Film Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

"A story like mine has never been told."

Memoirs of a Geisha (12a)
Dir. Rob Marshall

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

I confess right away that I was not born into the life of a Geisha, for that I am grateful but to be honest I don’t think I have the legs for it anyway… The Japanese Geisha girls were not courtesans, they were not wives, they were a unique kind of companion tasked with creating a secret world, a place only of beauty. The very word "Geisha" means ’artist‘ and to be a Geisha is to be judged as a moving work of art. Rob ‘Chicago’ Marshall’s film version really captures this. Helped in no little measure by having the gorgeous Ziyi Zhang in the lead role of Sayuri, Memoirs of a Geisha has some of the most beautiful screen imagery ever committed to film.

Based on the international best selling novel by Arthur Golden, the film doesn’t strive for anything deep or very meaningful but does manage to deliver a strong love story set in a world which has mostly past into legend now.
As a visual experience Memoirs of a Geisha conjures up words like sumptuous, seductive and striking. The sets, the costumes, the acting – all blend into a wonderful picture book that will leave its imprint on your mind’s eye. Ken Watanabe takes a break from his recent action roles in Batman Begins and Last Samurai to be the iconic ‘Chairman’ – the man who wins the heart of Sayuri. But the course of true love never runs straight (or easy) and the villain of the piece is the hate filled Hatsumomo played by the lovely Li Gong, back on screen again soon in the new Miami Vice film. Here though she is an older rival Geisha who does all she can to break Sayuri’s spirit, and the resulting emotional battle of wills between the two leading ladies is quite something to behold. At points you can almost feel Zhang struggling not to launch into one of her martial arts combat moves which she excelled at in films like ‘House of Flying Daggers’. I had the chance to talk to her at the press conference for Memoirs of a Geisha and asked which was tougher – the fighting or the Geisha training. She told me “I think to be a Geisha is harder.” And after watching the film you may well believe her!

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (a simple but tasty oriental treat)

Matt Adcock meets Ziyi Zhang


"Ziyi was hot but hadn't quite got the hang of the YMCA dance..."

Earlier post about the Geisha including some lovely photos of Ziyi Zhang

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

h o m e

Matt Adcock meets Ziyi Zhang

to quote Beyonce: "ooh boy you lookin like you like what you see..."

Matt Adcock meets Ziyi Zhang

Here - finally - is my quick interview with the gorgeous Ziyi Zhang... English is her second language so it wasn't the chattiest few minutes but man she is hot hot hot!!

So Ziyi, was Memoirs of A Geisha a book you knew?

Zhang: “I read it five years ago. I’d heard about it from many of my friends who just loved it. I loved this story, it was so special. I never thought that one day I could be in this story, playing this character. So for me, the first time I heard I had got the role I was happily surprised. At the same time I felt tremendous pressure, because I knew Rob was going to make this movie in English. For me that was my biggest obstacle, because English is my second language and I only started learning it two years ago. I just felt that then I had to live up to their expectations and had to give all my best efforts. You can’t let them have any regrets, you have to do your best.”

What was the hardest aspect of geisha training?

Zhang: “I found my dance the hardest thing to learn. Even though I had six years of dance background, that was the hardest thing to do. You have to get used to wearing those big platform shoes. The first time Michelle saw those shoes she asked if they were handbags. We thought it must be a prop, but John, our choreographer, told me I had to dance in them. I thought it’d be impossible, but after five hours a day over a few weeks, finally I could get it. I love the dance because it involved a high degree of acting as well. I know the process was really difficult but, for me, it was also a big challenge.”

Having been seen on screen engaged in some epic fights in recent years, which is harder for you Ziyi – fighting or being a geisha?

Zhang: “I think to be a geisha is harder.”

So, there you go... GEISHA review will be up this weekend (link to follow).

Earlier post about the Geisha including some lovely photos of Ziyi Zhang

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

h o m e

Film Review: Honey

"Honey by name and - well just look at her will you?"

Honey (PG)
Dir. Bille Woodruff

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Sometimes you can't help but come across a film, um, no - not like that... Perhaps I should say 'rediscover' a film that you kind of meant to watch when it came out (2003) but never bothered to.

Well today I came over young Honey's face
- peeking out of my lovefilm envelope but alas it was a hollow experience.

