#it's a compliment. i am a HUGE fan of neil and his ideas

[sayuri-of-the-valley]

At this point Good Omens feels like a huge Pride and Prejudice AU, and season two was exactly the end of P&P act 2, when Lizzie rejects Mr Darcy's confession and first proposal (and don't we all love that scene now huh).

And I know S2's finale broke our hearts, mine hurts incredibly rn, but following this narrative structure, can we talk about P&P's GLORIOUS act three and what this could mean for Good Omens S3 and of course for Aziraphale and Crowley's romance?

Y'all know we'll have our Pemberley, right? It's called South Downs cottage in Devil's Dyke.

(check my tags before yelling at me btw)

[midnightiscoming-kasabian]

'NEW INSPIRATION' Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno on new hair and new start with his S.L.P. solo album

By Jacqui Swift | Photos: Neil Bedford

SERGE PIZZORNO didn’t want to make another Kasabian record without first searching for new inspiration.

After 15 years of hits, the creative leader of the Leicester band that formed in 1997 decided to do something different.

And so arrives The S.L.P., Pizzorno’s debut solo album under the guise of his initials S.L.P. (Sergio Lorenzo Pizzorno).

He says: “I just need to go and find some new treasures, go down the rabbit hole and see what I came back up with.

“The S.L.P. and Kasabian are two very different things. Two different sports that you would never combine.”

Pizzorno previously had no urge to make a record on his own and says its creation came as a surprise to him after “playing around in the studio”.

He says: “It was made for the right reasons and not to be commercial, just to see what could happen. There was definitely a childish reconnection of messing about and not having to consider playing it to 80,000 people.

“I’m not even using my name on the record and so probably in six months, people will go, ‘Did you make this record?’”

Kasabian fans needn’t worry that this solo project might mark the end of the band.

Pizzorno says: “I am in my band and I love my band. The best way to describe it is, it’s like another planet I can now visit whenever I want. It’s this planet that orbits and I can go there for a bit.”

‘NEW HAIR’

When Kasabian decided to take a break after touring 2017’s For Crying Out Loud, Pizzorno found himself in his studio with tracks and thought it was “very much now or never”.

He says: “When you get to six albums, you’ve got to keep it clever and make it interesting.

“Kasabian have had six albums — five No1 albums in a row. We’ve headlined Glastonbury, Leicester Stadium, The O2 and got really big in Europe, Eastern Europe and South America.

“Things rocketed after that last album and we needed time off. There is nothing better than being in a band but there are times, like when we are sat in airports, when it feels like hard work.”

I meet the 38-year-old at his publicist’s office in North London. He has just got the train down from Leicester. Tall and skinny, with new short hair and leopard spots dyed into the back, he says: “It’s new hair as I felt it was symbolic of a new start.”

Pizzorno has always enjoyed pushing the boundaries with Kasabian and no two albums have been the same.

He says: “This was a really quick record to make. I’ve always embraced just going with the beat or melody and seeing where it takes me.

“There’s an energy you create as a writer. With The S.L.P., I’ve been able to go even further. Some things aren’t right for Kasabian but work for this as it’s so different.” It was recorded and produced at his home studio, The Sergery, in Leicestershire. The S.L.P. shows off his love of film soundtracks, dance music and hip-hop.

Pizzorno says: “I’ve always liked film scores, the Balearic thing and really evil, dirty basslines and I’ve tried to channel those.

“I’d put a lot of my old synths and instruments into storage and worked on my little Casio keyboard, a couple of little drum machines and would just nick sounds from film and TV.

“There’s a lot of samples on the record but nothing specific, more like digital noises and sounds that I’ve collected over the years.

“If I didn’t have my hard drive, I don’t think I’d necessarily have an album — it was a good chance to dip into them. I like making collages and putting all the sounds together with the melodies I had in my head.”

Pizzorno reveals he had a comic-strip idea for the album, with a beginning, middle and an end starting with the tracks Meanwhile . . .  In Genova”; “Meanwhile . . .  At The Welcome Break”; and “Meanwhile . . .  In The Silent Nowhere.

