Bewitched because it shows the TV show being remade within this remake, which is at least a fairly sweet idea. And even though director Nora Ephron fumbles the star power at her disposal (apart from Michael Caine who steals all his scenes as Nicole’s warlock dad) – you’ll probably crack a smile at some of the lines such as Ferrell reading the test audience reaction feedback on his role: “Darrin is a complete tool, he’s really useless and I don’t mean the character I mean the actor!”
Alas the overriding impression is that everyone concerned might be just trying a bit too hard, apart from the always watchable Kidman, who merrily strides through the film and looks like she’s enjoying it. And she is so darn cute – maybe I’m still slightly under her spell but overall Bewitched just didn’t ‘do it’ for me - and no amount of hexing, magical invocations or nose wiggling are going to change my mind.

Darkmatt Rating: öö (One star for the film, one for Nicole... she's worth it!)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

"Mr Ferrell, I'm going to magically make you go over there and beat the crap out of my ex-husband..."

Film Review: The Devil's Rejects

"don't fancy yours much..."

The Devil’s Rejects (18)
Dir. Rob Zombie

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

You want to be "cold-slabbed, toe-tagged, and mailed to your mom in a plastic bag?" well The Devil’s Rejects are the people to call… These hillbilly redneck stone cold killers are the sickest of the sick, the scum of the earth, mucho freakos - so far removed from reality that they make The Dukes of Hazzard look like having a wide gene pool.
Let’s get one thing straight from the start… The Devil’s Rejects is not a pleasant film, it’s not even a horror film in the traditional sense of a ‘boogeyman / monster’ – this film is a balls to the wall celebration of all things sadistic, nasty and grim, so don’t wander into this unless you
a. have a high tolerance for on screen violence
and b. have a high tolerance for on screen violence…

The thing is, a movie like this can only really be endured by ‘normal people’ if you completely distance yourself from the material – after all, you’re hopefully not likely to see scenes of torture, wanton humiliation and downright sadistic murder in your average day to day life… So any ‘appreciation’ of The Devil’s Rejects should be based on seeing it as a very dark satire of modern culture and the ‘disposable nature of existence’... Nah, who am I kidding? This is debauched titillation presented entirely from the killers ‘side’ – director Zombie obviously loves his sick creations and he presents the main protagonists = The Firefly Family, first seen in ‘House of 1,000 Corpses’ *which is kind of a prequel to this as just solid folks who have chosen killing and torturing innocent victims as their ‘alternative hobby’…

So – you need to be warned that this is hard core gore, laced with extreme violence and nastiness for no apparent reason but if that’s what you want then – this is possibly the best example of a grindhouse roadmovie ever and yes it delivers a certain visceral thrill but at the cost of ever moral in your body!!

Darkmatt Rating: ööö (sick but slick)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

All That Stands Between Light And Darkness Is The Night Watch.

"I spy with my strange orange undead eye..."


Night Watch

Mix The Matrix, Underworld, Star Wars and the The Lord of the Rings trilogy... base the result on a freaky Russian novel (part one of a trilogy) and bring Matt to the boil in anticipation...

Saw the trailer for this last week and it looks just great, weird and wonderful - I'll be going to see it when it hits the UK in November!!

"love that imagery"

see the official site here: http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/nwnd/

Matt becomes GOD OF WAR

"Matt delivers some righteous vengeance with his massive weapon"

Kneel before the GOD OF WAR

You have to love Sony - not content to bless us with the excellent PSP and tatalise us with the awesome PS3, they are still pumping out AAA titles for the trusty PS2... and God Of War is one of the best games ever made. Greek mythology is fused with a hero who can kick unbelievable amounts of butt - and the result is an unmatched headrush of pure carnage... It isn't for kids (it's 18 rated) but there is nothing on the planet that delivers stress relief on such an unprecedented level!!

Go toe to toe with a Hydra (see below - that's me in her mouth!), take on Minotaurs, Gorgons, Cyclops and pretty much the entire cast of baddies from the legends of Ancient Greece... Much fun it is too with a perfect balance of challenge / achievement which takes satisfying gameplay to a level that my Xbox will probably never get to witness!


"Open up and say 'ARRRGGGHHHH' "

Film Review: The Island

"roll up, roll up, get your Scarlett clones here!!"

