KING KONG TRAILER: is AWESOME!!

He's big, he's hairy and if you want to see him doing his thing - check the KONG trailer which went online yesterday...

kingkongmovie

Mmmmm, tasty!!

Film Review: A Lot Like Love

A Lot Like Love (12a)
Dir Nigel Cole

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

You know what they say… “There's nothing better than a great romance... to ruin a perfectly good friendship.” Man, not to mention wreck this latest romantic comedy too…
A Lot Like Love really should come with the following health warning: ‘Caution: this film may contains scenes that you find seriously dull. If you feel nauseous at any point whilst watching this steamingly unfunny, coma inducing turkey, well, you only really have yourself to blame.’
I’ve really tried to work out why A Lot Like Love didn’t work for me and the list of faults I compiled was long, distinguished and much more fun than watching the film, which can’t be a good thing?
Firstly – the main couple Oliver (Ashton ‘Dude where’s my acting career?’ Kutcher) and Emily (Amanda ‘cute / odd looking / cute depending on the hairstyle’ Peet) simply do not generate enough voltage between them to make you care if they end up together.
Secondly – the so-called ‘funny’ bits just aren’t very funny… And finally, seeing as the two leads sleep with each other before the credits have barely finished rolling there’s no ‘will they won’t they?’ dynamic which can at least give the film a tiny measure of suspense…
Director Nigel ‘Calendar Girls’ Cole obviously thinks he’s making a ‘When Harry Met Sally’ update, but he’s miles off target.
You know you’re not enjoying a film if the highlight is when your friend Mim accidentally flicks her ice cream spoon across the cinema and it’s more amusing than anything you’ve seen on screen… (She didn’t like the film either in case you were wondering).
Still, here’s a quick plot overview – a boy meets the girl of his dreams, but she is actually an alien killing machine sent to earth to destroy us all. Somehow he develops awesome super powers and battles the sexy alien killer in a series of spectacular scenes the likes of which may never be matched ever again on the big screen… Erm, sorry, that was my daydream, A Lot Like Love is actually about a goofy boy who meets a quirky girl, they get it on, then spend 7 years in different relationships but can’t forget about each other… he starts selling nappies on the internet, she gets engaged but maybe they will end up together anyway? Oh please, a better name for this film would be ‘A Lot Like Tedium’ – remember you don’t have to go and see this – you do have a choice!

Darkmatt Rating: ö (a lot like bollox?)

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

Darkmatters Fiction: Victim Marker and Darkmatter

Darkmatters

by Matt Adcock

Senior Scientific Officer Goldiing takes to the floor of the halls of debate in the GOV parliament battle fortress's recently extended 'Deathmask Blair' wing. In attendance is the Grand Information Controller Manu Doyyle and several information and guard bots from various envoys including Razour's.

A record beam fires up and bathes Goldiing in its eerie blue glow. Goldiing looks uncomfortable and strangely 'alien' with the beam reflecting from his polished head.
"If I may begin? Please forgive me if this is overly basic but as I understand it, I have been asked to outline the co-relation between my work on the Victim Marker bio weapon programme and the Dark Matter study taking place by the L2DMC. From the data kindly made available by the DMC, I can tell you that despite our best attempts to discover exactly what our universe is made up of, we have still to determine the make up of over 90% of the 'matter' out there. This has led to us coining the phrase 'Dark Matter' in order to describe this mass - which cannot be detected using our existing technology because it simply fails to emit any light at all. Basically if this 'stuff' cannot be seen directly, why should we believe that it exists? Well, I'm no astro-physicist, but I know that its presence is inferred indirectly from the motions of astronomical objects, specifically stellar, galactic, and galaxy cluster/supercluster observations. And in addition, potential Dark Matter 'candidates' are often split into two broad categories - Hot Dark Matter (Baryonic) and Cold Dark Matter (Non-Baryonic) - these determined on their 'likely' respective masses and speeds."

Doyyle intervenes: "Officer Goldiing, please can we get to the point?"