‘BLEW MY MIND’

He says: “The whole album was very visual. I find imagery and write from it.

“Once I had these three pieces of music I could fill in the gaps. And it was good to start at my roots with the track Meanwhile . . .  In Genova.”

The story begins in Italy in Genova, where Serge’s grandad is from. The singer is a huge Ennio Morricone fan, this cinematic track is his homage to him.

Standouts on the album are joyous dance tracks Trance and recent single Nobody Else.

He says: “It’s dance music but there is also tenderness and little moments of simple messages.

“Trance is a lovely moment because it’s an anthem but way more French and sophisticated.

“Rave music was huge for me. Me and my pal used to spend hours dancing to it in his bedroom. And when we are playing festivals, I try to visit the dance tent to have a little dance as I miss that feeling. It’s mad.

“The Wu is a special track on the record too. I love that tune.

“It’s about going down hotel corridors listening for where the party is.

“I’ve spent a lot of times in hotels with the band listening to The Wu-Tang.”

The first single from The S.L.P. was Favourites, for which he teamed up with Little Simz, while Slowthai guests on Meanwhile . . .  At The Welcome Break.

He says: “I went to see Slowthai in Birmingham and he just blew my mind. He was phenomenal and the same with Simz. I had been in contact in the past with her and always loved her flow.

“I wanted the track to have a British voice on there. The album is very much where I see Britain and what I’ve observed here as myself over the years.

“Favourites came from listening in to a conversation with two young girls about online dating.

“I started thinking about the real you versus your online persona and how you are never going to live up to it.

“It’s thinking about where that is going to lead us and how we forget to live in the moment.

“The track Soldiers 00018 is about a cab driver talking about his hatred of things and how I had the feeling I need to fight back but with compassion, love and positivity.

“Meanwhile . . .  In The Silent Nowhere is about the need for communication and to start listening again. Whatever side you are on, you have to engage and try and figure it out and find some sort of middle ground.”

Pizzorno believes that in these troubled times, people feel disconnected — and the further away we are from each other, things will get worse.

He says: “I think it’s an artist’s job to bring people together to engage with each other.”

‘FRESH AND ENGAGED’

It is no surprise that Pizzorno’s project as The S.L.P. has been compared to Damon Albarn and Gorillaz, something the musician and producer sees as a huge compliment.

He says: “It’s a massive honour because I am a huge fan of his and especially Gorillaz. In the future I’d like to work with more artists, and not necessarily people you would expect.

“To have that opportunity and be in the studio with these different people inspiring new sounds is amazing.

“That is going to keep me fresh and engaged with new s**t.”

One person who continually inspires Pizzorno is The Mighty Boosh comic and Bake Off presenter Noel Fielding, who helped launch the S.L.P. at a special Q&A event in London.

Pizzorno says: “Noel is a real brother, and godfather to my kids.

“We met years back and kept in touch and spent a load of time together. I worked on two of his shows with him with the music and we’ve released music together that are loose tapestries.

“He is so talented and clever. I can’t keep up with his ideas.

“When I’m with him, it’s constant, mad laughter. My two boys watch him on Bake Off and he taught them how to paint.

“I’ve got this amazing photo of him with them when they were little, sat on his knee on a lawnmower wearing a pair of shorts and mad David Bowie boots.”

THE S.L.P. track list

Meanwhile... In Genova

Lockdown

((trance))

The Wu

Soldiers 00018

Meanwhile... At The Welcome Break (ft               Slowthai)

Nobody Else

Favourites (ft Little Simz)

Kvng Fv

The Youngest Gary

Meanwhile... In The  Silent Nowhere

Next month, Pizzorno goes out on the road to tour The S.L.P. with a number of select gigs across the UK and Europe.

He says: “I can’t wait. It’s going to be the album in its entirety with extended mixes and the aim is euphoria. I went to see David Byrne play and his show really inspired me.”

