Corpse Bride

Typical - you don't go to the movies for ages then you end up going twice in the same day! Today was Halloween and collecting my daughter from school I thought it was the perfect time to go and see Tim Burton's latest animation. He has been quite prolific in the last few years and his hard work culminates in this project that was mostly done simultaneously with the live action Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Johnny Depp provides the voice for the main character, a bumbling young man who inadvertently raises the dead when practicing his wedding vows in a haunted wood. Since the days of the magnificent Nightmare Before Christmas the animation has come on lightyears, of course, and looks absolutely beautiful in every Goth tinged detail. There are some cute songs in the mix, some colourful characters of all shapes and sizes and almost too much to take in on first view, such is the depth of imagination. Mesmerizing was never a more appropriate word and if you are a fan of what Burton does then this will be perfection for you from start to finish. I much preferred it to the Roald Dahl remake - it just seemed as if there were no bounds to what could happen and the simplicity of the tale made it all the more entertaining. Taking it from a child's point of view I can only say that this got a better reaction from Josie than anything we have seen all year, bar none. It is very clever, very funny and has that quaint old fashioned atmosphere that Burton does so well. 9/10. Kx

Serenity

A good while since I went to the cinema and an ever expanding list of things I wanted to see passing me by meant that a Halloween matinee seemed like a real treat. My first choice would have been Broken Flowers but it was on at the wrong time so I went for Joss Whedon's Serenity, the big screen version of cancelled TV Sci-Fi show Firefly. Word of mouth was very good for this unlikely success story and despite clips of scenes I'd seen looking like a slightly bigger budget TV pilot I thought I'd give it a go. Which turned out to be a good move - right from the start it appealed to the closet Trekkie in me and I found myself having a whale of a time being introduced to new characters, a new universe, new good guys and new bad guys. The backbone of what Whedon does well is always a set of rich characters with satisfying backstories being placed in interesting situations and given sparkling dialogue with a nudge and a wink to all sources of pop-culture never far away. And that's what you get here, perhaps in its most effective form ever! Yes, it is derivative - everything from Star Wars to Star Trek to Blade Runner and Blake's Seven is paid homage to in a cocktail of all things interstellar that somehow comes together in a totally original way. The original TV cast reprise their roles with relish (as if their very careers depended on it), including main man Nathan Fillion as captain of Serenity and leader of a down and dirty crew of space cowboys down on their luck. The rest of the cast do well enough, but it is Fillion's movie - the guy is a star! He delivers lines of dry wit, sarcasm, angst and strangled heartache with real panache, convincing us that all the inevitable comparisons to Harrison Ford are not as misplaced as you might think. Serenity has something that a lot of Sci-Fi, or fantasy films of any kind forget to have: a heart! Audiences will forgive any amount of wobbly sets and dubious plot devices so long as we care what happens to the people at the centre of it. In that, and in many other ways too, this is a complete gem worthy of more than just cult status and certainly a sequel or two. 8.5/10 Kx

World Series

Last night saw another big baseball "curse" lifted as the Chicago White Sox won 1-0 in the fourth game to take the world series with a sweep over the offensively poor Houston Astros. This was only my second year paying any kind of attention to baseball, after watching the Red Sox come though in amazing, record breaking style against the Yankees and then the world series last season. Being a little more familiar with the game made it much more interesting to watch and right from game one I was hooked on the drama of it all and the complex tactics of both sides. I was pretty much neutral but had a feeling the Sox were the stronger team and so it proved. The highlight of the four nights had to be Scott Podsednik getting an unlikely home run in the bottom of the ninth in game two - without that the series probably would have gone on longer and I'd be up all night again tonight with game 5. But not to be. The Sox were worthy winners and the Astros were gallant losers - in all it was just a terrific spectacle for sports fans. OK game four was a bit of an anti-climax and not so exciting being primarily a shootout between the pitchers but the preceding three games were all thrilling in one way or another - game 3 perhaps most of all as it became the longest game in world series history at 5 hours and 41 minutes and lasting 14 innings! I have to take my hat off to channel Five, who have covered American sports in Britain for a decade now - their coverage was superb, including the 2 guys in the studio and their very funny banter. Credit to them for staying on air till 7:30am for game 3 and for a memorable experience. Don't know that I'll ever become devoted to a particular team or even follow the regular season too closely next year, but for the world series at least I can say I will never miss it again - If only for the reason that this is a sport that positively encourages facial hair! This is a game with tremendous history and a great deal of soul and I love it! Go Chicago... Kx