"Erm, yes, apologies Controller, of course. Well, my access to the L2DMC's arcuter (which as you're probably aware was commissioned with an extensive study into the central surface brightness distribution of galaxies in the maxx csex~2 range) allowed me to presuppose what an isotope linked to Hot Dark Matter (HDM) might consist of. Without being too technical about it, this form of HDM isotope is a chemical element whose nuclei have similar atomic numbers to a high probability magnet projection, but totally different atomic masses. This was how I isolated its unique form and mapped to it the genetically created, concentrated fear and rage pheromone - 'IcKIL'. The resulting 'super isotope' is not only a miracle of existence because it is the first physical evidence that Dark Matter can exist in reality. But also of potential significant military use under the Victim Marker programme."

"Officer Goldiing - I think you need to speak in simpler terms please. I'm not sure that I'm following your working here..."

"Thank you, I will... In the simplest terminology I can use...

I have created an isotope made of Hot Dark Matter.

It can be used to 'mark' an individual creature or human without their knowledge - and any creature 'marked' with the isotope immediately becomes a victim or target inasmuch as every living thing that they go near will react to the isotopes' IcKIL infection and attack them.

They will not stop until the victim is dead, torn apart, mutilated and in many cases the attackers will eat parts of the victim and / or smear their body parts over their faces in a frenzy of unstoppable bloodlust!!

It is the perfect weapon - it could make you kill me right now and you wouldn't even know why you were doing it!

Ha, imagine, live on record beam you would rip me limb from limb!"

Two guardbots move to restrain Goldiing as he wildly gestures a stabbing motion, the madness in his eyes unnerving.

The Information Controller, looking slightly shaken even behind his powersuit says: "Ah, thank you Officer Goldiing. If I may just clarify one point?"

The scientist turns slowly to look Doyyle in the eye - his stare is cold and unhinged, his voice drops to a guttural growl: "What the fick could be clearer than what I just told you? Do you want to see a live demonstration?"

Now visibly unnerved and sweating Doyyle continues: "So, err, I am right in saying that you have 'created' an element of Dark Matter for this lab based 'weapons programme of yours' - whilst the L2DMC, with their unlimited funding and every cutting edge technology we have are still searching in vain for even a concrete acknowledgement from their machines that Dark Matter exists?"

Goldiing smiles: "See, looks like you were listening."

"Ah, are you absolutely sure it's Dark Matter that you have made? I mean, not to be a stickler but we really don't know what Dark Matter is..."

"Shut - your - fucking - mouth - you - dumb - asshole!
I know, and I have some in my lab, maybe you should err, accompany me there and I'll show it to you?"

Other extracts from Darkmatters indexed here

Hell Fire... It's Ghost Rider

"Um, excuse me mate, I think your head is on fire!"

One of my earliest memories is of having a flaming 'demon headed' motorbike riding Ghost Rider model... Which is a little odd when you consider that I was brought up in strict Christian home - but hey... So it is fair to say that I'm more than a little interested to see how the new film starring Nic Cage as Ghost Rider / Johnny Blaze will turn out next year - and this first look at the rider himself does look pretty cool!

If you don't know much about Ghost Rider he's some background - he first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5 in 1972. Ghost Rider was created when stunt biker Johnny Blaze made a pact with the devil to save a friend's life (as you do). The devil obviously isn't the type to be trusted and he screws Johnny over but makes him complete his side of the bargain and merges his soul with Zarathos, who's an angry demon, which most would consider to be a bad thing...

Anyway - this new fusion allowed Johnny to become a hellfire-charged, flaming skulled Ghost Rider who had the ability to morph his motorbike out of hellfire, and shoot blasts of hellfire which burned only the soul of the target. He rode across the country, seeking vengeance for murdered innocents by night, while living as Blaze during the day.

And if you really want to know - the demon was finally trapped in a Soul Crystal with another villain named Centurious which freed Johnny Blaze to ride off into the sunset....