And how have Pizzorno’s Kasabian bandmates reacted to this solo work?

He says: “I have to say they’ve been incredible. Tom says he loves it. There’s not been any weirdness at all.

“I love being in my band and making my own record has inspired me for more Kasabian and I’ve been working on music for the band already.

“They know I wasn’t sure The S.L.P. was even going to happen and they realise it makes sense for me to do something.

“As a band, we’ve had everything thrown at us. Like any relationship, we’ve had massive highs and lows but we are happy together. Stepping away from Kasabian makes me appreciate the enormity of it and the power of our live show.

“The S.L.P. is a new start for me, which means a new chapter for Kasabian too.

“Kasabian is all about connection and when we return we will connect with as many people as possible.

“I will just have another outlet for extra music I fancy making.”

The S.L.P. is out on August 30.

www.thesun.co.uk

[templeofgeek]

We sat down with Joey Spiotto aka Joebot Illustration.  His unique blend of children’s books and geek culture have been creating a buzz on the con circuit and the artist community.  We talk porgs, art, and all things geek!

Q: How did you come up with the idea of combining children’s books and all things geek?

A: Well I had been working on another series of prints where I turn some of my favorite movies/games/tv shows into vintage children’s record albums. I love the idea of taking something that’s not necessarily for children and making it kid friendly. The next obvious choice was turning my favorite geeky things into children’s book covers.

Q: When did you realize you had this special talent and could make a living out of it?

A: I think my parents recognized it long before I did. I was always drawing as a kid, and my mom was very supportive of it. So I was always taking various art classes growing up. In high school I got serious about my future goals of becoming a professional artist and I kinda geared my education towards that. I skipped “regular” college and went right into art school after graduating high school. Growing up I had great teachers that never said that being a professional artist was not a viable path. I was very fortunate to have supportive parents and great teachers helping me along the way.

Q: Is there a specific genre you never get tired of creating?

A: I don’t think so. The great thing about loving a lot of different things is that there’s always new great things being created to base new projects off of. Great TV shows pop up constantly, we’re getting great new genre films on a pretty regular basis, with music based pieces I tend to stick to the classics, and with video games there’s a constant stream of releases throughout the year. If there’s a great character that I feel can easily translate into my style, and i’m a fan of whatever that thing is, i’ll typically tend to go for it.

Q: What sparks your creativity?  I know it’s cliched but what’s your creative process?

A: Sparking creativity is rarely a cliche… sometimes it can be a challenge. I typically create artwork only based off of things I love. So if there’s something that i’m drawn to, it’s usually pretty easy to come up with an idea based off of it. Unless it’s a commission, I really don’t make artwork based off of something i’m not familiar with and that I don’t like. Creativity can be elusive and so if I find myself getting bored of something, I have to step away and come back to it later. Typically I try to work on something else and then come back to what I was working on, and that really helps. Taking breaks, changing gears, and revisiting a piece.

Q: Have you ever wanted to venture out of the children’s books and into another style?

A: I have another series called “High Fidelity” where I recreate vintage children’s records in the style of the old Disney vinyl LP’s. I just released a book with the help of Kickstarter collecting that series. I’ve been very fortunate to have two pretty successful series of prints that i’m known for, and those have kept me busy so I haven’t had time to work on another idea yet. Like with the “records” and the “books”, i’ll know it when the time comes. Those ideas really just came to me as a spark and I saw them clearly in my mind. They also came to me when I had some downtime, and I’ve been super busy the past few years with work and family life so I think I haven’t made room in my brain for another thing. Recently though I’ve been feeling the need to create my own world with characters that I can give life to, that’s sort of where my artistic passion currently is and so while I have nothing to share now, i’m definitely working towards developing those ideas.

Q: Lootcrate recently turned your designs into figures (which we love), can we expect more figures or other mediums for your art?