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand were one of the biggest bands of 2004, demonstrating a geeky chic style that was both new and retro at the same time. In 2005 they are still huge, but are no longer the cool new thing and so a second album was always going to be difficult for them. Their eponymous debut sold by the vanload, but it was their catchy singles that got them noticed and kept them being played on ipods everywhere. I loved Take Me Out (still do!) and enjoyed subsequent releases almost as much, without even feeling they were indispensable - and that's a feeling very much carried forward to this new bunch of tunes. It is a decent set, but it already sounds old and collectively becomes hard to listen to from start to finish as an air of repetition creeps in. Walk Away is perhaps the stand-out tune waiting to be number one everywhere, and my favourite, although there are one or two growers on there too. As a whole it falls short of the sum of its parts and is a little flat compared to its predecessor. Is it because their style is so vivid they left themselves with nowhere to go in any substantial way? They may have been adored by hoards of art students everywhere, but I predict the fanbase will disappear as quickly as it arrived, and there won't be that many tears shed by me for that. 6/10 Kx

Superman

More and more news of Bryan Singer's exciting new Superman movie, due for release next Summer emerges every day - and with access to bluetights.net and Singer's daily video log of the production it is easy to jump on the hype bandwagon. Seeing pictures of the new guy (Brandon Routh) in the famous costume and in the garb of mild mannered reporter Clark Kent you can't help but think back to Christopher Reeve. This led me to go out and buy the original 2 movies (3 and 4 don't could: they are rubbish!) in a secondhand boxset and introduce my daughter to them before she gets a chance to have the new images imprinted on her young brain. And I was glad I did, because you forget just how great they are! The then totally unknown Reeve is an absolute star from the first frame he appears, and manages to create believable differences between Clark and his alter-ego with effortless grace. OK the flying scenes now look old and don't have the magic they once did, but it is the scenes as Kent in the offices of the Daily Planet or bantering with Lois Lane that still shine. The scripting is well paced, the action still worthy of the name and the emotion underneath it all is surprisingly effective. And it is the latter which truly holds the secret of Superman's success - seeing him scream and fly off around the world so fast he reverses time when he finds Lois dead at the end of the first movie really brought a lump to my throat: it is very intense, giving the whole film a credibility that has really only ever been approached by the Spiderman movies, but never bettered. And then there's Gene Hackman! The casting of Kevin Spacey as arch nemesis Lex Luther is inspired but as with every other aspect of the production he really has his work cut out to match the original. As with Star Wars, Superman is so intrinsically a part of my childhood that it is almost sacred - be very careful Bryan... I have faith, but will not forgive easily if you mess this up! Kx

GTA: San Andreas

It seems very wrong to go from talking about Gandhi to this, but it is true that mere hours after watching the Ben Kingsley classic, a deeply emotional cry for peace in every aspect of our lives, I was beating up whores with a purple dildo and spraying anyone with the wrong coloured headscarf with various lethal projectiles...! One of the reasons I got an Xbox in the first place was to try out this game and see what everyone had been raving about. And it is evident why it is so popular - the game is vast, graphically astonishing, very addictive, wise and knowing, but still mercilessly violent: the ultimate package. It is pretty easy to master the basics and dive into the world of San Andreas. You have almost unlimited choice in how to live your life as Carl, resident of Ganton and recent ex-con; take a trip to the gym and work out till you look like Mike Tyson, gorge yourself on pizza or friend chicken at any of the myriad take-aways, play pool with the local shark, shop for cool clothes and accessories, or, indeed go on a psychopathic rampage and eventual high speed chase with the law in your choice of vehicle. Everything about the game can be customised to your taste, as long as in the end you are prepared to accept the missions laid out for you and do a bit of killing. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mean to take the highground and damn the violence unequivocally, it's fun, as long as you take it with tongue in cheek as it is meant - but there is something about it all that I find so depressing! Whenever I get the itch to play for a while it is hilarious fun, but after an hour or two it creeps into your psyche and twists your insides a little: it is one of those games that is so huge, yet empty it leaves you feeling quite lonely and you just have to turn it off for the good of your health - does that make sense? So it is a love hate relationship then. I love the design and scope of the game, but can't see me ever having the will to put time in to complete it. And so for that I'll have to give it a 7.5/10 from what would have maybe been a few points higher if I was a little less opposed to its vibe. It doesn't have an 18+ rating for nothing I suppose! Phew- where's my little book of calm? Kx

