I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Splice and was all the better for it. While the trailer presents a horror filled with jumps surrounding a freakish monster created in a lad, the film itself is much more than that. Though it does admittedly contain moments of what the trailer pretended the entire film was.

Splice it turns out is a funny and touching film exploring the morality of science, a couple’s relationship and their desire for a child. There were plenty of adorable moments as the audience practically cooed at the growing monstrosity learning to be as human as it could be.

Ultimately however things turned sour and the film suddenly became slightly offensive to the eyes as events unfolded that I had expected, and some that I wasn’t quite ready for. Splice is different from the norm, and was a good watch though not one I am likely to repeat.

Adrian Brody once again shows a fresh side to himself  and Sarah Polley somehow makes you side with the guys who are messing around splicing DNA. The real heart of the film however is ??Delphine Chanéac, who makes the animalistic Dren seem very human, at times adorable and then terrifying.

Definitely not one for the whole family, but something a little different.

I’m not really supposed to review comic books but I’ll be brief. It has taken me a whole extra day to get my hands on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s final tome in the Scott Pilgrim saga thanks to slow delivery by Amazon. This is amusing in a way in that all the events in Scott Pilgrim stem from one Amazon delivery girl being ultra-efficient.

The final book provides a satisfying close to Pilgrim’s journey with the usual mix of jokes, emotions, fighting and the fourth wall being repeatedly broken. Some things I had predicted came to pass and some things I was completely wrong about, to say any more would ruin a great story. The art is the best of all the volumes and contains more huge anime eyes than any other.

This book was a joy and the entire series is one I will happily revisit. I doubt I will ever relate to another comic hero as much as I can with Mr Pilgrim.

It was interesting reading the final showdown having now seen clips from the trailer for the film and some obvious differences became apparent. But the film will have it’s day, for now let’s bask in the epicness that is the Scott Pilgrim comics.

Adrien Brody certainly takes on a good range of films. This year we’ve had a hopeless romantic in Brothers Bloom, a fieldmouse in Fantastic Mr. Fox and are soon to have a mad scientist in Splice. For Predators Brody unveils a new character as he becomes the gravelly voiced and big armed action hero. And he pulls it off too!

Without Brody Predators would just be a bad action/sci-fi/thriller but he manages to bring it up to a mediocre action/sci-fi/thriller. As a result the film was pretty enjoyable though did had surprisingly long sections where nothing particularly happened, I suppose these were to create “tension” but it didn’t really work.

None of the characters were particularly memorable and they were all completely unlikable. Topher Grace in particular managed to come across as a creep as he pretty much reprised his character from Spiderman 3. Grace’s best performance on the big screen remains in his small part in Valentines Day.

Having not seen any other films in this franchise (I know, I know) I can’t really compare it to the other but from the sounds of the first this contains slightly more of the actual Predators while retaining the jungle setting.

One thing I’ll say for the film is it doesn’t beat around the bush at the start… well technically the characters do… anyway the action starts right off with everyone falling from the sky.

In summary, it wasn’t very good but wasn’t painful to watch.

It will hardly come as a shock for me to say that I really enjoyed Inception. The only criticism that comes to mind was that the dialogue was a little… efficient. Take that Nolan!

What we have with this film is the very rare melding of a blockbuster action film with a thought-provoking high concept piece. The movie really does require you to be paying attention and think hard to follow the many layers of plot but certainly doesn’t skimp on the action set pieces. My favourite moments of action all involved Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a corridor of questionable stability, adrenaline flowed as freely as gravity as we were treated to a uniquely beautiful bit of fighting.

The presence of Gordon-Levitt, along with Ellen Page, shows that this really is more than just a blockbuster as the cast have been chosen on more factors than just box-office draw and it really pays off. Page serves as the audience for the film and without that aspect I’d have had no clue as to what was happening. While Inception is happy to lay down the rules of the film, it doesn’t necessarily wait for you to catch up before plowing on in. I love a film with no mercy.

In among the car chases, shoot outs, dream sharing and general confusion is the story of one man’s tragic love for his wife and the trouble that brings. DiCaprio is on top from as he forces the focus of Inception away from being about people doing a job and towards an internal struggle shown as much through his expressions as through the subconscious come to life. This probably makes little sense, but then you should really see the film yourself.