Film reviews and stuff you might want to read indexed here

War of the Worlds - stunning visual artwork!!

"With Envious Eyes They Watched And Slowly Drew Their Plans Against Us..."

And next week we'll get to see how much full scale mankind butt kicking a $200million budget buys in the hands of Steven Spielberg... Oh yes... But remember: They've been planning this for a million years. And these are only the first. They'll keep coming.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

"Nice teaser poster - especially like the tagline"

This year Hogwarts will play host to a legendary event: the Triwizard Tournament. During which time a single student gets to represent his or her school in a series of magical contests. Eternal glory awaits the student who wins the tournament, but before that there is something almost too terrible to contemplate and it all starts to make sense when you see this latest photo from the film which shows the 'full horror' that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will unleash upon the world...


"Harry and his mates have become moody teenagers!!"

But there is a glimmer of hope... At least it appears that Hermione scrubs up okay (or as my 8 year old son Luke told me "she looks nice dad") - see below.

Lets just hope that the film delivers because Goblet of Fire was my favourite book so far and has bags of potential to be a nice appetiser before we all bow before the mighty Aslan of Narnia!!

"don't call me the queen of Naboo..."

Film reviews and stuff you might want to read indexed here

God loves a faithful film reviewer...

"verse for the day"

Loved this sign generator - try it for yourself by clicking the title of this post!

X Men 3... Nice poster

"Is it going to be 3rd time unlucky for Cyclops?"

I love this X Men 3 teaser poster - Wolverine's claws used to perfect effect, and despite Bret 'Rush Hour' Ratner being the new director I'm still looking forward to this next year.

One of the main reasons is that I've read some interesting rumours about plans to kill off one or more of the major characters - and I have to say right away that I LIKE IT when major characters get killed off - it makes me happy (even if I loved the character) to see writers who are prepared to show that anyone can get taken out...

The 'invincible hero' syndrome is fine for long running franchises like James Bond where he's an institution - although imagine how cool it would be if they one day killed him off? But in this world of prequels (Star Wars), resurrections (Elektra) and alternative version remakes that pay no attention to previous films (The Punisher) etc characters are never fully out of the game.

Just wait till you get your hands on the finished DARKMATTERS novel… Major character deaths are guaranteed!!

Matt Adcock meets Katie Holmes

Matt Adcock meets Katie Holmes


The ballroom of the Dorchester Hotel in London has been turned into a dark, gothic London skyline – Big Ben stands proud against and orange sky, which is all but obscured by a huge cloud of bats. I get to quickly munch a bat logo shaped ‘batcookie’ whilst waiting for Katie Holmes – who plays tough talking, no nonsense Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins.

So, Were you a fan of Batman before doing Batman Begins?

Katie: I grew up watching the movies and saw re-runs of the television show. I didn’t read the comic books as a little girl. That was the extent of my familiarity.

And what did you think of the previous films?

Katie: Did I like them? Yeah! I was so excited to be a part of this movie. It’s a great role; in fact it’s an honour to be in such a massive movie like this.

What did you like about the character of Rachel?

Katie: I really enjoyed playing her; I loved her strength and her integrity. She is very hard on Bruce (Wayne), because she can’t understand why her best friend isn’t more concerned about the crime and corruption that are overtaking Gotham City.

(Matt: Obviously she doesn’t know what he’s getting up to at night!)

Katie: At one point she says to Bruce “it’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.” That line defines who she is – the type of person that wants to make the world a better place.

There has been a massive amount of media attention about your love life recently, how are you coping with it all?

Katie: I am so happy right now. I’m in love. I met the man of my dreams and I couldn’t be happier. I met Tom (Cruise) and I fell in love...what can I say? The media reaction, all that stuff...I really don’t care.

So, are you thinking of getting into Scientology like Tom is?

Katie: Yes, I am and I’m excited about it.

How about maybe starring in a movie with Tom?

Katie: No there aren’t any plans right now. It would be an honour.