The Island (12a)

Dir. Michael Bay

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Congratulations, You Have Been Chosen, The Island Awaits YOU!!
It’s billed as a place of pure bliss – wonderful sunshine, breathtaking scenery and full of beautiful people – kind of exactly like Luton really… Only there is one small catch to all this – The Island might not be real, it might just be a big corporate lie to cover up something far more sinister…
So here is Michael ‘high octane action’ Bay’s $100million follow up to Bad Boys 2 and for the first time he’s flying solo without his usual producer Jerry ‘likes to blow stuff up in slow motion’ Bruckheimer. Does this mean that The Island is a more thoughtful, deep character study, which forsakes over the top action for lots of meaningful dialogue?
In a word “no”… The Island is every bit as stupid and gung ho as Bay’s other films like Armageddon or Pearl Harbour but at least it’s based on an interesting idea: In the near future you‘ll be able to buy your own clone which, should you ever need a new liver or perhaps a kidney or two, will be butchered so that you can enjoy ‘genetically identical’ spare parts. This is all well and good if you’re the buyer, not quite such a rosy prospect if you’re the clone in question… The plot sees clone Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan Mcgregor) find out a bit too much about his future as an involuntary body part donor and go on the run with super foxylicious clone Jordan Two Delta (played by Scarlett Johansson). Cue some impressive car chases, gunfights and more running than in the London marathon as the clonesome twosome try to find their real ‘sponsors’ and blow the lid on the illegal clone community being run and manufactured by the nefarious Dr. Merrick (rent a Brit baddie Sean Bean).
When not crashing sexy futuristic cars or finding ever more unlikely ways to escape from the highly trained mercenary task force who are trying to terminate them, the clones find time to discover the joys of male / female interaction and generally learn a few things about the real world. At one point Lincoln Six-Echo evens gets to ask “Who is "God"?” to which helpful real world tech engineer McCord (Steve Buscemi) tells him: “You know when you really want something, you close your eyes and wish for it really hard? God is the guy that ignores you.” I was wishing really hard that The Island would be a great summer blockbuster, alas it’s just a another mindless piece of lightweight sci-fi action.


Darkmatt Rating: ööö (Cars, guns, clones and um... oh hey, that's enough to be going on with)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

"Helicopter vs cool car... if this photo makes you horny, then you'll enjoy The Island"

Long-View Rock Letchworth...

"FURTHER - The awesome new single from Long-View"

Long-View in David's Music...

It's not everyday that you find a superb new indie rock band... And even rarer that you walk into your local indie music shop and find them playing a live set - right there in front of you!!

But that is what happened this week - on Monday 08 August Manchester band Long-View released a stunning single 'Further' and on that day I bought their excellent album 'Mercury'... Then after checking their cool website I see that they are listed to be playing in a shop which is 10 minutes away from my house...

And so I go to the shop...

And behind the 'New Pop/Rock' section of David's Music, Letchworth...

Surely that's not Long-View?

yes!! it bloody well is LONG-VIEW and they are rocking out with 5 tracks including one from their as yet unreleased new album...

And they are superb live... Forget the cramped area, the heat, the slightly bemused customers who did not expect to find one of England's hottest new bands in their local shop...

They also seem to be decent blokes - cheers for the signed 7" guys and nice to hear that at least one of them appreciated PWEI...

All in all a bit of a special experience and I can't recommend their single FURTHER enough - buy it now!!

Then get the album because it's a killer...

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

"Matt's holiday reading '05"

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J.K. Rowling

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

OK - I'll admit I'm not the biggest Harry Potter fan in the world but I have read them all so far and even though I thought that Order of the Phoenix was dull and vapid, I picked up Half Blood Prince for a no brainer holiday read (in sunny Spain on the gorgeous coastline south of Barcelona, seeing as you asked)...

Is it any good? Yeah - maybe the sun, sea and wine helped but I really got into this one. Harry as a teen is fun, the sheer amount of snogging makes for a change and finally Rowling has the guts to off a major character - if you don't want to know who it is stop reading now -

DUMBLEDORE DIES!!

And who is the half blood prince?

Snape (who actually kills Dumbledor)...

It's a fun breezy read, with a couple of mildly exciting bits and less dull sections despite its length (over 600 pages). I do kind of wish that there was an 'adult' version where the teens weren't quite so prim and proper as to be less believable and the action was more graphic but I guess those are just two of the reasons that I'm writing Darkmatters - which is coming along nicely (and you'll hopefully soon be able to see the exclusive 'teaser trailer' for that has been filmed and is being edited even as I post this...)