The powerful score adds to the careful plotting, skillful direction and engrossing acting to make a truly affecting film. I can’t wait to see it again. Never again will so much importance be put on one tiny object. Speaking of which, once you’ve read the film read this, it has made me rethink the entire film.

Even with all the adoration in the world for Kristen Bell, which we have and will always have thanks to Veronica Mars, When in Rome cannot survive the fact that it is a terrible film with no real laughs and no sense to its plot. Just look at the poster, it’s awful.

Bell’s character takes some coins out of a fountain and so some guys fall in love with her briefly hampering her burgeoning romance with an overly handsome Josh Duhamel. One of the biggest problem the film faces is with the sheer number of crazy men that have fallen in love with Bell and are therefore chasing after her. With so many characters (okay four) none really get a chance to do much.

When you have Danny DeVito and Will Arnett in your film you should really give them more screen time and better lines would help too. If you aren’t convinced that either are comedians worth your time just watch some Arrested Development or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for some proof. Both were reduced to minor bit parts and Arnett forced to put on a “funny” accent. Ugh. As the remaining two love-struck fools Jon Heder and Dax Shepard made Arnett and DeVitto look even better, as both hammed it up far too much.

With all these things wrong with it When in Rome is surprisingly watchable, not necessarily good but certainly watchable, and that is all down to Kristen Bell. Bell takes what little she has to work with and throws herself into it with a delightful perky charm that belongs to someone who deserves a much better agent. Brief appearances from Lee Pace and Kristen Schaal also help keep the film from being a complete disaster.

When in Rome is bad. Kristen Bell is good. It’s a bit confusing.

At first I thought Please Give was a dreary drama but upon learning it was actually a comedy, a genuine funny and understated comedy, I couldn’t help but go and see it. Coming out of the screen I was incredibly happy with the film, and find it hard to find fault with it.

Please Give is a quite beautiful moving and dark comedy following one woman trying to atone for the fact that she scams the families of the deceased in order to stock her vintage furniture shop. Catherine Keener plays the part well, gradually revealing the humanity in a woman we’d otherwise have no sympathy for.

Meanwhile her daughter is struggling with the way she looks in a very understated way, and towards the end of the film Sarah Steele plays a scene with no dialogue to help her which almost broke my heart. To say any more about that would ruin the film.

The third strand of the film is taken up by the elderly neighbour of the family who sold her flat to them so they can expand their own when she dies. Her two granddaughters, Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet, often visit and take care of her and have problems of their own, but again I’ll stop short of explaining the entire film for you. Suffice to say that Hall and Peet play two wildly different characters with ease and extremely convincingly.

The entire cast, including Oliver Platt as Keener’s flawed but funny husband and Ann Morgan Guilbert as the elderly neighbour, take to their roles perfectly lending the film a very natural and believable feel.

While the film has it’s share of drama it is always very understated and the laughs are regular. In case you hadn’t realised yet I really liked Please Give; its got great actors doing great acting with a great script.

This film is good.

Rian Johnson, writer and director of The Brothers Bloom, has only directed one other film and that film, Brick, just so happens to be one of my all time favourites. He also recently directed an episode of Breaking Bad one of my all time favourite TV shows. My expectations were suitably raised upon going to see Bloom and as such I was slightly disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good film; funny, stylised and surprising. Bloom just isn’t quite right.

Where the film suffers is with timing. While the film is under two hours long it seems to drag a lot in the middle; a con movie such as this needs to be a bit faster paced but Johnson’s plan to have a con movie with sympathetic characters requirs time for emotional scenes that held the film up. Ultimately this was a worthy sacrifice; what it lacked in pace it made up for in heart as while we never knew the characters true motives as the film went along we did start to care about what would happen to them.

The entire cast, Rachel Wiesz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi and Robbie Coltrane were perfect for their parts and performed well. The direction and general production design were both very stylised, something that is often seen as a criticism. Personally I think it is often a plus point if you notice a particularly nice camera move, there’s nothing wrong with direction standing out as good as opposed to being overly generic. The music is also a treat, and as with Brick is provided by Johnson’s cousin, combining piano and various jazz instruments to create a unique sound, so different to most hollywood films.