As my friend 'Planet Sickboy' said: "The acting – and God help me if this hinders my future attempts to woo Ms. Alba – is abominable. Alba is armed with a perpetual wide smile that borders on mildly retarded."

Honey is a poor film but my goodness Jessica Alba is still so supremely watchable that it almost doesn't matter... See her put the 'sex' into 'sexy Hip Hop video', marvel at how she becomes a world leading video director over night, vomit at the 'dance can defeat any evil' motive, rewind and watch her putting the 'sex' in to 'sexy Hip Hop video' etc.

Darkmatt Rating: öö (and both of those ö's are for the dance scenes alone)

Reviews of other stuff you might want to read indexed here


"Ah miss Alba, did I ever need a reason to post photos of you on my blog?"

Matt's Top Games of 2005

"The 'stunningly lifelike' solid silver award for best game 2005 goes to..."

I found it really hard to choose an outright winner from the games I've spent far too much time playing in 2005... so in an outrageous cop out here are my top ten but in no particular order except by format as each has its own distinctive merits and ate many hours...

On the PC:

Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War: Winter Assault
- how to make the best RTS war game even better? Just add this expansion pack!!

The Movies
- This is the game that the Sims etc have wanted to become - lights camera action...

On the PS2:

Mercenaries
- Hunting down scumbags in a warzone for cash rewards (dressed as Han Solo - yes please!)

Burnout Revenge
- More high octane thrills and spills than you can shake a can of nitrous boost at.

Gun
- Yee Haa, I'm a cowboy and I'll freakin blow you to kingdom come.

On the PSP:
So many cool games but highlights have to be...

Lumines
- Pure addiction that lasts longer than you'd ever have thought!

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
- The 'daddy' of handheld games, this is an awesome game, just amazing...

The Lord of the Rings: Tactics
- Hunting hobbits as a black rider = highly fulfilling pastime!!


On the DS:

Advance Wars: Dual Strike
- Same again but with added cool new units and features? Yes...


On the humble GBA:

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
- From the makers of Advance Wars comes fantasy strategy joy in a little box.

On the XBox?
Um, move along here, there's nothing to see... there wasn't anything that I played to death - I guess Fable? but mostly a host of PS2 ports in the main with slightly better graphics, lets just hope the 360 gets some better games or I can see it getting squished by the PS3!!

Matt Adcock's Top Games of 2004

Film reviews of other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Film Review: The Producers

The Producers (12a)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

OK, imagine you’ve always dreamed of being a Broadway Producer – the lights, the glamour, the masses of showgirls lining up to catch your eye – oh not to mention the money… But did you realise, that potentially, under the right circumstances, a producer could actually make more money with a flop than he could with a hit? That’s the central premise of The Producers, the film of the hit stage show, which was based on the original Mel ‘Blazing Saddles’ Brooks film.
Anyway here we get Nathan Lane (the voice of Timon from the Lion King no less) as a down on his luck producer who cooks up a get rich quick scam with his accountant played by Matthew Broderick. They plan to put on the worst show ever and settle for a snappy little title “Springtime for Hitler: A gay romp with Eva and Adolf at Berchtesgaden” which looks like fitting the bill rather well. In traditional Mel Brooks style a host of wacky characters are drawn into the one joke plot including a suitably over the top Will Ferrell as the neo-nazi author of Springtime for Hitler. Ferrell is amusing but his performance feels forced and alas too much of the mirth making burden falls on his head.
The best reason to go see The Producers though is Uma Thurman’s Ulla – a million miles away from The Bride in Kill Bill, here Uma gets to sizzle her way across the screen. Best described when Lane says following her audition: ”Even though we're sitting down, we're giving you a standing ovation”, and from the looks on the faces of the guys around the cinema – he and Broderick probably weren’t alone in that...
If you liked the stage version then you’ll want to check out this big screen retelling as the songs do look and sound good. What it doesn’t really do enough though is to utilise the unlimited boundaries of being a film rather than the restrictions of a stage based musical. In the end unfortunately, The Producers just doesn’t deliver as much of a riotous laugh-a-thon as I was hoping for and although enjoyable it is quickly forgotten.
2006 however is looking rather promising on the movie front – with films to look forward to including: Superman Returns, The Da Vinci Code, Xmen 3, Miami Vice and of course the new James Bond (Daniel Craig) in Casino Royale – yes please!!


