Darkmatters Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 (12a)

Dir. David Yates

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Hold on to your wizarding hats mudbloods - young Mr Potter is back in this first part of cinematic finale of the much loved magical series. It’s been a long journey towards the final showdown between Harry ‘the boy who lived’ Potter and his evil nemesis Lord ‘he who must not be named’ Voldermort, but any fans looking for closure will have to tune in again next year. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part one is a bridging film that sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) running about trying to find the seven Horcruxes - enchanted objects containing parts of Voldemort's soul. But that’s not all, although is it just me or is two and half hours just to find one Horcrux a bit excessive?, there are also the ‘Deathly Hallows’ — another set of magical objects to be found too.

"always time for a magical quick snog"

The Deathly Hallows are made up of The Elder Wand - the most powerful wand ever made, The Resurrection Stone – which can bring loved ones back from the dead and The Cloak of Invisibility (which Harry had in earlier films). Together, these items are the Deathly Hallows and are rumoured to make one ‘master of death’ – and so are integral to the plot even though they really haven’t been mentioned much up until now...

Anyway, while the audience grow old waiting for the final battle, here we get to tread water in the classy company of John Hurt, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson, David Thewlis, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter, Imelda Staunton, Jason Isaacs and Bill Nighy…

Director David Yates (whose been making the Potter films since ‘Order of the Phoenix’) does an ok job with this tale which will be incomprehensible to newcomers but will please those who hold Harry and his magical adventures dear. It feels a little odd to not have the action centered around Hogwarts but at least a whizz bang high speed chase at the beginning of the film and a character death towards the end mean that there are a couple of memorable scenes.

"Harry, Ron, I feel bad for the viewers hoping to see the battle!?"

Screenwriter Steve Kloves keeps the general feel Twilight–esq gloomy while the friendship of the main trio is believably tested (anyone who has spent more than a week together in a tent will probably relate even if there weren’t being hunted by Death Eaters).The visual effects are mostly excellent too – so The Deathly Hallows part one feels like a good looking but deeply unnecessary exercise in spinning out the story and making loads of cash from the faithful viewers. It’s certainly much better than the weak Half-Blood Prince, but hopefully this is a mere taster as to what the final film will deliver next year when the battle really kicks off and we get to wish a bittersweet farewell to Harry and his chums.

UNSEEN DELETED SCENE:

Hermione gets so fed up with camping with Harry n Ron that she goes off and starts a modelling career in the muggle world... The boys can't believe it when they see her on the front cover of FHM!?

Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (8 magical bits and bobs out of 10)

Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 7 / Style 7 / Babes 8 (emma) / Comedy 6 / Horror  / Spiritual Enlightenment 2

"This was Hermione back in the first film"

"This is the Deathly Hallows Hermione"

"Emma Watson - ready to look good whenever!"

More Harry Potter / Emma Watson in the Darkmatters review of HALF BLOOD PRINCE

Darkmatters review of ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Darkmatters review of GOBLET OF FIRE

Darkmatters interview with Harry Potter Kids

Rare Exports brings a darker Santa for Christimas

CHRISTMAS JUST GOT NASTY...
 Matt Adcock from Darkmatters here to warn you that 'Santa' comes to cinemas DEC. 3rd. You’d better watch out - or at least watch the trailer below!!



Written and Directed by: Jalmari Helander

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 82 minutes

Here's the blurb:

In the depths of Lapland’s Korvatunturi Mountains, 486 metres deep, lies the closest guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up.

You better watch out, you better not cry, better not shout, I’m telling you why... Based on the award winning shorts of director Jalmari Helander that have already acquired a cult reputation in the internet, Santa Claus is coming to town in a never-before-seen Christmas fantasy thriller.

He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good...

This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus.

www.Santa4Sale.com
www.facebook.com/RareExportsMovie

Darkmatters - SingStar: Guitar

SingStar: Guitar – PS3

Developed by Sony London Studio

Published by Sony

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“The fire in your eyes, keeps me alive...”

Ah can there be anything better than rocking on guitar out to ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ by The Cult – a vocalist beside you giving it their all – people watching, jaws agape at the profound awesomeness that they are witnessing? Well, there’s more where that came from and it’s yours for the bargain price of just over a tenner.

I was a bit skeptical about SingStar Guitar – I mean it’s not like we haven’t got Guitar Hero and Rock Band etc for virtual strumming amusement is it… But SingStar is a quality brand – unmatched in the realm of videogame karaoke and so I gave it a go with an open mind (using my trusty old plastic guitar from Guitar Hero III – in fact it seems pretty friendly with most existing guitar add ons).

First impressions are that SingStar Guitar is a super slick addition to the much loved Sony sing-em-up franchise and for once the first impressions are right… This doesn’t seem to be going after the core Rock Band market, more SingStar Guitar offers a perfect way to add to guitar action to your SingStar system without having to splash too much cash.
The gameplay adds a note path on one side of the screen (or two note paths if you wanna rock with 2 guitars) – whilst the main singing area is as before showing the words over either the officially licenced video or the feed from your PS Eye.

"sing and strum - a perfect combination!"

SingStar Guitar packs 30 songs on the disc and has already started adding ‘Guitar Enhanced’ tracks to the impressive online SingStore which is unrivalled in offering not just additional music tracks for your gaming pleasure but also themes and extras – all seamlessly integrated in the thriving SingStar community. Music choices of note on the disc (in addition to the fantastic Cult track) include: The Love Cats by The Cure, Song 2 by Blur, Ever Fallen In Love With Someone by The Buzzcocks, Kiss With a Fist by Florence and the Machine, I predict a riot by Kaiser Chiefs, Fire by Kasabian, Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, Debaser by The Pixies and Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie.

You can sing and play guitar if you’re so minded – but will need a mike stand. The real joy however comes from rocking with friends and family. I kicked off a solo burst of Pixies and pretty soon had the whole family singing and playing along (wife on duet vocals, sons on guitars) on ‘Under Pressure’…

Setting up is simple and the load times for each track pleasingly quick. Your performance is scored out of 10,000 points total with players contributing their share. Also you can’t actually ‘fail’ a song which pleased my younger son who gets frustrated with Guitar Hero when he only makes it half way through a track… There are even some new guitar trophies which are pretty easy to nail so you’ll add a bit of kudos to your online PSN profile.