Finally, I heard that you might be considering the part of Wonder Woman… Is that true?

Katie: Well I have nothing to report progress wise on that role but she is a ‘wonderful’ character! I was part of the majority of little girls that loved Wonder Woman.

And so with a great mental picture of Katie in the Wonder Woman costume, I leave, but not before having a quick go on the new Batman Begins Playstation 2 game, picking up my batbag of goodies and a chocolate brownie which has the bat logo cut into it. Warner Brothers are certainly pulling out all the stops to promote this film and I’m pleased report that Batman Begins is a stunning return to form for the Bat franchise, enjoy!!

Earlier post about meeting Katie Holmes

Film Review Batman Begins

My film reviews and stuff you might want to read indexed here

King Kong - First Shot of KONG Himself!!

"8th wonder of the world"

Here he is... Peter Jackson's KONG and from the promo card shot above he looks cool!

I'm excited about seeing the big ape on the big screen and am looking forward to some serious dino fighting, blonde grabbing, skyscraper scaling high jinks come December 14th... I might go and see King Kong too!?

Reviews of other films and stuff you might want to read indexed so click it if you want...

Matt Adcock - The Movie

This is fun... enough respect to Rachel W for the link!!

I swear I don't know why, but apparently my life would make an 18 rated film...

My life has been rated:
Created by bart666

Try it and let me know how you get on...

Click here to find out what your rating is!

Film Review: Mr. & Mrs. Smith

"Sexy people with guns... yes please!!"


Mr. & Mrs. Smith (15)
Dir. Doug Liman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

I love my wife. She’s sexy, cool, fun to be with and a great mother to our children… But if I were assigned by the top-secret assassination agency that I work for to put a bullet in her lovely head, would I do it? And perhaps more importantly – would she ‘off’ me if it turned out that she too was a highly trained hitman rather than the Children’s Work Director for Stopsley Baptist Church?

Anyway, this is the situation facing the sexist on screen couple for some time - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Resisting the urge to get into a ‘who’s the most gorgeous?’ face off – it’s tough call after all, the sexy Smiths sizzle the screen in this wry action / comedy caper. Ace director Doug ‘Swingers’ Liman delivers lots of fun by putting the Smiths’ marriage under the harsh comedy spotlight before stepping up the gunplay action to preposterous proportions. His plan is obviously to satisfy both viewers seeking a romantic comedy and those looking for high-octane explosion based excitement… and it works a treat. If you’ve ever even thought about getting married then there are bountiful delicious scenes that rip open the his / her differences that can grind relationships down. And having said that – if you’ve ever hankered after a life of weapons grade danger and fraught ‘do or die’ secret missions then you’ll go home happy having spent an evening with Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Okay, the plot is thin – after 5 or 6 years of marriage neither suspect the other is an assassin until paid to take each other out (and I don’t mean on a date). Who will win this battle of the sexes? Can true love flourish even under a barrage of automatic gunfire? Did they actually ‘get together’ whilst on location filming the film? You might not find out the answer to that last one but if the on screen chemistry is anything to go by, you wouldn’t bet against it…
Mr. & Mrs. Smith delivers – action (superb car chases, explosions and gunfights), romance (yes the two leads get at least one convincing clinch), comedy (Vince Vaughn is excellent in a supporting role) and charm (both Pitt and Jolie know what their fans want!). In fact the only people who won’t enjoy Mr. & Mrs. Smith are those who have had their ‘joie de vivre’ surgically removed. For ‘feel good’ Summer fun – choose ‘Smith’…

Darkmatt Rating: öööö (may the 'sauce' be with you)


"women in rubber are hard to refuse..."

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

Film Review: Batman Begins

"They told me there was nothing out there, nothing to fear."

Batman Begins
Dir. Christopher Nolan

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

There is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge…

It’s me!!