A: Thanks so much! That was a really cool project to see come together. I can’t say whether we’ll see more of those or not, but feel free to reach out to LootCrate on social media and let them know how much you enjoy them, and if you want to see more! It’s amazing how powerful a tool things like twitter, Instagram and Facebook can be.

Q: Bob Odenkirk from “Better Call Saul” signed your work, what was his reaction?  and do you have any other interested celebrity stories with your work?

A: Yeah, that was AWESOME! I’m a big fan of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I first became familiar with Bob Odenkirk’s work on the HBO series Mr. Show years ago… the dude is brilliant. I’m a big fan so having him appreciate my work is a huge compliment. Unfortunately I wasn’t around for the signing. I guy that follows me online was working in a studio and Bob had come in to do some work. The guy had my prints and brought them in for him to sign and then was awesome enough to take some pictures and send them my way. I did meet Bob Odenkirk a few years earlier when I was part of an official Breaking Bad art show at Gallery 1988. He’s a great guy, we had a real nice conversation. Living in Los Angeles and working with Gallery 1988, i’ve been fortunate to meet quite a few people who’s work I admire. Joss Whedon, Conan O’Brien, JJ Abrams, and Neil Patrick Harris are just a few people who have my artwork hanging on their walls. It’s kinda surreal because i’m a big fan of theirs and then they become fans of mine through my artwork… it’s all kinda weird, but also pretty cool.

Q: Is there a certain person or event that you credit with making you the artist you are today?

A: Jensen and Katie at Gallery 1988 took a chance on me after I quit the video game industry and found myself unemployed when the economy tanked at the end of 2008. They invited me to a few shows and for the first year I sold nothing… it was pretty depressing. Then I went to Disneyland and found inspiration in Mary Blair’s poster for “It’s a Small World” and I came up with an idea for what I wanted to do for their annual “Crazy 4 Cult” art show. My fake kids record “River Tam & The Fireflies” spread around the internet like wild fire and sold out at the show. That was a huge turning point for me and my career as a pop culture artist. Then along the way more opportunities arose as more and more people saw my artwork. I had another career before this working in film and video games as an artist, but i’m happy to have moved on from that world to where i’m currently at.

Q: Has becoming a parent changed your art?

A: Hmmm that’s a great question. My wife and I have two amazing baby boys, and currently I’d have to say the only thing that’s changed my art is the time I have to dedicate to it. I work from home and while that sounds really great, and for the most part it is, it comes with it’s own set of challenges. I’ve definitely had to become more efficient in my use of time, but that’s still hard because sometimes I don’t have it in me, but they’re both napping and I have an hour window to make something happen.  But I think i’m starting to want to make something that I can share with my children and that goes back to wanting to create characters and worlds and tell stories in them.

Q: When are we getting your interpretation of porgs?

A: Ha! I’m VERY excited for the Last Jedi. I’m going to sit on the fence with Porg related art until I’ve seen the film. What if they turn out to be the Jar Jar of The Last Jedi?!? Then I’ve created a bunch of Porg prints that nobody wants to buy. I remember going to the theater just to see the trailer for The Phantom Menace and thinking “There’s no way this will be disappointing!” (For the record, i’m 98% sure Porg’s will be awesome.)

Q: What are you most excited for this Christmas?

I’m excited to take some time away from my desk and be with my family. This has been a busy year for me, I still have some freelance projects to wrap up and then I have a bunch of books arriving any day that I have to ship out to Kickstarter backers, so my year is far from over, but once those all go out and my work is done for the year, i’m looking forward to trying to relax (i don’t really take time for that…ever) and enjoy being a dad and husband without deadlines hanging around me. Oh and Star Wars. I’m very excited for a new Star Wars movie.

Q: What’s next for you?  Cons? Prints? Projects? 

A: I’ve got a bunch of cons lined up next year, with my first one in March I think. So my goal is to work on my own personal project until Con season kicks in and then get back in the swing of things with new prints. I find myself wanting to write a lot lately, so i’m going to take some time to do that and listen to the spark of an idea I’m currently figuring out. Last time I did that it led me to where I am today, so i’m very excited about this new project and looking forward to diving into it.