SingStar is the AAA music game to beat and adding guitars to the already winning formula just makes it even better. This is the perfect addition for any PS3 owners (and if you don’t own a PS3 by now – why the hell not!!??) who already has some sort of guitar controller – now if you’ll excuse me I have to shred U2’s Beautiful Day!?

Overall: Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (8 powerchord solos out of 10)

Darkmatters hearts Kevin Butler who made Gran Tursimo 5 awesome

You know this...

Kevin Butler made Gran Tursimo 5 awesome

Matt Adcock - seriously looking forward to GT5


Do the words 'can't wait' mean anything to you...

Check out this vid too:

Darkmatters Review: Skyline

Skyline (15)

Dirs. Colin Strause and Greg Strause (The brothers Strause)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“Our first encounter will be our last stand...”

Run for the hills – the alien invasion might just have begun and it looks pretty lovely. There are sparkling blue lights falling from the heavens all across the globe and surprisingly it isn’t even an advertising campaign for Sony’s Blu-Ray packing PS3, no, this is an Independence Day scale invasion of our little planet.

We join the action in Los Angeles where heroic Jarrod (Eric ‘that bloke from 24 who doesn’t make it’ Balfour) and his girlfriend Elaine (Scottie ‘hit US medic show Trauma’ Thompson) are visiting successful pal Terry (Donald ‘Scrubs’ Faison). Their partying is cut short when in the early hours following Terry’s lavish birthday bash ET and his pals gate crash our atmosphere.

Do the invaders (at least some of whom look a lot like the Sentinels from The Matrix) come in peace?

"Earth's last stand might not last that long!?"

In a word ‘no’ – these bad boys are here to harvest our brainstems and those lovely blue beams? They are clever devices which entrance anyone who looks at them and then sucks them up to the waiting spaceships to be processed.

Skyline was made on a very low budget but somehow the directors (working hard to make amends for their terrible crime against cinema Alien vs Predator: Requiem) deliver some tasty special effects. Alas the rest isn’t up to the visual look of the film, the budget limitations mean that for every impressive alien, the payoff is that we get to spend a lot of time in the same few locations.

So it’s best to just let the visually pleasing and highly destructive alien attacks wash over you. The whole concept is vaguely ‘Cloverfield’ like in that our main characters aren’t the heroes fighting back, these are just average Joes witnessing unprecedented events.

There are certainly some action scenes that will stay with you – pick of the bunch is an excellent fighter plane assault on one of the large alien craft in which you half expect to spot Will Smith leading the plucky squadron.

"Hmmm - seems you've been watching too much X-Factor"

But Skyline isn’t a feel good movie, and the bleakness of our human incapacity to oust the aliens certainly hasn’t gone down well in the US where they simply don’t like to lose to anyone. Maybe the very silly pre-sequel set up will see an upturn in the chances of human survival??

SEEN DELETED SCENE:

The cast of Indepence Day team up with those from Skyline to mount a bigger scale fight back... still doesn't work!!?

Darkmatters rating: ööööööö (7 alien ass kickings out of 10)

Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 8 / Style 6 / Babes 6 / Comedy 4 / Horror 5 / Spiritual Enlightenment 2

Gran Turismo® 5 Release Date Confirmed

Gentlemen START YOUR ENGINES... Gran Turismo® 5 Release Date Confirmed


Matt Adcock

The most highly anticipated racing game will be in your hands by Christmas

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe confirms to Darkmatters: Gran Turismo® 5 will go on sale across the UK from Wednesday 24th November 2010.

“Gran Turismo 5 is an ambitious project, with challenges and complexities which have made it our version of the Apollo Space Programme!” commented Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital Inc. “When we created the original Gran Turismo back in 1997, we wanted to set a completely new precedent for the racing genre. With the technological leap onto PlayStation 3, our objective with GT5 was to create another great revolution which would not only satisfy our own high expectations, but would meet or even exceed the anticipation of the fans. Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly. I can only apologise to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed.”

"nothing can compare to the pure GT5 feeling!!"

In Gran Turismo 5, you can tackle the world’s most famous racetracks, rendered in high definition that is as vivid as the real thing, and get behind the wheels of some of the most legendary cars in motor racing from past to cutting-edge present. Today, the impressive complete list of over 1,000 in-game cars was unveiled, including the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, the Lexus LFA and the McLaren MP4-12C. The full track list was also revealed, which will see players going head to head on famous legacy circuits such as Autumn Ring, Deep Forest Raceway and the Grand Valley Speedway, plus renowned real-life circuits such as Nurburgring and the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

For more information on Gran Turismo 5 visit: http://www.gran-turismo.com/

About the Gran Turismo® Franchise

With more than 56 million units shipped worldwide, the award-winning Gran Turismo® franchise for the PlayStation® , PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 and PSP (PlayStation® Portable) is regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulator ever created due to its true-to-life graphics, authentic physics technology and design. Since the inception of the Gran Turismo franchise, famed creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital Inc. in Japan have revolutionized the racing category as we know it today. His offerings provide the most realistic driving simulation in the industry and a unique medium for automotive manufacturers to showcase their products.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, over 38 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 146.1 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 62.7 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, over 54 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1.1 billion items have been downloaded.

More information about PlayStation products can be found at http://www.playstation.com/.

PlayStation, the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PS3 and PSP are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Probably the best cinema experience in the world!

Kelly Brook ... delivers in the cinema!?

"the auditions for Piranha 3DD were going well..."

Darkmatters hearts that 'Best Cinema Experience In The World'

Matt Adcock

Carlsberg and Sky 3D treated a London cinema audience to the most incredible experience last week when Kelly Brook made a surprise live appearance.