Darkmatt Rating: ööö (Uma makes it less painfull)

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"You've got the part(s) - I think you'll be a big hit Ulla!!"

Matt's Hot Movies For 2006

"and lead us into cinematic temptation in 2006..."

Matt's Hot Film Tips for 2006...

Gazing into my magic mirror of future film releases in 2006 I see many things - I see sequels but the bucketload which may or may not be any good, I see a few potential original hits, I see some almost certain turkeys and as part of my ongoing community service here are a few of the films I'm going to be checking out:

"new man of steel on the block"

Superman Returns already generating big-screen buzz, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Brandon Routh as the man of steel. This one will be big in June!!

The Da Vinci Code , based on Dan Brown's best-seller (which I haven't read yet), could be a hot ticket in May. Ron Howard will be directing Tom Hanks if that helps give you an idea...

Miami Vice has my spider sense tingling because I loved the original TV series and writer-director Michael Mann normally delivers - throw in Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx and bad boy Colin Farrell and we could be talking major fun in July.

Casino Royale , the latest 007 Daniel Craig will get to show us if he can deliver as the new James Bond in November.

X-Men 3 looks like one of my potential 'films of the year' - snick those claws out in anticipation!!

Mission: Impossible III could go either way but I'm hoping it rocks.

Captain Jack Sparrow's return to the screen in July with Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will be a winner...

'A Dame to Kill For' - aka - Sin City 2 has to be on your 'must see' list too.

I may be out on my own here but Underworld: Evolution is one I'll be seeing with anticipation.

And whilst Die Hard 4.0 may or may not see the light of day in '06, Bruce Willis will rock in Alpha Dog - mark my words...

"The Alpha Dog... poolside"

Cult wild cards also worth checking if you ask me are:

30 Days of Night (2006)

Bubba Nosferatu (2006)

Clerks 2 (2006)

And for those sickos out there - this will potentially be your film of the year: Hostel


"guaranteed to be grim..."

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Matt Adcock's Worst Films 2005

"Hey... turkeys to go - at least this one has the potential to be 'tasty' "

So here they are - the famous five films that made me wish I wasn't watching them...

In reverse order then:


Four Brothers
The film makers 'deserve a punishment beating' for making this pile of crap

A Lot Like Love
A lot like a boredom more like

Bewitched
Loses extra points because I was hoping this would be OK

XXX2: The Next Level
'the XXX franchise straps on masses of self-destructive material and takes a running jump off the cliff of watchability'

Without A Paddle
Chewing off your own arm is more enjoyable


But 2005 did have some cool films - here's my Top Ten: Matt Adcock's Top 10 Films 2005

Last year's five worst: Worst Films of 2004

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Film Review: Lassie

Lassie (PG)
Dir. Charles Sturridge

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Here girl, good doggie – ah Lassie, the cute collie of yesteryear is back from retirement and back in the UK where the original books were apparently set. So see how she saves an unfortunate fox from a hunt, marvel at her heartbreaking attachment to some pinched faced little northern boy from the poor family (Jonathan Mason) and erm, yawn at the homing pigeon antics of the ‘dog who came home’ as she comes home against the odds again and again.
It feels a bit mean spirited to ‘diss’ Lassie too much but this just isn’t a very good film. And I have a feeling that it was probably at least partly funded by the Yorkshire tourist board as it tries really hard to make the place look gorgeous and with wide sweeping hillside shots through which Lassie runs through in slow doggie motion.
Plot you ask – you’ll wish you hadn’t - basically when ‘heart of gold’ coal miner Sam (John Lynch) has his mine closed and he and his loyal wife Sarah (Samantha Morton) realise that their only saleable asset is their lovable dog, they sell her.
But Lassie isn’t beaten that easily (although dog lovers please note that she does get a quite distressing belt whipping from Gregor ‘Rab C Nesbitt’ Fisher at one point). Another scene that might cause distress is the death of another brave little dog – at the hands of Nicholas 'Rodney' Lyndhurst no less but overall the only thing that’s going to upset anyone about this film is the fact that paid to see it.
The few highlights on offer are a mildly brilliant bumbling turn by Peter O'Toole as the Duke of Rudling, some slapstick farce at the expense of some Scottish dog wardens and a great cameo by Nessie herself in one of the gratuitous landscape shots – this time in Scotland obviously…
But Lassie 2005 feels extremely unnecessary and should only really be considered for use in a ‘child care emergency situations’ and even then the kids probably won’t thank you for it.