With good direction, writing, music and acting it’s hard to know where the film comes up short but it does, if only slightly. Thankfully it remains clear that Rian Johnson has a real flair for writing and directing and any comparisons to Wes Anderson should be taken as a compliment.

Being a right trendy hipster I spent Friday night at the Curzon cinema in Soho for my first taste of their monthly midnight screenings. The experience on offer was Birdemic: Shock and Terror, a film famed for being the worst ever made.

They weren’t wrong.

Birdemic suffers from weak dialogue, poor acting and a general quality of filmmaking that makes my own efforts look Oscar-worthy. The first half of the film deals with Rod, a successful software salesman, falling in love with a model, getting some stock options (which are mentioned a bizarre amount) and securing funding for his own green business venture. If it hadn’t been for the wooden acting, weird sound quality, clumsy camerawork and clunky editing the film would have been boring. Instead of killing the film these amateurish aspects brought loud heckling and laughter from the late-night audience and as such an amazing night at the cinema began.

Waking up one morning next to his model girlfriend Rod discovers a world being attacked by birds. Badly computer generated birds to be exact. The birds dive-bomb buildings and explode before flying down and flapping slightly near the characters creating absolutely no tension at all. After briefly defending themselves with coat hangers guns inexplicably appear and the film descends into madness. Unconvincingly acted, crappily filmed madness.

Birdemic is truly, truly awful and is not one you should download or buy on DVD. Where Birdemic succeeds is with large group of slightly inebriated viewers who have been given full permission to shout, scream, dance and shake their coat-hangers. Birdemic is an experienced that should be shared or avoided completely.

Writer/director/cameraman James Nguyen was on hand for photos, autographs (my signed coathanger will always be with me) and a Q&A and while he was happy to pull faces for photos when it came to answering questions it was clear he still took his film seriously and revealed that a $20million sequel may well be in the works. Lord save us all.

Have a look at the trailer for a taste of the horror:

As it’s a bank holiday all you’re getting is a long overdue review of Iron Man 2. For the short version: It’s not as bad as I had expected after reading other reviews. For the longer version:

Don Cheadle is the New Terrance Howard
Neither Cheadle nor Howard gave particularly stand out performance as Rhodey and the transition of actors was covered in Cheadle’s first bit of dialogue; “Look, it’s me, I’m here. Deal with it. Let’s move on.” The recasting was neither a big improvement or a major failure, just slightly pointless.

Scarlett Johansson is Very Pretty
Another big name that doesn’t make too much of an impact beyond making Gwyneth Paltrow look positively dowdy in comparison.

Sam Rockwell is Awesome
Rockwell continues to show just how versatile he is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him give two similar performances and doubt I ever will… unless he plays the same character twice.

Robert Downey Jr. is Awesome, In a Different Way
Downey Jr. often seems to just be playing himself but in this way makes whatever character he’s playing seem incredibly real. There is something wonderfully naturalistic in the way he delivers dialogue.

It Was More Than a Set-Up for The Avengers
A lot of criticism portrays this film as building up for the big team up rather than being a film in it’s own right. While the Avengers are mentioned it is a minor point and I felt the film had a plot, of arguable quality, of its own.

The Film is Alright
No it isn’t as good as the first but this is the best cast of any super hero film so far and they didn’t cram in too many bad guys. The film was enjoyable and gave me what I expected, even if that was something a little unsatisfying.

I’ll be brief. Four Lions is funny, very funny. Darkly funny. From anyone else this would be a wholly satisfying black comedy about suicide bombers but as this came from Chris Morris it felt slightly lacking.

Chris Morris’ humour normally is deeply subversive and ultimately has something to say whether that be about celebrities or paedophiles. The only thing Four Lions could be saying is that terrorists are human too. It is refreshing to be laughing at what normally terrifies us, but the idea is played more for laughs than anything more. Big laughs though, big raucous laughs.

Anyone who’s seen Monkey Dust on BBC3 all those years ago may remember a series of sketches that pretty much follow the plot of this film, on those terrorists were from Birmingham.

If you want a good comedy there’s nothing else out right now, nor probably for a good while as good as Four Lions.