Yes I'll be reading the next HP book, and I am looking forward to the Goblet of Fire film too (link)...


Darkmatt Rating: ööö (second best of the series so far)



Try some Darkmatters - my forthcoming novel:
Darkmatters Cleric Artwork
A Brief History Of Darkmatter
Cleric Shows Up
Fear Of Death
Film Scene - gun battle
Test Subject #30022
Cleric Gets Mugged

Matt has gone to Spain...

Back in a week or so...

** next update probably 07 August **

Film Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (PG)
Dir. Tim Burton

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, the amazing chocolatier, Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, everybody give a cheer. He's modest, clever, and so smart he barely can explain it, with so much generosity, there is just no way to contain it… Yes the golden tickets have landed across the country and now you are cordially invited to visit Willy Wonka’s amazing chocolate factory – so ask yourself this question - do you have a taste for adventure?

Tim ‘Beetle Juice’ Burton is the brave director who tackles Roald Dahl's much-loved tale of confectionary overload, childhood development and a certain mischievous man/child genius (no, not Michael Jackson)… And this version is an altogether superior offering to the Mel Stuart's 1971 enjoyable psychedelic musical starring Gene Wilder, although I did miss my favourite line from that one where Wonka replies to the frantic mother’s plea that her drowning son can’t swim with; “There's no better time to learn.”

Everything on screen is sumptuously presented, the factory itself has a real ‘wow’ factor and the Oompa Loompa’s are now a mini army of clones (well, all played by the same actor at least). Johnny Depp shows just what an inspired casting choice he was with his pleasingly weird responses and killer deadpan expressions. He still gets plenty of humorous moments – I loved the scene in the nut sorting room where he cries “Don't touch the squirrel's nuts! You'll drive him crazy!!” and the overall feel is certainly darker but not enough to really disturb. Christopher Lee is drafted in as Wonka Senior for some impressive flashbacks of Wonka’s childhood, which really help, build up a twisted sense of empathy for the wacko candy maker.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory works on all levels – my 8-year-old son Luke lapped it up and declared it the best film he’s seen this year. So I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it to you for your viewing pleasure. As Depp explained in a recent interview: “You think it’s going in one direction and then it slams you with another alternative, another route, and makes you think. At its centre, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a great morality tale. But there’s also a lot of magic and fun.” Yes, if it’s magic and fun that you’re looking for then go and join young Charlie (a superb performance from Freddie Highmore if you were wondering) on his adventure in the chocolate factory.

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (a Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight!)

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

Film Review: Herbie Fully Loaded

Herbie: Fully Loaded (U)

Dir. Angela Robinson
Reviewed by Matt Adcock


You know what they say: “Get your motor running… Head out on the highway… Looking for adventure and whatever comes our way…” Or of course you could just go and see Herbie: Fully Loaded, which is the new big screen outing for the famous little VW Beetle with a mind of its own.

This new tale introduces Herbie to the high-speed U.S. world of NASCAR racing, a last car standing destruction derby and perhaps most dangerous of all - his new owner Lindsay Lohan who is almost as curvy as he is… In fact you can play the fun game of trying to spot where the Disney executives reportedly spent $1 million to digitally reduce the size and bounciness of certain female attributes that they thought might detract from the story.

Anyway Lohan plays Maggie Peyton, your average all American teenage girl who likes to race cars on the streets when not graduating from college. Her father Ray – Michael Keaton who sleepwalks through this undemanding role – is the head of a NASCAR racing team who are losing sponsors almost as fast as they are losing races. The problem being that the team driver, Maggie’s brother Ray Peyton Jr. (Breckin Meyer) can’t actually drive more than a lap without smashing into the circuit wall… If only there was someone else in the family who could drive?

Then before you can shout ‘but where’s Herbie?’ Maggie buys him from the scrap yard in which he has ended up. Cue an unlikely plot that sees her going head to head against the worlds number one NASCAR driver Trip Murphy (a nicely slimy Matt Dillon), Herbie becoming the new team Peton race car and of course the obligatory realisation of the ‘old friend / teen romance’.

The special effects are handled nicely, Herbie has survived the jump to semi CGI with most of his charm intact and director Angela Robinson obviously tries to keep some of the feel of the earlier films. Some may say that this is all just a cynical way to boost sales of the undoubtedly soon to be released Herbie DVD box set but I think there is probably room in a new generation’s hearts for some positive Herbie action. But, can Herbie save the day, win the major championship race and find time to hit on a sexy new style VW Beetle along the way? Come on, this is the ‘big’ family Disney film of the summer – have a wild guess!