Cinema-goers at the Clapham Picture House were left stunned when the actress and model appeared through a side-door half-way through an advert to promoting the partnership between Carlsberg and Sky 3D, in which she was featured. The astonished audience applauded in delight as they were served Carlsberg by Kelly, who was wearing a classic 1950’s usherette style red satin outfit.

Darkmatters Review: Let Me In

Let Me In (15)

Dir. Matt Reeves

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“Just so you know, we can't be friends...”

Prepare yourself for the best horror film of the year. Let Me In (a remake of excellent Swedish masterpiece ‘Let The Right One In’) does for vampires something that a million Twilights, True Bloods or Vampire Diaries can only hope to – it grips the very soul of the viewer and never lets go.

If you’ve seen Let The Right One In you may be sceptical that a US remake could come anywhere near to capturing the haunting, dreamlike understanding of the acute alienation experienced by damaged tweenagers. But from the icy, snow covered New Mexico opening shot, to the unnervingly hopeful very last frame, Let Me In somehow manages to add a compelling new slant on the source material from John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel.

Let Me In is the story of twelve year old Owen (Kodi ‘The Road’ Smit-McPhee, who looks like a young Gareth Bale). Bullied unmercifully at school and drifting apart from his newly single mother, Owen is a lost soul in desperate need of a friend. It seems his lonely prayers have been answered when Abby (Chloe ‘Kick Ass’ Grace Moretz) moves into his block of apartments. Cool, confident and adverse to wearing shoes – even in the snow, there is something special about Abby, something different, something dangerous.

The two children carry this bittersweet story on their young shoulders and both deliver amazingly assured performances. In Let Me In the adults take a back seat and director Reeves even cleverly keeps Owens’ mother’s face always just out of focus as a clue to his sense of disconnect with her. Other adults in the plot include Richard Jenkins as Abby’s ‘Father’ and Elias Koteas as the detective tracking the escalating string of unexplained grisly murders – both supply quality, understated support.

"It's just that I've been 12 for a very long time"

This is a deep dark tale, that takes in gut wrenching violence one moment and sweet shared youthful friendship the next. If you haven’t seen the original I’d recommend seeing Let Me In first as it is probably more accessible (my wife said that ‘Let The Right One In’ was probably the freakiest thing she had ever seen).

Matt Reeves has created a fantastic, tragic, heartbreaking classic horror experience that will stand with Near Dark and The Lost Boys as one of the coolest vampire films of all time. Gird yourself and seek out Let Me In as soon as possible (then buy Let The Right One In on DVD too!).

UNSEEN DELETED SCENE:

Abby meets Edward Cullen from Twilight and beats the living daylights out of him for being such a pussy.

Burke and Hare are given a mandate to wipe out all the Scots


Darkmatters rating: ööööööööö (9 quality vampire bites out of 10)

Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 8 / Style 9 / Babes 7 / Comedy 6 / Horror 8 / Spiritual Enlightenment 4

"Eat some now, save some for later..."

 Watch the trailer here

Inbetweeners Series 3

Inbetweeners Series 3 (18)
 Dir. Ben Palmer (eps 1 -5), Damon Beesley & Iain Morris (ep 6 ‘The Camping Trip)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

If you have yet to witness the trailblazing cultural comedy phenomenon that is the multi award-winning ‘Inbetweeners’ – you’re in for a treat.
Even if you’re an avid follower – you should be excited about the third, hotly anticipated and much enjoyed series hitting DVD fresh from its run on e4.

The Inbetweeners is all about four friends, Will McKenzie (Simon Bird), Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), Jay Cartwright (James Buckley) and Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison). We join them as they try hopelessly to navigate their way through school sixth form, with their male hormones running riot. Looking cool, impressing girls and generally ‘having a laugh’ is their mission and it is a full on bittersweet blast watching the hilarious results.

"you'll love it"

Will is the show's narrator – having to cope with his parents’ divorce and being moved from a privileged posh private school to the Sixth Form at Rudge Park Comprehensive School. Series 3 kicks off with Will going on a double date with Simon, Tara (Hannah ‘little sister of Kara’ Tointon ) Simon’s new girlfriend), and Tara's friend, ‘Big’ Kerry who has a reputation for orally pleasuring her boyfriends. Things don’t go well – but that’s the deal for the Inbetweeners who channel pretty much every embarrassing, painful and just plain wrong experience that teenage boys have to deal with to superb comic effect. Things don’t get a lot better for Will in this final series – but hey – at least he’s got a fantastically attractive MILF mum (Belinda Stewart-Wilson – giving 39 year old women everywhere hope of becoming the lust objects for a new generation of teens).

Series 3 sees Simon in love with cool new girl Tara – even though he still harbours feelings for his life-long crush Carli D’Amato (Emily Head) whilst Jay is still just as obsessed with sex, lying about his conquests and dishing out questionable 'advice' to his friends. Things come to a head when Simon's parents tell him that the whole family are moving to Swansea in a couple of weeks – leaving him distraught as he will have no mates and never see Carli again. Finally there’s Neil who in Series 3 finds out that he might have got a girl pregnant, enjoys the most cringe worthy 18th Birthday ever and dispenses classic gaming advice along the lines of “Wii’s are for girls and children – should have got a PS3!”.

"Simon's new girlfriend"

The series rips along in the same vulgar, hilarious manner as the first two and comes packing some megaton unforgettable scenes. The extras are great too – especially seeing the out-takes and deleted scenes, listening to the commentaries and watching the funny video diaries. There’s enough Inbetweener genius in the extras to make this disc a ‘must buy’ even if you’ve only just finished watching the series on TV!

From Simon’s all time classic ‘wardrobe malfunction’ whilst taking part in the school fashion show, to Will trying desperately to live down being the ‘kid who shat himself in the exam’, via Jay’s problem with self-abuse / his dog’s attentions and Neil’s incontinence when drunk – Series 3 is the Inbetweeners at their messy, gross out and hilarious best.

With friends like these you might squirm at the balls-out situations they find themselves in but you’ll never laugh alone!

Overall: Darkmatters rating: ööööööööö (9 high school high jinks out of 10)

Read this review and more over at: Frank The Monkey

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP)


Developed by: Ready at Dawn

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

This is SPARTA!!!! – in the palm of your hand!