Oh, no actually I’ve just been informed that it’s Batman and having seen Batman Begins I’d have to agree. This is the long rumoured rebirth of a credible Batman on the big screen after the zap-kapow-holyturkeyfest that was Batman & Robin by Joel Schumacher, which sunk the bat’s previous cinematic run. So can the Dark Knight strike back and deliver the quality batfilm that fans have been craving? In a word ‘yes’!!

Director Christopher Nolan has successfully taken Batman back to his gritty, brooding, brilliant comic book roots, and in the process made a powerhouse of a tale that impresses on all levels. This is no kiddie film either, Batman Begins is all about fear – right from the unnerving bat swarm opening there is a sense of menace dripping from almost every frame. Batman himself (a perfect anger and guilt driven portrayal by Christian ‘American Psycho’ Bale) is a mean, tortured vengeance bringer. No cheesy quips or camp codpieces – this Batman is the harbinger of violent justice, a shadow dwelling righter of wrongs. He is the reason criminals will learn to fear the dark and yet he is also believably human. Bale does a magnificent job of balancing Bruce Wayne’s guilt wracked billionaire playboy with the slightly unhinged righteous anger of his dark alter ego. Credit must also go to Michael Caine who is excellent as loyal manservant Alfred and to the lovely Katie Holmes who is exhibits real class and sassy determination as idealistic District Attorney Rachel Dawes. Other players are ‘honest cop’ Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman who looks spookily like the comic book version) and worldly warrior / mentor Henri Ducard – Liam Neeson who also does a fine job. Morgan Freeman is useful new character Lucius Fox who handily oversees Wayne Enterprises’ Applied Sciences division – home of the funky gadgets that give Batman his edge, oh and his ass kicking new Batmobile. The Batmobile is pretty much a character in its own right – and delivers potentially the best car chase of the year as it shakes off corrupt cops on highways, back streets and even leaping across rooftops.

And of course no Batman film is complete without the villains. Oh boy, Batman Begins has one of the most trippy villains ever in The Scarecrow (the ultra creepy Cillian Murphy) – this guy is sinister even when in his ‘human guise’ of Dr Jonathan Crane. But when under the effect of his nefarious ‘fear gas’ things get nightmarish very fast and sensitive youngsters will likely be having bad dreams for months… The crunching fight scenes must also push the envelope of what can be done in a 12a rated film but are fantastic to watch. Batman Begins brings the noise when it comes to action – convict ‘six onto one brawls’, ninja sword battles, scumbag thug takedowns… Batman certainly has his work cut out and that’s without having to deal with the Scarecrow. Throw in head-cracking crime boss Carmine Falcone (a nicely smug Tom Wilkinson) and over vengeful vigilante Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) with his League of Shadows and suddenly it looks a tall order for even Batman to save the day…

Christopher Nolan and co-screenwriter David S. Goyer have delivered something very special here – Batman has never looked better or been so engaging to watch. Batman Begins rips up the previous film attempts and sets up a potentially awesome sequel. The Dark Knight has returned in style – go and see for yourself…

Darkmatt Rating: ööööö (Holy return to form Batman!!)

Read my interview with Katie Holmes: Matt Adcock meets Katie Holmes

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

Katie Holmes to be Wonder Woman??

"You want iconic outfits? This one will do!!"

Katie (see you on Monday sweetie) Holmes, with her long brunette locks, is apparently up for the part of a new Wonder Woman film... Producer Joel Silver is planning to bring the sexy superhero back for a new generation and Holmes on his list of possible hot pant fillers…

“I'd have to read it," Holmes told AAP in Los Angeles while promoting Batman Begins (which I’m seeing tonight).

Mmmmmmm - here's shot of Katie wearing a gold dress - she's certainly got the hair for Wonder Woman - and most of her other attributes seem to be present and correct too!

"Future Mrs Cruise? Bet Tom'll make her keep the costume if she does bag Wonder Woman role... as 'marital aid'"

Earlier post about meeting Katie Holmes

The Crow: Wicked Prayer... will it suck?

"see my face... do I look happy about this going straight to DVD?"