Darkmatt Rating: öö (Fun but only vaguely watchable)

Matt Adcock meets Herbie

Lohan

Matt Adcock meets Herbie...

"Brrmmm - that taser gun really hurt!!"

Matt Adcock meets HERBIE

Herbie, the free-wheelin’ Volkswagen bug with a mind of his own, was one of the biggest stars of the Seventies. Now he's making a comebacks, returning to the big screen in Herbie: Fully Loaded. The film co-stars the rather delicious Lindsay Lohan and finds she and Herbie teaming up to do a little race-car driving. In his first interview in 25 years, the famously reclusive Herbie talks about why he went into retirement, why he’s back and what he thought of his curvy co-star...

Herbie. Can you tell me something about the plot of your new film, Herbie: Fully Loaded?
A. Yes. I think I bring a mixture of comedy, action, and romance to any part I play. In the film, I try to help a recent college graduate—played by Lindsay Lohan—achieve her dreams of becoming a Nascar driver.

Of course, this isn’t your first film. Will you tell younger filmgoers about the last time you were up on the big screen.
A. I got my first starring role in the original Love Bug movie back in 1968. I was just a kid then. I’ve done four feature films total. I’d tell the kids to go out and buy the newly released box set of movies to see some of my earlier work. Whether it was foiling a jewelry heist in Herbie Goes To Monte Carol or saving an old lady from greedy real estate developers in Herbie Rides Again, in all of my films I’ve tried to help people in one way or another.

It’s been a long time since that film. Why did you turn your back on Hollywood?
A. I love acting, but after my last feature in 1980, I really needed to put the brakes on for a little while. Those were crazy days in Hollywood. My schedule was so hectic, I was going through two or three quarts of oil a week to keep up with the pace. My mechanics were worried I was going to blow a tire and spin out of control.

You must have got a lot of offers in the intervening years?
A. My agents certainly weren’t happy with the decision to take some time off. I was offered everything from a crime-fighting TV series with David Hasselhoff to some time travel movie starring Michael J. Fox. I have no regrets though.

And what did you do during your retirement?
A. I really kept a low profile during my self-imposed hiatus. But I wasn’t just spinning my wheels. I did the normal everyday things I never got to experience when I was in the spotlight: spent a lot of time reading (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, On The Road, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), cleaning my garage, and watching lots of VH1. I’ll come right out and answer the big question everyone has been wondering: Yes, I did have some work done. Some body work here and there kept me looking young. And with the changing emissions standards, I also needed improvements under the hood.

So why come back now? Was Disney very persuasive? Was there something special about this script or your co-stars?
A. Around the time I was starting to get bored, I ran into Disney’s Motion Picture Group topper Nina Jacobson in the supermarket parking lot one day. She pitched me the idea, and I read the script and loved it. Plus I needed the money. It’s not cheap to keep looking this good. I thought if Travolta could make a comeback, why not me?

Can you tell us a little bit more about your co-star in Herbie: Fully Loaded, Lindsay Lohan. She’s become quite a Hollywood “It” girl, hasn’t she?
A. I’ve been a huge fan of Lindsay’s ever since I saw Parent Trap at the drive-in a few years ago. I thought the idea of combining the biggest star of the 1960s and 70s with one of today’s most talented leading young ladies, would make for an irresistible hit.

Do you think she was intimidated to be working with you? How did you break the ice?
A. Frankly, I think I was more nervous to be working with her. Lindsay’s a total pro. I hadn’t been on a movie set in a long time. Plus, I’m no spring chicken anymore. Memorizing that script wasn’t easy. On the first day of shooting, I accidentally ran out of gas. Totally embarrassing! But Lindsay brought me an air freshener, and that really put us at ease.

Lindsay has a love interest in this film? How about you?
A. I don’t want to give away any big secrets, but let’s just say it’s hard to imagine a car as sleek and well-built as me not having a love interest.

Which other actors inspire you?
A. I was inspired to work with Michael Keaton. I’ve been a huge fan of his ever since Gung Ho. Other than that, the actors you’d expect help keep my engine revving: The Mystery Machine Van from Scooby Doo, the Batmobile, and the Ferrari from Magnum PI.

