A Hero Survives - The Choice of John Cena

Last night at the 24th 'Survivor Series', John Cena was faced with the toughest choice of his career.

Trailer Time - Cowboys and Aliens (To Be Released: 29 July 2011)

The first trailer for John Favreau's 'Cowboys and Aliens' looks surprisingly good and certainly features some promising components. Daniel Craig leads a strong cast including Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano and Sam Rockwell. The only thing that concerns me is the script. Credited to four people, two of them attract me and two utterly repel me. On the side of good are Damon Lindlof, one of the key creators of 'Lost' and Ron Howard. However the film is also credited to 'Transformers' 1 & 2 screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. 'Transformers' 2 was the worst film I have ever paid to see, and I paid to see AVP 2. I can (and do) blame Michael Bay for that film, but I feel the script itself was abysmally poor. So much so, I will remain cautious about this film until it hits theatres.

(UK Release: Unknown, looks like August 2011)

Game Review - 'Batman: Arkham Asylum' (Released August 25 2009, PS3/360/PC)

There is something wonderful about walking through the cells of 'Arkham Asylum', trying to figure out who they belonged to before you scan them and find out for sure. You can find references inside Arkham to a huge variety of characters from the Batman mythos, many seen for the first time by players unfamiliar with the comic books. Their inclusion seems to be an assurance from the creators to the fans who appreciate the cameos - “Hey, we've read a lot of Batman too!” - they seem to say. As with the casting of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill from 'Batman: The Animated Series', it is a way of saying that the creators of the game are also fans. They have a knowledge and a reverence for the material they follow. This is good for marketing, after all - why would anyone want a Batman game made by people who don't know who Batman is? As it stands though, this assurance is just an empty promise. All these winks and nods only demonstrate why the creators of 'Arkham Asylum' should be better at their jobs than than they are.

“For all the stern and the baterangs, you're just a little boy in a play-suit...” 

The Dark Knights - Batman & I

It's funny to think that one of my first living memories is of Tim Burton's 'Batman' from 1989. I was around 18 months old at the time, and wouldn't even see the film until it appeared on television a few years later. However during my literal infancy, my parents owned an arts and crafts store and in the summer of “Bat-mania” they too displayed numerous items of merchandise. Die-cast Joker vans, Air-fix Batmobiles, posters, stationary – all sorts. Of course not all of these sold and my Dad was wise enough to put some away, on the chance they may one day be worth something. He also gave me a few pieces, most precious being my die-cast Batmobile toy. Remember this was around 1990, so must certainly have been my introduction to the character of Batman.

Recent Review - 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' (Released 25 December 1993)

"Your 'Angel of Death' awaits..."

Trailer Time - The Green Hornet (To Be Released 14th January 2011)

I entirely forgot I actually saw this trailer ages ago. I post it now to go with the poster, but watching it again has lowered my expectations considerably. When you have to steal gags from 'Johnny English', you have reached a plateau of low. Also I forgot how much I can't stand Seth Rogan. Prove me wrong Gondry. Prove me wrong.

(UK Release Unknown)

Poster Post - The Green Hornet (To Be Released 14th January 2011)

Sony have released a sleek teaser poster for Michel Gondry's first "Major Motion Picture", an adaptation of 'The Green Hornet' staring Seth Rogan and Cameron Diaz. I am concerned by it's occupancy of "The Spirit Slot", ie "the alternative comic book film released in the first 2 weeks of the year that might be promising, but like all films released in January actually sucks". However I am simply too interested in what one of my favourite directors will do with the material within tighter constraint of his executives. 'Eternal Sunshine' this will not be, but it very well could become a cult classic.

(UK Release Unknown)

Trailer Time - Rabbit Hole (To Be Released 17th December 2010)

The new film by John Cameron Mitchell, the director of 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch', has been pleasing critics on the festival circuit and based on this trailer I think it's easy to see why.

(UK Release Unknown)

2009 in Film

Recent Review - 'The Illusionist' (Released 16 June 2010)