Darkmatt Rating: öö (Not the dog's bollocks)

Reviews of other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Christmas Treat - Brooks's Mickled Onions

"May contain erm, well your guess is as good as mine!?"

Blatant Product Endorsement: Brooks's Mickled Onions

This came today - a Christmas present from one of my very best friends - Mr Mike Brooks.
The man is obviously a marketing genius!! Just gotta love that packaging...

You know - back in the day, when we were young pups discovering the joys of drinking and stumbling home with a packet of hot chips in one hand and a hot woman in the other - we used to share a mutual appreciation of what we termed 'SERIOUS' pickled onions...

I can confirm that the mind altering, mouth tingling properties of "Brooks's Mickled Onions" brought those memories flooding back like some kind of freaky flashback... But wow - they sure do go well with cheese on toast!!

Cheers m8 - I need to put in a bulk order...


"It's the secret recipe that keeps you guessing - or it might be the pink hat!?"

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Matt Adcock's Top 10 Films 2005

"Christmas - a Happy One you're having I hope? But great disturbance in the force did only just scraping into the top ten make..."

You don't have to agree, but these are the ones that 'did it' for me...

Matt's TOP TEN FILMS 2005

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
What can I say - a magical experience that's worth treasuring forever!

2. Sin City
Style and substance (the substance being comic book ultra violence) but beautifully done...

3. House of Flying Daggers
Wow, sensory overload, heartbreaking and cool

4. Batman Begins
It's a dark knight out there... The best yet in fact!

5. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Feel good buddy detective adventure perfection - very funny too

6. Pride & Prejudice
Miss Knightley stuns as the feisty Austen heroine...

7. King Kong
Big and hairy, and that's just his balls... Thy Kingdom Kong

8. The Constant Gardener
Powerful quality drama, very watchable

9. Serenity
Sci Fi tastiness, the Firefly flies again...

10. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Anakin don't do it! Oh, ok then - go Lord Vader go


Matt Adcock's Films Of 2004

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine are back (well sort of)...

"Carter USM... they were the best, and here is a wonderful thing - the 'lost' tracks"

The Good, The Bad, The Average and Unique

Carter f The Unstoppable Sex Machine f

"Hang on baby, baby hang on!"

How happy am I? Exfreakinstatically overexcited – because of a new CD but not just any CD, this is Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - The Good, The Bad, The Average and Unique.

What’s the big deal with this?
Well it’s an emotional thing, a nostalgic thing, a CD that I never thought would ever be made…
Back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s Carter USM were my very favourite band… In a career that spanned 10 years, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine's achievements included a number one album, decking Philip Schofield live on TV and many hit singles whose lyrics dealt with such unlikely pop themes as child abuse, corrupt landlords and AIDS. Their ferociously entertaining live shows have earned them the most dedicated fan followings in the wonderful world of alternative pop – I was one of those fans…
The memory of Reading Festival ’91 is strong in my mind, Mike (icon) Brooks and I were there, ‘30 Something’ T Shirts worn proudly, loving every minute of it… It was possibly Carter’s finest hour…
Then as Carter finally imploded about ’95, Mike and I found ourselves one evening at an exclusive promo gig held in the big Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street. Carter played a track called ‘Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Everything’ and it rocked, but it was never released…
Until now.
Good, Bad, Average has ‘Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Everything’ on it as well as some other very tasty unreleased songs like the awesome ‘Hounded’, loads of demos, some sound checks and live tracks… In a word it’s CARTER Nirvana!!

I love it and I strongly recommend that you check the ‘Shoppers Paradise’ where you can purchase it for the bargain price of £12…http://www.carterusm.co.uk/

“Things are getting better now…
I read it in a junk mail letter how,
I saw it in a magazine,
I heard it on the Indie Scene…
Now you know everything, about everything…”

I can honestly say that I wouldn't be the person I am today if Carter USM hadn't existed... No Carter, no Darkmatters...

And it was the song Shoppers Paradise (a Carter B Side) that cemented my love for them - read these lyrics and hopefully you'll see what I mean...