Warriors behold, a glorious new blood soaked reality awaits you – take hold of your trusty PSPs and charge forward into the fight. God of War: Ghost of Sparta sees Sony’s portable handheld PlayStation deliver something over and above what anybody might have hoped for. This is a ‘real’ God of War game, a meaty, violent and supremely satisfying ‘slaughter-em-up’ which shows just what the PSP is capable of.

If you’ve ever wanted to feel the adrenalin rush of intense battle, you might not expect a handheld game to be the best new place to find that testosterone overload focus of pure carnage which will make you feel like a MAN (whatever sex you are!? God of War III showed that when it comes hard bastard heroes, nobody comes close to Kratos – you can keep your space marines, soldiers and RPG fantasy warriors – this guy is the real deal – for behold – he is the God of War.

The Ghost of Sparta plot sees you as Kratos seeking answers about your past and finding out interesting developments such as your brother, Deimos needs saving form none other than Thanatos - God of Death. This cues up an excellent rampage of biblical proportions as you Leviathans, Gods, Kings and a whole host of angry legendary creatures. When Kratos is finished with them however, even the mightiest are left as crumpled bloody dismembered heaps because he is one action hero that doesn’t mind getting down and dirty with his huge upgradable weapons.

If you’ve ever played a God of War game, then you’ll be immediately home – chop, hack and stab enemies, reaping their green (health) and red (upgrade) orbs, Battle insane bosses where you’ll need fast reactions to employ the satisfying mini game take downs. Unleash magical attacks to rip through hordes of enemies or decimate hold as nail opponents… It’s all good!

The controls are kept simple with face button light and heavy attacks backed up with magic mapped to the D-pad. Special attacks can be brought into play with the triggers as well as using them for evading etc. It is a quality ‘pick up and play’ set up which is quick to feel like second nature and yet has a hidden level of depth once you start unlocking various combos etc. The PSP’s analog nub might not be the best joystick ever but it does the job and the developers have crafted the controls to be very responsive.

"meet my hot blades of death..."

For those who like to use a little brain power amidst carnage there are still some mild puzzle elements but these are not ones to stump you mid battle. Ghost of Sparta is wildly enjoyable, it is a standard bearer as to just what the PSP can deliver and it even has a sex minigame to enjoy…

If you plump for the download option (which I tried) then not only is the gameplay slick and looking gorgeous but there are virtually no loading to be done either… It seems like Ready At Dawn have mastered the PSP and totally made it their good time providing bitch.

If the PSP2 does launch next year, then this will be a very strong reason for Sony to include backwards compatibility… Although we can only dream as to what the next God of War on a more powerful handheld could bring – every PSP owner the world over should invest in Ghost of Sparta – because it is the crowning pinnacle of PSP perfection.

Overall: Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (9 stomping on immortal's gonads out of 10)

Darkmatters Review: Burke and Hare

Burke and Hare (15)

Dir. John Landis

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Caution – police are looking for two suspected mass murderers possibly hiding in your local cinema. The public are being urged to be vigilant and if you see either of them, only approach if you’re looking for some seriously ‘funny business’.

So John ‘An American Werewolf in London’ Landis is back on the big screen with this fun homage to the Hammer / Ealing black comedy films. This tells the tale of William Burke (Simon ‘Hot Fuzz’ Pegg) and William Hare (Andy ‘Lord of the Rings’ Serkis) whose antics became a bit of a murderous sensation back in the early 19th century. These two grisly entrepreneurs set up a lucrative business opportunity providing the Doctors at Edinburgh's medical schools with fresh bodies for their dissection and research – and when there aren’t any newly dead available, they ‘help’ people on their way to that sad state in order to meet demand...

Burke and Hare takes this wonderfully grim premise – based on real events – and lets Pegg and Serkis have lots of fun with the material. The supporting cast is excellent too, it is especially nice to see Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson from Spaced) reunited with Pegg – although it would have been extra cool if Nick Frost could have been cast here too. It’s not often that you find a film about serial killers randomly dispatching members of the public to order played for laughs. Everything swings along nicely enough, as the two main characters come across not as evil but more as bumbling fools who just happen to stumble into a life of mass murder. Their motives are at least not wholly reprehensible, Burke is smitten with sexy actress Ginny (Isla Fisher - who's perky boobs should be up for a 'best support' Oscar next year - see below), who flirts with him in order to get him to finance her all-female production of MacBeth.

"Isla buy that for a dollar..."

The authorities are presented as absurd thanks to the local militia being led by the ridiculous pint sized Captain McClintock (Ronnie Corbett). As the noose tightens around the necks of the two hero killers you can’t help but be moved by the fact that none of the esteemed doctors who paid for the bodies and didn’t ask any questions about ‘how’ they arrived so fresh are given anything more than a cursory slap on the wrists.

In the end what Burke and Hare delivers is a horror comedy with heart and enough funnies to make it worth a look – especially in the face of the weak Saw 3D or ‘just not scary’ Paranormal Activity 2 for alternative ‘scary’ viewing. Although anyone looking for a more serious and quality scare should be checking ‘Let Me In’ (review next week!).

UNSEEN DELETED SCENE:

Burke and Hare are given a mandate to wipe out all the Scots

Darkmatters rating: öööööö (7 dead for profits out of 10)

Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 6 / Style 7 / Babes 7 / Comedy 7 / Horror 5 / Spiritual Enlightenment 2

Darkmatters PS3 ‘Move - Golf Off’

Darkmatters PS3 ‘Move - Golf Off’

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11


Vs

John Daly’s ProStroke Golf (both played with Move Controllers).

Developed by: Tiger Woods – EA Sports, John Daly – OG International

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


As a lifelong fan of Tiger Woods golf games it was with interest that I tried out this year’s newest challenger. Yes it’s time to ‘Grip it and Rip it’ with John Daly in John Daly’s ProStroke Golf – which is the first golf game built from the ground up to use the funky PS3 Move Controller.