The Crow: Wicked Prayer

So the 4th Crow movie will finally see the light of day but on the small screen rather than the cinema. It's been 10 years since the original (and best) Crow which blasted Alex Proyas onto the 'directors to watch' list and tragically put the very talented Brandon Lee in an early grave...

The story this time sees Edward Furlong slapping on the face make up and beating the crap out of the satanically misguided bad guys but apparently is more "spiritual" in nature. Some Native American mythos has been added to the ever growing mythology of this franchise... Am just hoping it won't suck too much!!

Here's how I rank the Crow movies so far (out of 5):

The Crow ('94)
Darkmatt Rating: ööööö



The Crow: City of Angels ('96)
Darkmatt Rating: ööö


The Crow: Salvation ('00)
Darkmatt Rating: ööö


and the TV series - The Crow: Stairway to Heaven ('98)
Darkmatt Rating: ö

Any Crow fans out there - let me know your thoughts...

Sin City - amazing - now bring on Lava Girl

"There's wrong, and then there's wrong, and then there's this..."


Sin City... what a film...

As a huge fan of Frank Miller's graphic novels (Dark knight and Ronin plus of course Sin City itself) I have been in a state of nirvana like bliss after having seen the film version of Sin City.

Robert Rodriguez nailed it, it was pretty much perfect and as I've also enjoyed his Spy Kids films (at least I can watch them with my kids) I can only hope that his form will hold for 'The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D' - which looks like a super hero spin on the Spy Kids formula...

"She's a bit young to make any 'looking hot in that costume' jokes"

Film Review: Sin City

"Hell of a way to end a partnership. Hell of a way to start my retirement. "

Sin City (18)

Dir. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, with special guest director Quentin Tarantino

The dame looked good, she was hot and she knew how to turn it on… The guy following me wasn’t so pretty, it was going to get nasty and I knew only one of us would walk away alive… Welcome to SIN CITY, it’s a hell of a place to visit. To paraphrase Clive Owen’s Dwight “I guess it’s time to prove to your friends you’re worth a damn. Sometimes that means reviewing the coolest film on the planet. Sometimes it means killing a whole lotta people…” or something, I might have got that last part wrong!?

Sin City is not for the faint of heart, you won’t enjoy it if you object to cinematic violence, nudity, violence, sexist costumes, comic books or violence. But despite all that (and for some maybe because of all that): Sin City is the most awesome, disturbing, action packed head smack of a movie ever made. A turbo charged comic book ‘film noir’ spewing black fumes and leaking gallons of blood. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, with special guest director Quentin Tarantino, the highly stylised, gritty dark world of Sin City has set a new cinematic standard for nitrous-fuelled entertainment. The cast is absolutely ‘spot on’ with Mickey Rourke just excellent as the hard-boiled bruiser ‘Marv’ and Bruce Willis was born to play ‘last honest cop in Sin City’ Hartigan. Elijah Wood and Nick Stahl meanwhile conjure up two of the most despicable screen villains ever as cannibal Kevin and Roark Jr, if these guys don’t make you feel repulsed and dirty then you probably need professional help.

And what about the women of Sin City? Well, you simply will not find a better looking collection of females on the big screen this year. Jessica Alba is jaw droppingly sexy as Nancy Callahan but then again Jaime King (Goldie), Brittany Murphy (Shellie), Alexis Bledel (Becky) and Devon Aoki (as the deadly Miho), all burn shapely silhouettes into your mind’s eye. Phew, is it getting hot in here?

What else can I say? Sin City is a masterpiece of pulp fiction, and even those who frown on the over the top violence will admit that it is visual experience unlike any other. My friend Jo told me that Sin City left her ‘traumatised’ so don’t go expecting a sweet romantic comedy (the clue is in the name after all). But for those looking for an extreme dark adrenaline overload, a visit to Sin City is a must.


Darkmatt Rating: ööööö (The wages of Sin are... fun?)