I wasn’t expecting much going into The Prince of Persia and as soon as I spied Papyrus typeface onscreen, a major peeve for font nerds and civilised society, I thought my expectations were going to be met. The incredibly rushed opening sequences didn’t help either, rather leaving me a bit confused and impatient. As someone who has never played the game on which the film was based I needed a slightly gentler introduction into the world.

I suppose they were simply trying to get the back-story out of the way so that the story itself could begin and to be fair they succeeded at that. Once my haze of confusion lifted, and I got over Jake Gyllenhaal’s accent, I found myself actually enjoying the film. What saved the movie for me was the humour present throughout. It wasn’t exactly clever humour but the general back and forth between Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton made the long desert journeys and bizarre plot all the more bearable, and Alfred Molina was a real highlight as the charismatic Sheik.

Sadly the plot really is bizarre, though surely all the more plausible in a video game, as Gyllenhaal and Arterton fight over a knife that can turn back time while his family troubles rage on in the background. The Prince of Persia isn’t going to be watched for it’s plot, it is going to be watched for its attractive cast and the promise of some action. On these points the film does deliver and while it’s not the most fun I’ve had inside a cinema this year there are worse ways to while away two hours.

The film does have a lot to thank its actors for as had the cast not been so damned attractive this review would look a lot different. I’m shallow like that.

Friday night saw Mild Concern at Koko in London to see M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel perform as She & Him. As Deschanel is an actress in both film and TV this is completely relevant to this blog. Honest.

The opening act were a little odd and I for one was glad once their set was over and the main act began with Ward often keeping to the shadows oozing cool while Deschanel skipped and bounced around the stage clearly enjoying herself. Whenever I see footage of the band performing live on TV the vocals never quite match those on the album but this was far from true in their performance on Friday. Deschanel proved herself to be a strong and confident singer, and the master of about one hundred instruments, and when Ward was allowed to sing alone his gruff, low voice was well received.

The set was comprised of a mix of songs from both albums, but sadly none of the songs from Yes Man, and when the more familiar tracks were performed the crowd happily sang along much to the delight and surprise of Zooey. this being their first ever London gig I doubt the band had much of an idea of if anyone had actually heard their music.

The true highlight of the night came at the very end during the second encore when both She and Him were given a cover to showcase themselves at their best. The entire band backed Ward for a high energy rendition of Roll over Beethoven that allowed him to step from the shadows and show everyone what he’s packing; not only an amazing voice but serious guitar playing skills too. For the final song the pair were left alone of stage and Deschanel sang I Put a Spell on You with Ward on guitar. This track needs to be released at Zooey’s vocals have never been so powerful; she was even stamping her foot at times as she held on a note for as long as she could. Suddenly I could see how she became involved in the constantly in development Janis Joplin biopic.

The performance on Friday night demonstrated why She & Him is much more than just an actress experimenting in music; this is a real band that perform amazingly live. If you get the chance then don’t miss seeing their show. Best £15 I ever spent.

Yesterday I saw Drones as part of the extremely low key Sci-Fi London Film Festival, an enjoyable film at a poorly organised event. Drones was written by relative newcomers Ben Blacker and Ben Acker and was directed by Amber Benson and Adam Busch (or more recognisably Tara and Warren from Buffy). This review may contain spoilers, depending on how strict you are.

The film is a completely office based comedy following a week in the life of Brian (Jonathan Woodward) who discovers that his best friend (Samm Levine) and love interest (Angela Bettis) are not from this planet. As Sci-Fi goes Drones is incredibly low-key with almost all of the extra-terrestrial goings on being covered more in conversation than in actions; the threat of the world being destroyed is evidenced solely by dialogue. This was good in the sense that the film is made completely unreal by cheap CGI but at times the film, and characters, seemed almost unaffected by the alien element to the plot.

As far as the acting goes this was a case of TV guys making good on the big screen as Woodward led an ensemble of vaguely familiar faces with impressive confidence, outshining the possibly more recognisable Levine. Amber Benson also really impressed; co-directing with Busch for the first time she shows great improvement in her direction with a style completely removed from her debut Chance which suffered too much from an amateurish appearance. While I love any film that utilises long single takes it does leave little room for the editing which Drones may have benefited from to pick up the slightly dragging pace.