"Ground floor Shoppers' Paradisehabit-dashery, needles, spoons and knives knuckle-dusters, glass jaws and wooden hearts

Spend your money girls on sprays and lipsticks tested on bunnies, girls, strays and misfits

ozone friendly rape alarmsfor those blinding dates - another summer of hate

It's the top shop for the tired and rundown going up for the final comedown

First and second floors, third and fourth world wars

We've got a free pair of flares with every hip replacement - just take the stairs to the bargain basement

Babies bottles full ot the milk of human 'kind-nestle'

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls - the big shop is open it's a wonderful world

Top floor Shoppers' Paradise we've got a drunk Father Christmas and The Antichrist

We've got nothing of value so there's no V.A.T. we're going S.H.O.P.P.I.N.G.

We take Visa, Access, American Express patched-up, hand-me-down, second to next bestclothes for all ages, mothers and babies

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls the big shop is open it's a wonderful world

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls the big shop is open it's a wonderful world!!

Going down for all the things you missed all the love, peace and happiness that don't exist

We've got enpsychopaedias we've got pic 'n' fix - a government freezer full of benefits

A children's assortment we're bigger than Hamleys

We've got Cabbage Patch orphans from Sylvanian Famllies

Carpets, Iinoleum, holy petroleum, Chemi-kaze killers, little Hitlers and Napoleans

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls - the big shop is open and the world is wonderful..."

Come back CARTER... the world needs you.

Photo of me wearing a Carter T Shirt published in The Guardian

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

What every guy needs for Christmas?

"The wife / babe remote"

Oh I'll be in so much trouble if / when my good wife sees this post but all I can do to try and defend this blatant sexist misogynist male propaganda is, erm, damn it…

How about this cool quote from Desperate Housewives?

" ‘Money can't buy happiness’ is just something we tell poor people to keep them from rioting"
- Gabrielle (Eva Longoria)

It’s a long shot – actually I think my Mrs is a Sony so that JVC remote doesn’t seem to be working…

Oh man, here she comes...

Um, I gotta sign off now, I’m getting ‘that look’ from my better half!!

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Have a SONY Christmas... The RDR-HX510

"Mmmmmm... I love Christmas and I LOVE my RDR-HX510"

DVD Recorder with Hard Disk Drive = lots of fun!!

You know what? When you work all day and have a family it can put a real strain on your ability to catch all the quality TV you want to... That's when you need a Sony RDR-HX510...

Pause your live TV, record a program and start watching it back while still recording, enjoy picture and sound quality which are awesome.

This little baby may not be 'top of the range' but boy it's a sweetie, very user friendly and tough too (our ParcelForce guy dropped it onto the concrete whilst waiting for my wife to sign for it and it's fine!?)...

Here's some specs:

80GB HDD capacity
DVD+R Doulbe-Layer disc compatible
Precision Cinema Progressive
HQ+ recording for high picture quality
64 x High Speed Dubbing from HDD to DVD
Pause Live TV
Intelligent Chaptering
D-Matrix Noise reduction
Chasing Playback

Check the best prices for them by clicking here: bizrate.com

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Film Review: The Family Stone

"feel the love indeed... or don't bother"

The Family Stone (PG)
Dir. Thomas Bezucha

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid. At Christmas time, we let in light and banish shade… Oh sorry, got distracted there, but if you’re feeling at all Christmassy (as I am) then you may want to give The Family Stone a miss. From the trailer you’d be forgiven for expecting a fun filled festive romp - where uppity, uptight Sarah Jessica Parker gets humiliated by her hunky boyfriend Everett's relatives. In reality what you get is a downer family drama with mild comedy moments that really don’t sit comfortably in the muddle of issues that this film takes on.
It isn’t a completely bad film – you just need to know that you’re getting yourself into a melodramatic melting pot of strained relationships, smug clichéd characters and cheesy romantic tangles. The stunning Rachel ‘Wedding Crashers’ McAdams at least offers something watchable to take your mind off the fairly tedious plot that stumbles along like it’s been on the sauce at the Christmas office party.
Thomas Bezucha directs The Family Stone without any real panache but the cast try their best to save the film by giving their all. Luke Wilson, is great as the worldly wise pothead brother, Claire Danes is lovely as Parker’s less uptight sister and Diane Keaton goes for the emotional jugular with her ‘matriarch who hasn’t got long to live’ mother of the family. But there’s no shaking the whiff of turkey in the air and even though The Family Stone kept my attention, my feelings towards it are steadily growing colder than the snow threatening evening air outside. In fact I can’t see myself ever wanting to watch it again as it really is a disposable chunk of by the numbers bittersweet comedy drama. But, if you’re itching for a big screen issue fest – The Family Stone has more than its fair share: bigotry, homophobia, race and disabled issues are all on the menu of one particularly dark dinner table scene but call me old fashioned that’s not really what I’m looking for in my Christmas movie viewing…As Wilson’s character says at one point: “You have the freak flag, you just don't fly it”, I think that sums up the movie as a whole, its got the guts to tackle divisive issues but it wimps out of really letting rip. The Family Stone is a chewy Christmas humbug but when the loud battle noise of Narnia from the next screen along could be heard over the poignant conversation, I began to feel I was in the wrong screen… Happy Christmas!!

