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.

If you have seen Inception the clips I have embedded below are about to blow your mind as you discover just where that beautifully dramatic score came from. This is not to say Hans Zimmer skimped on his job of composing but that he did so with a beautiful little easter egg. The discovery was initially made in this video, but I had to check for myself.

Listen to the clips then click inside for a little bit of me stating the obvious and maybe throwing a spoiler about. if the clips aren’t working you might have to leave Google Reader and visit the actual site.

First of all the score to Inception.

Hans Zimmer

Now Non Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf slowed down to 32%.

Edith Piaf

And the two together.

Zimmer Piaf Mix

Now how about Hans Zimmer sped up leading into Edith Piaf?

Zimmer to Piaf

Pretty awesome, huh?

As we know time in the dream world moves slower than in the world you are asleep in. We also know this very song was used in the film to let the dreamers know when the kick comes. So if they are hearing the song in slow motion then that would mean they are dreaming, Now I can’t be sure but if this score plays when our characters are in the “real” world that that truly opens up the possibility of the “it was all a dream” theory.

Wowza.

If it was only used when the characters were in a dream then it’s not a big twist but another layer of detail to a beautifully detailed film.

I wish I’d just posted the video, those clips took forever to get right.

Ho hum. Nothing exciting happening today, just some childhood memories being ruined. Not my memories mind you, I’m far too young!

Karate Kid
Jackie Chan and Will Smith’s son, under the alias of Jaden Smith, remake this 80′s classic. Sure it will be well made, pretty to look at and a little nostalgic but ultimately it leaves you asking why it had to be made in the first place.

The A-Team
Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson and Sharlto Copley remake this 80′s classic. Sure it will be well made, pretty to look at and a little nostalgic but ultimately it leaves you asking why it had to be made in the first place.

I’m off to see Toy Story 3. I’d rather a sequel than a remake.

Want to see a clip from upcoming indie flick Hesher starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman, both sporting looks that should be unattractive but aren’t? Well check it out below.

At the moment Hesher doesn’t seem to have any kind of release details at all which is a real shame as any time two of my favourite actors headline a film together I oddly want to see it.

As if Dustin Hoffman wasn’t enough, American TV is getting even more critically acclaimed acting folk to give up lots of movie-making time.

Laura Linney is taking on the lead role in The Big C on Showtime starting next month. She plays a wife and mother who finds out she has cancer and unravels in a funny way. It’s like Breaking Bad less crystal meth and sadness.

But that’s not all, The Big C also has Oliver Platt and Gabourey Sidibe amongst it’s cast and as of yesterday they got…. Liam Neeson!

American acotars are starting to see TV as some British actors do, just another medium but not necessarily a lesser one. Have a look at the trailer if you’ve got a few minutes, it doesn’t look terrible:

With great TV comes great memorabilia; endless figurines, T-shirts and posters. Now Breaking Bad has topped them all with a distinctive line of blue methamphetamine sold in limited numbers only in Kansas City.

Not exactly an official product but more a crystal meth cooker giving a little nod to Breaking Bad. Unless they tried the alternate recipe we all learnt from the show and are now using it full time. Either way I’m really happy that Breaking Bad has got a dedicated audience, if a little unhappy that the dedication goes as far as selling harmful drugs.

Next up: Weeds branded cannabis and Hung inspired male prostitutes. Can’t wait.

It’s Friday and you know what Fridays mean… PRIZES! Well actually films are released on days like these but if you do want something for nothing you can still go claim your free paintball tickets from The Expendables. If you’d rather sit in the dark experiencing some kind of narrative than run around a forest this weekend, let’s see what’s coming out.

The Rebound
It’s a generic Romantic Comedy so you know my normal over the top sarcastic response. This one involves an older woman falling for a younger man. Hopefully Ms. Deschanel will watch and learn to not feel shame for out love.

Splice
Adrian Brody confuses everyone again and totally at some point has sex with a creature he and some woman make in a lab. Speaking of that woman, three times in the trailer they make it look like she might die, then immediately show her alive and well later on in the film. Who can I trick into seeing this with me?

Baarìa (limited release)
This is an “autobiographic epic of three generations in the Sicilian village where” writer/director Giuseppe Tornature grew up. I love the name Giuseppe.

City Island (limited release)
Hidden among the good foreign stuff is an American comedy starring Andy Garcia unravelling and such. While the clip shown on Top Gear looked rubbish this could actually be good as limited release comedies often are. This isn’t a solid rule though.

Ivul (limited release)
What’s that you say Lassie? “Part nightmare, part fantasy, Ivul tells the tale of Alex, who bizarrely moves out onto the roof of his house and refuses to come down after a false abuse accusation. From there, he watches the family he loves, but can’t live with, as it destroys itself from the inside out.” Thanks Lassie, that sounds pretty good.

Lassie may or may not be linked to IMDb.

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.

Somehow one of this year’s biggest releases went and came out in cinemas without me noticing. I blame the fact that it’s been out in America for AGES!

Toy Story 3

Apparently the most efficiently tear jerking film to hit the silver screen this year come from some familiar faces, the faces of some toys. As Toy Story 2 proved that a sequel can be as good as it’s predecessor it seems the third installment is keeping audiences happy a whole fifteen years after the original. How do Pixar keep making great films I ask you, ignoring for a moment the travesty that was Cars. You’re probably going to see this, if not… oh.

Don’t hold out for The Rebound, the best film this week is already out!

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.

After two false starts, dramatic and engaging false starts, The Social Network, has got itself a real trailer. A trailer with footage from the film edited in an exciting way.

You can watch the film here, or more exciting read on for 7 screenshots I’ve plucked out for no good reason.

Eisenberg!

Garfield! (Spiderman!)

Timberlake!

Sex!

Fights!

Parties!

A man jumping into a pool while tied to a chimney!

Get excited… now.

Only one film of general release and only one film I can’t wait to see on an epicly sized screen. I’m taking this one to the VIP section of the VUE Xtreme.

Inception

Not long ago I hadn’t even heard of this mind bending blockbuster but not it is my second most anticipated film of the year. I want to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt fight in a rotating corridor and I want to see it now! Don’t waste your time with anything else. I’ve avoided the featurettes and have only seen one trailer, though cracked and read the prequel comic. I know little enough to be surprised by the film but enough to be very very excited.

Everything else is only on limited release and not work talking about, apart from Mega Piranha perhaps but we’ll be reviewing that in time for it’s DVD release.

Forget The A-Team, put aside The Losers, what you want is a film about mercenaries will a cast of action stars. Stallone, Statham, Li, Rourke, Schwartzenegger, Willis and… Charisma Carpenter all have one thing in common; The Expendables. They have guns and everything!

If you want to run around with guns you might like to go paintballing and Lionsgate Films want you to go too. To get a free ticket to one of 45 UK paintball locations just go to www.expendablesmovie.co.uk and enter the code 949395.

There, never say we don’t give you anything. Thorpe Park vouchers and now free paintball tickets!

A brief post because I’m feeling a bit spammy today. It turns out that Barack Obama has a great taste in TV and watches one of the same shows as me.

Over at FOX News Mad Men creator Matt Weiner has revealed that he received a letter from Obama saying how much he enjoyed season 3. I bet he loved the bit with the lawn mower.

Oi Cameron! When are you going to write to Breaking Bad? David probably prefers Vampire Diaries.