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

"A handy guy to know if you're traumatised by Sin City"

Film Preview: Sin City - Meet The Locals

SIN CITY: Meet The Locals


Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything… and any one of these low lives…The population of Sin City is made up of those who must live, whether by choice or through circumstance, on the darker side of urban existence. Some have utterly succumbed to corruption, filth and evil. Others are still trying to survive with some part of their souls intact.

I’m seeing the film tomorrow and the good folks over at BVI have sent the following info about who’s who in the film version of SIN CITY… enjoy…

MARV:

Marv was just born in the wrong century. He belongs on some ancient battlefield, swinging an axe into somebody's face. But here he is, here and now. And whoever killed the woman of his dreams is going to pay. In blood.
– Frank Miller

At the center of the first story in SIN CITY is Marv, a hulking, down-on-his-luck bruiser. Marv gets lucky one night with a beautiful woman who shows him tenderness. By dawn, she is dead -- and Marv is determined to find her killer no matter the cost.

GOLDIE:

Damn it, Goldie. Who were you and who wanted you dead?
-- Marv

Marv’s one-night stand and one true love, Goldie, is played by Jaime King


KEVIN:

He was a tortured soul, tormented by guilt.
-- Cardinal Roark on Kevin

As Marv seeks vengeance for Goldie’s death, he faces down a nightmare of a villain: the chillingly placid, cannibalistic Kevin. In a complete change of pace, Elijah Wood of “The Lord of The Rings” and Frodo Baggins fame takes on the darkest of criminal roles.

DWIGHT:

You’ve got to prove to your friends you’re worth a damn. Sometimes it means dying. Sometimes it means killing a whole lotta people.
-- Dwight

At the heart of another SIN CITY tale is Dwight (Clive Owen), hard-nosed ex-photo-journalist and the one man the working girls of Sin City’s Old Town can trust. He’s tried to change his life. But when Old Town’s ladies come up against The Mob, and a cop winds up dead, Dwight is drawn right back into the fray to protect his friends.


GAIL:

She's the boss. Beautiful. Merciless. Any of the Old Town girls are hair-trigger ready to die - or to kill - for her. And they wind up doing both. Plenty of both.
-- Frank Miller

As Dwight’s story unfolds, he must team up with the heavenly and fierce Gail, the leader of Sin City’s prostitutes, who once saved Dwight’s life and helped him gain a new identity. Gail, a vision in thigh-high, leather-strapped stilettos and an Uzi, is played by Rosario Dawson.


SHELLIE:

I ain’t playing hard to get. I’m impossible to get.
-- Shellie

One of Frank Miller’s favorite characters in SIN CITY is local waitress Shellie, who traverses all three stories in the film, but is key to Dwight’s tale. When Shellie’s attention to Dwight triggers Jackie Boy’s anger, a rampage results. To play Shellie, Miller and Rodriguez cast Brittany Murphy.

JACKIE BOY:

I may be dead, but you are screwed!
-- Jackie Boy

Jackie Boy, the once noble, now corrupted cop who stirs up a whole lot of trouble in Sin City’s Old Town, is played by Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro.

MIHO:

You can scream now if you want.

- - Marv

Another of Frank Miller’s favorite characters is Miho, the silent yet deadliest of the Old Town girls, played by Devon Aoki (“2 Fast 2 Furious). A kind of urban, female samurai, Aoki cuts up the screen with the same swords Uma Thurman used in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films.

MANUTE:

Nobody knows where he came from, and nobody ever will.He serves his masters ruthlessly. Efficiently. Brutally. Mercilessly. Pray you never meet him. The moment you do will likely be your last.
- - Frank Miller

A man so immense his punch is like a freight train, Manute is at once enigmatic and lethal. He is played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who garnered an Academy Award nomination as the gentle giant in “The Green Mile” and who previously starred as The Kingpin in “Daredevil,” also based on Frank Miller’s comic.