Darkmatt Rating: öö (Stone Cold)

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"Miss McAdams... one reason to see Family Stone"

Matt gets his GUN (review)

"Nice logo... quality wild west thrills... Yea haa cowboy!!"

GUN - PS2

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Man I love this game, it really is a perfect way to release stress after a hard day at work.
Think Grand Theft Wild West and you're in the right area... Ride the range, kills the baddies (and innocents if you're twisted), get 'friendly' with the gold hearted hookers, shoot out the meanest shootouts to grace the PS2 (or BillGatesBox) for some time.

It's like starring in your own episode of Deadwood.

The controls are tight, the graphics are nice and the plot is over the top with maximum gratuitous violence thrown in for good measure. No - this isn't a game for kids but yes if you want a quick time out from your day to day moral law abiding life...

Go get your GUN, you won't regret it!!

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (bang, bang... you're dead sucker!)

Reviews of other stuff you might want to read indexed here


"Hey pal... see that bit of your head flying off there? That's for looking at me funny!"

Film Review: King Kong

King Kong (12a)

Dir. Peter Jackson

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And from that day, he was as one dead..."

And lo, after three hours of awesome, jaw dropping monkey madness, I have to tell you, I was still hungry for more. Yes, prepare yourselves because things are going to get seriously hairy in a cinema near you this week! You may not be surprised that Peter ‘Lord of the Rings’ Jackson’s new version of the classic monster movie King Kong looks the business. 

Kong himself is excellent, pushing the CGI effects envelope to a new level and bringing real character and heart to the screen thanks in no small part to the work done by Andy Serkis. After spending months studying real gorillas, he was motion captured by computer in a similar way to how he ‘acted’ the part of Gollum in Lord of the Rings, and it works a treat.

Everything on offer here is pure quality, Naomi Watts is absolutely ravishing as the blonde who steals the heart of the great hairy backed beast (no, I didn’t mean Peter Jackson but then he did seem quite taken with her when I met them both at the London press conference last week). Actually, the cast as whole work well, and Jack Black proves that he can deliver more than just laughs as the slimy but intrepid filmmaker Carl Denham.

You probably don’t need much of a plot recap – it really doesn’t matter if you’ve already seen King Kong in it’s classic 1933 version and / or the camp 1976 remake – King Kong 2005 is a film you simply must experience on the big screen. Jackson has gone all out to deliver 110% entertainment – you can tangibly feel his love of all things monster related e.g. why have Kong fight a single T Rex when he can be faced with three? Speaking of which, there are stand out scenes both on Skull Island and in the beautifully recreated New York. I guarantee you’ll grimace when faced with the ‘bug valley’ that includes leeches, which make even the carnivorous ones in Lemony Snicket look tame.

And you’ll be a hardhearted person indeed if there’s not a tear in your eye when Kong faces his tragic destiny atop the Empire State Building.

What with the excellent Narnia last week and now King Kong, cinema goers are in for a couple of festive treats. Christmas really has come early for lovers of big scale action adventures…

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (impressive - not ape sh*t)

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"here's looking at you kid..."