The weakest link in Drones was the music, both not-as-clever-as-planned original songs and the slightly off-putting score. During one early scene a funny dialogue between Woodward and Levine was ruined by music trying too hard to emphasise the kooky nature of what was being discussed; what Desperate Housewives has made a fine art was not quite achieved here.

Despite a slightly weak ending, bad music and slow pace Drones ultimately impressed me and far exceeded my low expectations. Benson and Busch are a promising directing duo and have put together a funny, enjoyable film with flaws.

Drones is coming to a cinema near you probably never but will be on DVD at some point… we’ll let you know when.

Cemetery Junction is a bit of an odd bird and I’m not quite sure how to review it. Genre-wise it is definitely a mix between comedy and drama, the comedy elements providing a welcome release from the occasionally bleak themes in the film.

Cemetery Junction looks down on everyday small town life and the small cruelties within families while inspiring escapism and the desire for getting something more out of life. It does so with some truly affecting moments and is interspersed with moments of real laugh out loud delight. The film is Gervais light, though perhaps not light enough as some of the dialogue is jarringly Ricky-esque and his character’s few brief appearances didn’t sit well with the rest of the film.

Though its story is a simple one I enjoyed watching it unfold; the film felt warm and real. The lead, Christian Cooke, easily draws you in with the silent horror he feels at the world he lives in and the soundtrack made me instantly nostalgic for a time I never lived in. In fact Cooke really impressed, especially for someone whose CV so far includes Echo Beach, Demons and Trinity, all bad ITV shows.

Cemetery Junction is certainly not a high concept film and doesn’t take you anywhere you wouldn’t expect but is an enjoyable experience and different to most modern British films. Instead it had the scent of older UK cinema and I can’t help but imagine that it would have starred a young Michael Cane if made at the time it was set.

Ultimately I think I could happily watch Cemetery Junction again, and not just to see the lovely Felicity Jones once more.

This past hour Sky One has aired the 100th episode of Bones. This was an episode highly anticipated not just for its premise of showing Booth and Brennan’s first case together but for the show runner’s promise of a change in the relationship between the pair. Did it deliver? Well read on for a spoiler filled look at this milestone episode.

The initial set-up for the flashback was a bit odd as Booth and Brennan suddenly felt the need to tell Sweets about their first case which somehow they had failed to mention to him before now, but so long as it’s not a tumour induced dream I’m on board. The case itself was pretty unremarkable and really wasn’t the point of the episode, sure enough bones were found, fingers were pointed and in the end the bad guy was caught, but what we were really watching for was the people solving the crime.

In that respect the episode was quite successful as dynamics in the lab were completely different back in the day; Hodgins was all surly, Angela didn’t work their and Zack had yet to go crazy. Plenty of jokes were made that alluded to how the team would eventually turn out in present day Bones but it was for the most part pretty unremarkable. The episode was really gearing up to examine the will-they-won’t-they relationship, now an essential component in any crime-solving duo, between Booth and Brennan.

It turns out that when they first met Booth and Brennan were incredibly flirty with each other; both confessing to an attraction and it was all looking quite promising. After a few too many drinks they have a good old snog and head off for some sex when Booth ruins it all by saying it feels the two of them might be going somewhere. Brennan quickly retreats and they spend the rest of their flashback a little pissy at each other.

Back in the present day they leave Sweets’ office and Booth kisses Brennan and really puts himself out there, as he loves her and wants them to make a go of it. Brennan as before turns him down explaining that she can’t take that gamble, presumably fearing it won’t last and Booth says he has to move on. They walk away arm in arm and it was all a bit touching. This is where the episode came into its own, showing why the pair haven’t openly expressed their feelings in the series so far as it had already been done and actually having them address their feelings in the present day.

Too many shows rely on their will-they-won’t-they pairing never progressing as a reason for viewers to keep watching, and it’s nice to have the situation addressed out in the open. With any luck the events of tonight’s episode will have a ripple effect throughout the rest of the season. While this wasn’t the strongest episode ever the scenes between Boreanaz and Deschanel made it worth the watch.