HARTIGAN:

Honor bound. A knight in blood-caked, grimy armor. Cop John Hartigan will sacrifice everything – his marriage, his job, his honor, his freedom, his dignity – all for the sake of a skinny little 11 year old girl
- - Frank Miller

If there is one pure hero in Sin City, John Hartigan is it. The last honest cop in town, he’s finally about to retire. But he has a final mission: to save the 11 year-old Nancy Callahan from the clutches of the deranged Senator’s son, Roark Jr. To play Hartigan, Robert Rodriguez immediately thought of Bruce Willis.

NANCY:

Imagine you find your way the sleaziest saloon on the planet. The place stinks, with all the usual stinks. There's a stage. The lights come up. You expect the worst. Then out dances an Angel. Perfect. Graceful. Beautiful. A dream come true. Nancy. Nancy Callahan. She amazes.
- Frank Miller

Now known as the sweetheart of Sin City, Nancy Callahan is seen in two incarnations. First, she is an 11 year-old girl in the direst danger. Then, she is an alluring 19 year-old exotic dancer who shines a light in the dark of the city portrayed by Jessica Alba.


That YELLOW BASTARD:

The little snot. He ought to be dead. But here he is. Back in action. And he smells awful...
- Frank Miller

At the heart of John Hartigan’s story lies his nemesis, Roark Jr. (AKA “That Yellow Bastard”), a demented sociopath who is later physically transformed into a creature as ugly, yellow and downright odorous as his personality. Playing Roark Jr. and Yellow Bastard, under a veil of makeup, is Nick Stahl.

So now you've met some of the main players... buckle up for the ride of your life... SIN CITY opens in the UK this Friday 03 June 2005...

Mr and Mrs Smith... Looking very good!!

"Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie in a Doug Liman film = tasty!!"

I have a feeling that Mr and Mrs Smith is going to be great fun. The trailer is excellent, Brad and Angelina look like they have real chemistry and I love Doug Liman's films to date (especially Swingers and Go).

See the trailer for yourself by clicking here: Mr and Mrs Smith

Film Review: House of Wax

"Good looking... forever!?"

House of Wax (15)
Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Imagine for a moment regaining consciousness and finding that something is very wrong; you can’t seem to move anything except your eyes. You’re sitting in a big room filled with lots of other people but none of them are moving either – could it be that they, like you, are entombed in a coating of wax awaiting a slow death?
Not necessarily, it could be that you’re actually in a cinema and you’ve just dropped off during the first 45 minutes of House of Wax, which is absolutely bog standard ‘teens about to become psycho fodder’ build up.

Yes in this update / loose remake of the 1953 Vincent Price ‘shocker classic’ some things have changed (we get a much dumber and prettier cast – embodied by Paris ‘One Night In…’ Hilton) but some remain – namely there are still some psychotic nuts who like to take people and cover them in wax…

Is it any good? Well, that completely depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re seeking attractive young people meeting incredibly gruesome deaths for no reason other than stumbling into the wrong town, then House of Wax might well be your cup of tea. If however you’re not into sadistic violence or just looking for a film with a decent plot then you should move a long as there is nothing but grisly ‘killing by numbers’ on offer here. And I’m not kidding about the grisliness – Director Jaume Serra goes all out to depict some of the most gut wrenching death and torture scenes ever in a 15 rated film. You’ll never look at a tube of superglue, a pair of pliers or a waxwork sculpture in the same way again!

To be fair Elisha ‘Girl Next Door’ Cuthbert does try her best and Miss Hilton manages to raise some interest by shedding most of her clothes before dying. But as my esteemed co-critic Matt Landsman noted: “House of Wax was just Texas Chainsaw Massacre with more wax” and he’s got a point.

The killers in House of Wax are unlikely to become horror icons – in fact you could almost imagine them in court claiming that they were just ‘over enthusiastic model makers’ and thanks to the very average U.S. box office for Wax, I don’t imagine we’ll have to suffer a sequel. For an altogether better cinematic experience, may I suggest Sin City which is the very definition of ‘cool’ – more on that next week…

Darkmatt Rating: öö (the sicker you are, the more stars you'll probably give it!)


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