Darkmatters: Year One pt 2

2005 has been a good year in the land of Darkmatters - cool films, top concerts and massive progress on my novel... Here's the second half of the year in highlights:

Jun '05

U2 Vertigo Tour

Matt Adcock meets Katie Holmes

Jul '05

Matt Adcock meets Isla Fisher and the Wedding Crashers

July 07 2005

Aug '06

Long View Rock Letchworth

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince - review with Massive Spoilers!!

Sep '05

Prey Alone = coolest short film ever?

Only person in the world to have enjoyed Revolver?

Oct '05

Serenity Delivers

I love Keira and Domino...

Nov '05

Grand Theft Auto PSP

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Dec '05

Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe

A 'Hairy' Day

Check Year One part 1 here: Darkmatters

Reviews of stuff you might want to read indexed here

Space Cadets... one small step for TV viewing

"Ipswich - I always thought it might be the final frontier!!"

Channel 4 in the UK is blasting a group of adventurers, ordinary members of the public, off into space to spend five days orbiting the earth. Erm, no - actually it's a massive televised hoax but boy is it good TV!!

As the official blurb goes:

"It's thrilling, it's exciting, and it's totally bogus.
In fact, the cadets will be on a disused military base in Suffolk.
Our group of thrill seekers will experience two weeks of intensive astronaut training believing they are in Star City, near Moscow, and labouring under the illusion that they are part of a real space mission.
After all, who would go to the trouble of dressing Suffolk, up as Russia, and faking a space launch?
To fuel the illusion, the base has been painstakingly decked out in Russian products, down to the very last plug socket.
Their physical training is under the supervision of a genuine former KGB agent.
Hollywood visual effects specialists, Wonderworks, whose credits include The Day After Tomorrow and Apollo 13, have created the space shuttle itself from a NASA blueprint.
Sound effects have been created to simulate the incredible noise generated by blasting off from the earth. Hydraulics and 'air biscuits' will pull, jolt, and vibrate the craft around for authenticity.
When the cadets look out of the cockpit window, they'll see a distant earth, thanks to meticulous visual effects.
Who wouldn't believe?
Watch Space Cadets every night at 9pm and lap up the lie... "

Find out more here: spacecadets

Reviews and other stuff you might want to read indexed here

Darkmatters: Year One

It's been a whole year... since Darkmatters the blog kicked off.

Here is a month by month quick guide to the first 6 months - i.e. some quirky stuff you may have missed...


Dec '04


My Worst Films of 2004

Meeting Jim Carrey


Jan '05


PWEI live in Concert

My obsession with Jennifer Garner


Feb '05


Birthday Bonus

Matt meets Samuel L Jackson


Mar '05


Matt joins the Carnivale

Doctor Who comes back


Apr '05


Lovin the PSP

Darkmatters Cleric

May (the force be with you) '05

Matt meets George Lucas

Slave Girl Leia Tribute

Look out for the equally random selection from June - Dec '05 should I ever get the time to post em...

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

A Hairy Day... KONG, Naomi Watts and Peter Jackson

"Miss Watts... you can kind of see at least a couple of things that KONG liked about her..."

WOW... Saw King Kong today - review will be up by the weekend so check back for that.

What was an excellent bonus to the film (which rocks by the way) - Peter Jackson, Jack Black, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Adrien Brody were at the press conference afterwards and I'll write up what Jackson and crew had to say when I get a moment!!

The 8th Wonder of the World is certainly worth checking out - and has gatecrashed my top 10 films of 2005... Jackson has followed up Lord of the Rings with another entirely watchable, fun action epic - my dreams tonight will be filled with huge hairy faces and the gorgeous Naomi Watts who looks great in the flesh.

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

Narnia: The Battle Begins

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – the thinking behind the film.

By Matt Adcock

A battle is about to be unleashed this week, a struggle for the hearts, minds but above all - box office takings. As The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe opens worldwide it is sparking furious debate as many Christians hail it as being almost a ‘Passion of Christ for children’. But while many churches across the globe are busy block booking tickets (I’ve had my invite to Stopsley Baptist Church’s screening), what do the filmmakers think of it all?

It’s no secret that in the U.S. Disney and the Church have had a fairly unhappy relationship over many years with various rumoured boycotts, claims of family value erosion and loudly voiced concern over the morals being portrayed in many of the films produced by Disney. So many were concerned when it was announced that they would be handling the new film version of The Chronicles of Narnia. Was this part of a plot to water down the Christian messages that run through the fantasy children’s books of C.S. Lewis? Would the film be nothing more than a Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter cash in?