So will Mr Woods take this challenge lying down (with or without a glamorous companion) or have EA Sports slapped enough Move features into their already built game to keep the PS3 ‘Move-ers’ happy?

John Daly:

Let’s look at John ‘The Bear’ Daly’s effort first: Featuring the unique and critically acclaimed ProStroke control that allows players to craft and control real golf shots like never before. Sam Torrance and Peter Kessler provide lively commentary across 12 varied and challenging courses, populated with interactive spectators to bring a rich match-day atmosphere to life, well I say ‘rich match-day experience’ but that only applies if you haven’t experience Tiger Wood’s!? Away from the tournaments and exhibitions you can get stuck in to a Challenge Mode offers a series of golfing trials presented by John Daly himself. It is a fun mixture of different disciplines of the game, from putting and approach play to the world famous ‘Long John drive’. Where Daly shines is with the great controls – using the Move controller this is the best / most realistic golf experience in a video game to date. The physics in particular are awesome, you can open or close your shot (to swerve the ball left or right) simply by twisting your wrist slightly – as you would in the real game. It is both immensely impressive and massively challenging too, because as any golfer knows – one really bad shot can screw up your whole round!?

John Daly’s ProStroke Golf is very immediate – you can jump straight in: No levelling up required before a player is allowed to reach their full potential, it’s all about how good you are in real life!?? Sure you can play Daly’s golf with a DualShock 3, but the Move is really the best way to play this title – just be ready to put in a lot of practice!! It can take a while to even unlock the first tournament due to the game mimicking your real golf skills… perhaps that says more about my golfing prowess than I’d like but hey…

Graphically Daly can’t touch Tiger – the courses are nice enough but the crowds, effects and players are far better in the EA alternative. Online options are a bit limited for Daly too but they work if you find someone of a similar level a fascinating match can be had. Sound effects and commentary aren’t all that either – it’s bird noises and chirping insects and that’s it…

So for a highly realistic but pretty no thrills golf experience John Daly is your man.

Tiger Woods:

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 sees the grand master Woods who has had by far the best console golf game for years now – rise to the challenge of John Daly. Woods adds Move support which his functional but not as good as ‘The Bear’s’ but also adds the Ryder Cup and best of all - fun. It is refreshing to see a sports game not get too complicated and concentrate on the silky smooth play mechanics that have served them so well up until now.

Take your pick from the wealth of options - stroke play, match play, skins, long drive competitions as well as Ryder Cup, PGA tour and some wicked skills challenges. Tiger not only looks and sounds better than Daly’s effort but also has some killer online playability like play 12 vs. 12 games and Live Tournaments.

If you’ve played and enjoyed any of Tiger’s games up until this year – get ready for the same classic experience with the expected amount of polish and added ability to build up FedExCup points and role play like experience points to improve your various attributes. There is a new ‘True-Aim’ option too which helps with active swing control and the ‘Focus’ which allows for super accurate putting or an extra few percentage points of power on a drive when used.

Tiger is the choice for non-move owning golf fans or those who value production over realism.

Darkmatters Verdict

Both these games are pretty excellent in their own right – either will satisfy and provide hours of golfing goodness. If you’re looking for a pure Move experience then you should check out John Daly as it will give you a fantastic insight into your own ‘real’ play style.

Final scores: The two titans of virtual golf each deliver good golfing experiences. Tiger is slicker and better looking, Daly rocks the best Move controls by a long drive… the choice is yours…
Tiger Woods – Overall: Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (9 awesome classy birdies out of 10)


John Daly – Overall: Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (9 long drive 'Moves' out of 10)


Of course for massive golf fanatics you probably need to buy both!

Darkmatters Review: RED

RED (12)

Dir. Robert Schwentke

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Welcome to the world of Paul Moses (Bruce Willis) - a retired CIA ‘Black Ops’ agent whose days are now filled with nothing more exciting than the occasional flirty phone call to phone operator Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) about his government pension cheques.

That is until one day a ‘wet work’ hit-team is sent to take him out because Moses has been deemed R.E.D. (Retired Extremely Dangerous). But Moses is still a tough nut and after eliminating the hit-team he sets about trying to find out why he’s suddenly been deemed a target and sanctioned for execution…

Director Robert ‘The Time Traveller's Wife’ Schwentke's film takes a fun, ‘A-Team’ style reworking of the DC Comics graphic novel series which details the fight back of this old agent against a corrupt new Vice President. New to the plot – for the film – are additional R.E.D. agents who team up with Moses, there is crazy paranoid Marvin (John Malkovich), raucous cancer victim Joe (Morgan Freeman), and elegant ‘hit-woman’ Victoria (Helen Mirren). It is this stellar cast that lends the film such a great air of quality, fun and kick-ass action. It is a genius reworking and there is something quite special about seeing someone like Helen Mirren operating a heavy mounted machine gun or a ‘Call of Duty’ style sniper rifle.

"call me 'Grandma' again..."



As mentioned the tone is much lighter than recent comic book adaptations – RED is a blast of bullets, quips and outrageous action which isn’t too sadistic or grim. This is potentially the best ever family friendly shoot-em-up which rocks some great set pieces, I saw it with my family and we all came away greatly amused.

If The Expendables opened the door for this timely ‘revenge of the oldies’ tale – the common factor from both films being Bruce Willis and his still winning charisma. There are some great lines such as when Sarah meets Moses and tells him “drugged, kidnapped… not an ideal first date but I’ve had worse” – the romance / action ‘fun’ factor is high, in the same spirit as this year’s Knight and Day.

It’s a bold move to make the United States Vice President (Julian McMahon), the villain of the piece – it seems that the ‘hit list’ Moses finds himself on is part of a big cover up for some bad things that might blot the Presidential candidates record. Also ranged against the elderly heroes is Alexander Dunningpower (Richard Dreyfuss) an arms dealer who is tied into the cover up.

RED is lots of fun and is much like Frank Moses himself - hard on the outside but ‘gooey’ on the inside. Enjoy!!

UNSEEN DELETED SCENE:


Bruce Willis's Moses is hired to track down and kill the remaining Expendables as they have become a liability!!

Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (9 awesome 'old time' action scenes out of 10)

Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 8 / Style 8 / Babes 7 / Comedy 7 / Horror 5 / Spiritual Enlightenment 3

Read the graphic novel and extended movie prequel character graphic novels on you PSP or PS3 - check here

Red Princess Blues

Red Princess Blues

Dir. Alex Ferrari

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“A turbo charged mini epic noir – spitting nitrous badass danger and spewing black fumes”

Sometimes less is more and occasionally a short film will pop up and blow you away – in the past I’ve been deeply impressed by short films such as Prey Alone, Batman: Dead End (also known as Batman vs Alien vs Predator) and a short animation called Red Princess Blues – The Book Of Violence.

Now the guy behind Red Princess Blues is back – this time with a stunning 11 minute feature scene that works as both a promo and a very cool viewing experience in its own right. Red Princess Blues tells the tale of a young teenage girl, Zoe (Tabitha Morella) who is lured into a grimy after-hours carnival tent by the sleazy rock n roll carnie Rimo (Richard ‘Black Hawk Down’ Tyson). Rimo is a low-life with trouble on his mind and the gorgeous jailbait Zoe is way out of her depth – is there anyone amongst the rag-tag bunch of carnies in Roscoe’s Freak Show & Carnival to save this poor girl from the very unwelcome advances?

In a word – yes – fortunately for Zoe there is a loner woman drinking at the bar, might she be the legendary ‘Princess’ (Rachel Grant)… If you’ve seen the animated prequel short, you’ll know that there’s one thing that Princess does well – violence!! Cue a kick ass fight sequence – heavy on style and potential – it is very watchable and nicely adrenalin pumping stuff.

Ferrari has a brought his single vision to wonderful, CGI live, backed up with superbly stylish set design that wouldn’t look out of place in the awesome, hyper-real comic book alternate realities of films like Sin City or The Spirit or The Crow.

Red Princess Blues oozes menace and delivers a fantastic thrill ride of pure viewing pleasure. Check the trailer below – and then log on to www.redprincessblues.com and click the link to download the Red Princess Blues app from the iStore and enjoy the full short film on your iPhone/iPad/iPod!?



If Alex Ferrari is looking for a dark future tale to adapt – he’s welcome to Dark Matters (the novel)…

“Let’s play carnival, you sit on my face and I’ll guess how much you weigh.”

Darkmatters rating: ööööööööö (9 awesome violent princesses out of 10)

Darkmatters review of Red Princess Blues Animated – The Book of Violence

PS3 Move already 2.5 million units ahead of Kinect

"The force is strong with the PS3 Move"

PlayStation Move shifts 2.5 Million units in 30 days...

Matt Adcock

Sony must be pretty please with the number of people 'Move -ing' as it was announced that the PS3 Move controller has shifted over 1 million  in the U.S. and Canada, plus 1.5 million units in Europe (sourced from the L.A. Times), since launch last month.

With the Move launching in Asia this week, it will be interesting to see how well it sells in the run up to Christmas.

Of course the Kinect 'look no controller at all' camera for the Xbox 360 hasn't actually launched yet so being 2.5 million behind is a temporary state of affairs.

The Move's combined sales seems to have exceeded some analysts' expectations:

"It's ahead of what I thought previously," said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities. "I think that they are a lock to sell 3 to 4 million by Dec. 31, and a lock to hit more than 5 million by fiscal year end" on March 31.

With LOVEFiLM being launched on PS3 next month - allowing people to view pretty much any film on demand - it looks like PS3 and Move are going to have a very happy Christmas!?

Check reviews of:

MOVE...

Sports Champions...

Start The Party...

Tumble...

Anticipated Move titles The Fight, Sly Collection etc

Darkmatters says 'Let Me In' to new trailer

LET ME IN, from the director of Cloverfield. In cinemas Nov 5.

Matt Adcock

"Let Me In" tells a terrifying tale about an alienated 12-year old boy named Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who is viciously bullied by his classmates and neglected by his divorcing parents. Achingly lonely, Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his middle school tormentors and his evenings spying on the other inhabitants of his apartment complex. His only friend is his new neighbor Abby (Chloe Moretz), an eerily self-possessed young girl who lives next door with her silent father (Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins). A frail, troubled child about Owen's age, Abby emerges from her heavily curtained apartment only at night and always barefoot, seemingly immune to the bitter winter elements. Recognizing a fellow outcast, Owen opens up to her and before long, the two have formed a unique bond.





If you like the look of this - be sure to check out the original 'Let The Right One In'

Darkmatters Review: Despicable Me

Despicable Me (U)


Dir. Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

‘One big unicorn, strong and free, thought he was happy as he could be. Then three little kittens came around and turned his whole life upside down. They made him laugh, they made him cry. He never should have said goodbye. And now he knows he can never part from those three little kittens that changed his heart…’

This is the plot of a children’s book written by despicable super villain ‘Gru’ (Steve Carrell) but it serves as a snapshot of the whole film. Despicable Me is a pleasing new dark comedy animation which has a gooey heart. We get to join Gru as he launches his most evil plan ever – to shrink and steal the moon… but along the way he comes across a trio of adorable orphans – the eldest who acts as their surrogate mother is Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), next is blonde rebel tom boy Edith (Dana Gaier) and finally cute little Agnes (Elsie Fisher). These girls have the power to give him a way to get one up on his nemesis rival villain ‘Vector’ (Jason Segel) – so decides to become their adoptive father.

Think The Incredibles mixed with Lemony Snicket and you’ll have some idea of this tale of rival super villains which packs plenty of humour, action, and heart-warming parenting moments. What more could you want from an animated film?

What’s that you say? 3D technology? You got it – yes Despicable Me rocks out in some lovely 3D which is put to memorable effect in sequences like where Gru takes the girls on a hyper-kinetic roller coaster and the audience get to see it directly from a breath-taking white knuckle the first-person viewpoint. It shames other films that have jumped on the 3D bandwagon without any real rhyme or reason other than to try and sell their weak movies.

