January is a depressing time of the year. The shiny, food packed thrills of Christmas and New Years have deserted us, like a hard bodied lover disappearing into the morning half light after a great one night stand. Empty bank accounts and dieting are depressing replacements. February doesn't help much with only the enforced love-in of Valentine's Day to "look forward" to. In need of a cheap pick-me-up at the end of the month my sister Rachel and I decided to make the Saturday before payday our movie marathon day. Cheap crisps and booze in hand we chose to dive in the deep end; our first marathon would be The Lord of the Rings Trilogy at the end of February.

 

 

Not wishing to do things half-assed we plumped for the extended editions. Novices out there might think that thi ... Read more »

With the Avengers movie fast approaching I’m scrambling to catch up on all the prequel films. I finally watched Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) this weekend; just Thor (2011) left to go. It was an enjoyable comic romp, if a little hurried (packing an origin story, a global menace and an inevitable jump to 2012 into two rushed hours). The question that really distracted me throughout though was why is the Human Torch now pretending to be Captain America?

 

Chris Evans is a good actor. His Johnny Storm/Human Torch was the highlight of The Fantastic Four (2005), cocky but still funny and likeable. His Captain America was decent to, if a little more youthful than I pictured the Captain being. But why get the same actor to play two iconic Marvel superheroes? Hollywood is littered with talented performers who have the requisite chops and pecs to don Cap’s costume. Choosing one who fans already associate with another Marvel ... Read more »

 

What started as a private luncheon for a couple of hundred people in 1929 has now become a global event of obscene proportions. Forty million people tuned in to watch the ceremony in 2012, which is almost the entire population of Britain. Forty million arses numbed by three and a half hours of back slapping the sound of which could be heard on the moon. The exact date at which the Awards started to disappear up its own rear is unknown but some su ... Read more »