Gandhi

It really has been rather a dull time for me as Autumn takes firm hold - a changing of seasons has brought on a change of moods and my head seems to want to go to more serious places. One of these over the past week has been to finally get the shrink wrap off the Gandhi DVD I bought a while back on a whim that I wanted to learn more about the man, his ideas and that time in history. I bought his autobiography too, but never got further than the first two chapters back then - a sign of the lack of discipline I have in doing anything that may actually be good for me. But this week the time seemed right and I settled down to the 3 hour plus epic that beat E.T. to Oscar glory in 1982. Now I may have seen parts of this over the years but never the full movie so a lot of this was new to me despite it almost reaching its silver anniversary... The first thing that hit me was the sheer scale of it: the early scenes setting president for something very grand in size, scope and ambition - so much so that I felt overwhelmed instantly, in the same way I did when I saw Laurence of Arabia for the first time. I was very moved by the story and felt a constant lump in my throat to think of how these ideas were just as relevant today as ever, and by the realisation that all this was true, that one man (and a very small man at that!) did make all this difference. Non violent resistance is such a powerful idea; so simple and true it resonates in the heart of any human being that values to be called such. Ben Kingsley is, of course, magnificent in a performance so natural that it has lost nothing in the passage of time, and it makes me realise that I've never seen him be bad in a movie - and the cast of stars supporting him (not to mention the largest number of extras ever assembled) is just too phenomenal to contemplate in this age, it simply could never happen now! All in all it has made me think quite a bit and taught me a great deal. I just need to finish the book now to embellish the ideas firmly. It's good once in a while to take a look at something old - it's refreshing. Kx

Death Cab For Cutie

I missed it far too much so just had to sign on to Napster again - the freedom it gives you to listen to things you may not choose to buy is just to good ignore. I've done little else but try to catch up on what I'd let pass by in the last 2 months, and there seems to have been some good stuff. Top of the list so far is Death Cab For Cutie's latest release Plans. I listened to their critically acclaimed 2003 album Transatlanticism quite a bit in the Spring and have recommended it freely to anyone interested in alternative pop with a mellow edge. The new album follows much in the same vein, and whilst it may not be as loved by the indie crowd as their last release it is certainly the album that will launch the band into the limelight they deserve. It is a polished and highly accomplished collection of tunes, 50% of which will have you singing out loud in no time. I predict a good few singles will come from this, not least of all the beautiful I Will Follow You Into The Dark - one of my favourite songs of the moment by any band! There are many that begrudge a cult band making it big, as if they are losing something special and made just for them, but I've never understood it. The struggle of independence can certainly colour a band's mood and creative output, but ultimately good songs and good songwriters will emerge to become exactly as big or small as they need to be. Take REM - the IRS years were great and still wonderful to look back on, but who would deny the world their biggest successes in the 90s? One band, two complimentary periods - something I see Death Cab possibly emulating, starting right here. A very good album. 8.5/10 Kx

Still Friends

You know, you turn the TV on, surf the channels and there's nothing you want to watch. So what do you do you look for something you've seen a million times and trust will at least be bearable in the background. The king of such programs has to be Friends. We've been watching it for over a decade now, but if it's on we'll still check it out to see which episode it is! E4, the Channel 4 entertainment channel have been showing back to back episodes from 5-6pm every day for a while so it's convenient to stick it on after my daughter gets home from school - and it's great to watch it with her because it's the first time she's seen a lot of them and she is getting to just the right age to get a lot of the jokes. You can't help but think how life would have been without these 6 faces in it, so ubiquitous have they become. Some of the gags are so classic you could watch them a million times; the dialogue is always so sharp and never misses a single opportunity to wring every comedy droplet from the platinum chemistry of all the characters. And funny that from season to season your favourite changes because, I think, each of the 6 actors at one time has shone as having the best comic timing. Not even a contender for TV hall of fame - it's been there from the start and there it will stay. Kx