I asked the director Andrew Adamson what his take on the Christian aspect of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was. He said: ““When people are talking about the resurrection allegory and so on, I say ‘you mean like The Matrix?’. People look at me blankly and I say ‘well, there’s Neo, he’s the chosen one, and he dies and comes back and saves the world – there’s an allegory for you’. Obviously CS Lewis was a Christian, but to me spirituality and religion are very personal issues and it’s really up to the audience, or the reader, to interpret it as they wish. I’ve made a movie of the book, and what you got from the book you’ll get from the movie.”

This is indeed the case – the explicit Christ like analogy of when traitorous Edmund’s life is saved by the sacrifice of the messiah lion Aslan has not gone unnoticed in the media. This week whilst The Guardian rated the film a maximum 5 stars it also ran a scathing opinion piece by Polly Toynbee on the film in which she claims that “Of all the elements of Christianity, the most repugnant is the notion of the Christ who took our sins upon himself and sacrificed his body in agony to save our souls. Did we ask him to? Poor child Edmund, to blame for everything, must bear the full weight of a guilt only Christians know how to inflict…”

But Adamson is keen that people enjoy the film without bring such entrenched opinions to the cinema: “I read the books before I even knew what allegory meant, and I enjoyed them purely as an adventure," he says. "That's how the film should be able to be enjoyed, too."

C. S. Lewis certainly left a lot of the tale to the imagination in his stories, I wondered if this made the adaptation process easier or harder?
Adamson: “It was really kind of a blessing and a curse. It was definitely great to be able to draw upon the imagination that I had since reading the story at eight years old and being able to bring that imagination to the screen. At the same time this book has been read by probably 100 million people, and they all have their own interpretation, their own images of it.”
And whatever you think of the film, it certainly stirs the imagination, rouses the heart and makes you hungry for more. If the Chronicles of Narnia continue their path to the big screen (plans are underway for Prince Caspian to be the next Narnia movie if Wardrobe is a commercial success) the debate around the ‘Christian – ness’ of the material may well become a regular debate...


Read my review of: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe Review

"98, 99, 100... coming... ready or not - film of the year 2005!!"


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (PG)
Dir. Andrew Adamson

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

What if that old wardrobe you’ve in your spare room was actually the doorway to an incredible ‘other world’… A place where the animals could talk, fantastical creatures like centaurs, fawns and griffins existed and it soon became apparent that you were destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy to rid the land from an all consuming evil?
Sounds like the stuff of epic fantasy legend and the good news is that whilst you might not find such a doorway in any of your household furniture – from today the only door you’ll need to enter this world is that of your nearest cinema…

Yes, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an enchanting, exciting, gorgeous envisioning of the much loved book by C.S. Lewis. I must confess that I once ‘trod the boards’ in a low budget version of this tale as the goat legged, fawn Mr. Tumnus. And I was worried that a big budget, live action / CGI retelling of the story would not be able to deliver the one thing that cinema at its very best can conjure – pure wonderment. Well, may I be turned to stone by an evil white witch for my fleeting doubts, Andrew ‘Shrek 1 &2’ Adamson has pulled it off, and in very special style – this is my film of 2005 by a giant lions’ leap.

You want quality family filmmaking that touches your very soul? Fancy some rousing battle scenes that play out like Lord of Rings but with more heart? How about perfect casting of ‘evil herself’ or Jadis the White Witch as she likes to be called in Tilda Swinton? It’s all here… The majestic lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) truly is the most impressive virtually created creature ever and even though it pains me, I have to admit that James McAvoy’s Tumnus is pretty much perfect. Other highlights are Mr and Mrs Beaver (Ray Winstone and Dawn French) who bring some Shrek style fun to the story, bonus scenes not found in the book and production values that demonstrate quality and a real love for the subject matter in every frame of footage.
The four ‘Pevensie’ siblings - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) – are all good in the children’s roles too.

This is the only truly ‘must see’ film of the year, you owe it to yourself to visit Narnia as soon as you can!!

Darkmatt Rating: öööööö (my film of 2005!!)

Click this: First impressions including some cool photos

or this: earlier post about chronicles of narnia inc trailer link

or maybe even my: harry potter goblet of fire review

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