Check out Joey on…

Etsy

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Artist Interview with… Joey Spiotto We sat down with Joey Spiotto aka Joebot Illustration.  His unique blend of children's books and geek culture have been creating a buzz on the con circuit and the artist community. 

[rob-blog1234]

WEEKEND TV HOT FILM PICKS!

Check out my guide to the top films on TV this weekend, best of the rest and what to avoid at all costs. Enjoy!

LATE FRIDAY 24th NOVEMBER

HOT PICKS!

More4 @ 2100     Rush (2013) *****

You may see this film advertised on TV and think it’s not for you as you are not really a big fan of Formula 1…STOP. This film transcends a simple “sports film” and is a fantastic film for all. It’s a biography of F1 champion Nikki Lauda, specifically around the 1976 F1 season, focusing on the intense relationship between himself and arch rival James Hunt, we see the highs and the lows of one of the most competitive relationships in sporting history. Ron Howard has pulled out all the stops here and created something quite amazing, packed full of emotion, with characters you can really feel, combined with some of the best action facing sequences I’ve seen for a long time - Rush is a great success. Sit down, strap in and hold on tight.

Horror @ 0220     Let the Right One In (2008) *****

This is my favourite film of 2009 (UK release date). This amazing vampire drama from Sweden did suffer the indignity of a U.S remake “Let Me In” - but luckily they somehow pulled that one off - but here’s the original in all its glory. A thoroughly engrossing and touching film based on a superb book. Watch this! 5 Stars. It’s a dark love story set in Sweden. The bleak and snowy back drop compliments the pace and mood of the film. The sound, direction and acting are all perfect. I find it very difficult to find fault with any part of it. The relationship that is built between our two young lead actors is simply fascinating to watch, there’s so much realism. This is a tender and touching film but also subtly horrifying. The end of this film will stay with me for a long time. So much is said with so few words. It really leaves a mark on you. A truly great film.

Best of the rest:

TCM @ 2100     Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) *****

C4 @ 0005        Boyhood (2014) *****

ITV3 @ 0030     The Theory of Everything (2014) ****

TCM @ 2310     Goodfellas (1990) *****

Film4 @ 2310    Aliens (1986) *****

***SO BAD IT'S GOOD!***

Film4 @ 0215 Piranha DD (2012) * SO BAD IT'S GOOD!

I expected awful and even potentially unwatchable. I saw the reviews and prepared myself that I could even be angry with how bad this film would be... but would you believe it, it's not as bad as the majority say. This is a B-Movie that knows exactly what it is, doesn't apologise and really doesn't care. It makes no attempt to cover up its shortcomings, it uses them to its advantage. Don't get me wrong, this film isn't great, it's not even good but it just about squeezes in enough gratuitous wobbling body parts, awful jokes, ridiculous death scenes and, most importantly, appearances from Gary Busey and David Hasselhoff to make this throw away comedy better than you've read about in the press. If everyone understood this films place as well as its makers did, I think it would get a little less horrendous panning.

***AVOID AT ALL COSTS!***

W @ 2100    Dark Shadows (2012) * AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Dark Shadows marks a definitive end to my patience for the continuing dross being offered from the Burton / Depp camp. I fail to actually see who this film was supposed to be for. If it's for adults it's far too childish, if it's for kids there is far too much innuendo and sexual themes. I personally think it's was for Burton himself who seems to know he can somehow churn out whatever tickles his fancy and still get paid. Very disappointing indeed.

SATURDAY 25th NOVEMBER

HOT PICKS!