So Despicable Me has a fun plot with enough twists and turns, laugh out loud quips and scenes, and very nicely delivered voice acting from the stellar cast – even Russell Brand delivers some memorable lines. But good as the human elements are, they are wildly upstaged by Gru’s ‘minions’ – the tic-tac looking creatures (belwo) who do all the super villain’s dirty work.

"The Jason Statham look-alike contest got fierce"

This year is turning out to be a good one for lovers of animated movies - How to Train Your Dragon was great, Toy Story 3 set a new standard of excellence and even Shrek regained his form. Now you should go get Despicable in a cinema near you as soon as possible!!

UNSEEN DELETED SCENE:


The Despicable Me minions are transported to the planet of Toy Story 3's Aliens who worship the 'claw'... chaos ensues when the cross breeding kicks off!

Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (8 dastardly plans out of 10)

Darkmatters quick reference guide: Action 8 / Style 8 / Babes 5 / Comedy 8 / Horror 3 / Spiritual Enlightenment 6

Tis the Season for PS3 Games

"personal shoppers - optional"

5 PlayStation 3 games to add to your Christmas list…

Matt Adcock

Gran Turismo 5 might be delayed (again) and there are tons of excellent looking games hitting the PS3 in the run up to Christmas - Call of Duty Black Ops, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Fallout: New Vegas and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit... For those who have the new MOVE controller you can add SingStar: Dance, TV SuperStars and The Shoot if that's you're kind of thing.

Here though are some more titles to consider of looking for cool games for that special PS3 owning someone in your life...

1. Prince of Persia: HD trilogy

Three classic PS2 games, all re-engineered in high definition – on one Blu-ray… all for less than £30? Bring it!!

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Your chance to relive the critically-acclaimed and Prince of Persia trilogy, remixed in high definition graphics and stereoscopic 3D.

2. The Fight (Move)

The most realistic motion controlled fighting game released to date ‘hits’ the PlayStation 3 with the brutal world of illegal underground fighting utilising the PlayStation Move controller and the PlayStation Eye camera. Together these two seamlessly translate the player’s realistic physical actions to those of the character on the screen, allowing the players to fight however they choose. Keep it clean with standard jabs and punches, or fight dirty with headbutts, headlocks and more...

I played this at the PlayStation BetaRooms event and have to admit that it really packs a punch – can’t wait to take this bad boy online!

3. Time Crisis Razing Storm (Move)

Pew, pew… BOOM The PS3 is set to redefine home arcade shooters with the a new ‘Razing Storm’ Time Crisis game which will see you shooting-baddies-up in a massively destructible environment to fight futuristic terrorists and renegade soldiers in a South American country under a bloody revolution as part of a special forces unit called S.C.A.R. (Strategic Combat and Rescue), sent to capture the leader of the rebels, who masterminded an attack on the United States.

Also in this package is Time Crisis 4 - A re-release of the fourth game in the Time Crisis series, the game follows Military Intelligence Official William Rush in a mission to stop terrorists from utilizing biological insect-like weapons and any hidden agendas they may have.

And to round off this stellar package – you also get ‘Deadstorm Pirates’ where you’ll be shooting pirates like you’re Captain Jack Sparrow himself!?

4. Sly Cooper Collection

More brilliant PS2 classics getting the ‘God of War Collection’ treatment – so the Sly Cooper franchise get HD graphics , trophies and silky smooth refined gameplay. Get ready to enjoy:

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racconus

Sly 2: Band of Thieves

and Sly 3: Honour Among Thieves

The games will also have mini-games designed for the PlayStation Move and Sly 3 will also support stereoscopic 3D.

5. The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (Move)

The Lord of the Rings makes the jump into motion control - Aragorn's Quest let’s players become the legendary Aragorn and embark upon a quest reliving the hero's most valiant battles from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Wielding a sword, shield, bow and spear (through the PS3 Move Controller) players will battle enemies and journey through Middle-earth where they can switch between spear and sword on horseback, taking down evil foes in a truly action-packed gameplay experience. Two-player co-op gameplay featuring Gandalf allows players to work together in the heart of the orc-slaying action.

- of course these are just a few suggestions... And with LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3, Mass Effect 2, MotorStorm Apocalypse and SOCOM 4 all hitting early next year there's lots more to look forward to!

DJ Hero 2 hit King's Cross

"check the blonde 'human stylus'..."

DJ Hero 2


Previewed by Matt Adcock

Next Friday the world will throb to the launch of DJ Hero 2 – as thousands of DJ gamers take to their decks – on PS3s across the globe. Today, to mark the anticipated release the World’s largest turntable was installed at King’s Cross St Pancras International station.

Early morning commuters were provided with a musical treat as they danced their way through the station to some of the world’s biggest tunes. Former DMC world champion and radio 1Xtra mix master specialist DJ Blakey was on the decks whilst members of the public lived-out the fantasy of being a superstar DJ, scratching and mashing up tracks in front of a huge audience.

I got to give one of the plastic decks a spin and was impressed with the new game – the graphics are sharper, the mix of tunes sweeter and the gameplay has been cranked up a notch or two from the fun original.

The good news is that if you have the first game, you can use your existing deck to play DJ Hero2, the cunning buggers at Activision though are releasing a two deck party pack which comes with a mike so you can shout “let me hear you scream!” etc… in your own front room and have people passing in the street turn to stare!?

DJ Hero was a lot of fun, but DJ Hero2 looks to be better in every conceivable way – if you’ve ever wanted to mix, scratch or spin some tunes, mark 22nd October in your calendar and get ready to make some noise!!

Check out the DJ Hero 2 site

LOVEFiLM hits the PlayStation®3

PlayStation 3 loves LOVEFiLM

Matt Adcock

Sony Computer Entertainment UK (SCE UK) and LOVEFiLM, everyone’s favourite European film subscription service, today announce a ground-breaking partnership to bring LOVEFiLM to millions of PlayStation®3 (PS3™) users across the UK.

Yes - LOVEFiLM becomes an official PS3 integrated subscription film service partner which means that LOVEFiLM subscribers will be able to stream the UK’s largest choice of subscription titles directly to their TVs, through their PS3s and open a new world of interactivity with LOVEFiLM.