There are a lot of action scenes in the movie and a lot of stunts. Do you do your own stunts or do you have a double for those scenes?
A. I do my own stunts, although sometimes I prefer them to use a body double for shots of my bumper.

Any thoughts on a sequel?
A. Since I had such a great time, I really hope I get the opportunity to do a follow-up to Fully Loaded. I just hope Disney is saving their money, because my sequel salary isn’t going to be cheap.

"Linsay Lohan... Herbie's new driver, love bug indeed?"

Film Review: The Nest (Nid de guêpes)

The Nest (15)
Dir. Florent Emilio Siri

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Being a Brit generally means several key things… We have a well developed appreciation of a good ‘cup of tea’, a major sense of superiority over every other nation on earth – especially Americans, and of course an unchangeable conviction that the French are talentless, lazy cowards who were never going to beat us in getting the 2012 Olympics anyway…

But wait, this can’t be right… In recent years there have been several French movies that have actually rocked – Dobermann, Nikita, Brotherhood of the Wolf and Haute tension / SwitchBlade Romance to name but a few… And now on DVD I discovered The Nest or Nid de guêpes if you want to give it its French title.

Directed by Florent ‘Hostage’ Emilio Siri The Nest stars the lovely Nadia Fares as Laborie, no not a dog as the name might suppose but actually a butt kicking officer in an elite police squad who are tasked with delivering Albanian mob boss Nexhep (Angelo Infanti) for trial. Of course there’s a huge gang of tooled up crims just waiting to bust their leader out en route – and when I say ‘tooled up’ I mean to Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell proportions… That alone would make for a fun film but just to top it off the heroic Laborie has to hole up in a warehouse trying to fight off the assailants in a scenes that made me grin from ear to ear as heavy weaponry is deployed at close quarters… And it turns out that already in the warehouse are a bunch of loveable thieves led by Santino (Benoit Magimel) whose plans to steal a load of laptop computers have to change to ‘fight to the death with the unstoppable force of mob gunmen now surrounding the warehouse’…

Believe me when I say that if you want an action film along the lines of HEAT mixed with Assault on Precinct 13… The Nest should be the next film you see… Intense from beginning to end, stylish and action packed… It’s a winner!!

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (Excellent action from a Director to watch)


"Police special forces know exactly where to stand to miss armour piercing rounds..."

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed here

Film Review: Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four (PG)

Dir. Tim Story

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)


Hotter than the sun, stunning, just amazing in every sense of the word, you really won’t believe what you’re seeing…

Yes, Jessica Alba is just one very good reason to go see Fantastic Four but there are many others too because the ‘feel good summer blockbuster adventure of the year’ is here. Fantastic Four isn’t dark, moody or highbrow, there aren’t any sinister undercurrents or bold life changing ideologies put forward, what you get is an overdose of prime lightweight comic book fluff, and I for one really enjoyed it… For the first time in weeks I was able to just sit back and let a far-fetched tale of heroes and villains wash over me without having to think a single thought apart from the occasional ‘ooh that’s cool’. You can say what you like about the acting, or nitpick over some of the special effects but if you are looking for some seriously entertaining ‘wham bam – what the hell was that all about?’ action - then this is the movie for you.

Firstly as I might have already mentioned there’s the gorgeous miss Alba as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, she rocks and whilst you might not believe she’s a trained genetic scientist, the male population will certainly appreciate her costume. Next you get the irrepressible Chris Evans (no, not that one) who has an absolute blast as Johnny Storm / The ‘flame on’ Human Torch – he’s sexy, funny and extremely watchable, plus he gets the best lines like: “What if we got these powers for a reason? It's like some higher calling.” To which Mr Fantastic / Reed Richards played by Ioan Gruffudd replies: “Like getting girls and making money?” And Johnny smirks: “Is there any higher?”

"the problems of invisibility - when you clothes don't disappear"

Gruffudd does a reasonable job (can’t be easy playing a major cult American hero when you come from Wales after all) but the other standout performance is from Michael Chiklis from under 60lbs of ‘Thing’ makeup.

You see it might appear to be all ‘get the girl, kill the baddies and save the entire planet’ in a comic book world but Fantastic Four shows that there’s a price to such fame – and it might be just learning to embrace your destiny and enjoy it. Which is what I’d urge you to do, take your inner 10 year old to go see Fantastic Four and then try to resist the urge to run down the street shouting “flame on” when you come out…

Darkmatters Rating: ööö (Super fun for all the family)

Matt Adcock meets Jessica Alba