C4 @ 2100      Ex Machina (2014) *****

I can't believe this was Alex Garland's directorial debut. He was the writer on 28 days Later and Sunshine - so here's his directorial debut and it's unmissable. It's hard to even think this is his first film at the helm. The film oozes beauty in every shot - the clinical setting and awesome camera work produce some fantastic visuals in what is in essence a very tight and small set with 3 main characters in the most part. Ex Machina is one of the best Sci-Fi films to come out in recent years. It follows Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, a 26 year old coder for the world’s largest internet company. He wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain retreat of the company CEO - Nathan (Oscar Issac). Nathan is a recluse and the social interactions between the two are fascinating. Caleb finds out that he is to participate in an experiment interacting with the world’s first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl played by Alicia Vikander. This is true Sci-Fi. It could very easily be set right now. It's only a matter of time before one of the big players launch something truly stunning. Thought provoking, brilliantly story telling that keeps your eyes glued to each interaction and the wonderful script wraps its way right through you. It lingers long after the credits roll. Don't miss this. Look out for the trailer for his next step into Sci-Fi that I for one am very excited about… Annihilation.

Horror @ 2100     The Descent (2005) *****

The best British Horror film of the noughties. Neil Marshall’s superb Brit Shock Horror “The Descent” is chilling, creepy and full of suspense. It’s packed full of shocks, not just run of the mill cheap tricks, these are great shocks, perfectly timed with fantastic twists. This was just what the genre needed. It withstands multiple watches and has become a firm favourite of mine. If all else fails… Stick The Descent on.

A group of young women go on a caving expedition that goes horribly wrong and they soon become lost in an uncharted cave system. As panic escalates they come across some strange and very dangerous creatures. Here begins a fight for survival. This is a very accomplished Horror that excels in all aspects; the relatively unknown cast are all superb and help along the back story nicely. The cinematography is second to none, capturing all the awkward angles of the confined spaces as well as the vast open space of the caves; the story is wonderfully layered and is excellently told. This certainly is NOT a cheap teen horror. Neil Marshall hit our radar with his 2002 debut “Dog Soldiers” which was a lot of fun and showed a lot of talent, but in 2005, he had obviously honed his skills and produced this dark, bloody and claustrophobic Horror with a fantastic story line. It has some beautifully executed twists that will stick in your mind for a long while. From the very off this film is set at full speed and rarely lets up - every time your adrenalin begins to drop you are thrown back into heart stopping tension and fantastic frights that all add up to one of the great Horrors of modern times. If you like Horror… Love this.

Best of the rest:

Film4 @ 1300     Field of Dreams (1989) *****

ITV2 @ 1850       Inception (2010) *****

TCM @ 2100      Goodfellas (1990) *****

ITV4 @ 2300       Full Metal Jacket (1987) *****

SUNDAY 26th NOVEMBER

HOT PICKS!

Sony @ 1630     Another Earth (2011) ****

Through all the improbabilities and implausible ideas in this elaborate work of fiction, Mike Cahill brings us a subtle, affecting and intimate story that takes place as we discover another planet, another Earth, getting closer and closer to our planet. An exact replica. This huge and admittedly outrageous Sci-Fi concept is merely a sub plot to the main event - It is a story of how two people meet and how their relationship, forged through tragedy, grows.

Brit Marling, who not only co-wrote this film but it is also her fantastic debut in the lead role as Rhoda, turns this light weight, low budget story of a tragic relationship into a serious heavy weight contender. This is no doubt the start of a great career for her. I still haven't managed to catch her in the 2012 release Sound of My Voice which I'm very much looking forward to.

The film does raise a ton of unanswerable questions but sensibly chooses to stick to its guns and focus purely on Rhoda, her decisions and the reasons for the path she takes. This emotionally charged Indie Sci-Fi fascinates and mesmerises with its subtle, slow pace, mysterious soundtrack and affecting performances.

C5 @ 2100       Fury (2014) ****

There are plenty of war films with the same old formula, and this film does follow a rather formulaic approach, but here we focus solely on a U.S. Sherman tank crew. Not since the amazing Kelly’s Heroes had I seen a film focus on these tanks. A history lesson in itself for the ignorant and uneducated - the Nazi Tiger tanks they are up against completely and utterly out gun them and with armour so strong - the Sherman’s found it extremely difficult to stop them. Comparatively this film is nothing like the almost light hearted, satirically barbed Kelly’s Heroes, here we have a film attempting to capture the realism of war, the death, the squalor and the sheer inhumanity. It does this very well.