England Qualify

Saturday saw the first of 2 rounds of games to finally decide who will and who won't be going to Germany next Summer for the world cup. Amongst the many permutations a win for England and a win for Holland over the Czech Republic would mean that England would qualify with a game in hand. And yes, these two results did come about, but circumstances surrounding the facts are far more complicated and interesting. England have been under heavy criticism since their 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland last month and Sven's job has been in serious danger. A win over Austria was the very least expected and a decent win was demanded, if only to boost confidence. The team looked good in the first half, with Owen and the Chelsea players, Lampard, Cole and Terry standing out. A deserved penalty went in relatively early and all looked fine - but the second goal didn't come and a second yellow card meant David Beckham was off again in a cloud of controversy, to leave England barely hanging on for the 3 points and coming away with mixed emotions. The game on Wednesday against Poland, then, is mostly academic, but unless the team can deliver a 3 or 4 nil scoreline the press and many fans will not be happy... Perhaps happier than France or Spain though, whose qualification still hangs very much in the balance - It seems absurd when teams like Iran and Angola are already through, but that is the way of things, leaving plenty to watch out for in midweek. After all is done and the 32 places decided the countdown will begin, with eleven months to the main event! I sense there are to be many changes before then - with the chance of a Swede being in the top job dropping to zero very quickly... Kx

I Am A Bird Now

It has been one of the most boring weeks for entertainment since The Wasteland began, with everything I've done being a repeat of things already in the archives... I have gone back to a bit more reading - which is good, and I'll write up the reviews after I've finished each of the four books I've had on the go. In the meantime the only original thing to comment on is the Antony and the Johnsons Mercury Prize winning album I Am A Bird Now. I was curious about it rather than truly compelled to give it a listen and my view of it reflects that attitude. It is certainly unique and beautifully strange throughout its brief 35 minute running time, with Antony's voice a core of resonance and honest emotion. It is mostly reliant on standard blues and jazz themes that are tampered with in avant garde ways to create a moody and disturbing whole that changes your mind upon each listen. However, what points of beauty do exist are often negated by silliness or atonal nonsense that I can't find a reason to like. Equally, there just aren't enough stand out tracks to make it a classic in any sense - what it is is much as I expected: a quirky novelty that may inspire imitation and definitely deserves respect, but will never be the first album you reach for on any occasion. 6.5/10 Kx

Empire Online

Talk about a waste of time... I was recently so bored I catalogued my entire music collection onto the Rate Your Music website! Not such a waste of time actually as I can now link my collection to their database and get recommendations on what I might like to listen to next, based on my ratings. Similarly I went to have a look at my favourite film website Empire Online and found they had completely updated and jazzed it up, making it much more user friendly and just generally smart looking - one of their new features is a facility to catalogue your DVD collection and see it listed with its Empire rating alongside. It wasn't a full database as yet and their were many omissions, but I was pleased to see that of the 65 films I did list not one had a rating below 4 stars, thus my collection received an Empire 5 star endorsement - good to know! The site also has great movie forums where the burning questions and rumours of the moment are discussed as well as unrivalled access to trailers, film stills and red carpet photos and interviews. Over the years their editorial consistency has made them one of the most trustworthy sources of movie knowledge around, and I can say without hesitation that they have rarely let me down. In the inaugural issue of the online magazine Jake Gyllenhaal is the man to watch, as they list 54 films this season you should look out for - and he's in 4 of them, including the #1 movie Sam Mendes' Jarhead. Others I am stilling very much looking forward to: Walk The Line with Joaquin Phoenix as Jonny Cash; V For Vendetta with a shaven headed Natalie Portman; Capote with the always quality Phillip Seymour Hoffman; and the big Winter triumverate of Kong, Potter and Narnia, of course. Go and see, click the title of this post, the link in the text above or the Empire banner in the sidebar. Kx

Scrabble Etc

With all the multi-media entertainments out there you can easily forget to still enjoy the simple pleasures of things that don't need plugging in - like books and board games. If my reading has taken a knock from the allure of my DVD player and X-box it is nothing to the demise of my non electronic game playing; I used to play cards all the time, all sorts of games, but now I even play poker online at a virtual table. OK, so the Trivial Pursuit comes out about once every 3 months still, but that has been about the size of it. Then a few weeks back my daughter was given Cluedo for her birthday and it sparked a bit of a board game revival. Now you can only play so many games of Cluedo before it starts getting really repetitive, but the one game I'd really been missing was Scrabble - I've never been much of a Chess player; the length of time required to develop a decent game is a goal I've set aside for old age - but with Scrabble you get better game after game and need only a basic vocabulary to get you started. Each game is different, it lasts about the right length of time, and I always find it both educational and curiously calming. Of course you can be really mean too, or for fun play with only dirty words (harder than it sounds)! Inevitably I have spent as much time playing the real game with real wooden tiles as I have seeking out and playing an online version... I'm sure there are many similar such places but the one I found comes out of Romania, which shows the appeal this game still has! Click the title above to see their site and download the excellent game program. Go on - it's not just for pensioners you know. Kx