"Your perfect film delivery box... also plays the best games around!"

The partnership will soon take LOVEFiLM, currently with 1.4 million subscribers and approximately a million billion movies, into PS3’s three million-and-growing UK households. It is the most significant extension to date of LOVEFiLM’s direct-to-TV rollout which began in March when LOVEFiLM launched on SONY BRAVIA Internet Video TVs, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray Home Theatre kits.

LOVEFiLM Chief Executive, Simon Calver, said,

“This is game-changing for LOVEFiLM and transformational for the UK home entertainment market as a whole. PS3 already has a very large installed customer base of all ages, all of whom will soon be able to benefit from our unique combination of instantly available content, streamed through their PS3, as well as DVD, Blu-ray & Games rental by post. To become PS3’s partner for our service is a tremendous endorsement of the value, choice and convenience offered by LOVEFiLM.”

"Coming to a PS3 near you soon - films like Twelve which sees the lovely young Jessica (Emily Meade) hooked on designer drug 'Twelve'... don't do drugs kids!"

The LOVEFiLM service will become available on the XMB (Xross Media Bar) on all internet-connected PS3s, providing most members of LOVEFiLM on subscription packages access to thousands of titles from major studios and independents, streamed instantly to their TV via their PS3, in addition to the rental by post services. Members will be able to scroll through titles on the page, also search through categories including ‘Pick of the Week’, ‘Most Watched’ and ‘Highest Rated’, view ratings and search through the LOVEFiLM instant offering by title, actor and genre. LOVEFiLM will offer any PS3 users who are not already LOVEFiLM subscribers, exclusive incentives to join the service, including free trials.

“We know there is a huge interest within our audience for film, and so the addition of LOVEFiLM to our current range of services is a very natural fit and one which significantly enhances the value proposition of PlayStation 3,” said Ray Maguire, MD of Sony Computer Entertainment UK. “LOVEFiLM has a proven track record of success and innovation in the film distribution field and is a very welcome addition to the PlayStation family that I’m confident PlayStation gamers will embrace enthusiastically.”

About LOVEFiLM

• In a little over 6 years, LOVEFiLM has become a leading European film subscription service, combining the benefits of DVD rental by post and, more recently, watching movies online via the LOVEFiLM Player (on the PC or streamed to the TV). Customers can therefore choose how they want to watch from a selection of over 67,000 titles, including HD/Blu-ray DVDs, video games and digital streaming.


• LOVEFiLM has over 1.4 million members and operates in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany


• LOVEFiLM weekly newsletters reach over one million members


• LOVEFiLM was a pioneer in digital film delivery in the UK and has recently launched the LOVEFiLM Player with thousands of digital titles available for members to watch on their TV or PC. The LOVEFiLM Player is available to all users of LOVEFiLM. For those on an Unlimited package the service comes at no extra cost. Premium titles are available to everyone on a pay-per-view basis, and a number of titles are available to all site visitors for free with advertising support


• The LOVEFiLM Player is becoming available through a range of internet-enabled devices - including Sony and Samsung - taking LOVEFiLM directly into members’ living rooms through their TV sets


• LOVEFiLM customers have generated 80 million ratings, 843,000 member reviews and generate around 2 million trailer views per month – information which helps LOVEFiLM to promote the most relevant titles for customers to choose from


• LOVEFiLM also sells DVDs, Blu-ray and video games through the LOVEFiLM shop


• LOVEFiLM is Hitwise’s 2009 Number 1 website based on market share of visits among all UK websites in the Entertainment - Movies industry (ranked 4th in the Shopping and Classifieds - Video and Games industry)


• LOVEFiLM offers a range of rental options in each market with free postage and no late fees. In the UK these include £3.99 a month allowing members to have one DVD at a time (limit of two per month. Does not include online viewing), £5.99 a month for one DVD at a time (limit of three per month plus 2 hours online viewing ), £7.99 for two DVDs at a time (limit of four per month plus 4 hours online viewing), £9.99 a month for one DVD out at a time (Unlimited DVDs by post and online viewing), £12.99 for two at a time (Unlimited DVDs by post and online viewing) and £15.99 gives the option for three DVDs at a time (Unlimited DVDs by post and online viewing). Members on an Unlimited package have access to the LOVEFiLM Player at no extra cost


• LOVEFiLM also offers a range of video games rental options in the UK market to support gaming across XBox 360, Xbox, PS3, PS2, Wii and DS. These include £5.99 a month for one disc at a time (limit of three per month. Does not include online viewing), £9.99 a month for two discs at a time (limit of three per month plus 4 hours online viewing), £14.99 a month for two discs at a time (Unlimited discs by post and online viewing) and £18.99 for three discs at a time (Unlimited discs by post and online viewing), all with free postage and no late fees


• LOVEFiLM UK awards include: British Video Association's award for the UK's Best Rental Service in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, won the fast-growing media company Media Momentum award in 2005, 2007 and 2008, UK technology – Innovation & Growth award for Mediatech Impact of the Year 2008, Home Entertainment Week awards for Rentailer of the Year 2007 and 2008, the 2008 Fast Growth Business Award for Retail/Leisure business of the Year, featured in The Sunday Times top 100 fastest growing private technology companies in 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007, awarded 3rd place in The Sunday Times top 100 private equity-backed companies with the fastest-growing profits in 2010, a finalist in the National Customer Service Awards 2008, finalist in the Retail Week awards 2009, awarded 5th place in the Deloitte Fast 50 UK 2009, awarded 22nd place in the Deloitte Fast 500 EMEA fastest growing public and private technology companies and named Company Of The Year at the Growing Business Awards 2009


• The group currently works with major partners in the UK including Tesco, easy Group, CD Wow, Guardian News Media, Odeon and Vue Cinemas, some of whom offer a fully white-labeled online DVD rental service


About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, over 38 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 146.1 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 62.7 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, over 54 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1.1 billion items have been downloaded.


More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.playstation.com .
PlayStation, the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.