It’s dark, rich colour palette and beautifully framed cinematography certainly keep your eyes glued to the screen. The poor Sherman crews did not have much hope. We are taken deep inside the belly of “Fury” the Sherman tank with crew of 5 led by Don “Wardaddy” Collier played by Brad Pitt. Never before have I seen such oddly perfect hair styling in a war zone since Clint Eastwood’s barnet in Where Eagles Dare.

The claustrophobia of the tank is captured really well but it also somehow creates space with every odd angle when we see times where this crew felt secure in their new found home. The performances are the icing on the cake here with everyone pulling out performances to be very proud of. Not a film that will survive a re-watch mainly down to its bleakness, but never the less a film I am very pleased to have seen.

Film4 @ 2320     The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) ****

Before McConaughey did anything good at a time when mediocrity saturated his filmography with sub-standard Rom-Coms and Sahara… I hate Sahara…. Anyway - Here we see him in a fantastic role as (you guessed it) a lawyer who works out of the back of his car - a Lincoln… See what they did there! I’m a sucker for a good court room drama and this is certain one of those. Plenty of twists. Stand out McConaughey. Great supporting cast. Don’t miss it.

Sony @ 2320      Sunshine (2007) *****

It’s been a while since this has graced our TV schedule. Don’t miss Danny Boyle’s splendid venture into the space Sci-Fi genre: Sunshine. I love this film. It pulls from so many influences from Science Fiction greats such as Alien, 2001, and even Event Horizon. The film is set 50 years in the future, a team of astronauts are sent on a mission to reignite the dying sun. They are Earth’s last hope of survival.

Sunshine relies heavily on the quality of the cast to drive this through and they all do a sterling job. Particularly Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans. They all capture the essence of how 16 months cooped up in a confined space must make you feel. The mission takes a turn when they find the original lost ship from a failed mission in a decaying orbit around the sun. This is the beginning of a string of unfortunate and strange events that put not only their lives but their mission to save the world as well.

Boyle dishes out some seriously tense scenes and towards the end of the film it changes from Sci-Fi to Horror as certain things are revealed. Although not everyone welcomed these changes, I think they worked really well and it was a good twist ultimately carrying film to conclusion. Sunshine is a thrilling and very gripping Sci-Fi feast from a great British Director. A must see film.

Best of the rest:

ITV2 @ 1605       Despicable Me (2010) ***

Film4 @ 1705     The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) *****

C4 @ 1805          Men In Black 3 (2012) ***

TCM @ 2100       The Day of the Jackal (1973) ****

Sony @ 2100      Unbreakable (2000) ****

***AVOID AT ALL COSTS!***

Film4 @ 2100     Cowboys & Aliens (2011) * AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

First off - Ignore the cast. You would wrongly assume that a film with Harrison Ford / Daniel Craig / Sam Rockwell / Olivia Wilde / Paul Dano / Walter Goggins & Clancey Brown would at least be slightly watchable. You would be wrong. It may as well have cast Hugh / Pew / Barney McGrew / Cuthbert / Dibble & Grub. Disjointed, Unentertaining, dull and horribly boring - Nothing stands out here. I haven’t felt this disappointed in a “Western” since Wild Wild West and I’m still angry about the sheer existence of that grot. Why was this film even made?? Maybe it’s a cover for something bigger, maybe Money Laundering!!? - filtering money through the stinking bowels of this “film”…Who knows… What I do know - AVOID AT ALL COSTS!  

BBC2 @ 2240     John Carter (2012) * AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

What an unfortunately boring waste of a colossal budget. Slap-dash, hurried and choppy story with some ludicrous ideas. We’ve seen enough special effects to now not be simply wow-ed by that alone. John Carter looks good but bored the hell out of me. AVOID!